Letters to the editor for Wednesday, June 28, 2023

Catching up on preschool skills

Due to COVID-19 school closures, along with parent fear of sending their children back into the classroom, many early childhood centers saw a decrease in enrollment during the pandemic.Early childhood teachers are now witnessing the repercussions of this “freeze in time” when it comes to social skills in their students. Although time seemed to stand still during the pandemic, the children did not stop growing. Unfortunately, with children being isolated during the important ages of 1 – 5, classroom environments are taking a bit longer to run like a “well-oiled” machine.The basic skills of manners, cooperation, patience and compassion that are usually being mastered as toddlers in typical social settings became a task to learn well past the toddler stage. The children in my care have risen to the task and are doing a marvelous job of treating their peers with kindness and respect.Preschool is such an essential experience for children to have before entering kindergarten. I am very thankful to be the beginning of a child’s school career and am so proud to send them off to elementary school with grace and civility.

Julie Crews, Grace Lutheran Preschool, Naples

Citizens ignored by commission

There was a Board of County Commissioners’ zoning hearing on June 21.  They thoroughly displayed their continuous insincerity towards the citizens of Lee County who foot the bill for their $100,000.00+ annual salary.

Three cases were on the docket and the first two were processed briskly.  Then came the rezoning request from Commissioner Mike Greenwell for property he owns along SR 31 in Alva.

At this hearing and at the HEX hearing two weeks ago there were many citizens voicing their objections.  To a person they opposed this rezoning.  In doing so they brought forth many facts as to how this case contravened county plans, rules, and regulations.  If that is not enough it was also brought to light how this plan contravenes state and federal rules and regulations.

After the testimony from all sides the county commissioners kept asking Deputy County Attorney Michael Jacob, in essence, how they could work around all of this. They finally, in a magnanimous gesture, worked out an agreement where the maximum height of a building would not exceed 45 feet.  (At one point a person left the hearing room, presumably to confer with Commissioner Greenwell, and very quickly reappeared to accept this limitation.)

This is a very brief synopsis of what took place but it is very indicative of how this county, in particular the Board of County Commissioners, the HEX examiner, the county manager, and the county attorney work to provide developers with every little request.  If this is not so, how can this request and the request for Kingston and Owl Creek and others be approved.  All of these have had multiple contraventions to laws and regulations and all have been passed with little to no explanations.

The Board of County Commissioners has tried their very best to eliminate transparency and remove public input from the equation. They have eliminated the need to post public notices in newspapers. They have made it illegal to approach a commissioner on a zoning question. They limit the time for citizens to speak while letting applicants go on ad infinitum. By their very testimony at these hearings, one would think that county employees are working for the applicants instead of you.

Do you think you are getting your hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth from your county employees?

To paraphrase a line I read, the commissioners seem to spend their time ignoring their constituency and expending great effort on how to work around any and all public protestations.

Norman Cannon, Fort Myers

Paper fails to cover story

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that The News-Press chose front page coverage of a restaurant dynasty taking over some present Fifth Avenue positions in Naples. Everyone wants to know who's doing the cookin'.

But that The News-Press failed to cover a strangely approved near-79 acre agriculturally designated property owned by a sitting Lee County commissioner despite detailed and irrefutable facts and evidence regarding land plan requirements didn't deserve a mention DID surprise me. I guess I was under the impression that The News-Press tried to cover local news.

Of course, we know EVERYONE is much more interested in what restaurants on Fifth Avenue are doing, especially those folks in Olga and Alva where rural lifestyles will now be displaced by high rises, high density and even more traffic. But, of course, everyone also knows this Legislature in Tallahassee just this year passed a law that counties can no longer consider impacts traffic exerts on communities.

I guess dramatically increased traffic, high-rises, increased density and being designated a high hazard area isn't important enough to deny a request by a sitting Lee County commissioner who was appointed by our governor. This action in the halls of our decision-making local government wasn't worthy of a word in our local newspaper.

Not, of course, when there is a change in restaurant ownership on Naples' Fifth Avenue. It's obviously much more important to know who's cookin'.

Patty Duncan, Fort Myers

Insurance conundrum

I have been insured by Citizens Insurance for 19 years. Last year was the first time I have ever filed a claim and it was for less than $10,000. When it came time to renew, I was information that I needed flood insurance even though I am not near any pond, stream or body of water. Total cost is nearly $4,500.00 for $91,000 worth of insurance.

