Bee Heard

(Editor's note: Call The Bee at 632-0390 and record a one-minute comment on our Bee Heard line. It gives readers an opportunity to comment quickly and candidly on items of local or regional interest. Callers do not have to identify themselves and no callers' names will be used. In the interest of fairness and good taste, The Bee will not publish derogatory or insulting comments. All comments are by our readers and are subject to editing.

.At Amherst High School, a small group of mostly honor students who started a club called the Amherst High School Conservative Club have had their right to exist and to function like all other student organizations consistently suppressed by the school's administration and faculty. All these kids have ever asked for is for one staff member to step forward and act as their faculty advisor, and, after spending all last year fighting the administration for their right to survive, it's time for the new leadership and the faculty at Amherst to stop this blatant attempt to silence these kids just because they have conservative political beliefs. The Amherst High School Conservative Club should be given a faculty advisor immediately.

.The editorial in The Amherst Bee on Oct. 31 couldn't have said it better. Supervisor Mohan has shown extremely poor leadership, and the Town Board acted very irresponsibly when they adopted the budget. They had plenty of time to wait, find out what the numbers meant and determine whether or not taxes would be increased or decreased. To vote without that information is unbelievably bad leadership.

.It's a sad day for Amherst residents when the town supervisor adopts the 2008 budget but does not know the total tax levy.

.Hey, Dr. Mohan, thanks for nothing. We at Highway agreed to go to one insurance carrier and start paying a percentage of our insurance premiums. You have held back on our raises and retro pay that were negotiated in good faith. How quickly you forget what we as loyal employees did during the October storm. Our basements were flooded and we had no power, but we left our homes and families to try to get the residents of Amherst get back to normal. We will not forget this.

.Even though I am a senior citizen, I still spend about $50 to buy Halloween candy for the young children and hordes of teenagers who trick-or-treat. I've always enjoyed the fun of Halloween, but this year I soured on it. One of the teenage girls stole a display of gourds from my side porch, even as I handed candy to her friends while they distracted me. I wondered what was going on but didn't realize what happened until they left. That was a real class act. They have a lot to learn about gratitude and appreciation. It makes one wonder why the taxes are so high to educate these kids.

.For the second time in Amherst Supervisor Satish Mohan's two-year tenure so far as town supervisor, he has passed a budget that was not finalized and a budget for which he did not know the final numbers. Mohan has not earned a reputation for having his facts and dollar figures right, and he and the board have now gone and passed another budget that is not final. When are taxpayers going to wake up and realize Mohan was a big mistake?

.I can't wait for all the political signs to come down. They make our entire community very junky, and I am very offended by the sign in the village on Pasadena that advertises a local restaurant. Isn't such a sign a violation of some village ordinance? This sign can be found in front of a single-family home, and I don't think it should be per mitted.