LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A racial divide? Get work ethic

4/15/2014

Your April 7 editorial “Racial divide” says that all children deserve to grow up with a solid foundation for success and opportunity. The Annie E. Casey Foundation study that you cite measured children’s prospects for academic success, good health, and economic well being.

The study unfortunately anticipates Ohio’s children of color to be, in the foundation president’s words, “off track in many issue areas and in nearly every region of the country.” That is frightening.

Click here to submit a letter to the editor

Why do children of parents who are Asian-American or Caucasian score higher on the indicators? Parents such as mine made it clear that this was law: God gave you a brain, use it; nobody is going to give you anything, go earn it; work harder than everybody else; don’t embarrass your parents, and don’t come home without homework.

The Casey Foundation wants to pour more money into equitable opportunities. Why is it that as more free money is spent, failure indicators seem to be rising?

The work ethic is missing. It’s time to find it.

JOHN WIECK

Pinestead Drive

 

Clichés: Shun ’em like the plague

I enjoyed Thomas Walton’s April 7 op-ed column, “Media clichés stand the test of time — for better or worse.” I would add two clichés.

One is the use of the word “schizophrenic” to describe sports teams, an athlete’s performance, the stock market, or whatever is inconsistent or erratic. I know someone with paranoid schizophrenia, so the use of the word, especially in these contexts, is not close to accurate, and its use is careless.

My other pet-peeve cliché is overuse of the word “weigh.” We often see headlines such as this one in The Blade on April 9: “D.C. group weighs in on church for graduation.”

The D.C. group opposes the graduation, but the crutch “weighs in” was used. Why couldn’t “opposes” have been used?

DAVID STRUKEL

Shoal Creek

 

And just one more thing . . .

In response to Thomas Walton’s column: It sounds like he’s just kicking the can down the road.

BOB GIBSON

Carey, Ohio

 

Don’t renovate, think modern

With all the old buildings in Toledo that need to be updated to become useful again, maybe it’s time to rethink downtown (“‘Hensville’ project, Lake Erie, zoo aquarium set for funding,” March 19).

Replacing old buildings with modern ones would shake the Rust Belt image Toledo has and draw attention to and revitalize downtown. This would attract young professionals and bring in businesses that want to be part of the new wave.

Although historic buildings are interesting to look at, they also date-stamp the city as being old and behind the times. Why not be on the cutting edge and look forward, not back?

TERRY SEEMAN

Maumee