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Letters to the Editor

All Ohioans should vote yes

To the editor: Wednesday’s editorial “Change Ohio’s constitution, but not like this,” makes the point that the reform of our amendment process to the Ohio Constitution is definitely needed, but complains about the timing of the vote. Granted, August is a bad time to hold a vote, but here we are. The vote is being held. Does it make sense to vote against a needed reform because the timing is bad? I would like to add my concerns about our present amendment process to those expressed in the editorial. With our 50 percent-plus-one-vote threshold and the fact that petitions from ...

Keep majority rule

To the editor: The proponents of Issue 1 state they support it because it “protects the Constitution.” If they truly wanted to protect it, then they shouldn’t want to change it. Our current constitution was written in 1912 and it’s the reason we have voter-led initiatives being able to be put on the ballot, with a mere 50 percent plus one being needed for it to become law. This also is known as majority rules. Protecting the Constitution means protecting majority rules. Proponents also claim they are trying to prevent out-of-state billionaires from tinkering in our ...

Yes on Issue 1 right choice

To the editor: Issue 1 is very important. If issue 1 passes, it makes it harder to change the Ohio state constitution by increasing the 100-year-old requirements from 50 percent plus one to 60 percent of the vote. First, understand the constitution’s function: It protects us the people from unscrupulous politicians, out-of-state special interests and lunatics who want to have schools make your kid’s decisions like sex change mutilation and hormonal treatment or abortions without parental notification. Billionaires can buy enough signatures to put anything on the ballot. They ...

‘No’ vote on Issue 1 favors powerful

To the editor: I remember in college a friend who thought it would be amusing to collect signatures for a petition to end women’s suffrage. “Many women in our society have to endure suffrage. Would you sign this petition to end this?” Much to his entertainment, he quickly collected seventy signatures to end women’s right to vote. This story helps teach two important lessons. One is that it is very easy to convince people to sign a petition for something that initially sounds good to them. Another lesson is that political messaging is typically confusing, laced with hidden ...

Thanks for your support

To the editor: The Vietnam Veterans Support Group Chapter 1 of Steubenville would like to thank the management and employees of the Steubenville Wal-Mart store and everyone who donated to us on June 24. We are very proud of the support everyone gave us. We would like to let everyone know that all money you gave us will stay in our area to help veterans in need. We also gave out some 1,500 3x5 flags the day of the drive. Once again, thank you all. Frank Featner President

Vote no on Issue 1

To the editor: On Aug. 8, please vote no on Issue 1. Issue 1 is not a Republican or Democratic issue. It is an issue of power-hungry Ohio politicians vs. the Ohio citizens. All previous Republican and Democratic governors in Ohio have urged all Ohioans to vote no on Issue 1. Government only works when a system of checks and balances are in place to prevent an abuse of power. The current Legislature has used gerrymandering to reduce the voting power of the ordinary citizen. Now, the Ohio Legislature wants to eliminate the citizens’ last line of defense against power-hungry ...