LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Will Obama Library tell it like it is?
4/13/2011I was glad to see that the Nixon Library now reflects history as it really was.
Thinking in terms of how you worded your April 4 editorial ("Nixon, revised"), one wonders: Will President Obama's library package this administration's "criminal disregard for the Constitution (unilateral Libya action, forcing citizens to buy health insurance, refusal to provide proof of eligibility to hold the office) … in a way that no legitimate historian would recognize"?
Or if these wrongs are ultimately righted -- by congressional or electoral action -- will the Obama Library attribute the result to "a conspiracy among unscrupulous political enemies" and the conservative media?
Robert Shaw
Sylvania
Orchestra makes Toledo proud
Thank you for Blade Editor David Kushma's April 10 op-ed column, "How to get to Carnegie Hall -- from Toledo," honoring the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and all of its members and supporters. The symphony is truly one of the brightest jewels in Toledo's crown.
We can all take pride in the orchestra's performance at Carnegie Hall. It's wonderful to know that people from Toledo can not only create jobs and new industries, but also make beautiful music.
We will all toast their success and our success.
John Davies
Wyndwood Drive
Will Finkbeiner never disappear?
Congratulations to Toledo Mayor Mike Bell and his administration for pulling off a second great economic development deal with our new Chinese friends, Dashing Pacific Group Ltd. ("City to sell most of Marina District," April 9). While the infusion of $3.8 million into city coffers is welcome news, the fact that it took $43 million of taxpayer money to get the property known as the Marina District to the point where it could be finally marketed is distressing.
True to form, our egomaniacal former mayor, Carty Finkbeiner, couldn't wait to start throwing stones at the deal. Mr. Finkbeiner squandered $19 million of Toledo taxpayers' money on this failed monument to his personal economic development genius. More than $8 million of that went to building Riverside Drive, a one-mile-long road to nowhere.
Now we know where all the money went for the maintenance of the water treatment plant and the paving of our crumbling roads and infrastructure.
So obsessed was Mr. Finkbeiner with building his pipe dream, he commissioned enough "conceptual drawings" from his development partner, Larry Dillin, to wallpaper the 22nd floor of One Government Center.
Mr. Finkbeiner was the self-appointed architect behind numerous failed development projects: the Museum Place, Commodore Perry, and Hillcrest Hotel apartments, the Edison steam plant project, and the Southwyck Shopping Center redevelopment, all of which cost Toledo taxpayers millions of dollars and put us on the hook for millions more for years to come.
You would think that with his track record of failure, the guy would have the decency to schlep off to some distant burg to live it down in obscurity.
But not Mr. Finkbeiner. He is bound and determined to stick around, waiting for an opportunity to take credit for something positive that he had nothing to do with, or to cast scorn and doubt on those who manage to move the ball down the field for Team Toledo.
It's time for Coach Carty to hit the showers once and for all.
Mike McMahon
Robinwood Avenue
Will Government Center be sold too?
As an American and veteran, I am worried that politicians, both at the local and state levels, see nothing wrong with brokering a deal to sell off parcels of our country to investors from China, a communist nation.
Throughout history, the United States fought wars and participated in conflicts to stem the spread of communism. Now our elected officials invite communists into our community.
What's next after The Docks and the Marina District? What waterfront property will be sold to the Chinese? Or will it be the land and building that house Government Center?
World economy or not, if this doesn't raise red flags, it certainly does not speak well for our patriotism.
Robert Cook
Sylvania
Old steam plant waits for new life
Can we interest the Chinese buyers of The Docks in the old Edison steam plant? It's been waiting for development for more than 20 years. Plan after plan by local developers has fallen through.
How about giving outsiders a chance? Even if the City of Toledo gave it to them, having the property on the tax roll would be better than its current state.
Joanne Pflager
Maumee
Water safety vital for children
Not many photographs scare the daylights out of me, but your April 11 front-page photo did ("No need for a coat").
It was a seemingly innocent picture of a 2-year-old fishing from a retaining wall along the Maumee River. What made my heart pound with fear is that the toddler was not wearing a life jacket that close to the water.
This picture was published the morning after a 4-year-old drowned in a family pond in Curtice, Ohio.
I belong to a yacht club where children under the age of 12 must wear a life jacket when they are on shore and near the docks. Most parents insist that their children wear a jacket while simply riding a bike around the club. Some may call this overkill, but it is better than the possible tragic and painful alternative.
The summer season has not yet started, and we already have the drowning death of a child. Parents, guardians, and others responsible for the safety of children must take the simple precaution of having children wear life jackets when they are anywhere near the water.
Matt Zaleski
Summerdale Avenue
Embrace benefits of wind turbines
When talk of wind turbines started in the Blissfield area, my husband and I were doubtful ("Wind turbines twirl cash, but many hesitate," March 12).
So we began researching the subject and found a wealth of information about the history of wind turbines -- more details than we could imagine.
We learned they are quiet, safe, and being installed in rural areas all over the world. We were particularly gratified and relieved to learn that the turbines have not had a negative impact on the value of homes and property.
Americans use an abundant amount of energy daily. Michigan is in a financial slump. We need to create jobs and opportunities for citizens, which means embracing wind energy and the benefits it would create for our community. Wind turbines are not a detriment, they are progressive.
Some of us are old enough to remember that when expressways began to carve the countryside and urban areas, it was difficult and strange. I cannot, however, imagine living without the benefits of expressways.
Gretchen Boyd
Blissfield, Mich.
Embracing spirit of volunteerism
At a time when there is a tsunami of spending cuts, which are especially threatening to people who can least afford these cuts, there is hope for dignity being restored to Americans. There is something that every American can do, and it requires no stimulus dollars.
One person can't do everything, but each person can do something to assist a neighbor or organization in need. This assistance goes beyond using a credit card.
A spirit of volunteerism is desperately needed ("Public service has corporate, personal benefits," op-ed, April 1). Volunteerism may be tutoring in schools, mentoring a lonely child, serving meals at a soup kitchen or to homebound persons, or participating in the effort to fight a disease. The opportunities are endless.
Each American has a talent to share.
Volunteerism not only feeds people who are desperately in need of help, it also contributes to the spirit of the caregiver.
Now is the time to do something of value.
Kurt Van Meter
Liberty Center, Ohio