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Letters to the Editor

A 1930s Christmas story

Dear Editor, A little girl woke up on Christmas morning and hurried downstairs to see a scraggly Christmas tree decorated with homemade ornaments and a string of popcorn. Four small gifts sat under the tree. She waited patiently for her parents to gather in the chilly room, and her father started a fire in the fireplace. She insisted her mother open the first gift, a centerpiece she made at school out of pine cones. Then she handed her father his gift. He opened it to find a paperweight made from a smooth stone with the words “I love you Daddy” and a heart painted on it ...

Citizen Initiatives

Dear Editor, Citizen-led ballot initiatives have been integral method for the citizens of the state of Ohio to actively participate in our democracy and inform their elected officials of their wishes for over 100 years. That may change with (Ohio) House Joint Resolution (HJR) 6. This resolution seeks to deny us of our voice by requiring a super majority of 60% for passage when on the ballot but only if citizen led. Having actively worked on more than one such initiative, I can attest to the fact that it is already an arduous process. It current requires hundreds of thousands of ...

A whale in common

Dear Editor, Jonah presents a teachable moment for all faiths given the context of Jesus’ instruction to wit: First—“An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Second—Jesus compares Jonah’s three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, to his burial in the earth as the Son of man following his egregious death on the cross as he had prophesied in Jn 2:18-22, 5:22, Jn 6:28-29, 8:28-29, 10:17-18, 12:27-33, 16:6-11, 33, Mt 16:21-23, & Jn 7:24—“Do not judge by appearances, ...

HB 507 a Bad Bill

Dear Editor, The Ohio Senate Republicans recently passed the Amended HB 507 bill. The bill was originally intended to address poultry sales and food safety, however, at the last minute an amendment (134-3853) was added to HB 507 in the Senate. Basically, the amendment will force state agencies to open their land to oil and gas drilling with no exceptions. The amendment creates an atmosphere where citizens are basically locked out of any public review process and refused the ability to make comments on the leasing process. It by-passes any considerations of impacts to the environment and ...

Natural Gas Supports SE Ohio

Dear Editor, The Ohio Department of Natural Resources recently shared a report that shows that the value of oil and natural gas produced in Ohio nearly doubled from 2020. These kinds of numbers are what makes me and the hundreds of thousands who rely on this industry proud to be here in Ohio. Our natural gas and oil industries in Ohio create royalty payments to landowners, economic opportunities, and jobs. Before the shale revolution in Southeast Ohio, our region was struggling. But since then, the level of money being invested has created a positive ripple effect for the entire ...

End of Medicare

Dear Editor, In 2019 Medicare quietly launched a scheme called Direct Contracting allowing insurance companies to control the healthcare of tens of millions of traditional Medicare and Medicare supplement beneficiaries. Direct Contracting inserts a for-profit company between patients and medical providers. Companies are paid a monthly fee to cover a portion of a patients expenses keeping 40% of the fee that’s not spent on patient care. Beneficiaries can be enrolled without their full knowledge or consent and to opt out, a patient must change their primary care doctor. Companies ...