Letter writer promotes bad COVID-19 advice from state

Protect yourself against COVID variants

A letter published Sept. 24 supported the Florida surgeon general’s advice that the newest COVID-19 vaccine is not necessary for those under 65 or small children. This disputes the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and the large majority of medical doctors.

Part of the letter writer’s justification for supporting this bad advice is a quote he attributes to Dr. Anthony Fauci without a citation. In part, it says, “... the COVID vaccine was a bit of a disappointment ...” I cannot find that Fauci quote.

Factually, Dr. Fauci did write the following: “The unprecedented speed with which safe and highly effective COVID-19 vaccines were developed, proven effective, and distributed resulted in millions of lives saved.” This was in an article in the Dec. 1, 2022, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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It is important that all segments of the population (except the few for whom it is contraindicated) protect themselves against ever evolving variants of the COVID virus by following the guidance of the CDC and getting the new vaccine.

Lloyd Nurick, Sarasota

Republicans pushing for shutdown

We are days away from the federal government shutting down because extremist House Republicans are choosing partisan antics over funding the programs that lift up our families, communities and economy.

Update: How shutdown could affect your family

House Republicans want to shut down the government, collapse our economy and jam their right-wing agenda through Congress, slashing funding for everything from Women, Infants and Children for postpartum moms and babies to K-12 education, while at the same time passing anti-immigrant policies.We will not stand for this! Our elected leaders need to do their job: Avoid a shutdown and pass a budget that lifts up children, families and our economy, including fully funding WIC and child care.Johnny Matos, Sarasota

Clean up unsightly mess on I-75

Although no one likes the construction delays on Interstate 75, we have definitely benefited from the extra lanes and enhanced on-ramps and exits that help to move traffic more quickly.

However, when you drive on I-75 you cannot help but notice the trash that lies along the highway.

Certainly, no Sarasota-Manatee residents are tossing their trash out the window! This must be the result of carelessness by the many people from other areas who travel north and south on I-75.

Can we appeal to the Florida Department of Transportation to do a better job of cleaning this unsightly mess?

For someone who has not been here before, most often the first impression of beautiful Sarasota or Bradenton is from the interstate. The roadside trash is not putting our best foot forward.

Richard Simons, Bradenton

Keep e-bikes on trail, enforce speed limit

In response to a letter Sept. 27 calling for a ban on e-bikes on the Legacy Trail, that is a terrible idea.

All that is needed is enforcement of existing rules. Just as speed limits are not often enforced on our roadways, the 15 mph limit on the Legacy Trail is not being enforced. Even athletes on nonelectric racing bikes exceed that limit regularly.

Taking away the opportunity that e-bikes offer for less athletic, older or handicapped riders to enjoy the bike trail experience just because of a few rule violators is just plain wrong.

Attack the offender, not the equipment.

M. Lewis Lawrence, Sarasota

Close southern border to immigration

I really can’t understand why there isn’t a desperate call in this country for a moratorium on immigration at our southern border and a reform of the asylum process.

If immigration were halted temporarily, perhaps the Biden administration could get a handle on the debacle that is currently happening at our border. At present, the administration is spending millions of taxpayers’ dollars to “process,” house, feed, educate, transport, etc., thousands of people who have entered our country illegally.

Does it make sense to reward people whose first act here was illegally crossing our border?  I certainly don’t think so.

And should this act disqualify these immigrants from becoming U.S. citizens in the future?

Julia Gooden, Nokomis

Unfortunate claim to fame: top book banner

Is being No. 1 in book banning worthy of front-page news and something to brag about (“Florida outpaces US as book banning surges,” Sept. 22)?

I would like to read about Florida’s educational system striving for No. 1 in school reading test scores or No. 1 in graduating high school students.

Dorothy Sedlak, Venice

Recognizing Jewish High Holidays

I wish to thank you for acknowledging both Jewish High Holidays on your masthead this past two weeks.

It is nice to know that there are holidays other than the widely promoted Christian holidays.

Carole M. Shaw, Longboat Key

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Don't fall for Florida officials' propaganda on COVID vaccine