Voters need to find relief when they cast their ballots

Voters need to find reliefwhen they cast their ballots
EDITOR:
Ghosts of legislators past are coming back to haunt Mahoning County residents in 2004. Former elected officials at two levels of government, federal and state, passed laws long ago that say basically: "Once an inmate is in jail, he/she loses all Medicare and Medicaid health care coverage."
Then as if to drive that message home, Ohio lawmakers added item number 2929.38 to the Ohio Revised Code. It states that a county board of commissioners, in agreement with the sheriff, may invoke a one-time reasonable reception fee into a jail facility for random drug testing, medical or dental services, but then quickly adds: "No prisoner confined to the local detention facility shall be denied any necessary care because of the inability to pay."
Mahoning County has a health care agreement with Prison Health Services Inc. based on a population of 550 inmates. Any more and the county is charged an additional $2.42 for each inmate, per day. The present population is about 750, adding $14,520 in costs per month to the base figure of $127,507 per month.
By July 2004, outpatient services at the Mahoning County jail included open heart surgery for one and weekly dialysis for others. Diagnostic services and pharmacy, along with the above procedures was originally projected at being $792,000. This figure actually turned out to be more than $1 million.
Mahoning County commissioners and the sheriff know all about these steadily increasing health care costs at the jail, but they, as well as our state representatives in Columbus and our congressmen in Washington are all reluctant to work together toward making the necessary legislative changes to finally bring some relief to Mahoning County taxpayers. Couple this ever rising inmate health care costs problem with a Mahoning County court system that moves along at a snail's pace, and the people are paying for inmates' health care services many can't afford for themselves.
In my opinion, we have three choices at the polls in November.
1. Voters can pass the continuous (on-for-eternity) half-percent sales tax based on the fact Ohio legislators have refused to abide by the dictates of the Ohio Supreme Court for many years, so why expect them to respond to the wishes of the people?
2. Vote no on the continuing tax and let the chips, public services and jobs, fall where they may.
3. Vote yes for the sales tax, but vote solidly against the status quo politicians who talk but never deliver for Mahoning County citizens.
DAVID METZLER North Jackson
Pollution in three park lakesneeds community attention
EDITOR:
I can't remember the last time I read anything concerning the blatant pollution of Lake Newport, Lake Cohasset or Lake Glacier in Mill Creek Park. There must be something we can do as a community to improve the unsightly condition and foul odors permeating from these lakes.
As I drive through the park, I notice a number of people still fishing in Lake Glacier; however I can't believe that anyone would eat the fish that they catch out of this dirty, murky water. How the Canada geese that swim in it still survive is a miracle.
I have seen a number of people renting two-passenger boats from the boat dock at the lower end of Lake Glacier. Fortunately there haven't been any accidents, because if this would happen in the middle of Lake Glacier, I don't believe help could get to them fast enough. The area around Slippery Rock Pavilion is so polluted that the odor reaches the Ford Nature Center.
GERALD L. THOMASYoungstown
U. S. needs a Marshall Planto fight hunger, poverty
EDITOR:
President Bush was right the first time. We can't win the war on terror -- at least not unless we address the root causes of terror, which we have avoided doing.
Listen to what Benjamin Creme says on the matter: "More than 80 percent of the world's food and resources is used and wasted by only 20 percent of the world's population -- mainly those in the developed world. This inequality forms the basis of terrorism, environmental degradation, crime, and social unrest."
Has any candidate even spoken once about this issue? When Benjamin Creme was asked whether it is possible to fight terrorism, he answered: "We must look for the cause or causes of terrorism. If we are honest, we will see that there are several causes, most important of which is the grave injustice felt by millions in the developing world. Twelve hundred million people -- a fifth of the world's population -- live on less than $2 a day. Millions more have nothing and starve.
"The United States, Europe, and Japan dominate the global economy. This causes enormous resentment, which is focused today by international terrorism. ... We must change our economic and foreign policies to end terrorism. We must learn to share."
"Sounds too idealistic," a friend told me. & quot;Why ? & quot; I replied, & quot;wasn't it idealism that brought about the founding of this country? And wasn't it idealism that later under the presidency of Lincoln that brought about the end of slavery? And wasn't it idealism that brought about the workers'- rights and trade-union movements for better working conditions for all and an end to child labor? And then later the women's rights movement, the policies of the great FDR, the civil rights movement and the Marshall Plan, which restored Europe after it was devastated? In times of crisis, idealism is the only thing that really works."
What we need is a Marshall Plan to end hunger and poverty. But to do this, we must retake power in this country which is now being run by and for the forces of greed. The so-called "free-trade" deals have not been designed to empower poor people; rather they have been made to exploit them and enslave them economically. That will only lead to more terrorism.
Why do you think the World Trade Center was the target of this ignominious act? Benjamin Creme again: & quot;For the survival of present and future generations, we must call for a just redistribution of the world's resources, so that all may have the basic necessities of life: food, shelter, health care and education. & quot; Ponder on that.
ROGER LAFONTAINE
Youngstown
Presidential race resemblesan ad campaign for beer
EDITOR:
I wonder if others are tired of the presidency of the United States of America being sold to us like a tube of toothpaste or a can of beer.
We are not given the knowledge to make an informed decision.
What we are given are catch phrases and slogans. What I hear from people when I attempt to engage them in a discussion of why they are voting for one candidate or the other is one of these slogans.
The GOP seems to be winning the war of the slogans. Almost all of those who are voting Republican state that John Kerry is a flip-flopper, what ever that means.
People, I implore you to look at the issues. Vote as if your life depended on it. Vote as if your children's lives depended on it. Vote as if your future and the future of this country depended on it.
PAUL SHANABARGER
New Springfield