Letters to the editor for Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Letters to the editor should be 250 words or less. Guest opinions 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

Insane levels of growth

Hooray for those of us residents who so strongly oppose the uncontrolled development in our city.

Cape Coral has no need for insane levels of growth that are destroying the  peaceful environment that we, the residents, once enjoyed. It seems that greed is behind approval of the destruction of our already fragile environment.

We don't want a larger tax base which only leads to more congestion, noise and which only requires more and more expenditures for infrastructure.

Enough is enough.

Jack Zinke, Cape Coral

Naples Players spectacular

Yesterday afternoon I attended a performance of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame “by the Naples Players. In spite of the fact that they were on a unaccustomed stage, and that the orchestra needed to be on the stage, the performance was outstandingly well done. I have been to many performances by this group and have rarely, if ever, been disappointed, but this one was spectacular. I am amazed that these people are all volunteers! The Naples Players are a valuable addition to the attraction of Naples, Florida.Dorothy Clarkson, Naples

Marco Island STR ordinance

Earlier this month, Marco Island’s long-troubled STR ordinance was quietly rendered void ab initio by Florida Statute SB 250. This fancy legalese designates the ordinance a legal nullity (i.e., void as if it never existed).  Unfortunately, for taxpayers, the city’s hasty preparation for its failed ordinance did exist. And that preparation gouged hundreds of thousands of dollars from taxpayer coffers.

SB 250 was signed into law by Governor DeSantis on June 28.  This statute applies to any municipality within 100 miles of where Hurricane Ian made landfall – that would certainly be Marco Island.  And voids any restrictive land development regulation approved by a municipality after September 28, 2022 – that would certainly be the STR ordinance (amends Land Development Code to restrict STR practices in various, and arbitrary respects).

While proponents of the ordinance may find some solace in SB 250 being a temporary control – it expires in October of 2024 – efforts to pursue another over-reaching STR ordinance will be severely constrained by a second statute also just recently signed into law, SB 170.  SB 170 mandates comprehensive studies on compliance costs/economic impacts of proposed ordinances, and provides for significantly enhanced municipal liability for unnecessarily burdensome regulation.

Governor DeSantis has taken decisive steps to eliminate the regulatory sprawl of municipalities driven by the whims of political expediency, and in doing so, has returned sanity to Marco Island.

Scott McKeown, Marco Island

Free speech at risk

I'm not a fan of the Disney empire, but certainly hope it prevails in the court battle with Governor DeSantis.  The overriding question involves the abuse of office for personal and political ends.  DeSantis blatantly uses his political heft (and docile Legislature) to damage those who publicly disagree with his positions.

In taking on Disney, he's wasting our tax dollars crusading against a firm which publicly disagreed with his politics and has pockets deep enough to take him on. Not every business or individual who disagrees with a politician has the resources with which to fight back.

If DeSantis' behavior is endorsed by the courts, any office holder would be empowered to attack and damage individuals and firms that cross him publicly.  Everyone's freedom of expression will be threatened.  Meanwhile, some Republicans fulminate about "weaponizing" the FBI and other elements of the federal government!

Bruce A. Beardsley, Naples

Political gamesmanship

In the belief that he can appeal to anti-Biden voters across the country by refusing to accept for Florida financial benefits made possible by the Biden administration and Congress, our governor just said no thanks to an offer of $346 million from the federal government that would have reduced energy bills for Floridians. Households purchasing energy-efficient appliances would have received hundreds of dollars in rebates, courtesy of the Inflation Reduction Act and other federal programs. The governor’s political gamesmanship in forfeiting these funds is of a piece with the Florida sales-tax holiday now in effect for the purchase of gas ranges and cooktops, which DeSantis pushed for despite only 9% of Floridians having gas ranges and cooktops. The sales-tax holiday ends on June 30, 2024. I guess that date made sense for a ruthless presidential candidate expecting that he will have made his mark by then.

Patricia Duncan, Bonita Springs

Look ahead to better future

Whether or not climate change is a permanent feature of the Anthropogenic Era is now a dinner table topic.   Disagreement can cause breaks in lifelong friendships. Many believe the idea that sea level is rising is a hoax. It may take another 30 years to know the answer with certainty. Others believe that life as we knew it will never return.

The readers of Naples Daily News fall into the category of people who  buy homeowners insurance, subscribe to the 401K plan, never missed a mortgage payment  and contribute to  college education savings accounts.

