Ban flavored vapes, but leave menthol tobacco products alone | Letters

In the Enquirer's recent editorial addressing vaping, the opening statement reads, "Flavored tobacco products, if not outright banned, should absolutely not be sold to minors in Ohio." I want to clarify that the law already prohibits the sale of all tobacco to minors. While stiffer penalties against retailers caught selling to minors align with my own viewpoint, the core concern lies in enforcing existing regulations.

Nevertheless, the Enquirer, Gov. Mike DeWine and some lawmakers are advocating for policies that unnecessarily ban products preferred by adults. Specifically, I’m referring to menthol cigarettes and menthol vapor products.

Data from some of the sources used in your editorial, showing only 1% of high schoolers use cigarettes, with even fewer using menthol, underscores the fact an overwhelming 99% of Ohio’s high schoolers don't use cigarettes.  Despite this positive result, some continue to advocate for sweeping policies that ban menthol. If lawmakers want to improve young people's health, they should focus on banning foreign-made fruity, candy and dessert-flavored disposable vapes that are flooding schools. Additionally, menthol vapor products, which are not a product of choice for Ohio youth, provide adults an off-ramp to smoking.

Let’s work together for rational policies that effectively combat teenage vaping while preserving adults’ rights to legally purchase products they prefer.

Almo Baslat, Jacobs Market, Winton Place

Ohio AG Yost's legal analysis of Issue 1 fails objectivity test

As a lifelong Republican and former assistant prosecutor, I support passage of the "Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Initiative," otherwise known as Issue 1, on Nov. 7. Issue 1 will restore the right to abortion through fetal viability similar to the law in effect prior to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.  Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s recent so-called "legal analysis" ("Ohio AG Yost issues legal analysis on abortion rights measure," Oct. 5) fails every test for objectivity demanded by our legal system. Expecting Yost to provide an accurate assessment of the abortion rights measure is like asking the lawyer representing a driver who runs over a pedestrian in an intersection to provide an unbiased description of the accident.

Yost pressed for Roe to be overturned, is suing to reinstate Ohio’s ban on abortion and was co-headliner of Ohio Right to Life’s recent fundraiser. As a prosecutor, I wasn’t expected to provide an independent analysis of the crime; when it comes to Issue 1, no one should expect Dave Yost to either.

Phil Heimlich, Symmes Township

Jewish Federation established a relief fund for Gaza

The senseless slaughter and torture of individuals in southern Israel on Oct. 6 followed by Israel's bombing in Gaza has everyone on edge. The Oct. 17 issue of the Enquirer featured an article on 3A "How to help people affected by the Mideast conflict." I was surprised that the article didn't mention any of the significant Jewish organizations that have relief efforts underway, including the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati's new relief fund, where 100% of donations will be transmitted for humanitarian aid.

Connie Hinitz, Amberley Village

Four reasons to vote no on Issue 22

I wish I could vote no on the railroad sale, but although I pay Cincinnati earnings taxes, I cannot since I am not a city resident. There are a few simple reasons to not sell this valuable asset.

First, why has the railroad spent $600,000 in advertising to promote the sale? The sale price must be a great deal for the railroad and bad for the city. Second, the city fell $500 million behind in infrastructure repairs so why should we trust politicians by giving them a lump sum of $1.6 billion dollars? They can and will change the rules and this asset will be wasted away in no time. Third, every lobby and organization will vie for a piece of that pie and the city will placate the loudest voices at the expense of infrastructure. Fourth, the assumption of a minimum of a 5% return on the principal is speculative and subject to our economy with no guarantees.

We have a valuable asset now generating millions of dollars via the lease payments and there are built-in increases each lease term. Vote no on 22 and keep this asset out of the hands of politicians.

Richard Goldberg, Symmes Township

Issue 24 creates tax burden, undermines collaboration

It is with a deep sense of responsibility that I, a representative of the REALTOR® Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, pen down my concerns regarding Issue 24. Our aspiration is to facilitate the deployment of transformative housing solutions by building bridges of collaboration amongst all stakeholders.

Issue 24, however, diverges from this collaborative pathway, projecting a misguided representation of affordable housing while subtly integrating an unanticipated tax burden. This additional financial constraint could potentially hinder the well-being of Hamilton County homeowners, who are already grappling with unprecedented property tax augmentations.

