DeSantis dictator? Trump vs. Biden II? Book bans; Brightline stop done; Durham | Letters

Indian River children in need require more than 'wait and see' approach

The Indian River Community Foundation recently advocated that the Indian River County Board of County Commissioners increase the annual allocation for children's services to align with the letter and the spirit of Ordinance 2022-007.

Despite evidence demonstrating increased need, a long history of accountability among nonprofit charities operating proven programs and widespread philanthropic support, the Board of County Commissioners has settled on a "wait and see" approach.

With this decision, we can now wait and see how many more at-risk pregnant mothers or their babies die instead of receiving help from Indian River County Healthy Start Coalition.

We can wait and see how many more kids die from alcohol poisoning or overdoses from street drugs instead of receiving help from Substance Awareness Center of Indian River County.

We can wait and see how many more teenagers commit suicide instead of receiving help from the Mental Health Association in Indian River County.

No amount of public or private funding can solve all these problems, but when additional public dollars are available, community support is strong and access to services can mean life or death, our community's children deserve more than a "wait and see" approach.

Jeffrey R. Pickering is president and CEO of the Indian River Community Foundation, Vero Beach.

Paradise lost: Florida not what it's cracked up to be, but what is?

Why is moving around the country to find paradise a bad idea?

Here are a few examples.

Those northerners wanting to escape the frigid winters move to Florida expecting to find paradise? If you look up the definition of paradise in the dictionary, nowhere does it say anything about man-eating alligators, swarms of mosquitoes, killer hurricanes, tropical heat and downpours, high taxes, high insurance or parades of bad drivers.

The same goes for the Southwest, where tarantula hawks can kill you with their sting, scorpions are as numerous as mosquitoes are here, rattlesnakes are waiting just around the corner, months of summer heat exceed 110 degrees, along with forest fires and liberals in large numbers.

The grass isn’t any greener on the other side of the hill or in Florida.

Northerners should avoid wanderlust and stay put. Nothing here in Florida is worth uprooting your lives for, nor will moving here bring you any closer to the Fountain of Youth or any closer to paradise.

Bart Hollobaugh, Jensen Beach

Book bans un-American; lead to manipulation of citizens

I spoke at the Martin County School Board meeting the other night along with 50-plus others. I hope this will reach more people in Florida. This book ban has to stop. It is un-American.

In a society striving for progress and enlightenment, the act of banning books has a far-reaching impact on crucial aspects such as diversity, justice, inclusion, race and facts. While censorship may be driven by various intentions, it often stifles intellectual growth, narrows perspectives and undermines the values of an informed society.

Diversity and Inclusion: Banning books hampers diversity and inclusion by limiting the range of ideas, perspectives and experiences available to readers. Literature serves as a gateway to understanding different cultures, identities and lived realities. When books are banned, diverse voices are silenced, depriving readers of the opportunity to develop empathy, dismantle stereotypes and foster inclusivity.

Justice and Race: Book bans can perpetuate injustice by censoring narratives that highlight the experiences and struggles of marginalized communities. By restricting access to literature that addresses issues of race and social justice, bans contribute to the erasure of marginalized voices. This reinforces existing power imbalances and hinders progress toward impartiality.

Facts and Knowledge: Banning books also undermines the pursuit of truth and the dissemination of accurate information. Literature plays a vital role in educating and expanding our understanding of the world. When books are censored, facts may be suppressed, distorted or entirely ignored, leading to a society misinformed and vulnerable to manipulation.

Conclusion: Banning books has a profound impact on diversity, injustice, inclusion, race and facts. It stifles the free flow of ideas, impedes progress and perpetuates ignorance. Promoting open dialogue, critical thinking and access to diverse literature is essential for building a society that embraces diversity, justice and values the power of knowledge. It is through the preservation of intellectual freedom that we can create a world that celebrates our differences while working toward a more just and inclusive future.

Chrisi Thanos, Port St. Lucie

Brightline: Stuart had solid plan for railroad stop

I am a retired Stuart Police officer (1985-2015). One of my assigned tasks was CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design). Way before I retired, I reviewed plans for a proposed train station in Stuart. It was presented when Tri-Rail was doing experimental runs up to Stuart.

The train station was between Ernst Produce and East Coast Lumber, with Sailfish Park on one side and Kiwanis Park on the other side. There was already parking in place. The city was offering shuttle service free to the downtown area.

We looked at the public safety aspect of the proposed site, such as lighting, egress and other safety issues. I am sure that the plan is shelved somewhere in the development department. It would make a good proposal.

Retired Stuart Police Sgt. Martin Jacobson lives in Port St. Lucie

No more votes for dictator DeSantis

Our governor is out of control. His stance on abortion is forcing a faith-based decision down our throats.

