Biden's response to Houthis' attack on U.S. troops pretty lame, shows weakness. | Letters

Biden's Houthis response incredibly weak

After three Americans died in Jordan, President Biden sternly said “we will respond.” What he should have said is “The headquarters of the Iranian Guards has been reduced to rubble and it will take Iran months to put out the infernos at Iran’s three largest oil production facilities. That was one oil facility for each American who died. The next time an American dies at the hands of the Houthis, the Palestinians, or the Iranians, I will really respond….”

Paul Loschiavo, Jupiter

Remembering Charles Osgood

The passing of Charles Osgood is a very sad loss but his great reporting will live on. One of his most historic news reports occurred on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 1993. He told the story of the worst U.S. loss of life at sea in American war history, the German attack and sinking of the HMT Rohna in the Mediterranean Sea on Nov. 26, 1943. The sinking was classified by the War Department but the Osgood report was the first story to open the door to Rohna remembrance. My father, Purple Heart recipient US Army Major Coke Coakley, barely survived but over 1,100 soldiers did not. I’ll never forget his famous line, “It’s not that we forgot; we just never knew.”

Coke Coakley Jr., Jupiter

More: No Labels mulls third party 2024 alternative to Biden and Trump. Seven things to know.

Conservatives will do anything to help the rich

Our country needs income to meet expenses and Congress needs to adjust income to pay expenses. A strong fiscal policy helps make us a great country and future generations live a better life. We all share the same tax rates, if you make $11,000 a year or you are a millionaire. The rate increases to a top rate of 37% for incomes above $578,000. The conservatives have lowered the top rates from 70% in 1980. There were the Reagan, Bush and Trump tax cuts, which contributed heavily to our national debt. Each administration stated the rate cuts would help the debt by putting investment money into the economy. Our debt just kept increasing.

Now the conservatives want to cut poverty programs, education, healthcare, social security and Medicare. They call these programs discretionary spending. Fraud from these programs is a very small percentage of the population who receive benefits. Conservatives also don't want the government negotiating prices with the pharmaceutical companies to save us tax dollars. They want to cut funding to upgrade the IRS in order for the rich and corporations to keep on cheating. I think it is clear that the far right supports the wealthy and not the middle class.

Doug Kniffin, Jupiter

Anonymous sources must instill confidence

I enjoyed Frank Cerabino’s column regarding the Florida bill that helps pols to sue news outlets. But, what occurred to me is the use of “anonymous sources.” I do believe that news media needs to protect their sources but they should at least give the reader some idea of the level of authority or knowledge of a statement. The news media needs to at least give the public some level of confidence in anonymous person’s position to make the statement. They should just never use, “spoke on condition of anonymity.”

Joseph Farricielli, Singer Island

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Biden needs a far stronger response to Houthis attack on US base