By negating the legislative efficacy of our elected officials, this amendment infringes upon our democratic fabric and disrupts the concerted efforts aimed at evolving Cincinnati’s housing landscape. It undermines our collective pursuit of fostering economic development and housing equality through collaborative innovations.

Let’s remain steadfast in our commitment to reinforcing democratic values, nurturing transparent dialogue, and promoting genuine, long-lasting solutions in opposition to misleading and restrictive propositions.

Ginger Ruddy, Realtor, REALTOR® Alliance of Greater Cincinnati

Cincinnati Southern Railway worth way more than $1.6 billion

The Cincinnati Southern Railway is not an old railroad. Norfolk Southern Corp. and its predecessor have invested $1 billion in the last 40 years. It is mostly double track with the highest load rating. The tunnels have been bypassed, daylighted, or widened to accommodate highly profitable intermodal freight. It is the main Norfolk Southern line from Chicago to Atlanta and is referred to as its second most profitable line. It carries 30-plus trains from Cincinnati and 25-50 trains daily from Louisville starting at Danville, Ky.

Cincinnati Railway Board of Trustees President Paul Muething's op-ed contending that the line could be bypassed ignores the fact Louisville trains would have to go 200 miles west then additional miles north and east. This would tremendously affect western freight from Kansas City and St Louis to the south. Time is money. It would bottleneck an already congested system. In fact the Norfolk Southern Gest Street yard is so busy already they have to utilize the Sharonville and Clair yards to handle 30-41 trains daily.

Bottom line: The rail line is worth far more than $1.6 billion. We need to open up bidding and get more than one self-serving bid from Norfolk Southern.

Stan Rosemir, Paddock Hills

Are we already in the midst of World War III?

Unfortunately, world leaders can be tyrants, dictators, or otherwise corrupt. Add to this, some are actually senile or certifiably insane. While intentions may be good, the United Nations seems to only bolster the egos of these idiots. The founding plan was to foster human rights, economic development, decolonization and to promote health and education. Examples of progress in a world of nations united are hard to come by. Well then, what a fine kettle of fish we humans have created.

As Russia falls from dominance, they fear Ukraine moves closer to the powerful NATO alliance. So they invaded Ukraine, pulling NATO to their front doorstep by mistake. Americans are working overtime to supply an inherently corrupt Ukraine with weapons, depleting its own reserves. This invasion also sparked a worldwide energy crisis, so what do the brain-dead Americans do? They sell oil from their strategic reserve and cut back oil production.

Iran fears Saudi Arabia is developing peace agreements with Israel for the first time, so they invaded Israel using the Hamas terrorist network. As Iran gets closer to having nukes, a weaker Israel is imperative. War was declared by Israel which will no doubt escalate − requiring Americans to work additional overtime to build munitions for Israel. This war will further deplete American resources and distract our attention − to the great pleasure of the Chinese, who want to invade Taiwan.

The Russian ruble is down to a penny on the dollar, and the Chinese economy is falling off a cliff. Leaders are getting nervous − from North Korea, Iran, Russia, and China, to name a few. They fear an uprising by their own people most of all. Perhaps better to distract them with a war? World War III?

Good thing everything is OK here in America though. Oh wait. I forgot about the House of Representatives being broken. Forgot about the degraded fuel and ammunition stores. And strange all this alongside a Russia hoax, and a questionable election of the Biden family with its ties to Ukraine and China. There are serious issues being ignored by a bunch of woke Americans. And for the sake of ratings, a subversively biased media throws gasoline on a powder keg of angry citizens.

My observation is that WWIII began a few years ago and is just now heating up.

W. G. Hatfield, Blue Ash

Stunned by Davidson's criticism of humanitarian aid

Regarding, "Cincinnati Jewish group starts fund to assist Israel," (Oct. 10): A tweet posted Saturday is quite rich. U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup, of Butler County, sitting risk-free in a heavily gerrymandered, unconstitutional district, took an early political shot in a tweet at the Biden administration for lifting a freeze on $6 billion in humanitarian aid as the onslaught of Hamas rockets hit Israel, implying that access to those funds fueled Hamas to attack.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken states Sunday that those Iranian funds, unfrozen in a prisoner swap, remain unspent in a bank in South Korea. No U.S. taxpayer dollars are involved.

I’m stunned by that tweet. The House Republican has quite a bit of urgent work of his own to finish. Our U.S. House is paralyzed without a Speaker and the looming, budget deadline is again, just a few weeks away. All of this occurs amid the constant turmoil and vulgar rhetoric that characterize "business as usual" in the U.S. House.

