SRQ Airport shouldn't make drivers pay for the 'privilege' to park in shade

SRQ must provide free shaded parking

I live in Tampa, and I have been spoiled by the user-friendly Tampa International Airport.

Recently I had to get some visitors at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, and I arrived 10 minutes early. However, I was dismayed by the choice of having to pay $3 for shaded parking or parking, for free, in an unshaded cellphone lot directly under the sun.

This disturbed me because:

• Shade should be a human right – not something we have to pay for.

• In Tampa, we can park for up to one hour for free in the shaded garage.

• When I parked in the free, unshaded lot at SRQ, I observed that all the other vehicles had their engines running in order to keep their air conditioning on – thus contributing to air pollution.

For the sake of people who can’t pay $3 to park for 10 minutes – and for the sake of the environment – shouldn't SRQ Airport provide shaded parking for free? Or simply create shade for the cellphone lot?

Elizabeth Corwin, Tampa

Project 2025: Road map for fascist state

If he returns to the White House, former President Donald Trump will initiate Project 2025, which the New Republic magazine explains is “a detailed guide to turning the United States into a fascist’s paradise.” The playbook includes:

• Prioritizing Christian nationalism.

• Allowing heterosexual marriages only. Transgender and nonbinary people will not exist.

• Criminalizing mail delivery of abortion medications. Removing the word “abortion” from all laws and policies. All pregnancies must be carried to term, even if the mother dies.

• Denying climate change and removing environmental protections.

• Eliminating the Department of Education.

In addition, Trump will weaponize the Justice Department against critics, fire thousands of civil servants who are not loyal enough, deport millions of immigrants in the country illegally, place 10% tariffs on thousands of products –which economists say will raise inflation – and more.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will have Trump’s back during his presidency.

We also should keep in mind the danger Trump will pose on the world stage, and how autocrats will gain ascendency worldwide.

If President Joe Biden is the Democratic nominee, we should put aside policy disagreements or worries about his age. Only the Democratic Party supports democracy and wants to restore abortion rights and voting rights, eliminate dark money and create binding ethical guidelines for the Supreme Court.

Vote for the Democratic candidate, no matter who it is; your life might depend on it.

Michelle Golden, Sarasota

Using fiscal impact to oppose abortions

In reference to “State: More abortions mean less tax revenue,” a Tallahassee Democrat article July 3:

I’m horrified by this serious discussion being conducted at the state level. The proposed state amendment to restore a woman’s bodily autonomy is being challenged because “a decrease in births would affect state revenue in the long term because of a decrease in population growth”? And a fiscal impact statement to this effect might actually be printed on Aug. 20 ballots?

This sounds to me like a desperate attempt to thwart a woman’s reproductive autonomy based on balancing our state budget!

Amendment 4 would allow reproductive choices to be determined by a woman and her doctor. This is not a matter for our Tallahassee number crunchers to decide.

We must vote “yes”on Amendment 4.

Sue Huntting, Sarasota

Elect Democrats to ensure abortion rights

Strict abortion bans in many states following the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade have left doctors virtually unable to treat women for complications of pregnancy. This is terrifying to women and those who care about them.

Since the current Supreme Court will never restore the right to women’s health care, it is critical that we pass legislation restoring the right to abortion. This will require not just a Democratic president but also Democrats in Congress and at the state level. Voters need to act accordingly.

Amendment 4, Florida’s ballot initiative to restore the right to abortion, will not be sufficient. Much like Florida’s vote to restore voting rights to felons who have served their terms, Amendment 4 will likely be ineffective unless we make changes in state leadership.

Laurie McCullough, Sarasota

Biden, liberals exaggerate immunity ruling

The SCOTUS decision on presidential immunity prompted President Joe Biden to hold a press conference where he misrepresented/lied about the majority (6-3) decision, stating that it meant total immunity for all actions. That has opened the floodgates for a plethora of false claims and misrepresentations.

The Supreme Court merely ruled that when a president acts in an official capacity, he enjoys immunity. For example, Biden can’t be sued or charged with homicide for the ill-advised Afghanistan withdrawal that resulted in the deaths of 13 Marines.

More: I need the liberal Supreme Court justices to stop overreacting in their dissents

Nor can President Barack Obama be held liable for ordering the drone counterterrorism attacks that tragically killed innocent civilians as collateral damage.

Actions taken in an unofficial capacity enjoy no such immunity. In the majority opinion it actually states, “The President is not above the law.”

Most alarming is the lack of legal scholarship in the dissenting opinions, asserting that if a president ordered a SEAL team to assassinate a political rival that immunity would apply. Really?

C’mon, this is Maddow-esque in its absurdity.

The DEI justices did not distinguish themselves with arguments better suited for a cable opinion show, and they will just add opportunities for more misrepresentation.

Thomas Smith, Sarasota

President: Take advantage of immunity

I think we should stop quibbling over whether President Joe Biden shall continue as the nominee of his party and direct our attention to identifying some of the official actions he can take while he remains in office and has immunity.

Let’s start with sovereign citizens, who believe they are exempt from U.S. law: Gather them up and force them to attend grade-school civics and good citizen classes.

Next, white supremacists and domestic terrorist organizations: Send them all to a country where they must learn how to assimilate.

Now the Supreme Court: Remove each member and mandate that the American Bar Association convene a panel to select replacements from among the 13 federal appellate courts of America.

Fox News: Order it off the air as it has provided no discernible benefit to our country.

And finally: Legalize abortion in all 50 states. Go for it, Mr. President. You have immunity.

Mary Lynn Endter, Sarasota

Teach students skills employers want

There exists in education an expanse as wide as the Grand Canyon between what’s taught to our students and what their future employers want them to know. What’s missing is an externally audited process for surveying students, parents and employers.

“When you get a teaching license, then I’ll listen to you” is what you often hear when you express an opinion as to what should be changed in the curriculum. But no one wants to waste a single hour learning something they’ll never use again when they could be learning something that will help them land a high-paying job.

For example, I want back all the hours of high school PE that I spent when I could have been learning Spanish.

I also want back all the hours spent memorizing formulas. Elon Musk never told his SpaceX engineers to figure out how to land a first stage rocket on a barge in high winds using only the formulas they memorized.

However, here's what I never want back: the 2,900 hours that I spent making sure my kids were experts at reading.

Those hours were my most precious and rewarding.

Ben Furleigh, Port Charlotte

More: Herald-Tribune: How to send a letter to the editor

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: SRQ Airport needs to provide drivers with free shaded parking