Letters to the editor for Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Letters to the editor should be 250 words or less. Include your name and city or community of residence. Guest opinions should be 600 words or less and include a brief summary of the author’s credentials relevant to the topic. Guest opinions may include a head shot of the author. For the Fort Myers News-Press, email submissions to mailbag@news-press.com and for the Naples Daily News to letters@naplesnews.com

Water consumption

I am not the only one who is fed up with Collier and Lee counties telling us to reduce our water consumption because of drought and at the same time they are giving out tens of thousands of building permits each year so that hundreds of thousands of people fleeing other states can move here.

I will reduce my water consumption when the aforementioned counties put a moratorium on issuing building permits.

Michael Adler, Miromar Lakes

Building permits

I’ve recently read that residents in both Collier and Lee counties are asked to voluntarily restrict water usage. I understand that there was a substantial decrease in rainfall this past rainy season but I still see multiple apartment, condominium and residential construction. I’m questioning the wisdom of granting all of these building permits in light of the situation. It seems that our infrastructure cannot sustain the current requests.

Charles Moore, Fort Myers

Affordable housing

An old idea can help greatly alleviate the crisis in “affordable housing.”  It is simple, effective and proven to work. Only in the last century did we stop using it, primarily because of government actions, and those actions can be undone.

They used to be called caretaker or guest cottages, garage or basement apartments, mother-in-law suites, or even servants’ quarters.  The current term is Accessory Dwelling Unit or ADU.  We can allow people to build them on land where they live and rent them to people at very reasonable rates.  Perhaps some “rent” can be in trade for services to the landlord.

If I currently have the right to build a 5 bedroom, 5 bath home and have 4 adult children living with me, why can’t I have a couple of ADUs?   If the tenants have to abide by my house rules, and I have to live on the property the majority of the year, then those tenants will not be any more of a concern for my neighbors than my children, and restrictions can apply to the building permit.  For example: Size of the home or lot; the number of people allowed – perhaps two adults or one adult and children per unit; On property parking for all vehicles; Maximum rents can be set.

But zoning laws have to change.  In addition to changing the laws, perhaps government can provide low or no cost loans or subsidies, maybe even as part of the billion dollars the federal government is giving us.  The government can waive the rental sales tax, and homestead exemptions for the improvements can be granted.

Personally, as I get older, I would like to have someone living on my property that could help take care of me, and I assume that many other people share that desire.  ADUs can also put working people closer to where they work.  That cuts commute time and expense, and perhaps even allows them to work at a job they otherwise could not accept.

This may not work in HOA communities but there are lots of homes in this area that are not part of an HOA.

If you agree with the need to at least examine the idea of ADUs, then write a letter to the editor, AND send an email, or call, your local elected representative in the city or county.  Make your voice heard.

Dwight Esmon, Bonita Springs

High school sports

Alas, once again, our local high school football teams came up short in their quest for state titles. For whatever reason Southwest Florida schools do not fare well against equal size schools from north Florida and Miami. For instance, no Lee County football team has ever earned a state crown. Is there something in the water that enables other Sunshine State areas to produce superior athletes in quantity?

My favorite team, Bishop Verot, defeated Dunbar and First Baptist before they landed semi-final berths. Verot appeared destined to reach the final and confront powerhouse Cocoa but the Vikings suffered a seven turnover loss to upstart Booker High that Cocoa destroyed 41 to 3 Friday night.

Regarding high school sports, the News-Press and Naples Daily News have excellent sports scribes but much of their handiwork does not reach subscribers because their editors favor college and professional columnists. Subscribers should not have to go searching for local sports fare. That is what many of us pay for.

Gerald Ponder, Cape Coral

Landscape road median

On December 12, the Collier County Board of Commissioners will consider the PUD density change and rezoning of a parcel of land on Mainsail Drive adjacent to the Marco Island Executive Airport. The residents of Mainsail Drive comprising of Fairways 1 and 2, Mainsail 1, 2, 3, and 4, and Tropic Schooner have banded together, not to oppose this development, but to ask for the requirement of landscaping the road median from Hammock Bay to the airport. This landscaping is much needed not only as a buffer for increased traffic and improved safety, but also for the enhancement of a valuable gateway to our community from the airport.

We feel that such a requirement for this landscaping is a fair trade-off for our community for the following reasons:

The developer, SK Holdings, is asking for an increase in the PUD density by 90 units. This PUD was established 40 years ago with a given density that was reduced when Tropic Schooner Phase 2 was dropped and Hammock Bay Golf Club was developed. This density increase is a big deal should not come without a cost.

