The very same right wing propaganda machine that brought us the swift boat ads last year is now coming to Ohio trying to tell us how to vote this fall!
Issues 2-5 are good for all Ohioans. All they do is ensure that an independent, non-partisn commission will oversee our elections and draw districts, make it easier for out-of-state military and working people to vote absentee and limit corporate campaign contributions to a reasonable level.
Election reform is badly needed in Ohio, and Issues 2-5 are for everyone who believes democracy is for all of us.
— Jeff Robertson, Kettering
Look at the Whole Picture
OK, there's a problem with sexual offenders' housing restrictions. And where is the resolution or tentative alternative?
One half of the situation is that these offenders can't live here or there. What are the stats on those who become repeat offenders? I bet it's not 100 percent of those who were convicted, served years and got off parole. So what about the few who are trying wholeheartedly to change their lives and just live somewhat normally?
What about the few who actually have paid their dues and want to have a place to live and work without being maimed, killed or thrown out into the streets?
Well, it seems to me that Ohio officials don't want these people to live certain places, and without decent housing it's almost impossible to find a good job. So where are the programs to help with these transitions?
Yes, the safety of our children is our government's main focus in this issue, but this one-sided attitude is creating havoc. Who actually benefits from this situation besides the guy running for office and trying to scare voters?
Votes might be gained by this half-baked approach, but when our taxes go up because of increased crime (ex-offenders trying to survive), homelessness (which is unsightly to the city) and prison housing for those who just return because they have no other choice, who gets blamed then?
My father used to tell me that if you have a complaint don't complain unless you have a suggestion to fix the problem. Where is that thought in all of this? When in God's name will we start thinking for ourselves, stand up for what our hearts feel and quit being robots of our government?
When will society realize that no one is perfect and become willing to offer a little tiny bit of support? It's OK to be apprehensive. But for all of those out there struggling against the high and mighty holier-than-thou government and our "perfect human" neighbors, get down and look in their closets! No one is without fault.
There is another side to all of this, too, When are parents going to teach their children what they need to know about all of this so that they'll not be harmed? Parents need to be responsible also!
I realize that this will fall on blind eyes. It has before, but I refuse to accept that the government is helping us by not looking at the whole picture!
— Margo Hunt, Eastgate
