Knockoff artists and buyers are ripping off designers
Knockoff artists and buyers are ripping off designers
EDITOR:
I am writing in response to an article of Dec. 20, "Knockoff designer items go underground in New York City." I don't understand why anyone would go through the trouble to create different knockoff items. I understand that the replicas of the items can be purchased a lot cheaper, but the people who do it are ripping off the real designers.
Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Coach and Christian Dior are all well-known designers of purses and other kinds of items. The people who make counterfeits of all the designers' items are really ripping all of them off. In Chinatown you can go and get a $775 Louis Vuitton purse for only $40. Now to me, that is not right. Some people might want to go out and buy a real Louis Vuitton purse, but others would probably go out and buy the $40 purse. If I had the money I would rather buy a real designer purse than a replica. I honestly just think that selling knockoffs is wrong and people should stop doing it. Just think about the designers, what do you think they would want to be done?
Selling knockoff designer items has become common in our society today. People who do sell knockoff items should be stopped. Give the knockoff creators a fine or community service. If worse comes to worse give them jail time. The point is, what those people are doing is a felony and they need to be stopped.
I know that all of the designers are not happy to know that their items are being created and sold, and not by them. Put yourself in the designer's shoes, would you want this to happen to you?
BRIANNA KELECAVA
North Jackson
New school isn't the answer
EDITOR:
I am unable to attend council meetings because I work afternoon shift, but I have questions regarding an article stating a new school would attract new business and new residents.
Does a city that cannot even pass a police levy attract business and homeowners? Does a city that loses a notable ambulance service, firemen and police officers due to staff cuts recruit business or residents? A city whose tax collection department is leased out to a company 60 miles away? People at work crack jokes to me asking if the dam broke yet and flooded me out.
We have a long way to go to build up our reputation. Our last school levy passed by only 17 votes. That's a far cry from unanimous.
I do not oppose the new school if we really need one, but a poorly handled budget such as the new city building a few years back may have created some negativity for voters to trust such a costly project.
A well-planned budget for the new school and building up confidence by seeing progress with our existing problems may help before placing such a large tax levy on the ballot.
VICTORIA PARIDON
Girard
Charity begins at home
EDITOR:
I think the Indonesian tsunami was a horrible thing for that country and all of the thousands of people that call that place home.
I couldn't imagine being on a fishing trip and out of nowhere a tidal wave just wipes away 225,000 people and leaves 5 million others homeless. I do think that they need some disaster relief help, but we have 1.7 million homeless people in our own country, a third of which are veterans (according to MSNBC.com) that we need to take care of first. We need to help Americans get jobs, food, and mental help if necessary before we go giving fragile supplies to other countries. How is our country paying for all of these things anyhow? Driving up our taxes? Driving up housing and the cost of living to our own people?
These are some of the reasons we have so many homeless people on our hands. I'm not trying to be heartless towards the tsunami victims, I just think that charity starts at home.
NATHAN SELLEY
Newton Falls