Letters to the Editor: Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023

Ed Breen (CONTRIBUTED)

Credit: HUE12, LLC

Credit: HUE12, LLC

Ed Breen (CONTRIBUTED)

Editor’s Note: No two people see the same thing when they see their city. Whether you’ve lived here for sixty years or six months, everyone has a different perspective on Dayton. Does “Dayton” end at its city limits? Do you say you’re from Dayton if you live in Huber Heights, Oakwood or Trotwood? Are you proud to tell people where you live, or ashamed? Has your view of Dayton changed over time? We want to hear from you. Email edletter@coxinc.com with your thoughts, reactions and your perceptions of Daytonians’ self-image to be considered for publication in Ideas & Voices. We hope to revisit this topic soon, and your submissions will help give readers a fuller, richer view of how our community sees itself.

Dayton is, as the old ad for Ohio used to say, “The Heart of it All.” I have always seen Dayton through the lens of the wider area. We have unique and quality museums here that can’t be found any where else. The largest Air Force museum in the world, the Dayton Art Institute, Carillon Park, the Annie Oakley, and Garst Museum in Greenville, just to name a few. We have quality restaurants in the area such as the Golden Lamb — the oldest restaurant in Ohio — and the Florentine in Germantown that is the second oldest restaurant in Ohio, plus the Oregon district for fine dining along with Flying Pizza and Cassano’s, the oldest pizza chain in the area.

You can see a Dragons baseball game downtown and if you want to see an even bigger game, a half hour later you can be in Cincinnati to see the Reds or the Bengals. Go a little farther and you can hike in the beautiful hills and mountains of Kentucky or Tennessee or river raft in West Virginia. A two-hour drive to the west and you can go see the Indianapolis 500. Go north for a few hours we have beautiful Lake Erie or in seven hours be in Buffalo, New York and see Niagara Falls. We can get to Washington D.C. on a short flight or drive it in a day and a half.

I have lived in the Dayton area all of my 65 years. My father was once the mayor of Dayton from 1945 to 1948 and the United States Congressman from the 3rd District from 1948 to 1951. My love of Dayton and this region probably comes from my association with my father and mother who lived in this area all their lives.

Dayton is truly the “Heart of it All.”

- Edward Breen, Dayton

In Ray Marcano’s Aug. 13 column concerning the results of Issue 1, he lists several instances of states failing to enact similar amendments. It should be noted that 20% of the states have enacted the 60% figure and at the national level the figure to amend/add to the constitution is a full 66.6% (followed by a 75% state ratification). It is apparent that this procedure is much more important at the national level than the one practiced at the state level. Also, I find it rather telling that UD political science professor Nancy Martorano Miller feels that rights are “given.” If they can be given, they are not rights, they are “permissions.” Unfortunately, rights can be taken away.

- Ron Forsee, Centerville