Downtown Toledo has never looked better

6/17/2001

On a rainy afternoon I had to drive to downtown Toledo. What a pleasant trip I had. On the way downtown I was greeted by beautiful flower gardens in the median strip all the way to Erie Street. I had a few extra minutes to spare so I drove past the Mud Hens ballpark site. What a wonderful addition to the downtown it will be. I also visited the Erie Street Market and the Farmer's Market. Both were busy with customers. The Erie Street Market is quite special. I drove down Summit Street past Owens Corning, where the grass and flowers were so neat and well kept.

Then I got my next big surprise. The old Federal Building had come down, and I could clearly see the old Edison Steam plant. What a wonderful view and building.

COSI and the Valentine Theatre looked great, and there is a lot of fixing up of buildings going on all over downtown.

I decided to go out of my way to look at the new Toledo-Lucas County Library. Wonderful again. And Adams Street was all fixed up, too.

I just didn't have time to see all of the new restaurants in East Toledo, but I've seen them on television and they look great, too.

As I drove home (in the rain) I thought that downtown Toledo has never looked so good. It made me proud to be a Toledoan. This mayor seems to get a lot done. Toledo seems to be going in the right direction.

ASMAT U. KHAN

Copland Boulevard

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I can wholeheartedly agree with the June 8 letter writer on the problem of our elected officials not listening to the taxpayers and residents of their districts and proceeding with their own agenda. Do not get me wrong. We do have good elected officials in Toledo.

However, when you have too many people whispering in your ears telling you what to do, sometimes those voices drown out the people who are really important: The citizens and taxpayers who have to live in the affected areas. I know I would listen. Ignoring the wishes of the people who pay the bills and salaries of the city employees will get one thing accomplished: A really short term as an elected official. Maybe it is time to show the door to the unresponsive. Maybe it's time for a change!

SCOTT ROBINSON

Parkwood Avenue

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It is said that every cloud has a silver lining if you just look hard enough. It seems however, that when it comes to the policies of President Bush, The Blade does its best to scour the clear skies for any trace of a cloud. Most recently The Blade lamented the modus operandi of the Bush administration of saying one thing and doing another.

First of all, George W. Bush has only held office for five months, hardly enough time for an unbiased observer to make conclusions about the actions of an administration.

The Blade cites the inability of Mr. Bush to pass a tax break for charitable giving, and instead cuts tax rates, repeals the estate tax, eases the marriage penalty, and doubles the child credit. But wait, didn't Mr. Bush promise these during the campaign as well? So despite opposition in the Senate to a tax cut, he was able to accomplish four out of five of his campaign tax-cut promises.

Let's not forget that just because he has not yet delivered on all of his promises doesn't mean he will not. His term doesn't expire for three-and-a-half years. Those will be painful years for The Blade if it insists on scouring the accomplishments of the Bush administration for any negative details it can find.

Get over your bitterness about the election and give President Bush the credit he deserves for the good things he has already accomplished.

PETE MARSH

Bowling Green

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When is President Bush going to quit playing the religion card? I thought church and state was settled 200 years ago. He paid back the religious right already. Why don't Pat Robinson, Jerry Falwell, and company do like the Catholic priests and Jewish rabbis do? Go back to saving souls and leave politics alone!

In 1980, the religious right endorsed Ronald Reagan over Jimmy Carter.

A conservative Republican should prefer a good salesman like Ronald Reagan to a dummy like George W. Bush.

ROLAND SCHARER

Holland

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I read with much pleasure the photo caption in The Blade on June 7, where the University of Toledo's new president, Dr. Daniel Johnson, had arrived in town after a three-week drive from Anchorage. He must be excited about the challenges facing any new university president.

The University of Toledo needs this kind of “infusion of outside blood” to bring new ideas, methods, and philosophies to make our university rise to new heights by continuing to build on its strengths. As a citizen of Lucas County who has witnessed this type of successful cross-fertilization in many sectors in other locales, I am looking forward to, as I am certain all Toledo is, to a “renaissance” in thinking and action. The result will be to take the university to several higher planes of intellectual output and remove the stigma that has often been attributed to the university, as being “Bancroft High.”

So, let's all welcome Dr. Johnson and listen to his suggestions and trust that the faculty will engage in proactive dialogue with the new president to achieve enlightened actions and programs for the 21st century. This is not just a university issue, but one that affects all of Toledo, its neighboring towns, and the future of northwest Ohio.

SHELDON NATOWSKY

Sylvania

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Why are so many people against the services that religious groups provide? What is so wrong about giving money to an organization that builds houses for the less fortunate? The money isn't going for purchasing more Bibles or building a church. It is simply going toward purchasing paint, lumber, and nails so that a group of teenagers can volunteer their time and help someone out.

Why are so many people against giving government money to an organization such as Alcoholics Anonymous? This organization has helped so many people put their lives back together after dealing with a terrible disease. What is so wrong with the government providing money to this institution? If it wasn't correlated with God, and it was the same program, it would get money.

This whole situation is ridiculous. Yes, there needs to be separation of church and state, but I think many people need to look at what exactly that means.

LINDSEY HACK

Gracewood Road

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I have utmost respect for firefighters and policemen. The widows of those men deserve any compensation that any auto workers' widow would get. However, if the widow has remarried, I believe it would be “double dipping” for them to get any more compensation.

The widows are in my prayers, no matter what their marital status. As are their deceased husbands. But by remarrying, they now have a financial security that I do not. Why should I pay for what their new husbands should be paying for? A new marriage should create new securities. It is time to let go of the past.

MARCIA GORDOS

Delta

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Readers of The Blade missed something special, enough for even an art show, if they skipped over the June 9 Sports front page.

Don't let this one get lost to the salvage bin without your applause: “Anchors aweigh in Mills race.”

BERT HERRON

Sylvania