Don't cut professors at BGSU

11/30/2009

As a Bowling Green State University senior, opening up The Blade and seeing the article about faculty and staff buyouts made me frustrated.

I am not a fan of the Stroh Center. We already have an arena that they could spend money on renovating instead, and also they started on the Stroh Center before the Wolfe Arts Center, a project that was decided on months before.

President Carol Cartwright needs to look at other areas before she starts to get rid of more faculty. Scheduling my classes is frustrating because the professors I enjoy and the professors worth sitting in front of are gone. I do not want to walk through campus and see one less great, effective professor because the university board cannot find other ways to cut costs.

Look at the sports programs, the fees that are being added to tuition. Is there any way to cut down spending without depriving students of even more when we already are losing out on money for important programs such as Partners in Context and Community?

Learning how to be an educator at the best institution for education is what I came to Bowling Green for, and I am starting to feel like the school is worried about other things and ignoring the important things. BGSU needs to focus on the real priorities and that means providing us with the faculty to make that possible.

Reema Ahmed Elwardany

Oregon

I am amazed by people who lie when it's not necessary and even when it obviously couldn't possibly be true.

For example: During the Senate debate, one of the senators from Utah, while claiming the Senate health-care bill was over 2,000 pages, made this statement: "This bill contains the word taxes over one thousand times."

That seemed so blatantly not true that I went to my computer and checked it out. The word appears only 16 times. Did he know he was lying? Did his staff mislead him? You decide.

I watched some of the debate on C-Span before the House of Representatives passed its health-care bill. It was very obvious that lies were being told about what the bill contained, and since ithad now passed, I decided to read it for myself.

I went to the Library of Congress Web site and downloaded HR 3962. I highlighted it, copied it, and dropped it into Microsoft Word. It came in at 921 pages - a far cry from the falsely touted 2,000 pages.

I have here a good study Bible with 2,198 pages. It measures two inches thick. Granted, the pages are rather thin but when you see a congressman carrying a stack of papers over a foot tall, he is purposely misleading you.

There are things that need to be altered in the present legislation, and that can be accomplished. So why not argue those valid points instead of making up things. I leave it up to the readers to draw their own conclusions.

Matt Perkins

Heidelberg Road

The motto of the French Revolution was "Liberty, Fraternity, Equality." Our national politics also focus on these three concepts. Republicans fight for liberty, Democrats fight for fraternity, and Libertarians fight for equality. The outcome of these contests determines our country's destiny.

However, the power of America's capitalistic system today is in its lobbies. Lobbies vie for public wealth for their constituencies and this mechanism is American politics.

Republicans support lobby power for businesses hiring citizens (lobby power over government). Democrats endorse government controls over lobby power for the people (government over lobby power). Libertarians strive to return to us the freedoms our founding fathers enjoyed, as literally specified in our Constitution (people over lobby power).

Voters must recover their political power from lobby power over government in order to decide the best fit of "liberty, fraternity, equality" for Americans.

J. Murray Stewart

Shoreland Avenue

I was sickened that a Lucas County employee has been effectively pushed out of his job. News of TomSkeldon's resignation as dog warden was disheartening because he was just doing his job, which is to enforce Ohio laws and protect the public.

And now Commissioner BenKonop is saying it's not enough for Mr.Skeldon to resign, but that we need to suspend him or use any route possible to get him out immediately.

Mr.Skeldon served the department for more than 20 years. I doubt some 40 days will make much difference. Can't we move on already? With the many, many issues facing our community, I'm hoping Mr.Konop would agree there has to be something more pressing.

Mr. Konop, youthrew a tantrum andgot your way, now please move on.It's as if you feel you have something to prove by relentlessly attacking Mr. Skeldon. Can we not let him retire in peace without you continuing to tarnish this man's reputation? It's disrespectful to him and his service to our community.

I know your nearly dead-last finish in the mayoral primary was disappointing, but get over yourself.

Katie Blyth

Gilbert Road

We as a society have condoned the killing of unwanted dogs for some decades now. The city of Toledo and Lucas County relied on the dog warden to collect unwanted and stray animals for years, and have given him little to confine and care for these animals.

The warden has done the best he could. The real problem is the people who refuse or neglect the sterilization of their animals.

I believe we should establish a law requiring the spaying or neutering of animals not in the possession of licensed breeders, and a law establishing the qualifications of breeders who can get this licence.

Mark Colchagoff

Monroe Street

I enjoyed reading The Blade's Nov. 22 article which detailed the long list of professional contributions that the Skeldon family has made to the City of Toledo. I was especially impressed with the family's consistent commitment toward public service.

After learning more about Tom Skeldon's overwhelming qualifications, and given the family's history in Toledo, it dawned on me just how myopic a perspective Ben Konop and The Blade share.

When a career professional with the background, experience, and education of a person like Tom Skeldon is publicly and needlessly persecuted and literally pressured to resign after 22 years of faithful public service, it provides no incentive for the brighter minds of Toledo to run for any type of public office.

It is no wonder that Toledo government is filled with professional politicians who can't see any further than their own ambitions or their respective term in office.

The selfish conduct of The Blade and Mr. Konop's followers ultimately serves to undermine the best interests for public leadership. I am not the first person to believe that the only good politicians are ones who can afford to be politicians.

Bob Huebner

River Road

Too bad there's not nearly the outrage and Blade coverage over recent convenience store killings as there has been in reference to vicious, sick, and unadoptable dogs.

BOB DIETRICH

Lambertville