To the Editor:

Let us examine the economic downturn in this country as it affects our every day lives. What is the purpose of a recession or depression? First, a laid off worker is more apt to accept a lower paid job when they do find work and the idea is that they will work harder when they do go back to work. Also the people still working are expected to work harder to hold on to their jobs. Then to it makes it easier to fill the low paying jobs that no one else wants to do.

Another fact is the Armed services have been having trouble recruiting people to serve in the military lately. When jobs are more plentiful young people are not going to take up a trade, as quickly, where you learn how to kill people, and then go and practice your skills on the poor people of the world who do not agree with your ideology.

Imagine walking out your front door in the morning and not having to drive to work. Imagine knowing you neighbors and having a relationship with the members of your community. Imagine sitting in an office surrounded by plants with the sun providing natural light. These dreams of a simpler life lie at the heart of environmentally sustainable development. With vision and a conscious effort to change the way we live, Columbus could reform itself into a green community.

In order for Columbus to start on the path toward sustainability, the citizens of Columbus must abandon materialistic desires and live respectfully with the natural environment. In Peter Hawken’s book The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability, Hawken states, “Society must recognize that ecological principles apply absolutely to human survival, and that if we are to long endure as a world culture, or as a group of local cultures, we will have to incorporate ecological thinking into every aspect of our mores, pattern of living, and most particularly our economic institutions.”

The Central Ohio Greens are running two candidates for Columbus City Council this year — John McGovern and Greg Richey. The two candidates are calling for a review of the city charter to enhance participatory democracy in Columbus city government. The Green Party believes that Mayor Coleman directs the full review of the City departments with a goal of creating efficiencies and a focus on serving neighborhoods, the Council should be reviewing ways that they can better serve and represent the public interest as well.

• Call For a More Representative Council - Add District Based Positions.

• Increase the Size of Council.

• Initiate Special Elections to Fill Vacancies.

• Make Council Positions Full-Time.

• Review Use of Emergency Ordinance Enactment.

• Improved Citizen Participation.

To get involved with the Central Ohio Green Party or to volunteer to help with the City Council campaign, contact:

My dog Champ, a best friend for about 12½ years, died unexpectedly on Sunday (probably just into the ‘wee hours’ of Mon, 3/5), The ‘Little Booger,’ Champ, had kinda dug his stubborn little doggy toes into the Martha Walker Garden Club, the DooDah Parade, The Community Festival, AntiFest, HOT TIMES, and loads of other Community escapades. They will forever be linked to my memories of him.

I was lucky that he was around during the onset of my major depressive swings, mainly in the early Summer of ’97, when I was clueless as to what had hit me. Champ was that little pal, so totally faithful, with that unquestioning love & affection that most dogs, cats & horses have toward their humans (well, assuming that the animal was raised by a humane person). He was always there, sleeping right at my feet, depending on MY love & affection, and always needing to be fed. He was a sentient being. He was there to hang onto when so much else was unclear.

I often wonder how well I’d have hung on without him.

Trade ministers from 34 Western Hemisphere countries will meet in Quebec City April 18-22 for essential negotiations on a new international trade agreement, the Free Trade Area of the Americas, or FTAA. This particular meeting marks the first formal gathering of the ministers, who have been meeting since 1998 with executive branch trade representatives and corporation representatives in nine working groups. Originally the target date for ratification was 2005, but according to a story aired on Marketplace, a public radio program, on 3/30/01, the intent of negotiators now is to have the basic outline of the agreement in place by the Quebec summit and to implement the agreement by 2003. Congress will have authority to ratify or deny ratification, and that will be citizens’ “formal” chance to impact the outcome.

WHAT ARE THE KEY ISSUES REGARDING THIS NEGOTIATION?

• The agenda, pure and simple, is driven by large corporate interests to privatize, deregulate and ensure “free trade.” In the words of Lori Wallach of Public Citizen, “Trade uber alles.”