Let's focus on protecting U.S. workers

9/9/2008

Working in northwest Ohio in the manufacturing industry for 28 years, I can't count the times I went to work sick, injured, or when I had to miss out on my children's school activities.

Going out of my way, doing more than what was expected, being a good salary soldier you could say, it all meant nothing, squat. I was called in and told my services were no longer needed. I'll never forget thinking, what did I do? I just got the best performance review ever the week before.

It was the new owners north of the border, the ones who just bought us out, wanting to save money by replacing all of the salaried people. I remember the company telling an employee that his job was being eliminated, laying him off on a Friday. Monday morning there was a younger employee in his seat, doing the same job.

Well, they hired new people half our ages and at half our pay. I've heard they are on the brink of closing now. Can't imagine why, but they saved money on salary.

Two years later, after severance, Cobra, unemployment, IRAs, house, everything we've worked for our entire lives, I found a job at Owens-Illinois, closure division. Shortly after that, a company called Rexam bought them out. After less than two years there, I was told that the plant would close by December of this year.

Did I mention the new company closing our doors is foreign owned?

Our politicians should spend more time implementing laws protecting the American worker from these foreign companies buying into existing businesses and laying off the work force, or consolidating parts of the company to fatten a few wallets.

Soon, American manufacturing will be anything but American.

Who will own America then?

Tom McGreevy

Delta

I must confess. I like to watch too much TV (even though I still read The Blade every day).

The problem is, sitcoms are garbage, the news is all slanted, the entertainment shows are all sex, and the science programs are mostly unproven theories attempting to disprove the existence of God.

The Olympics were a worldly prideful attempt to recreate the tower of Babel, supported by big companies to make a lot of money and give the Chinese a smiling attempt to spew forth their friendly propaganda as they strip our country of jobs.

Then we had the nauseating Democratic Convention, and now the sympathetic Republican Convention, hurting so much for the American people in the South.

I guess I'll stick to watching the weather channel. Although it always resembles a disaster movie, they can't change the facts too much, even for better ratings.

I'm voting for Gustav in November. He has done the least amount of damage to our country.

I feel very sad for what was once a great and Godly nation. Maranatha.

Kathleen Klena

Rossford

I keep hearing that the Republicans did this or the Democrats did that. It is time we face the facts. We are our own worst enemy. Not Democrats, not Republicans, but all of us.

We buy foreign cars. Doesn't that tell us that we need to build cars to compete in that market? We buy foreign products. Doesn't that mean we need to produce products right here in the United States as a replacement?

As citizens of this country, we need to support our country, the very same country that our troops are dying to protect, by buying products manufactured here.

We all complain about baseballs from China and lead paint on our children's toys. Well, I have an idea: Let's make our own and buy our own. Maybe if we have a little less dependence on foreign products, we can improve our own country instead of someone else's.

Of course, the argument will be that it is cheaper to produce them someplace else and ship them in.

Well, when all the manufacturing jobs are in other countries because it is cheaper, I hope you saved enough money to buy those marked-up cheap products because you may be jobless.

Don't forget to write your representatives as you recall that government is for the people, by the people.

We have to let them know how we feel and what we want.

Ron Miller

Garrison Road

What does Blade columnist Marilou Johanek do in her spare time? It must be, think up ways to bash women - or people in general. She certainly does not do her background checking before "running her mouth."

Sarah Palin has an enormous Alaskan government background. Her "little city" grew and prospered while she was mayor. It became the fourth-largest city in Alaska and invested $5 billion in state savings, overhauled education funding, implemented the Senior Benefits Program, and more.

Governor Palin saw that corrupt people were exposed and removed while on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Committee.

Mrs. Palin became the first female governor of Alaska and in her first legislative session her administration passed an overhaul of Alaska's ethics laws and a competitive process to construct a gas pipeline.

Governor Palin is chairman of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a multistate agency that promotes conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and gas resources. She is now chairman of the National Governors Association Natural Resources Commission, which is charged with pursuing legislation to see that states needs are considered as federal policy is formulated in the areas of agriculture, energy, environmental protection and natural resource management.

Governor Palin is definitely no "Dan Quayle with a beehive." To compare her to Dan Quayle is so far off the mark it is laughable, to say nothing about Ms. Johanek's derisive remarks regarding Governor Palin's hair.

Ms. Johanek is more often than not very far off the mark and this is certainly one of those times.

Joyce McJilton

Wauseon

What befuddles and disgusts me the most is that, at a time when millions of Americans, including myself at the end of the year, are losing their jobs, foreclosures are at an all-time high, Social Security is almost tapped, and health care is a ridiculously expensive joke, both the Republicans and Democrats feel it's necessary to hold extravagant multimillion dollar parties just to say who's going to be on the ticket in November.

Where are all of these millions of dollars at when school systems are struggling? Where are all of these millions of dollars at when adults want to further their education but cannot due to the cost? Where are all of these millions of dollars at when cities need to update and repair their infrastructures? Where are all of these millions of dollars at when our elders have to decide between needed medication and their electric bill? Shall I go on?

They have one thing right though, it is time for a change.

Too bad "None of the Above" isn't on the ticket.

Beau Ruetz

Lima Street

I didn't think it was possible for The Blade to sink any lower in the field of journalism.

The Sept. 4 lead editorial accompanied by the outrageous "cartoon" and the unflattering front-page picture it chose to print of Gov. Sarah Palin, was a new low even for The Blade.

I now refuse to even use your newspaper to line the bottom of my birdcage.

Thomas E. Mc Grail

Perrysburg

Regarding Gov. Sarah Palin: What kind of woman would leave a 5-month-old baby to run for vice president with Sen. John McCain ?

The answer: the new hero of the Republican Party.

JOHN A. GALBRAITH

Maumee