Want to halt Ohio exodus? Start with rejecting landfills

Want to halt Ohio exodus?Start with rejecting landfills
EDITOR:
Recent new reports have painted a grim picture for Ohio. Young people have been moving out of state at an alarming rate. One of the reasons for this exodus is a lack of jobs in Ohio.
There is one thing, however, that Ohio has an abundance of: landfills. Ohio has some of this nation's weakest laws regarding bringing out-of-state trash here.
Landfills do not provide good-paying jobs and will not stop this exodus from Ohio, yet they continue to be built in residential areas. They provide women with a four-fold increase of bladder cancer and leukemia. They leak at the rate of 20 gallons per acre per day, polluting our drinking water and destroying the environment. Once constructed, they are a permanent, stinking, leaching, poisoning legacy to future generations.
There are two bills pending on the House and Senate floors that we, as Ohioans, need to urge our state legislators to support. Senate Bill 119 and House Bill 259 would strengthen protections for both private property owners and the environment near a landfill, making it less attractive for other states to haul their trash to Ohio.
Please take a few moments to write to your state senators and representatives, and also to Larry Householder, Speaker of the House. Tell him you support the passage of both bills. Tell him to stop accepting big business contributions from waste-hauling companies. Finally, tell him if he continues to oppose these bills, you will vote against him in future elections.
Ohio needs tougher landfill laws, and that in turn will help to provide a brighter legacy to future generations.
JONI DOBRAN
Hubbard Eagles Against The Landfill
Hubbard
Republican with own mindhas some issues with Bush
EDITOR:
I was intrigued by the letter of March 4, which suggested that when selecting a president, we should think of our soldiers. I agree with the letter writer; we must stop and consider the truth and think of our soldiers. Although I must remind the writer of what the truth is.
This president put our servicemen and women in a hostile situation that may or may not have been necessary in the first place. While I may not be privy to the classified information and intelligence that this president has received, he acted on it even though it may have been tainted. This is an admission made by the president and his advisers. To date, there has been no evidence the Saddam Hussein had any weapons of mass destruction, which was the premise on which the president invaded that country. Yes, I will agree it is a good thing that Saddam has been removed, however, shouldn't the people of Iraq have removed him themselves. And did you really believe the president when he declared the war was over? Tell that to the personnel who are being sent into a hostile situation where troops are being killed on a daily basis. I really don't think this is a very good morale builder.
As for changing horses in midstream, consider this: Aren't the current advisers to the president also responsible for the fiasco we are now in? I can't help thinking about the close ties Vice President Dick Cheney has with the oil and gas companies. And the way some companies were given contracts to rebuild Iraq. I believe the only truly responsible adviser the president has is Colin Powell. I also believe that had the president listened to Powell, we wouldn't be in the mess we are in today. Deceiving the country about fictitious weapons of mass destruction is hardly a way to bring credibility, decency and respect to the White House.
Some in this administration are trying to discredit John Kerry for his protesting the Vietnam War after he had served his country during that political fiasco. As a Vietnam veteran, I do believe he had more than a right to protest. Isn't that what he was supposed to be fighting for in the first place?
Just to set the record straight, I am not a left-wing liberal. I am a registered Republican; however, even a Republican can be an independent thinker.
FRANK A. SOKOL
USMC Retired
North Lima
Thank any and all veteransfor the sacrifices they made
EDITOR:
My brother, Lt. Col. Dave Yeropoli, has just returned home from Baghdad, Iraq, where he was a physician with the 320 Military Police Battalion. As our family and friends prepare for his homecoming, I think back some 40 years ago when I was a young Marine returning from a two-year tour of duty overseas. My homecoming was great, but others were not so lucky.
I hope all of you reading this letter will welcome back and thank any veteran you know for keeping our country free. The price of freedom is costly. Some pay for it with their lives; others have injuries and memories that never go away. So regardless of what war our veterans served in, fall to your knees at night and thank God for the sacrifices they gave to keep our country, the greatest of all countries, FREE and SAFE to live in.
During my Marine Corps career, I received promotions, medals and decorations. I do not consider myself a hero of any sort because all veterans know the real hero is the one who did not return. I do thank God for letting my brother return home.
God bless all veterans of all conflicts, and may God Bless the U.S.A.
ROCKY YEROPOLI
Campbell
It takes money to run schools
EDITOR:
After recovering from the harsh reality that the Jackson-Milton renewal levy failed by five votes, please allow me to make a few points clear.
This renewal levy wouldn't have to cost the taxpayer any additional money -- not one red cent.
Sadly, schools in Ohio depend on conscientious citizens willing to pay back to education with their tax dollars.
Times are tough. It seems the price of everything has skyrocketed. This is true for the schools, too. Imagine the cost to keep those two buildings warm. And the electricity! The buses that safely transport our children every day must be a tremendous expense.
We are blessed to have such a small, personal school system with wonderful caring people working hard to make it a better place for our children. From the pupils on up, Jackson-Milton has some of the very finest. The sad part, five too many didn't now that.
LORI BENNETT
Lake Milton