Talk about a good ‘Connection’

Talk about a good ‘Connection’

The Youngstown Connec- tion recently visited Honolulu, Hawaii, and I want Youngstown to know what a wonderful group of young people they are.

I work for the company that arranged for their visit, and we have hosted hundreds of performance groups. The Youngstown Connection is the most professional performance group with whom we have had the privilege to work. Many of the people viewing their performances asked us if they were a professional performance group, and we answered, yes.

They displayed their professionalism with their talent and their endurance. They performed at every venue — all of them outdoors in the Hawaiian heat — in their signature black tails, with gloves and hats, without missing a note, a step or a beat. They were amazing.

They also exhibited their professionalism throughout their visit — at their hotel, at restaurants, and during activities — with their thoughtfulness and respect for their director, Carol Baird, with each other, and for the folks around them. Their smiles and laughter, infectious and charming, rang with the Youngstown brand of the Aloha Spirit.

It was my pleasure to work with this lovely group of young people and their dedicated director. I am sure that Youngstown is proud to know how well they are represented throughout the world by their goodwill ambassadors, The Youngstown Connection.

Aloha!

Tammi Sweeney, Honolulu

A better place to cut foreign aid

An Aug. 14 letter called for cutting American aid to Israel. The letter was written by a Palestinian professor, who claims that the “Israeli government allocates part of its budget to the advancement and maintenance of Illegal Israeli colonies in the West Bank”.

Calling the Israeli settlements in the West Bank “illegal” is a frequent argument of the anti-Israel crowd, who pretend to be expert on international law. The problem with this argument is that it is completely false. In 1923 the League of Nations, the predecessor of the United Nations, recognized the Jewish rights in the holy land, and officially transferred the ownership of the holy land (which previously was owned by the Ottoman Empire that collapsed after being defeated in WW1) to the Jews. When the United Nations was created they adopted all the resolutions of the League of Nations. Therefore, according to international law, the Jewish settlements in the West Bank are completely legal.

As for cutting U.S. foreign aid, certainly one candidate deserves it the most, the Palestinian Authority. About 3.5 percent of its budget is used to pay convicted terrorist as an appreciation for their crimes. Every single Palestinian terrorist held in Israeli jail for mass murdering innocent people in restaurants or public busses receives a monthly salary from the Palestinian Authority. The more heinous, the crime-the higher the salary. Their innocent victims include about a hundred American citizens, which means American taxpayers end up paying a monthly salary to murderers of American citizens. This absurd situation must come to an end by cutting U.S. foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority.

A.Z. Rabinowitz, Liberty

Williams did his part and more

A commentary on depart- ing Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams in the Aug. 14 Vindicator is problematic in several areas. It describes a recent tragedy in which a Youngstown teenager, whose father had been murdered a month before he was born, was himself shot to death and asserts that, “It is this cycle of violence that former Mayor Williams failed to end.” Was Williams obligated to solve all of the Mahoning Valley’s major troubles that have defied the combined efforts of law enforcement, the schools, social service agencies and religious institutions for many years? Let’s get real here.

The essay provides a laundry list of Youngstown’s social problems, implying with zero evidence that the mayor neither knew nor cared about them, finishing with a blanket claim that, “Williams missed a chance to make a difference in the black community.” This brings to mind criticism of automobile pioneer Henry Ford, several decades ago, because he “failed” to invent the self-starter. In the early Model T era people had to get out and crank the engine by hand to make it run (Charles F. Kettering finally solved that problem). Ford did much of value for Detroit and the world, his personal quirks and prejudices notwithstanding, and he should be remembered accordingly.

Jay Williams, too, should be honored for his deeds as a citizen and as a public official, not criticized for failure to walk on water. To cite one example among many, his voluntary service has included four-figure annual donations to the Youngstown Mahoning Valley United Way and effective participation in the work of its executive committee.

Robert D. Gillette, Poland

Needed at YSU: shared sacrifice

Last Sunday’s editorial point- ed out that we can hardly afford a strike at YSU, which would attract undue negative attention in Columbus. The recently released fact finder’s report (which followed seven months of protracted negotiations) found a middle ground asking the faculty to accept a 0, 1, and 2 percent wage increase over the next three years, plus a new 15 percent medical cost pick up. That would mean a net compensation reduction of nearly 2 percent for nearly all faculty, not even factoring in inflation. Even this worst contract in our history was accepted by the faculty, recognizing the reality we live in. This is hardly the avaricious grasp of a greedy faculty bent on lining their own pockets, as they are often portrayed, but instead reflects a sense of sacrifice many feel is required at a time of financial implosion.

By contrast, in the past two years, when the devastating economic effects on our community were understood, the top 11 administrators averaged salary increases of 38 percent, or $33,500, compared to faculty increases of 3.5 percent, or $2,500. (If the top two administrators are factored out, because they skew the data, the corresponding increases are still rather more than the faculty, 5.1 percent, or $7,400.) This hardly seems a shining example of fiscal restraint, particularly when the students were asked to shoulder 3.5 percent tuition increases two years in a row, and a large majority of them are taking on years of debt just to be here.

It may be too much to ask administrators to set an example by joining the faculty and students and accept commensurate reductions at this point, though one department chair has actually made such a sincere proposal. If we are all interested in building a stronger YSU for the future of our area, then it seems that the financial burden should be shared by all parties, not just two of the three.

A board that sees a common destiny need not engage in volatile brinkmanship in these negotiations, but could go a long way to restoring a sense of equilibrium by recognizing the sacrifices already offered by the faculty and partially made by students. While the political turmoil tries to tear us apart, maybe now is a good time to consider coming together.

Howard Mettee, Youngstown

The writer is a professor of chemistry at YSU.

Students should strike back

According to the e-mail YSU sent students, the feds “asked” them to hold back financial aid funding.

In an S.B. 5 voting season, does the union really want to tick off their core votes? Well, they just did. Poor students without jobs are not going to pay to make employed people richer.

Any financial aid recipient at YSU (which is most, if not all, of the students) just had a second look at S.B. 5. Guess what, we like it ... a lot.

If YSU strikes and we lose the funding to pay our rent, our housing, our utilities, our food, our expenses, then we strike as well.

Two can play at this game. We will win,

Matthew Stockfleth, Youngstown