Jeff Bezos has earned the good life | Opinion

Every time I read about another good fortune for Jeff Bezos, I rejoice. May he have many more successes, lots of wealth, good friends, good health. Bezos’ company, Amazon, has changed my life. No more running from store to store; no more “we can order this for you” with an arrival weeks later; no more being stuck with a broken or unwanted item.

Kindle has cleaned out my book shelves. Audible gives me enjoyment when I drive around or spend time at the beach. Amazon Music gives me every tune on Earth. Alexa answers all my questions, and Publishing encourages me to write. I’m waiting for more.

Those who speak negatively about Bezos are simply envious. He had the ideas, you didn’t. Live with it.

Dagmar F. Pelzer,

West Palm Beach

Officers’ kindness

This past week, I had the profoundly difficult task of having to say goodbye to my mom. She was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer that claimed her life in a matter of weeks. During this process, as painful as it was, there were times that reminded me how compassionate and caring people can be.

My sister and I took shifts to always be by our mom’s side. One morning during her watch she called, saying that our mom had declined significantly and that she was asking for me. I immediately left work to be at her bedside.

As I was driving, a Miami-Dade Police officer, who was part of a team doing a speed check, stepped onto the road and signaled me to pull over. I had no idea how fast I was driving, but I am sure I was significantly exceeding the limit and he had every reason and responsibility to stop me. Distraught, I apologized, hoping I would get the ticket quickly. One officer asked why was I in such a rush. I explained the situation.

Rather than giving me a ticket, the officers expressed their sincere condolences. Not only did they not cite me, one offered to escort me to my mom’s home. I got to her just in time to have her see me, smile and tell me how much she loved me and my sister, before falling into a deep sleep from which she never again fully awakened.

In all of my distress and anxiety, I failed to get the names of the officers who that day demonstrated kindness and understanding. That will always mean more to me than they could ever know. At a time when some people are quick to criticize police, I thank these officers for their sincere compassion. They define “to protect and serve,” and I will forever be indebted to them.

Ron Magill,

communications director,

Zoo Miami

It’s overreach

As retired school principal and a conservative, I read with some concern the decision at Bob Graham Educational Center to remove from its school library Amanda Gorman’s poem, “The Hill We Climb,” because of one parent’s objection.

Why, with just one objection, could a decision like this be made and, most important, what specifically in that poem is objectionable?

I listened to the poem when it was delivered at President Biden’s inauguration. Recently, I read it in its entirety and found nothing objectionable. I would like to hear exactly the words, the phrases, the ideas this eloquent poem expresses that this lone parent found objectionable.

Roger Shatanof,

Coral Gables

A new wave

I thank Manny Diaz Jr., Florida’s education commissioner, for pulling out of the forum at Antioch Church in Miami Gardens to address the new African-American history curriculum. He saved a lot of time by not having to defend what has no defense. He allowed my Black brothers and sisters an opportunity to unite in a way not seen since the 1960s.

I attended high school through the integration period and had to uproot and change schools to meet a racial quota. Not since that time have we been affected by such major government mandates.

This forum renewed my pride in my race. A movement was created. I am pleased to have witnessed this historic event. The struggle, our mission and journey have begun. I applaud my people for stepping up and taking ownership of this situation. We refuse to have our history erased or rewritten.

Dorothy J. Morrison,

Miami Gardens

Stolen bikes

About 2 p.m. Aug. 8, my wife and her friend took our two Rad e-bikes and stopped in front of the Edition Hotel on 29th and Collins Avenue in Miami Beach. They locked both bikes using a chain-link Kryptonite motorcycle lock that weighs about 12 pounds. In the course of 45 minutes, in broad daylight, someone used a blow torch to sever the thick chain and stole both bikes.

When traveling through Miami Beach, we use the e-bikes as our main source of transportation. Now, we can no longer do that.

Our freedom is at risk. I’m thinking about buying two new bikes, but how can we?

The community, City Commission and mayor should be made aware of this. These individuals need to be stopped. My fellow residents deserve better.

Robert Glick,

Miami Beach

Not a spokesman

What is Herald Sports writer Greg Cote trying to do in his Aug. 13 column, “Messi is delivering everything imagined for Inter Miami except his voice?” Convert Lionel Messi into Winston Churchill or Mario Lanza?

He is strictly a soccer player; let the other members of the team speak after the games. Messi is a quiet individual. He lets his feet do the talking.

Leave him alone. He is happy in his own environment and has been for about 15 years. He is not going to change now. His voice is not important.

Fernando Cuellar,

Weston

Pain and grief

While my reference might have been Coney Island rather than a Six Flags roller coaster, I so felt Ana Veciana-Suarez’s ambivalence between grief and joy expreseed in her Aug. 14 column, “My niece’s birth of a child is a blessing, but a tinge of sadness colors the joy.”

The absence of her late daughter and sister will forever live in her heart but, hopefully, each new life will bring her joyful balance.

Norma A. Orovitz,

Bay Harbor Islands

Climate solutions

Heat advisories for Floridians are nothing new, but the recent record-high temperatures are affecting more than our summer cookouts. Our most treasured resource, the ocean, is facing the greatest risk. A research buoy in Manatee Bay, MNBF1, recorded a world record ✔101.1 degrees Fahrenheit water temperature on ✔July 24.

Comparable to a hot tub, these temperatures are devastating ecosystems, endangering our communities and threatening Florida’s economy. Driven by climate change, trends of warming waters lead to an increase in harmful algal blooms and the severity of storms. They can also destroy reefs, seagrass beds and estuaries. These impacts threaten to cripple our world-famous fishing industry.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Shultz must prioritize the passage of bipartisan climate solutions, like tripling our energy transmission capacity and implementing a carbon fee and dividend. Such policies put Floridians first and ensure our livelihoods. Preventing climate change’s most drastic consequences requires change now, not adaptation later. The future of our beaches, fish, ocean-based economy and, yes, beach-side barbecues, rely on immediate action.

Jay Aguilera,

Davie

Closed books

I’m surprised and annoyed that many people, including some in the Miami Herald, seem to ignore that many parents in Florida, not just Gov. DeSantis, are willing to censor books and authors (including lately, works by Shakespeare).

DeSantis couldn’t act like a vindictive middle-aged bigot alone.

Valeria Mastelli,

Key Biscayne

Disregarded

Re the Aug. 13 op-ed, “When DeSantis removed Orlando prosecutor, he ignored the data and democracy:” Who is to say Gov. DeSantis cannot ignore democracy?

Harold A. Maio,

Fort Myers

Quality leadership

The writer of the Aug. 10 letter “Great leader,” stated that President Trump was “a hell of a president.” He has every right to express his opinion. I might say that FDR was also a hell of a president.

Trump, however, was elected to one term, unlike my choice. Therefore, he had no right to lie and cheat and try to overturn a democratic election with his co-conspirators. Our definition of a president should not be reduced to any other standard.

Lainey Nacron, Miami