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Say a prayer for all of us

To the editor:

At 10:33 a.m. on Aug. 19, Donald J. Trump, the president of the United States, gave us the following directive in a tweet:

“Don’t buy GOODYEAR TIRES — They announced a BAN ON MAGA HATS. Get better tires for less! (This is what the Radical Left Democrats do. Two can play the same game, and we need to start playing it now!”)

Goodyear is an American company whose headquarters is in Akron. The company has decided to remain apolitical. No political affiliation was to be displayed in the company. The president gave this directive in the midst of a pandemic and with an employment rate of 10.2 percent.

Doesn’t this directive validate the fact that this president is disingenuous about bringing jobs back to the United States? We the people are not his concern. Think about the seriousness of this directive — is it reasonable that an American president would hinder an American company in any way over a MAGA hat? This irresponsible tweet, among all of his numerous other tweets, should do nothing less than alarm you with genuine fear about the future of our country and our democracy.

Here is a list of Goodyear’s major competitors. Although each company might have some plants in the United States, all but one are foreign-owned companies: Bridgestone, headquartered in Japan; Firestone, owned by Bridgestone, with headquarters in Japan; Michelin, headquartered in France; Continental, headquartered in Germany; Cooper Tires, headquartered in the United States; Hankook, headquartered in South Korea; Kumho Tire, headquartered in South Korea; Pirelli, headquartered in Italy; Toyo Tires, headquartered in Japan; and Yokohama, headquartered in Japan.

Words and truth do matter — they have consequences. Isn’t that what we teach our children? Please make sure that you register and vote as soon as you can. All of our lives, as well as the future of our democracy, depend on your vote. Buy Goodyear and support the United States. And remember to say a prayer for all of us.

Lisa Besozzi

Steubenville

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