Readers critical of Ohio GOP, schools that don’t teach phonics | Voice of the People

It’s past time to stop Ohio Republicans

Letter after letter, column after column on these pages decried the, now completed, power grab by the Republicans. They control all the levers of government in Ohio, save one: the ability of citizens to initiate constitutional amendments. So, they schemed to hold a $20 million special election in August, when they hope we are otherwise engaged in summer activities, and with many students and families on vacation, to sneak in a law to require a 60% plurality for any future amendment to become law.

It does not take a mathematician to understand how the chief schemer, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, concluded that Ohio’s constitution is at risk at 50% but protected at a 60% plurality. In recent months, Kentucky, Michigan and archconservative Kansas voted by pluralities of 53%, 56% and 59% respectively to temper the current assault on reproductive rights. Conservatives simply don’t have the votes to force Ohio back to those days soon after Roe was overturned, where a young rape victim had to travel to Indiana for an abortion.

LaRose attempted to justify the unjustifiable with his editorial, stating that these amendments “bypass our legislative process,” but my question is, what does he mean “our?" Through gerrymandering, my vote is scientifically determined by the map drawers to be irrelevant. This is possible because, in 2022, LaRose and the Redistricting Commission ignored the constitution that he now holds as so sacred. The Ohio Supreme Court, following two constitutional amendments, ruled that districts should reflect statewide 54% Republican preferences, but instead they connived to gain 68% and 79% of the Ohio House and Senate, respectively. Former Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, a Republican, reports that she will spend some time in retirement to craft a new amendment, saying “this time the constitutional amendment de-politicizes the redistricting commission.”

So, mark your calendars for Aug. 8, and vote down this legislative theft. Then vote against every Republican in November and don’t vote for them again until they learn who they work for. And keep your eyes open next year for O’Connor’s amendment for non-gerrymandered, competitive districts.

Bob Pelle, Copley

Support for phonics instruction

Regarding your editorial “Why Ohio must ensure students receive phonics instruction,” I have a personal story from 35 years ago.

In the 1980s, we moved from Bath to Dublin near Columbus. One of our children was in second grade. Dublin told us he couldn’t read and put him in remedial reading.

While in Bath, his teacher taught “whole language” or, as they now call it, “balanced literacy.” No phonics. His class was chosen to pilot this new method because his teacher had done her master’s thesis on “whole language.” She was using my son and his classmates as guinea pigs.

Within a few months of learning phonics in Dublin, he was out of remedial reading.

These headlines are not news to me. It is shocking that this is still going on. Get the progressives out of our classrooms. They are making our kids dumber.

Lynne Abramovich, Akron

Why are Republicans scared of voters?

Most of us agree that regardless of age, gender or color, every American should have equal access to the ballot. Apparently Republican leaders disagree.

Longtime GOP lawyer and fundraiser Cleta Mitchell, who tried to help former President Donald Trump overturn the 2020 presidential election, recently told GOP donors that conservatives should try to limit voting on college campuses, same-day voter registration and automatic mailing of ballots to registered voters. Mitchell offered a strategy to reduce voter access and turnout among certain groups that tend to vote Democratic, including students and those who vote by mail.

According to the audio, she asked: “What are these college campus locations? What is this young people's effort that they do? They basically put the polling place next to the student dorm, so they just have to roll out of bed, vote, and go back to bed.”

Clearly Republicans hope to disenfranchise students. You can fight their effort by supporting the Civics Center, a nonpartisan organization devoted to helping register high school and college students as first-time voters. The Civics Center needs adults willing to supervise student-led registration drives and identify opportunities for such drives at high schools and universities. Why not be one of them?

Ursula Hays, Strongsville

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Readers critical of Ohio GOP, schools that don’t teach phonics