Spread the wealth around

Spread the wealth around

EDITOR:

Before adjourning for the elections, Congress passed legislation providing for $25 billion in government-backed loans to GM, Ford and Chrysler to prod the automakers to retool their factories to make more efficient vehicles. Since then, executives from these companies have called upon Congress to provide an immediate $25 billion to keep the companies operating and a separate $25 billion to help cover future health care obligations for retirees and their dependants. Time will tell whether even this new infusion of cash will be enough to save the industry as it stands.

Here is an idea: perhaps the requested $50 billion in taxpayer money being held by Congress can be better used by Congress through the actual taxpayer. Why not offer our tax dollars toward a real stimulus package, that is, give a sizable allowance to federal taxpayers who commit to a purchase a Big Three car?

To stay in business GM, Ford, Chrysler and all of their affiliates need sales. Many Americans, like me, would like to buy but cannot afford to buy a new car. Maybe sending the money indirectly to the automakers through the consumer is the better way to go.

LEONARD D. HALL

Boardman

Bad pick on a holiday

EDITOR:

On Thanksgiving Day you published a cartoon by Jeff Stahler of a man giving thanks that “we only have 54 days left of Bush.”

This is very sad. The man’s table was full of food, his family was together and the cartoonist felt he had to express his political philosophy on Thanksgiving. The cartoon was next to the scripture of the day “Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.”

Please keep political philosophy out of Thanksgiving. This cartoon was in very poor taste for this holiday.

ROBERT F. FERRO CPA

Boardman

We should have learned from job losses of the ’80s

EDITOR:

I really appreciate the efforts of Mr. Boccieri, Mr. Ryan and Mr. Wilson to help jump start our economy and push for U.S. auto sales, but where were the politicians in the ’80s? Remember the ’80s when GM and Packard were sending jobs to Mexico by the thousands, and then it became such a success they started up in China. I don’t remember seeing too many Mexicans driving Cadillacs, or for that matter Cobalts. They were shipped into work by bus or truckloads.

Why don’t the American people have good paying jobs — the jobs they need to buy the cars that have so many parts made out of this country? Why did Packard have 17,000 employees in the ’70s and now have only 700?

Some like to blame the labor cost, but the company could have controlled that. Maybe they let it get out of control for an excuse to send more jobs overseas.

Sure this area needs help, but try to remember why there are so many people in the Mahoning Valley who will not feel so sorry for the workers today.

VIC PARIDON

Girard