US should implement urgent voting reforms

US should implement urgent voting reforms

Only 14 months of hell to go through until the electorate gets manipulated by our rulers.

How you say? Through the obsolete Electoral College, which in this day and age should be put to rest. Let the popular vote select our next president. Because of its imbalance, the college has effectively nullified the low-vote count states’ popular vote by pandering to the high-count states with phony promises.

In addition, the “me-first” primary system also is obsolete. We should have a national (all on the same day) primary to mitigate the pandering and to provide for a level playing field that would give every citizen the same power of the vote.

Also to respect freedom of speech, a cap should be placed on monies spent by candidates’ campaigns. The current system empowers the vested interests by buying the candidate of “their” choice and not that of the people. Cap the dollars per state per voter per unit of $100. That would also encourage the electorate to show up and vote.

Lastly, as with Italy, require a voter/legal citizen ID card. I will be first in line. This does not hurt lower income citizens: Such ID cards are free and easily available.

Daniel V. Bienko, Canfield

Warnings on Valley water should raise the red flag

With all due respect, The Vindicator editorial staff seems to behave like an ol’ junkyard dog, scrounging around for old dried up bones when it can be chomping on a juicy bone such as the news that our Valley’s water is in serious jeopardy!

The initial reports about Mill Creek Park’s contaminated lakes minimized the actual critical danger posed by the significantly high E. coli levels. I recall reading that the county health commissioner said there was no danger to humans even in the presence of massive fish kill and stench too horrible to bear.

Now we read that the total trihalomethane levels are elevated warranting an EPA violation and warning to customers. We know that there are multiple fracking wells close to Meander Reservoir, our drinking water source, and we know there was a pipe break from one of these wells.

We have experienced high bromide levels in our water. I recall getting a report about this from the water department. I have further read that high bromide levels are usually present when there are fracking-related activities nearby. When a water treatment facility attempts to correct this by disinfecting with chlorine, it produces a trihalomethane by-product.

So, is this poison going to get worse and worse?

Since we know industry’s willful ignorance of the potential irreparable harm to the park lakes as warned by Volney Rogers 100 years ago, are we incapable of seeing the same handwriting on the wall with regard to our drinking water and the poisons being generated by shale development?

Kathleen Berry, Youngstown

Aren’t all killings hateful?

When the terrible shooting occurred this summer in Charleston, S.C., President Obama stated that it was a hate crime.

When the reporter and cameraman were murdered live on camera in Virginia last month, the president said it was gun violence.

I am very confused because I don’t really see the difference.

Jim McCloskey, Boardman