LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

More than sewer rate hike needed

9/3/2014

As a homeowner in Toledo, I am willing to do my part to correct the water crisis by accepting an increase in sewer rates (“Council hikes sewer rates by 52 percent over 6 years; Vote allows city to start planning big project,” Aug. 27).

City officials say the money will be used to help keep raw sewage from being diverted into Lake Erie. I hope this doesn’t mean that Toledo officials are going to put the burden of cleaning up the lake on a few taxpayers.

The Great Lakes are the largest surface freshwater system on Earth. The Lake Erie water problem is a national problem.

The federal government needs to step in immediately with a permanent solution by building a state of the art water-treatment plant. There also should be a new water intake system closer to Port Clinton, away from the far western basin of the lake.

The government has the money. Instead of spending billions of dollars on foreign aid, our government needs to fix domestic problems. I didn’t see any foreign governments rushing to help us when we had our water crisis.

GEORGE WEIDNER
Barrows Street

Impeachment
issue a bad game
The “Obama political apparatus” that has been talking about “an alleged Republican plan to impeach Mr. Obama,” says Ross Douthat in his Aug. 6 op-ed column, “Obama’s impeachment game,” is taking its cue from the intellectual elites in the Republican Party — Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachman, Steve King — who initiated the plan and are pushing it to gin up their base and raise money.

If it can be called a game, the Obama Administration is simply playing along. We voters have allowed the “welfare queens” in the House, who collect a pretty good salary from the American people while giving them nothing in return, to delay and obstruct the people’s business for far too long.

RON BORES
Fostoria

 

TARTA, TARPS are godsends
In response to the Aug. 24 Readers’ Forum letter “Rider ditches TARTA, TARPS”: My daughter has epilepsy and can’t drive. For the past two years, she has used Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority buses to get to her job in downtown Toledo. She also uses Toledo Area Regional Paratransit Service buses to get to doctor appointments.

She has had some wonderful drivers who cared about her and treated her as if she was their daughter.

If it wasn’t for TARPS, she would be staying at home by herself all day. If she worked, I wouldn’t be able to work, because I would have to take her to and from her job every day.

TARPS is a big help to our family. It allows our daughter to be independent.

CHRISTINE RICHIE
Sylvania

 

Denying Ford a disappointment
How shortsighted can one be (“Elections board votes 4-0 not to let Ford run; State Senate candidate off Nov. ballot,” Aug. 22)? It’s a disappointment that Jack Ford won’t be on the November ballot. His political record stands tall.

The Lucas County Board of Elections gave Toledo voters another punch that we do not deserve.

DOROTHY GREER SMITH
Oak Alley Court