Governor doesn’t deserve fairgrounds honor

When I read that Cardinal Hall at the Ohio State Fairgrounds would be renamed Kasich Hall, I couldn't believe the irony (Dispatch article, Tuesday). The first governor in many years to forgo staying overnight (all eight chances he had) with the farmers and 4-H members of this great state will now have a building named after him.

Of course, when you've vacated many of the tenets of the Republican Party, it's no surprise you would also bypass a chance to become "one of the people," the very people who have contributed to your political success over the years.

Oh well, I guess being out of touch isn't that big of a deal; at least Kasich should do well in the 2020 election as a presidential candidate ... for the Democratic Party. Adam Wickham, Zanesville

Angelic choir infuses world with love

Thank you for the beautiful photograph of the Arts IMPACT Middle School choir on the front of Tuesday's Metro section. The kids look like angels! The boys and girls are really enjoying themselves during this Christmas tree-lighting performance at the State Auto Christmas Corner.

I was a music teacher 26 years in Columbus Schools, Windsor being my last assignment. I am very happily retired three years, but seeing those angelic faces reminded me of how much I loved my job and how much I miss the pure sound of the child voice as I worked with children who were excited about music. Not to mention what music in the school does to promote love, peace and harmony among children of many backgrounds.

To sing is to know oneself more completely! The picture of the children was priceless. They deserve to be seen in a good light like this much more often. Keep music always in our schools. Sue Mogan, Westerville

Property taxes will drive out Ohioans

Well, just got the new property tax bill in which ours jumped 8 percent over last year. This is insane. Ohio was one of the highest property-tax states in the country already.

I have lived in Mississippi, Tennessee, Maryland and California before moving to Ohio. When I tell friends/ relatives in any of these other states how much our property taxes are here, they literally gasp. If you want every retiree to move to a low-tax state (and take all their tax revenue with them), keep this up.

Rick Wood, Gahanna

Laity can make point with Eucharistic fast

I continue to be pained and filled with agonizing grief over the revelations of clergy and religious sexual abuse of minors within the Catholic Church. Most of my Catholic friends have similar emotional responses to the reports of investigative reporters and state attorneys general. Most recently, the Illinois attorney general found the number of allegations against clergy and religious leaders is much greater than originally thought.

What responses should or can we laity make to our church? Most laity feel impotent beyond the mantra put forth by Pope Francis and local bishops: “Pray and fast…”

Our church calendar observes the upcoming "Feast of the Holy" next Friday. I propose a call to action by observing a Eucharistic fast in support of the victim/survivors. Catholics who will be attending mass on Dec. 28 can fast from receiving the Holy Eucharist, the pivotal experience of the Catholic mass. During communion, each parishioner can approach the priest or Eucharistic minister, cross their arms over their chest and receive a blessing for sexual abuse survivors.

Many, if not most, survivors of clergy and religious sexual abuse find they are not able to participate in the liturgies of their Church; they have been betrayed and harmed beyond understanding. Parishioners can notify their pastor personally or through correspondence that they will be observing a Eucharistic fast in honor and support of these modern-day "holy innocents." If a laity member does not attend Mass on this Feast Day, they can observe a Eucharistic fast on any given Sunday, notifying the pastor and bishop of their action.

I encourage every baptized Catholic to find some action they can take to support the holy innocents of clergy and religious sexual abuse.

John Seryak, Reynoldsburg

Common-sense fee to keep city vibrant

The importance of the arts and culture in making a city attractive to organizations, businesses and individuals looking to relocate, as well as vibrant to tourists and residents, has been proved over and over. Their economic impact has also been repeatedly proved. Columbus City Council’s action on Dec.

10 in enacting a reasonable ticket fee in support of the arts and sports communities in our city was much needed and long overdue.

I take exception to how it has been characterized by those who oppose it. Despite much of the coverage, this is not a tax, but a user fee, paid only by the patrons who attend applicable events. The anti-arts group now circulating petitions nevertheless falsely continues to protest “a new tax” and is deliberately attempting to mislead the public by labeling its petition drive “A.R.T.”

City council acted wisely in establishing support for the arts, which both entertain and instruct thousands of patrons annually, but also the Columbus arts community is a vibrant and energetic one, with several hundreds of artists contributing their talents, supporting local and regional businesses, paying to live in the area, along with paying taxes — real taxes — into the civic, regional and state budgets.

Alan and Ann Woods, Columbus

Kasich must stand up for women, veto bills

For Christians, this season of Advent is a time of waiting. Right now, I’m waiting to see whether Gov. John Kasich will veto two bills that are critical to reproductive health care — the six-week abortion ban (House Bill 258) and the abortion method ban (Senate Bill 145).

As a faithfully pro-choice Christian, I firmly believe these bills are not about protecting life. If they were about life, then there would be exceptions for rape and incest. If they were about life, we would care just as deeply about children among us and provide them with safer schools and

health care.

My faith calls me to trust the moral agency of women (like Mary, the mother of Jesus) to decide what is best for their reproductive lives and families. We must work toward a compassionate society where women’s bodily autonomy is honored, and children are born wanted and welcomed into a safe community that provides for their needs.

I urge Gov. Kasich to veto both bills.

Elaina Ramsey, executive director, Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Groveport

Law, doctor’s decision put my life at risk

Kudos to the medical student who asked Gov. John Kasich at a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum to veto a bill that seeks to ban Ohio’s safest method of terminating a second-trimester pregnancy. He ducked the question, even though it was clearly motivated by the student’s desire to provide the best care to her future patients.

I am keenly interested in the governor’s answer because in 1965, when abortion was still illegal, I almost bled to death because my doctor did not terminate my pregnancy using the very method that Senate Bill 145 seeks to criminalize. The doctor eventually told me that I had miscarried a badly deformed fetus and would bleed to death unless he performed surgery. Fearing that he would be charged with performing an illegal abortion, the doctor waited until I was in danger of dying before giving me the proper medical care.

Senate Bill 145 is antiwoman and anti-doctor. It must be vetoed.

Maybe someday Ohio will have a governor who respects women and doctors, and maybe it will be this medical student.

Mary Kirtz, Oberlin