Letters: Maybe Republicans are afraid they are out of touch

Letters to the Editor
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Student loan debt holders protest outside the White House staff entrance on July 27, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Student loan debt holders protest outside the White House staff entrance on July 27, 2022, in Washington, D.C.

'How stupid we were'

My wife and I are chumps.

We and our families, made economic and life choices to put ourselves through college and professional school. We did the same for our daughters, Cheri and Devon.

Letters20 years later, we're still paying off daughters' student loan. Break needed.  

How stupid we were in believing we should stand on our own economic feet and not count on the government to excuse our tuition payments. A sucker is born every minute and we were born in that minute.

Michael Oser, Columbus

More:How to submit a letter to the editor for The Columbus Dispatch

Maybe Republicans are afraid

Supporters of Fair Districts in Ohio rally outside the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, after a Ohio Redistricting Commission held a meeting on Thursday, October 28, 2021.
Supporters of Fair Districts in Ohio rally outside the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, after a Ohio Redistricting Commission held a meeting on Thursday, October 28, 2021.

If you are not outraged by the current congressional election process in Ohio, as outlined in the August 28article “How Ohio’s Redistricting Reform Failed,” then you cannot claim to be a supporter of representative democracy.

The intent of this country’s grand experiment in self-governance was for citizens to select representatives who would use their wisdom, experience, knowledge and common sense to carry out the will of their constituents, thereby improving the lives of the citizenry overall. It cannot be overstated what a bold and noble goal this was in a time of rule by royal fiat.

More:Disingenuous Ohio Republicans disregard will of people to maintain dominance

But current Ohio Republican decision makers must believe they know better than the Founding Fathers.

How else can you explain the GOP ignoring the will of the people, who overwhelmingly supported making the congressional districting process more fair and equitable, not once but twice? And how else can you explain the “Party of Law and Order” deliberately ignoring the rulings of the Ohio Supreme Court, who found the Republican-drawn maps to be unconstitutional on multiple occasions?

More:Ohio voters wanted redistricting reform. They got unconstitutional maps

I am a supporter of not only democracy, but also free and fair markets.

Maybe Republicans are afraid their goals and governing philosophy are so out of touch with mainstream Ohioans that they could never survive in a fair marketplace of ideas, so they want to rig the game. But in a functioning representative democracy, the voters should select their representatives, and not the other way around. We the people should have the power.

Steve Kretzer, Upper Arlington

It is the gun lobby

John Stumpf like a majority of sensible Americans, wants legislators to “do something” about passing stricter gun laws (Aug. 28 letter "We want stricter gun laws").

Sadly, that’s not going to happen anytime soon. The reason can be summed up in two words: gun lobby.

More:Whaley: Men in hazmat suits scrubbed blood from Dayton sidewalks. DeWine has only caved.

Anne Neiwirth, Bexley

Where are DeWine's priorities?

Ohio gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley, right, had little problem defeating John Cranley in the Democratic primary, but can she defeat incumbent GOP Gov. Mike DeWine in November?
Ohio gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley, right, had little problem defeating John Cranley in the Democratic primary, but can she defeat incumbent GOP Gov. Mike DeWine in November?

So a major plank of Gov. Mike DeWine's platform is to make talking on the phone while driving a primary offense, while Nan Whaley, his challenger, believes the most important issues are gun control and the right of women to choose for themselves when it comes to their own healthcare.

More:Thomas Suddes: Will Whaley best DeWine, can Vance clobber Ryan and what about abortion?

One of the jobs of any executive is to set priorities.

Who do you think gets it?

Syd Lifshin, Columbus

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Letters: 'My wife and I are chumps.' we paid our student loans.