Is there anyone out there for me?
I am a small-government, pro-life conservative.
I believe the biggest economic issue facing the United States today is our growing federal debt and that the biggest drivers of that debt are entitlement spending in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
Solving the problem will involve age-based changes for benefits, tax changes, and eventual replacement with market-based programs. I do not believe tariffs are an appropriate economic plan, although they may have some use in foreign policy.
I believe in the Constitution as written.
I believe in legal immigration.
I believe the war with Iran may be justified, but should have been approved by Congress. The objectives should have been clearly presented.
I believe in reasoned debate with factual, truthful arguments, not name-calling.
I believe the means are just as important as the ends. I believe character matters when choosing our elected officials.
I do not believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen, and do believe President Donald Trump should have been convicted by the Senate after being impeached by the House of Representatives.
Does anyone want my vote?
Robert P. Hoffman, Delaware
Forgetting the lies?
Re “It’s awful many Americans think Trump attempted killings staged,” May 16: I agree with Ingrid Jacques that AI contributes greatly to Americans not believing much of what they see, with a large percentage of respondents believing that at least one of the Trump assassination attempts were staged.
And hatred of President Donald Trump: also a valid factor! What she left out, though, was the dishonesty of his administration and how Trump himself lies more often than he speaks the truth.
Conspiracy theories are not my thing.
Never have been. But after hearing lie upon lie from this administration, not to mention the massive cover-up to protect the powerful men in the Epstein files, I will admit this fact: When I watched the mayhem at the White House Correspondents Dinner, the possibility of it being staged was my first thought.
Do I think that now after learning more? No. Am I particularly proud of the fact that my mind went there that quickly? Not at all. And yet, does a little part of me still wonder? Unfortunately, yes.
And apparently, one-third of Americans feel the same.
Martha Orbovich, Columbus
Selective scrutiny
Re “Scrutinize JobsOhio – but don’t weaken it,” May 17: As a member of Ryan Augsburger’s valued organization, the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association, I have always read with great interest and respect his comments, but this time with some skepticism. Because how could a $60,000 investment in a podcast unknowingly connected to an OSU president’s inappropriate relationship jeopardize – even by a minuscule degree – a multibillion-dollar, otherwise meritorious public enterprise like JobsOhio?
However, as I join in his plea, “scrutinize JobsOhio but don’t weaken it,” and his final question, “Can its operations be improved?”
I do so with greater skepticism.
As a businessman, I brought to JobsOhio’s officers a suggestion for a new business activity logically related to its current one and successfully pursued for several years by our Canadian cousins to promote exports through their Canadian Commercial Corporation.
Instead of the serious discussion I anticipated, it was rejected out of hand without even an invitation to address their board of directors. The concept would directly benefit my small company and many others if someone would simply give as much respect to Ryan’s sincere plea as they gave to Ted Carter’s alleged girlfriend’s sales pitch.
Richard D. Rogovin, Blacklick
Judge, jury and executioner
Regarding Robert L. Gresham’s excellent May 17 column, “FOP president’s words show why I think twice before calling police,” one vital aspect is missing.
In certain occupations, there are no guarantees that those employees will not be killed while performing their jobs – whether in police, fire, military, etc., occupations. No peacekeeper has the right to make himself the judge, jury and executioner of any suspected person.As a public-school teacher, I was expected to help maintain the peace during a student uprising in our junior high school during the 1970s. We had no idea if or how many weapons the demonstrators might be carrying, yet we were in the halls to maintain the peace.Since I could not carry weapons in my classroom, I was forced to figure out non-violent ways to calm the tensions I faced. And I could become too emotional to make such a decision if I did have a weapon.These students knew that I taught history and civics, during which they learned about their rights to an impartial trial. They also knew that a jury would calmly consider the evidence and decide on their innocence or guilt – if they were still alive.The protesters and all suspected persons deserve their day in court whether the peacekeepers are armed or not.Stanley Krider, Delaware
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: I’m a pro-life conservative who believes Trump lost in 2020. Who wants my vote?
Reporting by Letters to the Editor, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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