Sending the Florida National Guard to the Texas border is spending our tax money on an issue that’s none of his business. Use them within our state, yes; Texas, no.

I can’t vote for a dictator for any office; that’s how he’s projecting himself to me. I’ll never vote for him again.

Buford McBee, Stuart

Here's how to solve debt-limit issue

I think I have a solution to the debt-limit crisis. Let the two children, Joe Biden and Kevin McCarthy, go into a quiet room and as each item in the budget comes up, play rock, scissors, paper.

The winner gets whatever it is he wants to be put into the budget or taken out until it’s done.

Hey, it’s better than what we have now. Darn, kids!

Jim Grant, Jensen Beach

Durham report shows GOP must save America

None of the guilty Democrats named in the Durham report will ever be indicted for their crimes, which, in some cases, rise to treason.

From Hillary Clinton to the top law enforcement departments in the land, there have been hundreds of guilty acts that amounted to interference in presidential elections, acts against the Constitution of the United States, lies to Congress and the American people, using foreign agents to write false charges against a sitting American president.

Any other country would probably arrest every single one of the crooked, evil participants in these acts. Real, true Americans have lost all trust in the FBI, Department of Justice and in the Democrats. They have brought it on themselves.

I pray that Republicans have learned not to be so complacent and trusting when it comes to politics.  It is time to fight to cleanse our beautiful country of the slime that has taken over our government, and that includes some in the GOP in D.C.  We must vote out every single Democrat in office and not vote any of them into office.

Republicans must save America!

Nancy Celano, Sebastian

Biden-Trump not least of federal government worries

Over the past year, it has become obvious that changes are required in certain areas of the federal government. One area is how one becomes an elected federal officeholder.

We have all read how George Santos fabricated his resume in order to be elected in New York to the U.S. House of Representatives. The question is, who's fault is that? Certainly the majority of the fault was his, but neither the voters in New York nor the political parties in New York can escape blame, since they legally voted for him and did no background check to verify his claims.

Anyone can run for office, but we need to have both parties obligated to verify resumes of contenders. Sure, politicians lie, but in his case that was extreme.

Moving on, we need a maximum age to be set for any contender running for federal office and a mandatory retirement age for all officeholders and Supreme Court justices.

Otherwise, we have situations such as Ronald Reagan, when he had suffered from mental problems during his last term; Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who apparently does not know what day it is; and the possibility of a president falling in the same category. Of course, term limitations would be helpful, but Congress will never vote for that.

Neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump should be allowed to run in the next election. I am not saying they will lose mental acuity, but the risk is there, so why take it since four years is a long time for the country to be run by a hidden committee not voted upon by the people.

Edward Marasi, Port St. Lucie

What did government learn from COVID mistakes?

Recently there have been numerous articles in reference to the end of COVID policies and mandates.

My question is: What have we learned from this pandemic?

Have we learned how to get valid vaccines formulated and safe out in record time?

Have we learned how to get these vaccines out to the poor, elderly population? Have we learned how to think outside the box? I think not!

During this last saga, I witnessed so many poor, elderly persons unable to access computers to sign up for vaccines. The Publix system was a nightmare, to put it lightly. And why was a grocery store selected in the first place? Was our public health system too incompetent to handle this?

Why were we unable to enlist persons and resources to go to the public rather than expecting them to come to us?

Almost every day, I see mobile units from VNA, blood drives, etc., but where were they when this pandemic hit? Where was our National Guard and our numerous military units? Why weren't they put into action going out to the public to provide immunizations?

When are we going to learn that there are still many folks out there who do not have cellphones, computers or cars? Yet we put our main vaccination site up in Jensen Beach? Thats a long ride from Tequesta!

And yes, I understand this was basically a first, but all I've read so far is what happened, not what we learned and have planned for in the future.

So my main question is: When can I expect to see a plan for the future, not a re-telling of our past mistakes?

Jan Belwood, Palm City

Head of American Federation of Teachers good at making excuses

Nice try, Randi Weingarten.

Our education system is the worst it’s been in decades, so the president of the American Federation of Teachers (in a column you published May 19) first tried to blame the Centers for Disease Control, saying it insisted that children not go to school during COVID, even though it was the CDC that claimed children were the least likely to catch and spread COVID.

When that didn’t work, she blamed the parents, saying they were interfering with their children being taught to be ashamed of themselves for the slavery that occurred 150 years ago. Now Weingarten is blaming those nasty MAGA Republicans for the horrible state of our education system, even though they are just a small portion of the community that wants an overhaul of our schools.

And, by the way, exactly how is it that Weingarten justified using union dues to make a junket to the Ukraine? It seems like everybody but Randi Weingarten agrees she needs to step down.

James Rich, Hobe Sound

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: DeSantis dictator? Book banning; Brightline stop; debt fix | Letters