Uncivil behavior breeds worse behavior, crime

Uncivil behavior breeds worse behavior, crime
EDITOR:
Regarding your recent editorial on civility, it has been said that you can't legislate morality, but actually, law is the legislation of morality.
The Vindicator's opinion is "We believe just about everyone could do his or her part to bring a bit more civility back into our lives." True, there are fundamentally two ways to order society. One is coercively, through the mechanisms of government. The other is voluntarily, through the peaceful, cooperative interactions of individuals.
But any realist knows that there will always be those who have no understanding of the latter concept, and their disorderly behavior begets disorderly behavior and leads to assaults and property damage. Case in point: In the narrow sense, a bar is one of the smallest forms of community. If the bar staff tolerates profanity and other disorderly conduct, it suggests to patrons that the staff will tolerate aggression and violence, as well.
When we ignore disorder, we act contrary to the best information that both citizens and social science have to offer and court long-term potential disaster for any community. To say such behavior should not be illegal, that it is well below the threshold of police response, does nothing to advance civil society. It takes a great deal of effort for some individuals to decide that something is immoral and to act on that belief especially when the law declares it legal and the culture deems it acceptable.
What's galling about this editorial is the utter remove from the realities of those on the front-lines; the police officers, medics, nurses, doctors and citizens who have to deal with the aftermath of what journalists and judges see as just a minor social infraction.
To quote Jane Jacobs from her book "The Death and Life of Great American Cities": "No amount of police can enforce civilization where the normal, casual enforcement of it has broken down."
KIM R. KOTHEIMER
Boardman
Gov. Taft could learn a lot from Michigan's Engler
EDITOR:
It is so wonderful that The Vindicator has finally recognized Michigan's governor, John Engler. Mr. Engler wants to drill for oil beneath Lake Michigan to help his country, state and community in our time of need.
What The Vindicator didn't mention is that Gov. Engler with his fearless, positive attitude approach has moved the state of Michigan back into the top five states in the country in economic development, satisfying financial needs, state growth and employment: putting the people in the state of Michigan first by showing his concerns for them through action, not empty words of promise; recognizing their needs and doing something about it; forgetting the special interest groups and concentrating his efforts on helping the masses, not only in his state, but also in his country.
Look at the tremendous turn around for the city of Detroit alone. Can you imagine what Gov. Engler would do for Youngstown and the state of Ohio if he were our governor? Anyone interested in promoting a "governor trade" between Michigan and Ohio?
JOHN BODNARK
Poland
LTV continues to heap insult upon injury
EDITOR:
If anyone has been following the demise of LTV, you will recall that they announced that without a major loan, they would run out of money to finance their benefit programs by Aug. 21.
After the bankruptcy judge ruled that it was legal to make millionaires out of these executives that ran the company into the ground, then the date changed to March 31 for the end of benefits.
The ultimate of disrespect was when you received your last pension check along with the letter stating that as of 3-31-02, you would receive nothing more from LTV. They took premiums from the last check for April.
OLIVER BRIGGS
Youngstown