High prices tarnish those 'golden years'

6/8/2007

Since the people of this country have no control over the price of gasoline, and I believe government does, why don't they give us a tax break on our gasoline receipts? We could send them in with our tax forms when we file next April.

My husband and I are retired, and it's gotten to the point that we just go to the doctors and the grocery store. Each visit costs us $100 and that's not counting the gas.

Since President Bush put into effect the new prescription drug program, we are having a hard time saving for an emergency. No more trips to the movies, a restaurant, or Columbus to visit out daughter and grandchildren. These things are no longer in our budget!

Did I mention that the prescription drugs that we both have to take are always changing classification? Tier 1 changes to Tier 2 or Tier 3, which, of course, costs more money. My husband and I both are on five maintenance medications.

So much for the golden years!

Maryann Zawisza

Erie, Mich.

Rising gas prices affect everyone

Once again the Lucas County commissioners are playing Robin Hood by giving out $200 gas cards to low-income people with jobs. How about the people who work and drive every day and have to come up with gas money, too? Doesn't the increase in gas prices affect everyone?

Pete Gerkin says the government gave them the money and they have to spend it. Wouldn't it be better to give the money to public transit and expand some of its routes to workplaces in outlying areas so everyone can get some benefit?

Walter Faust

Belvoir Drive

Make sure gas cards go to the right people

I hope the Lucas County gas card program is going to the right people. We work in Detroit and Ann Arbor each day and no one is giving us any money for gas.

The gas cards should not be for any family that is on welfare or receives any, and I mean any, government assistance. The only people who should get the gas cards are those who work 35-40 hours a week and travel more than 15 miles each way to work.

I can only see that this money, with the criteria that has been set forth, is going to go to those who will abuse it. I would like our government to provide us with stricter guidelines with follow-up actions. I hope these cards do not go to people who will sell the cards just to get the money to support other habits.

It should be for the people who work 40 hours a week or those who work less than that who cannot get benefits because they are not full-time employees. It is for people like us who are self-employed, pay our own health insurance, and are full-time taxpayers.

Why not offer those who work 20 hours a week full benefits from the city? It only costs my wife and me $900 a month in health insurance for the privilege of owning our own business and another $800 a month in gas. Not bad for a couple that work 50 to 60 hours a week.

Please make sure the gas cards go to the right people. The people who work full-time need this much more than those who only work 20 hours a week.

Dale R. Perne

Talmadge Road

Columnist appears to lead by example

In his May 22 column, Thomas Sowell opened by referring to "intellectually discredited ideas." He then proceeded at length to provide an example.

Jerry Brown

Oregon

Clinton's 'affairs' go beyond 'nothing'

Letter writer James Falbush of Findlay declared "President" Clinton's "affairs" to be non-issues to "the rest of the world" and only a minority of "self-righteous busy-bodies" tried to make a big deal out of nothing.

The "nothing" I recall was the most powerful leader in the world using a young aide to satisfy his sexual urges.

Furthermore, he was convicted of lying under oath. I'm not a self-righteous busy-body. I do, however, read the newspapers and watch some TV. I am convinced President Bush is trying to do his number one job, which is protecting us from our enemies, and I am not concerned with what the polls say. Of course, I am not running for president in 2008. But, then, neither is George Bush.

John Spoerl

Perrysburg

Picking up where education leaves off

In the May 19 Saturday Essay, "Science and math key to Toledo's future" by Charlene Czerniak, contributions to science and math training for Toledo and northwest Ohio students from many different sources are identified.

However, the most important contribution was left out.

Employers must provide a stable and long-term environment for these educated workers or few will choose to pursue the difficult disciplines engineering and science represent.

With outsourcing taking more and more jobs to other lands, and decisions being driven by costs and not by available employees, the long-term job prospects in technological fields do not look good to our young students.

I speak from personal experience: My three children did not pursue technical careers even though they had an encouraging and experienced engineer to show them the way.

Certainly, encourage students to excel in math and science, but don't kid yourself: The high-paying jobs are not assured no matter how well they do. Only by finding something that can't be duplicated elsewhere (at a lower cost) will we retain the careers needed to carry our area into the 21st century.

Small to midsize firms and entrepreneurs who take the technical skills and translate them into a marketable product will be the ones who win the race. Depending on the Fortune 500 list to provide new-century jobs is not a bet I would take.

Russell Kinner

Surprise, Ariz.

Editor's note: Mr. Kinner is an electrical engineer employed by the Toledo engineering firm SSOE in its Phoenix office.

Has Rossford school chief done her best?

As a teacher at Penta Career Center I was appalled by the reckless comment of outgoing Rossford Superintendent Lucy Gernot that "two seniors, both of whom attend Penta Career Center, failed at least one OGT section." It is clear that Ms. Gernot was interested only in passing blame to Penta, while she had no intention of acknowledging Rossford's role in educating these students, who attend Penta for only three years at most out of 13 years in a public school system.

Society has become very comfortable blaming education, and teachers specifically, for the failings of our youth. The pass-the-blame theory seemingly absolves parents and the mass media from any fault.

Ms. Gernot takes this to a new level by insinuating that Penta Career Center is solely responsible for these two students not graduating. One school is now trying to blame another.

Her flip and ignorant assessment of student failings has discredited a lot of hard work that Penta's staff puts in to see that all of our students succeed. And when a student doesn't graduate, nobody at Penta has ever shifted the blame back to one of our 16 member schools. We simply are better than that.

Students come to Penta for a variety of reasons. One reason for some is that the member schools pass them on to us. We give these students a reason to succeed, and more often than not, they do. Legendary coach John Wooden said, "Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

So I ask Ms. Gernot, has she done her best to help these two students become their best?

Marshall J. Wolf

Perrysburg

Vice President Dick Cheney should be impeached. Our country has not been and will not be the same until his posse leaves Washington.

My brother-in-law is due to leave for Iraq for the third time in August. We don't want to lose him!

Please bring our boys and girls home from Iraq.

Kara Shelton

Lambertville