LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Full speed ahead on XL pipeline

5/7/2014

Why should we be coerced by President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry into believing that we should wait until after the November elections for approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline (“Keystone no-decision,” editorial, April 24)? Playing politics with this issue is reckless and ill-favored.

We should be allowed access to affordable, abundant natural resources, and not allow the heavy hand of government to block the nation from reaching its potential. The pipeline will create thousands of jobs, give the economy a shot in the arm, and wean the United States from imported oil.

The public should insist that lawmakers approve the pipeline project, and get America back to its greatness in the world.

TED GEORGOFF
Lambertville, Mich.

U.S. slips away from democracy
The United States is on the verge of becoming the first nation in history to go from a democracy to an aristocracy (“Supreme Court: Oligarchy’s friend,” op-ed column, April 8).

Historically, most of the world has been trying to go the other way. This trend is cemented into place by Republican subservience to wealth and the U.S. Supreme Court.

This shift is happening because of money in politics. We have a legal system that favors the individual over the community.

We can change this by eliminating campaign funding from outside a congressional candidate’s district or state, and by putting our political leaders back in touch with the electorate. Our legal system must be sensitive to the social contract and its impact on the community.

We must discard our recent divisive practices and work harder on getting along.

NED BRAUNCHWEIGER
Maumee

 

Opening eyes to poverty’s woes
In response to your April 4 article “Author: Erasing poverty takes a lifetime of effort to achieve”: I was employed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Greater Toledo for 15 years. In 2005, our executive director made sure that each employee received a copy of Ruby Payne’s A Framework for Understanding Poverty. I have never read such an eye-opener.

Toledoans should be grateful to Ms. Payne for coming to the city and sharing her knowledge about poverty and class. It is imperative that we educate ourselves on the reality of poverty, the hidden rules we live by, and the socioeconomic differences that divide us.

Developing new patterns of thinking and working with research bases to make the necessary changes in our communities is the only way we can move the needle from where it’s been stuck for way too long.

CAROL PAUL
West Sylvania Avenue

 

Hope for a better Westgate project
Those of us who suffer the traffic pattern of Westgate Village Shopping Center’s redeveloped southern half can only pray that a different person will be hired to plan the proposed expansion on the north side of Central Avenue (“Middlegrounds, Westgate plans OK’d,” April 11).

BILL RINEHART
Christie Boulevard