Good old boys survive

Good old boys survive
EDITOR:
The round of musical chairs being played locally and statewide is a dodge by career politicians to overcome term limits imposed some time ago. Term limits were intended to break up "good old boy" power groups. Today politicians in their final term spend the whole term running for another office.
The No. 1 priority of elected and appointed officials is staying in the political arena. This is also true in the private sector, but in the private sector this is usually achieved by doing the best job for the good of the employer. In what used to be the public service this means doing whatever needed to garner the most votes and/or cash, never considering the best for 100 percent of the employers. (Read taxpayers.) Politics is the only employer/employee situation where the employees decide their own salary and benefit package with very little input from the employer. They are always very generous with themselves!
I don't object to a generous salary, but the obscene benefit package they give themselves is another matter. Congressmen,judges, heads of departments right down to the lowest ranked employee have often found creative and illegal ways to enhance their compensation! When exposed, some are sent to prison, and many are given only slaps on the wrist. They have one thing in common: They all collect whatever pension accrued during their years of thievery. The ones who are "stand-up guys" and refuse to implicate their partners in crime are usually rewarded with "back door" access to taxpayer dollars.
The solution to these problems is for the lawmakers to pass legislation to assure officials convicted of crimes in office lose their pension and benefits. It should also disallow running for another office from a seat still occupied. This will never happen! The main reason is that it could happen to any of them or their cronies. The real place to solve this problem is at the polls. The snag in this solution is that 100 percent of people seeking to purchase this favoritism go to the polls. Considerably less than half of the percentage of dissatisfied taxpayers vote. The "my vote doesn't count" attitude gives the opponent of your choice a plurality of two. To correct this, people need to raise their posterior from the couch, bar stool, or coffee shop seat, and go to the polls and demand a change.
The old song that we need to spend so much to attract experienced people overlooks the fact that much of this experience helps to make it easier to leverage more taxpayer money to themselves.
Vote.
ROBERT J. HUSTED
New Springfield
Move from McGuffey
EDITOR:
As a resident, voter and taxpayer in Mahoning County, I believe that our county commissioners -- McNally, Ludt and Traficanti -- should stop protecting the interests of Mr. Cafaro at the McGuffey Plaza.
They should start protecting the interest of all Mahoning County residents, voters and taxpayers (and not just political donors) by providing efficient and fiscally responsible county government.
I, like many taxpayers, support moving the Mahoning County departments of Jobs and Family Services to the centrally located (and donated) Oak Hill Renaissance Place.
We deserve more than politics as usual in 2006.
WILLIE JAMES RICHARDS
Youngstown