To the editor: Carty's hypocritical criticism

3/12/2018

I was more than dismayed by ex-mayor Carty Finkbeiner’s remarks about the proposed regional water authority (March 2, “Ex-mayor leads opposition”). We have been discussing cooperating with our regional neighbors for the growth of the entire area for years. Now that we have an opportunity for a good faith effort in that direction, he is attempting to sabotage it. He is being hypocritical again. After all, he failed to maintain our pumping stations, update our water department equipment, and insure the city had qualified personnel administrating the department.

This was the man that paid for equipment for other city departments in the water department budget. He placed his personal political appointments in the water department even though they were working as his aides. He failed to maintain the equipment in the water department so he could use the money for outside developer proposals and flowers planted around the city. He even gave Flower Hospital a a reduced price for Toledo water in return for a percentage of hospital employee income taxes so he could have unrestricted use of that money.

He is the reason our water department was in such disarray when he left office. A regional water authority won’t “shaft Toledoans,” as he said. It will give control of our resources to a group of experts to use for everyone’s benefit instead of leaving control in the hands of a single confused, conflicted, politician.

WILLIAM POZNANSKI
Melvin Drive

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Let the free market decide

One issue that concerned me about candidate Trump in 2016, and now-President Trump in 2018, is the issue of trade. The president’s position on this issue, in a way, reminds of what President Herbert Hoover, along with Congress, did in 1930 with the Smoot-Hawley Act. This bill imposed tariffs on a large number of imported goods. Experts have said this legislation ultimately made the Great Depression even worse.

Just because there is a tariff on something does not mean a consumer is going to automatically buy a domestically produced good. If someone feels a BMW is a better vehicle then a Ford, then they likely will still buy it.

Trade agreements should be revisited every so often to ensure we are benefiting from them, but I find this current wave of economic nationalism and protectionism concerning. Let’s let free markets and consumers decide for themselves what they want.

BRIAN SCSAVNICKI
Perrysburg

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