Monday, October 19, 2009
Washington think tank out of touch with America
EDITOR:
An Oct. 6 opinion piece in The Vindicator by Ben Lieberman from the Heritage Foundation shows just how out of touch many folks in Washington, D.C., have become. Instead of focusing on how best to get the 641,000 unemployed Ohioans, up 239,000 from last year, back to work, Lieberman puts forward a series of weak and wrong statements that criticize the important clean energy legislation before Congress without offering any substantive solution.
Here’s the truth: The best solution to reduce global warming emissions, decrease our reliance on foreign oil and create good paying jobs for Ohioans is clean energy. Ohio continues to suffer staggering unemployment, and we need good paying jobs now to get our economy back on track. A study by the Center for American Progress shows that Ohio stands to gain over 67,000 jobs if we invest in clean energy.
We have our economic destiny in our own hands, and the choice is easy. Poll after poll shows that Americans support a clean energy economy because they understand that it will mean more and better jobs, a more secure energy future, and a better environment for our kids and grandkids. You don’t need to be a Washington D.C. “think tank” to see clean energy is what Ohio needs right now.
WILLIAM PADISAK
Austintown
Americans should be proud of Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize
EDITOR:
We Americans should be proud that President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. He is the first sitting president since Woodrow Wilson in 1919 and only the fourth in U.S. history. We should be proud that the world community has chosen an American to represent this prestigious honor, we should be proud to say, look at where the U.S. has come from and where it is going. I know there are many who think he is not deserving of this honor, but why not?
Are they concerned that he is getting too much credit, in view of the fact that Reagan, Eisenhower and a host of other Republican presidents did not receive this honor? Are they worried that the rest of the free world view the real Mr. Obama and appreciates his effort, his candor, and his brilliance, his ability to pull people together and strive for world peace while it appears we do not? If this is a slap in the face of America and in particular a slap down the face of former President George W. Bush so be it, I think this honor speaks for the man, Barack Obama.
Mostly I would have to say, the President deserves this award in all areas, the republicans and conservatives in particular would rather see the world, the economy go to hell in the hand-basket than to give him any credit for getting the job done, or doing anything right if you will. In the 10 months since taking office, he has done more for establishing world peace, restoring faith and confidence in the stock market, and gaining the respect of the world community than any other president in such relatively short period of time..
Both GM and Delphi are back from Chapter 11, streets are being repaved and roads restored and resurfaced — this means people are getting work, rather than not. Youngstown was voted one of the best cities in the U.S. to start a business. Obama’s stimulus package must take front and center for these positive changes. If the Republicans were still in office, we would not be reducing troops in Iraq, the stock market would be further in the tank, the jobs situation and unemployment would still be rising instead of decreasing and the world community would still be hating us even more.
I applaud the changes.
LANCE SMITH
Youngstown