Letters to the editor for Sunday, July 16, 2023

Old Cape golf course plans

Seems the City of Cape Coral quietly has submitted plans to Lee County to develop the old golf course off Palm Tree Boulevard into low-to-moderate housing. After years of promising the residents of the city that they would buy it and keep it green making it the largest park in the Cape. After more than ten years of giving lip service to the people and saying the owners of the course first must clean up the arsenic in the ground before buying it. Now it looks like the city is willing to change the zoning and have the landowners and builders make a huge profit even with arsenic in the ground.

The City of Cape Coral should put a moratorium or at least slow down the development and growth significantly of building in the Cape. The city does not have the infrastructure, whether it be for electricity, water, sewers etc. for all this development that is going on. City Council and all others need to think ahead to how we all are going to get from place to place rather than just gleefully accepting monies from developers and lining the city coffers with cash from developers who don’t care because they will just build and run.The effects of developing the old golf course in downtown Cape and other large developments in the city cause a problem with the roadways and traffic congestion, which leads to spending more time in cars and trucks, which can lead to higher pollution. Sprawling developments also drain and destroy wetlands that absorb floodwater, leading to a higher susceptibility to flooding.City officials seem to work under a build now attitude and worry about the details later that overwhelm the current plans on funding for the schools, roads and other infrastructure needed to support new and current residents and how it affects the community and residents in the future. I realize that new construction brings more revenue to the city but there must be a time where the wellbeing of the city comes before money. The city mayor and council seem to be becoming disconnected with residents and trying to make this city into something else instead of the community we have enjoyed for years which makes this city great.

Lou Walker, Cape Coral

Donalds and nuclear energy

I would like to commend Congressman Byron Donalds and his colleagues for their leadership on nuclear energy, as highlighted in Congressman Donalds' recent op-ed.

As the statewide vice chair of the Florida Federation of College Republicans, I, along with my peers across the state recognize the critical need for conservative climate solutions. The demand for cheap, clean and reliable energy is undeniable, and Congressman Donalds is taking action to address this pressing issue.

He has introduced a multitude of bills in support of advanced nuclear energy technologies. From modernizing regulations to supporting advanced module reactors and coordinating nuclear energy usage abroad, his initiatives are tackling the barriers hindering the safe and effective utilization of this promising technology.

In a time when many leaders have succumbed to baseless myths surrounding nuclear energy, Congressman Donalds, alongside his colleagues U.S. Congresswomen Kat Cammack and Maria Salazar, has displayed open-mindedness and steady-handed leadership. This is so refreshing, especially around an issue so often fraught by political gamesmanship.

I salute Congressman Donalds for his dedicated work and urge his fellow members of Congress to join him in advancing this important cause.

Jacob Aguirre, Naples

Florida's political trajectory

You would think that elected officials in Tallahassee would focus on how they can help improve Floridians’ lives. But Governor DeSantis and the current state Legislature are dedicated to a different agenda: laws and policies that hurt people. Here are two examples of laws that went into effect on July 1.

Last Saturday, a new law made Florida a permit-less carry state, which means residents can carry a gun without having a concealed weapons permit. Surveys show that nearly 80% of Floridians do not support Florida becoming a permit-less carry state. Furthermore, no gun training is required. To add to Floridians’ endangerment, Governor DeSantis vetoed $5 million in federal aid from the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention grant program. So, at a time when gun violence is in the news nearly every day, in Florida, we’ll have more people in our state carrying guns and doing so without training. Our communities are also denied an opportunity to enhance public safety.

Migrant laborers, who comprise about 40% of Florida’s agricultural workforce, are now targets because of the state’s new immigration policy, which puts documentation ahead of all else, including Florida’s massive agricultural sector. Not only will many migrant laborers be without a means of making a living here, but the law will also make it difficult for employers to fill jobs that few others seek. The law's reach includes hospitals and physicians because proof of documentation will be required before admitting patients into care. Eighty health care providers decried the law in a public letter, writing that "deterring any segment of our population from seeking health care is not only dangerous and life-threatening for individuals, it also negatively impacts public health."

