Regarding county's woes, we've heard it all before

Regarding county's woes, we've heard it all before
EDITOR:
It's d & eacute;j & agrave; vu all over again in Mahoning County. I have to laugh at the actions of the commissioners. It's all so predictable. We've seen it happen half a dozen times or more in the last 10 years. The commissioners threaten to release all the "criminals" being held in the jail and try to scare the voters into supporting the tax. Why don't they ever threaten to lay off anyone outside the sheriff's department? Maybe it's because the most successful scare tactic is to strike fear into the populace that we won't be able to leave the house for fear of being mugged or killed by the "criminal element" currently being housed at the jail.
The scariest comments that I've heard from the supporters of the sales tax are that we don't want to halt the progress the county has made. What progress? Doesn't there have to be actual progress before it can be halted? The population of the Mahoning Valley continues to decline. Job growth, outside of call centers paying substandard wages, is almost non-existent, and most of the educated young people continue their mass exodus once they receive their degrees. The demographics indicate that the Mahoning Valley has a much older population than most communities. Many of these people are on fixed incomes and can't afford to pay even a half cent on the dollar as some proponents use to induce support for the tax.
If the county indeed "needs" the revenue, it is the job of the commissioners and the rest of the county employees to demonstrate the need. The sheriff's department must clean up its act and eliminate the criminals from within their ranks. The juvenile court judge must cut her budget instead of strong arming the commissioners using judicial powers. The county engineer must force his employees to pay a portion of their medical benefits like the rest of us in the private sector. Employment for the county must not be a payoff for family members and friends of those who run the county. The commissioners must "sell" the need for the tax to the people, not by using snake oil but by being honest and as frugal as possible.
BILL JOHNSON
Boardman
Why does liberal media call a terrorist an insurgent?
EDITOR:
An insurgent is a citizen of a country objecting to laws or authority of that country; a person who revolts against civil authority or an established government; especially, a rebel not recognized as a belligerent
A terrorist is a person who uses the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion.
Why do some liberal news people continue to call the terrorist in Iraq insurgents? These terrorists are mostly from countries other than Iraq.
These people have an agenda not to permit the Iraqi citizens to vote for a democracy.
That would put them out of business and they know it.
This seems similar to the liberals in our country. The liberals know that they have an agenda too, not to make Mr. Bush successful in Iraq or they will not look very good politically. We know liberals have never been strong supporters of spending money on military needs in my lifetime. This does not stop them from criticizing the shortages in military supplies of today.
This is why it appears that some liberals are hoping we don't win the war in Iraq. Is this a form of treason?
Yes, they say they support our troops, but that does not add up to what they say and do.
As they say, you are either for me or against me. You can't have it both ways.
At least the terrorists don't pretend that they want the United States and Mr. Bush to be successful and win this war in Iraq. Think about it.
RICHARD CANACCI
Youngstown
Those who care for the sick earn these words of tribute
EDITOR:
The purpose of this letter is to publicly thank the entire staff -- past and present -- of Camelot Arms Care Center of Canfield Road for the kind, consistent, and professional treatment my mother received during her 10-year residency there. Her recent passing at age 80, while sad and tragic for my father (her husband of 58 years), myself and my sister, her brother, and the rest of our extended family and many friends, was the final closure to a long and torturous battle with the Alzheimer's disease that began to afflict her in her late 60s. My dad's daily devotion to my mom during her illness was so noted and appreciated by the folks at Camelot Arms that an overwhelming number paid tribute during the funeral proceedings. They clearly loved both my parents far beyond the call of duty, and I feel I owe them a huge debt of gratitude on our family's behalf.
But my larger purpose in "going public" with these thanks is to extend them to all long-term care workers who assist with patients in such circumstances as my mother faced. It is a heart-wrenching decision to place a loved one in a care facility outside your home; yet it is the last resort after exhausting and even dangerous attempts to handle things privately. Sooner or later many of us will come to rely on the services of such institutions (businesses, yes they are) and their hired employees. Their pay is modest, working under conditions that are often physically and psychologically challenging, to say the least. I was awestruck by the dedication and reliability of those who treated my mother, day in and day out, all those years. My father's daily presence was a key factor, I'm sure, but he reassured me frequently of his confidence in Camelot's staff.
President Reagan's parallel battle with the same disease was called the "Long Goodbye," and his ordeal was respected by all Americans, rightfully so. Still, I can't help thinking that my own mother's struggle (and those of countless others), understandably given less elaborate treatment and publicity, was no less noble and inspiring. All her caregivers -- and those like them everywhere -- deserve our deepest appreciation at holiday time and year round.
JACK HAY
Poland
Can't Austintown trustees just learn to get along?
EDITOR:
Enough is enough already. I am sick and tired of reading about the childish actions of my trustees.
I agree we have money problems in our township and as it is, the raises should not have been given out. I agree that fire stations should be reopened. I also think that my trustees should act like professionals not children. I have never personally met any of my trustees; as a working mom I just don't have the time to go to meetings. I'm glad I haven't wasted my time.
Lisa Oles, in particular, has a lot of great ideas. But her message is getting lost in the games she seems to enjoy playing. Filing a police report against another trustee for & quot;talking to her in a demeaning way & quot; is just the icing on the cake of asinine actions she has taken this past year. As a woman, I find it insulting that she feels the need to go to those lengths. She is making a mockery out of all those women out there who are actually being harassed at work. Every person I know (including men) who work outside the home, has been spoken to in a way that has made them uncomfortable. She may think she is coming off as a stong, intelligent woman but in reality to those on the outside she looks like the child stamping her feet saying "I am telling on you."
This isn't to say I am impressed with behavior of the men she works with either. However, I get the feeling that Ms. Oles cannot handle the stress of politics. If that is not the case, then she needs to figure out a way to get along with her co-workers. That is what the rest of us in the working world have to do. If in fact the stress of the political life is too much for her, perhaps it is time she steps down. For the good of Austintown.
SHANNON MURPHY
Austintown
It takes sacrifice
EDITOR:
Christianity comes at a price called sacrifice. I don't believe that the great divide between political parties will be closed by such a move as having the popular magazines of the day "redefine the meaning of Christianity."
Christians need to beware of the grinch that stole not only Christmas, but Christian values. The next presidential election may be four years away but a persecution of faith values continues. Popular secular magazines attempt to enlighten the ignorant "people of faith." Imagine that!
Keep Christ not only in Christmas, but in every choice each of us will make. Repent and believe the good news, not liberal magazines.
SYLVIA KOCZWARA
Boardman