We may want to rethink the way we govern ourselves
letter to the editor
To the Editor:
A few weeks ago I listed reasons why stores are closing down in Medina County. One thing I did not mention is that Medina County is losing population. We have 177,221 people this year, which is few hundred less than last year. Population decline is a very bad thing to have, as a tour of depressed Ohio counties such as Vinton, near Athens makes clear. One of the co-contributing factors to our decline is that Medina County has dropped from second to fourth place in per capita income of Ohio's 88 counties. Reversing that decline need not be hard.
In addition to attracting new factories, office complexes and the like, we need improved roads and a better rail system. We also need improved transportation along the Ohio River and Great Lakes. Cleveland needs to rebuild the lower several miles of the Cuyahoga River so that modern freighters can drop off and pick up cargo there. We also need a new airport. There currently is a trend in aircraft design circles to build larger and faster airliners. I will write about railroad improvements in my next letter.
However, before beginning with these new things, we need to start with the first step. We may want to rethink the way we govern ourselves. I would like to suggest that we think about such things as possibly merging the City of Medina and the four surrounding townships of York, Medina, Montville and Lafayette. Such a larger entity would have a population of over 52,000 people. It likely would make us more noticeable in competing for well-paying jobs.
Another idea would be to look hard at the school system of Finland. There, kids start school at age seven and leave at age 16. Nine years. They go to school fewer days per year than our kids do. No homework. Finland ranks in the top four school systems in advanced nations in terms of test scores in science and mathematics. The U.S. is nearly always at the bottom. We could require the state universities and colleges to offer only those major fields of study that lead to well-paying jobs. Also, use the state universities and colleges to carry out research into areas with the ability to significantly increase our standards of living.
We also need a county-level television and radio station, so that we know what goes on in the county. I suggest you send in your ideas to The Post. Please try to be positive and to not attack other writers or their ideas.
Franz Zrilich
Medina
A few weeks ago I listed reasons why stores are closing down in Medina County. One thing I did not mention is that Medina County is losing population. We have 177,221 people this year, which is few hundred less than last year. Population decline is a very bad thing to have, as a tour of depressed Ohio counties such as Vinton, near Athens makes clear. One of the co-contributing factors to our decline is that Medina County has dropped from second to fourth place in per capita income of Ohio's 88 counties. Reversing that decline need not be hard.
In addition to attracting new factories, office complexes and the like, we need improved roads and a better rail system. We also need improved transportation along the Ohio River and Great Lakes. Cleveland needs to rebuild the lower several miles of the Cuyahoga River so that modern freighters can drop off and pick up cargo there. We also need a new airport. There currently is a trend in aircraft design circles to build larger and faster airliners. I will write about railroad improvements in my next letter.
However, before beginning with these new things, we need to start with the first step. We may want to rethink the way we govern ourselves. I would like to suggest that we think about such things as possibly merging the City of Medina and the four surrounding townships of York, Medina, Montville and Lafayette. Such a larger entity would have a population of over 52,000 people. It likely would make us more noticeable in competing for well-paying jobs.
Another idea would be to look hard at the school system of Finland. There, kids start school at age seven and leave at age 16. Nine years. They go to school fewer days per year than our kids do. No homework. Finland ranks in the top four school systems in advanced nations in terms of test scores in science and mathematics. The U.S. is nearly always at the bottom. We could require the state universities and colleges to offer only those major fields of study that lead to well-paying jobs. Also, use the state universities and colleges to carry out research into areas with the ability to significantly increase our standards of living.
We also need a county-level television and radio station, so that we know what goes on in the county. I suggest you send in your ideas to The Post. Please try to be positive and to not attack other writers or their ideas.
Franz Zrilich
Medina
