Bush or Blade: Who's fooling whom?

7/16/2001

In your July 9 editorial, "Deception and death taxes," you indicated that President Bush has pulled a fast one on the American people. For months you have been telling us how dumb the President is. Now he has outsmarted every American. You really need to make up your mind.

Apparently, this took you by surprise. Could you detail for us what President Bush's "enormous and despicable slight-of-hand tactics" were? You should read the papers. Eliminating the death tax has been discussed for years. It has now been passed twice by the Congress even though it would benefit only rich Republicans. Striesand, Baldwin, O'Donnell, and Kennedy need not apply.

At least I'm happy to see that your impression of President Bush's intelligence level has gone up dramatically. I'm sure that I was not the only one getting tired of your constant cheap shots. You never are able to muster a logical argument against what President Bush is doing. You simply resort to name-calling. I don't agree that he "fooled" most Americans, but apparently, he "fooled" your editors with his ability to get something done that should have been done years ago.

JOHN F. WEBER

Swanton

What a great disappointment it was to learn that Sally Perz has decided not to become a candidate for mayor. She would have been a wonderful choice, the only choice!

Based upon the candidates that we are left with, the ongoing brain drain, both young and old, is certain to continue in greater numbers than ever.

E.B. DENNIS III

Rockridge Circle East

Thank you for the heart-warm|ing article "Returning to Rebuild," on July 8. Certainly worthy of the front page. Jack Kelly is always on target. I save and send selected columns to politicians.

How refreshing, but what a contrast "Returning to Rebuild" is to your front-page story on Arnold Tompkins. With people like Mr. Tompkins, Rep. Gary Condit, and a host of others in government, one wonders about the future of these United States. Power, greed, and sex seem to be the driving impetus of so many officials sent to Washington. The greed is equaled only by the CEOs of most American corporations and their back-scratching boards of directors.

We are blessed to have freedom of the press that permits a medium with courage such as The Blade. You tell us about the much-traveled Michael Oxley, about Alice Resnick and the "gang of four," and then the voters decide. If it weren't for the media, deceit, dishonesty, and immorality in government would be far worse. While corruption seems prevalent, potential exposure by the media is surely a deterrent and a benefit to society.

Fortunately, there are many moral, devoted, and honest government officials and employees. By their support of DOVE and other national and international goodwill programs, we know that Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur and employee Dan Foote exemplify those who serve and care.

DEFORD R. SCHWALL

Wauseon

For the past several years Columbia Gas has provided station wagons powered by natural gas to assist in shuttling media and others from the

Jamie Farr Kroger Classic to the parking lot at a nearby school.

This year the vehicles were absent. Do you suppose Columbia couldn't afford the fuel?

JIM RICHARD

Algonquin Parkway

Why is it that every year starting about July 1, the TV stations run specials in which reporters go out "in the field" to interview people standing in line to buy fireworks?

Of course, they always add the simple sentence, "Fireworks may be purchased in Ohio but must be taken outside the state to be set off."

We found ourselves watching cameras roaming the aisles of the various nearby fireworks stores, with the commentator bragging about the hundreds of thousands of dollars of sales of these illegal products, showing shopping carts loaded with hundreds of dollars of fireworks so that Joe Citizen can take these illegal contraptions home, detonate them, and celebrate independence.

Then on July 6 we heard updates on the people who were injured while lighting fireworks in their yards.

Wouldn't it make more sense for the media to just ignore those who choose to break the law and buy fireworks? Wouldn't it be a lot more sensible to devote that time to something else and not give the 15 minutes of fame to those people who blatantly flaunt the laws?

Perhaps next year the local TV stations can find some stores about

people who help in the community instead of glorifying the lawbreakers.

ROBERT H. ZIRKER, JR.

Cheltenham Road

Criminals who use physical force to steal, maim, rape, and murder have no better advocate than Governor Taft. He threatens to veto the "Right to Carry a Gun Law" if the legislature passes this law. Governor Taft appears to be steadfastly against non-criminal, mentally sound, adult Ohioans exercising their personal human and constitutional rights to protect themselves, their families, and society from those who commit criminal deeds.

Why? Forty-three other states have approved "Right to Carry" laws and found they work in reducing the incidence and severity of crimes against people and property. Can 43 states be wrong?

The key issue in the "Right to Carry a Gun Law" is the ability of individuals to immediately respond to a life-threatening situation or to deny them this right thus leaving them vulnerable until the police arrive.

What would be your choice?

If you agree with this concept, together we must change the governor's mind.

DAVID L. FLINT

Lewis Avenue

Last year, I strongly supported the new levy for the Toledo Board of Education. I live in the central city and wanted to see my children have a better education. The passage of the levy was very important to me to help reduce class size, increase the number of computers, have ample classroom supplies, and enlarge the school libraries.

Recently a friend of mine told me the Toledo Board of Education spent $100,000 of this levy money on a consulting company to see if the cleaning and maintenance of the schools could be improved. Now, according to a recent Blade article, they are awarding this out-of-town company $1.8 million to manage these services for the schools.

This is not the reason my friends and I supported the in|creased school levy. The money spent on consulting fees and management fees would have been better spent directly on educating my children.

There needs to be more common sense used by the administration of the Toledo schools and the board of education to spend money where it will have the most impact on educating.

C.D. BUTTS

Hamilton Street