State-of-the-art schools for Niles using state money

State-of-the-art schoolsfor Niles using state money
EDITOR:
As citizens of Niles, a very special city, we have come to a monumental crossroad in the life of this place we call home.
As a resident of Niles for the past 39 years, I have experienced much change, as all our seasoned residents have. Some changes make us excited, some sad, some confused.
However, when it comes to the issue of keeping our schools in the 21st century, there is only one decision that can be made. Nothing in life is free. Sacrifice is mandatory when the issue of our schools, our students and the school system's effect on our city is concerned.
Never, never would we ever be able to fund new schools on our own with the state of the art construction, equipment, and technology that will be provided to us with the building of three new schools by the state.
As a retired citizen, I totally understand the sacrifices that must be made, but this opportunity is something that is above and beyond and cannot be ignored. We have waited until it was our turn to realize this fantastic chance to improve the state of our school system and we cannot let it slip away. We only get one chance at this.
Niles is one of the most efficiently run cities in the county, and one of the most inexpensive places to live. Our taxes are below most of the surrounding communities.
We cannot ignore this awesome opportunity that has presented itself to us.
As citizens of Niles, we are custodians of all aspects of our community. It is time to step up, show responsibility, be good role models and custodians of our schools and give this enormous gift to our young citizens.
JOAN RIES
Niles
Emergency department at Forum stands ready to serve
EDITOR:
Several months ago, the physician community of Forum Health took out a full-page ad in this newspaper to remind patients and community residents about the high quality of patient care that Forum Health provides.
Today, on behalf of the physicians, nurses and staff members of the Emergency Departments of Forum Health Western Reserve Care System, I am writing this letter to offer reassurance to the communities we serve. You can be certain that our commitment to quality health care is as strong as ever.
Right now, Forum Health is in the midst of a sweeping turnaround initiative, in hopes of preserving choice of and access to quality health care here in the Mahoning Valley. This is a long, often difficult process that can be complex.
But, regardless of how long it takes to improve our financial standing, one thing is constant as this progression continues - the staff members of Forum Health's facilities stand ready to care for our patients' needs, no matter what.
We are Forum Health Emergency Services: You know us. We've been here for you for decades. We are your neighbors, your fellow soccer Moms and Dads, your friends. We have been taking care of your needs for decades. This Valley is not only our home base, it is our home.
At Northside Medical Center, we are here, just as we have been for more than 100 years. Our skilled health care professionals are in the Emergency Department 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. We are willing and able to treat you effectively and efficiently. In fact, our ED generally offers wait times that are less than the national average.
The last thing a sick or injured child needs is stress, so we offer calming atraumatic care using techniques such as distraction, parental inclusion and pre-procedure education at the hospital ED. We also offer private room areas and child-friendly equipment.
We were the first local hospital system to offer an emergency department and immediate care services in suburban communities -- facilities that are open and ready to meet your needs right now.
In an emergency, you barely have time to breathe -- that's why we're here. The emergency services of Forum Health WRCS, Northside Medical Center, Tod Children's Hospital, and Beeghly Medical Park -- as a collective Emergency Department, we want you to know that our doors are open to all the members of this community.
LAURA DOLLISON, DO
Chair, Emergency Medicine
Forum Health Western Reserve Care System
Road is unsafe at any speed
EDITOR:
I am a 15-year-old freshman at Jackson-Milton High School. I live on Blott Road in North Jackson. I think that my road is unsafe and is in need of being paved soon. If you were to drive on my road, pot holes are bound to disrupt your driving. There is a high risk of vehicle damage from the pot holes on my road. To make matters worse the county rarely fills in the pot holes.
The posted speed limit on this road is 45 mph. It is ridiculous that I or any other driver on this road cannot go more than 25 mph just to keep the damage at a minimum.
There are no painted lines, this makes driving at night very dangerous. No painted lines can cause a driver to go too far on the edge of the road where the vehicle would hit gravel and easily lose control.
Noise is another problem. When I drive on Blott Road, I experience loud rumbling noises that my vehicle makes by driving over the annoyingly large amount of pot holes. This is not music to my ears nor is it good for my vehicle.
My dad and others pay taxes, and so I am sure you can spare money for our road to be paved. Do you really want an accident to occur? It is only a matter of time, and when it does happen you would be paying more money than it would cost to just get Blott Road paved. Please take this letter into consideration and urge the county engineers to keep our roads paved.
WILBUR WILSON
North Jackson
The lobbying of today isn't what founders had in mind
EDITOR:
Three local papers recently ran the same article titled, "There's a huge loophole being left in ethics reforms." House members banned accepting meals, gifts or travel from lobbyists, but they did nothing about the billions that are poured into the politician's campaign funds by the special interest groups and lobbyists.
The lobbyists have the power to stop less expensive medication from being sold in the U.S. They have the power to water down pollution laws to a point that the East Coast almost went into a panic when threatened by a pungent, nauseating smell. Why did gasoline prices skyrocket prior to the 2006 election? Why are we paying exorbitant prices for utilities? Why did housing prices drop after the election? Practically every substantial business hires lobbyists to look out for their interest. Who pays the lobbyists? Where does the money come from?
Every time you fill your gas tank, go to the grocery store, purchase a car, or any other item, you are probably indirectly abetting a criminal act, that of bribing a politician. Campaign funds come right out of your pocket. A lawyer/lobbyist defended lobbying as a constitutional right. I sincerely doubt the founding fathers thought that the language of the Constitution would be contorted to such an extent, thereby allowing the abhorrent practice of what is presently called lobbying.
LAWRENCE A. MOLER
Masury
Wars are won by those who destroy their enemies
EDITOR:
Our parents and grandparents defeated imperial Japan, the Nazis and the fascists. We have learned nothing from them. The greatest generation won the wars they fought by totally destroying their enemies.
Dresden, Berlin, Munich, Tokyo, and Yokohama were fire bombed out of existence. Hiroshima and Nagasaki incurred the wrath of the atomic bomb. None of these cities were military targets. Hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed. The heroes of World War II would, today, be charged with war crimes.
We cannot expect to win a politically correct war. We cannot civilize radical Islam. The only thing the enemy respects is force. Fight to win or come home.
DON JOHNSON
Hubbard
Yes, it's a mess; but whose?
EDITOR:
George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq based solely on lies. According to Bush, Iraq had ties to 911 and weapons of mass destruction. These were lies. Also the nerve gas Saddam had and used came with the help of Donald Rumsfield with the approval of George H. W. Bush. And when Saddam used it, we did nothing because he was fighting Iran. We cared less that he gassed his people.
And Osama Bin Laden was armed and trained to fight in Afghanistan against the Russians by Reagan's CIA. They trained him well.
Hypocrites in the Republican Party made this mess.
JIM WILLIAMS
Struthers