As if that isn't bad enough, I have been informed that because my roof will be 10 years old next winter I will be dropped by Citizens. Bottom line, I will not be able to get insurance from any company. My roof was inspected by a licensed professional after the hurricane. It was deemed to be perfect. The metal roof has a lifetime warranty. My house has no structural issues. Yet my policy will be cancelled.

How is this right? More important, what am I to do? Replace a perfectly fine roof for $10,000 if I can find a contractor available or not have insurance. This is a case of consumer fraud and I am left holding the bag.

Nancy Cooper, North Fort Myers

Trump was a complete failure

I'm responding to the letter citing what he considers are Trump's accomplishments. Trump's job creation pales in comparison to Obama's (11.5 million) and Biden's (10.7 million so far) and unemployment numbers stood at 4.7% when Trump came into office, he inherited a booming economy. Unemployment numbers did drop further and when they're low it follows that they will also be low for minorities and women, however, unemployment in 2020 was as high as 14.7% to 9%.

Imagine if he hadn't lied and ignored COVID for months, telling us it would just disappear.

The Mueller report proved that there was Russian collusion despite AG Barr's interpretation. Most of Trump's inner circle was indicted over it.

So, what did he accomplish? All I see is a massive tax cut for millionaires that blew up the debt and did not pay for itself. Add the attempted coup and the theft of top secret classified documents and it's safe to say that Trump was a complete failure.

D. Wallace, Cape Coral

Tired of conspiracies

In an age where you can fact check through Google and other honest fact-finding sites how do people listen and believe crazy conspiracy theories?

For example a recent writer displayed a narrative about knowing Hunter Biden had the biggest corrupt financial deal in history. I repeat "in history."First Hunter Biden plead guilty to two counts of tax fraud which he paid back and having a gun after going through drug rehab. Second it was a Trump appointed judge and prosecutor. Third, nothing was found while Trump was president. Fourth, he "knows" no present factual info other than from some conspiracy-driven news site.Time for Americans to use intelligence to learn facts versus crazy wild factless conspiracy theories.

Glenn Mueller, Naples

Faith in Trump. Seriously?

My mind tends to go to another place when I read letter writers professing their faith in Trump policies and how much better we were, according to them. I'm reminded of an economic advisor who made a presentation in front of Trump and other folks, who said after leaving government that Trump completely misunderstood two often-used economic terms that were being discussed. He remarked that he was not sure if he should inform during the meeting so he just went on with his presentation. Also, pretty common knowledge that intelligence officers making presentations kept dumbing them down, hoping to get his attention and understanding. They resorted to a wide range of tactics and he often looked away listlessly, and if he would ask questions they were often unrelated to the topic at hand. Of course, there are incidents like Trump querying about a nuclear bomb to thwart hurricanes and putting bleach in a body to counter COVID. The list goes on. Seriously?

To me Trump's days are filled with wondering Big Mac or cheeseburger, which Fox channel is praising him most, and which worshipers to call on one of his unsecured phones.

Paul Fowler, Bonita Springs

The former Fort Bragg

A mailbag author questions, why would anyone want to change the name of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg? This was written in reference to our Governor Ron DeSantis‘s speech, stating that he would change the name back to that of a Confederate slaveholder, General Bragg.

We must realize that it is the day of institutional racism, and it is common that we have a racist government.  Our governor is a racist trying to become the racist president. His goal is to satisfy all the desires of the racist common people. That is how you become president of a racist nation.

There is no attempt to disguise or claim to be anti-racist.

Lewis Robinson, M.D., Fort Myers

'Moms' chapter elevates Hitler quote

Our state, which seems to be vying for the inevitable title of the book banning capital of the country, ought to take a wary look at the organization here that spearheads the movement to remove materials from schools' libraries and restrict their use in classrooms.

It’s the Moms for Liberty, the Melbourne-based group of zealots who showed its true color recently, and the hue was not pleasant; one of its chapters in Indiana put atop the front page of its newsletter, complete with capitalized emphasis, an ominous quotation accurately ascribed to no less a pedagogic authority as Adolf Hitler: “He alone who OWNS the youth, GAINS the future.”

