U.S. savings bonds remain strong, sound investment

U.S. savings bonds remainstrong, sound investment
EDITOR:
The story by Jeff Braun, "Savings bonds pay less than CDs," is wrong and misleading. It is a disservice to your readers and the nation.
Savings bonds have been and still are a good sound investment, not only for the savers but also for our government. Thirty years ago I bought 100 bonds for $50. Last month I cashed it, and it was worth $574. Enough said there.
Braun went out of his way to distort the truth about I bonds, which are now paying 6.73 percent, while most CDs are only paying some 3.10 percent. Also please remember this is not simple interest but compound interest. His source -- Daniel J. Pederson -- is all wet about inflation. We are living in inflation right now, and my bet is inflation will continue only with a higher rate. Buy bonds; it's good for you and for America.
THOMAS P. GILMARTIN SR.
Villa Marie, Pa.
Fast for a day, then sendsavings to charitable cause
EDITOR:
With the terrible things going on in the world today, many of us are in a quandary concerning what we can do to help effect change. After all, each of us is only one person -- what good could I do? With wars, famines, floods, natural disasters and poverty, how can I help to stem the rising tide of hopelessness and despair? How can I help to alleviate the real suffering caused by Mother Nature and "man's inhumanity to man?"
I recently came to a decision that I would do something. But, what could I do? I am not wealthy. I am not a government or even in a government. I felt rather helpless and hopeless. Then, an idea came to me one day while I was praying about the world's mess. I could do a small thing and inform others who might join me. The combined effect of a large number of small efforts could conceivably make some difference.
My plan is to fast for a day. I would take the amount of money that I could normally spend on food for myself and send it to a charity. Granted the amount would be small for me. But, if a number of people also do the same, the effect could be substantial. I'm calling the idea "A Day For ..." My initial effort will be for the people in Darfur. The humanitarian disaster there is horrible and could become as bad as Rwanda or Biafra. So, "A Day for Darfur" will be for me today. The beauty of the idea, I think, is that people can do it any time and can send their contributions to any charity. (I would be going through Save The Children or Unicef, addresses online).
RUSSELL A. NALEPA
Hubbard
It's not too late to stopColumbiana land-use plan
EDITOR:
In late February, Columbiana County's Land Use Task Force launched its Web site (www.columbianacounty.org), providing an air of legality for what it has been planning for county landowners at the behest of the county's planning commission.
Any county landowner having access to a computer, or a friend's or a library's, can now discover what's in the works for their land. (Check the minutes of their March 8 meeting on the web. The missing minutes were finally added.)
When the task force's plan is readied and its vast and various committees (such as water, sewer, watersheds, parks, natural resources, etc.) have been selected -- each with its own "commissioner"-- the final plan will then be presented to our three elected county commissioners for approval or disapproval. If given approval, the land-use plan goes into effect in 2007.
More than half of Ohio's 88 counties have already been snookered by the little publicized land use task force's unheralded birth and now have land-use rules in effect.
It is not too late to let our duly elected officials know what we think of this matter. I personally will request that it be put on the ballot for voter decision.
Webster's Dictionary defines task force as "a group specially trained for raiding" That's about right.
BARBARA KREIE
Lisbon