I was hardly surprised to read that the Centers for Disease Control appears to have unnecessarily delayed the release of a report investigating potential links between toxic hotspots in the Great Lakes and health problems in those areas ("Flushed Away," March 19).

Living a short walk away from the shores of Lake Erie and having taken my children and family there for years, it is clear to me that the Great Lakes are essential to the economic and cultural identity of our region. Instead of delaying the release of scientific research about the health of the Great Lakes, our government agencies need to be cleaning up toxins in the Great Lakes. We have manageable solutions at hand to restore the health of the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Legacy Act, for example, funds projects that get rid of toxic contaminants in Great Lakes rivers and harbors. Congress should fully fund it and renew the program this year so we can make progress in getting rid of pollutants in the Great Lakes that threaten our families.

Every day we wait, the problems get worse and the solutions get more costly. It is time we use these solutions to protect our drinking water, our economy, our health and our way of life.

Marnie Urso

Bay Village

SAME OLD SONG AND PLANTS

The problem with salvia, if there is one, arose from a well-worn scenario ("Blow Your Mind," March 12): Someone saw that they could make a few bucks selling the stuff and sold it to anyone with the cash. Next thing ya know some depressed kid trying to self-medicate his pain has an accident or kills himself and a few nitwits post their "trip" on You Tube. They must be nitwits because only fools would put a video of themselves getting wasted on the Internet.

I wonder how many of these people were mixing salvia with some other chemical. I did a little research and everything I've read seems to agree that salvia is not a "party" drug nor a substitute for pot. Whether or not it will help one reach total consciousness will soon be moot as the Ohio legislature will surely make it illegal because it's one of those "feel good" laws they like to pass to show they care about our kids. Then salvia will go back to being a strange little plant that people in the back room of herb shops talk about.

Charles Nebe

Eastlake

BETTING ON GOD, AND LOSING

Nevada legalized gambling in 1931 in an effort to change the fortunes brought upon that state by the Depression. With the impending recession wreaking havoc on our local economy, one would think the Ohio legislature might finally be open to acknowledging the benefits gaming would bring to Ohio. Unfortunately, some Ohio Republicans remain out of touch with reality and instead choose to stand by their misguided principles.

Sorry, but waiting for the divine hand of God to increase the state's tax revenues isn't going to work. Instead of vowing to block Gov. Ted Strickland's Keno plan, Ohio Republicans should be vowing to do whatever they can to create job opportunities and keep Ohioans' money in Ohio.

Meanwhile, Ohio gamblers travel to Michigan and other surrounding states to spend their money. Opposition Republicans can be proud that they've gambled away our state's future by refusing to compromise. If Ohioans want to gamble, they travel to another state. Preventing them from gambling in Ohio prevents Ohio from reaping the benefits that come with gaming.

As a result, Ohio's misfortune is that of an economy that will continue to suffer, and the state will continue to lag behind our neighbors in general.

Randy Jasinski

Parma