We demand our National Guard be improved and made capable of reacting to local disasters. Their current use as first-line combat forces detracts from their primary duty.
Yes, they should be capable of being reserve forces for our regular forces. However, their 25-year old maps proved ineffective in rescuing trapped citizens of Mississippi during Hurricane Katrina.
Ken Lay, Congressman Foley, Ney and countless others highlight the failure of the moral majority in politics. Abortion, gay rights and moral behavior cannot be legislated. Politicians cannot be relied on to legislate morality.
Look at the record of grooming victims by our elected representatives for personal favors and convenient failure of oversight by key leaders.
We must ignore political leaders who say what we want to hear and perform to their own agenda.
Remember the involvement of our elected officials during the tragic case in Florida: The brain dead young woman who was being kept alive, despite the wishes of her husband. The families were victimized both by the state of Florida and for political gain. They were wrong then and remain wrong today.
Be informed and vote for change. We can take our nation back and be respected in the world again.
Frank Halstead
West Portsmouth
Riffe's work for the county deserves voters' support
This November election is a most important time for sincere consideration. The local, state and national economies need the most accomplished leaders we can elect.
Scioto County is fortunate to have an incumbent, local, experienced commissioner in the person of Mr. Vernal G. Riffe III.
Mr. Riffe continues to work diligently to provide an ever better quality of life for the residents of this county. He has to make major decisions on a daily basis that will best serve the future of development of our community. During his years in office, he has made decisions that have positively affected the majority of us by providing support to opportunities that expand our growth potential. The competition for job creation is extreme; yet, Mr. Riffe has helped Scioto County realize several successes.
1.) North Haverhill Coke - Is providing 72 permanent, well-paying jobs and providing more than 500 construction jobs for local trades workers a success? This project provides a major hope for further expansion.
2.) Sanitary sewer projects totaling nearly $19 million have been realized that make our daily lives more healthy and comfortable while providing major infrastructure that will help attract additional development.
3.) Big Sandy Furniture Distribution Center - More than 180 people have productive jobs that help them stay in this area and support development.
4.) OSCO Industries (New Boston expansion), Scioto Plastics and McDermott Industries - Collectively, 160 jobs are provided by local people to local people when they very easily could have been located elsewhere.
The above is a list of only a few examples of the positive impact that Mr. Riffe has had on our future.
On Nov. 7, we will vote and decide who will best represent us as further opportunities materialize. Mr. Riffe's public and private business leadership deserves our continued support.
Steve Wells
New Boston
Reader says Taft's reputation shouldn't tarnish other Republicans
You may feel Gov. Taft has done badly, but that does not mean all Republicans will.
If you believe that babies have a right to life and their moms have a right to have help with unplanned pregnancies, you need to vote for legislators who feel the same. You easily can see his or her voting record.
The records show Ken Blackwell votes consistently pro-life. He is in favor of the Ten Commandment, he supports voter approval on taxes and spending and legislation allowing intelligent design being taught along with evolution.
He opposes state registration of firearms and licensing of gun owners, opposes requiring handguns being sold with trigger locks. He is for prohibiting abortion except in cases endangering life of the mother and is against partial birth abortion. He is against physician-assisted euthanasia. He is for marriage between one man and one woman. He is for voluntary prayer in public schools.
Ted Strickland, on the other hand, votes pro-abortion, or as he refers to it “pro-choice” - the choice being to abort a baby. Strickland has been endorsed by the National Abortion Rights Action League. They have stated that it is time Ohio has a pro-abortion governor.
Strickland has publicly pledged to veto any new pro-life legislation if elected governor. His press release expressed “appreciation for the NARAL endorsement” (Dr. J. Wilke, Cincinnati Right to Life Educational Foundation Inc.).
Ohio's only statewide political action committee dedicated to interests of Ohio's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community, Equality Ohio Campaign Fund, has endorsed Ted Strickland and Lee Fisher for governor of Ohio.
Please vote your conscience - not your pocketbook this election.
Lila Donley
Portsmouth
Commissioner Riffe's decisions have hurt too many people
Any credit any politician takes who has truly helped his community or fellow neighbor is due him. But it's difficult to take full credit.
Our county commissioners have the final say on most every decision, positive or negative, that affects our county for short term or long term.
Our county has excellent staffing in all the departments of our county government, which does a majority of all the hard work on projects for the commissioners to base their decision on.
One decision I, and many other citizens of Minford, won't forget or forgive is the decision the commissioners made against our senior citizens and community.
They were offered our middle school with a nearly new senior citizens' building attached, of which both buildings were paid for with our taxes.
They only had to take deed of and transfer that deed over to our Minford nonprofit corp. This wouldn't have cost anyone anything. They refused!
A sale was conducted, an appraisal was done and the buildings were torn down. The total costs that were involved was close to $500,000. This is what our community could have had!
Our senior citizens would not have been put out on the street and, as you know, Minford is getting a new road, Ohio 23, and we will be the hot spot in Scioto County. We had plans for the school building.
Mr. Riffe, you've made too many decisions that's hurt our people. We can't trust your decision-making anymore, for example:
1.) Lucasville Bottoms
2.) Shelton Industries (Brownfield Project and Revolving Load) ($7.5 million)
3.) Minford Senior Center and middle school (half a million dollars)
4.) William Shaw.
What else?
James Morgan
Minford
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