Brightline noise fix; Vero Beach traffic; local election apathy; Trump & flooding | Letters

Brightline noisy; here's how to install quiet zones

Having come from Connecticut almost seven years ago, I can tell you that its installation of the wayside/automated quiet-zone horn system made a considerable difference in horn noise while maintaining a safe level of directed horn.

Decibels are down along the railway in lieu of bursting out in all directions.

Up until a couple of years ago when Vero Beach and Indian River County stopped their fight against Brightline, I had replied to a number of TCPalm articles that were Brightline-related and recommended the wayside system be looked into.

I hope, through your recent article's reach, that the wayside information reaches the right eyes, as the Brightline horns are heard too loud and clear in the area that I live.

Allan Abels, Vero Beach

Sea level rise a Treasure Coast problem

The Treasure Coast is our home. We have always endured, but a warming climate brings increased storm intensity and frequency and rises sea levels. These are problems that need to be discussed, and there is no better time than now.

Hurricane intensity has increased by 8% each decade since 1979 due to global temperatures rising at an increasing rate. A 2-degree Celsius rise (3.6 degrees Fahreinehit) will contribute to sea level rise (SLR), increased flooding in low-lying areas and beach erosion. The majority of South Florida has an elevation below 10 meters.

The impacts of climate change will be felt sooner rather than later. By 2040, sea levels are projected to rise by 10 to 17 inches, making many Treasure Coast communities prone to flash floods. We have to find ways to preserve our home and protect our future.

Martin County established the Resilient Martin Program. Its SLR Report evaluates Martin County’s current infrastructure and natural resources, applying climate scenarios relating to SLR by assessing contributing factors like storm surges and rising groundwater levels. They have already repaired and constructed the shorelines at Rio Nature Park and Indian Riverside Park to reduce future storm damage. Resilient Martin is constantly setting and adjusting goals to relieve impacted areas now and in the future.

Climate change will affect us and sea levels will rise. Our local governments are taking action and organizations like Florida Resilient Coastlines are collaborating with our communities. But they can only do so much without our help. By making climate change and SLR a common discussion, we are moving in the right direction.

The responsibility lies with us, the community, to participate in local efforts to combat climate change and SLR, especially in the face of a stronger and longer storm season. We need to preserve our home and our people. We have to.

Andie Smith, Hobe Sound

Election apathy jeopardizes God-given rights

As with every election, some are pleased with the results and others are not. This Sebastian resident was disappointed with the results of Nov. 7.

The following reflects some relevant points.

I do like one-day voting, but how many were aware there was an election? The Indian River County Supervisor of Elections Office reported 30,461 active eligible voters. Yet voter turnout reflected 6,493 or 21.32%. Yes, this is an off-year election, but I find it appalling that only 21% of registered voters bothered to vote.

This mindset has led to our local governments becoming oligarchs. Indian River County has 114,384 registered voters. Are you aware three individuals on each board or council determines how our rights will be infringed upon or not? That gives 18 individuals (city and town councils and county commission) the authority to tax, mandate, usurp and burden We The People with whatever they determine is best for us.

And these are not all the taxing authorities in the county. I don’t know about you, but I believe in limited government, low taxation and God-given rights.

These results lead me to believe people aren’t aware that federal government isn’t as invasive as state and local government. The majority of taxes come from state and local dictates.

Take K-12 schools, for example. Approximately 90%-92% of funds come from state and local taxes. The federal government doles out about 8%-10%. But too many are more concerned with federal versus state and local elections.

This further leads me to believe we have an uninformed and apathetic population. When we don’t exercise our privilege to vote for who represents us, we will continue to move further away from what our founding fathers created for us: a republic.

Your vote is important in all elections!

Karen Hiltz, Sebastian

Vero Beach Twin Pairs conversation a fiasco

Just how can Vero Beach even consider eliminating lanes on State Road 60?

It is a state road, right? Doesn't the state have a say?

What about Indian River County? Where are the meetings from these two governments?

I live in the county. It affects the whole county.

Vero Beach has the worst of government. Always has. Just look at what went on with the electric company.

Thomas G. Weiss, Vero Beach

MAGA types whine about drainage, but don't like government largesse?

This is regarding the recent flooding in Vero Lake Estates.

It amazes me how quickly attitudes change. When driving through Vero Lake Estates, all I see are extremist MAGA flags, election denial flags and obscene flags about Joe Biden, etc. Yet, one natural disaster and these government-haters all want that same government to "do something."

Let me see. When you move into an area with a drainage ditch at each end of your street, and a continuous one behind you, what do you think is going to happen?

Of course, when services are proposed and they are informed it may cost, they want nothing to do with it. Now they want it free? Isn't that exactly what MAGA is fighting?

Maybe it's time Indian River County actually just moves forward and installs water service (so residents are not tapping into the aquifer), sewers (so they are not polluting the aquifer) and an adequate drainage system, plus pave the roads to cut down on repeated repairs, costing all county taxpayers money.

Jeff Hamilton, Sebastian

Think raising taxes on big corporations good idea?

