It must be nice to be able to sit at 104 Park St., donning rose-colored glasses and being insulated from the outside world.

The Sun Journal editorial “Education, taxes and generosity,” April 14, criticized my ire over using CBDG funds (taxpayers’ money) to provide services to individuals who failed to take advantage of an expensive, taxpayer-funded program that takes 13 years to complete. It is known as the public school system.

That shows that not only are you out of touch with what is happening in Lewiston, but also that you are enablers.

In order to solve problems, we must define and act to correct them. We cannot turn away from them. We cannot pretend that they don’t exist or, worse, ignore them and let them fester for fear of public ridicule.

I stand by what I said, then, now and tomorrow. It appalls me that, year after year, different groups of miscreants blow in and out of the local schools, treating them as a social club instead of an institution of learning.

It “is just unfair.” It sure is.

It is unfair that fixed-income seniors face yearly increases in property taxes to give those hoodlums a place to hang out. It is unfair that students coming to school to learn are denied their full daily learning time because of disruptive behavior. It is unfair when the bullying of honor students turns a place of safety and knowledge into a place of fear. It is unfair that those thugs create a negative public perception of Lewiston’s outstanding teachers.

If they feel they need an education, let them pay for it. Kaplan University, University of Southern Maine Lewiston-Auburn College and Central Maine Community College provide a laundry list of courses, for a fee, designed to provide skills needed in the working world.Tuition out of their pockets gives them a financial stake in their education and, hopefully, a desire to succeed.

There is also the CareerCenter on Mollison Drive in Lewiston. Programs at that taxpayer-funded center are free and designed to get people into the workforce.

I was elected by Lewiston taxpayers to bring dialogue and solutions to the public forum. I serve their needs, not the philosophy of the editorial board of the Sun Journal.

Robert E. Macdonald, Lewiston, mayor