New income streams needed for zoo, library, parks | Letters
In 2021, a significant increase in taxes was approved for Great Parks of Hamilton County. Soon to be upon us is a proposal for increases by the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library and Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. The July 23 Enquirer featured a well-written editorial about the zoo and why voters should have a say concerning their tax dollars ("Give county voters a say on zoo levy"). Personally, I enjoy all of these as mentioned, but enough is enough. All of these incremental increases add up, and homeowners are bearing the brunt. Creativity is needed to develop other income streams and reduce expenses. More taxes is the simple solution.
David Shields, Green Township
City's worst potholes not getting enough attention
You would think a front-page article ("Millions spent, but roads get worse," July 25) would get the attention of the city (and county) to address the worst of the potholes. Hitting one on the east side cost me $300 to repair the crack in my wheel. Can’t the road workers at least put an orange cone near the hole to warn drivers? Don’t those same workers hit the deepest holes when they are driving and think about fixing them?
Bob McElroy, Anderson Township
Anderson
Don't mess up a good thing by trading India
Dear Mr. Castellini, I have been a faithful Reds fan since I was a small child, listening to the games with my mother on her old, green, AM radio set to WLW. My first game was at Crosley Field and subsequent games from the opening of Riverfront Stadium to its last year and following through to Great American Ball Park.
Our current roster is one of the best we've had in years, and the players truly play as a team. One of the leaders of this team is Jonathan India. Trading India now would be detrimental to the team's confidence, camaraderie and performance. Every player will be asking himself, "Will it be me tomorrow?"
If India is to be traded, please wait until after the season. He has led this team to probable playoff and World Series contention. Don't take his opportunity to play with his friends and beloved teammates in contention for the championship. Don't take a cog off of a well-oiled machine.
Also, I have been so disappointed to not be able to watch my Reds play on TV. I can watch the Cincinnati Bengals and FC Cincinnati on network TV, but not my beloved Reds. Please return them to network TV as soon as the contract with Bally's allows. Thank you.
Cindy Fessler, Bellevue
DeSantis should volunteer to become a slave
If Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, or anyone else, truly believes that slaves somehow benefited from slavery, he or she should volunteer to become a slave for life to an African American family. Give up your freedom. It will be good for you. How absurd.
Mark Gaj, Maineville
Catholic buildings in good shape despite Archdiocese's claims
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati has been caught in its lie by the city of Cincinnati. St. Joseph Catholic School is in great shape for students to continue their education this fall. St. Mark's Catholic Church is probably in great shape also.
The Archdiocese seems to be in a panic. San Carlos Borromeo Catholic Church was the first to be closed due to "a leaky roof and other financial issues." There seems to be a pattern here among the brown and Black communities in the city. Does anyone else see it?
Gerry Becker, Northside
Electroconvulsive therapy last chance for some with depression
Regarding, "UC Health fails to back up electroshock claims," (July 23): The author of this opinion, Bruce Levine, has apparently never treated patients with such severe depression that electroconvulsive therapy is their last chance for recovery, nor has he seen those patients relieved and grateful to be back to themselves. Having seen many patients through this process, I can attest to the memory loss that occurs during the weeks one has treatments, and the lack of effect on memory beyond that. It isn't clear what motivates his attack on ECT or on UC Health for offering ECT, but this community is fortunate that they do.
Dr. Marcia Kaplan, Clifton
City inspection report raises questions about St. Joseph closure
I have followed the news concerning the closing of St Joseph Catholic School in the West End. I accepted the fact that the building was not safe, but now I wonder. Why would the inspectors deem that the school was not safe to open this school year? Parents were sent out on a frenzy − what to do with our children?
Yet today, it seems that this problem has a new twist. The Enquirer reported the city of Cincinnati’s director of buildings and inspections shared his findings in a letter to St. Joseph Parish Council last week. The letter stated: "There are no concerns related to the Cincinnati Building Code that would impact the continued use of the structure as it is presently permitted for educational uses."
It seems that the building was inspected covering the entire building from basement to roofs by the city's inspectors. So, am I to think that the property location is worth more than the education of children?
Kudos to the Honorable Melba Marsh to follow her intuition to save a school that she attended.
