To the editor: Work together to keep farmers' markets respectable
10/4/2017Farmers’ markets have popped up in numerous small towns surrounding the greater Toledo area. The food-to-table trend of “fresh from the market” continues to grow by leaps and bounds.
However, not all vendors are local farmers with product from their own farms. This has become especially obvious at the Toledo Farmers’ Market, where certain vendors have bananas in May, remove strawberries from plastic cartons and place them in wooden quart containers to appear local, charging $4 to $5 a quart, when these Mexican berries are regularly and at local groceries for $1 to $1.50 a pound, stack bags of potatoes marked North Carolina, and box of varieties of peaches, plums, and nectarines, which don’t even grow in these northern climates.
People with food vouchers are required to “buy local.” Yet many of these vendors purchase from wholesalers and disguise the product in different containers to lure marketers to buy. These vendors continue to be allowed to set up at the Toledo Farmers’ Market. All it takes is one time to buy peaches that ended up in my compost pile to be alerted to the devious tricks of these vendors.
All booths need to be clearly labeled with the farm name and location, and any product not from their farm should be clearly labeled for the source.
I hope other shoppers will join me in supporting our local farmers’ markets, but voice their concerns to market directors about the poor practices of vendors selling products which they’ve not grown.
LINDA HOFFMAN
Perrysburg
Others serve to give you freedom of speech
I do not agree with President Trump, nor do I agree with the NFL players who do not stand and respect our flag and national anthem. There are very few people in the world who have this special talent to play football.
But, also remember only 1 percent of the population of this country joins the military and fights for that right of free speech and expression. These military men and women served to give the other 99 percent of this country the right to free speech and expression. Let’s respect these military men and women when the national anthem and flag is presented.
Yes, this country is not perfect, but let’s keep trying to make it perfect. Respect people’s feelings but do it by not hurting the feelings of others.
One NFL player, who served in the Army Rangers, stood proud and saluted while the national anthem was played. My hat is off to him. He was one of the 1 percent who put his life on the line for his country and your fight for freedom of speech and expression.
RICHARD HOEFFEL
Woodlawn Drive
Primary care insurance should be available for all
Medicare should be for all to standardize insurance claims and provide the basics. Then let employers, insurers, and providers finagle the market to offer supplemental coverage, with premiums, co-pays/deductibles, and dental/vision coverage the patients can then choose — as with optional dental/vision coverage now.
Everyone should have primary care and add maternity, catastrophic, impotency and fertility, disability policies as the need arises.
DR. KATHLEEN NIGHTENGALE
Whispering Pines Drive
Freedom of choice and speech goes both ways
Nonviolent protest is certainly legal. Protesters are exercising the right of free speech as provided in the Constitution.
Lately, some protesters have used their free speech rights to disrespect and desecrate my nation's flag, a flag many of my friends, myself, and millions of others have served under.
Too many who served did not return to enjoy the freedoms they provided the rest of us.
If you continue to disrespect and desecrate my flag, I will become your enemy. I also have rights. Using those rights, I will refuse to conduct business with you, your employer, or anyone connected to you in a business or personal manner. Politically I will oppose you every way I can. Socially I will not accept you and will ignore you. Religiously I will shun you. I will do everything in my power to make you realize the error of your ways.
BILL McKIMMY
Sylvania