Ohio is driving people away

Ohio is driving people away
EDITOR:
It should come as no surprise to many Ohioans that most college graduates must leave the state of Ohio to find rewarding opportunities and/or careers. But what course of action is Ohio actually pursuing to protect current jobs, retain qualified workers, and stimulate the economy? Ohio, historically speaking, has always been known as an education, as well as, a manufacturing giant, yet still continues to struggle with these issues.
There are a plethora of jobs in Ohio -- that is if you want to work for peanuts with a $50,000 education, or perhaps dedicate your life to a commissioned based insurance sales position. My point is that there are not enough solid employment opportunities with proper compensation for college educated people much less the non-college educated, and Ohio does very little, if anything at all, to counter this constantly growing problem. Furthermore, Ohio does not provide ample means to help support residents when the unemployed are seeking employment, but this is an accusation better articulated through an example.
For instance, earlier this year while working full time and attending school simultaneously, I was a victim of downsizing -- mainly due to the economy I suppose. At that moment I thought to myself, my only alternative now is to finish school quickly, find a rewarding career and become a productive member of Ohio's workforce. Simple enough, right? No, absolutely not! I recently graduated from Hiram College with a B.A. in Computer Systems Management, which is a management degree with a technical background, for those not familiar. Now, for several months, I have been trying to find employment, in any given field that I thought I was even remotely qualified for. Unfortunately, it seems that I am only qualified to sell insurance or work as a laborer for minimum wage, as those are the only calls I receive responses for after submitting over a hundred resumes. Needless to say I cannot live on a commission based salary or minimum wage at this point in time -- so I am still looking for employment.
To make matters worse, the Ohio Job and Family Services branch just recently implemented a new online system to make it easier for the unemployed Ohio residents to file for benefits. This is all fine and dandy, but after actually filing for benefits online, it was extremely obvious that this new online system was implemented with little or no testing whatsoever! I say this because I was denied for reasons unknown to me. I was completely unable to read any of the online documentation concerning a decision and even upon my personal request did not receive any postal mail on the subject. Therefore, my only recourse was the many telephone calls to the office that lead to a letter of appeal, which by the way takes six to eight weeks to process. The phone calls simply proved that the new system did not work, and I was blatantly told just that by many different employees of the service when I phoned in for answers. Now, regardless of the final appeal decision, I am left with no choice but to pack up and leave because this is truly bureaucracy at its finest. Why, you may ask? Not many people can afford to wait six to eight weeks to receive benefits that should be due to them lawfully -- benefits that are caught up in a bureaucratic process involving a poorly tested and implemented system. While using this wonderful Ohio unemployment system, I have already had my car repossessed and am now forced to sell my home. If this is the way that Ohio chooses to provide, govern and support the residents, then I'll gladly take my education elsewhere because I am literally forced to do so.
ROBERT HOFFMAN
Warren
Oles cares about township
EDITOR:
Having read the article regarding Lisa Oles in last Wednesday's Vindicator, I find the comments made by Austintown trustees Bo Pritchard and David Ditzler to be nasty and disrespectful.
I have met Lisa and find her to be a person who truly cares about Austintown. To give raises to certain individuals in these difficult economic times is irrational. When Lisa favored reopening fire station No. 4 on Turner Road, she was opposed by the same trash-talking trustees.
It's time for all the elected officials to work together for the betterment of the community, not for their own agendas.
JANET MIKLAS.
Austintown