Reducing consumption of electricity is like buying life insurance for your descendant. By wearing sweaters when its cold, and and running fans when it's hot its possible to reduce the  home ”carbon footprint.” Broken water heaters can  be replaced with tankless models. The FPL grid has frequent hiccups. Cautious Collier residents prepare for extreme weather.  Storage batteries are safer and cleaner than gas burning generators. Don’t be afraid to look up, look ahead to a better future.Bebe Kanter, Naples

Loud mufflers

Who was the audience for the article ”Collier taking aim at modified mufflers”?

One has to laugh at anyone who believes that Collier County will implement a local law that will reduce or eliminate loud mufflers. With Florida making loud mufflers (and vehicle boom boxes) only an economic offense, those half-deaf people that enjoy roaring on the road will continue to drive extra loud vehicles.

If Collier (or the state of Florida) were serious about doing away with loud vehicle noise, they would add the offense to the moving vehicle point system. Anyone who has ever successfully raised a kid understands that, without meaningful consequences, behavior doesn’t change.

The average city traffic produces a sound level, in a closed window car, of 85 decibels.  Most people don’t know that hearing loss can result over time from damage caused by repeated exposures to loud sounds, which the CDC defines as any sound over 85 decibels.

Ron Dudley, Sanibel

DeSantis can’t handle truth

Ron DeSantis lost respect for the truth while at Guantánamo as a lawyer in the Navy. Sent to Guantánamo to protect prisoners detained, he informed Guantánamo inmates that he was there to protect their rights under the Geneva convention. He witnessed force-feeding which was condemned by the UN as torture and did nothing to stop it. He was remembered by one as laughing and smiling while that inmate was force-fed. He investigated the deaths of three inmates who were found hanging in their cells with the gags in their mouths and with their hands bound. He agreed that the hung inmates had died by suicide.Fast forward to the COVID pandemic (2021), when DeSantis closed public schools, shut down parks to meet CDC guidelines on social distancing, restricted access to nursing homes and issued a modified stay-at-home order. In July 2021, he declared: “If you are vaccinated, fully vaccinated, the chance of you getting seriously ill or dying from COVID is effectively zero.” DeSantis went on to say; “These vaccines are saving lives.” Then he said: “I took it. I think it’s effective.”Later in July of 2021, Trump promoted the COVID vaccine in front of supporters and, lo and behold, Trump was booed. Then DeSantis changed course. In November of 2021, DeSantis signed Florida legislation making it illegal for employers, government entities and educational institutions to mandate COVID vaccines.It is obvious that DeSantis’ about face on COVID vaccines was tied to making inroads into Trump’s base. It was to garner votes, not to follow medical advice. DeSantis’ own alma mater, Yale’s School of Public Health, projected that COVID vaccines prevented 3.2 million deaths, prevented 18.5 million hospitalizations and saved more than $1.1 trillion in medical costs in the U.S.Ron’s disregard for the truth, evident at Guantanamo, raised its head again with the COVID pandemic as he traded the lives of Florida residents for votes. Ron DeSantis can’t handle the truth.

Joe Haack, Naples

Liberals twist things

In the Sunday July 16 N-P, a writer states, “Mr. DeSantis…pushes forth laws about what books can be read by children, what health care can be provided to children…“ Then he goes on to comment on whether Florida is indeed a “free state.“ He doesn’t think so. Allow me to comment on these two points the writer makes.

The books that are banned are not history, nor politics, nor philosophy, nor anything intellectual in any way, shape or form. They are out-and-out, hard-core pornography. My daughter is involved in this so-called banning activity in another state and I have read passages in several books banned in Florida. Now, I have made it to retirement, and not led a sheltered life, and I tell you I have never seen such filth in my entire life. If you could see it too, you would agree with me that anyone wanting to share such material with a school-age child could only be a pervert.

Florida does not dictate “what health care can be provided to children.” What it does dictate is what you cannot do to children. You cannot provide chemical or surgical alteration of a minor child’s body. You cannot give puberty-blocking hormones to a 14-year-old boy who thinks he’s a girl. You cannot remove the breasts of a 16-year-old girl who thinks she’s a boy. And if you want to do that, you’re as sick as the pervert in the last paragraph.

Rational, political discourse would be improved immeasurably if liberals didn’t always twist things. I suppose it’s a reflection of their thoughts.

