RINOS and MAGA and muscle cars, oh my!

Re “How Bernie Moreno won Ohio GOP Senate primary: 4 takeaways from his win,” March 20: Old guard Republicans were left at the side of the road in Tuesday’s race with former Cleveland car dealer Bernie Moreno turned MAGA muscle car driver.

Getting behind the wheel of the MAGA muscle car cleared the road to victory for Moreno in Ohio even though Moreno did not support Trump in 2016 and once tweeted that listening to Trump was “like watching a car accident that makes you sick, but you can’t stop looking.”

Former President Donald Trump swept away any debris left over from the accident appearing in a rally in Dayton three days earlier wearing a bright red hat that blared “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” in bold white letters.

The hat’s bent bill served as a canopy that cast Trump’s squinty eyes and constantly moving mouth in a shadow. When Trump predicted a “bloodbath” if he isn’t elected in November, it painted his staged message even redder, and darker.

Surely, it’s about time established Republicans stop wishing old-guard guardrails such as backing by Gov. Mike Dewine and former U.S. Sen. Rob Portman will save their candidates from being forced off the road into an Ohio ditch by a passing MAGA muscle car.

If only “RINO” conjured up a feared 5,000-pound beast with a short temper.

Instead of “Republican in Name Only” in a political party where being labeled a “fake” puts you in the dreaded category alongside the mainstream media, prosecutors, judges, and juries who dare to hold Trump accountable for breaking America’s laws, and Americans who vote in “rigged” presidential elections that Trump loses.

While rioters who storm the U.S. Capitol to overturn the elections, harm Capitol police, and threaten to harm our nation’s highest officials, are the real American “patriots” who when convicted naturally become “hostages.”

After all, it makes sense that RINOS become roadkill and that “riot” explains a “patriot.”

In Ohio, where Trump delivered a speech that was an omen for bloodshed.

John E. Reinier Sr., Columbus

Public transportation shouldn’t be about private profits

In the heart of our rapidly growing city lies a critical issue that demands immediate attention: the inadequate state of public transportation in Columbus. As someone deeply concerned with the trajectory of our community’s mobility and equity, I feel compelled to address the root causes and propose a sustainable path forward.

Our city’s reliance on personal vehicles, exacerbated by historical urban planning decisions, has led to a transportation system that significantly disadvantages those without access to a car. Notably, eight percent of Ohio households, with a disproportionately higher rate among African American families at 20 percent, find themselves stranded in a mobility desert.

This stark reality underscores the pressing need for an accessible, efficient public transit system.

The solution lies not only in enhancing our public transit infrastructure but in addressing the privatization that skews priorities away from the public good.

It is essential to treat financial lobbying by political action committees as akin to bribery, a crime against the public’s interest. Deprivatization of essential services, with a concerted shift toward funding and developing high-quality, high-speed public transit, is imperative for Columbus’ future.

As Columbus grows, the necessity for a deprivatized, equitable transportation system becomes increasingly urgent.

We must rally as a community, advocating for policy changes that prioritize the needs of all residents over private profits. It is time for collective action toward a more connected, equitable, and sustainable Columbus.

Ishan Gupta, Columbus