You better watch out (you know who you are)

You better watch out(you know who you are)
EDITOR:
On Christmas Day I left my Santa hat in the men's room at IHOP in Boardman. A little later, I discovered I didn't have it. I called IHOP and it was gone.
Who would steal Santa's hat on Christmas Day? I have an idea of who did it, but I don't really want to know who you are. I just want my hat back. It was made to match my old-world Santa coat. It is a darker red with a gold band trim.
To the person(s) who took it, please return it in at IHOP (no questions asked) and they will contact me. Santa just wants his hat back.
Right now you are on my "bad" list.
SANTA BILL and WILLIAM R. DICK
Salem
Looking for new mayor to clean house in Youngstown
EDITOR:
I would hope that the new mayor-elect, Jay Williams, would clean house by appointing a new mayoral cabinet with fresh new faces. Youngstown and county government has always reflected the who-knows-who in politics. This has allowed, for the most part, the same individuals to go from one job to another, and this process keeps others from having a fair chance at being employed by city or county government. This process sends the message that no matter the education or experience, you only get hired in Youngstown or Mahoning County depending upon who you know.
I also strongly feel that if you have held a previous position such as finance director, president of council, plaza director, law director, CDA head, etc., you should not be able to be re-hired to double-dip.
So I say to mayor-elect Williams, clean house and do a great justice to the hard-working people who are trying to really move Youngstown toward the 2010 destination's goal.
CHARLES ELLIS
Youngstown
What's missing? Outrage
EDITOR:
Where's the outrage? Why aren't the American people up in arms over the actions of our president? Have the people of this great country of ours forgotten what it's like to be free? Have they forgotten the wars we've fought and the men and women who died to protect the freedoms guaranteed to each and every one of us by our Constitution? It would seem so.
Despite his taking the oath of office to defend the Constitution, our appointed "king" has ignored this great document time and time again. From eroding its protections through the Patriot Act to the unlawful wiretaps he seems to think he is allowed to authorize. It should be obvious to any thinking American that Bush lied us into a war, placed a burden of the deficit on the middle class taxpayer through his tax cuts targeted primarily to wealthier Americans, has been the most secretive president this American can remember, has rewarded campaign contributors with no-bid multi-million dollar government contracts, and has know-ledge of the torture of POWs. And almost every legal scholar has stated that Bush is wrong in assuming his wiretaps without court orders are lawful.
He's used the power of the presidency to advance his and the agenda of the right wing religious conservatives with no thought to the Constitution. He believes his way is the only way. I admire a man with conviction as much as the next person, but it does no good for this country if his convictions are wrong. Would it be too far fetched to believe that had Bush been a Democrat that the Republican controlled Congress would be screaming for impeachment by now? Perhaps it's not such a good idea to have one political party in control of the entire government of the United States.
I've read newspaper articles that many Americans are willing to give up some freedoms for security. And this scares me. No matter how many Pearl Harbors we endure, or how many 9/11s happen in the future, we as Americans should never sit idly by and let our elected officials take our Constitutional guarantees of freedom away.
TOM HALL
Lisbon