A lesson in wealth creation

A lesson in wealth creation

It is a well documented and settled fact that the property values of a given area are directly tied to the quality and performance of the local school district, and that buyers list the school district as the No. 1 priority after bedrooms when looking for a house.

Something to chew on. In Ohio, the average teacher salary (including fresh graduates with no experience and only a BA, to those with 30 years experience and a masters, sometimes a doctorate) grew 4.9 percent over the 5 years ending 2007. The average home in Ohio grew 21 percent over the same period, creating $280 million in wealth over those 5 years. In the same period, 108,000 teachers saw their total wages go up $2,500. That’s $270 million. Sounds pretty fair to me. In fact, maybe we owe the teachers another $10 million.

Paul Hugenberg, Poland

Rethinking our nuclear ambitions

The headline “US nuke plants lie near fault lines” is reason enough for the federal government to place a moratorium on new nuclear power stations across the country.

The recent events in Japan should place the nuclear power industry under the microscope. This is not an isolated event, and the potential for a major catastrophe could hit closer to home.

The U.S. has seen many safety violations at nuclear facilities over the years, and the industry-friendly Nuclear Regulatory Commission continually allows operating extensions for some of the most outdated facilities with horrendous safety violations.

Davis-Besse nuclear plant located on the shores of Lake Erie historically has extreme safety and operating violations on record. An incident at the Davis-Besse reactor in 2002 could have been just days or weeks away from developing into a Three Mile Island type accident — or worse.

Instead of investing in costly and dangerous nuclear facilities, Ohio should invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. Clean energy solutions like wind and solar have already transformed our energy system. These technologies can be homegrown right here in Ohio, we just need the political will to make it a reality.

Ron George, Lowellville