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Letters to the Editor

Traffic scams

Editor On Dec. 5, I was the lucky recipient of a Liverpool Township speeding ticket. I was unaware of such infraction until about a week later when I received a ticket in the mail. I never saw the presence of any officer or patrol car. I am not even sure where the violation occurred. When I was younger (I am 51) police were to serve and protect. Part of this service was a visible presence to deter crime, slow speeding traffic and interact with the community. Not anymore. Somewhere on Route 7 an officer hides behind some structure to shoot a vehicle from behind. I was provided a ...

Minds made up

Editor: I used to teach a lesson to my government students on propaganda in our society and how to recognize it. A part of politics is trying to change public opinion to shape it in certain ways and propaganda plays a big part in that. Pressure groups try to influence public opinion in order to win what they want. Currently right wing television (Fox News) and radio talk show hosts (Rush Limbaugh and Mark Lavin) want President Trump to fire Robert Mueller over Trumped up charges. Robert Mueller is a Republican, a war veteran, with an impeccable record for getting the facts ...

Imagine, it could happen here

Editor: Lately the local school systems have wisely, in my opinion, started discussions on ways to address the issue of firearm security. Sadly, in the world we now live in there are deranged cowards who chose to take their problems out on innocent people of all walks of life. The one thing these tragedies seem to have in common is that most of them involve gun violence in places where people are vulnerable and helpless. Every day we send our children to a place where there is very little or no protection against this type of danger … that is their school. All public buildings ...

Why Columbiana has zoning laws

Editor: A recent letter to the editor in the Morning Journal states that a group of citizens in Columbiana is initiating an effort to change the city’s zoning ordinance because it “prohibits one’s personal freedoms and liberties without due process.” They are right to conclude that zoning does regulate what a person can do on their property. Not just in Columbiana, but all over the country, governments use zoning ordinances to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public and ensure orderly, manageable and predictive growth. When Columbiana voters established a ...

Speaking up about the silence

Editor: Residents of Columbiana live under constant threat today that a small number of individuals are able to take away basic property rights, simply by interpreting an overly broad and vaguely worded section of city zoning code. The code states that uses not permitted under zoning are prohibited, and the city of Columbiana is employing this code in ways that have never come up in the 40 plus years since it was enacted. This newspaper has reported many times in the past, including Wednesday, 12/6/17, about the twists and turns around section 1260.05(a) of the Columbiana zoning ...

Columbiana concerns

Editor: Please know that some in the city of Columbiana now believe it acceptable to take your property rights away should someone not agree with the way you choose to live your life. There is no other explanation for the way that some now believe the section of our code (1260.05) is being used. We as free citizens still have the power to change this, but it can’t be done without help, our city has already been informed that we have begun this process. If you wish to help, please call 330-565-9044 and or go to the following Facebook link: ...