LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Law fueled excessive fertilizer use
8/24/2014It is time to identify who is to blame for the environmental disaster of Lake Erie’s algae growth.
The lawmakers who sponsored and passed renewable fuels standards are responsible for the surge in corn and bean cultivation that now adds millions of pounds of fertilizer to our watershed.
Years ago, millions of acres of farmland sat fallow or in land banks. Today, every cultivatable acre is producing renewable fuel standards profits. In addition to the environmental impact on our land and watersheds, the financial impact on beef, pork, chicken, and fuel prices is incalculable.
Now is the time to demand our lawmakers repeal the federal renewable fuel standards and save our environment and our wallets.
FRANK MAGYAR
Erie, Mich.
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Toledo must rush to save water
Last weekend, Toledo’s water was found again to have increased toxicity (“Toxin levels down after weekend scare,” Aug. 18).
Additional chemical treatments were needed to avert another “do not drink” advisory. The public was told the water might have an odor or appear filmy.
This near miss, so soon after the recent crisis, should remind public officials that a lack of action is perilous to us all. Lucas County’s leaders must accelerate sewer improvements that will keep raw sewage and agricultural runoff out of the lake, make immediate repairs and upgrades to the Collins Park Water Treatment Plant, and take steps to restore wetlands that serve as nature’s filters at the shoreline. These actions are costly but necessary to ensure that drinking water is safe for the region’s 500,000 users.
Gov. John Kasich and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman were quick to visit Toledo for a photo opportunity, but have been less forthcoming about providing the necessary state and federal funds to address this emergency.
We need local leadership and state and federal assistance to save Lake Erie.
SUSAN MATZ
Homerdale Avenue
Why quote critic in bishop tribute?
The beginning of the Aug. 2 column by Blade religion editor T.K. Barger, “In remembering Bishop Donnelly, we are reminded of our imperfection,” seemed to pay tribute to a great bishop who was a shining example of how a Catholic leader should serve people.
However, not to my surprise, negativity about the Catholic Church was inserted alongside all the good works the writer attributed to Bishop Donnelly. If Mr. Barger’s commentary was intended to pay tribute to Bishop Donnelly, why mention the criticisms of Claudia Vercellotti, a Toledo member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests?
Ms. Vercellotti’s comments cast a shadow on a holy and spiritual leader and friend, and served as an insult to his memory.
MARY ANN GORNEY
105th Street
Tax system favors the rich
Your Aug. 19 editorial “Tax shift and shaft” was excellent. The poor are taken to the cleaners at both the federal and state levels.
Income inequality continues to grow. In 2012, the average chief executive officer banked annual compensation of $14.1 million. Yet a 10-year McDonald’s employee who is paid $7.35 an hour, and works 40 hours a week, will make $1,176 per month, compared with that CEO, who will earn $1.17 million a month.
Your editorial is on the mark when it calls for a new tax policy for Ohio that will be based on ability to pay and not one “that favors the already favored.”
VADAKEN KRISHNAN
Bowling Green
Kudos for Music Under the Stars
My wife and I have made it a point to attend the Music Under the Stars concerts by the Toledo Symphony’s summer concert band for many of the 40 years we’ve lived in Toledo. It is a unique community-building experience.
We need such events to combat the many forces that drive us apart. We appreciate The Blade’s sponsorship of the concerts.
PAUL ROTHERMICH
Greenlawn Drive
In wake of Gaza war, end U.S. aid
Even the most ardent advocate cannot deny the horrific reality of Israel’s mass killing of innocent civilians. Thousands of individuals, including hundreds of children, have been mercilessly slaughtered in the past few weeks.
While the world watches in horror, a plot to obliterate a whole nation of indigenous people is being carried out. It has to stop.
That can only happen with an end of U.S. aid to Israel, and divestiture from businesses that support this brutal occupation.
ANNE MARIE ABOWD
Ottawa Hills
Rider ditches TARTA, TARPS
I used to ride Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority buses, but stopped because a route change no longer sent a bus by Toledo Clinic.
During the winter, there is too much snow to walk from Sylvania Avenue to the clinic. I also no longer see well enough to identify buses, nor am I willing to wait so long for them.
I tried to use the Toledo Area Regional Paratransit Service, but I had a bad experience. Now I ride with friends or just stay home.
ROBERT PRETTYMAN
Oak Alley Court