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Letters to the Editor

Sister Ann’s work will never be forgotten

DEAR EDITOR: The Valley lost another true leader of the community this past week with the passing of Sister Ann McManamon, the founder of the Youngstown Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House. Sister Ann opened the house in 2009 to serve those in need of food, showers, or simply a place to sit and talk. She always believed in the motto of Dorothy Day: “Presence, listening, and learning are the keys to the soul,” and that a good meal helps as well. I was fortunate to work alongside Sister Ann for 13 years, and I remember her quoting Desmond Tutu: “We need to stop pulling people out of ...

Nation’s government shutdown is just that

DEAR EDITOR: As of writing this today (Tuesday), the impasse continues in D.C. over funding the government. Likewise, both sides are calling this “The Democrats’ Shutdown” or “The Republicans’ Shutdown.” This is absolutely a misnomer. The proper nomenclature for this is exactly what I titled this piece. It is a government shutdown. No one party from either side of the aisle is responsible, as it is in my opinion that BOTH sides are equally responsible, thus, it is a government shutdown. I have written many pieces to this paper in its Letters To The Editor, but in case ...

Tough-guy Rulli draws line in the sand

DEAR EDITOR: U.S. Rep. Rulli has been silent while thousands of Ohioans lose health care benefits and watch their household bills increase. He sees no problem with National Guard troops from Ohio sent to D.C. to fight crime while crime in Cleveland and Youngstown is far worse. If federal workers must work without pay, it’s no skin off Mike’s teeth. But if you want to call Columbus Day by another name, that is Rilli’s last straw! I’m sure he feels indigenous people are weak and harmless enough that they can be safely picked on. This just confirms my suspicions that Rulli ...

Sound off!

NPR and PBS shouldn’t be getting any funding from the U.S. government. They should also have their 501(c)(3) status revoked. They are the most blatant of propagandists and a neo-Marxist arm of the Dem Party this side of Moscow. They give no apologies for even their most blatant lies when exposed; like promoting the Russian Hoax, nor for their saying, untruthfully and knowing better, that the Hunter laptop story was “debunked” before the election. — Youngstown Joe Biden trying to take credit for the peace deal President Trump made between Israel and Hamas is like an arsonist ...

An acknowledgement of the land we took

DEAR EDITOR: Genealogically, my maternal and paternal arrivals to the United States occurred in 1913 and 1921, respectively. Long before my family’s presence on this continent, the work of establishing our nation was done. And what a nation it is! Cue the chorus! Strike up the band! Wrap yourself up with red, white and blue pageantry! Go ahead, indulge your parochial selves, but temper that jingoistic joy with at least a glance at reality. Our history has many voices, many perspectives. It most certainly should include the honest recognition that our country was founded and ...

Ohio needs better listeners in office

DEAR EDITOR: Ohio is getting ripped off. Everyone knows it. Too many insiders are more worried about loyalty tests, branding and planning their next campaign than about what really matters — what people are putting on their dinner plates. I’m 22. I study finance at UC. I don’t pretend to have every solution, but I know this: Ohio wasn’t built by insiders. It was built by people who showed up to work every day, kept their families afloat and kept this state moving even when leadership failed them. Look at Youngstown. Whole factories shut down, not because people here stopped ...