Learning something from Charlie

Learning something from Charlie

There have been a lot of news stories lately about actor Charlie Sheen and the suspension of his hit TV show “Two and a Half Men.”

Many people are saying, “Oh that’s just Charlie being Charlie.” But what we really are seeing is an addict being an addict.

Sheen’s outlandish calls to radio talk shows are filled with paranoia, denial and resentment. And to suggest that he can smoke crack cocaine “socially” is akin to saying he could safely stand in front of oncoming train.

What we are seeing happening with Sheen is not just in Hollywood. It’s here in our cities and suburbs.

Many addicts and alcoholics hide their disease and are working right next to you everyday. You may be unaware of their suffering until they lose their jobs, their families or their homes.

Addiction problems are at epidemic levels. To stem the tide, we need to examine root causes as well as provide counseling and 12-step programs.

And we can drastically reduce the problem if we step up our prevention efforts. Meridian Community Care is doing this with innovative programs in schools, such as the Panda Leaders Club.

Preventing addiction costs much less than treating addiction. And less addiction means less crime, lower health-care costs and stronger families.

Charlie Sheen’s latest “show” offers a good lesson. Let’s hope that we learn from it.

Larry Moliterno, Boardman

The writer is president and CEO of Meridian Community Care.

Another view of GM bonuses

A letter in last Sunday’s Vindicator entitled “GM bonus is good for the area” was a response to earlier criticism about GM’s $4,000+ employee bonus. The letter includes the requisite mantra that someone is always complaining about how much money GM workers make and that nobody knows how hard they work to earn that money. I’m sure they do work hard, but many people work as hard or harder under worse working conditions for considerably less pay. As for GM wages, it’s really nobody else’s business what an employer and its employees decide is a fair wage and benefits package. However, it becomes my business when I’m asked to lend the employer my own hard earned tax money to save it from bankruptcy.

The writer reminds us of the UAW concessions such as no C.O.L. raises for two years. The “concession” most puzzling to me is the one allowing new UAW workers to be paid half the wages that current workers receive. This costs current workers absolutely nothing. Let’s not compare the UAW concessions to the sacrifice of the large number of workers who were forced to concede their very jobs because of their companies’ bankruptcies. I was in favor of the loans to GM and Chrysler to help them reorganize and to prevent the death of yet another manufacturing industry, and I still believe it was the right thing to do. But while the future of GM is certainly brighter, its long-term survival is still not a foregone conclusion, hence the need for the company to pay back our money as quickly as possible.

GM is certainly entitled to give whatever bonuses to whomever they choose, but only after they have repaid us the money that we have lent them.

Robert F. Mollic, Liberty

Overtime vs. compensatory time

I just finished the Feb. 25 article on House Bill 61. The debate between Republicans and Democrats epitomizes the challenge of governing.

The bill would allow small companies to give workers compensatory time off instead of overtime pay. The employee, not the business, would decide if they want the comp time or the overtime money. At first glance it seems simple enough. The worker is in control of this decision, therefore why not? But as it is with all things human the reality is not so simple. The Republican authors see it as benefit to both workers and employers. The Democrats believe that employers will pressure workers to take the comp time. The Republicans say the bill would provide workers protection against intimidation.

So who is right? If you work for a fair employer, then the Republican position makes sense. But there is the rub. Some employers will take advantage of their workers. Yes the law is written to “protect” against this, but in reality the majority of workers who are pressured to take comp time will do nothing for fear of losing their job.

Now the difficult work begins, exercising the true role of government. Find a solution that benefits both business and yet truly protects workers.

Anthony Nackino, Boardman

Bargaining a privilege, not a right

To the public sector work- ers: collective bargaining is a privilege, not a right, just like driving, as police officers love to tell us.

Teachers work 61/2 hours a day at school, minus a study period and lunch, plus every federal holiday, weekends, and summers off, but come at us every couple of years with another levy, putting them on the ballot endlessly until they pass. Even though more is being spent per student than ever before, our students laughingly lag behind the rest of the developed and developing world in important math and science scores. Our nation is getting to be Third World education-wise due to our overpaid, underachieving educators.

For the vast majority of police officers in suburbs, townships, boroughs, villages, etc., the most laborious part of their job is getting in and out of the car to write us a ticket. I feel whatever they’re making is definitely adequate, and if it isn’t, they can quit and go work for an inner-city police force, where they’ll really earn their keep.

And finally, firemen should go grocery shopping on their own time. Stop using taxpayers vehicles, on taxpayer’s time, to go get groceries. If they wanna go for a ride in the fire truck, they should follow a road crew, get out and help them patch the roads. That’s a much more efficient use of taxpayers funds than shopping at Sparkle, working out and watching movies.

Gary David, Canfield

Warning: SB 5 is the beginning

I would like to offer a differ- ent perspective on Ohio’s proposed Senate Bill 5. I know my father, Thomas Patrick Casey, who passed away in 1985, would want me to share his life experience. My dad emigrated from Ireland in the 1920s. He arrived in Youngstown in 1924 and began working at U.S. Steel in 1926. There was no steelworkers union. Therefore, the workers had no bargaining power. During this non-union period, dad’s employment was characterized by very low wages, poor fringe benefits, lack of health insurance, and a total disregard of the workers’ safety.

Then my dad’s “patron saint” President Franklin D. Roosevelt came into power. Working conditions improved and the workers now had the bargaining power of the United Steelworkers Union. Dad was a proud man and a proud member of the Democratic Party.

The union-busting legislation now under consideration is simply the first step in making workers second-class citizens. Teachers will lose their tenure. Young children will once again be “eligible” to work in coal mines. The 40-hour work week will be relegated to the dust bin of history. Overtime? You must be kidding. Workers’ compensation as the result of injury on the job? Eliminate that and save money. Unemployment compensation? Another savings for corporate America.

Let’s hope the voters who supported Gov. Kasich will appreciate the new economic order.

Robert E. Casey, Poland