Lawmaker had no contact with Ohio Ethics Commission
The Friday Dispatch article “Critic of Dewine is facing allegations” quoted a Facebook posting by state Rep. Nino Vitale, R-urbana, that said he had “proactively” contacted the Ohio Ethics Commission and obtained guidance and “clarification” from the commission as to compliance and conduct in his public role.
Simply for accurate awareness in news coverage, the commission has no jurisdiction over members of the General Assembly or Ohio’s campaign finance laws. We have no knowledge or record in our offices that Vitale had any contact with the commission in connection with the reported issues or related comments he might have made or posted on social media.
Merom Brachman, chairman, Ohio Ethics Commission, Columbus
Trump, Republicans poor example for college students in pandemic
So let me get this straight: If an Ohio State University student hosted the kind of get-together President Trump had during his nomination acceptance speech on the White House grounds on Thursday, that student would be suspended from school. But our president can spend my taxpayer money doing whatever he likes to potentially spread the coronavirus.
Is this any way to provide leadership in a time when more than 180,000 American citizens have lost their lives to COVID-19?
Ric Cacchione, Westerville
Military families have same challenges that all of us do
The year after the General Assembly designated August as Military Family Month, my husband left for training and a yearlong deployment to Iraq, and I experienced first-hand what it means to be a military family as a spouse.
When my husband left for a tour in Iraq, I had three young kids and no family members living nearby to help. While there are various family readiness programs put in place to help reservists cope during times like those, the services vary widely and are often inadequate.
Over the years, I have tried to track down statistics on the impact of deployments on family cohesion, but it’s been difficult.
We should know if this is a problem with our reservists and their families, and if there are programs that could help.
Recognizing August as Military Family Month was just the first step. The second step should be for us to determine how we can support the military family more. The easiest thing anyone could do is to offer help.
The day after my husband left for his tour, our kitchen sink backed up. While I was trying to unclog it, a friend reached out to check on me. Once I mentioned my unsuccessful work of trying to unclog our sink, she immediately sent her husband over to help and he quickly fixed the problem.
I am not one to ask for help, and we may have likely been stuck with a clogged sink for the rest of the deployment. But my friend knew to do more than just ask. She acted.
So try to think about a military family who could use a card, a call or an unclogged sink.
Rep. Laura Lanese, 23rd Ohio House District, Grove City
Bailing out companies, deficit is bordering on socialism
I respond to the Sunday letter “Presidential election bigger than the two candidates” from Eugene Johnson. The current bailing out of companies at taxpayer expense with no payback provision and creating the biggest budget deficit in history sounds more like socialism than capitalism to me.
Business startups have been decreasing for years, at least by American entrepreneurs. And as far as profits growing businesses, that sounds like hot dogs and apple pie, too, but the gain in equities compared with the level of corresponding profits has been going down even before Trump’s mishandling of the pandemic.
We must go back to the days of Democrat Bill Clinton for those increasing numbers, so let's get real.
The average guy's share of the income pie likewise continues to decrease. Maybe Johnson should also check to see how the Federal Reserve is creating a fake economy, and let's not forget the temporary tax cut that didn't even pay for itself as it should have. Instead it allowed corporate executives to increase their own wealth with stock buybacks and very little facility expansion.
Best of all, let's not forget the tariff war with China (and others) that costs each family of four an extra $800 per year or the president who initiated them and told us the Chinese will pay for the tariffs on US imports. What?
Biden is a middle-of-the-road guy. Not all Democrats embrace free college for all or want an uncontrolled Green New Deal any more than all Republicans want children locked up at borders, believe Qanon conspiracy theories or want the U.S. to withdraw from NATO.
Johnson, like others, is looking for any generalized justification to overlook the obvious Trump problems of lying, cheating, immorality, incompetence, avoidance of the rule of law, lack of issue knowledge, multidimensional racism and lack of actual job performance beyond that which was a positive continuance from the previous administration.
I was a member of the now nonexistent Republican Party for 45 years ... until Trump.
John Thomas, Pickerington
Voters must realize what GOP and Democrats are striving for
It bothers me that many people will describe Democrats and Republicans like they all fit into one category.
We all want social programs that pay for our national and local governments to work. We pay taxes for the military, president, judicial system, Congress, governors, mayors, police and fire departments, etc. We also support funding schools, prisons, roads, bridges, etc.
We all want capitalism to work but competition is needed. We all want our infrastructure to get the repairs it needs desperately but tax breaks for the rich are resulting in far less tax money for our economic system to work.
Republicans get support from many groups. Some are referred to as moderates, conservatives, tea partiers, white supremacists and Qanon. (I should also mention many of the wealthiest 2% who don't have a group name.)
Democrats also get support from many groups. Some are referred to as moderates, liberals, progressives, democratic socialists and socialists.
We should all be aware of what each group is working toward. We should not put one political party's agenda into one group's agenda.
I believe that most Democrats want affordable (not free) health care and college. This is why the more “moderate” candidate, Biden, was nominated. Trump's campaign didn't even put out a Republican Party platform for 2020. That's how crazy this election has become.
Nora Dupriest, Reynoldsburg
Entertainment industry has run out of ways to help us chill
We look at the violent, turbulent, virus-infected country we live in today and it negatively affects our daily lives no matter whether we are conservative or liberal. The entertainment industry, once providing a welcome relief to world problems, has now become a contributor to the stress and anxiety all of us face.
Sports provided a mental sanctuary for two or three hours a week; our focus was totally on our team winning. The political climate today has destroyed that relief.
In a past life, turning on late-night TV gave us a lighthearted and relaxing way to end the day. The entertainment industry has decided that is not what it wants to do. It sends us to bed seething mad on the political slant it takes.
Either way, the viewer is denied that sorely needed respite from the turmoil of the day. The ways to relieve stress have become fewer and fewer. The entertainment industry has successfully taken one more release valve away from us at a time when more are needed.
Richard Caster, Westerville