Ohio owes it to most vulnerable to renew expansion of Medicaid

Ohio owes it to most vulnerable to renew expansion of Medicaid

Under Gov. John Kasich’s leadership, Ohio made the wise choice about a year ago to extend Medicaid health insurance coverage to some of our most vulnerable citizens. Since then, more than 450,000 people have enrolled in Medicaid and now have greater access to medical care. For the sake of those individuals and our entire community, Ohio needs to continue this program of extended Medicaid. This will leverage federal dollars and significantly improve the health of our state.

Expanding Medicaid is the moral and just thing to do. Motivated by the value of “tikkun olam” (repairing the world), the Jewish community has long believed in communal responsibility to care for the most vulnerable among us — wherever they reside. Continuing the Medicaid expansion is a critically important component to fulfilling this obligation.

Medicaid expansion also has real economic benefits for Ohio: fewer bankruptcies by those facing enormous medical bills; fewer workplace absences as health outcomes improve; reductions in uncompensated care (the costs of which are passed on to those of us with insurance); and most importantly, healthier Ohioans who finally have access to preventive health services and coordination of care.

It is our hope that those who might choose to engage in political posturing will abandon this stance and do what is right for all Ohioans. We call on the Ohio General Assembly to support Gov. Kasich’s call to continue the Medicaid expansion enacted last year.

Scott Lewis and Bonnie Deutsch Burdman, Youngstown

Lewis is president and Burdman is director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation.

‘Ag-gag’ laws in many US states undermine freedom of expression

I join the rest of the world in mourning the brave staff of the magazine Charlie Hebdo, gunned down by religious fanatics for defending freedom of the press.

Meat-industry fanatics in the U.S. have devised a more subtle means of stifling freedom of the press. The states of Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, and Utah have enacted “ag-gag” laws that impose criminal penalties on investigators seeking to expose animal abuses and safety violations in factory farms.

According to an Associated Press report published in recent newspapers, four members of an animal-protection organization were charged with violating Utah’s ag-gag law. They sought to document the daily transport of thousands of pigs from the infamous Circle Four factory farm in Cedar City, Utah, to the Farmer John slaughterhouse in Los Angeles.

Ag-gag laws are clearly unconstitutional and are being challenged in federal courts. Assaults on press freedom need to be confronted wherever they rear their ugly heads, even when they assume the legitimacy of a state law.

Albert Drago, Youngstown

Strengthen US manufacturing by repealing unfair trade pacts

Oh how times have changed. While growing up in the Youngs-town area, the main source of revenue to maintain the operation of local governments centered around manufacturing. Steel and the automotive industries became the largest employers that supplied the tax base to maintain a stable government.

The outsourcing of steel in the North and Midwest and textile industry in the South opened the doors to the continuous destruction of manufacturing jobs throughout the United States.

Now local governments are complaining about losing revenue from the downsizing of CCA’s private prison while Austintown is rejoicing from its racino revenue. Governments’ dependence on employee taxes generated from housing criminals to gambling is a far cry from the manufacturing tax base of past decades.

The final nail driven into the coffin of manufacturing was passage of NAFTA during the Clinton administration followed by the passage of unfair trade agreements during the Bush administration. Many people suggest the U.S. is in the middle of a global economy. Politicians and people endorsing the outsourcing of manufacturing jobs to Third World countries and calling this a fair global economy have taken up residence in the twilight zone.

There is no such thing as a global economy where U.S. citizens can compete. Competing against foreign workers making between 50 cents and $2.50 an hour is an unconscionable task to ask of our manufacturing workers.

The direction the U.S. is taking can be reversed. It takes organization, determination and the proper use of money, which is available through different organizations. Sponsoring candidates that sign letters of intent promising to sponsor and support bills demanding the repeal of NAFTA and unfair trade agreements while using effective tariffs that create an opportunity for manufacturing workers to compete is a must. Sponsoring candidates — Democrats or Republicans — who continuously say, “Manufacturing jobs are not returning to this country so get used to it” are a disgrace to the constituents that they represent.

Al Werden, Canfield

Some struggles seen in ‘Selma’ play out in Youngstown today

Everyone is talking about the movie “Selma.” It portrays the African-American struggle for voting and other rights that African-Americans were denied during that era.

Ironically it appears that we (African-Americans) are taking a step backwards. Although we are not denied voting rights, there are forces that are determined to make it more difficult for us to vote. Not only in the South but here in the city of Youngstown and surrounding areas.

It is being done subtly, such as by changing precincts and voting places in the name of saving dollars and by not getting available monetary benefits in predominately black neighborhoods.

I blame some African-Americans for being too complacent, not voting and not fighting for our rights as American citizens. Until we wake up and start demanding certain rights, we will continue to be considered second-class citizens.

Olla Tate, Youngstown

Girard mayor is all wet on water

It is amazing to me that an elected major individual within our community can make such a statement as Girard Mayor Jim Melfi’s response to the Liberty Fire Department concerning the latest devastating motel fire.

I’m speaking of his remarks and reasoning for the low water pressure provided to the Liberty Fire Department to combat this motel fire. I was not aware that all “fire hydrants” had a water meter.

The water supply basically comes from our local Meander Reservoir whose owners are Youngstown and Niles. Girard purchases water from this entity, which in turn supplies to parts of Liberty and McDonald. Girard has the major funds to supersede this added expense for it is the major community that benefits from the Vallourec steel plant because its land is on Girard real estate.

Girard also had many local lakes such as the “Liberty Lake” on Tibbetts-Wick Road, which officials chose to let become closed and no longer a lake due to a questionable repair on the dam. Similar factors happened with Lake Milton, which was also dry for many years, until a little repair to its dam was made.

Liberty Lake, using the city’s funds from the Vallourec steel plant, could have become another lake for recreation, for the beauty of homes around the lake, and finally to be used for a major back-up water supply for both Girard and Liberty.

Neil D. Frasca, Youngstown