The developer is asking for this land to be rezoned from utility and park to accommodate a multi-family development, i.e. an apartment complex. Once again, this should not come without a cost.

The developer was able to purchase this land for one-third of its value from the City of Marco Island. When the gavel strikes for approval, the value will shoot up to over $2.5 million. What a gift for this developer!

Considering all of this, and taking into account the fact that the local residents will be impacted by increased traffic, less safety, and lower property values, we strongly feel that the tree-lined median strip we have proposed is a fair and just tradeoff for our community.

And to those who would question the lower property values, when is the last time you heard anyone say "Oh goodie, they're building an apartment complex down the street."

David Wuellner, Tropic Schooner Condominium Association, Marco Island

Importance of Ukraine

Slow clap for Byron Donalds. Our very own congressman does not know the difference between the U.S. southern border and Ukrainian territory. He doesn’t even know the difference between Bucharest and Budapest. On Dec. 4 of this week, he gets on Fox News and posits “Why would we continue to fund other operations in the world if our border remains unsecured?” Of course, the answer is an entire country is about to fall to our top enemy Russia, unless we bulk arm Ukraine with advanced military capability. The Kremlin strategists know this. Donalds is very useful to them. But to us? In spite of coming across as a hardballer, it seems as though Donalds absconds his duty to make sound policy that actually addresses Ukraine’s military needs, and would rather fight with Democrats than work across the aisle towards a clean border security bill - two issues which have overwhelming bipartisan support. By the end of it, we could have a fallen ally, an open border, and a "useful idiot” in the seat of Florida’s 19th Congressional District. Again, he’s very useful. Just, not very useful for us.

Alexandra Zakhvatayev, Cape Coral

New traffic regulations?

Who knew that Florida’s traffic regulations had changed? Having recently returned from Ohio, it was most disturbing to realize that the State of Florida had changed its traffic regulations without informing the general public. The new regulations appear to be as follows:

1. The posted speed limit is simply a suggestion.2. Passing on the right is mandatory.3. The far-right lane is now the passing lane.4. Tailgating is no longer prohibited, but encouraged.5. Turn signals are no longer required. (Only weak people use turn signals.)6. Pickup trucks have no speed limit.7. Weaving in and out of traffic is now a sport.

In the future, it would be most appreciated if the State of Florida and the Florida Highway Patrol would publicize these changes for the safety of all drivers.

Scott Nichols, Fort Myers

Trump-Santos ticket

When you think about it, they would make the perfect team. They have so much in common. Santos blames everyone but himself telling us that the House is bullying him. He faces 23 felony charges. He lies about everything. His former aids have pleaded guilty to fraud charges. Trump and Santos could not be more alike. Because of their shared impeccable values most of our Florida representatives like Byron Donalds and Matt Gaetz will give them their full support. God bless America.

Warren White, Estero

Lost their way

Barry Goldwater, a presidential candidate I voted for, wrote "The Conscience of a Conservative." By voting to retain George Santos in Congress the Bible toting Mike Johnson and his whole Republican leadership team show that they have no conscience – only a lust for power.

Speaker Johnson, the Republican leadership, and the religious right have lost their way. They support liars, crooks, and haters. Jesus said, “Love One Another.” He did NOT say, love another IF s/he’s straight, IF s/he’s Christian, IF s/he opposes abortion, IF s/he only reads books you approve, IF, IF, IF.

Mike Johnson and the Republican leadership are CINOs – Christians in Name Only. They don’t support Christian Values. They are about to nominate a rapist, liar, and a bully to be their presidential candidate. The Republican leadership and much of the party has no integrity. Integrity matters.

Thomas J. Donahue, Fort Myers

It could happen here

If this were a movie script it would be thrown in the trash for being ridiculous.

A presidential candidate refuses a peaceful transfer of power, lies about losing an election based on apocryphal election fraud disproven by 61 court cases, incited  a violent coup, called the insurrectionists "patriots" and called January 6 "a great day."

That wasn't enough for the coup loving, Russia interference denying MAGA crowd. He also said he would "suspend the Constitution," use the military to suppress protests, and suggested putting a decorated general to death.

This same model of Christian values was accused of assaulting women, paid off a porn star and was found guilty of defamation and sexual assault which the judge made pellucidly clear was rape. Ahhh, those Christian moral values.

The incessantly insulting and demeaning MAGA Mouth also told us he would imprison political enemies who he called "vermin."

The latter could have been a verbatim quote from a speech from the Reichstag in 1932.

Yes, it could happen here.

Bill Linehan, Naples

Bidenomics successes

This is a reply to a letter writer's assertion that Bidenomics is a failure, he "forgot" to mention a few things.