Governor DeSantis says these laws represent a “blueprint for the country.” In truth, they are bad for Florida and the nation. We need a change from Florida’s current political trajectory, which will happen only if citizens act. Speak out. Vote. Work on making Florida better.

Connie Bennett-Martin, Fort Myers

Climate change, water quality

This is a reply to Judy Freiberg’s recent column on climate change and water quality. Freiberg is a well-meaning Democrat activist and many of her points about Florida’s problems are right on.

Unfortunately some are not. Here are a few corrections.

First, she lumps “chemicals” in with fertilizer and animal and septic waste as primary causes of deteriorating water quality.

Correction: “Chemicals” are everywhere and make up life as we know it. To blame “chemicals” for water pollution is absurd. Water itself is a chemical.

Second, Freiburg attacks fossil fuel companies that have a “profit motive.”

Correction: “Profit motives” have little to do with either climate or water quality. President Biden himself has touted economic benefits as a primary incentive for companies to pursue green energy. And the last time I looked, America is still a capitalist country where “profit motive” is not a bad thing.

Third, she lumps climate and water quality together and implies a Democrat vote in 2024 will somehow fix both.

Correction: Polluted groundwater is due largely to nutrient runoff and has little to do with climate change, which is primarily due to greenhouse emissions. Whether a Democrat takeover in 2024 will solve both problems is anyone’s guess.

I do support Freiberg’s call for the “Right to Clean Water” constitutional amendment. Although the odds of getting it on the 2024 ballot are long, it’s worth a try.

Dave Trecker, Naples

GOP perpetuates catastrophe

Big oil researched and understood the consequences of fossil fuel carbon emissions in the Earth’s atmosphere and global warming in the 70’s. Then referred to as the greenhouse effect. Heat waves, fires and smoke, increases in the frequency and severity of tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, polar ice melting increasing ocean levels, etc. Conversion to sustainable and cleaner energy sources would have had a 50-year head start but for the fact that big oil and its partner, the Republican Party, buried the research and proceeded to extract, refine and burn crude oil creating excess carbon in our atmosphere. We are here today primarily because Republicans lied to the American public to fatten the bottom lines of fossil fuel companies all the while furthering legislative tax subsidies to allow future commitments to drilling and more carbon emissions. To this day climate change deniers continue the “it’s a hoax” mantra with effervescent zeal. To own the libs. So as you watch global warming unfold before your eyes I ask that you remember to thank a Republican for perpetuating the catastrophe we are living through and your children, and grandchildren, will live through. So the rich could get richer. And they could own the libs.

Peter Karastamatis, Fort Myers

Explains everything

Finally, clarity. Cocaine in the White House. That explains the last two and half years!

Ted Schoen, Estero

This is the 'free state'?

Politics confuses me at times. When Mr. DeSantis claims Florida is the “free state” but pushes forth laws about what books can be read by children, what health care can be provided to children, where exactly do the parental choices come in? (The list goes on). Is this behavior a not so subtle form of indoctrination, “I will let you read what I deem is OK, and make health care choices I deem appropriate for your children"? Are we witnessing his losses of these efforts of indoctrination in the courts repeatedly (at Florida taxpayer expense)? Given that there are over 1,800 special districts (like Disney) in Florida, how does Mr. DeSantis profess to support business development when using Florida tax dollars to attack our largest employer?

Mr. DeSantis’ behavior runs counter to everything I have believed about the Republican Party (pro-business, less government, less policies). I believe these questions are starting to be answered by Mr. DeSantis’ poll numbers in his current run for the presidency.

