Open minds and sacrifices are necessary to save Forum

Open minds and sacrifices are necessary to save Forum
EDITOR:
As an area businessman, I have a vested interest in the success or failure of companies such as General Motors Corp. and Delphi Corp.
As a lifelong resident of the Mahoning Valley, I am also keenly interested in the corresponding impact of such outcomes on this region's economics. And, speaking of the local financial climate, my colleagues and I are also engrossed in the unfolding situation at Forum Health.
For many weeks now, I've read editorials, (including your How We See It of March 11) and have decided to offer my own opinion on what is happening at Forum. Here's what I see:
I see a company, much like many around the country, struggling with the effects of a dwindling population, a weak job market and a generally uncertain future.
I see a workforce that's frightened and exhausted from the effects of a restructuring that seems to be taking forever to resolve.
I see some grandstanding on the part of certain union leaders that is feeding into employee mistrust and community suspicion.
As someone who has twice lost his job due to company restructuring efforts, I appreciate and sympathize with the desperation that the employees of Forum must be feeling right now.
But cynicism and rehashing the past are not the answers to Forum's dilemma. Approaching solutions with an open mind, understanding and a motivation to make sacrifices for a better future are the things that will save Forum's hospitals -- and ultimately, their surrounding areas.
I'm someone who's very dedicated to my family and doing my best to ensure they live in a flourishing community. For instance, my wife and I are particularly involved in the struggle to retain a Catholic school in the city of Youngstown. Bottom line: Youngstown is my home and I work hard to try to guarantee its long term prosperity along with my family's, which I believe are tied to having successful businesses like Forum Health, General Motors and Delphi. I believe the Lordstown Plant is a prime example of how a union can work with management in partnership to make sure the plant remains opened for the good of the workers, company and the community.
Here's hoping that more of us are willing to roll up our sleeves to work toward the future successes of our home town than wasting time exploiting its vulnerabilities.
KEVIN McHENRY
Canfield
Where is the justice?
EDITOR:
What has happened to our judicial system in Ohio? I think it is appalling that the victims families have to wait 16 to 20 years to get justice. We have lawyers and judges still upholding the murderers with appeal after appeal.
As citizens we have a right to know what it costs to keep a prisoner like Danny Lee Hill for his upkeep, lawyers, appeals, etc. He is still appealing his conviction for murdering young Raymond Fife.
Enough is enough. Where is the justice for the victims' families? Let's have someone put down in black and white what has been spent on his upkeep and defense in all this time. If we have money to waste like this then why doesn't the state compensate the victims' families for the inconvenience that they have been through by waiting while these lawyers keep helping these murderers appeal, time after time? What a crime it is to see what poor Mrs. Fife has been going through for over 20 years. Where is the justice in all of this and where is the closure for her?
This Kenneth Biros case is just as bad. We have more feeling for the murderer and worry about his feelings then the victim. What about what they went through when they were being killed and tortured. Lethal injection is actually too good for them. One appeal is enough and two or three years on death row is sufficient for them. Why waste the money when we have people starving in the United States that could use it.
AGNES STRUBLE
Poland
The writer is the grandmother of Shannon Kos, a Youngstown girl who was murdered in 2000.