A topic we ignored during election season? Climate change | Letters

As a disappointed Democratic voter, I have a suggestion for both political parties in future elections: Don’t forget about the environment and the world we live in!
All throughout this year’s campaign, I was disheartened that not one candidate or media interviewer ever mentioned (that I was aware of, anyway) an issue that appeared on no one’s priority list: our natural world. A few half-hearted mentions were made about climate change, but nobody seemed interested in addressing the future of nature and wildlife in this country. The chief reason, in my opinion, is that very few people are aware of the perils that face this important part of our world.
As a donor to several nonprofit environmental organizations, I receive countless emails and snail mails about imperiled wild species, the plight of our nation’s wild horses, and the degradation of the habitats crucial to their survival. But the media hardly ever mentions the threat that the incoming administration poses to regulations ensuring our access to clean air and water. Remember how Trump rolled back those rules during his last term? President Biden spent months reinstating them.
The groups to which I referred highlight the millions of Americans who support these important parts of our lives, yet the majority just voted against candidates who do. The Humane Society publishes an annual “Humane Scorecard” showing how on important animal issues, Democrats consistently vote in favor, while almost every Republican votes them down.
The ignorance of our electorate on environmental threats may one day lead to our country’s downfall – and the world’s.
Laurel Gress, Wadsworth
Election winners: Americans who can’t afford inflation, who can’t afford to pay for Harvard and Yale educations, who can’t afford to feed and house illegals while veterans go homeless; Black people who realized they have been getting screwed by the Democrats and the media for 50 years.   
Losers: The Fake Media, which has seen ratings crumble as viewers have fled like a burning building, and those getting rich on illegal immigrants and stealing from the government.  
This is a great opportunity for the loyal Dems to take in a family of illegals, walk the walk and talk the talk. As a new awakening in America, let’s release the Diddy and Epstein guest lists.
Carl Shay, Stow
There is no doubt in my mind and the minds of anybody who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris that she lost because she would have been not only the first woman president but also the first Black woman president. How else do you explain the election of a narcissistic, egotistical, misogynistic dictator wannabe?  
A woman president is what this country needed. We could have moved forward. Instead, voters bought into the lies Donald Trump was spouting.
Renewable energy will now be a thing of the past, national parks will become oil fields, and the Department of Education will be gone.  
Trump has put Elon Musk in charge of government oversight, but we can see how Musk handled Twitter (X); it’s still losing money. Robert Kennedy is an anti-vaccination advocate in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services. I guess the only qualification you need is to now tow to Trump.  
Proof of this is Matt Gaetz, who was investigated for sex, bribery and other crimes. He’s been tapped for attorney general.
Trump’s cabinet is looking like something out of Ripley’s Believe It or Not. 
All the people who believe Democrats are responsible for their station in life just do not get it. The predicament you’re going through is a result of Trump’s policies while he was president. You will see the results of President Joe Biden’s tenure in the next couple of years. You will see the national debt go up a great deal under Trump.
Pray for the United States; we are going to need it under Trump’s presidency!
John C. Stouffer Jr., Akron
Note to Democrats: Please, whatever you do, keep blaming your loss on the American people. Please keep calling us deplorable, garbage, racist, sexist, homophobic, Islamophobic, xenophobic and transphobic. Do not for one moment think that your loss might be blamed on your insane, illogical, woke, destructive, socialist policies, which the American people do not like and have firmly rejected. Please, by all means, keep blaming us and not yourselves. Do it for the good of the country.
Terry Walrath, Hinckley
I’ve thought a lot about why I’m grieving and why this election is different from others.
I’m old enough (nearly 69) to remember when political discourse was civil. I even remember in elementary school when we were asked who we would vote for in the presidential election and then encouraged to debate and support our thoughts. We learned in seventh grade how to debate issues and do so in a reasonable and civil manner.
Those days are gone. We all know that true political discourse seems to be a thing of the past; the days when candidates debated the issues and did not resort to mudslinging and vitriol. This is what distresses me. I pondered on the current political environment and affirmed that I can honor differences in policy: the domestic economy, immigration, foreign policy, reproductive freedom, etc. These things can be debated and I respect differences of opinion.
What I cannot honor, however, is the complete disregard for honesty, character and integrity that at least half of our country seems to embrace. In the past, even when I disagreed with politicians (George W. Bush comes to mind), I still respected them and could rationally accept those differences.
This time is different. I cannot and will not accept blatant racism, misogyny and xenophobia. The hatred and vitriol  espoused by who will now be our next president is abhorrent to me. I have no respect for him. If it were merely about policy differences, I could accept it − but it’s not. This is about differences in values, morals and character.
Rest assured, after the initial grieving is spent, we shall resist. We shall fight back when necessary and we shall stand on the right side of history.
John R. Crawford-Spinelli, College of the Arts dean emeritus, Kent State University
Patrick Williams’ excellent article on the proposed acquisition of Summa Health by the private equity firm General Catalyst was very thorough.
It’s worth noting, however, that many studies show that when private equity firms acquire hospitals, the results are bad for the affected community.
According to a recent article by the Washington Post:
-A review of 55 studies has found that private equity investments were associated with up to 32% higher costs to patients and insurers.
-Another study found that private equity-acquired hospitals have lower staff-to-patient ratios and less experienced or licensed staff than other hospitals.
-A recent Harvard Medical School study of Medicare patients at hospitals before and after private equity acquisition found that patients suffered 25% more hospital-acquired complications, including 27% more falls and 38% more bloodstream infections post acquisition.
Akron Mayor Shammas Malik and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost should seek to avoid such negative outcomes in the case of Summa Health here in Northeast Ohio.
Jeff Barge, Cleveland