VIEWPOINTS A10 • WESTERN HILLS PRESS • APRIL 25, 2012
Enroll now for best electric rates
Thousands of Green Township residents have received letters over the last two weeks about electric rates. Please remember that Green Township recently started a new Electric Aggregation Program with Duke Retail for 5.45 cents per kilowatt hour in 2012 and 5.2 cents per kilowatt hour in 2013. Even former customers of Duke Retail that have a higher rate are eligible to join a “preferred supplier” program from Duke Retail that has the same electric rates for Green Township households. Former Duke Retail customers must call
and opt in to the new “preferred supplier” program. Inclusion is not automatic. I encourage every household to research electric rates and join the Green Township Electric Aggregation Program or the Green Township Preferred Supplier Program to get the best rates. If you want to enroll and you have not received a letter, call 866-6831610. This is a toll-free number. Don’t wait. Call today to get lower rates. You may always call Green Township administrative staff if you have other questions. Please act now to get the lowest rate. Tony Rosiello Green Township trustee
U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot thinks U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Newtown in February, would make a good vice president. AMANDA DAVIDSON/THE COMMUNITY PRESS
Portman would make a good VP It’s pretty clear at this point that Mitt Romney is going to be the Republican nominee for President. And one of the most important decisions that Romney will have to make in his quest for the presidency, is who to select as a running mate. For what it’s worth, I think that Rob Portman would be a great choice. He’d be a tremendous vice presidential candidate, and if God forbid, tragedy befell a Romney administration and the vice president had to step up and fill the position of president, no one, in my opinion, would be more prepared to take on the awesome responsibilities of that office than Rob Portman. I’ve been fortunate enough to know and work with Rob Portman for more than 20 years now. We represented adjoining Congressional districts in the House of Representatives for more than a decade. Sharing the responsibilities of representing Greater Cincinnati in Congress gave me considerable insight into the real Rob Portman. He’s honest, hard-working, smart, detail-oriented and dedicated to his family. Perhaps his greatest asset is his wife Jane, who is a leader in her own right. Perhaps most importantly, the Romney campaign won’t have to worry about getting Rob Portman up to speed to fulfill his role as a vice presidential candidate. He knows the issues inside and out. In fact, he’s so knowledgeable and such a good debater that when the Bush/Cheney and McCain campaigns were looking for a top-notch debater, they chose Rob Portman to play that critical role. Cheney even commented that Portman was a tougher (and better) opponent than Joe Liberman! Also importantly, Rob Port-
man has already been vetted for his job in the executive branch of the government – twice. First, when he was confirmed by Steve Chabot the U.S. Senate COMMUNITY PRESS for the cabinet GUEST COLUMNIST level position of U.S. Trade Representative, after leaving Congress. And then when he was again confirmed by the United States Senate to fill the critical position of director of the OMB (Office of Management and Budget.) And when you consider how critical it is that we get our $16 trillion plus budget debt under control, experience in this area is very important. On the political front, as is often said, no Republican has ever been elected President without carrying Ohio. And there’s no question that Rob Portman will be key in seeing that Ohio goes for Romney this November. Looking back at Rob’s own Senate race in 2010, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher was leading Rob by double-digits when that race got under way. By the time election day rolled around, Rob Portman had turned his underdog candidacy into an 18 point victory, and carried 82 of Ohio’s 88 counties. Look, there are some other great candidates Mitt Romney will consider to be his running mate, among them Marco Rubio, Chris Christie and Mitch Daniels, to name but a few. But after he’s considered the pros and cons of each one, I would submit that the best choice he could make is Sen. Rob Portman. Steve Chabot is the U.S. representative from the 1st District.
WESTERN HILLS
PRESS
A publication of
PRESS
Editor: Marc Emral, memral@communitypress.com, 853-6264
EDITORIALS | LETTERS | COLUMNS | CH@TROOM
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
WESTERN HILLS CommunityPress.com
Attack on religious freedom opposed Over 100 Catholics from many area churches gathered at St. Antoninus Church undercroft on Thursday evening, April 12, to express their strong concerns to our very supportive Congressman Steve Chabot. This event was sponsored by the Catholic Pro-Life Coalition. The main focus involved a strong opposition to President Obama’s recent Health and Human Services mandate within Obama Care, that forces all insurance companies to cover birth control, sterilization and abortion inducing drugs. The Catholic Church states that these drugs are intrinsically evil, and are a serious offense against the sanctity of human life. The church forbids its members to participate in the use or in the distribution of these drugs. The Obama mandate is a frontal attack by the Obama Administration against our religious freedom and the freedom of conscience. It resulted in a unanimous outcry by all 180 American Catholic bishops. They stated in a letter
to all America Catholics, “We cannot - we will not comply with this unjust law.” In American history, no previous presiDavid Willig dent of the COMMUNITY United States PRESS GUEST COLUMNIST has ever stepped over this sacred line to violate our religious freedom. Furthermore, in this HHS mandate, President Obama is violating his own “executive order” in which he stated that federal funds would not be used to support abortion. He used this “executive order” to coerce six pro-life House Democrats to vote for Obama Care, which then resulted in passage of the legislation by a very narrow margin. Our grandfathers fought in WWI, our fathers fought in WWII and Korea, our classmates fought in Vietnam, our sons and daughters fought in Iran, Iraq
and Afghanistan, and all to defend American freedom and to secure freedom in other countries, the foundation of which is the freedom of religion. Freedom of religion is a precious cornerstone in the United States of America. The HHS mandate by President Obama is a major breach of his executive authority. Thomas Jefferson stated, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” This violation of our American freedom by President Obama is an outrage to all Americans, not only Catholics, but men and women of all faiths. We must all stand up and voice our opposition to this violation of our religious freedom, or we will all suffer as we experience the rapid elimination of more and more of our long held American freedoms by this tyrannical president. God Bless America. David Willig is co-chairperson of the Catholic Pro-Life Coalition. He lives in Western Hills.
