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What the latest wave of neo-Nazis says about us

Editorials

On July 4, the nation’s 250th anniversary, a mysterious group of young men in khaki pants, navy blue shirts, logoed baseball caps and white face masks surfaced in the capital, marching out of a downtown Metro subway station and into the news. By now they look oddly familiar, part of the menagerie of uniformed street brawlers and torch-carriers that emerged in the tumultuous first term of President Donald Trump. And there are unsavory historical echoes as well. Though smaller in number, the neo-Nazis in the capital brought to mind the 1925 parade down Pennsylvania Avenue by ...

Resolve all challenges for successful merger of high schools in city

Editorials

A new and exciting era is about to dawn on the Youngstown City Schools. In a little more than one month, the urban school system that once boasted 24,000 students and six traditional high schools will be reduced to just one unified high school. Considering the district has witnessed a nearly six-fold decline in enrollment over the past five decades to about 4,500 students today, the major merger decision made 14 months ago makes eminently good sense on both academic and financial fronts. Nonetheless, this approaching consolidation brings with it a fair share of gnawing challenges. ...

Orchids & onions

Editorials

ORCHID: To Canfield-based Troop 25 of Scouting America, formerly Boy Scouts of America, for robustly enduring the test of time with their ongoing successes in youth and community development. The troop last weekend celebrated its 100th anniversary with a festive picnic at Canfield Presbyterian Church. Members and former members gathered to share in the great history of the troop and the lasting contributions its Eagle Scout members have made in community improvements over the decades. We salute past and present troopers for the stellar wilderness and leadership skills they have acquired ...

Who are our domestic enemies?

Editorials

The oath is a familiar one. The president and vice president take it, as do members of Congress and many other high government officials. It requires the oath taker to defend the Constitution “against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” We can identify many of America’s foreign enemies, but what about domestic ones? Now that the Democratic Socialists of America have published their platform, it appears they would qualify as a domestic enemy of the Constitution. If they achieved power they would, to quote the stated goal of former President Barack Obama, “fundamentally ...

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Letters to the Editor

It was just announced that the White House is holding Medicaid benefits from both California and Minnesota. This impacts millions. How can anyone with a conscience do something so underhanded and nasty? The results may prove disastrous. Another White House poor decision. — Liberty Upon hearing of the death of Robert Mueller, Trump said, “I’m glad.” In the July 16 Vindicator, Ian Haworth wrote (regarding the death of Lindsey Graham): “Any society that celebrates the death of its fellow citizens based upon political disagreement is doomed, not just because it negates the ...

Americans are free to be suckers

Editorials

Many of today’s consumer loans are legal but abusive. Payday lenders and used car sellers often steer customers into costly contracts they barely understand. Low-income borrowers with jobs, and therefore, dependable cash flow to siphon off, are favored targets. Sure, there’s a sucker born every minute, as P.T. Barnum allegedly said. But now we have a federal government that’s gone backward in providing protection from predators just as they adopt sophisticated technology to ply their craft. Criminals now use AI to generate fake images and scrub their pitches of misspellings ...