God's endorsement?
Re letter to the editor "A vote for Vivek Ramaswamy is biblical," Oct. 8: Ohio needs competent, honest leaders who serve everyone. A religious label does not establish those qualifications.
This letter begins by wanting a Christian governor, then invokes biblical kings to explain why the preferred candidate doesn’t need to be Christian after all. What is the actual standard? If every inconsistency can be explained away as God’s plan, how could that standard ever hold a politician accountable?
And if God chooses leaders through voters, would an Amy Acton victory receive the same acceptance? Or does divine authority only apply when the preferred candidate wins?
Faith can inform someone’s vote. It does not turn a political endorsement into God’s instruction. Ohio’s Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, atheists and everyone else deserve equal consideration from their government.
Explain how your candidate will improve their lives. Defend the policies and the record. Calling your preference “biblical values” is not a substitute for making an argument. It borders on religious psychosis.
Zachary Branstool, Columbus
Columbus doesn't need more bad air
Think about adding 2 million cars to the roads and streets of New Albany.
Think dusty air. Think haze like what we saw from wildfires this summer, sitting on central Ohio every day.
That’s the likely result of two gas plants proposed for New Albany. These new gas plants – proposed to fuel data centers for Meta and EdgeConneX – will release 12 million tons of greenhouse gas – the smog of 2 million cars.
Data centers, though controversial, may be a necessary part of our future growth … but do they have to contribute to polluting our state? Renewable energy can power data centers as efficiently as coal or gas – why has our government made it easy for developers to take the path of least resistance and maximum damage?
For years, our city has been committed to cleaner air. We have eliminated diesel buses and supported corporations that lessen carbon emissions. Columbus enjoys improved air quality today but still receives an F in air quality from the American Lung Association.
These proposed gas plants make Columbus a more dangerous place to live.
Why would companies choose dirty and inefficient energy, except for profit?! I urge data centers to work more with local communities for a win-win solution to energy needs.
Gemma Doll, Columbus
Beware of the bison
History shows that the law required cowboys coming into towns of the Old West to drop off their guns at the sheriff’s office and leave them there until they left.
Today, we do the opposite: give guns to just about anyone who wants one, regardless of their mental capacity (or regardless of anything else).
But, on the other hand, we probably need to be armed to protect ourselves from cattle rustlers, bands of roving Indians and the threat of being overrun by infinite herds of bison. It’s always better to err on the side of caution.
John Wolock, Worthington
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 'God's endorsement' in Ramaswamy, Acton race rings of psychosis | Letters
