Readers comment on development at 13th and University, Gov. DeSantis, inflation and more

Create greenspace

All great cities designate areas for greenspace and collective community enjoyment. While high-rise concrete buildings are springing up at a feverish pace in Gainesville, here is your chance to encourage the creation of a small but significant greenspace in the middle of town.

The southeast corner of 13th Street and West University Avenue is owned by the University of Florida. The old Leonardo’s spot is slated to become one more student high-rise, but this is just west of that. What is needed there is a similar greenspace as exists at the entrance to UF, on the southwest corner of that intersection. This would be a grand gesture by UF showing that they do care about their students and our community.

While our mayor and much of our City Commission don’t seem concerned about protection of our tree canopy or in creating a truly comfortable environment for pedestrians, this corner can be a place for respite amid the reflective heat and noise.

Please write to these people who are the planners for what happens there: UF Chief Executive Office Dr. Charlie Lane (charlielane@ufl.edu), and planners Carlos Dougnac (cdougnac@ufl.edu) and Linda Dixon (ldixon@ufl.edu). Ask them to legally and officially declare that it will become a community greenspace.

Monica Leadon Cooper, Gainesville 

More letters:

Readers commenting on developing the Lee property, abortion, Ukraine and more

Readers comment on the governor's impact on education, inflation and more

Readers comment on Gov. Ron DeSantis, the crime rate, development and more

Eye-opening event

Imagine a different kind of library, one where you check out people instead of books. That's what happened in Gainesville last Sunday. Sixty of us descended upon East University Avenue's Cone Branch Library to experience a "human library."

Every one of the volunteer "books" was a person representing a group that is often subjected to discrimination and prejudice because of their ethnic origin, diagnosis or social status. My wife and I had conversations with people we normally don't have access to.

Getting face-to-face with difficult subjects like abuse, mental illness and racial discrimination was an eye-opener for us. We thank Altrusa of Gainesville and our county's library system for making it possible.

Glenn Terry, Gainesville 

Stifling dissent

When children are evolving into adults, they develop different ways to protect a fragile ego or an immature sense of self. These defense mechanisms often carry into adulthood if they worked in childhood.

A major way to deny responsibility for one's feelings is to project them onto someone else as something bad. Here is an example for your readers to better understand what is in the news: In the April 30 issue of this paper, our governor accused our president of having a "regime" that wants to "stifle dissent."

The definition of a regime is a government that is in power. We operate under the DeSantis regime, so why try to describe the Biden administration as something negative unless he is trying to project his own awareness of being a government that stifles dissent?

"Stifling dissent" is part of the governor's regime: punishing Disney for its dissent; trying to control university professors or school teachers to avoid anyone dissenting with the governor's world view. When projection is identified in a person's speech, it makes it more challenging to trust other comments which may be valid.

Where is a model for kindness and respect? Where is the model of working together to achieve common goals?

Charna Cohn, Gainesville 

Become more self-reliant

In passing by National Vacuum earlier this month, their marquee announced they’ve found a new diet: “the price of groceries.” So then I wondered why groceries cost so much nowadays.

Nobody is clearly explaining why so we’ll better understand why our dollars are being stretched to the max without need for a bungee cord. Case in point: My pups’ food now costs $2.17 per 3.5-ounce container, and that’s with a “price break” if I buy a box of 12.

I looked at the packaging on one of the containers, which says it was made “With The World’s Best Ingredients” but doesn’t actually say where in the world those ingredients come from.

The book “Bottle of Lies” by Katherine Eban is a real eye-opener in terms of where generic drugs are made and how they’re made in some of those places, depending on where they’re made. We’ll never know where, in all instances, because oftentimes the distributor doesn’t know where, either — which could be hazardous to our health.

What’s the bottom line? As a country, and a big one at that, we need to become more self-reliant on producing here the food and medicine that go into our bodies, and the bodies of our furry friends.

Marc Wilson, Gainesville. 

Barriers to democracy

So here we are again with America's Mickey Mouse contribution to democracy — the Senate filibuster. Our political system has a long record of constraining a basic principle of democracy and majority rule — sometimes legitimately (as in the constraints imposed by the Constitution to prevent authoritarianism and to protect minorities) and sometimes clearly illegitimately (such as literacy requirements, gerrymandering, obstacles to ease of voting, etc.).

Among those that are clearly illegitimate barriers to democracy, surely the most in-your-face gimmick is the Senate filibuster. Proponents look you straight in the eye and say it is OK for 40% of the Senate (presently representing less than 40% of the country's population) to decide on all significant legislation and appointments.

Conservatives (who supposedly wish to “conserve" what is good in present practices) say this is a necessary protection against wild and damaging innovations, but, as shown in the present case of abortion restrictions, that is not necessarily the case. The potential here is that the filibuster is being used for radical change, i.e. a turning back of the clock after 50 years practice.

If a filibuster process is to have any reasonable "conservative" justification, then surely the numbers required should not be more than, say a 52/48 ratio, not a 60/40 ratio.

John Huddleston, Gainesville

Lessons for schools

I believe that the existence of the Georgia Guide Stones should be taught in our schools along with George Washington's “Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.”

Granted, these are not particularly related, but neither are math and home economics which haven't yet made it to the burn pile. If you have never heard of any or all of these, please check them it out.

Tom Prahl, Hawthorne 

Thought-provoking columns

For once I read every article in The Sun's May 15 Issues section. It looks like we're finally taking seriously our city, our environment and our local future. Thoughtful, thought-provoking and truthful articles, every one. Good for us.

Rob Roberts, Gainesville

Join the conversation

Send a letter to the editor (up to 200 words) to letters@gainesville.com. Letters must include the writer's full name and city of residence. Additional guidelines for submitting letters and longer guest columns can be found at bit.ly/sunopinionguidelines.

Journalism matters. Your support matters.

Get a digital subscription to the Gainesville Sun. Includes must-see content on Gainesville.com and Gatorsports.com, breaking news and updates on all your devices, and access to the eEdition. Visit www.gainesville.com/subscribenow to sign up.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Letters on 13th and University development, DeSantis, inflation, more