Editorials

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I was happy to see the rally that was held this past Monday in support of Bill Johnson. I'm sure there are plenty more students and faculty that support him and this will show throughout his presidency of YSU. The protesters haven't changed their tune but it looks to me like the majority of students made the right decision and stayed in class. I mean isn't that why you're in college, to go to class and get an education? Again, congratulations Bill Johnson!

Boardman

After two months of constant and relentless negative coverage by the local media and a full-scale effort of "student leaders" handing out flyers and promoting their walk-out and protest Monday at YSU, it was attended by "about 50 people." Pretty pathetic turnout. Maybe, just maybe, the vast majority of people at YSU and surrounding area don't feel the same way as a very loud and whiny minority.

Canfield

I now believe Bill Johnson spoke truthfully declaring he did not bring politics with him to his plush new YSU job. Of course, even then, he planned on having two of his election-denying staffers carry water (at great expense) from his DC swamp for him. He will likely pour it onto students to immunize them against anything not far right. Interesting times are upon us.

Canfield

Writer from Campbell missed Judge Napolitano's point about the Civil War. Of course the war was about slavery -- but who's responsible? Few things are clear cut. War is always wrong unless it's self defense. Slavery is always wrong. The south bombed Fort Sumter to expel the north's military from seceded South Carolina but didn't attack other military posts. And Lincoln's army invaded Virginia three months later to squash secession. Both sides were wrong. 650,000 dead Americans are proof.

Boardman

Pet Peeve: I always wondered why counties charge dog owners a license fee but not one for cat owners. Why is that? The humane agencies are in dire need of additional funding. Using recent data charging a mere $5 license fee could bring in an additional $354,000 dollars. Is it not purr-fectly reasonable to consider this? Let's not be so discriminatory. Commissioners, don't be scaredy cats! Consider this as an option to help those agencies in need.

Struthers

Ohioans have consistently voted to keep government overreach at bay. Yet, Republicans overrode Gov. DeWine's veto of a bill banning gender-affirming care, basically removing parents' control over medical decisions concerning their children. Gender-affirming care is supported by every major U.S. medical association. Yet these lawmakers decide they know better than parents and doctors? We need to vote out any lawmaker that tries to interfere in our daily lives rather than respecting our rights to live as we choose.

Austintown

To everyone using phrases such as "MAGA sheep followers," "brainwashed" or "Fox propaganda believers," I wish to ask you two things: What do you hope to gain by insulting me? And why is it not ok to "Agree to Disagree"? There are two major political parties in this country, not one. Accept that each side feels the other is wrong and stop the insults. I am kind; I don't need a "Be kind" slogan to remind me.

Poland

There is no Sunshine or Happiness in Joe Biden's America, only Doom, Gloom, Evil and Anger. Why not the following: Make America Safe again, Make America Strong again, Make America Proud again, Make America Great again, Plus secure the Borders, both North and South, only Donald Trump can do this.

Canfield

Letters to the Editor

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I don't know if Bill Johnson will be a good president for YSU; no one else knows either. I'm tired of hearing the negativity about his selection. The last guy was a football coach. Did that qualify him? Also, I don't believe Johnson was involved in the decision about Dana Music School. He hasn't even assumed the position yet! Give Johnson a chance. If he's no good, there is a process to remove him.

New Waterford

A senior housing development is underway on South Avenue. So many trees cut down, habitat, food and shelter for deer, turkeys, owls, birds, squirrels and wildlife eliminated. More flooding problems for homeowners. Yet Boardman continues to grant zoning changes and over development until there will be no wooded areas left. This is forcing animals into neighborhoods looking for places to survive. Then they're seen as a nuisance. Attend and speak up at township meetings. Preserve what we have left.

Youngstown

After attending Monday's Mill Creek MetroParks board meeting and seeing its presentation, I have no doubt its focus is on the golf course and not the animals or nature. There are not too many deer. They are not starving or sick, but they like to graze on the golf course and are just in the way. They cater to the 8% of the population that golfs. This is taxation without representation at its core.

Boardman

Responding to "Canfield" about numbers of Democrats and Republicans in academia. There was not one time during my bachelor's or my master's programs that anyone talked about who were Democrats or Republicans. Not once did that matter. Not once did I base any classes on whether the instructor or any administrator was Democrat or Republican. So trying to justify Bill Johnson's hiring on these numbers is not impressive. Trying to justify political intrusion into academia is sad, scary and pathetic.

