Letters: Ohio Board of Ed member's resolution will stop government's 'reign of terror.'

Letters to the Editor
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The Ohio State Board of Education is debating a resolution to push back against the Biden Administration's new requirements under Title IX that seek to protect LGBTQ+ students from discrimination.
The Ohio State Board of Education is debating a resolution to push back against the Biden Administration's new requirements under Title IX that seek to protect LGBTQ+ students from discrimination.

Get registered

Voting has already begun for our Nov. 8 general elections. Oct. 11 is the deadline for registering to vote. For those legally eligible to vote, there is no reason not to be registered, to be educated about candidates and issues, and to vote either by mail, early in person, or in person on Nov. 8.

Oct. 11 is the deadline for registering to vote.
Oct. 11 is the deadline for registering to vote.

More:A guide to voter rights in Ohio. What you need to know before you cast a ballot

Our Secretary of State's website is user-friendly and has information every voter needs: https://www.ohiosos.gov/

Ohio voters have many challenges with our state's district mapping issues and misinformation in candidate ads, but our right and responsibility to cast our vote supersedes these challenges.

Get registered, get educated, go vote.

John Seryak, Reynoldsburg

Flags 'an outright disrespect'

Regarding the Oct. 1 letter, "Thin blue line shouldn't go through Old Glory," about the defacement of the American flag with the thin blue line flag or similar flags such as the thin red line flag, I proffer my opinion.

More:Letters: The 'thin blue line' should not go through Old Glory. Don't deface American flag

My dad was a Marine and most of my male family members have served in the Marine Corps. After graduating Ohio state University, I myself served as a Marine, and in the U.S. Navy as a Corpsman.

My dad was also a police officer and/or sheriff's deputy for three different jurisdictions, and I was subsequently a career firefighter, now retired.

A thin red line flag covers the locker of a fallen firefighter.
A thin red line flag covers the locker of a fallen firefighter.

I definitely feel I have the relevant background and education to weigh in on this with, and I have to say I completely agree with the writer of said article.  Not only do the thin blue line and thin red line flags deface and disrespect Old Glory and every veteran who served under her, it's an outright disrespect to the entire country, and is against federal law.

Trying to codify either into Ohio law merely invites a federal challenge and more wasted taxpayer dollars on a fight the state cannot win.

State law simply doesn't trump federal law. It likewise puts the state of Ohio in the unenviable position of supporting desecration to the American flag, which is a disgusting proposition in and of itself.

Bottom line, no self-respecting Ohio lawmaker should pit themselves against the national flag and completely disrespect America's greatest symbol of justice, freedom, and democracy! Surely, we are better than that!

God bless the American flag. Forever may she wave!

Michael A Lauinger, Grove City

Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor

Share your thoughts:How to submit a letter to the editor for The Columbus Dispatch

Thin blue line flag used honorably

I write regarding the Oct. 1 letter "Thin blue line shouldn't go through Old Glory." Is it possible that many who display the thin blue line flag are doing so:

More:Ohio lawmakers want to prohibit landlords, HOAs from banning 'thin blue line' flags

  • to simply acknowledge those who serve and protect us every day and are prepared to lay down their lives in the process as so many have year after year, day after day;

  • in memory and respect to those they served with who lost their lives while placing themselves in harm’s way to protect the public - to protect you;

  • in honor of their loved one, in my case one of my children, who serves as a police officer, who just helped solved a homicide following a senseless shooting or recently attended to a woman who was near death after being stabbed over 20 times and assisting in saving her life;

  • as a reminder of their own career where they continuously placed themselves in precarious and dangerous situations in an effort to rid local communities of violent and destructive offenders and thereby made those communities safer?

A visit to the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C., is a humbling experience. I would encourage you to step away from the comfort of your office and computer and maybe make a visit.

What do you say? I’ll meet you there and point out a friend - a fellow officer whose name is in engraved on the memorial and I’ll tell you what a fine man, husband, father and officer he was. I will also tell you how much he was dedicated to serving others and the immense respect he showed all he encountered.

Lastly, I will tell you he is simply one officer among thousands represented at the memorial who demonstrated those same fine qualities.

I challenge you to visit, attend the Law Enforcement Officer’s Vigil during police week, visit the museum and consider writing a follow-up letter.

Just a thought.Paul Huber, Manassas, VA

'Want more drivers? Pay them better'

COTA wants to recruit more drivers by offering starting pay of $17.50 an hour (Oct. 2, "COTA says it needs to hire more drivers").  But COTA 's hourly wage falls short of the $26.04 that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports as the average wage in Columbus.

Drivers can make more money by driving for Fed Ex, UPS, or even working in the Amazon warehouse. Want more drivers? Pay them better.

COTA currently has 592 drivers, but it needs 700.
COTA currently has 592 drivers, but it needs 700.

More:COTA trying to lure more drivers to restore service frequency on routes

COTA's answer to its driver shortage is to cut back service, which will diminish COTA's ridership and hurt those who rely on COTA to get to their own jobs.

COTA has money to spare, budgeting $10 million dollars to upgrade its headquarters, and another $2.4 million to create a GO! Mobility Lab. With that "innovation," COTA will post signs with arrival times.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be room on sidewalks on Indianola for such signage, so I doubt I will be able to learn when the #4 Indianola bus to downtown will make its hourly (post-service cutback) appearance. I would prefer, as the great majority of bus riders would, to have more frequent service. 

More:In name of climate justice, let everyone ride COTA free | Opinion

A better plan for COTA's future was offered by former COTA board member Bob Weiler (May 29, 2019, "Make bus ridership free and watch it pay off"), who noted that free bus service could be paid for by raising the COTA sales tax by just 0.1% (one penny on $10).

Free COTA service would help employers, low-wage workers, students, decrease congestion on roads and freeways, protect the environment, and remove the burden on drivers of fare collection. 

Bob Handelman, Columbus

It's all about who you know

The odoriferous lack of comment from city hall and Mayor Andrew Ginther surrounding the sweetheart deal with the Columbus Crew written about by Bill Bush on Oct. 4 ("Past due") is another clear indication that deals abound from the government on rent and real estate if you know the right people.

More:Crew's rent for Lower.com Field only $10 a year, but team still late with payments

First, it was Riverside Hospital being awarded an exit ramp off of route 315 and then the Columbus Zoo given the chosen few special rent on homes and now the 10-dollar rent scandal.

Our politicians and public officials deliver quid pro quo Columbus-style. I am glad we have our local newspaper and local reporters ferreting out malfeasance of our public officials.

Michael Oser, Columbus

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Letters: Ohio Board of Ed member's resolution protects parents' rights