Letters: Based on his so-called opioid charity, J.D. Vance 'anything but a public servant'
What has J.D. Vance's charity really done?
I strongly urge everyone to vote no on J.D. Vance for Senate this November. J.D. Vance is a venture capitalist and walking special interest, he’s anything but a public servant.
Vance’s non-profit, called Our Ohio Renewal, was founded in 2016 to fight opioid addiction but hasn’t really done that, according to non-profit experts like Doug White. Our Ohio Renewal is instead a “charade... a superficial way for him (Vance) to say he’s helping Ohio.”
More:J.D. Vance's anti-drug charity enlisted doctor echoing Big Pharma
Roughly half of Our Ohio Renewal’s receipts allegedly have gone to Jai Chabria, who is a political strategist currently advising Vance’s Senate campaign. This is immoral, and possibly illegal.
Some of the funds donated to Our Ohio Renewal may have gone to a political poll to determine if 2018 would be a good year for Vance to run for Senate. Imagine donating money to a charity only to discover that your money actually went to someone’s political campaign?
Our Ohio Renewal even had the gall to hire Dr. Sally Satel as a resident physician, a senior fellow from the American Enterprise Institute with ties to Purdue Pharmaceuticals, the makers of OxyContin. Dr. Satel has repeatedly suggested that addiction is the result of behavior and environment, as opposed to the ingestion of addictive pain pills.
Meanwhile, Purdue Pharmaceuticals just paid out a $6 billion settlement earlier this year to the victims of its aggressive marketing and over-prescription campaigns. Campaigns that resulted in the unnecessary deaths of countless individuals.
Tim Ryan (Vance’s opponent) is a centrist Democrat with a reputation for fighting for American workers in Congress. Ryan is an Independent, more or less, unbeholden to any party boss and/or special interest. He’s got my vote this fall.
Jeff Robertson, Yellow Springs
Do you value truthful politicians?
Do you value truth, honoring one’s oaths, belief that the law in the U.S. should cover all walks of life equally, and the belief that voting offers a peaceful transfer of leadership?
More:Letter: Sham trial shows Senate, president are above law
If so, ask yourself why vote for a politician (or politicians) that:
“Kisses someone’s bottom” to gain a political office;
Know the truth but spew known lies or remain silent and thereby not honor their oath of office;
View men have the rights to govern their reproductive body health system by purchasing Viagra or scheduling a vasectomy without informing the law, yet vote that women’s rights to govern their reproductive body health system should be taken away and be investigated by the law;
Are afraid to voice their ideas because “they know they will be punched in the face" (Ted Cruz) by their appointed non-elected leader;
Believe that an elected politician is above the law?
Jean Gawronski, Powell
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Take money out of politics
Our number one concern should be electing leaders who put the good of the people ahead of the wishes of the few with lots of money to donate. Until that happens, it will not matter what voters think the important issues are because money decides that for us.
More:Special report: 16 donors pour $16 million into Ohio campaigns in past decade
When candidates sell their soul to the highest bidder and we keep electing those people, do we deserve what we get?
Every problem has a solution but if that solution is not one the people with money want, it does not matter. Environment, poverty, individual rights, crime? There will be no solutions until we elect people who can make policy without being indebted to campaign contributions.
More:Money speaks louder than ethics when it comes to climate change |Opinion
Who thought it was a good idea to flood the streets with guns? Who thought it was OK for us to support energy policy that is contrary to what scientists tell us we need? Who ignored the housing shortage until it became a crisis?
Our first concern should be to take the money out of elections because until that happens, our country is governed by those who can run the biggest con each election and it does not matter what we think.
Brenda Chaney, Columbus
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Letters: Voters should know about criticism of J.D. Vance's charity
