Re “Advocates for young San Diegans decry mayor’s proposed cuts to youth services, libraries, and parks” (April 20): A wise friend once told me that we either pay now or we pay later when it comes to taxpayers financing children’s programs. If we shortchange kids now to save money, society will eventually pay the price in other ways.
Cutting educational, recreational, arts and youth development activities not only diminishes quality of life but may also lead to juvenile delinquency, justice system involvement or dependency on government assistance.
Today’s savings become tomorrow’s burden.
Selling out children is not the answer to solving the city’s budget deficit. We need to prioritize children’s programs to maximize kids’ potential to grow into productive citizens and to invest in a sound future for San Diego.
— Todd Cloaninger, Tierrasanta