DEAR EDITOR:
I take exception to the recent publication of disparaging words of Warren's Mayor Doug Franklin regarding the Delphi salaried pension mess. The many mistruths are as curious as the circumstances of the letter itself.
The letter was written at the ''invitation'' of Attorney Dave Betras, chairman, Mahoning County Democrat Party (''Democrat," not to be confused with "democratic," where folks have a say in how their government treats them and the Constitution protects honest notions like "equality").
As a Delphi salaried retiree, I was under the impression that Chairman Betras and his party were friends with our cause the last two years or so. He is a well-spoken man and I am sure he writes equally well. I can hardly imagine his need to use Doug Franklin as his front-man. My goodness, even presidential candidates themselves approve of messages on their behalf. "Speak for yourself, Dave."
I can only imagine how the organized Valley Democrats must be concerned about 5,000 Delphi salaried retiree voters statewide and the additional 16,000 nationwide (many of which are represented in Florida, another swing state). All of those votes against Obama could be multiplied by a conservative factor of 10 (representing family and friends sympathetic to our cause). It would not take much to tip the political scales to the Republican side. After all, it has already happened in Ohio government.
I am a life-long Democrat having voted for Mr. Obama in 2008. Unless this grave inequality of pensions' issue is made whole before the November election, I will vote Obama out. I feel my salaried retiree brothers and sisters stand united with me in the defeat of Obama.
The Democrat Party politics of this valley is not what it once was. And it's not your dad's Democrat party either. Gone are the days when party endorsements alone guaranteed elections - when devotees of the party rallied arm-in-arm in lock-step to the wishes of the chairman.
Why the sudden need for the local Democrat party to take cheap unsubstantiated shots at the salaried retirees' pensions being plundered by the Obama administration? It is slight-of-hand, smoke and mirrors designed to take the focus off Obama's botching of our pensions. It is only and always has been about his "successful" and rapid bailout of the auto industry - always.
Mayor Franklin is certainly entitled to "his" opinion. A mayor's job is to represent to the best of his ability all of the residents of his city. Certainly many salaried retirees were residents of Warren. What about them? There is no help the mayor can offer to any of them now. Throwing stones at them just doesn't get it.
It's like throwing donuts to the poor Titanic passengers in the water when what they really needed were lifeboats. Perhaps the mayor can concentrate on things he might be able to help with, like 3,000 boarded-up properties, including the former Packard / Delphi administration building on Dana Street. By the way, these are my words. I wrote this letter based on the raw deal given to the salaried retirees' pensions by Obama and company.
Dennis E. Beck
Liberty Township