Colorectal cancer is preventable In effort to raise awareness to colorectal cancer the physicians of Gastroenterology Consultants of Greater Cincinnati want to educate the community on the importance of colon cancer screenings. In observation of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month celebrated throughout March, Gastroenterology Consultants of Greater Cincinnati want to spread the message that colon cancer is preventable, treatable, and beatable. Colorectal cancer is the No. 2 cancer killer in the United States, yet it is one of the most preventable types of cancer. Charles Schultz, creator of “Peanuts,” Audrey Hepburn, Milton Berle, Vince Lombardi and Jackie Gleason all died of colon cancer. However when detected early it is often curable. Colorectal cancer is most common after age 50, but it can strike at younger ages. Lifetime risk of colon cancer is equal in men and women. Many colorectal cancers produce no symptoms. That is why screening is so important. Some symptoms, such as abdominal pain, blood in the stool, or a change in bowel habits, should prompt a visit to your doctor. Most colon cancers develop from polyps, which are abnormal growths in the colon. If polyps grow unnoticed and are not removed, they may become cancerous. Screening tests,
such as colonoscopy, find pre-cancerous polyps so they can be removed before they turn into cancer. It is Dr. Allan Peck estimated that COMMUNITY PRESS 75-90 percent GUEST COLUMNIST of colorectal cancer can be avoided through early detection and removal of pre-cancerous polyps. “It is so important to be screened”, says Dr. Nav Grandhi of Gastroenterology Consultants. A person’s lifetime risk of developing colon cancer is about 5 percent. With screening we can reduce dying from colon cancer by about 53 percent. Colonoscopy is the preferred test for colorectal cancer prevention. During this test you will be asked to drink a laxative the night before the procedure to clean out your large intestine. During the exam patients are sedated and do not feel any discomfort. A flexible lighted tube is inserted into the anus and with the use of a video image the physician can identify any abnormalities. Polyps are then removed during the procedure. Colonoscopy screening should be started at age 50 in most people or 45 for African –Americans (since they are at higher risk). If you have a
family member with colon cancer diagnosed at an age less than 60 then screening should begin at age 40. If you family member was less than 50 screening begins 10 years before the age they were diagnosed. There are several things patients can do to prevent colon cancer. These include high physical activity, high fiber diet, high fruit and vegetable intake, maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking. With 12 physicians and one nurse practitioner Gastroenterology Consultants of Greater Cincinnati provide a full spectrum of gastroenterology and hepatology services to Cincinnati and Southwest Indiana. Our gastroenterologists provide high-quality and cost effective care, maintain superior physician-patient relationships, and offer advanced technologies, not only in treatment but in disease prevention and screening. For further information regarding Gastroenterology Consultants of Greater Cincinnati please contact us at 513-794-5600 or visit our website at www.giconsults.com. Dr. Allan Peck is certified by the American Board of Gastroenterology, American Board of Internal Medicine, National Board of Medical Examiners and is chair of Bethesda Hospital’s Nutritional Committee.
MEETINGS Here is a list of government meetings in the Western Hills Press area: » Village of Addyston Council members meet at 7 p.m. on the first and third Monday of the month at the Addyston Municipal Building, 235 Main St. Phone: 941-1313. Mayor: Dan Pillow. » Cheviot City Council members meet at 7:30 p.m. the first and third Tuesday of the month at city hall, 3814 Harrison Ave. Phone: 661-2700. Mayor: Samuel Keller. President of Council:
Deborah M. Slaughter. » Cincinnati City Council meets at 2 p.m. every Wednesday in room 300 at Cincinnati City Hall, 801 Plum St. When there is a Monday holiday, all meetings including committee meetings are pushed back a day. City Manager: Milton Dohoney Jr. Mayor: Mark Mallory. » Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education usually meets at 7 p.m. the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 2651 Burnet Ave. Board of
5556 Cheviot Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45247 phone: 923-3111 fax: 853-6220 email: westernhills@communitypress.com web site: www.communitypress.com
Education phone: 475-7000. Superintendent: Mary Ronan. Board President: Eve Bolton. » Village of Cleves Council meets at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at the Cleves Municipal Building, 101 North Miami Ave. If you would like your meeting to be considered for this, send the information to memral@communitypress.com.
Western Hills Press Editor Marc Emral memral@communitypress.com, 853-6264 Office hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday See page A2 for additional contact information.