Closing YDC represents cruelty against humans

Closing YDC represents cruelty against humans

Hats off to state Sens. Capri Cafaro and Joe Schiavoni for helping the parents, guardians and caregivers who are fighting for our loved ones at the Youngstown Developmental Center who can’t fend for themselves.

My son has resided at YDC going on 27 years, and it’s been a godsend for both of us. As much as he enjoys coming home, he looks forward to going back to YDC.

The staff goes above and beyond the call of duties, as they treat residents like one of their own. For that, we are grateful.

Now that the majority of the parents, guardians and caregivers are up in age, we worry about residents being uprooted and having to make the adjustment to a new facility. That will be a hardship on many.

To close two beautiful centers in Youngstown and Dayton and leave what I consider to be a hell hole in Warrensville open is mind- blowing; there’s no justice.

No one person should have the power to play God, judge and jury and destroy so many lives.

These are God’s gifts from heaven who suffer every day with afflictions, through no fault of their own. At least they’re sure of heaven, which can’t be said of the Great White Father in Columbus and his hatchet men.

What really irks me is the fact that we bring justice to people against animal cruelty. Where’s justice for human cruelty?

Patricia A. Thomas, Girard

Legislators, beware: Seniors are a powerful voting bloc

It’s Nov. 10, and I’m sitting here watching the 6 p.m. local evening news about people protesting outside City Hall in downtown Youngstown, wanting a large jump in the minimum wage from $8 per hour to $12 per hour.

I don’t judge the right of people to ask for a living wage. What I wonder is where our elected officials – Sherrod Brown, Rob Portman, Tim Ryan, Bill Johnson – are when it comes to introducing legislation, and really working, and not just lip service, to give senior citizens an equitable raise in our Social Security cost-of-living adjustment.

It’s ludicrous for our government to say we senior citizens don’t get a raise in cost of living because the gasoline costs at the pumps are down. The majority of seniors don’t have a job to drive back and forth to. Yet the cost of food, prescription drugs, insurance, taxes, and on and on and so on keeps going up.

It would be nice to still be young and healthy enough to get a job to supplement Social Security as many senior citizens do, but for most, it is not possible.

Even politicians on the state level are not lending support to help senior citizens but are wrapped up with the cartels pushing to legalize marijuana, medical or otherwise.

We may be in the fall and winter of our lives, but I can assure the elected officials, we are still a powerful voice at the polls, and they’d better start watching out for us as well.

Robert DeFelice, Youngstown

America has lost its way

What is an Amer- ican?

An American cares for what is right. It doesn’t matter what color you are. It is love of country and love for your neighbor. For seven years, we have seen more hate and division in our country.

It is so sad that attacks on our freedoms and rights are going on. Our young men and women can’t find jobs and have college debt because they have to take classes they don’t need.

So many people are breaking the law, attacking cops as we have gotten rid of the Ten Commandments as the law of the land. When we stop this decay of hating each other and stand together as one, our country can be united, and no one can bring us down.

Lena Fox, New Middletown