New park needs to provide food
5/7/2013The new park called UpTown Green, which is to open this year, will include a splash pad, walking paths, a performance area, athletic areas, bicycle paths, a picnic area, and trees and perennials (“Park in works to add splash of green to neighborhood,” April 12).
Many people are out of work, homeless, on welfare, hungry, and dependent on food banks. Why not plant fruit trees and vegetables in the park? Beautiful trees, flowers, and bushes are not edible.
THERESA SCHOLL
Cribb Street
Takers vs. makers; public the loser
Congress finally was able to put aside ideological differences and make government work for its constituents (“House OKs plan to ease flight delays; Obama to sign bill giving FAA options in budget cuts,” April 27).
The crisis that faced our nation and brought the warring parties together was intolerable delays in flights. Funds for Head Start can be cut, military training virtually stopped, and thousands of employees laid off. But let’s not let the flying public — which includes Congress — suffer any inconvenience.
At the same time, Penn National Gaming Inc., which operates Hollywood Casino Toledo, won approval from the Internal Revenue Service to transform itself from a regular business to a real estate holding company.
That has reduced its federal tax liability. Other large corporations are looking to employ similar strategies to avoid paying taxes.
Right-wing media have ramped up the takers vs. makers rhetoric. They are probably right. The only thing they have wrong is who are the takers and who are the makers.
Large corporations that feed at the public trough and then avoid paying their fair share of taxes are the takers. Average working people who cannot afford air travel or a legal department are the real makers.
RICHARD SCHULTZ
Monclova Township