×

Letters to the editor

Spend new Warren tax money fairly

DEAR EDITOR:

We the citizens of Warren voted and passed the tax increase that was asked of us. Now let’s see what will happen with what we have entrusted to our administration.

We know that police, fire and roads are part of what the monies will be used for. Just remember we have a whole city that should see some of that money, not just the downtown.

Because of the SAFER grant, money is supposed to be set aside to retain new firefighters. The money also should be spent on police because there are other grants to help the police force be restored. Also, the money should be spent on getting the streets done. The city should make sure the low-end and high-end streets are done equally.

We all know target areas run into high-end neighborhoods, so let’s be real.

Yes, there’s a lot of work to be done, so let’s work together because we, all those that care, will be watching.

RONALD E. WHITE SR.

Warren

Good people must save America

DEAR EDITOR:

As a World War II veteran, I hope and pray our service was not in vain.

We are at a crucial time in our history. The next Supreme Court appointee will change America if he or she doesn’t follow the Constitution.

Our system, capitalism and Constitution are not perfect, but it has still worked for over 200 years.

I beg all conservative Democrats, Republicans and independents we must unite to prevent this as our children deserve this legacy.

Good people must save America.

A.J. KOSIBA

Howland

The struggle continues

DEAR EDITOR:

The DNC in Philadelphia, birthplace of American democracy, was neither democratic nor a convention.

It was a coronation, tightly orchestrated from the beginning by highly biased party elites to suppress the expressed will of the people and guarantee the ascension of Hillary Clinton as nominee.

Democracy was DOA at the DNC.

If democracy had ruled, the DNC would have been a contested convention since neither Sanders nor Clinton won enough pledged delegates to clinch the nomination.

Super delegates, an anachronistic remnant of aristocracy, made the key difference — a colossal mistake by choosing the weaker candidate. Bernie would have trounced Trump decisively.

Despite incessant and insistent calls for unity, it remains more fiction than fact, even within the Ohio delegation. Upon unfurling a “Feel the Bern” banner on the convention floor, I had it ripped from my hand by an Ohio Hillary delegate. An ODP official ordered us to take down our “Bernie” and “No TPP” signs. Needless to say, we, and other Bernie delegates, did not follow such repressive orders.

Nor did we remain quiet and seated upon the official nomination of Hillary. Hundreds of us immediately walked out of the convention floor, many with mouths taped marked “silenced” or “rigged,” for a peaceful sit-in in the adjoining media center. Other protests filled Philadelphia streets. Before the convention, thousands marched from City Hall to Independence Hall demanding equality, justice, peace, freedom and democracy — core themes that characterized Sanders’ campaign. There were hundreds of Bernie signs, but not a single Hillary one.

Just the opposite occurred in the rigidly controlled convention. At the main entrance stood the “Official Merchandise” of the DNC. Available for sale, well before her nomination, were overpriced hats, shirts, cups and more proclaiming Hillary as next president.

There was not a single item among official DNC merchandise for Bernie. It was another manifestation of its predetermined outcome that demeaned Bernie delegates to props in a scripted political play.

So much for unity, let alone fairness.

These United States of America along with the American Revolution were born in Philadelphia, and our founding values were courageously declared in an inspired and inspiring document signed in Independence Hall. We are all familiar with declared rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. In successive sentences, our founders clearly and prophetically proclaimed our right, even our duty, as citizens to challenge and abolish all forms of despotism and tyranny.

If there ever was a time for Americans to do their patriotic duty, the time is now. The struggle continues.

WERNER LANGE

Newton Falls

I still believe in this great country

DEAR EDITOR:

I am not running away from the results of this election. The very wrong decision was made to elect Donald Trump commander in chief of this nation, but panic is not the answer.

With time we can reverse the mockery we have wrought upon our government in 2016.

The efforts to fix our country in the past eight years, especially its broken health care system, will soon be counteracted to an unknown degree by the next administration. I am not afraid. And I still believe in the people of this country.

We were never fair to him, but when President Obama took office, there was an audacity across the land that I wanted to take into me. And I did. I was involved in a legacy of hope that made the U.S. better. That can never be taken away from me. I got to work with the tired, the poor and the hungry; and we fought the good fight in the name of progress.

This part of my life has been thrilling, as a citizen, to be in the service of supporting the Affordable Care Act with this administration. It has been an honor to stand alongside people that I would have never met without the cooperative spirit brought by this president. That can never be taken away. I smile now because the midterm elections will be here soon enough. And perhaps, by then, those coherent enough in the head will understand just how rotten the desperate populism they bought into really was. We’ll have plenty more elections to get it right.

“Tikkun olam” was a concept of world repair and dedication I learned from a staffer for the late Charlie Wilson of Ohio. No matter what happens, I am not giving up. I do love a challenge, and if we can agree on anything as a country, it is that America is full of those.

