There has to be a cheaper way

There has to be a cheaper way

Could somebody please ex- plain to me how demolishing Westlake Terrace and replacing it with a new 120-unit complex is a responsible way to spend $22 million in federal funds.

CNN Money.com recently labeled Youngstown one of the most affordable housing markets in the nation, with a median home price of $68,000. Math is not my best subject, but by dividing $22 million by 120 new housing units I come up with a cost per new unit of $183,333. I am quite sure that there are at least 120 nice older homes for sale within the city limits. If we use the median price of $68,000 from the article and multiply that by 120 houses, I come up with a replacement cost of $8.16 million.

Is it any wonder our country is going bankrupt? I think we should immediately begin teaching Mandarin Chinese in our schools so that our children and grandchildren will at least be able to communicate with the masters who will control them in the not so distant future.

Rich Ferenchak, North Lima

Maybe the badger as a mascot

A story last Sunday reported Canfield High School math teacher Stacey Madison’s efforts to change the name of the school mascot from the Canfield Cardinal to the “Black Squirrel.” This is a response to the voter turn down of a recent school levy and should not be taken seriously by anyone.

In my opinion, voters would have to be nutty as squirrels to vote for this change, especially if they thought this would help pass a school levy. What the school personnel need to realize is that there is a general mistrust of how funds are spent in the system. Badgering people is not going to accomplish the goal of getting more taxpayer money from people’s pockets.

I would have to give the teacher an F so far in his efforts. You need to prove to the voting public the absolute real need for a tax increase. Keep in mind that most people have had to deal with less money, more responsibilities, and less outside assistance.

Dave Bernat, Canfield

Tale of two oil policies

While listening to local “talk radio” the other day, I finally had enough of the “Bush Bashing” and turned it off. Now, somehow former President George W. Bush is responsible for our current outrageous gasoline prices. I think it’s time to revisit history.

Midway through the second term of office for President Bush, oil went to nearly $170 a barrel. This led to gas prices reaching nearly $4 a gallon at the pump. Being the “oil man” that all Democrats tar him with, he made a very important strategic move. He signed an executive order lifting the presidential ban on off shore oil drilling. This was largely symbolic, but it had an effect heard around the world. Oil speculators in all markets saw this as a sign that supply was going to increase dramatically and ran for cover. In just under six months, oil prices were near $40 a barrel. And gasoline prices came down in the $2 range. Now, as we all know, financial speculators and the futures market drive oil prices. When they believe that the supply is short or will soon be short, prices begin to climb. And if supply begins to look plentiful, prices drop.

In the first year of the Barack Obama presidency we can see the beginning of the current oil/gasoline crisis in our country and around the world. We are currently looking at gasoline at the $3.50 mark, with indications that it will climb back up to more than $4 a gallon within a few months. So what started this stampede? In the first year of President Obama’s term, a major oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico. After botching the whole operation with poor planning and communication, our president signed an executive order banning all off shore drilling in the Gulf. And then prices began to climb up and up to where some states were paying $4.50 a gallon for gasoline. And now, for political purposes, President Obama releases 30 million barrels of crude from our domestic stockpile. Needless to say, the speculators are not impressed and the futures market continues to blossom. This is the height of incompetence.

We have to get off this Republican vs. Democrat mentality and hold our elected officials’ feet to the fire. We need to understand the market and how it works, and expect our leaders to do the same.

M. Ben Melnykovich, Lake Milton