Positive spin belies high college costs

9/19/2012

It was interesting to read President Lloyd Jacobs' positive spin on the negative change in the University of Toledo's enrollment numbers ("UT's enrollment decline is a strategic gain," op-ed, Sept. 11).

Could it be that many potential students who were average students in high school cannot afford tuition because they did not qualify for scholarships?

UT and other colleges and universities need to control their expenses and lower their fees so that all young people, if they wish, have an opportunity for additional education. Schools need to get back to the basics of education and eliminate the gingerbread.

When I graduated from what then was Toledo University with two degrees after 10 years of part-time and full-time enrollment, I was able to find a good job and had no student loan debt. Few are as fortunate today.

Tom Williams
Sylvania

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Short-term plan fails to solve woes

It is ridiculous that the U.S. House approved a plan to keep the government running for six months until after the elections, with a 0.6 percent increase in agencies' budgets ("House OKs short-term spending plan; Measure would avert shutdown," Sept. 14).

The nation is heavily in debt. To keep spending and even to increase spending is wrong. Can't our legislators balance a budget and not increase our national debt?

Industries throughout the United States are cutting back on employee benefits and asking for wage reductions. When will the government do the same?

How about a freeze on government wages or a reduction in all elected officials' salaries and benefits, a freeze on government spending, or even a modest 0.6 percent cutback?

Lawmakers should forget about the election and start working together, Republican and Democrat, to balance the budget, pay down the national debt, and work for people, not political parties. Lawmakers should think of us occasionally.

Donald Staczek
Perrysburg Township

Labor Day parade seems one-sided

I will never again attend a Toledo Labor Day parade ("Parade spotlights area unions; City tradition draws crowd in support of U.S. workers," Sept. 4). Union workers made up most of the parade. Where were the non-union members, small-business representatives, and entrepreneurs?

Apparently, union members think they are the only laborers who are worthwhile, and private laborers don't count.

In 2010, Vice President Joe Biden led the parade. This year, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown were in the parade. All three are Democrats. Toledo should change the name of the event to the Democratic Labor Union Parade.

Sharon Patterson
Monclova Township

 

Boater at airport did country a favor

A man in distress because his boat ran out of fuel swam to land, climbed over a fence, crossed runways, and was not detected by the great protection system that those who run New York's Kennedy Airport thought they had ("Man swims ashore, scales fence at JFK; Officials probe failure of security system," Aug. 14).

He was charged with criminal trespassing. This guy might have saved lives and planes by pointing out a flaw in the detection system. He should be freed without a fine. He did the country a favor.

Carol Hanley
Lake Township