Letters to the editor


Think about need when shopping Editor: Think back to a time when Christmas meant that you could spend time with your family, decorating the tree, baking cookies, and seeing loved ones. Nowadays, it seems only one thing comes to mind when people think of Christmas: presents. People no longer care about the real spirit of Christmas; they care about if they've bought enough presents for everyone on the list. Do we really need that new pair of sneakers or the new sweater that will go with the pair of pants that we never wear? Nov. 26, the day after Thanksgiving, is the busiest shopping day of the year. People line up outside stores and malls as early as possible to get the best deals on gifts for Christmas. This year, how about trying to buy nothing? Buy Nothing Day is an international effort to not buy anything Nov. 26, and think about how much we really do have. Do you need it? How much will it be used? How long will it last? Can you borrow it? Can you do without it? Is it recyclable? This country has a problem with the way items we get are produced. Big companies are building plants in small/developing countries because labor is cheaper, and there aren't unions and places to protect workers like here. A lot of things we buy are also bad for the environment. So many things we buy have harmful side effects like toxic waste, destruction of wildlife, and wasted energy. Because companies have to transport the items they make from where they are made to where they are sold, the transportation also contributes to pollution. If you have to buy something, stop and think first about what you are buying and how it affects the environment and third-world countries, which is most likely where what you're buying is being made, at very low wage. So this Nov. 26, try spending time with family or friends. What is more important, spending time with loved ones or giving them things they will never use? Also, instead of buying useless gifts for friends and family this holiday season, donate something in their name. Donate to the Heifer project, bake cookies, or make a homemade gift. Just please stop and think before you buy, and participate in Buy Nothing Day 2004! Erin Wicks and Kate Malekoff Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Wayne County youth group Elected officials absent Editor: As an elected official within Wayne County, I was recently invited to attend a community event at the Wayne County Schools Career Center to promote partnerships. What followed was a delightful evening with a sumptuous dinner, a tour of the facility and an opportunity to interact with both students and educators alike. The evening was open to all of our elected officials, including county commissioners, mayors, city and village councils, police chiefs, township trustees and state and federal representatives. Out of this array of elected officials, turnout was deplorable and included one mayor, one city council member, one police chief, and five township trustees. I was appalled. If the elections had still been going on, I am sure that those people who were running would have shown up. To my fellow elected comrades, shame on you! Neal W. White Canaan Township trustee Creston Thankful for the good care Editor: Deepest thanks to Wooster Community Hospital on Oct. 19. Thanks to all on the third floor. Also I want to thank West View Manor, they treated me well and I am proud to say that I was given all the good things to recuperate from a hip replacement. Carolyn J. Becker Apple Creek

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