End the stranglehold
Of course both current political parties oppose ranked choice voting — they do not want anything to jeopardize the duopoly stranglehold they have on American elections.
The people do not get to choose who is on the ballot — the two parties do.
The people are often faced with choosing the lesser of two evils.
With ranked choice voting, the candidate that aligns most closely with a majority of the electorate wins. That may not be someone paying homage to the R’s or D’s political party system, or it could be someone within one of the established parties that the political machines don’t care for, but a majority of the electorate finds most palatable.
An open primary system coupled with ranked choice voting and the end of gerrymandering would result in the people electing candidates we all find most appealing and aligned with our shared common interests — not just a patron of the current political duopoly.
Stanley Bahorek, Dublin
Politicians are scared
It’s easy to see why banning ranked choice voting looks bipartisan in the Ohio Senate. It makes politicians accountable to their voters, something in short supply these days. They’re afraid voters will like it and want it statewide. They’re nipping it in the bud.
That tells me ranked choice voting is on to something. I wish Columbus would adopt it.
Amy Crittenden, Galloway
Holy Scripture isn’t for school
The present contractor for religious release time, LifeWise Academy, promises to teach the Bible in five years.
Scripture was written for adults. Lessons were shared in families and a faith community where together, they learned how God was speaking. Many stories, while easy to illustrate for children, hold deeper meaning than at face value.
Even Jesus was 12 before speaking with leaders about Scripture.
The Bible was never just stories; it was studied for the larger meaning held. Holy Scripture is too important to be left to those outside family and a community of faith.
I also speak to the disruption release time creates.
Have you been in school when it’s time for recess and lunch? Have you helped 30 children to go the bathroom, get lunches and be ready to go outside? Have you escorted the correct children to the bus while getting others into lunch, while answering questions and keeping them from picking on others?
Please carefully consider religious release time before other entities use it as a lucrative way to reach the hearts and minds of our children and precious time is taken from our school days.
Rebecca Wolfe, Dublin
Lock him up!
President Donald J. Trump’s latest brainstorm du jour is to reopen the federal prison on Alcatraz Island where he plans to incarcerate America’s most dangerous criminals.
This despite the opinion of many experts (which include a number of people who formerly worked there as guards, administrators, etc.) that to do so would require many, many millions of dollars to update the prison’s antiquated facilities.
Why are Elon Musk and his DOGE-ites not raising red flags to alert everyone about this obvious waste of taxpayers’ dollars?
And Trump himself is certainly displaying a presidential-level of chutzpah when he (a convicted 34-count felon and convicted sexual predator) speaks of housing “America’s most ruthless and violent” criminals there. Pot. Kettle. Black.
Perhaps Trump’s plan is to refurbish one of the cells with solid gold walls, bars, bunk, toilet, etc., so that he might feel more comfortable living there?
One can only hope.
Donn Smith, Marysville
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Rs or Ds have one thing in common, they’re scared of losing stranglehold over you| Letters
Reporting by Letters to the Editor / The Columbus Dispatch
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