DEAR EDITOR,
We will all have to wait at some point this holiday season. We might wait in line to purchase the perfect gift, wait with anticipation for Santa’s arrival on Christmas morning, wait excitedly for our favorite cookies to come out of the oven or anxiously await the chance to see family and friends.
When you find yourself waiting, I ask you to consider those who are waiting for something that may never come. Think about the 112,000 Americans who wait for the “Gift of Life” through an organ transplant. Most will wait months or years and  every  day 18  men,  women  and  children  will die waiting.
They wait for a donor’s generosity to let life go on.
You don’t have to wait to make a difference. All you have to do is register as an organ and tissue donor. It won’t cost you money, but it will give hope to those waiting for a second chance at life.
Don’t wait. Sign up as an organ and tissue donor today at www.lifelineofohio.org, at your local BMV or by calling 800-525-5667.
Kent Holloway,
CEO, Lifeline of Ohio

DEAR EDITOR,

It was so uplifting to me to see the giant American Flag at half staff at Wells Fargo Bank on Wednesday, Dec. 7. Just as most of us remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when we first heard/saw the events of 9/11, so it is for some of us concerning the shooting of President John F. Kennedy, and so it is for a few of us who are old enough that we do not need a history book for us to remember Sunday, December 7, 1941. Seventy years ago on that day far more people were killed by the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor than on 9/11.

It  was  early  Sunday  morning  (mid-afternoon  here) when Sgt. Joseph Lockhard in Hawaii, saw signals on his radar panel  that  indicated  a  large  fleet  of  aircraft  approaching and  reported  to  his  superiors.  They  ignored  his  report  and said  it  could  not  be  correct.  Later,  when  a  civilian  foreman at  Kaneohe  Airport  telephoned  the  Air  Force  that  Japanese  planes  were  coming  in to attack, he was told, “You must be seeing things, go to bed and sleep it off.”

Within a few hours the US fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor had been all but wiped out. Now fast forward, it is now the 25th Anniversary Reunion of the Pearl Harbor Attack. Survivors and their families are returning for the celebration from all over the United States. But there is one man returning from Japan. Who is he? Captain Mitsuo Fuchida. And who was he? The lead plane commander of the attack on Pearl Harbor. And why was he returning? To lay a wreath at the Memorial at Pearl Harbor! You see, Captain Fuchida had a “heart operation” — that is, he had a new heart. He had become a Christian. So stay tuned, same time, same station for the “rest of the story.”

