<<  Tom is right about the West getting cleaner. Back
in the heyday of Akron, Ohio, when the city was the
tire capitol of the world, the air was barely
breathable. The editor of the Akron Beacon Journal
newspaper back then was reported to have stepped
outside one particularlly sooty day, taken a deep
breath, and said, "Smell those jobs!"  >>


Having grown up in Akron during the 50s/60s, when tire
manufacturing was still going strong, I remember that
ever-present odor in the air.  But the fact that the
air in Akron has significantly improved since then is
not because the companies voluntarily cleaned up their
acts -- the factories were closed and manufacturing
was moved elsewhere, such as the Southeast -- Wilson,
NC, Russellville, Arkansas, Gadsden, Alabama -- or
other countries.

Nearby Cleveland also had a reputation for its
polluted air, and who could forget the pollution of
Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River catching on fire
because of the pollutants.  All long since cleaned up,
but again due to most of the heavy industry having
left the area.

I have no doubt that if Mayor "Dandy Don" could find a
way to lure the factories back to Akron, he'd do it
without a second thought to the affect on air quality
(although EPA standards would have at least reduced
the intensity of the pollution) --that "eau de jobs"
is good for continued job security.


Lynda Bryson
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