Poland

I built my own house 45 years ago and have lived there and raised children ever since. Now, thanks to the invasion and swamping of our southern border, taxes are increasing 38% and groceries are up conservatively 100%.

Canfield

Imagine not being able to take your morning shower, wash your hair, brush your teeth, grab some coffee and all morning ablutions, then add to that no food, heat, housing, warmth, tragic loss of family members, destroyed cities, everything beyond horrendous that can happen to people. This is real time and it is incomprehensible to most of us what the people of these nations have endured. Can you just imagine how we, who expect our conveniences ASAP, would act?

Youngstown

Judge Napolitano's recent syndicated column argued the Civil War was not about slavery. He ignored facts that the southern states attacked Fort Sumter and other military posts. He also ignored their secession documents where many stated their reason for seceding was the North's opposition to slavery. Also the 13, 14 & 15th amendments were approved immediately after the end of the Civil War to make previously enslaved people full citizens. These facts strongly support that the war was about slavery.

Campbell

Donald Trump says efforts to keep him off ballots are election interference. The reason the states try to keep him off ballots is because he tried to overturn results of the last election, leading to our Capitol attack. Neither Trump nor sheep that follow will admit this. He accuses enemies of doing exactly what he already did. His MAGA followers are too brainwashed to realize, as they only watch Fox Propaganda. We haven't learned from what happened in Germany.

Youngstown

Letters to the Editor

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Orchid goes to a shopper at Meijer in Canfield who on Wednesday paid the grocery bill of another shopper in a random act of kindness to "pay it forward." There are still good people out there, and he was definitely one of them!

Boardman

YSU has locked out students attempting to use its WiFi network to post messages protesting cuts to the school of music. Usually, a tin horn dictator burns down the newspapers and jails broadcasters to silence objectors, but Mr. Johnson is a modern autocrat suppressing indoctrination, so the Jambar may yet ask 'Que Passa'. Way to

go modern Mr. Peterson and fellow junta

members.

Canfield

Youngstown Mayor Tito Brown says the city can't get applicants to become Youngstown police officers. He should mention the overtime opportunities available. We hear the politicians' comments justifying it, but that just doesn't happen in private business run by people who answer to themselves.

Columbiana

It's interesting City Council members Anita Davis and Pat Kelly (retired YPD officers) were most vocal critics of YPD overtime. Kelly claimed, "People are showing up and doing nothing." Davis said ranking YPD officers are "gaming the system." Do Davis and Kelly know something the mayor and chief do not? I believe the OT is well earned. I agree with Brown and Davis when they explain many younger patrol officers don't want to work OT, but older, ranking officers do.

Boardman

Almost 68,000 U.S. veterans are homeless. It is incomprehensible that our nation's heroes are homeless! Some are barely existing with not only physical injuries but PTSD incurred protecting our nation. They are unable to get employment, unable to hold their jobs and live a normal life. All military should be able to depend on help immediately upon discharge. In our area the old Northside Hospital could or should be converted to residences rather than sit half or more empty.

Youngstown

The Jan. 9 Vindicator editorial chastised Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for stepping outside of Florida law on recent decisions. Why does the Vindy care? We live in Ohio. When Governors and judges of several states, using COVID as justification, changed election laws and processes without consulting their state legislatures, as required, not a peep was uttered by The Vindicator. Those actions had a great impact on our 2020 presidential election. Suggestion: Adjust your priorities!

Canfield

How many of us, if a no show to work for several days without letting our supervisor know, would still have a job? Joe Biden, as Lloyd Austin's supervisor, needs to terminate Mr. Austin for this brazen act of disrespect for not informing his commander-in-chief he would be out of service for several days. I don't think Biden has the leadership skills to understand the need to terminate him. Harry Truman would have.

Hubbard

Two things: First, can we stop with the moaning about Bill Johnson as YSU president? Now a student walkout is planned. Really? The president-elect will not ruin the college, but all this negative attention could. Second, I'm hoping our local retailers set some time aside on a regular basis to check for card skimmers. This last one in Boardman was there for quite a while before anyone noticed.

