Referring to “MCS Board Didn't Listen to the People” (online Sound Off, May 20): I’d like to know which Massena is it that people are referring to when they insist that the “majority” of the community spoke loud and clear and WANTED a higher than 1.8% tax hike so they voted the budget down; is it the Massena that has full employment and GM and Alcoa are both booming? Or is it the Massena of today; with a GM factory being torn down and Alcoa that is just starting to recover from an idled plant; a Massena that has more retired/elderly residents than young professionals just starting out their careers? And these retired/elderly are that portion of the population who haven’t seen an increase in their social security for the last couple of years. These same people have to absorb a 4% (give or take) increase in their local taxes because the elected officials couldn’t figure out how to do anything less. Personally, I applaud the school board for keeping the tax increase at 1.8%; I think they made horrible choices in the programs they chose to cut, and the fact the teachers haven’t exactly done anything to help the situation out (here’s a newsflash for you teachers; it’s all about “what have you done for me lately?”…not about what you did last year or 2 years ago with concessions. We’re ALL suffering right now, so belly up to the bar. The place to voice your displeasure is to vote out each and every school board member; this latest group has been corrupt from day one. So stop trying to make Massena out to be some wealthy, cushy town.