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Medical research is worth the cost

DEAR EDITOR: I found Vaughn Smider’s article in The Vindicator very interesting, but at the same time very upsetting. Vaughn Smider is a former Jackson-Milton graduate who now does biomedical research. His laboratory studies antibodies which are the molecules in our blood that fight infection. He does research for all diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, heart disease, cancer and many more. His research is funded by NIH, which is now being taken away by DOGE. I have a relative who is being treated for cancer every four weeks with an antibody that attacks the cancer ...

Slice some salami instead of benefits

DEAR EDITOR: Just over a week ago, I attended the demonstration against Mike Rulli at his Canfield office location. There was a decent turnout despite being rather blustery. And there were a lot of great signs, such as, “Slice Salami — Not Benefits!” It was noisy, with cars enthusiastically honking their support. Now comes the hard part. There were no union members there, just former member retirees. And, other than the union staff guy, there was no one there under the age of 50. OK, here it comes … “I had to work.” Come on, people. The demonstration was at noon and ...

Trump covering Hegseth’s rear end

DEAR EDITOR: Is there no low this Trump administration will sink into to cover their backside? No former, retired or active duty military would believe the bold-faced lies that attack plans can be transmitted over unprotected signal lines. The arrogance and stupidity of the Trump cabinet who follows an untreated alcoholic Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will cause harm and death to those serving their country out of patriotism. Those of us veterans who have served our country know Pete Hegseth achieved the lowest field grade officer rank of Major. Other than his big mouth and ...

Money was well spent on Dr. Sahu

DEAR EDITOR: Regarding the “Onion” Letters to the Editor about the hiring of Dr. Ron Sahu as an expert witness for the appeal the city of Youngstown filed with the Ohio EPA. The opinion no matter how well intended, shows a lack of understanding of how serious this issue is and the needed expertise to fight for the rights of all people, including Youngstown residents to have to clean air, clean water and safe communities to live in. There is no time nor is it possible to have a city employee “bone up” on this issue to be ready to testify against the Ohio EPA. I have been an ...

A letter to the Mahoning Valley

DEAR EDITOR: As a Youngstown native, I wanted to care for the community that raised me. When the opportunity to serve the Mahoning Valley as an internal medicine physician presented itself in 2005, I answered the call. For the last 20 years, I have lived in the Mahoning Valley as a physician, an active member of our community, and a parent of children at St. Christine School and Ursuline High School. This is why I’m concerned about the challenge Mercy Health is having with its ongoing negotiations with Cigna. Our team has been negotiating in good faith for several months to secure ...

It’s the dumbing down of America

DEAR EDITOR: Not bad enough that our country continues to fall behind other industrialized nations when it comes to educational growth and achievement. Now we are witnessing firsthand the eradication of America’s Department of Education altogether. But that’s the least of our problems. Get ready as we continue to erase any semblance of democracy. How, you ask, can this be happening? Well, for openers, look back to what has been happening since the time of President Reagan, circa 1981-1989. During that time and subsequently, R-conservatives have morphed into ultra-conservative ...