Don Sykes, Naples

Third-party challenger

It appears well settled that a majority of registered voters do not want a Biden/Trump rematch. And a very recent poll claims that 49% of voters would consider supporting a third party candidate if, once again, they are offered a choice between Biden and Trump. So the stage seems to be set for a third-party challenger. For the sake of this argument I assume that a likely choice, Dem. Senator Joe Manchin, would carry the third-party candidate baton. Obviously there are stalwart supporters who will support President Biden regardless of his age and cognitive declines and those who will support former President Donald Trump regardless of how often he proves to be his own worst enemy. But this showdown is different. In 2024, the third-party candidate will not merely be a Ross Perot spoiler, pulling votes away from either Biden or Trump. There is so much animus and frustration in contemplating a Biden/Trump rematch that, in my opinion, support for the third-party candidate will prevent either Biden or Trump from from gathering the needed 270 electoral college votes and the decision will be made by a vote in the House of Representatives where the state representatives vote en bloc and not individually. Therefore it will require 26 state bloc votes to result in a winner. The individual votes of a state delegation occur in private and that practice will likely continue. Because, I believe, the animus and frustration will impact the House voting, the third-party candidate may well win; "the lesser of evils". And in a scenario which could have been written by Jonathan Swift, the Senate, by individual votes, not bloc, decides the vice president race. “When I was a boy I was told anyone can become president; I’m beginning to believe it,” Clarence Darrow.

Read McCaffrey, Naples 

Trump and the debates

The formal announcement the other day by the Republican National Committee (RNC) that its first presidential candidates debate will be on August 23 in Milwaukee prompted  the customary threat from former President Trump’s camp to bypass the showcase event for, pick your reason: he objects to the party’s required “loyalty” pledge to support the endorsed  nominee; the selection of moderators; his wide polling lead over his rivals; other explanations; or all if the above.

He pulled the same stunt during the Iowa caucuses in 2016, holding his own one-man debate, which he easily won. But he lost the caucus there and then joined the multiple candidates in the ensuing debates and primaries,  which he swept, except for losing the caucus in Minnesota to our Senator “Little” Marco Rubio.

His absence this time around would be unfortunate because it would deprive the public, especially the Republican portion of the electorate, of the opportunity to assess the candidates face-to-face. But it would  be even more devastating to FOX News, the sponsor of the event. Its ratings  would plummet without the presence of the ex-president, which would sharply cut into advertising revenue that the network uses to help replenish its coffers from the $800 million settlements it paid to Dominion Voting Systems for the lies it knowingly broadcast in support of his BIG LIE about the 2020 election and to a harassed producer who raised concerns about  its practices.

But there’s an obvious solution to the problem of how to get the ex-president on the debate stage in Milwaukee: pay him an appearance fee. A couple of million dollars ought to suffice, coupled with a renewal option for future debates. The ratings boost would more than compensate the Rupert Murdoch Empire in increased commercial billings.

The ex-president can use the money to help pay his burgeoning legal fees and, perhaps, compensate that Cuban-American cafe in Miami, which he characteristically stiffed after promising food for everyone at his first post-indictment rally last month.

Would other candidates squawk?

Probably not; nearly all of them, including the other two Floridians in the race, Governor DeSantis and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, comprising a contingent of 25% of the field from our state, are too fearful of him and his base even  to object to his blatant illegalities and other improprieties. Plus, they need him at the debates to attract more viewers so they can express their views, without, of course, criticizing the former president. The two who are raising the most objections — Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson — are struggling to qualify to participate by meeting the low GOP eligibility thresholds: 1% standing in the polls and 40,000 small-dollar donors spread among 20 states.

So, FOX and all of the other GOP presidential aspirants, including the two Floridians, need the ex-president in the center of the platform at the debates much more than he needs them. To paraphrase one of his White House predecessors: “Ask not what you can do for Trump,  but ask what he can do for you.”

Marshall H. Tanick, Naples

Ford banks on China

Ford Motor recently was given a $9.2 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of President Joe Biden’s push to bring more electric vehicle production to the United States.Ford also announced they will be importing the 2024 gasoline-powered Lincoln Nautilus from the Changan Hangzhou assembly plant in China.That has to leave Lincoln dealers with a lot of explaining to do to their loyal customer base who praised Ford for not taking Obama's bailout money.

Gary Eidson, Fort Myers

DeSantis and executions

Rome’s emperors used executions to gain support from “the street,” the hoi polloi for whom the spectacle of gladiatorial combat was staged. The condemned were executed in the arena as a “half time show” before the main events in the afternoon, and the audience generally gobbled it up.

