Letters to the editor for Monday, January 17, 2022

Walk for Life planned Saturday

Local pro-life advocates do not have to go to Washington, D.C. to observe the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Instead, they are invited to join Lee and Collier county neighbors in a mini-version of the national annual event.

A one-mile Walk for Life will be held on Saturday, Jan. 22, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on U.S. 41 and Bonita Beach Road. The peaceful prayer vigil is being sponsored by St. Leo the Great Catholic Church. Parking is available in the church parking lot at 28290 Beaumont Road. Participants should gather in front of the funeral home across from the church.

It is suggested that people wear black to mourn the death of the 62 million babies that have been aborted since the Supreme Court approved the law in 1973. Ironically, the current Supreme Court may overturn that controversial ruling in a case it recently heard. The decision will be announced in June when abortion could become a state rather than a national issue. If that happens, Saturday's Walk for Life would be the last observance of the Roe v. Wade anniversary.

Diane Corcelli, Bonita Springs

Biden worst president in our history

So dictator Biden got hammered in the Supreme Court with regards to the vaccine mandates. It’s time for the worst president in our history to go. We have the highest inflation ever, empty grocery store shelves and what there is left on the almost bare shelves is priced out of sight. The Afghanistan withdrawal debacle, highest gas prices ever and no longer oil independent. And crime in the liberal run cities out of control.

How anyone with a modicum of intelligence can ever vote for any Democrat is beyond all reasonable comprehension.

Michael Adler, Miromar Lakes

Schumer flips on filibuster

In 2005, Sen. Schumer defended the filibuster, instead of “washing away 200 years of history.” He reaffirmed its need in 2017. He even called for its use over 200 times during the Trump presidency. Now, he is prepared to wash away 200 years of history in order to supposedly preserve our democracy. Substitute Democratic Party for democracy, and he has a case.

Ron Ustruck, Fort Myers

Vote DeSantis out; elect Fried

Gov. DeSantis gave his State of the State address touting Florida’s freedom. While harshly criticizing federal spending, he is also taking credit for the good results from those federal dollars that came from the American Rescue Plan and COVID-19 stimulus funds, all of which were opposed by Republicans in Congress.

DeSantis praises his efforts to “protect the rights” of citizens to earn a living. Presumably this means protecting workers from vaccines and masks, but denies the reality of working families actually trying to earn a decent living here. The annual median income in Florida is well below the national average ($59,327 vs. $67,712) while the cost of living in Florida is actually 3 percent higher than the national average.

Average workers are so underpaid that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness has become impossible for even the average family with two workers, let alone the single parent. Rents are soaring, making it impossible for those working in service industries to live anywhere close to their workplace. The dream of homeownership is unattainable in Florida with real estate prices rising 23.9 percent in one year alone. Homebuyer assistance for low to moderate income families is paltry at best, with needs far outstripping funding. No state allowances for first time buyers here!

Benefits to the unemployed are in disastrous state in Florida, also. It has and is failing continuously, even when thousands of citizens are in need. Criticism of the federal government’s supplemental payments was widespread. Shame on you, governor. Our hardworking tax dollars are given to large corporations and spent on ridiculous lawsuits against cruise industries and the federal government, and not to benefit working citizens! Wouldn’t you prefer your tax dollars go to protecting our fragile coastal environment, improving our educational system, and address the needs of our disabled and most vulnerable residents, the elderly?

Vote Democratic and replace our failed governor, Ron DeSantis, elect Nikki Fried, and build Florida back better.

Susan Schroeder, Bokeelia

Independent fed up with extremes

Jill Lawrence points to a plethora of examples in claiming the Republicans are endeavoring to suppress votes and subvert elections. Soon we will have a Republican perspective on how Democrats are trying to open up voting to anyone in the country, citizen or not, and make it easier to falsify ballots. Voting legislation in a narrowly divided Congress is destined to go nowhere. Lawrence further makes the point that Senators Manchin and Sinema are at fault for standing by their individual beliefs, rather than giving the Democrats the narrowest of margins in order to get their way, calling the senators' position on bipartisanship incomprehensible. Huh?

This voting issue is so polarized that the only way to move it forward is to kill the filibuster -- and bipartisanship. Or maybe there is another way. The voice that is not being heard in this political war is that of the Independent voters. After all, as a voting bloc they are bigger than registered liberals or conservatives. And I suspect that many of the moderates of both parties are more closely aligned with them than they are with the extremes of their own parties.

The political dialogue is being hijacked by the extremes of the two established parties, and moderates have no role and they are chastised for not bending to the extremes. Maybe the way to achieve the bipartisanship that stuns Lawrence is to have an independent purple party that has the funding, megaphone and power that is being wasted by the extreme ideologies of the red and blue. Speaking as a lifelong independent I am fed up by the childish public bickering that has replaced statesmanship and compromise. And I know I’m not alone.

David Mahoney, Naples

'Live free and die' in Florida

After DeSantis stated 12 times in his last address to the Legislature that Florida is a “free state” with regard to the coronavirus we should consider changing our Home of the free, land of the dead!state moto. The new moto should be "Live free and die."

Barbara Rohrer, Naples

Home of the free, land of the dead!

Gov. DeSantis, this is our Florida: Home of the free, land of the dead!

Robert Bocwinski, Fort Myers

Trump doesn't belong with American flag

Recently I was driving in my car when I spied a car with an image of ex-President Trump on their window surrounded by the American flag. How despicable that a man who cheated on his taxes, (and his wives), phonied his way out of the draft, yet makes fun of people whose son made the ultimate sacrifice for this nation, instigated an uprising against the government of the United States and continues to lie to the public about the outcome of the 2020 election is associated with the symbol of an America he obviously doesn't believe in.

Daniel Higgins, Naples

Read the Tenth Amendment

I strongly recommend that your subscribers read the Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, along with the history of this amendment. It will help in the understanding of what powers the federal government has and does not have.

Field Retterer, Bonita Springs

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Letters to the editor for Monday, January 17, 2022