Lack of affordable housing, property taxes, Jan. 6: Letters to the Editor, July 24, 2022

The lack of affordable housing in Martin County is at a critical stage

Virginia Sherlock was spot on in her July 20 letter to the editor. She lamented the fact that with our Martin County commissioners there are a lot of empty promises.

One item that she mentioned was that Martin County commissioners voted to divert more than $2 million in federal funds from housing and food assistance programs to public park improvements. Assistant County Administrator George Stokus promised that staff would “soon” present “a solution” to the county’s affordable housing crisis.

I’m not going to hold my breath. As a Realtor and former owner of a real estate firm, I attended meetings with Martin County officials as far back as 2006 to try to find a solution to the lack of affordable housing.

However, today this issue is at a critical stage that is impacting businesses and consumers. That is because businesses of all types can’t find help. The reason that they can’t find help is that the employees that they are seeking can’t afford to live here or even within commuting distance.

I am still very active selling real estate, but the labor shortage is a real problem. I have clients that need home repairs, but can’t get them done in a timely manner. One seller needs a fascia board replaced but the roofer is booked out for over a month because they are lacking an entire crew. Many retail outlets and restaurants have reduced hours and slower service simply because they can’t find help.

Perhaps our Martin County commissioners can take the $2 million in federal funds for housing and food assistance programs that they stole to use for park improvements and put up tents for the homeless in those improved parks. Or maybe they could actually get serious about finding a solution to the county’s affordable housing crisis?

Jim Weix, Palm City

Martin County schools need more justification for renewing property tax

The Martin County School Board has benefitted from a 0.5% millage rate on property taxes for the past four years and is requesting renewal for four more years.

The board had four years’ worth of taxpayer money to use for safety/security, mental health, professional development, recruitment/retention, and academic initiatives and they want four more years for the same five areas. It seems the areas of safety/security, mental health, and professional development should have already been addressed and completed with previous taxpayer dollars.

The Martin County School District has gone from an A-rated district to a B-rated district in the past four years. Barely 50% of the district’s students are passing the state reading test, with the 7th grade passing rate below 50%. Teacher retention has not been successful. The school district paid $83,650 in 2022 for 12 foreign-exchange teachers because the district was short on teachers.

The board is believing that Martin County voters will automatically vote yes again to renew the property tax and plans to use only $10,000 going to academic initiatives for the new school year and teachers receiving a smaller percentage rate of funds.

The board and the district should be concentrating money and resources for the student in the classroom to raise reading scores. If half of the students can’t pass the reading test, how are they performing in math, science, and social studies, and other subjects that require reading skills? Has the district conducted a root-cause analysis of why teacher retention and recruitment are a problem? Teacher salary may not be the only issue as to why teachers do not stay in the district.

Hold the school board and school district accountable for student success/teacher recruitment and retention before voting yes to renew property tax.

Pam Ouellette, Jensen Beach

Don’t miss “Flashdance” at The Barn Theatre in Stuart

My wife and I had the pleasure of attending The Barn Theatre's opening night production of “Flashdance” on July 14. The production company and cast put in five weeks of rehearsal six days a week and it shows. The show was spot on and the talent of the young/seasoned actors was quite evident.

We would highly recommend that if you are looking for a very enjoyable night out, get there before it closes on July 31. We were so impressed that we will be signing up as patrons of The Barn Theatre soon.

Ron Schlag, Palm City

Founding Fathers didn’t foresee the emergence of professional politicians

I read Andrew Napolitano's “Your Turn” column on July 21 and although I usually don't agree with much that he says, he was spot on in this column. It is truly remarkable how much insight the Founding Fathers had as to what might happen in this country over the next 230 years.

At the time those in the government did it on a part-time basis. They did what they had to for the government and then returned home to their real jobs. Too bad they didn't envision that 230 years later we would have professional full-time politicians whose only purpose was to get re-elected. This part of the federal government has turned into a disaster no matter what party affiliation they may carry. The founders knew that anyone who held the office of the president could ultimately turn into a dictator, as history has proven over the generations and we see now in many countries, including Russia.

We need to get back to the way it was envisioned, with term limitations for all offices, and stop this lifetime election of Congress. We need a few more states to vote for a constitutional amendment.

Edward Marasi, Port St Lucie

Veteran asks: What happened to concept of ‘Duty, Honor, Country’?

I dare say some of this discontent and friction we Americans have been experiencing with one another throughout our country was not so when the draft loomed large over the lives of all young men even during peacetime.

All young men who were single or not in college were eligible for the draft, and yet, not all young men were drafted. If there were not enough young men voluntarily joining the Army, any young man could be drafted. So, to avoid the draft hanging over their lives, most eligible young men voluntarily joined the Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, or Coast Guard as soon as they graduated from high school, since this would suffice to meet their military obligation with the Selective Service Act.

All that changed in 1973 when President Nixon signed the All-Volunteer Force that set aside the Selective Service Act.

