Expect IRS offices to rise up in cities across the country

If President Donald Trump is reelected, I suspect he will establish Internal Revenue Service offices in every city, town and village so the agency can receive tax returns in person. It is clear that mailed-in or electronically filed taxes have led to widespread fraud, so requiring in-person submissions will bring an end to cheating the IRS.

The pandemic is not an excuse for not paying the IRS in person.

Lester Barnhart, London

Democratic strategy is pitting Americans against one other

The Democrats spent the first night of their national convention trying to make the case that they are the political party that is best suited to unify America. However, I continue to scratch my head and wonder how pitting one group against another will accomplish this objective.

We continue to be told that the problems of lower income individuals are caused by the rich, problems of women are caused by men, employee problems are caused by their employers and the problems of Black individuals are caused by whites.

Dividing Americans into groups of victims and perpetrators is not a unifying strategy and will only continue to divide us. Surely, Americans can see through the incongruity of this approach and will question whether a party with this point of view can achieve its stated aim of unifying the country.

David Fowler, Westerville

There’s never been anything civil about American politics

Politics has always been a rough-and-tumble activity in which competing ideas are boldly put forth and the American people get to be the judge. It's not an arena for the faint-hearted.

As one example among many, Alexander Hamilton referred to the short and squat John Adams as "His Rotundity." What's noteworthy there is that Hamilton and Adams were members of the same political party.

So when John Kasich sets forth civility as a norm in politics, I am amazed that he has learned so little in all of his years in public life.

Jay Hoster, Columbus

Voter suppression taking place in Ohio, nationwide

The failure of the Ohio legislature to make reasonable election accommodations for the extraordinary times that we’re in, such as allowing online absentee ballot requests and multiple early voting sites per county, and the Ohio secretary of state’s arbitrary decision to allow just one ballot drop box per county, amount to just one thing: voter suppression.

Meanwhile the president is attempting to slow the mail and sow mistrust in our whole elections system. The electoral chaos that might result is predictable, but some of it could be prevented.

Secretary of State Frank Larose’s unwillingness to lean in as the chief election officer, to lead and recognize that our democracy functions best when more eligible voters are able to cast their ballots, is a shame.

The decision to not allow counties to make available more drop-off ballot boxes has nothing to do with the security of the vote and everything to do with limiting opportunity to vote, especially given the postal service has warned Ohio that many legally cast ballots might not be returned in time via the mail.

The concerns we’ve heard that multiple ballot boxes would somehow be insecure or allow for ballot stuffing are irresponsible nonsense. State law and our county boards of election have strict procedures in place that make that sort of thing impossible, and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise.

Franklin County encompasses 544 square miles, and isn’t even one of the 15 largest Ohio counties. The notion that one ballot drop box is sufficient for our 1.3 million residents is absurd, even more so for larger or more rural counties.

No one should have to choose between their health and their vote, or wonder whether their vote will count at all. It is vital that the state make every effort to preserve this sacred right for every Ohioan to have their say, and multiple ballot drop boxes in each county is a safe and obvious way to do that.

John O’grady, president, Franklin County Board of Commissioners

Trump’s beef with Goodyear brings to mind the Hatch Act

The president wants us to boycott Goodyear because it doesn’t allow political clothing in the workplace. Not only is this tacky, but what about government workers? They are forbidden by the Hatch Act from the exact same thing.

Will President Trump next tweet that we should boycott the federal government? Just another Kafka-esque situation from Donald Trump. Election Day cannot come soon enough.

Bob Finney, Pataskala

President’s enablers allow him to lay waste to environment

I sincerely hope that we are paying attention to President Donald Trump’s ongoing assault on the environment and that voters will reject his policies that endanger our health and that of our planet.

The rollback of 68 environmental policies and 22 more in progress should be a concern to us all. Our representatives are just as guilty as Trump and lack the backbone to stand up for the environment.

I’m all for MAGA: “Make America Green Again!”

John Stumpf, Worthington

Democrats should stop griping and run for office

I was amazed at the solution proposed by Ohio Democrats to our state’s and country’s problems: elect more Democrats (“At ‘luncheon,’ Dems pin Ohio’s problems on GOP,” Dispatch article, Wednesday). Republicans are running unopposed in 16 out of 99 Ohio House districts in November, including mine.

Uncontested races are bad for our state and bad for democracy, and they seem to be occurring more frequently in our state. If Ohio Democrats want more Democrats elected, more of them should run.

At least put up some kind of fight! Tim Wallick, Etna

Recent performance shows postal service needs help

I respond to the New York Times article “Postal cuts on hold until election over” in Wednesday’s Dispatch. My concern is whether we can restore the cuts in service that were made. I have noticed, as others have, the slowdown in first-class mail, but taking seven days for a check to come to Hebron from Newark is a bit too long.

I expected the check on Aug. 1 or 2. When it had not arrived by Aug. 6,

I phoned and was told the check was put in the mail on July 31. On Aug. 7, the check arrived. The stamp was not cancelled and there were no post office indicia on the face of the envelope.

But, on the back there was a small stamp that said Columbus OH, 31 Jul ’20, PM. If postmarks are important in the upcoming election, does this suffice and more importantly, will it be seen? I will be standing in line at the post office to get a hand stamp on my ballot envelope and on the front of the envelope.

Also, I would like the post office hours of service in Hebron restored. Recently, the hours for clerk service have been reduced 1 hour and 15 minutes, with one hour of shutdown being from noon to 1 p.m. I know this is common in many offices, but to implement this cut now, at the beginning of the election period, raises a red flag.

How can a business that depends on customers coming into its store shut down its cash registers for one hour in the middle of the day?

I will be watching the U.S. House hearing on Monday and hope that I will hear questions and answers to these concerns.

Constance Pond, Hebron