ROBERT HELTZEL

Niles

Unite, move on and be thankful

DEAR EDITOR:

In the last year we have gone through so much. The election is passed; yet, there are riots in the streets because the person that some people wanted in the office of the president did not prevail. So some are looting and causing havoc in some places. Yet nothing that the protesters do will change the outcome. Donald Trump is our president, whether we like it or not. This past campaign was very vicious and sometimes just downright nasty. But it is over with, and frankly, I am glad. I pray that our country can unite and move on. We all need to heal.

In some places, people are still starving; some are even dying from lack of food. Yet, some of us think nothing about throwing food away. Somewhere, children are lost because they have no guidance, so they lose their way in this world. I have seen homeless people holding signs that say, “Will work for food.” Often they are mocked and ridiculed. If we would just take the time to think, we, too, could be that homeless person. But if not for the Grace of God, we too would be in dire straits.

We should be thankful for whatever we have because some people literally have nothing.

People will be traveling from near and far to be with their loved ones on Thanksgiving day. Millions of turkey dinners will be cooked and shared with loved ones. No matter what we may have, a little or a lot, in my humble opinion, we should reach out to those who have been down on their luck. We should reach out to the elderly who may not be able to even cook a meal or go out and buy groceries. Being loving and kind takes no effort at all.

Thanksgiving is a time that we thank God for all of the abundant blessings that He has bestowed upon us. It is a time to share our good fortune with others.

Sometimes just doing a little thing for someone can be a big thing in someone’s life.

JENNIFER Y. WILLIAMS

Warren

Make heroin use a higher priority

DEAR EDITOR:

The heroin epidemic in Ohio has become a major problem in our own communities.

Including Ohio, 38 states have enacted overdose immunity laws providing a “free pass” to heroin users that are saved with Narcan after an overdose. Anyone that overdoses on heroin and is saved by an emergency dose of Narcan, at no cost, is allowed, once recovered, to go “free” without being charged with possession, drug paraphernalia, other related offenses or required to attend any mandatory rehab.

I believe this creates a revolving door that doesn’t solve the major issue we are facing. This system, if anything, will make the heroin user feel more invincible because the user was able to cheat death and get the high, enabling him or her to do it again and again. I don’t believe these people need to be placed in jail because they do have a serious problem they can’t control.

I’m not sure what the right answer is for the heroin users, maybe some sort of mandatory rehab. I believe our legislatures need to collaborate with each other, as well as medical professionals, and work on this issue. However, what really would make an impact on the heroin epidemic would be a crackdown on those that transport and sell heroin in our communities.

What we need are very steep punishments for transporting and selling it, to the point that it would not be worth it to anyone involved. I believe, then, we might see a decrease in heroin overdoses and heroin deaths.

We must encourage our elected officials to make this more of a priority, so we can fix this major problem.

ERIC HARRIS

Cortland

Set record straight for Delphi retirees

DEAR EDITOR:

You recently published my letter “Delphi salaried retirees still fighting.” Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share our story with your readers; however, some of the Tribune’s edits resulted in incorrect information. I said our pension plan was healthy, well funded and did not need a bailout. In the letter published Nov. 13, that statement was incorrectly attributed to Jay Williams, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. Thank you for allowing me to set the record straight.

MARY ANN HUDZIK

Warren

We’ve gone back to where we started

DEAR EDITOR:

Human daily existence in the U.S. is back where it started.

When we started, a husband and wife had children and everyone worked in the household. Even the children helped on the family farm. The rich had the money, education and control. Their families were different. Only the father worked; his children were educated. His wife did not work. The poor all worked. Then came the industrial revolution.

The rich learned to use labor in buildings to run machines, making things to sell for more money. Many families on the farms saw this as an easier way. There was no problem having children work in factories because they worked on the farm. As time went on, workers discovered education. They wanted more for their labor so they, too, could have one person work to support a family. They saw their children dying, as well as their friends, and got the government to enact laws to keep children out of the work force and provide safety for themselves. They unionized and got better wages. The middle class was born because before, there were those who had and those who had not. This was the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Workers now had access to good education for their children. Only one parent worked to maintain the family household. They had decent housing, clean water and food. Life was good.

In the 1980s, the economy tumbled and it became accepted two people must work in a household to maintain the lifestyle. We heard there wasn’t enough money for good schools anymore and the rich needed tax cuts to create jobs. Corporations got out of their social responsibility of paying taxes. Corporations used to supply the federal government 40 percent of their revenue; their contribution is now under 10 percent. Families started to decline. The stress of having no parent in the household at home to take care of and teach the children how to live was too much. Money became more important. There was a short break in the 1990s, with President Clinton. He taxed both the rich and the middle class to balance the federal budget, which led to surpluses for the first time in decades. Then came the 2000 election and the near-bankruptcy of the nation. And then, again, another small reprieve with the last eight years.

Now we have a billionaire president-elect who thinks workers make too much money and a party that wants children to work again while abolishing the minimum wage.

Yep, make America great again. We are back where we started. Get to work.

LEIF DAMSTOFT SR.

Warren

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
     

Starting at $4.85/week.

Subscribe Today