Stay off the fracking bandwagon

Stay off the fracking bandwagon

I’m not a tree hugger, howev- er comments on fracking by state Reps. Gerberry, O’Brien, and Letson, in an Oct. 15 Vindicator article prod me toward becoming one.

Certainly this area needs living wage jobs and has for all the time these three gentlemen have been on public payrolls. The Marcellus has been in place for hundreds of thousands of years and will still be there when the EPA and Division of Oil and Gas Management conclude their studies. These studies should help write reasonable regulations to protect our environment while drilling. So, what is the rush to judgment by our legislators to strike down a temporary moratorium?

I’d love to see our region benefit from Marcellus. I’d also love to drink the water from my tap, breathe the air in my yard, know that a sinkhole is not likely under my home and be able to find a buyer for it when I’m ready to sell. Messrs. Gerberry and Letson cite the importance of the billions already invested; that’s chump change compared with the costs of reclaiming many superfund sites created as a result of unregulated activity in the name of economic progress. Mr. O’Brien’s quote “...I don’t think a moratorium at this time is the correct way to go,” apparently favors closing the barn after the horses run off.

We should drill to create jobs and to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. We should drill with all due caution to ensure we are not fouling our own nests. I urge our representatives to wait for the results of studies in progress before throwing caution to the wind.

Jim Cartwright, Canfield

Kinsman library is a vital asset

This letter is directed es- pecially to the voters of Hartford, Gustavus, Kinsman, Orangeville, Burghill, Farmdale and Vernon, the service area of the Kinsman Public Library. We hope it will help in understanding why the 1.9 mill levy is necessary.

The library has always had local roots. As early as 1885 a Library Association had been formed and finally in 1913 the present building was begun with about half its cost coming from a Carnegie Foundation grant. There has been no subsequent contribution from the Carnegie Fund; support has always come from tax monies.

Our library has been blessed with a dedicated director and staff. For four years in a row our library has been recognized by Hennan’s American Public Library Ratings as one of the top ten best (for its size) in the nation. We are excited about our recent entry into the Clevnet consortium which will allow broader interlibrary loan and other services such as E-books — many of which we could not otherwise afford.

Even though annual funding has been cut by 43 percent since the year 2000, the board has balanced the budget by cutting staff, hours and materials which ultimately limits our ability to serve our patrons. Today many of the programs offered by our library are being funded through the generosity of individuals and community organizations. In the end, however, we remain reliant on the state for nearly 100 percent of our funding. Worse yet, this amount will be even less in the future. The 2012-13 biennium state budget decreases the Public Library Fund by 5 percent and then removes from that remaining amount an additional 1.5 percent that will be diverted to OPLIN (Ohio Public Library Information Network) and Library Services for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

We are down to a bare bones operation with Saturday hours only once a month. The board has reluctantly turned to this 1.9 mill levy as the only way to continue the fine tradition of service by your Kinsman Public Library. Please vote yes on Nov. 8.

Debbie Yeager, president

This letter was also signed by other members of the Kinsman Public Library Board, Sharon Diehl, Shirley Miller, Linda Lipps, Richard Thompson, Robert Waite and Richard Webb.

Ohio needs SB5 – vote yes issue 2

I support Ohio Senate Bill 5 and will vote yes on Issue 2 to support it. Long ago, the public sector wages and benefits were somewhat less than comparable to private sector wages and benefits, but with more job security than private sector jobs enjoyed. This inequity was reversed by a Democratic administration and the public sector now enjoys wages and benefits far better than comparable private sector employees and with many “rights” the private sector doesn’t enjoy. Since unions comprise only about 12 percent of our country’s workforce, this has disenfranchised the largest union of all — my union — the non-union private sector taxpayer which includes about 88 percent of Ohioans.

Since SB5 was passed into law, Ohio, led by Gov. Kasich, has passed a balanced budget and Standard & Poor’s has upgraded Ohio from AA Negative to AA Stable. Obviously we still have a long way to go, but we are undoubtedly headed in the right direction, partly due to SB5.

The unions, their retirees and the Democratic Party have been misleading the public about the effects of SB5 which should be no surprise to anyone. Who wouldn’t fight hard to keep their health-care costs far lower than the private sector, their retirements far earlier and far more lucrative than the private sector, work rules that allow them to work less and guarantee higher levels of employment and lower productivity? I urge all Ohioans, but especially those in my union, the 88 percent of Ohio taxpayers, to avoid the hype and to read the bill as I did, and then if they agree that SB5 benefits them and Ohio, vote yes on Issue 2 to regain your control as a taxpayer and an Ohio citizen.

And once SB5 is reaffirmed this fall, we still must continue this battle by demanding that our local and state governments use SB5 provisions to bargain effectively to retain par between public and private sector workers and keep our public sector employees performance commensurate with their pay and benefits and within our budget.

Michael J. Novak, Austintown

SB 5 would take Ohio backwards

No matter what you think of public employees — firefighters, police officers or teachers — Issue 2 is not just about them. This issue is an attack on the working class citizens of this state. If this goes through, the business people of this state will destroy the working class and every gain that our great-grandfathers, grandfathers and fathers fought (and some have died) for will be in vain.

Unions in the past made our lives better in many ways: wages, safety, housing, medical, etc. I do agree that unions have gotten out of control over the years in their demands, but if those such as our governor, John Kasich, and his business friends have it their way they would have the working class go back to the wages etc. of 40 years ago, but the prices would stay the same in 2011.

If the people of Ohio want to see what it was like before unions, all they have to do is watch the movie Hoffa. Many people in this county are too young to remember what it was like to work for a person like Kasich. It is because of people like Mr. Kasich and the Koch Brothers, that unions were formed in the first place. Listen to the TV ads or read what the governor says about unions. Over the years Republicans have wanted to have only two classes of people, the rich and the poor. They are on that track and will stop at nothing until they accomplish that.

I am not a Democrat or a Republican; I vote for the person I feel will give Americans the best chance to have a job and make a decent living for the common person.

Do we have bad teachers, firefighters, police, and other public workers? Yes, but there are ways to fire people without destroying unions. By the way, look at the number of politicians who have come under fire recently for being corrupt and accepting favors in the form of money, women, etc. Look at the businessmen, bankers, etc. that have destroyed this country and created this economic mess that we are in. Don’t blame just the unions.

Vote no on Issue 2.

Chuck Mead, Salem

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