Prominent economist Stephen Moore and Steve Forbes of Forbes Magazine recently wrote an article (Wall Street Journal, Nov. 2) about the success of Ireland’s economy.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Ireland followed the typical European welfare-state model, and its unemployment rate hit 18% in 1987. In 1995, Dublin adopted a radical new economic plan; it slashed Its corporate income tax rate from 40% to 12.5% over 10 years.

In 1995, Ireland’s national debt was 95% of its gross national product. Since 1995, capital and jobs have flooded into the country. Ireland has successfully attracted many multinational companies — particularly big techs and pharmaceuticals. Ireland now has a huge tax flow from this recent industrialization; so much so that it now has large annual budget surpluses.

President Bill Clinton lowered the tax rate on capital gains in 1997, which contributed to the rare budget surplus in the following year. Lower capital-gains taxes encourage investors to leave older industries and take risks with new technologies — hence the rise in the internet, social media and AI.

In 2017, the United States lowered its corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%. Lower corporate taxes encourage capital investment and more jobs here rather than abroad. In 2019 corporate income tax revenues smashed all records.

The current administration ignores these successes and proposes to raise corporate income tax rates to 25% or 30% and raise tax rates on capital gains. It sounds good politically to raise taxes on those “fat cat” corporations.

But it’s not! Generally, lower tax rates result in higher revenues. What sounds good politically “ain't necessarily so."

Tom Miller, Vero Beach

Illegal immigrants contributing to decline in U.S. life expectancy?

Here are some scary statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics.

“We don't live in a vacuum,” states Dr. Dennis Costakos, director of neonatal and perinatal medicine at the Mayo Clinic. “The health of the baby is often directly tied to the health of the mother.”

Experts consider infant mortality an important factor in overall population health. Now, for the first time in two decades, the death of newborns (under 1 year) is on the rise.

And, as the average U.S. life expectancy is declining, we must look into the root causes of these startling facts. Perhaps our vice president could conduct an investigation?

But seriously, it does not take investigations or fortune tellers to pause and consider whether open borders ― we have no knowledge of the health status of the immigrants (as our forefathers sensibly underwent), their skill levels, immunization records (polio, childhood diseases), their criminal backgrounds, their literacy levels and all other pertinent information other civilized nations require ― is a major factor.

We know what an inhumane process this decision has caused the immigrants: the number of deaths, diseases, child and other forms of sex trafficking, child abandonment or sale.

We also are aware of the drug cartels' smuggling, which causes death to our young people.

Providing cellphones, health care, food, clothing, housing/shelter, schooling for them is bankrupting and creating homelessness in cities like New York, Chicago and San Francisco, to name a few.

Among high-income countries, the United States spends far more on health care, yet has the highest infant death rate ― three times the rate of Norway, for example.

Audrey Taggart, Hobe Sound

More than two sides to issue; complexities abound

A few weeks ago in Tel Aviv, Yoav Peled handed out yellow ribbons to residents gathered to support the hostages captured by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7.

Peled told a CNN reporter: “I used to consider myself part of the extreme liberals …  But when I see demonstrations with cries of support of Hamas and stuff like that, I doubt the world understands complexity … and when they can’t understand complexity, they see this as a one-sided thing and their sense of justice is very simple. But it’s not simple.”

Many individuals fall into the “simplicity trap,” reducing complex subjects to a simple binary equation: yes or no, right or left, black or white, good or bad, right or wrong and so on. This practice is not only simple-minded, it’s also reductive and counterproductive. The devil is in the details, and thoughtful individuals study complex issues from different perspectives as they search diligently for the truth behind the lies, propaganda and proffered simplicities.

The influential modern American author F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote: “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.”

This is sage advice, and it confirms Peled’s comment that he doubts “the world understands complexity.”

Thoughtful individuals value objective research and serious discussions with those having opposing views. Intellectual challenges lead to greater understanding of troublesome issues, while simplistic dualities lead to mental atrophy and incomplete solutions.

In “A Peace to End All Peace,” David Fromkin attempts to explain the multiple origins of Middle East tensions, factionalism and hatreds. The book, which has 643 pages, is only a beginning. If we want a sound understanding of issues, we must avoid simplistic thinking, self-centered partisan persuasions and selfish confirmation bias.

Cray Little, Vero Beach

Time to make America sane again

A handful of wackos are making the whole country a nut house! These people need a war or a famine to know what’s important in life-like survival.

Enough of this "poor me" slavery stuff. It's time to tell the rest of the story: Long before the discovery of America, African chiefs sold their own people into slavery and mutilated little girls, and it continues in some parts of Africa today. So send any reparation bills there.

Those complaining should be thankful their ancestors landed here, and not in Haiti or Somalia.

But renaming birds? That’s the last straw! Stop allowing a handful of malcontents to tear down our people, statues that are works of art, erase names of those who worked to build this country and aren’t here to defend themselves.

All those perfect people out there: Stop wasting our life and treasure, and let’s make this country sane again.

Joan Hall, Vero Beach

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Brightline fix works in Connecticut; Vero roads; elections | Letters