To end mass suffering in the US, our lawmakers must assist poor

To end mass suffering in the US, our lawmakers must assist poor

I don’t have a crystal ball or tea leaves to read, but from my observations of Congress, I feel pretty safe in making the following predictions. Without a Democratic balance I see that:

Women will suffer.

Education will suffer.

The middle class will suffer.

The children will suffer.

The poor will suffer.

The environment will suffer.

I was amazed to learn that 92 percent of Congress is Christian. Until that huge group begins to live up to its beliefs and follow the teachings of the person for whom Christianity was named, we will not see any relief for the suffering.

There are no references in Scripture that relate to taking care of the wealthy; however, there are many references that relate to taking care of the poor.

Let those of us who are Christians not only reflect on our beliefs, but also act on them.

Sister Midge DiMatteo, HM, Youngstown

Mooney’s loss is Campbell’s gain

Good for John Young. He was fired from his position as principal at Cardinal Mooney High School at mid-year with a vague explanation implying he was unfit to serve as an educational administrator and casting doubt on his reputation and integrity.

I do not know Mr. Young personally; however, I believe the Youngstown Catholic Diocese treated a good man and respected educator disgracefully.

Campbell Memorial High School found itself in need of an interim principal. Cardinal Mooney’s loss is Campbell’s gain.

Rev. Kathryn T. Adams, Canfield

Proposed cuts to SSDI would bring serious, painful results

Alert danger! 11 million dis- abled, poor, military veterans, children and elderly people may be forced into a life or death struggle.

Stephen Dinan, a Washington Times reporter, wrote that Social Security Disability (SSDI) will go bust by 2016 unless Congress acts now. Well, our new Republican Congress did take action by proposing a hidden agenda of protecting the wealthiest among us and throwing our most vulnerable citizens under the bus by demonizing them and cutting their SSDI benefit check by 20 percent. They think this will force a revamp of the SSDI program. However, only one of two things will happen: a tax increase or cuts to benefits.

Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Reed from New York sponsored the action yet hid it in a House rules package. Our bills need to be paid and when you are on a budget 20 percent is a big gulf to fill once the money is eliminated.

I believe that Reed’s proposal would only be forcing people to find other resources. In doing so, they would be forced to ask for more help from the government in subsidies such as SNAP, medical benefits, programs that offer subsidies for gas and electric and help maintaining the little that they already have.

Trying to fill a deficit can’t be done on the little person’s back alone but also should involve raising taxes for the wealthy and middle class. We the people with disabilities want to live with dignity and stay in our own homes, we do not want to go into nursing homes which cost three times more.

It is a legitimate reality that cutting benefits only serves to hurt the middle and poor classes, and the deficit left is going to be the responsibility of the tax payers. So please consider all proposed cuts, because they do have serious ramifications.

Catherine Holl, Sharon, Pa.

Vindicator editorial cartoon aside, who are real bigots in society today?

The Vindicator on Feb. 15 saw fit to print a cartoon lampooning Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, depicting him as a “bigot” for his opposition to same-sex marriage.

Judging from the cartoon, I wonder if the cartoonist himself has a bigotry problem regarding the white population of the South.

The current rush away from man and woman to Spouse 1 and Spouse 2 flies in the face of the considered opinion of many thinkers throughout human history, the traditions of the great world religions, and the established practice of virtually all human societies back to the dawn of history.

I would think that a reasonable person of whatever persuasion would have to see something here beyond mere “bigotry.”

Was Barack Obama a bigot prior to his recent alleged change of mind on this issue? What about Bill Clinton, who signed the Defense of Marriage Act?

Patrick J. Lally, Youngstown

Never underestimate the value of dropout-prevention charter schools

After the auditor of state’s recent report on community-school attendance, many have expressed shock and dismay that the average attendance rate for dropout recovery and prevention (DORP) high schools hovers around 50 percent. As the founder of two dropout recovery charter schools, a former mental health counselor of at-risk youth, and current executive director of a sponsor authorizing five such schools — two of which are the highest performing of their kind in Ohio — I want to remind Ohioans not to overlook the vital work these schools are doing.

My point is simple. We are asking the wrong questions and criticizing a group of dedicated people who have risen to the challenge of doing something about Ohio’s dropout epidemic. The questions we need to be asking are: Why do our youth keep dropping out of schools at an alarming rate? How many taxpayer dollars does it cost us to incarcerate a person for a year ($25,800) or put them on welfare? What will happen to these 16- to 22-year-old dropouts if we don’t come together to do something about it?

All eight urban districts in Ohio — including Youngstown — have an F on their graduation rate. The state’s graduation rate has declined over the past decade. DORP schools are not perfect, but in the urban districts they have made a difference, both in improving graduation outcomes and in the lives of those who most desperately need help.

This is not a charter school problem nor is it a traditional school problem. This is an epidemic of epic proportions that affects each and every person. The blame game needs to end because we all have the same goals: A quality education for every student with a 100 percent graduation rate and a 100 percent gainfully employed rate.

Let us not forget the vital work these 90 schools are doing, and I encourage lawmakers to keep this in mind when reforming Ohio charter law. Let’s start asking the right questions so we can come up with the right solutions.

Lenny Schafer, Toledo

Schafer is executive director of Ohio Council of Community Schools.

Mahoning Valley voters, wise up!

Reports of the coming loss of the contract to house prisoners for the feds have raised many questions. The answers are very simple. Politicians use jobs and tax dollars to buy votes by those in a community they provide these jobs and finances to. Because the sheep (voters) in the Mahoning Valley vote for whomever the Shepherd (Democratic chairman) awards the “Royal D” behind their name, the purchase of votes can be sent to a more partisan area. Until the citizens wake up and vote for qualifications instead of connections this will continue. There is no downside for those who tighten the purse strings on the Valley.

Robert J. Husted, New Middletown