Why should 'have-nots' pay for the 'haves' airport?

Why should 'have-nots' pay for the 'haves' airport?
EDITOR:
Vindicator editorial writers who call area residents "shortsighted and irresponsible' for not wanting to be the sole money providers for the Youngstown/ Warren Regional Airport are in my opinion; prude, pompous, know-it-alls! There! Now that we have the name calling out of the way, let's look at some of the reasons many taxpayers are balking at the thoughts of pouring more good money down a non profit, black hole enterprise.
If it's true that the Air Force Reserve 910th Airlift Wing and the Naval and Marine Reserve units pump a staggering $100 million into the area's economy each year, why don't we read editorials explaining exactly who gets this money, and more importantly, do all of those wage earners and businesses live and operate within Mahoning and Trumbull county boundaries? If not, why should the property owners from Mahoning and Trumbull counties have to pay tax dollars to benefit companies and people who live outside these two counties or perhaps, even in neighboring western Pennsylvania? Why should cash strapped, rural residents of southern and western Mahoning County be expected to pay for the dysfunctional segment of the Youngstown/Warren airport when they, in fact, live and work closer to the Akron-Canton air facility? Perhaps one answer is that local "have" tribe loyalists want once again for the "have-not" tribe to foot the bill for privately owned airplanes and the multitude of gamblers who charter planes from the Youngstown-Warren Regional airport.
DAVID METZLER
North Jackson
Jerry should feel at home among Valley Democrats
EDITOR:
How appropriate it is that the local Democratic Party selected Jerry Springer as guest of honor for their first annual Hall of Fame dinner. Like the many local Democratic officeholders who earned vacations in jail, Springer also has a criminal past, having been arrested for soliciting a prostitute when he was an officeholder in Cincinnati. Brilliant man that he is, he got caught when he wrote the lady (I assume) a check for services rendered. No word on whether he received any recurring souvenirs from the transaction. Ditto the prostitute.
Since it was a Hall of Fame dinner, convicted mob boss Lenny Strollo should be the first inductee as honorary treasurer since so many of the convicted officeholders received money from Lenny. Jails filled with local Democrat officeholders whose personal greed made the county poor and corrupt with Strollo's gifts.
It is only appropriate that the dinner should have been held in the same format as Springer's show. For those who have not seen the show, Jerry appears to collect most of his esteemed guests from skid row, prisons, and circus freak shows across the U.S.A. and titles each show with a theme. Jerry ends the show with a monologue making excuses for the his guests abhorrent behavior, kind of like the Democratic party does. The local Democrats have provided Jerry with plenty of potential themes. How about Andy Polivischak, Marty Emrich, and Fred Bailey as & quot;Help, I'm not a judge any more because I couldn't resist bribes. & quot; Phil Chance and Jim Philomena could be on the segment & quot;I was in law enforcement but I'm not sure which side. & quot; The possibilities are endless.
I apologize to all the convicted Democratic officeholders I did not list, but this paper generally does not offer five pages of text for letters to the editor. The local Democratic Party, corruption, and one party rule has destroyed the Mahoning Valley. It is a total embarrassment for this area, and the Democratic Party, that they couldn't find someone better to represent them than Jerry Springer. Or, unfortunately, perhaps they hit the nail right on the head.
MATT DITCHEY
Youngstown