Putting underscores at the start of variables to mark them as "don't touch" is a terrible convention. Nobody wants to look at var _count:int
It's like you're making it spiky so nobody else can touch it without gloves. Problem is that your files become a briar patch, and you have to live inside of them and deal with those objects. Making your house unpleasant to live in is not a sustainable way to keep people out.