Addressing teen alcohol problem

Addressing teen alcohol problem

Two years ago, a group of concerned citizens in Canfield, including school counselors and administrators, clergy members from the Canfield Ministerial Association, and representatives from the Juvenile Justice Center came together and formed the “Canfield Cares About Alcohol and other Drug Abuse” Committee. We have expanded to include Prevention Partners Plus, Operation Keepsake, the Canfield police, and Canfield parents.

During our short duration we have been instrumental in presenting the Social Host Ordinance to the Canfield City Council where it was adopted in December of 2009. This ordinance addresses the issue of underage consumption of alcohol and holds adults who host such parties responsible, within the city limits of Canfield. We have also been part of many programs in the high school and middle school to educate students on the legal issues and life consequences of getting involved with alcohol and other drugs.

It is difficult to comprehend the negative thinking of adults and students who still do not understand the very real consequences of alcohol and drug abuse. Very bad things can and do happen when there is underage use. Life threatening situations may occur, reputations may be ruined, college admittance and scholarships can be lost, future employment and even qualifying for many professions, is gone when there is a felony or record of abuse.

Our “Canfield Cares about Alcohol and Other Drugs” flyers are available in the Canfield Schools and churches. Our goal is to be supportive of students and parents who continually confront negative pressures from peer groups, social networks, and the media in their attempt to stand strong in keeping wholesome values and expectations. We believe it does “take a village to raise a child”, even more so in today’s society.

We are here. We meet at Canfield High School the second Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. If you are interested in being involved or are a parent in need of support, you are welcome to attend our meetings.

Annette C. Kay, Canfield

The writer, a counselor at Canfield High School, submitted this for the Canfield Cares about Alcohol and Other Drugs organization.

Crises are distorting our priorities

Between the nuclear melt- down in Japan, the dictatorship meltdown in the Middle East and the budget meltdown in Ohio and Michigan and other states there is a lot to wonder at in the world.

I was at the rally against Senate Bill 5 a couple of weeks ago and somebody put a camera and a mike in front of me and interviewed me. I wasn’t ready for it and I didn’t know what to say. I just blurted out. “Well, what is an economy for anyway? Isn’t its purpose to take care of the people within the economy? It seems to me that all my life I’ve been hearing this: Get an education and get a good job. Well nobody is better educated than our teachers. Now we are telling them they have to take a pay cut, a benefit cut, and maybe even a dismissal.”

Well, I didn’t quite go that far, the last part I added on as an afterthought; I wish I had said it at that moment. As the economy sinks under the economic tsunami, we are told we must make sure to cut taxes for the rich so that they can have a golden lifeboat while the rest of us are tossed over the side to sink or swim. Just the opposite of what happened on the Titanic when women and children were given first place.

Roger Lafontaine, Youngstown

Taxpayers are the primary targets

We have been hearing almost on a daily basis how “badly needed” this Canfield school levy is. I read in the paper that the average salary for a teacher is about $60,000 a year. That’s not too bad for 9 months work, with every holiday and weekend off. I know of people who have worked for a lot less, including working weekends and evenings and some holidays.

I am a resident of Canfield, but we also have Boardman police and fire, so we get hit with both levies. Where does it end? Everyone wants to dip into my pocket, but my pockets are empty. We retired from our company business almost three years ago. Living on pension and Social Security, there are no cost of living adjustments coming. We are constantly being asked to sacrifice, well, that should include everyone, including our schools. We have given up going out to dinner, except on rare occasions, and I certainly do not even consider drinking $4 coffee at Starbucks, but if I did, that’s my choice. We worked all our lives to be able to do that if we so choose, and as far as giving up my cable TV, forget it, that’s one of the few pleasures we have left to enjoy.

The thing that bothers me the most about this levy is that the people pushing it say that it will only cost about $17.50 a month for a home worth $100,000. Well how many homes in Canfield are worth that? Most are above the $200,000 range, so times that by 2 and you are looking at $35 per month, times 12 equals $420 a year. And how dare anyone say that if your home is worth that kind of money, then you can afford it. Many of us have worked very hard for our homes all our lives and are now feeling the pain of constantly raising taxes, and with the economy as bad as it is, many of the upper income people in this area have been either laid-off due to downsizing of the companies they work for, or have had to take a cut in pay in order to keep the job they have.

It’s not fair to keep asking the homeowner to foot the bill. There needs to be another way. For example, I think it’s only fair that the parents who have school aged children in Canfield pay tuition, possibly. People who live in apartments they reap the benefits without paying a dime. How is that fair?

To be precise, property taxes are unconstitutional, and some day this may be proven in court. I hope so, but until that day comes, keep in mind that the system is grossly unfair to people who have worked hard in life to have what they do.

Ruth Nabb, Youngstown

Eating meat isn’t efficient

A guest editorial, “Why hun- ger in Nebraska?” on the editorial page March 12 raises a good question. Those of us who care about hunger in this prosperous country and in the world, about the environment, about livestock animal welfare, and human health know all too well the answer to this question.

The farming of livestock animals is a very inefficient way to feed people because the animals eat way more food than they produce (15 pounds of plant protein produce only 1 pound of animal protein). This is extremely wasteful and ironically the reason Nebraska has no trouble feeding cows, but one in six people have trouble feeding themselves.

We would do well to sacrifice our appetites and serve more meatless meals a week lessening the demand for meat and freeing up more land to grow food for people. Making plant foods for people more plentiful and readily available keeps prices down for the poor.

Sandy Groza Hrabowy, Hubbard