The bigger issue

Recently the Ledger ran an article about the loss of funding to CSU and the Museum and placed the blame on Senator McKoon. I have no idea if this is true or not since the author failed to confirm either through the Governor's office or the Senate's committee members what is alleged to have happened.

The article also mentioned that CSU was in the midst of a $100 million fund-raiser, having already raised $70 million for a capital campaign. Why can't they raise the remaining $8 million themselves? As an alumnus and with three children alumni, I am disgusted at the level of cost at CSU. There is a charge for everything except the air you breathe on campus or the number of steps you walk.

Since the lottery, the schools within the university system have raised the cost of tuition exponentially. The taxpayers are being fleeced and the students are graduating with huge amounts of debt that take years to pay back. The cost of higher education is beyond ridiculous; it is criminal.

‘Doh!’ candidate

I am no fan of Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. Trump poses many problems to the poor and middle class. He has a pompous attitude toward women and minorities. He seems to appeal to the likes of Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin and Hank Hill; although those are only cartoon characters. However, there are many people who do reflect the simplistic attitudes that would support a person like Trump.

Mr. Trump wants to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. What’s next? Will Mr. Trump act so recklessly that he could start WWIII?

Sen. Ted Cruz seems to be the darling of the social conservatives. He is just as bad as Mr. Trump. The problem is that many Republicans have this “forever” mentality: They want America to be like 1776 — 89 years before slavery was abolished, 55 years before women had the right to vote. Women and minorities are still struggling. Conservatives like Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly are very fond of using words of liberty and freedom, as long as it is for themselves.

I will vote for Hillary Clinton because she has the experience of being a senator and secretary of state. Trump is a successful entrepreneur, but has never been elected to any public office. There’s a difference between running a business and running the government; these two are different entities.

I hope people will see what kind of man Trump would be as president. Everyone should be treated equally, regardless of being rich, poor, religious, non-religious, or of any race or ethnicity.

On the cheap

As a 73-year resident of Columbus, I am concerned with the foolish attitude of our current city government. They seem to be afraid to set the millage rate at what it cost to run the government. To my knowledge we have:

(1) Four elected officials say they cannot do the required functions for the budgets they have been given.

(2) The city will lose untold millions in tourist revenue to save the cost of bringing our aquatic center up to the standards to have tournaments. It also appears the city will cut back on the operating hours to save money.

(3) Our recycle facility for glass has been shut down because right now it costs more to recycle than can be earned for the glass. This will force the city government in 10-20 years to deal with the cost of a new landfill. I am right this minute in Chicago; that city wisely recycles its glass, not passing the cost on to future generations.

(4) Our police, firefighters and teachers are underpaid, which means we do not have the quality and depth needed; we can’t seem to fill the open jobs. So to save money we sacrifice our safety and our children.

(5) I read where the city had declared our wonderful Golden Park “surplus” to save money and would offer for sale. Can we not do like most other cities have done and hire a bright marketing person and use the facility? I have seen cities that have restaurants and special events, and have their local colleges and high schools use such facilities. Once it’s gone it can’t be replaced.

I would urge all our citizens to contact their respective council members and tell them, don’t harm our city; raise the rate and do what is necessary.

This story was originally published March 30, 2016 at 5:31 PM with the headline "The bigger issue."