While the group did issue an apology and removed the offensive phrase, its placement under the masthead was hardly inadvertent. The group aspires to the ideology that bred Hitler and his Holocaust henchmen and women, too, who were among the most admiring of what today would be called his “base.”

Viewing it as a careless  oversight is a misnomer; it’s more akin to a revelatory Freudian slip. It’s particularly troublesome because a substantial segment of the proscribed publications are by Jewish, Black, and LGBTQ+ authors, groups not known to be particular favorites of the Fuehrer.

While the instincts of all members of the ”Moms” need not be maligned, this episode warrants closer scrutiny of the motivation of the Florida group and what it may portend.

Marshall H. Tanick, Naples

DeSantis profiled

DeSantis’ political profile has developed in a step by step fashion, beginning with his unscientific approach to the COVID pandemic, his suppression of teaching racial and gender themes in schools and his punishing of teachers who defy him, his backing of permissive gun laws, his aggression toward immigrants and transgenders, and his diminishing of women’s rights by banning nearly all abortions after six weeks.

He has made the case to donors that Trump is fundamentally unelectable — a plausible assumption, in view of the number of civil and criminal matters Trump faces. Now he is trying to persuade voters exhilarated by Trump’s willingness to fight at every turn that he, DeSantis, is of the same ilk.

DeSantis takes Trump literally. The core position of DeSantis is that he can actually deliver what Trump promises. However, the real issue for DeSantis is whether his all out war on liberals will be what Americans want. It is becoming apparent that his war on Disney is not popular with most. Nor have his antagonisms towards teachers, blacks and the LBTGQ nation been widely accepted. Nor his denials of the right to good health by banning mandated masking and vaccinating during COVID when more than 80,000 Floridians perished. Nor has his abortion ban won the praise of many women who see their rights to health care and family planning denied. Nor has his immigration legislation criminalizing humanitarian care of migrants enthused Hispanics and Florida businesses. But he seems to be holding onto wealthy, white men who have never been to Disney World.

Joe Haack, Naples

Korean War remembered

This anniversary of the start of the Korean War reminds me...

I was the first sergeant of an Army quartermaster company stationed in Kobe, Japan at that time. There were more than 200 men in my company. The North Koreans were overrunning South Korea. President Truman, acting on the authority of the United Nations, ordered General MacArthur to engage the North Koreans and push them back above the 39th parallel.

General MacArthur did not have an Army to deploy to Korea so to gain time to raise one he asked for volunteers throughout the Far East Command to stem or slow the North Koreans until he could raise one.

Headquarters asked for 20 volunteers from all the companies there including ours. Almost every man in our company volunteered. I selected the 20 members to deploy to Korea.

They were all killed in action.

The next week Headquarters asked for 20 more volunteers. Not one single man volunteered.

After that Headquarters levied 20 men from each company and they selected the men to deploy to Korea. That system remained in effect until General MacArthur invaded Korea and turned the tide of the war.

E.R. Santhin, Naples

Zelensky and democracy

Can Volodymyr Zelensky pull it off, a democratic Russia?

Wagner fighters, under Yevgeny Prigozhin leadership took Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don without a shot being fired. As Wagner’s military convoy headed toward Moscow, Russian crowds cheered them on and posed for selfies. The symbolism rings loud and clear. Russian people including the Russian Military Headquarters in Rostov-on-Don are fed up with Putin’s savage failed attacks in Ukraine and imprisoning and murdering of his competitors and journalists.

Volodymyr Zelensky, who is fluent in Russian, is an attorney and entertainer, with incredible leadership skills and charisma; he might just might pull it off. He has the advantage over Yevgeny Prigozhin of, instead of being a criminal, is absolutely committed to establishing a free democracy. I envision President Zelensky communicating effectively with Russian military personnel and freeing them from Putin’s control. Instead of stopping half-way to Moscow he could go all the way and taking over Moscow without firing a shot as occurred in Rostov-on-Don.

It would be most fitting for Russian oil and gas exports to pay for restoration of Ukraine and for Putin and other criminals to spend their lives in prison as occurred with the Nazis after the Nuremberg Trials. Reversing the autocratic dictatorship in Russia and establishing a democracy would undermine many autocratic dictatorships existing today. President Zelensky would certainly qualify for the Nobel Peace Prize.William A. Pettinger M.D., Bonita Springs

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Letters to the editor for Wednesday, June 28, 2023