Warren L. Reed,

Convoy

DEAR EDITOR,
I am writing in response to Mike Ford’s front page article in the Friday, Nov. 18 Herald regarding the U.S. Postal Service. In it were a couple of points that I felt should be clarified.
He is right when he said that part of the reason the USPS was in financial trouble was due to online bill paying, e-mails, etc., but another reason is the economy as a whole.
Companies that used to do a lot of 1st class and bulk mailings have tightened their belts and really started watching their bottom line to try and save money. The amount of mail we deliver on a daily basis has really dropped in the past few years because of this and this has also contributed to our loss of income.
He also goes on to mention about the $5.5 billion payment we must make to the retirees health fund. He is right when he said that Congress mandated the USPS in 2006 to pre-fund this account.
However, it must be said that Congress mandated us to pre-fund FUTURE retiree health benefits and they ordered it to be a 75-year commitment and that it was to be done in only 10 years. This is the major reason why the Postal Service is hurting financially right now.
In other words, the USPS is being required to pre-fund a health fund for retirees who won’t be born for 20 or 30 years yet. No other company in America is required to do this yet they want us to do it, again, a 75-year commitment in only 10 years.
Imagine a bank telling you that they will agree to give you a 35-year house loan but they want it paid back in 10 years.
If not for this mandate, the USPS would have made a profit in every year from 2006 – 2010.
At present, there are several bills being pushed through Congress and I will touch on two of them — H.R. 2309 and H.R. 1351.
H.R. 2309 is sponsored by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Ca) and is being quickly pushed through Congress. It would radically downsize the Postal Service by mandating a massive round of post office closings, eliminating Saturday delivery, laying off approximately 40-50 thousand workers, cutting health benefits and gutting our collective bargaining rights, the same things that have been happening in Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. It would devastate if not destroy the Postal Service, an agency that has been in existence since Benjamin Franklin created it over 200 years ago.
I know some of you may say that it would not matter to you if Saturday’s were eliminated but let’s look at those who expect us to deliver 6 days a week. Those who rely on us to bring their medicine to them every day, their OSU tickets, birthday and other greeting cards, Amazon, E-Bay, the list goes on and on.
The mailers of these items also rely on us for 6-day delivery.
Now, if they could not rely on us to continue doing this and they still expected delivery 6 days a week, do you think they’d stay with us? No, they’d find another company who would make the commitment to deliver for them.
When talk first arose last year about going to 5-day delivery, a major news agency looked into alternate delivery of their magazines in one of our major metropolitan areas.
H.R. 1351 is another bill being talked about in Congress; the same bill that many of our unions held an informational picket at every Representative’s office all over the country on Sept. 27, 2011, for.
Over the years, the Postal Service has contributed to the Civil Service Retirement System and since 1984 the Federal Employees Retirement System. Two independent agencies did studies as to how much was already in the pension fund and they found that over the years the USPS has been overcharged, and thus, has overpaid this fund $55-75 billion. H.R.1351 would allow the USPS to have access to these funds to meet their obligation to the pre-funding mandate. It would save the Postal Service from devastating cuts and drastically cutting service. This is money that the USPS has paid into this fund, why can’t we simply have it back?
That is a question we have tried asking our congressman for a long time now, thus the reason we held that informational picket.
We are asking everyone to contact their Representatives and ask them to preserve 6 day delivery and to please support H.R.1351 and also to oppose H.R.2309. Our local Congressman’s phone numbers are: Rep. Jim Jordan (202) 225-2676, for those in the 4th Congressional district; and Rep.Bob Latta (202) 225-6405, for those in the 5th Congressional district.
We deliver mail to every address in the country six days a week. We have been voted the most trusted federal agency for 6 years in a row. We are the center of a $1.3 trillion mailing industry that supports between 8 million and 9 million jobs. We love what we do and we love serving our customers.
We want to fulfill our obligation to the pre-funding mandate but we want to do it in a way that will preserve the Postal Service as we know it today.
We cannot do this alone and we are asking for your help by contacting your Congressmen.
More information can be found at our letter carriers national web site, www.nalc.org.
Thank you,
Chuck Shumaker
Steward Br. 182, Delphos

DEAR EDITOR:
On behalf of the current and future participants of the Delphos Senior Citizens, Inc. and the Van Wert County Council on Aging, Inc. sincere appreciation is extended to the Van Wert County voters who passed the .2-mil levy on Tuesday which provides direct services to residents 60 years and older  in Van Wert County.
With the growth of the elderly population, there has been increased demand for the direct services our two agencies provide. With the passage of this levy, vital services such as transportation, assistance with Medicare forms, information and referral, chore and socialization can continue to be provided for our senior population.
The Van Wert County commissioners and the Van Wert voters are to be commended for supporting services that encourage independent living for Van Wert County’s older residents.
Sincere appreciation,
Joyce Hale, executive director
Delphos Senior Citizens, Inc.
Cindy Wood, executive director
Van Wert County Council on Aging

DEAR EDITOR:
Before it gets too late, I want to write to proclaim that yesterday Ohio voters defeated Issue 2 by a large margin.
That means Senate Bill 5, the current administrations attempt to  strip the collective bargaining rights of so many Ohio workers — including nurses, teachers, police and firefighters — has been repealed.
A decisive victory for middle class working families. But more importantly it shows what organization can accomplish — this is one victory that will resonate for years to come.
The work that was done earlier this fall (organizing, campaigning and financial contributions) resulted in protecting worker’s rights and, just as important, the right to vote early in Ohio.  
So, if you questioned whether an alliance of workers and progressives could prevail against the extreme attack on workers rights by the governor and his supporters — to those who said it couldn’t be done — the message sent was clear.
To the teachers, firefighters, police, nurses and other Ohio workers — well done.
One final word of warning. Remember that defending what you work and bargain for requires eternal vigilance. Corporations and big business will be waiting in the wings to fleece workers. You can bet the governor and his supporters will be back on the attack.  Having lost that frontal attack, they will certainly try again.
Clayton P. Osting