- Beth Schaeffer, Dayton
Shame on the Cleveland Browns for signing Deshaun Watson, who has been accused of sexual misconduct with over 20 women. Shame on hiring Sean Miller who has been accused by the NCAA of cheating while he was the coach at Arizona. The University of Arizona fired Miller because of his conduct. Same on Gov. Mike DeWine for signing into law a bill allowing for concealed carry without a permit or training. I am a Democrat and voted for DeWine. Never again will I trust a politician who caves for political gain.
- Mark Kline, Springboro
Current world events should serve as a wakeup call to the continued importance of fossil fuels not only for energy but also as a stabilizing influence throughout the world. Unfortunately, environmentalists want the elimination of gas and oil at any cost.
Wind and solar are minor supplements at best and will continue to be so. These sources are only effective in geographies where wind and sun are plentiful. The one completely clean way of producing affordable energy is nuclear power. Unfortunately, environmental extremists have vilified the use of nuclear power for 40 years, even though the technology now allows for safe and economic production of energy. One has to wonder what their motive is in opposing nuclear. Even Europe is reconsidering it’s position on nuclear power.
It is laughable that the White House recently suggested that people who are concerned with rising fuel prices just purchase an EV for $50,000. Just don’t plan on going on vacation since you have to spend most of your time at a charging station - if you can afford to go in the first place.
Oil and gas is still the most cost effective way to produce energy and it is produced much more cleanly in the United States that it is in other oil-producing countries. Continue to maximize production of oil and gas for the foreseeable future and continue to develop viable alternatives that can work as well and as cheaply as oil and gas.
- Ken Brust, Springfield
It would seem that Ray Marcano takes offense at the idea of any negative response to his opinions. Let’s take a closer look at some of his views:
“Bill makes it OK to carry a handgun without a permit” That would actually be the Second Amendment.
“Doesn’t require people who want a gun to get training”. First of all, I would say that those who want to carry are currently carrying and very familiar with their firearms. I would propose that there are few who will rush out and buy a gun simply because they are not forced to learn how to use it.
“Forces cops to ask occupants of a car if they have a gun.” If I am a law officer, I consider every occupant to be armed. I don’t mind asking. Besides, will the one who intends to shoot me announce it?
“I know what people are trying to say when they write ‘inner city.’” I know what I mean... the area which is inside the city limits. He then goes on to present statistics concerning who is shooting whom, rather than where who was shooting whom.
“According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention...” Why wouldn’t he be quoting from law enforcement data rather than the CDC whose data would likely include any gun related death (accidental, suicidal, etc.) and more than likely exclude much more.
You’ll notice that Ray never mentions cities such as Chicago (very strict gun laws), Baltimore, Seattle and others. He also deals with “per capita” figures when they fit his narrative, then switches to “totals” when they don’t.
He goes on to blame those politicians who are in bed with the NRA and won’t enact policies to keep society safe. As I recall, we have a multitude of laws with the intent of doing just that. He says those 9 out of 10 criminals are there because it was “too easy” to get guns, rather than they have no respect for the law. I guess the solution is to make it harder for the law-breaker to break the law.
- Ron Forsee, Dayton
There is a more significant point we are overlooking in the March 20 column where Ray Marcano addressed the constitutional carry of concealed weapons (HB 215). Yes, as Marcano expressed, it appears the “legislative middle finger” was indeed given to law enforcement and it surely appears that politics prevailed over commonsense.
When Marcano mentioned that Governor DeWine chose “politics over lives” rather than meaningful gun reform, his words reflected a more significant point: a crisis of confidence and trust in our government. George Washington warned us in his 1796 farewell address about the danger of “combinations and associations” (political parties) and how these “in the course of time and things, (may) become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people …” We are now more likely to be subjected to unwarranted claims of “fake news,” politicians falsely attacking our once revered electoral process as well as selfishly grandstanding during the Kavanaugh, Coney Barrett, and Brown Jackson Supreme Court confirmation hearings. All of this is reinforced through partisan 24-hour cable news networks. We can’t even get the “adults” in the room to sit down and draw fair legislative boundaries.
I have to be careful not to overgeneralize but it seems as if Congress, and state legislatures, have too many of George Washington’s “cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men (and women).” It’s time for good people, politicians and citizens alike, to stand up and climb out of their suffocating ideological quicksand. Of course, if re-election is a politician’s primary goal rather than honoring the core values of this great country, the manipulation, deception, shameless lying, and strict party-line votes will continue.
- R. Gregg Cross, Xenia