Maria C. Waltherr-Willard, Greenhills
Bridging confidence gap key to maintaining tech job growth
When most people think of tech jobs, they imagine young, math and science whizzes working for big-name companies like Apple or IBM, or they think about the recent tech layoff headlines and assume the industry isn’t doing well. But, a tech company isn’t the same as a tech job. And, you don’t need to look like Mark Zuckerberg or live in Silicon Valley to work in tech. You can work in tech right here in Cincinnati.
In fact, Cincinnati’s median tech job wage of $85,486 is 102% higher than the median metro wage. Cincinnati’s tech job market offers a wealth of opportunities and promising career paths for individuals; however, there is a significant barrier that’s keeping job seekers from even considering these positions. That barrier is the confidence gap, and it needs to be addressed to keep Cincinnati’s tech job market growing.
This confidence gap stems from real and perceived barriers by over 55% of job seekers. One of the most prominent perceived barriers is that many individuals assume they need a mastery of complex mathematical concepts or scientific principles to pursue a career in technology. The truth is that while these skills are valuable in certain tech roles, they are not essential for every position. In fact, some of the most in-demand IT skills have nothing to do with math or science. The numbers don’t lie. Cincinnati is helping lead the tech job market, and now is the time for Cincinnati residents to consider a career in tech. Just because you don’t live in the Tech Capital, or thought you were "bad at math and science" in grade school, doesn’t mean tech isn’t for you.
Nancy Hammervik, Chief Solutions Officer for CompTIA
Today's culture wars reminiscent of a bygone era
The culture wars going on today are reminiscent of the 1960s and 70s. Young, long-haired protesters of the Vietnam War versus the America Love or Leave It establishment. Students for a Democratic Society versus Teens for Decency. At the heart of it was, as always, the politicians. Pitting us against each other. Pushing us to take a side, make a choice. It must be black or white, no shades of gray.
Also at the center of it was a corrupt Republican president (Richard Nixon) guilty of criminal actions and a crook who by his own admission was not influenced by the voices of the people. The irony is many of those long-haired protesters of the 60s and 70s have now become the far-right supporting vigilantism, "In a Small Town," voter suppression and dilution of individual rights, hijacking patriotism as if it is their own and casting different ideas as unpatriotic. It's the America Love It Or Leave It mentality.
Is this you? Have you become your parents? Social studies have proven that the pendulum swings right and left never resting in the middle where most of us reside. Who would have thought that we would live long enough to see this happen again.
Deborah Busse, Liberty Township
Parish Council should fight harder to keep St. Joseph open
Now that new information has come to light showing that St. Joseph Catholic School is now safe, according to the city building inspector, I once again question why the school is still going to close. With so many Catholic options for elementary education being taken away from our community, and primarily within Black communities (St. Agnes in Bond Hill, St. Mark's in Evanston and Our Mother of Sorrow in Roselawn), why would the Parish Council not fight harder to keep St. Joseph Catholic School open?
As a recipient of a Catholic school education (K-12), I know firsthand the positive impact that a Catholic education can have on a young person growing up within an inner city. Like many of my classmates, I was being raised Protestant, yet my parents knew the high value of a Catholic education. Urban environments are good investments, if not necessary investments, in our community. It is concerning to see these options fading from within Cincinnati.
Gary Favors, Walnut Hills
We must revolutionize our management of plastic waste
Rep. Adam Mathews argues against city bans on single-use plastic bags because they do not solve the waste problem sustainably, and they “dictate to businesses” what they sell to customers ("Bag bans don’t hold water on sustainability," July 6).
To move our culture equitably away from its reliance on throwaway plastic littering our landscapes, clogging our drains, choking our oceans, and endangering our health, we must change our thinking about how we manage plastic waste. One solution would be to find a way to distribute low-cost, eco-friendly, reusable shopping bags to all families. We could invite grocery stores, like Kroger (who supports Cincinnati’s ordinance) to distribute free reusable bags tagged with the company trademark as a marketing opportunity and as an earth-friendly gesture.
Other ways to transform our waste culture and keep plastic out of our growing landfills would be for the city to support the Recycling & Reuse Hub, a one-stop drop off location near center city. Cincinnati could also bar its institutions from dispensing single-use plastic products. The most immediate remedy would be to amend Cincinnati’s 2020 bag ban ordinance and eliminate the $.05 fee on single-use plastic bags as other Ohio cities have done to avoid infringing on state law.
Jeanne Nightingale, Sierra Club Miami Group, Past Plastic Cincinnati Coalition, East Price Hill
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: New income streams needed for zoo, library, parks | Letters
