County's move to hospital will save in the long run

County's move to hospital will save in the long run
EDITOR:
I would like to comment on Mr. Cafaro's (Ohio Valley Mall Co.) statement referring to the purchase of the old Southside Hospital. I worked as a security officer for a number of years at Southside Hospital before it closed.
I believe the commissioners did the right thing purchasing the building. With the size of the building and rooms it has, it will hold a number of county offices. Sure they will have to make changes. However, most people when they purchase a home or business make changes before they move in. Unless it was built new to their specifications.
I have also been in the county offices on N. Garland Avenue that are in a building owned by Ohio Valley Mall Co. and found it to be deplorable, outside and inside. I believe this is a money situation. The county has paid the Ohio Valley Mall Co. several million dollars over the years. I believe the Ohio Valley Mall Co. is fighting to retain the income that the county has been paying.
It may cost the county a couple million dollars to update the building, however, it would not be giving this money to Ohio Valley Mall Co. After all the departments moved to the Renaissance Building, the county would be ahead. The money would be for renovation of the building, not given to the Ohio Valley Mall Co. .
I would like to add to all voters, please take into consideration the renewal of the half-percent sales tax and vote yes. It won't cost you anymore then you are now paying on making your purchases. But it will keep the prisoners in jail, rather than having a revolving door policy, where by they are arrested then released right away.
WILLIAM E. GRUVER
Youngstown
Why do oil companies raise gas prices? Because they can
EDITOR:
The April 26 article paving the way for energy companies to raise the price of gasoline to 4 per gallon and more, cites potential problems all over the world, but fails to mention the real reason for the high price of gasoline. It is not the possibility of a strike at refineries in Belgium, the threat of a possible hurricane, the possible breakdown of one of our refineries, or supply and demand that is driving the price of gasoline. The price of gasoline is about 3 a gallon because it CAN be.
I just drove home to Boardman from New Castle and noticed that gasoline at the BP station on South Avenue has increased 24 cents per gallon in one day. That would equate to the price of crude oil increasing 9.60 per barrel in that one day, since there are 40 gallons of gasoline in each barrel of crude. Gasoline in this area has increased 1 per gallon in the last month or so. That would equate to the price of crude oil increasing 40 per barrel in that time frame. I don't think that is the case.
The energy companies have an absolute monopoly and can charge whatever they want for gasoline. My car doesn't run on anything but gasoline, so if I want to do anything I have to pay whatever they charge for it.
The energy companies also have the audacity to run commercials on television telling us what superb corporate citizens they are. They are supposedly manufacturing fuels which are friendly to the environment, looking for new energy sources, developing new types of energy, etc. This is all baloney. Why have they not built any refineries in the United States since 1976? The answer is simple. They don't have to.
When you have a product people must have and can charge whatever you want for it, why would you manufacture more? I just wish our Congress would spend some time being concerned about the welfare of the American public and do something about this problem. I look forward to an explanation of the exorbitant profits soon to be reported by the energy companies.
GEORGE GRIM
Boardman