Bush abandons Youngstown and other struggling cities

Bush abandons Youngstown and other struggling cities
EDITOR:
The new 2007 budget for the federal government illustrates an indication that our federal government has truly decided that Youngstown and the industrial Midwest, in general, are not worth the time and effort. While I have a fragile hope that the mayor of Youngstown will discover the resources necessary to revitalize the area, the federal government seems to be heading in the opposite direction.
The area is, and has been, hanging on by a thread. Unemployment is rampant, public education desperately needs capital aimed at infrastructure and violence remains. We wait patiently.
President Bush, as made clear by the proposed budget, is no longer waiting. He has cut us loose.
Thousands of local citizens cannot afford health care, so Bush proposes to significantly cut Medicare.
Our schools are deteriorating, so Bush decrees that funding for education will be cut.
Youngstown needs funding for development to attract business, so the president proposes a $1.35 trillion tax cut. This is fine for those who were generating enough income to profit from this, but Youngstown, as a whole, cannot be included in this group.
We are struggling. We ask for help and we are given this. This is an indication of disinterest; this is our own trainer throwing in the towel for us when we are still eager to fight and be successful.
This is insulting.
MICHAEL SEAN GALLAGHER
Youngstown
Players and fans should stay out of each other's space
EDITOR:
On Jan. 18 there was another incident involving a professional athlete leaving the competition in order to confront a fan in the stands. Antonio Davis of the NBA's New York Knicks jumped into a Chicago crowd during a time-out to confront a fan he believed was threatening his wife. No punches were thrown, but these types of player-fan interactions are disturbingly becoming much too common.
In November 2004, the sports world received a black eye it has yet to fully heal from. Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, and Jermaine O'Neal, all professional basketball players, were suspended and fined heavily for entering a Detroit crowd during a game. In this incident, punches were thrown and chaos erupted all over the arena. Artest, who received a season long suspension, was provoked by a fan who threw a cup of water into his face. Artest retaliated by leaping over the scorer's table and attacking the fan. The fighting made its way onto the basketball court and many arrests were made.
There was also the case of the drunken fan this past Christmas Eve who decided to run onto the football field in the middle of a Cleveland Browns-Pittsburgh Steelers game. Steeler's player James Harrison greeted the fan with a harsh body slam that would have even impressed Hulk Hogan.
Tell me something: when did buying a ticket to a game give you the right to be a rude, obnoxious, inappropriate jerk? I am all for passion and supporting your favorite players, but rooting for your team is not a synonym for verbally or physically assaulting a player. Don't get me wrong either, I hold the athletes responsible, too. After all they are professionals. Do they deserve to be punished for entering the audience? Yes. Do some players, like Davis, have a good motive for entering the stands? Maybe. Athletes are told to alert the arena's security personnel if there is a problem so the situation can be dealt with in an appropriate manner. These previous instances prove that security at sporting events has been far from effective. The security was too slow in taking action for what was happening. If the security at these events was quicker to react then these alterations could have potentially been avoided.
If the sports world would like to avoid any more ugly confrontations in the future, three things must happen: the athletes must do a better job controlling their actions and emotions, security must improve their job performance, and fans must realize they are there to watch the game, not interrupt it.
SEAN RYAN
Youngstown