Friday's letters: DeSantis uses taxpayers' money for political stunts

DeSantis plays politics with tax money

Unless you have been living under a rock or burying your head in the sand, you know that we have a migration issue. It is not an easily solvable situation and draws emotional responses from all sides.

However, as a Florida taxpayer, I am livid that my tax contributions have been hijacked by the DeSantis administration. Our governor set up a migrant relocation program, funding $10 million through special session and an additional $12 million more in the state budget.

And the migrants that he wants to relocate are not even in Florida.

Moving migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard last fall was a horrific political stunt. These human beings are being used as pawns in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ game to gain attention. This is under investigation, costing the Florida taxpayer the legal funds.

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And the governor has done it again, admitting that he flew migrants from Texas to California, already initiating another investigation.

Don’t worry, the state budget has more money earmarked to cover those legal fees, too.

Beryl Lipoff, Sarasota

Tenure requires teaching excellence

New College trustees, appointed in a hostile takeover, do not deserve praise for denying tenure to qualified faculty after they had been approved by the previous administration.

The tenure process is rigorous, requiring scholarship and substantial service. Teaching is evaluated in terms of curricular development and a documented record of anonymous student feedback substantiating teaching excellence.

Faculty undergo lengthy evaluation by the Rank Tenure and Promotion Committee, and review by both the department chair and dean. I know many faculty who have been denied tenure or promotion by their peers.

Opinion: New College trustees allowed politics to trump academic integrity

Opinion: Board deserves praise for refusing to be a rubber stamp for faculty

Tenure requires a sustained record of faculty achievement corroborated by multiple stakeholders. To suggest that trustees are rubber-stamping tenure applications is ludicrous.

I sincerely doubt that the current trustees of New College or its interim president sat in on tenure review meetings or read through voluminous documentation in faculty portfolios.

Rather, the current trustees canceled the feedback from all stakeholders and imposed their ideological biases in the decision-making process.

As a Floridian, I strongly object to these strong-arm tactics, which are entirely motivated by external politics. These actions undermine the balance of power in higher education and do a grave disservice to students, faculty and the public.

Dr. Barbara Thompson, Venice

Public comments reflect badly on education

My children attended Sarasota schools. Now I attend Sarasota County School Board meetings.

I’ve listened to hundreds of three-minute opinions. I now understand the importance of good schools and higher education.

School Board meeting: Public weighs in on superintendent search as final decision looms

Why? Because so many adult speakers do not have the skills to give a logical, three-minute speech. This is a (sad) statement about education and why we need to pay attention to the status of our district leadership.

Additionally, because the speeches are statements of personal opinion, speakers are allowed to include false information for an “emotional punch.” In my opinion, fact-checkers are needed!  (To the speaker who stated that 90% of Sarasota County voters are Republicans, check your sources.)

Nancy Taylor, Sarasota

Congratulating fathers young and old

As Father’s Day approaches, one famous actor, Robert De Niro, has become a father at the age of 79 and another, Al Pacino, will soon become a father again at 83.

In some ways, it seems selfish having children at such an old age, knowing there’s a good chance you’ll pass away before they reach adulthood, leaving them fatherless. Pacino would have to live to 101 to see his child turn 18 and De Niro 97.

Another concern is the baby’s health. Studies have shown that the older the father, the greater the chance of premature birth and birth defects.

Happy (early) Father’s Day, to all fathers, young and old!

Larry Beck, Osprey

Media give candidates free exposure

Media coverage of the antics of prominent candidates for local, state and national offices amounts to nothing more than free publicity. The more salacious, seedy and even borderline (or actual) criminal behavior, the more extensive the coverage.

When it comes to the contenders for the U.S. presidency, there seems to be no limits. Chances are that every channel, all the time, will have “breaking news” that gives candidates’ maximum exposure at no cost with endless repetition.

Meanwhile, actual news is becoming increasingly hard to find amid the constant drumbeat.

There is no question that the media’s thumb on the political scale weighs heavily and always works in the candidate’s favor for good or ill. But who is really playing the game for whose advantage in this relationship?

Lawrence Olson, Sarasota

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Immigrants are pawns in political games