Letters to the editor for Saturday, January 14, 2023

A Democrat by default

I agree with many of the excellent letter critiques of our un-illustrious Florida governor and his gerrymandering shenanigans of stealing people's votes. It's a shame that he can get away with it like his fellow Republican Santos.

I was an Independent moderate who voted for an honorable man, John McCain, who would have made a good president. It seems that the Republicans have lost their moral compass since they had encouraged Nixon to resign but allow the recent ex-president to mount an insurrection on January 6, 2021 and won't acknowledge the consequences. It's recorded history that will never go away. I am now a Democrat by default and I'm still a moderate but would never vote Republican again.

Alice Mack, Fort Myers

How much litigation, what cost?

I would be most interested to know -- since first elected governor, how many edicts or legislative initiatives by Gov. DeSantis have been or are in the process of being litigated in court and, at what cost to Florida taxpayers?

Ted Barto, Naples

Handing the keys to developers

We are so blessed here in Lee County to have a Board of County Commissioners that has developed such an intimate relationship with the developers. It seems that no matter how many rules, regulations and laws that are broken and sidestepped, the commissioners seem to think they are duty bound to give the keys to the county to these developers.Most of us paid our way, through impact fees, to become residents of this County. Then our wonderful commissioners reduced the impact fees which allowed us, after paying our own way, the privilege of coughing up MILLIONS of dollars to help those after us. Aren’t we just so lucky?Add to the mix infrastructure planning. That which leaves all of us in traffic jams, creating unneeded pollution and wasting expensive fuel, for inordinate amounts of time. Yes, we are growing at an exponential rate but common sense would have provided a better solution than our county commissioners have. As stated, they reduced the impact fees and have allowed the developers to build willy-nilly without any consideration as to how this affects us and our environment. Developers are allowed to build these small cities in areas, most environmentally sensitive, without providing the necessary infrastructure. Instead, the plans, in most cases, call for the infrastructure to be put in place 10 to 20 years after it is needed. It’s really quite simple; collect the necessary impact fees and do not allow this construction to take place without the infrastructure being built when or before development starts.Based on the way my fellow citizens vote, they must admire the well-thought-out common-sense approach to county management used by our commissioners. They must enjoy sitting in motionless traffic. They must enjoy spending MILLIONS of their own dollars to help people move here and create these conditions.

Norman Cannon, Fort Myers

Insurrection metastasizes to Brazil

“He is the most dangerous man in the world, my Uncle” claimed Mary Trump. His malignancy metastasized to Brazil and rioters screamed “FACEBOOK, FACEBOOK, FACEBOOK” as they attacked multiple government buildings. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer artificial but the hidden, unscrupulous reality which is seeded into the minds of people taking control of how they think and act. Power-seeking controllers of social media such as Facebook use AI techniques like viruses to gain access into minds of vulnerable people analogous to Russia’s computer hackers' control of giant corporate and utility computers.

Survival of democracies throughout the world requires immediate intense application of accountability through the courts with imprisonment of the leaders of the insurrections such as January 6 and Bolsinaro and his accomplices in Brazil. The continuing scary issue is that even current members of our House of Representatives were accomplices in the January 6 coup attempt to overthrow our democracy, and now have considerable influence in the House -- a dangerous situation indeed.

We who stand silent on the sidelines are complicit if our democracy falls. We must each support our attorney general in the prosecution, conviction and incarceration of everyone attempting to interfere with Biden’s assumption of the presidency. Hooray for Mary Trump. In 100 years will historians still support Mary Trump’s conclusion?William Pettinger M.D., Bonita Springs

Questions on Ukraine conflict

In order to understand the current Ukrainian conflict, one needs to have the intellect to answer two basic questions that require a simple “Yes” or “No” answer to each question.

1. Following the disintegration of the Soviet Union 30 years ago, have the U.S. and NATO been expanding their military and nuclear presence in Europe by moving eastward?

2. Since the beginning of the Russian Special Military Operation in Ukraine almost a year ago, this conflict still goes on in spite of our continuing and increasing financial and military support for the Zelensky regime. In line with the U.S. long-standing policy of “degrading, defeating, and destroying” our perceived adversaries, have we misjudged or miscalculated President Putin’s capabilities and resolve?

Honest answers, and not relying on the mainstream media bias and propaganda, would be a refreshing thought for anyone who cares to reflect on these important historical developments facing all of us.

Frank Sterdjevich, North Naples

Polls show lack of pride in America

President Biden in his Christmas address encouraged the country to pursue a fresh start. He said we should be viewed as Americans doing what’s best for our country and not party. We should also be proud of our country and build it together.Maybe the president was responding to a September New York Times poll which asked Americans if they think our country is the greatest on earth. 69 percent Republicans and 37 percent Democrats responded yes. In July the Rasmussen poll asked whether they were very proud to be an American. 74 percent Republican and 44 percent Democrats responded yes. A recent Quinnipiac poll asked if America was invaded by a foreign power would you stay and fight or run? 68 percent Republicans and 40 percent Democrats would stay and fight.These polls are troubling, and the president is ignoring its seriousness. It won’t get better because of his harmony call. Many aren’t proud to be Americans and don’t think our country is great or worth fighting for. If a foreign power attacked us a big percentage of Americans would give up. China, Iran and Russia are cognizant of this weakness?Why do so many hate America? Most are Democrats. Biden should ask them. It’s a serious national security problem when a majority of the people dislike this country. Who or what’s influencing people? Biden and political leaders better find out or we won’t have a country.

Frank Mazur, Fort Myers

Trying to be positive

I think I will take some advice from a recent writer, asking us to be more respectful and thoughtful, and positive, by the way. Every year a letter like this is printed and I may have actually been one of the past writers, but how do we go from optimistic on Jan. 1 to wanting to smush someone in the face? Is there an unknown virus that seeps into our drinking water every February 1st or is it April 1 and we are the fools?

I think we enter into the new year with hope. But life gets chipped away. Like a stone cutter, someone is chipping away at our mental and physical beings and leaving us with broken chips, unclear vision and a finished product nobody knows what is it supposed to be. Imagine starting a new year with resolutions of great promise only to be dinged by the daily challenges and a hateful atmosphere. Our good intentions sit smashed much like FMB.

At this time of my life, looking back becomes part of who you are but I want to be the person I hope I can be. I look forward seeing each and everyone being the best they can be. In the meantime -- I wish all a Happy New Year and your hopes and dreams will come true.

Jack Holt, Cape Coral

Abuse of the language

Our beautiful, precise English language is being abused by media sources everywhere. This morning, in The News-Press, I found this headline: "More pay for women, less coaches whining in new year." "Less" coaches? Doesn't the headline writer mean "fewer" coaches? Is it so difficult to understand that if you can count the subjects, you use "fewer." If you cannot, use "less." As in, "There were fewer people on the bus this morning," or "There was less coal in the bin today." Another egregious misuse of our language has to do with "number" and "amount." Don't say, "The amount of people on the border." Say, "The number of people on the border." Again, that is because we can count them. If you cannot count the subject, use "amount." As the amount of gas in the tank today is less than it was yesterday. Other examples of misuse are legion. Don't even get me started on the inability of people to correctly use the apostrophe. There. I feel better now even if no media people pay attention. Happy new year!

William Dillon, North Fort Myers

Looks like a cover-up

The Left is trying to cover for Biden in the classified documents scandal by saying he did everything right and is cooperating. If that is true, why did he initially only report the issue to the National Archives and they were the ones who had to report it to the DOJ? Looks like a cover-up to me with the hope that the National Archives would cover for him. The National Archives and the DOJ did cover for him by not reporting it to the public for well over two months. Also, the DOJ raided Trump and took thousands of documents and only a very small portion were classified. It appears that they have allowed Biden to sort through the documents and only turn over the classified ones. How do we know they turned over all of them? This is certainly not consistent with how the DOJ dealt with Trump. Shades of Hillary destroying 30,000 emails before she turned over her emails.

Sam Bankman-Fried was the second largest donor to the Democratic Party and, at least by one source, the largest donor to the Biden campaign. It should surprise no one that in 2022 alone, SBF made four appearances at the White House. This is an example of how money dictates access and political influence.

This is not just a problem with Democrats, the same is true with Republicans. Money buys influence and access and leaves middle income Americans out. It is a problem that is difficult to solve. How can we take money out of politics? The private money spent on elections is disgusting as it could certainly be used in better places and also leads to influence and access to just those with money. This is especially true with the big lobbying groups like the various unions, NRA, pharmacy and insurance lobbies, for example.

Ron Wobbeking, Naples

We're at fault for electing them

Einstein once defined insanity as a process by which an individual does something over and over again in the same way while expecting different results. When I came across this quote I thought of the Republican Party with leadership like Kevin McCarthy of CA, Jim Jordan of OH, and Marjorie Taylor Green of GA, still following Trump’s lead as they tilt at windmills from the era of 2015 such as Hillary Clinton’s emails and Hunter Biden’s laptop while attempting to cover up Trump’s attempt to overthrow our democracy and their own complicity. Florida has its share of windmill tilting deniers as well in DeSantis, Gaetz, Rubio and Scott among others. And now the MAGA Republicans are failing to rebuff Rep. George Santos who just might, unbelievably, equal Trump with the extent of his lies. MAGA-ites are careless with the truth and therefore cannot be trusted with anything, nor can they even trust each other. They blindly believe in authority (their own) and are criminal deniers of the truth. Simply put, liars cannot be entrusted with our government. When a government becomes evil, the root cause is not really because of people like these hypocrites, but because “we the people” elected them, rationalize their misbehavior, and allow them to keep recycling their conspiracies. Who is at fault -- the crazy people who were elected or the crazy “we the people” who elected them?

James Stuart Emery, LTC U.S. Army (retired), Valrico

Biden's role in Afghanistan

Reading Friday's Nation and World comments by Riazat Butt, I couldn’t help but notice that Mr. Butt failed to describe how the Taliban came to power, how they are armed to the teeth with the most deadly weapons in the world, and how it was Joe Biden’s decisions that led to the situation the Afghans find themselves in. There is no debate about this, President Trump left old Joe with the U.S. backed Afghan army in charge, Afghan women had more rights than they ever had, the Taliban was relatively powerless, and no U.S. service person had died in Afghanistan in 18 months.

Situation managed. Then came Joe Biden.

Joe managed to have the Afghans turn over all their U.S. supplied weapons to the Taliban, got 13 U.S. service members blown up, stood by and watched as the Taliban took over the country, and then old Joe bombed a bunch of innocent Afghan children on the way out. Then Joe went on TV and said it was the greatest military feat ever, or some such nonsense. Joe Biden did that. He’s commander of the greatest military ever in existence, and today’s Afghan woman are under the knee of Taliban animals thanks to old Joe. When are AP reporters going to give Joe credit for his accomplishments? Next week, I’ll explain how old Joe was right in the middle of the 1980s and 1990s drug laws that imprisoned crack cocaine users at a much higher rate than powder users, leading to a massive overall increase of Black long-term prison sentences. Yup, Joe Biden did that.

Jeff Naslund, M.Ed., Fort Myers

Federal deficit under Biden

First a distinction -- federal deficit vs. federal debt: The federal deficit is the annual difference between the money which the government makes and the money it spends. If annually the government spends more than it collects in revenues, then it’s running a deficit. The federal debt is the running total of the accumulated deficits. Republican leaders know this distinction but they obfuscate.

Under the Biden administration the deficit this year fell by $1.4 trillion. This was the largest-ever one year decline. Last year’s drop was $350 billion.The deficit climbed every year of the Trump presidency, including in the years before the pandemic. Trump added $400 billion to the deficit, primarily because of the $2 trillion tax cut for the wealthy and for corporations.

Republican presidents since Ronald Reagan have increased deficits. Reagan sent the deficit from $70 billion to $175 billion. George H.W. Bush took it to $300 billion. Bill Clinton — with help from the first Bush’s willingness to raise taxes — kept the deficit at zero. George W. Bush took it back up $1.2 trillion with unfunded wars. Barack Obama cut that back to $600 billion. And then Trump’s tax cuts sent it soaring again. Fact checked by Politifact.

Republicans handle deficits by massive tax cuts for the wealthy, after which they want to repeal the ability of Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies. And when their plan explodes the deficit again, they will try to cut Medicare and Social Security spending.

Since Biden took office, the nation has added 10 million jobs and has seen unemployment drop to 3.5 percent, a 50-year low. In 11 states, unemployment is at all-time lows, and 17 states have unemployment rates under 3 percent. The country has added almost 700,000 manufacturing jobs as we rebuild roads, airports, bridges and ports. And the semiconductor business is returning to its homeland. For an old guy, Joe Biden produces.

Joe Haack, Naples

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Letters to the editor for Saturday, January 14, 2023