No reason to get nasty

No reason to get nasty
EDITOR:
I would like to respond to the comments of David Zanotti, president of the Ohio Roundtable, who spoke at an anti-gambling meeting in Warren. As reported in The Vindicator, "Zanotti also took a shot at those who gamble at Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort in West Virginia, a drive of less than an hour from the Valley.
"He described a typical Mountaineer gambler as elderly or those who wear adult diapers so they don't have to leave the slots to go to the restroom. Also, he said, they usually drive junk cars.
"'Would you want these people to come here?' he asked the crowd to much laughter."
I am one of those elderly persons who frequent Mountaineer. I take great exception to David Zanotti's nasty comments. Many elderly frequent the casino for entertainment. When you talk to them they are lonely, frustrated and like to be with other people. Their other options are T.V. with murders, sexual content, reality shows that aren't real plus the advertising.
Mr. Zanotti does not know what he's talking about because when we go to Mountaineer, all we see are late model cars, Lexuses, BMWs, Lincolns, Cadillacs, etc. Most of them have Ohio plates.
For a religious summit against gambling, where is the compassion that should be shown for all the children of God? If some of the elderly wear diapers it's because of incontinence just like they carry oxygen packs to breathe.
What makes Mr. Zanotti so holier than thou?
IDA LUCARELL
Lordstown
Courts trump other branches
EDITOR:
The Terri Schiavo case has produced an unusual series of judicial rulings. We no longer have a balanced system of governance in our country. We are ruled completely by the courts. Sure, we get information from the press and the legislative and executive branches still meet, but the courts can decide that whatever they do is of no consequence.
The state of Florida legislature passed a bill. The Florida Supreme Court overruled the bill. They said that the bill was unconstitutional. Then the U.S. Congress passed a bill which the president signed into law. That bill was ignored by the federal judge who was asked to hold a new hearing for a new finding of fact on which to base the new proceedings for this case.
The judge simply ignored the bill and ruled on the original finding of fact that has led to all the problems in the case. It is the original finding of fact that has declared Terri Schiavo brain dead (maybe she isn't), that she didn't want to be fed through a tube (maybe she does), and that she has a right to die by being starved and dehydrated.
If the original finding of fact is wrong, the courts could be granting her husband the legal right to murder his wife.
STANTON W. DORAN
Youngstown
Turn tables on greedy taxers
EDITOR:
I have never seen such a greedy, money-hungry government as there is in today's world. They have to have their hand in everything collecting taxes from baby-sitting, garage sales, eBay and a $5 fee for parking your car at state parks.
We don't vote yes on new taxes because we don't have it to give. Obviously these money hungry idiots can't understand that. I'd give anything to have the government take pay cuts and let the general public raise their taxes, then we can watch them make the decision of whether to put food on the table or pay rent.
DANA OLSEN
Youngstown