Tax benefits derived from GM cannot be overlooked

Tax benefits derived from GM cannot be overlooked

I am originally from Campbell but now live in Miami, Fla. Part of my heart is still in the Steel Valley, as is part of my family and other loved ones.

I took the first under construction Vindicator photos of the General Motors plant for the brown Rotogravure section so many years ago. Even if GM were totally exempt from paying taxes, it still would be paying huge amounts of taxes. How?

Everyone who works for GM pays income taxes, everyone who remotely receives income from GM pays taxes – from the CEO to the janitor at one of the GM dealerships. Even the little old lady that buys a 1999 Chevy from a used car dealership pays sales tax .

So where does all of this tax money come from? GM, of course. So now if GM goes away to some other country, then no money comes from GM to the USA. What is it about this paragraph that people don’t understand?

George Katsaras, Miami

Don’t ignore at-risk youth during this holiday season

The holidays are upon us, and for many there is no better time of year. However, for the 4.2 million youth who are homeless in the United States each year, the holidays are unlikely to be filled with joy and presents.

At the National Runaway Safeline (NRS), we work to keep America’s runaway, homeless and at-risk youth safe and off the streets. We do this largely through crisis intervention services, including our hotline and online services, all of which are open 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

So, when a 15-year-old boy calls our toll-free number, 1-800-786-2929, seeking shelter from the cold, a trained volunteer or staff member listens and provides confidential, non-directive and non-judgmental support, and together they devise an action plan to ensure the teen’s safety and well- being.

Or when a 19-year-old girl sends a chat message via 1800runaway.org explaining she is far from home and wants to be reconnected with family, but is penniless, we help by assessing the situation, contacting her parent or guardian, and possibly sending her home through the Home Free program offered in partnership with Greyhound Lines.

Children deserve a safe, nurturing home during the holidays, and always. NRS makes nearly 100,000 connections to help and hope each year.

We partner with approximately 8,000 agencies in cities such as Youngstown that provide direct services to youth in crisis.

Youth homelessness is a serious issue, but it is one that we can solve together. For more information, visit 1800runaway.org .

Susan Frankel, Chicago

Susan Frankel is executive director of the National Runaway Safeline.

Trump’s tariffs to blame

The profit margin on small cars was thin before President Donald Trump raised tariffs on steel. This made making small cars here even less desirable for General Motors.

Trump’s refusal to implement the fuel economy standards created under former President Barack Obama gave automakers even less reason to manufacture smaller cars.

Trump certainly isn’t totally to blame for the Lordstown plant closing, but his actions made a bad situation worse. This is strange for someone who claimed that manufacturing would increase under his leadership. He is putting all of the blame on GM when he really only needs to look into the closest mirror to see who is at least partly to blame.

Steve Shirey, Kent

Let NPs serve unhindered

In some states, includ- ing Ohio, Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are still required to have some type of physician involvement in their practice, often in the form of “collaboration” or “supervision.”

This “Standard Care Arrangement” requires paying a fee to a physician and serves as a deterrent to more dedicated NPs working in our state, including our underserved rural areas.

At a time when more healthcare options are needed to address our growing needs, limiting the availability of NPs seems wrong. By removing the Standard Care Arrangement, we can encourage NPs to work in communities where they live, ensuring their friends and neighbors receive top-level medical care.

Ohio ranks 36th among states for access to health care as reported in U.S. News & World Report’s 2018 Best State Rankings. While this is troubling, there is a clear solution that involves empowering more NPs to do what they have been trained and are licensed by the state to do: treat patients.

Legislation to remove the outdated Standard Care Arrangement is needed. I encourage the state Legislature to pass legislation that removes this barrier to access and to do so expediently.

Jesse V. McClain IV, DPN, APRN-CNS, Canfield

Jesse McClain is immediate past president of the Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses.