LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Keep Rt. 65, but build retainers
10/9/2013The Ohio Department of Transportation is weighing whether to reroute portions of State Route 65 in Wood County or build retaining walls because it claims the road is shifting (“Ideas for Rts. 64, 65 criticized; Residents call ODOT proposals costly, insensitive to history,” Sept. 27).
ODOT’s Web site lists Route 65 as part of the Maumee Valley Scenic Byway established by the National Scenic Byway program. This beautiful roadway is unique because of its winding dips and curves, and views of the Maumee River.
This is one time when government is justified to spend a little more money and get it right. Building retaining walls is the most logical and respectful solution.
KAREN HIGGINS
Washington Township
Editor’s note: An ODOT spokesman said the department will take public comments on the project through today and decide on a course of action by the end of the month.
‘Destroy village’ concept still bad
Republicans in Congress are concerned that the Affordable Care Act will hurt the economy, so they intend to destroy our economy by shutting down government and defaulting on federal debt that they incurred (“Why the debt ceiling matters,” op-ed, Oct. 9).
If there is any logic to this, it must be similar to the “we had to destroy the village in order to save it” strategy in the Vietnam war. It didn’t work then, and it won’t work now.
The 2014 congressional elections can’t come soon enough.
KEN CLOSE
Orchard Tree Lane
Obama, Dems promote socialism
Ever since our leftist President rammed his Affordable Care Act through Congress, dominated by Democrats in his first term, he has ruled as a no-compromise dictator. His actions, approved by sympathetic media, have negated our traditional democratic check-and-balance system of government.
Worse, Democrats seem blind to the damage he and Senate Democrats are causing all of us.
We fought the Cold War against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Thirty years later, we find our government treading in our past enemy’s footsteps.
J. MURRAY STEWART
Shoreland Avenue
GOP extremists only for the 1%
The GOP extremists who are creating chaos in Washington bring to mind Islamic extremists who are willing to destroy a country to force their agenda on its citizens. Where does the use of extortion stop?
The hope is that enough people finally will realize that the GOP is not interested in helping most Americans, but only the 1 percent who hide in the background and finance these extremists.
RON KLOCINSKI
Monclova Township