Poverty isn't race-based; reparations are a bad idea

Poverty isn't race-based; reparations are a bad idea
EDITOR:
I would like to address the idea that reparation payments be given to African Americans as was suggested in last Sundays Vindicator. First, the writer suggested that inner city poverty is race based. I would like to counter that you need only examine poor rural areas, such as Appalachia, to find similar pockets of poverty that are predominately Caucasian, and areas in the southwest and west that are disproportionately Hispanic and Native American. Poverty is unrelated to an individual's ethnicityDennis Mangan 1/21/06 so is blatantly racist. Rather, it is overwhelmingly socioeconomic in nature and is due greatly to an individual who makes poor choices, such as having out of wedlock children and failing to educated themselves. Our welfare system only perpetuates this cycle by creating an entitlement culture that rewards those who continue to make poor choices.
As for the merits of the reparations themselves, where do we draw the line in this country in attempting to atone for our nations past sins? If African-Americans should receive payments, then surely Native Americans, who were slaughtered, starved and forcibly relocated to reservations a fraction the size of their native lands, are similarly entitled to restitution. Those descended from Union soldiers killed, maimed or injured in the conflict that ended slavery should be reimbursed for their ancestors' sacrifices. Dennis Mangan 1/21/06 In 1960, it was debatable whether the nation would elect a lowly Catholic to the highest office of the land, so Generations of Irish, Italian, and other Catholics are entitled to remuneration for the discrimination endured by their antecedents. In short, virtually all Americans could stake a claim that their ancestors were wronged in our nation's past.
I prefer to thank God daily that I live in this wonderful land. Our nation, like all nations, has made poor choices in the past. It is an easy exercise to look through the clear prism that is history and suggest that events should have occurred differently. Slavery was an inhuman institution and will forever be a stain on our past. To our credit, we have largely rectified our past mistakes. We should celebrate and be thankful for the great nation created via the sacrifices and, sometimes, injustices endured by our forbearers.
RICH FERENCHAK
North Lima
Residency requirementsare inarguably unjust
EDITOR:
Your Sunday editorial criticized the effort of the state legislature to ban municipalities from requiring city employees to live within the city. Yet a close reading of the editorial shows how insubstantial are your arguments.
You argue first that the legislators have ulterior motives. You quibble that the Supreme Court, if anyone, should take up the issue. You whine that the legislation should not be promoted by a party that calls itself conservative.
But nowhere in your editorial do you address the merit of the proposal itself. What a telling omission that is. The fact is that municipalities force their employees to live within the city for one simple reason: because they can.
The injustice of the residency requirement becomes obvious when we compare the city to other employers. What if GM forced their employees to drive only GM cars? How would we feel if YSU demanded that their employees' children not go to any other college? Would it be just for McDonald's to fire an employee for buying a hamburger at Burger King?
Many considerations go into the decision of where to buy a home. Closeness to the job is often one consideration, but many families have more than one job-holder. Proximity to a church or synagogue, to family members, and to recreational facilities may all figure into the decision. It is an arrogant exercise of power for the city to demand that its employees live within the city limits.
The city hires policemen and firemen to protect the people of Youngstown, and for this the city pays them a salary. How and where they spend their salary is their own business and none of the city's. These brave men and women already risk their lives for their salary. It is unjust for the city to ask more of them than that.
Eric Chevlen, M.D.
Liberty Township
Columnist's rallying call wasn't offensive; it was right
EDITOR:
I read Ernest Brown's Jan. 7 column, "It time to step up, help mayor," and I did not find his article offensive. Instead I found it to be quite the opposite. It was empowering and full of encouragement for black people to do better. It was a positive message from a professional black man using his skills to help change the negative mind sets of many people. There are lots of people, whites and blacks who see and use race as a factor for what they will do or won't do. I applaud The Vindicator for Mr. Brown's column which I read faithfully.
The writer of last Sunday's letter who took offense to Mr. Brown's article is to be commended for expressing her opinions. Having the courage to be open and honest about our feelings, opens the door to communicating about things we may not understand. The writer also stated that as a white woman she cannot speak for black people. As a black woman, I will express my feelings, which I believe many people -- black and white -- will be able to agree with.
Mr. Brown's article was not a slap in the face to white people or to the previous mayor, George McKelvey. It was a challenge for black people to work together, to see the new mayor, Jay Williams, as a positive role model for people of all colors, but especially the young black men in Youngstown. The homicide rate, unemployment and various quality of life issues plague our city. Mayor Williams is seen as an inspiration and hope for numerous people, this includes many under privileged whites who are also stricken with poverty.
The writer stated that it is not up to black people to make Mr. Williams a success, and she may be right. Mr. Williams was already a success among whites and blacks. Dennis Mangan 1/21/06 Based on his ability, which required years of getting a good education, good values and working his way up to achieve his goals, I would think this has a lot to do with the success of people in general who have these great qualities, no matter what race they are, He did not become mayor simply on the votes of one race of people. The people who voted for him saw these qualities. However, Mayor Williams is a great example for young black and white males who see him.
Race issues should be discussed. I am a cultural diversity instructor. Cultural awareness is the opening of our minds and hearts to the ways of others, and the mutual exchange of knowledge for the betterment of the community. This cannot be accomplished without communication and the willingness to come together to understand the difference of one another. Mr. Brown's columns have discussed many other cultural issues beyond black and white. Dennis Mangan 1/21/06 sides black and white such as Hispanics and Asians. The column is good it That may not be the popular thing, but it is the right thing.
Det/Sgt. DELPHINE BALDWIN-CASEY
Youngstown Police Department
Drug laws are biggest cause of prison overcrowding
EDITOR:
In the Jan. 8 edition of The Vindicator, Matthew Mangino rightly said that the cost of our prison system has increased. The Justice Department reported in 2003 that over 5.6 million Americans were either in prison or had previously been in prison. As Gail Chaddock of the Christian Science Monitor points out, this means that 1 in 37 Americans will serve prison time at some point in their life. This is the highest rate of incarceration in the world, topping those of Russia and China.
However, the increase in prison population says nothing about whether the death penalty is "brutal and unfairly administered." Nor is it an effective argument against life imprisonment. According to the Justice Department's 1997 report, over 80 percent of the increase in the federal prison population between 1985 and 1996 was due to drug convictions. Prison crowding is a serious problem, but it cannot realistically be solved by simply sentencing more people to death.
BENJAMIN C. KRAUSE
Liberty