Work force training is crucial

TO THE EDITOR,

A May 1 Toledo Free Press article, “First Solar, Owens partner on work force training,” highlights how public-private partnerships are moving Ohio forward. Work force training that involves existing local companies is crucial to a sustained economic recovery.

To help scale up through workforce development, I have introduced the bipartisan Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success Act (SECTORS), which would empower local communities — community colleges, industry leaders and workforce development boards — to address the disparity between high unemployment rates and a shortage of skilled workers for emerging industries such as biotech, clean energy and information technology.

By tailoring work force development programs to meet the needs of these expanding industries, we can better prepare our students to fill new jobs while attracting emerging industries to our state. This is just one way we can strengthen middle class families in Ohio while rebuilding our communities.

Let’s act swiftly to get Ohioans back to work.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, Ohio

VA clinic duplicates existing services

TO THE EDITOR,

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur  is so proud of the new VA Clinic being built virtually adjacent to the University of Toledo Medical College. She is proud of her role in making it happen. She says that this will increase veteran services here in Toledo so that vets don’t have to go to Ann Arbor as often.  But she says that this isn’t even enough; she wants more. She wants a “full service campus for our vets.”

Why do we need anything at all?

I’m all for providing medical services and other support to veterans. But why duplicate clinics and hospitals that already exist in the private sector? Why not just send the vets to local medical facilities — or specialty facilities like The Cleveland Clinic if required — and have the VA pick up the bill? Wouldn’t that be more efficient? Wouldn’t that save a lot of taxpayer dollars? Don’t forget, those vets are taxpayers, too.

It seems that the law prohibits the VA from doing this. So the solution is to build a multi-billion dollar system which parallels the private sector. It seems that the only federal solution to anything is to spend more money. Wouldn’t it be simpler — and a more prudent use of taxpayer dollars — to just change the law? Isn’t that why we have lawmakers in Washington?

Of course, if that were the case, our elected representatives would miss out on press conferences to tout what they’re doing for us and photos ops at groundbreakings when the project is finished (usually behind schedule and over budget).

The real solution is to privatize VA facilities and get the VA out of the service provider business. Just have them write the checks for the men and women who were willing to write a check for this country and sign it with their lives.

Rich Iott, Monclova

Burnard gets mail

Don, with regard to your column of April 17 (“Are you paying attention?”), I wish to congratulate you for paying attention. Too many people are unaware of what is being done to them.  The shrinking middle class is one of the great dangers to our country.  Thanks for your column.

Frank Eckart

Please, Mr Burnard, do yourself a favor so you don’t sound like an idiot every time you put pen to paper, and enroll in a basic economics class. You would be surprised what you would learn so you won’t read like a moron when you write your Hot Corner.

Winfield Sturgeon

Tags: Don Burnard, First Solar, Marcy Kaptur, Owens Community College, Rich Iott, Sherrod Brown, Toledo Free Press

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 5th, 2011 at 12:43 pm and is filed under Letter To The Editor, Opinion.
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