LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Veterans need aid for well being

7/23/2013

As a veteran of the Vietnam era, but not of the war itself, I have seen the damage done to veterans whose mental-health issues were not treated properly (“Our debt to veterans,” editorial, July 14).

I had a number of friends return from that war who never were the same. One committed suicide a few years after his return.

We must not make the same mistakes with the veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. So few of our members of Congress have served in the military that to them, the mental-health treatment of our veterans is just another line item in a budget they can never manage to approve anymore.

Our local members of Congress can vote to fund an unwanted and unneeded tank that is built in Lima, but do not push for more money for mental health. Increased funds to cover the increased need for mental-health services for returning veterans are what the current situation demands.

R. GREGORY STEIN
Sylvania

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Gun owners wrongly punished
I see nothing wrong about a gun that is legally purchased; it’s what a person decides to do with that gun that could lead to an illegality (“Deadly export,” editorial, June 30).

Laws should punish criminals, not innocent gun owners. Responsible gun owners should band together to make a difference for the better.

MICHAEL SODD
Bond Street

 

‘Construction’ plate sends a message
I enjoyed Thomas Walton’s July 15 op-ed column, “How to make the best of the new, bland Ohio license plate,” and the alternative suggested by a reader in Akron.

Every year, I think about paying extra for a vanity plate, but I never do it. Economy wins out over my desire to have a cute saying on my car’s plate.

But if the orange barrel “Construction State” plate were available, I would be proud to have it on my car. Not only would it make my fellow drivers laugh, it also would signal that Ohio is committed to infrastructure repairs and has a sense of humor. The Akron reader’s idea is worth pursuing.

CYNTHIA POE
Christie Boulevard

 

If front plate is good, enforce law
Oregon Police Chief Michael Navarre says: “A front license plate on a vehicle is a valuable tool” (“Oregon chief: Keep front license plate,” Readers’ Forum, July 7). If so, why don’t local police departments and the Ohio Highway Patrol routinely write tickets for people who don’t display a front license plate?

If Ohio law mandates that vehicles registered in Ohio have both a front and rear license plate, then that law should be enforced. It doesn’t seem to be.

DON DECKER
Holland