We all know the predictable spouts opposing talk of adding any additional police as wasteful spending and hurting taxpayers. Yet some readers see no problem with paying for certain luxuries and fringes when it comes to the schools, which make up a sizable portion of the overall property tax bill. Spending on schools is justified if it meets the real needs of our kids, but a half million on athletics, as opposed to hiring an additional cop, cannot be justified in a struggling urban town since one bad headline can be a tourist disaster.