GOP wants to hear from you

Recognizing the congressional Democrats' tax, spend, and borrow policies, which will leave our nation $20 trillion in debt by 2020, and the need for new ideas, I am proud to stand with the House Republican leadership to help launch America Speaking Out.

This important project returns control of the nation's agenda to the American people by collecting their thoughts and ideas about what issues they believe Congress should be addressing.

This interactive project allows people to submit ideas on the Web site americaspeakingout.com and to comment on posted ideas.

House Republicans will host town hall meetings to collect more thoughts and ideas. As the project progresses, ideas could be introduced as legislation or added to a larger agenda that House Republicans will introduce this fall.

It has been stated that at the close of the 1787 Constitutional convention in Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin was asked what form of government was created. Franklin replied: "A Republic, if you can keep it."

We all must participate in the greatest experiment in freedom and self-government the world has ever seen.

I encourage everyone to make your voice heard via the America Speaking Out Web site.

Bob Latta

U.S. House of Representatives

5th District of Ohio

Rep. Bob Latta waved the anti-abortion flag because he has no solutions to the nation's problems ("Expect buyer's remorse from health-care reform," op-ed, May 11).

Holding a majority in Congress and on the U.S. Supreme Court and with a Republican president, Republicans made no attempt to overturn abortion rights, nor was any immigration reform passed.

As a member of the party of "no," Mr. Latta voted against helping General Motors, against stimulus legislation that will build senior housing in his district, and against the farm bill. How do farmers like him?

If district voters say he represents a highly conservative district, then they should get no stimulus funds for General Motors in Defiance and Toledo. Farmers should tell him to cut off their subsidies.

Republicans about drove the country off a cliff. Now they want one of their own for governor of Ohio. John Kasich, the Republican candidate, claims he had no control or input at Lehman Brothers.

I agree with Mr. Kasich, a former Republican congressman, that making comments about him rather than running on a record makes sense. Congressman Latta has no record to run on, so he does exactly what Mr. Kasich says is wrong.

James Perine

Lima, Ohio

When I moved to the Toledo area in 2007, I was told by several people to avoid going through Ottawa Hills.

They said police stop vehicles for no apparent reason except to harass drivers, and the officers have reputations for being aggressive and confrontational. I have heeded this advice ("Village wake-up call," editorial, May 25).

I worked in an emergency medical services department for five years in another state, and got to know a lot of police, EMS, and firefighting personnel. A growing number of small-community police departments need to be monitored more closely.

Lisa McKinney

Maumee

The writer of the May 24 letter "Time is wasted saving pit bulls" said Toledo is a "laughingstock" for testing and evaluating "pit bulls" and other dogs for adoption, rather than filling up our landfill with carcasses of dead dogs. I wonder whether the word "insensitive" means anything to the writer.

The writer claims to intend to work hard at election time to get Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop and his friends out of office. Mr. Konop is not running again, and the writer could use that energy to do something positive for the community, as Mr. Konop has done.

John Manning

Holland

I commend your editorials about Toledo city employees' pension pickup ("Deal is no deal," editorial, May 19).

As a retired Ohio educator, I am thankful for my generous teacher retirement benefits.

There is no justifiable way to have the city pick up the employee share of pension costs. The pickup was probably bargained in good faith, but the taxpayers were hoodwinked. When the city's financial picture improves, raise workers' base salaries and get rid of the pickup.

Keep the pressure on about the pension pickup, health-insurance premiums, and co-pays. Most workers have to pay a portion of their health-insurance premiums, and they also have substantial deductibles and co-pays. When I was working, I paid those expenses and continue to do so as a retiree.

Ross Graves

Birchtree Drive

We have been taking from our children's future to pay for our present for several decades. I'm speaking of the unsustainable, over-consumptive, shortsighted, instant-gratification lifestyle Americans have been living.

It is little wonder that we'll be the first generation in American history to have to work longer, retire later (if at all), and struggle more to pay for health care and for college for our children, than our parents did.

These problems have no easy, popular solutions, but the sooner we face the truth, the less painful it will be to tackle them.

Paul Chad

Bowling Green

We could put Americans back to work doing jobs performed by foreigners who cross our borders without a passport, visa, or any other permission.

The jobs are here and Americans could be doing them. We need to stop spending money on unemployment benefits to subsidize economic growth in other countries.

John Richter

Napoleon

Could it be possible that if politicians quit extending unemployment benefits, maybe some folks who have made being unemployed their lifestyle would start snatching up the lower-paying jobs that we are told only illegal immigrants will do?

Jim Brower

Oregon

If I were President Felipe Calderon of Mexico, I would have my people boycott Arizona ("2 presidents talk border policy; Obama, Mexico's leader visit at White House," May 20).

Tom Carpenter

Sylvania

Congress is thinking about charging former major league pitcher Roger Clemens with lying in his testimony about taking steroids and human growth hormone ("Clemens' ex-trainer testifies on steroids," May 26).

It must be a copyright infringement for someone else to lie in congressional chambers.

Bill Pieper

Oregon