DeSantis, First Amendment, Disney; Trump; solar rooftops win; confirmation bias | Letters

Rooftop solar power winner for Floridians

As Floridians, we are well aware of our state’s nickname, the Sunshine State.

Our reputation as the Sunshine State means several things for our electricity bill. On one hand, we spend huge amounts seeking relief from the heat, in the form of air conditioning. However, this same heat that raises our electricity bills gives us a unique opportunity to harness the power of the sun and generate clean, renewable energy.

Living in Florida, we are in one of the best positions in the United States to capture solar energy. Our proximity to the equator and high percentage of sunny days leads solar to be our most promising form of renewable energy generation.

Despite this, only 90,000 Florida households have installed solar panels, representing less than 1% of all homes in the state. Many Floridians might be off-put by the admittedly high upfront costs of solar panels. However, long-term, solar could be a cost-saving option for Florida residents. On average, an installation costs anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 for a 5kw solar panel. However, once installed, there are almost no maintenance costs, and the solar panel begins to pay for itself in the form of utility bill savings.

Quotes from solar panel companies across the state estimate the payback period of a solar panel to be just under 10 years, with any electricity generated after being a surplus of the installation.

Aside from economic reasons, Florida homeowners who install solar panels would be helping promote a cleaner Florida. In contrast to traditional forms of electricity generation, such as power plants relying on coal or natural gas, solar panels emit no greenhouse gases and don’t contribute to air pollution.

We Floridians should turn to what our state is best known for and adopt solar.

Christopher Fashek, Vero Beach

Consume various sources of information to avoid confirmation bias

I am writing to express my concern about the growing trend of people who seem to be conditioned to dismiss any information that does not align with their worldview. It is troubling to see that some individuals only listen to one network, blindly accepting everything they hear without questioning the validity of the facts presented.

This phenomenon is often referred to as "confirmation bias," where individuals seek out and prioritize information that confirms their pre-existing beliefs, while dismissing anything that challenges them. It is a form of cognitive dissonance that can lead to the spread of misinformation and a distorted understanding of reality.

The issue is exacerbated when individuals limit themselves to only one news network or information source, as it creates an echo chamber where their beliefs are constantly reinforced, and alternative viewpoints are never considered. This can lead to a dangerous situation where people become so entrenched in their beliefs that they are unwilling to consider anything that contradicts them, even when presented with irrefutable evidence.

It is important to remember that facts and reality do not depend on our beliefs. Reality exists independent of our perception of it. It is only by seeking out multiple sources of information and actively engaging with different viewpoints that we can hope to gain a more complete understanding of the world.

In conclusion, I urge you to consider the dangers of confirmation bias and the importance of seeking out diverse sources of information. It is only by questioning our assumptions and challenging our beliefs that we can hope to arrive at a more accurate understanding of the world we live in.

Chrisi Thanos, Port St. Lucie

Does Trump really lean toward the 'right?'

Patricia Perrone calls the Jan. 6 inquiry a “dog and pony show!” She hasn’t watched any of the thousands of videos, showing death and destruction?

I saw the video of President Donald Trump telling people to march peacefully, and that he would be with them. So where was he when that guard was dragged backward down the stairs, beaten with a flagpole, another crushed against a pillar, others sprayed directly in the face?

This is a country of more than 330 million people, living in “a most favored place on Earth,” as George Washington called it. Just how do we “tilt left,” whatever that means? What is “tilting” is the rusty 90-year-old railroad lift bridge in Stuart, which is supposed to go up and down for Brightline trains. Did President Trump fund any bridges? How about Gov. Ron DeSantis, with $100 million apparently available for his own military forces, including boats, planes and more bureaucrats, of course.

It was a Democrat, the original Richard J. Daley, who asked of his critics, “what do they build?” The first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, insisted the Capitol be finished in spite of the war. Are you sure Donald Trump stands for Republican principles, that he leans “toward the right?”

Helen Frigo, Jensen Beach

Trump's action or inaction didn't cause Jan. 6 insurrection?

Patricia Perrone’s letter explaining how Democrats have their share of “bad actors” begins with the declaration that ex-president Donald Trump “did not call for an insurection” on Jan. 6, 2020.

She based this declaration on three words Trump said to the armed mob near the end of his speech on Jan. 6: He told them to go “peacefully and patriotically.” These few words hardly explain the first part of the same speech when he told the armed mob to “go to the Capitol” and fight like hell.

If Trump did not start an insurrection on Jan. 6, as Perrone proclaims, then one other fact is also true. Trump did nothing to stop the non-insurrection he didn’t start. For the record, Trump sat in the Oval Office dining room for more than four hours, eating hamburgers, throwing hamburgers and watching the non-insurrection on television, while ignoring repeated requests asking him to put a stop to the violence.

Trump did nothing. Trump never called the Metro or Capitol police, the National Guard or the Pentagon for help to clear the Capitol of the non-insurrectionists. Trump did nothing (except enjoy his Whopper) to help or aid the 73 wounded Capitol police officers and 65 wounded Metro officers. Instead of sending help, Trump directed the mob with a tweet that sent Vice President Mike Pence and the members of Congress fleeing for safety.

I guess some people just don’t want to know how Trump’s failure to act on Jan. 6 was the insurrection.

Chris Christensen, Palm City

Can wildlife officials bring seals back to Florida?

With man's leaky septic tanks and boat strikes, manatees will become extinct, along with the Caribbean monk seal.

Did you know that we had seals living along our coast from Jacksonville to St. Petersburg? A Mr. Ward back in 1887 said monk seals could be easily approached and killed. The last recorded monk seal in the United States was killed in 1922 off the coast of Key West.

If we lobby our elected officials to encourage the Fish and Game Service to capture seals that still survive in other parts of the world, maybe we can raise them in captivity and release them on the coast of Everglades National Park.

Officials saved the red wolf with that program.

Tom Tomlinson, Palm City

DeSantis, GOP eviscerate First Amendment in Disney war

In the land of alleged freedom, the governor of Florida has literally weaponized the state government against the largest business in Florida for exercising its First Amendment rights: Gov. Ron DeSantis has openly spoken about forcing Disney to make business to his liking.

I was curious. Since when in America does a government use its power to strike down the First Amendment and force business decisions on businesses?

The bottom line in Ron DeSantis' Florida, is sit down, shut up and do and think as I say. That is not America.

I think it’s time to just recognize the Republican Party is no longer interested in democracy. Soon DeSantis will no longer be governor. He has zero chance to be president.

The public will remember what DeSantis is doing. The public will remember the radical right-ring organizations who pushed his agenda. Live it up now. Power is fleeting.

Don Whisman, Stuart

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: DeSantis, First Amendment, Disney; Trump, Jan. 6; solar rooftops win