Where would Mr. Rogers’ mother look for help with early reports of war crimes, hostage taking, U.S. citizens killed and possibly captured by Hamas? She would certainly not look to Ohio District 2 for comfort or aid.

Beth Sheehan, Mt, Washington

Leave your leaves for wildlife's sake

Referencing Chris McKeown's "Don't listen to the 'experts.' Why you totally SHOULD rake your leaves this fall," misses one of the most important reasons to leave your leaves: wildlife. Mulching leaves kills countless hibernating insects and other invertebrates that use the leaves for winter shelter.

We're seeing a precipitous decline in invertebrate numbers due to habitat loss, increase pesticide use and, yes, current lawn care practices. This has a direct effect on the populations of other animals, like birds that rely on them for food. The best practice, therefore, is still "leave the leaves."

Rebecca Lexa, Master Naturalist, Long Beach, WA

Tax credit a win for landlords, renters, companion animals

A new Ohio bill would provide tax credit for renters with companion animals. So far in 2023, 51,000 dogs were euthanized − a 37% increase from 2022 (not including cats). One hundred thousand dogs/cats await adoption. Yet kittens/puppies/old and special needs animals with no hope face death as animals are euthanized due to lack of space as pets are crowded to shelters.

Giving tax credit to landlords is a win for mental and emotional health for pets as well as renters. I doubt the tax credit is given merits considering that in 2009, Thad McCutter introduced in Congress to amend IRS Code 1986 to allow a deduction for pet care expenses/veterinary expenses for home pets (not breeders) and it died in Congress. It was called the HAPPY ACT (Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years).

We all face increases in living and more folks now are living paycheck to paycheck than ever before. Those on fixed income are just juggling life with Social Security. Have you seen veterinary expenses? It's a shame we have to forfeit a loved pet just to survive. I agree, Ohio has to be prepared for what's going to be the inevitable future for rent, but look at the inevitable future for animals in shelters. Don't just help the renters, help those precious pets awaiting a loving home.

Sami Smith, Madeira

Issue 24 would help to reduce affordable housing gap

Thanks to Randy Tucker for three outstanding stories over the past week documenting why Cincinnati’s affordable housing crisis is rapidly getting worse, citing our region’s huge disparity in incomes − Black households’ median income is $37,659 − and inflation in housing costs.  He also gave voters an excellent summary of Issue 24, which would cost the average household $11 a month and generate $40-$50 million a year to close the yawning gap in affordable housing. Sixty-five percent of the funding would go to those households with less than 30% of area median income:  $30,350 for a family of four. Subsidies are essential to build housing that a major proportion of our community can afford on the wages they can earn.

I serve on the City’s Human Services Advisory Committee. This spring we reviewed grant proposals from nonprofits working to prevent or overcome homelessness. City Council awarded a total of $3.43 million in Human Services grants for this purpose − a ludicrous sum, given the scale of the need. If we pass Issue 24 this year and next, committing a tiny contribution from each of us, we will create a dedicated annual revenue stream to significantly reduce the housing gap. We need to save our children from the trauma of homelessness.

Ariel Miller, Kennedy Heights 513-236-9872

Railroad sale: Gift horse or Trojan Horse?

When the Mercantile Library downtown was created in the 1800s, they opted for a 10,000-year lease in their purchase. I was amused upon learning that, but the wisdom of the creators of the library knew what they were doing. Even though many future generations living on this planet will long be dead before the 10,000 years occur, what it gave to the Mercantile was absolute control of their future and their own destiny.

As far as the Cincinnati Southern Railway goes, there is no long-term lease, but once sold the city no longer has any control of the usage of that 300-plus-mile-long railroad, and Norfolk Southern Corp. likely will have no restrictions on its usage. We can always learn from history about such things as gifts, which in this case, we are led to believe it is a gift to be getting $1.6 billion for the railroad. It would do us well to remember the saying "beware of the Greeks bearing gifts" from Virgil's Aeneid, and the warning about the Greeks giving the "Trojan Horse" during the Trojan War.

Now the issue of selling the railroad certainly seems like a gift horse, but what would be the harm in waiting a year or two to really determine the value and scope behind selling it as well as informing the public. It could be included in the 2024 election.

Tom Osterman, Clifton

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ban flavored vapes, but leave menthol tobacco products alone