Letters: We didn't fight for slap in the face Ohio Republicans doling out with power grab
A slap in face to all who fought for freedom
Republicans in the Ohio legislature are proposing a statewide referendum to require a 60% majority vote to make changes in the Ohio constitution, thus minority rules.
I served as a first lieutenant and platoon leader in combat in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division. We fought in major combat battles including Firebase Ripcord where two battalions of approximately 800 resulted in 139 deaths and over 400 wounded.
More:Our view: 'Hastily prepared,' undemocratic constitution change would erode your vote
I was one of the only lieutenants to survive.
In another situation we were sent out to find a body of a soldier who fell off a helicopter during a battle. We searched for five hours and then rains came and they couldn't get us out. We were notified that there were over 5,000 enemy in the area thus we were surrounded.
We went down to a creek bed and followed it for two days and finally got to a place where we could get picked up. I really thought those were the last days of my life.
In the fall of 1970, we were in a 11-day rainstorm and thus we couldn't get resupplied. We went three days with only two meals and finally four days with no food moving each day and sleeping in the rain. In addition to my service, my dad and all three of my uncles served in the military during World War II.
I feel that we were fighting for freedom and not for a situation where the minority rules. In my opinion the requirement to require a 60% vote to pass a state constitutional amendment is a slap in the face to everyone that has fought for freedom.
John Georgiton, Columbus
More:How to submit a letter to the editor for The Columbus Dispatch
Power above all else
Last year the taxpayers of Ohio paid $20 million due to the redistricting fight.
Now the GOP wants another special election to make it harder to change the Ohio constitution because they want to limit women's rights to their own bodies. The majority of Ohio voters favor letting a woman decide what happens to her body and that would be affirmed by the existing laws in the November election.
Our view: 'Hastily prepared,' undemocratic constitution change would erode your vote
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The insurrectionist, women-hating, anti-democracy, Guns Over People party wants to spend $20 million of the taxpayer's money to avoid a fair majority rules question on women's rights.
Women should especially remember the 10-year-old rape victim about which the GOP lied. The party of old white guys is in power and they want to protect their power/income base by limiting citizen action now and in the future.
The GOP should pay for this dirty political election with profits from FirstEnergy bribes.
Stephen Johnson, Columbus
Don't let them do this
Republicans in the General Assembly want to limit the right of the citizens to amend our constitution for the purpose of increasing their power over us. There are political motivations of course, but the main reason is to give them more control over each of us.
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If we let them do this then we deserve what we get.
The Ohio Constitution can be amended by majority vote now, and there is no good reason to require a super majority vote. No reason, that is, unless you are currently in power in the legislature.
Harry Reinhart, Columbus
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Letters: We didn't fight in war to have rights seized by Ohio Republicans