Boardman

soundoff@tribtoday.com

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"Sound off!" publishes Saturdays to provide readers with a forum to applaud successes, discuss issues, point out local problems or review events of the day -- all in a constructive manner. Preference is given to local issues, but will not include local election issues. Selected "Sound off!" submissions are published. Names are not included, but residential community is.

Limit "Sound off!" comments to 80 words. Submit longer comments as "Letters to the Editor," a separate forum that publishes Sundays.

Submit via email to soundoff@tribtoday.com or via the Virtual Newsroom by going to www.vindy.com and clicking "Submit News" and then "Sound off."

Letters to the Editor

Sound off!

Regarding last Sunday's letter about solutions to treat climate change, the fundamental problem that always seems to be off limits for discussion nor included in the details of any climate change report is our growing population. Trying to prevent environmental collapse while humanity grows by billions more is just throwing the resultant dried silt into the wind.

-- Poland

In a Dec. 20 Sound Off, a writer upbraided Robert Reich for stating Donald Trump has dementia, opining it is Reich who has dementia for making statements the writer claimed were false. In no uncertain terms, the writer declared, "Trump never confused Biden with Obama" and did not mix up WWII and WWIII. A quick Google search confirms that Reich was correct and Trump did indeed make these false and outrageous statements.

-- Austintown

Bill Johnson is a great guy to promise he "won't bring his politics with him" to YSU. If so, it's strange that Vindy writer David Skolnick correctly notes the upwardly resigning congressman's strange concern with "America's elites" in academia, corporate, political and media. Johnson probably thinks "fake news" and a shadowy deep state cabal are elitists who heretofore have indoctrinated students against the Big Lie. Johnson "will do just exactly as he wants" to fix that. Fine choice, trustee Peterson.

-- Canfield

America is a great country. We have freedom to vote for those who advocate policies or who tell us what we want to hear. We can vote for tax cuts for rich or infrastructure. We can watch networks lie or tell truths. We can vote for someone to demean, attack those not genuflecting to him, believe the big lie, is divisive and an insurrectionist, or vote for a proven servant with decades of public service. We get to choose.

-- Campbell

When reading anti-Johnson professor's opinions, it is important to know in academia there are 11.5 registered Democrats to 1 Republican. In their study, C-Brief, National Communication Association, broke this down by college major: Psychology 17.4 – 1, Law 8.6 – 1, Journalism/Communication 20 – 1, History 33.5 – 1, Economics 4.5 – 1. Hardly representative of our nation. Nationally there are an estimated 49 million Democrat registered voters and 38.8 registered Republicans. Thomas Sowell reminds us "Intellect is not wisdom."

-- Canfield

There is historical ignorance about women coming from not only a lot of men, uninformed politicians, the Catholic Church and the religious right. All seem to think they can control what women think, can accomplish, need and want, their bodies, all to diminish their abilities and thinking, Take a good look at the successful women of today using their talents in business, teachers and doctors, scientists and yes, in politics. Women are equal, or more, not less.

-- Youngstown

Read an article that "The reason for the largest number of wedding reservations at the Chapel in Las Vegas for this past New Year's Eve was because of the numbers: "12-31-23," and they are 123123. Gotta love it.

-- Campbell

U.S. politics are mostly crooked. Democrats and Republicans alike are owned by big money. But there are varying degrees of dishonesty, and we must choose the lesser evil. We have no other choice because of the Democratic-Republican monopoly that exists. In love and war, there are no rules. But if you're not at war with your own country or cheating on her like a scorned lover, there are rules. They're called laws. And if you're lawless, you're a criminal.

-- Boardman

soundoff@tribtoday.com

Have something to say?

Have something you want to get off your chest? Share it here with other readers.

"Sound off!" publishes Saturdays to provide readers with a forum to applaud successes, discuss issues, point out local problems or review events of the day -- all in a constructive manner. Preference is given to local issues, but will not include local election issues. Selected "Sound off!" submissions are published. Names are not included, but residential community is.

Limit "Sound off!" comments to 80 words. Submit longer comments as "Letters to the Editor," a separate forum that publishes Sundays.

Submit via email to soundoff@tribtoday.com or via the Virtual Newsroom by going to www.vindy.com and clicking "Submit News" and then "Sound off."