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	Professional Handling of Murder Trial Toledo Blade May 15, 2006 http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? AID=/20060515/OPINION03/605150327 The Gerald Robinson murder trial aroused the interest of court watchers locally and across the country. The horrible crime against Sister Pahl, the arrest and indictment of a Catholic priest more than 20 years later, and a trial replete with high-profile witnesses provided all the elements of an out-of-control media event. Television trucks lining Michigan Street could have sent out word to the world that Toledo and its courts are crazy and justice is impossible. But instead of a black eye for our community, the professionalism of the trial judge, the prosecution team, the defense attorneys, and even our many homegrown legal news analysts allowed the case to proceed as a trial, not a three-ring circus. All involved showed the world what a trial can and should be. I'm proud that the legal profession has allowed the world to see Toledo as a city of competent professionals, where a trial focuses on the law and facts, as opposed to media hype and public reaction. This is not always the case in highly publicized trials. Stuart F. Cubbon President Toledo Bar Association Can we trust what treasurer says? In a May Blade article, "Kapszukiewicz tells FBI McCloskey left him $500," there is an interesting paragraph that may have been overshadowed by the rest of the article. The statement: "Mr. Kapszukiewicz in the past had denied to The Blade that the incident took place. But he admitted it yesterday after a Blade reporter asked him about the FBI's inquiry." If Mr. Kapszukiewicz, presently Lucas County treasurer, now admits that he has denied factual information to The Blade in the past, how do we know he has not been or is not now being less than honest with other matters? Roland Hansen Rolland Drive TEL amendment wrong for Ohio As lieutenant governor and Ohio development director, I would like to share why I am against the proposed Taxpayer Expenditure Limitation amendment. The TEL is bad for economic development, dismantles public education, raises the cost of government, limits democracy, and encourages attorneys to file lawsuits. It has been my experience that responding quickly to infrastructure needs is extremely important for economic growth. The City of Marion provided $3.2 million in infrastructure assistance for a Whirlpool expansion project. This temporary increase in government spending would likely be unconstitutional under the TEL, endangering our relationship with Whirlpool's 8,600 Ohio employees. Providing a rigorous education for Ohio's children is key to our economic future. Nearly every school levy that passed in Tuesday's election would have failed under the TEL. The TEL will raise the cost of government. Ohio has a strong bond rating, saving taxpayer dollars. Using more taxpayer money to pay higher interest rates means fewer government services. It is also undemocratic. This amendment is so poorly written that it actually gives veto power to non-voters. And the TEL will be a boon for lawyers, often at taxpayer expense. If successful, lawyers are entitled to be reimbursed for costs and attorney fees with your money - taxpayer dollars. Responsible business leaders, city and school officials, and thousands of Ohioans who have studied this amendment have concluded that the TEL amendment is wrong for Ohio. While I agree with limiting government spending, the right way to accomplish this is by exercising fiscal discipline. Lt. Gov. Bruce E. Johnson Director Ohio Department of Development Return decency to the City of Toledo I am firmly convinced that the mayor of the City of Toledo is poison as an administrator. Aside from his recent childish tantrums about the proposed Westgate renovation, he now admits to soliciting financial aid to supplement the legal salary of Toledo schools superintendent Eugene Sanders in an effort to induce him to reject an offer from the Cleveland school district. Pleading ignorance of the law, as reported in The Blade, is no excuse. There's been enough corruption in this city. It's time to take corrective action and return decency to the City of Toledo. Richard A. Martel Pemberton Drive Rail crossing woes are just not right I don't know what the laws in Michigan say about the length of time a train can block crossings, but here in Temperance I'd guess that since trains going into Toledo commonly block our roads the law must be different here than they are in Ohio. I'm going to find out. Recently, while doing errands, we suffered the dilemma again. My husband and I had to go north to Erie Road in order to head east. Because this happens so often, we decided to see where the engine had stopped. To our amazement we saw the three-engine beast had stopped between Sterns and Dean roads almost exactly in the middle. If it had stopped just before the Sterns Road gates it might have blocked only one road instead of both Temperance Road and Dean Road. A phone call and another 15 minutes later it moved, after blocking our main roads for 2 1/2 hours. Emergencies be damned. Well, I guess we are supposed to take this in stride since they do this all the time to us, their neighbors. I'm borrowing Carty's phrase, "it's just not right!" Or, perhaps that doesn't apply to us up here in Temperance? NANCY LOUGHMAN Temperance Reduce state tax on gasoline sales The public and our political leaders are upset about the steeply rising price of gasoline and the record profits just announced by the major oil companies. Indeed, President Bush, Gov. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, and other politicians are vying for attention by investigating the oil companies' profits looking for ways of either taxing these profits or limiting them in order to help the consumer. It strikes me as odd that no one seems to mention the "windfall profits" of many state and local governments. These entities place a sales tax on each gallon of gasoline. With steeply rising prices of gas, their tax income has gone up as dramatically as that of the oil companies. If politicians are truly interested in the welfare of the public with regard to the rising price of gasoline, why don't they begin by looking into reducing the percentage at which many states tax gasoline? EDWIN NIRDLINGER Ottawa Street Questions about ethanol unanswered You left out one important piece in your ethanol story. How much liquid ethanol do you get from a bushel of corn? Is there any byproduct from the process like livestock feed? Also, doesn't anybody remember that it was said that gas prices would go up when the refineries had to switch to all those different blends for all the different areas? Reid Creque Sylvania Graduation should be about graduates Anyone who doesn't believe money talks was not at the University of Toledo graduation ceremony. The guest speaker spoke of all her accomplishments. Her childhood, her college years, her marriage, and her dream to own a large lakeside home. Good for her, but the day was about the graduates. After her long story of personal success, she donated $15 million to the university and the university named the College of Education after her. I don't remember the name, sorry! But money sure talked a long time. What about the graduates? Graduation was to be about them. Marie Cox Napoleon A compelling argument I commend prosecutor Dean Mandross for his impressively comprehensive, coherent, cohesive, caring, and utterly compelling closing argument. He exposed the sinister minister, tore away the collar, and revealed a guilty man. Susan Carey Hogarth Road
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