Air show exceeded expectations

Air show exceeded expectations

My family and I attended the Thunder Over the Valley air show last Sunday. I have attended a lot of air shows but this one far exceeded my expectations. The bus trip to the base was easy and even relaxing not having to fight the traffic. The show was exciting and the security was excellent and everyone was having a good time.

After the show when everyone was getting in line to exit, the airmen and officers were very helpful. Because of the weather, Saturday being so poor, I think most people came Sunday. While standing in line security came through the line checking to see if people were feeling OK due to being in the long lines. Then they brought free cold bottles of water and continued to make sure everyone was doing good.

This made me feel proud the way our military took care of us and proud to be from the Mahoning Valley. Let everyone know they did the best.

Norm Hoefler, Austintown

Law student’s view of lawyers is not based on reality — locally

I receive articles from non- lawyer friends who still live in the Youngstown area, and two recent letters to the editor that were sent me.

The first was from a second-year law student from the University of Akron (my school) headlined, “Don’t paint all lawyers in Valley with same corruption brush.” His name is Keith Larew. Young man, take off the ideological blindfold. What you are suggesting might take place in a perfect world but not in Mahoning County, Trumbull County or Columbiana County.

I had an instructor at Akron (Dick Marshall) who would look out the window at a church steeple and say, “There’s where you go if you are seeking justice.” That was 40 years ago. Maybe things have changed, but I doubt it.

A client gave me a sweatshirt about 25 years ago that I still have. It reads, “A good lawyer knows the law; a great lawyer knows the judge.”

The second letter was from Joseph E. O’Neill Jr. regarding his father “Judge Joe.” He was the exception to the corrupt lawyers, sheriffs, engineers, judges who thought corruption was a way of life.

“Judge Joe” was a friend to everyone, especially young lawyers. His door was always open. He discussed and helped with lawyer’s legal problems and questions. He made our appearance before the 7th District Court of Appeals a pleasant experience. He, along with the other “Judge Joe” (Donofrio), treated all lawyers with respect, even us young lawyers who were “wet behind the ears.”

The only criticism I could make of “Judge Joe” was that he missed his calling. In any event that he was master of ceremonies, his humor stole the show. One event in particular was when Phyllis Diller was the guest speaker. She was funny, as usual, but “Judge Joe” was funnier. Everybody thought so.

Joe O’Neill, Jr., you and your family have reason to be upset with Bertram de Souza’s column. A trite expression, “Consider the source.”

Edward A. Sowinski Jr. Fort Myers, Fla.

Don’t be so harsh on leader of Veterans Affairs Shinseki

Seems that elephants do have long memories. Too bad they’re filled with stupidity.

Gen. Shinseki testified before Congress in 2003 and advised them it would take 200,000 to 300,000 troops to initially enter Iraq. He was promptly fired as the nation’s highest ranking military officer by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and President George W. Bush.

They went there with 80,000 troops and a plethora of computerized weaponry. It took President Barack Obama to get us out of that mess. A total of 405,502 American troops were injured, maimed, or killed.

Now, politicians like John McCain, R-Arizona, and John Cornyn, R-Texas, are calling for Shinseki’s head over the way the Veterans Administration is being run. Politicians like them are the reason the system is messed up. The recent action in the Senate to scuttle VA legislation is a prime example of “disguised” outrage.

Neglect by the VA system began during the administration of President Ronald Reagan, backed by the incompetent leaders of the American Legion, and became worse with the passage of time. Take it from a veteran who has faced the VA bureaucracy first hand. I have been a VA patient for over 30 years.

My brother went through three years of cancer treatment at the Youngstown VA and the Wade Park VA Hospital in Cleveland. He passed away in 2012.

The people in Youngstown and Cleveland provided outstanding treatment. His doctor was amazed at how long my brother was able to survive and she told him so.

Gen. Shinseki can only run the system with the tools provided by Congress. He’s doing a good job. McCain and Cornyn should take remedial action and quit spouting removal rhetoric.

John Zordich, Youngstown

A solution for a government that has failed its veterans

A couple of days ago I saw a news story about the Department of Veterans Affairs and the neglect that it has been accused of resulting in the death of one of its patients, more specifically, and obviously, a veteran — a man who deserved more for no other reason than having worn a uniform in the service of his country.

God bless him, and now his government has done what he has not. They failed.

Well, after stewing in anger for the better part of the night, a solution occurred to me, and this solution, I promise you, will dramatically improve the quality of life for all of the men and women who served this country with honor.

We, the constituents of every congressman and senator of this country, must demand that they strip themselves of the gold-plated premium health plans that they now have and replace them with veterans’ benefits and veterans’ health care; they deserve it, they serve the country, (supposedly), but nothing more.

Once this is done and the politicians start depending on the VA for their health care, we will see a dramatic improvement in the standard of service for our greatest resource, our veterans.

David A. Perigny Jr., Warren

Dumping of foreign steel products detrimental to domestic producers

I recently attended a rally at the Lorain Pipe Plant, a USS (United States Steel) owned facility. They have 400 workers laid off because of South Korea’s dumping of their steel and pipe products. I listened to a lot of great speakers like U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and local and state representatives. The International Trade Commission has to make a decision on this matter and it’s a no-brainer as far as I’m concerned. Ohioans are lucky to have Brown and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Howland, fighting for them in the House and Senate.

There have to be rallies like this all over the country because we are losing good-paying jobs at an alarming rate. We are slowly becoming a service industry economy and the reason for that is our Congress has let our manufacturing base deteriorate to the point that we may never recover.

Our Congress has to get down to business on this issue and get on board with the president on the jobs bill and stop giving corporations incentives to move their operations off shore.

Almost everyone has grandchildren that they want to be able to get a decent job, raise a family and retire with dignity.

Bud McKelvey, Hermitage, Pa.