Gary Marsh, Estero

Russia revealed

The world has learned something valuable by Russia's war on Ukraine. Putin revealed just how ineffective its armed forces are. Except for its nuclear capabilities it turns out Russia is a toothless tiger. An enormous country with the number of citizens only fewer than China and India. A country that except for initial gains against a country a small fraction of its size cannot defeat that country. In fact it may actually be losing the war it started. Its army has suffered enormous manpower numbers lost in action. Untold numbers of armament and equipment have been lost or destroyed. Its economy is in shambles as most of the world boycotts it. Russia's only gains have been against Ukraine's civilian population in its attempt to break the will of the people. How will it end? Will Putin be ousted. Will Russia go bankrupt again? Time will tell.

E.R. Santhin, Naples

Spending money elsewhere

My family’s vacationed from Michigan to Florida for over 20 years.  We look forward to the beaches and warm climate.  We’ve visited family and friends, and have vacationed more in Florida than in any other state.  We’ve used multiple cruise ports, and have spent our Michigan money in Florida’s hotels, restaurants, and theme parks.

This summer, however, instead of shopping on Pier 60, visiting South Beach’s eateries, or riding the Hogwarts Express, 12 members of our extended family vacationed in New York City and cruised out of Port Liberty in New Jersey.

We’ve been disappointed by the regressive political and social views pushed on Floridians by Governor DeSantis and extremists in the Florida House and Senate.  From his mishandling of COVID and suppressing the vote, to the further marginalization of already-marginalized communities and attacking Floridians’ freedom of speech, Republican leaders have left us no choice but to spend our money elsewhere.

Regressive social policies have made it clear that people who look, think, and worship in ways that are different from these right-wingers are no longer welcome in Florida, so this middle-aged white male will take his disposable income elsewhere, where diversity is prized, and its governor doesn’t enact six-week abortion bans, attacks on LGBTQ+ civil rights, and book bans.

If this is the leadership you want, and it appears you do, following the recent election in which Floridians returned DeSantis to power and handed him legislative supermajorities, then you may continue to experience the highest inflation in the country, out-of-control insurance rates, pullbacks in tourism, and an exodus of people who want to be able to determine how they look, love, and learn.

Brett Meteyer, Haslett, Michigan

Exorbitant college costs

In Sunday's editorial cartoon a college admissions representative says "according to the Supreme Court ruling, we are obliged to be blind to color, except green." The next panel shows a stack of cash on her desk. This is the real problem with college education and the cause of such extreme student loan debt. The administration should really be investigating the college industry which gathers great funds from alumni and still charges exorbitant fees to students, promising them great returns in their careers which actually never work out properly. This is why we have such a shortage of physicians and nurses among other professionals. Incurring such debt at the beginning of your career is intolerable and it is the fault of the college industry. I was fortunate enough to go to a state university for my college and medical degrees. With the low tuition rate as well as some minimal scholarships I incurred no debt at all. If I had the prospect of the kind of debt that today's students have I would never have been able to become a doctor. It's time for a bipartisan commission to investigate this grievous injustice to our young people.

Kenneth Wetcy, Naples

False, social construct

Race is a social construct, a false, social construct. There is no white race there is no black race Just like there is no green race. But really, you can’t show me a white man or a Black man. And in reality, it doesn’t matter, does it, as long as it fits the needs of those who need the distinction.

Race is a invention to grant white privilege at the time they were permitting slavery. I often wonder how they could justifiably think that was good. What motivates one man to believe that he should be master over another?

At the same time they invented freedom. America the beautiful home of the brave and the free. Freedom to dominate someone else. Unfortunately, that attitude remains today.

Affirmative actions, since the inception of this nation, have been for white.

It’s all dependent upon your socialization. So if you are socialized to only see white as good, and everything else is bad, and you create the setting where you don’t have to see anything else. Then you can claim color blind racism, ”I don’t see race.” Anything racialized, then, is traumatic, it takes away privilege from where it was designed to be. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts had some descriptive adjectives for his feelings. I would wonder what adjectives were described Clarence Thomas‘ feelings. He long ago lost his identity. And he cannot see what this is doing to the people who would normally identify with him, and are being oppressed by his action.

Lewis Robinson, MD., Fort Myers

Bidenomics

Regarding Bidenomics: You are at your ideal weight and then you gain five pounds a month for 12 months. On the 13th month, you gain three pounds. You immediately declare your diet is working, pat yourself on the back, and commence to do a victory tour. However, you still remain 63 pounds overweight.

Anthony Riviezzo, Marco Island

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Letters to the editor for Wednesday, July 19, 2023