So, you may ask, what has this to do with the way we are behaving towards each other now? For starters, since 1973, millions of young men with different backgrounds, religions, politics, and life styles have not been called to serve their country, commingle with one another, experience the hardships and rigor of military duty, undergo harsh discipline that changes unruly and undisciplined boys into young men who grow to practice and embrace the code: Duty, honor, country. It was one of the greatest experiences in my life.

Our military recruiters have reported a downturn in volunteers, and worse, 71% of the young men wanting to join the military do not even meet the minimum standards. Time for us to wake up, America!

Ron Beauchain, Stuart

There is common ground on abortion among diverse groups of faith leaders

The American dollar proclaims “In God We Trust.” We pledge allegiance to “one nation under God.” Popular pop, rock and country music still honor God. It’s no surprise if God’s decree is invoked on Roe v. Wade.

Looking for common ground among faith leaders, I learned their differences aren’t that far apart. An Institute for Social Policy and Understanding poll, https://www.ispu.org/2022-abortion-data/, confirms that the majority of Muslims, Jews, Christians, and the unaffiliated believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

Most conservative Catholic and evangelical Christians find it’s a central issue and are happy with this milestone ruling, although some of the church members I spoke to felt, it is women’s right to make their own moral choices.

Other Christians said abortion is a sad and a terrible thing, but it shouldn’t be against the law. For them, pro-life doesn’t mean anti-abortion. The Lutherans, the United Methodists, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints oppose abortion barring conditions where it’s morally preferable.

My interfaith colleagues in the Jewish community expressed that a woman’s right to control her own body is a fundamental Jewish value of free will.

What does Islam say about abortion? A brief answer I received from my imam was that “abortion is allowed under certain circumstances, but not in normal circumstances.”

Hindus believe in Karmic consequences for a women in her soul’s transmigration and rebirth cycle — a concept different from Abrahamic faiths.

Even within religious circles, opinions surrounding these debates vary. A third of U.S. adults are non-religious, says a Pew Research Center Report. I’ve come to recognize in a secular pluralistic democracy, there should be no role for religious precepts, whether they be based on Jewish Halacha law, the Catholic canon law, Baptist beliefs, or Islamic shariah.

Victor Begg, Fort Pierce, is the author of the 2019 memoir “Our Muslim Neighbors: Achieving the American Dream, An Immigrant’s Memoir.” 

Probation seems insufficient for threatening members of Congress

Seems if you live in Florida you can make death threats, attack the religion of public officials and escape recommended prison sentencing guidelines by using the "The devil made me do it" alibi.

David George Hannon, 67, of Sarasota, sent death threat emails to Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.

Hannon emailed them to get more security or they would be "six feet under.” He directed a special message of hate toward Rep. Omar. "Your Dead You Radical Muslim," Hannon promised.

Hannon's threats followed former President Trump's telling the four women  "to go back where you came from,” despite the fact they are all American citizens.

"He was doing that because Trump told him to,” Hannon's daughter, Elizabeth Dillon, told the judge at his July 6 court hearing. Hannon's daughter tried to explain why her father would threaten to kill four women.

"He was a Trump supporter and now he regrets it,” she said.

Hannon pleaded guilty to threatening a federal official by sending the death threats and hate email. He received a sentence of three years on probation and a $7,000 fine from Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle.

Judge Mizelle, appointed by Trump as a federal judge in 2020, was determined not qualified by a majority of the American Bar Association due to her limited trial experience.

Recommended sentencing guidelines for these crimes call for about 10 months in prison. Additional prison time is available under the hate crime provision of the law.

Being given probation by Judge Mizelle allows Hannon to remain at home,  inconvenienced only by periodic reporting to his probation officer.

Is this the kind of protection from death threats and hate mail that Americans want?

Ruth Sullivan, Vero Beach

Voters need all the information the Jan. 6 committee is providing

Let me start by saying I am a registered Republican. My response to Patricia Perrone's letter about the Jan. 6 committee: The entire U.S. population needs the information found by the committee to make an informed decision.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did offer to have Republicans participate, but House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell did not want this to happen, especially in a timeframe before the upcoming midterm elections.

Both had very succinct words the day after Jan. 6. In those interviews neither showed support of Trump, as they knew there was no way to whitewash this since it played live on every television in the nation. Neither wanted to discuss it after the initial interviews on national news and in newspapers. The Republican Party was afraid of losing Trump's supporters.

The truth of Jan. 6 is coming out whether Trump supporters and Republican leadership want it to or not. If Republicans can impeach a Democrat president for a consensual sexual relationship with an intern, Congress can impeach a Republican president for inciting a rioting/armed insurrection of the U.S. Capitol to stay in power. The U.S. is not a banana republic.

To say the insurrection was a peaceful protest is so far down the rabbit hole, it defies logic. Trump supporters who still back him, watch what you wish for.

Louann Flauto, Stuart

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Too-high housing, taxes, Jan. 6: Letters to the Editor, July 24, 2022