However, 16 centuries ago, when Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity as the new state religion, he banned both gladiatorial combat and the public executions associated with it as “un-Christian.”

Now comes Governor Desantis who is suddenly ramping up Florida executions in his play for the Republican street’s backing in his run for their presidential nomination. The incongruous thing about this is that he is overtly grounding his campaign in his Christian faith. DeSantis’ Christian faith is Catholicism, and both his United States Conference of Bishops and Pope oppose capital punishment. Go figure!

Using government sanctioned homicide as fodder for his failing presidential campaign cannot be squared with any religion I know of.

Clearly DeSantis is no Constantine, or, for that matter, no santis.

Bruce Diamond, Fort Myers

Governor’s war on woke

Our governor has taken his war on woke on the road where so far it has not played all that well in Peoria. Mr. DeSantis seems unmindful that in war it is important to clearly define and identify the enemy to avoid engaging in fratricide.  The recent Naples Daily News Sunday edition article (“Pardoned, fired, retired: SWFL lures famous politicians, pundits”) focused on some of the famous, infamous, not so famous and in some cases just plain decent folks who have found their way to Southwest Florida. After reading the article, it struck me that Florida in general does indeed present what the Marines would call a “target rich environment” for recruitment for the governor’s army to fight woke. I recommend the governor consider using actor Harvey Keitel’s famous army recruitment speech in the classic movie "Blazing Saddles" as Keitel’s character prepared to go to war against “runaway decency,” not unlike the governor’s war on woke. Keitel says, machine-gun like, that he wants “rustlers, cut-throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, pugs, mugs, half-wits, nitwits, con men, Indian Agents, Mexican bandits, vipers, snipers, muggers, buggerers, bank robbers, horse thieves, hornswogglers, bush whackers, [posterior anatomy] kickers, [manure] kickers and Methodists.”  Minus the Methodists, who seem to have been thrown in for good measure, this seems to match up pretty well, politically speaking, with the bios of many of the January 6 insurrectionists, the majority of whom came from the state Mr. DeSantis governs over and would constitute a ready made army on which to build.  The governor has also been accused of not being “authentic” and this might very well be helpful to him on that front as he seeks new recruits to his army.

Thomas Minor, Bonita Springs

Flawed comparison

A letter writer in Sunday's paper compared former President Trump to General George Patton, Jr. Having served as an infantry officer in the 1970s in General Pattons’ 2nd Armored Division, including part of the time when his son, Major General George Patton IV, was the Division Commander, I find this comparison to be ludicrous and an insult to the men and women who served and continue to serve in our military.Former President Trump did not serve in the military. Neither did his father, wives, sons, son in law and daughters. Whether due to vanishing bone spurs, cowardice, greed or desire not to be true patriots, the entire Trump family, particularly the head of this family, should all be ashamed of their lack of honorable service to the USA.This former president would never have been able to honorably serve in our military. Perhaps it is fortunate that he and his family did not serve. Both General Pattons would never have respected this clown. As referenced in the movie that the letter writer probably saw, the actual comparison is not to General Patton but to those who may have decided to shovel the stuff in Louisiana rather than serving with General Patton.

Donald Switzer, Naples

Words of warning

In the words of German pastor Martin Niemöller:

First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist.Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist.Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew.Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.

Although I am an old white heterosexual guy; I will vote and speak out for the rights of LBGTQ to live their own lifestyle, for gay people to love and marry as they wish, for all races, ethnic groups and religions to be treated with equal dignity and respect, for all Americans to have equal and unmanipulated voting rights (gerrymandering), for all Americans to be treated equally under the law, and for fair, honest, and civil discourse.

As a literal conservative (not a Republican or right-wing extremist) I am also a democratic socialist since I collect Social Security and Medicare. The politicians legislate socialist government subsidies to farmers, energy companies, PPP loans, mortgage insurance, school vouchers and loans, small and big business loans, tax credits, reparations and so on but with Medicare and Social Security funds drying up, one day they will come for me too.

Robert Martin, Naples

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Letters to the editor for Sunday, July 16, 2023