Letters: After East Palestine, do we really want Norfolk Southern buying railroad?

I read the article in the Sunday, Feb. 6, Enquirer regarding the sale of the railroad to Norfolk Southern. Mayor Aftab Pureval is all for the sale. I guess he will be happy to have all that money to spend. But do we really want Norfolk Southern to buy our railroad? Isn't that the company causing all the problems in East Palestine?

I really don't want them operating in the Cincinnati area. Leave well enough alone and keep our railroad ours.

Carol Kahn, Amberley Village

Portman touted bipartisanship only when in the minority

In a quote from his farewell speech, former senator Rob Portman decries that, "Issues cannot be solved by one party running over the other and imposing its will on the Senate and the country." I assume he is referring to the Republican-controlled Senate refusing to grant Merrick Garland a Supreme Court confirmation hearing. Or, perhaps to the hurried confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett in violation of the very justification they used to deny Mr. Garland a vote.

Mr. Portman’s posture as a reasonable centrist was just that − a posture and a pose. He touted the necessity for bipartisanship only when he was in the minority.

Steve Carleton, Wyoming

Ramaswamy smart enough to know he won't be GOP 2024 nominee

Vivek Ramaswamy has much to justifiably admire. He is by any measure an academically and business brilliant man. He is a ranked tennis player, too. He has placed himself in the run for the Republican 2024 presidential primary ("Meet St. X grad now running for president," March 5).

He is, by his own description, a political conservative. Fair enough, unless one considers his writing and positions. When he says he is against diversity, equity and inclusion, it hardly seems likely he learned that at St. Xavier High School. Fair again as that became manifest in his college − Harvard − and later years. Not too fair that the party he favors identifies white, male, Christians as the standard bearers. Well, he is male, but as an Indian American Hindu, he has eliminated himself by decrying diversity and inclusion.

He does have the favor of many in his party as he rejects environmental, social (a mishmash of writing on LGBTQ issues that produces heat, not light) and governance movements. He won’t be disappointed because he is smart enough to know he will not be the 2024 GOP nominee.

Nancy Rowles, Covington, Ky.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Letters: After East Palestine, do we really want Norfolk Southern buying railroad?