The U.S. economy expanded an annualized 5.2% in Q3 2023.

Inflation has dropped to 3.2% and we lead the world in recovery from the pandemic.

Fox Business reports that American manufacturing is in the midst of a revitalization.

Thousands of infrastructure projects are underway or planned. I don't know about you, but I'd rather spend taxpayer dollars on improving our crumbling roads, bridges, airports and railways instead of another tax cut for millionaires.

Amazon reports record-setting sales to start the holiday shopping season and travel over Thanksgiving set records as well.

Corporations are making record profits, yet the writer complains about the cost of a basket of groceries rising by $23.10 in a year as if the administration sets those prices. They do not.

D. Wallace, Cape Coral

Democracy or fascism

Four ways mainstream news is quietly helping Trump and his Republican allies.First, You are drawing a false equivalence between Trump and Biden — claiming that Biden’s political handicap is his age, while Trump’s corresponding handicap is his criminal indictments.Rubbish. Trump is almost as old as Biden, and Trump’s public remarks and posts are becoming ever more unhinged — suggesting that advancing age may be a bigger problem for Trump than for Biden.Why isn’t the mainstream media reporting on Trump’s increasing senescence?Secondly, every time you report on another move by Trump and his Republican allies toward neofascism, you try to balance your coverage by pointing out some fault in the Democratic Party (such as the ongoing federal corruption and bribery case against Senator Bob Menendez).The net effect is for readers to assume all politics is rotten. A recent Washington Post article was headlined, “In a swing Wisconsin county, everyone is tired of politics.”Voters who are turned off by politics are less aware of Biden’s accomplishments — and the media is hardly reporting on them.One person interviewed by the Post admitted, “I can’t really speak to anything (Biden) has done because I’ve tuned it out, like a lot of people have. We’re so tired of the us-against-them politics.”

As if the “us-against-them politics” is the fault of Democrats as much as it is Trump Republicans. In fact, Trump’s GOP is the party of dysfunctional politics.Which brings me to the third way you are quietly helping Trump. It makes it seem as if the dysfunction in Washington is coming from both parties.“How do Americans feel about politics?” The New York Times asked recently, answering in the same headline: “‘Disgust isn’t a strong enough word.’”What the Times failed to report is that much of the GOP no longer accepts the rule of law, or the norms of liberal democracy, or the legitimacy of the opposing party, or the premise that governing requires negotiation and compromise.Yesterday, the Times attributed the coming wave of departing lawmakers across both chambers and parties to the “breathtaking dysfunction on Capitol Hill,” without telling readers that the dysfunction is entirely due to the Republican Party.

Finally, blaming both sides for this chaos plays into Trump’s and his allies’ goal of wanting Americans to believe the nation has become ungovernable, so it needs a strongman.The worse things seem, the more convincing Trump’s case for an authoritarian like him to take over. “I’d get it done in one day.” “I am your voice.” “Leave it all to me.”Focusing on government dysfunction ignores Biden’s steady hand. This makes America more likely to fall into Trump’s and his allies’ neo-fascist hands.As we head into the critical election year of 2024, the mainstream media must adapt to a new political reality: The contest is no longer between Democrats who want more government and Republicans who want less. It is between democracy and fascism.

Dennis Raube, Fort Myers

Shortsighted MAGA world

Although I've been a lifelong Yankees fan, I've always felt that Ted Williams was the greatest hitter I'd ever seen.  Posting a career batting average of .344 and a high of .407, what was most remarkable was that Williams, in November of 1942 took off four years to become a fighter in the military and flew 39 missions in WW II and the Korean war.  He was awarded the Air Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross and then returned to baseball to finish his career.

Donald Trump refused to attend a ceremony honoring fallen American veterans at an American cemetery in France because it was raining and later expressed interest in awarding himself a Medal of Honor before being talked out of it.  Pretty comparable achievements don't you think?

Fast forward to today.  Donald Trump, referred to as "the Orange Jesus" by many, including some members of his own party, holds rallies throughout the country while thousands of bobbleheads in red MAGA hats scream his accolades and throw money into his coffers (to fund legal fees defending him from the "witch hunt" holding him accountable for, among other things, trying to overthrow the government).

Any rational person must ask themselves why. I can't believe what possesses anyone to admire this guy.  He has clearly identified his objectives -- being at the same level as dictators throughout the world.  If elected, his agenda is vengeance towards anyone not agreeing with him.  Is this really what we want?  I can't believe anyone can be that shortsighted.  The MAGA world shows how wrong I am.  God help us.

Robert F. Tate, Naples

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Letters to the editor for Wednesday, December 6, 2023