Monday's letters: Change country's course, back Buchanan, demand developer concessions

For midterm victory, GOP needs solutions

The midterm elections are only five months away. Normally, the party in power begins extolling the positive effects of the policies that it has enacted.

All I have heard to date is the demonization of the opposition and the various individuals within. Since the Democrats cannot talk favorably about what they have done, they simply besmirch Republicans about trivial matters.

On the other hand, Republicans had better articulate what they intend to do to “right this sinking ship.” It will not be enough to point out the obvious, such as: inflation at a 40-year high, high gas prices, border crisis, crime in the big cities, district attorneys who are “woke” to the point of idiocy, Afghanistan debacle, foreign policy mistakes, etc.

More: How to send a letter to the editor

Republicans must present a positive program of policies that will help the country come out of the mess that we are now in.

Let the Democrats do the demonizing since that is all they have. The citizens of this great country want to know how the Republicans will correct this downward spiral we find ourselves in.

Articulate the corrections, reply with a positive response and change this country’s course.

Marvin Glusman, Sarasota

Support our powerful congressman

Congressman Vern Buchanan is presently a senior Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, the principal congressional committee that writes tax policy for the entire nation.

The near future is rife with foreboding issues, given COVID, energy prices, the war in Ukraine, supply line disruptions, food shortages, inflation, the national debt, China and global instability.

Next January, Rep. Buchanan, of Longboat Key, will no doubt be appointed chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. Every citizen in Manatee County who pays federal taxes or receives a federal “benefit,” e.g., Social Security, Medicare and/or Medicaid, will be affected by what this committee does in the next few years.

Your taxes may increase or decrease, and your future financial well-being may be contingent on the congressman’s leadership. He will determine the agenda of tax issues drafted by the committee and submitted to the entire Congress for passage into law.

Rep. Buchanan’s political leadership of the 16th Congressional District is highly respected. He is one of the most experienced fiscal conservative leaders in Congress and extremely well prepared as a veteran and small business owner to chair the Ways and Means Committee.

We should support him!

Walter K. Steiner, Lakewood Ranch

Biden gaffes confuse US foreign policy

One of the sharpest memories of my youth is participating in “air raid drills,” sitting in the school hallway, jackets over our heads, presumably to protect us from a nuclear attack.  Even then, we realized the futility of such actions.

Today, we face new concerns about nuclear war resulting from the Ukraine invasion. During the Cuban missile crisis, we knew that President John F. Kennedy’s words were critical in preventing nuclear war.

The same is true today. President Joe Biden has an ongoing history of blurting out outlandish statements, only to be walked back by unnamed White House spokespersons. We now hear that Biden is upset about these walkbacks, as they make him look bad.

Without them, the world (and our enemies) would think that U.S. forces were going into Ukraine to join the fight, that we would drop chemical weapons on the Russians if they use them first and that we would employ military measures to repel a Chinese takeover of Taiwan.

Biden should thank his communications staff for moving us back from the precipice of broader war. If the president thinks his public gaffes should constitute U.S. policy, the nation is in serious trouble.

Roger Roess, Venice

Demand concessions from developers

To ease our affordable housing crisis, require developers to set aside 20% of all new housing units for “low-income” residents of varying levels: below $30,000, below $50,000, below $80,000.

A lottery system could be set up for all who qualify.

This will allow service and hospitality workers, along with teachers, firefighters and police officers, to live closer to where they work.

Sarasota gives many concessions to developers, yet I do not see developers giving any concessions to the communities where they build.

Sue Bradley, Sarasota

North Port will go the way of busy Parrish

Elizabeth Djinis' May 28 piece, “North Port on the rise,” was a great article.

I used to think the same way when I moved to Parrish, a nice quiet place to live and enjoy Florida. Now it’s just a mess, with construction everywhere. Sitting on the lanai at night listening to the cows has been gone for years.

Enjoy North Port while you can – it won’t be that way for long in Florida.

John Kreger, Parrish

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: To win, Republicans must offer solutions, president's confusing gaffes