Readers comment on reviving the West End Golf Course, DeSantis' plan for teachers and more

Bring back golf to West End

David Whitley’s humorous column in The Sun in Aug. 18 points out the need for more golf courses in Gainesville.

The West End Golf Club had a profitable golf course until the out-of-town owner decided to let it get run down to be sold to an out-of-town developer, claiming golf was dead. Golf is not dead; in fact, golf has gotten more popular in the last three years.

Alachua County would find, if the zoning remains recreation, that the property could be a nine-hole, lighted, reasonably priced course. This course would be especially suited for instruction, senior golfers and a quick game for all ages and abilities. Add a driving range and a clubhouse/sports bar and the West End golf course not only would survive but thrive.

Join the West End Community Alliance for Recreation and Education (WECARE) and Friends of West End (FOWE) to keep the golf course property zoning recreational.

Stephanie Phillips, Newberry 

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Respect for teachers

Gov. Ron DeSantis disrespects the training, knowledge and expertise teachers have. He wants to give individuals with no teaching background a $4,000 bonus and then another $1,000 bonus to teach in a shortage area. Could he acknowledge and reward teachers who have experience and expertise? Would a returning teacher be given the same bonus?

Why not allow retired teachers to come back and continue to take their pension (which should be more than it is) and also receive a beginning teacher salary with that bonus? That would honor the years of service to our country these experienced teachers have given our state and provide students with real professionals.

Why not give teachers an hour to plan their lessons as New Jersey does? Then they could plan lessons that meet the needs of the students they teach.

As a Florida certified teacher and a Nationally Board Certified Teacher who taught in New Jersey, Florida, Scotland and China, I hope someday Florida will respect teachers and honor them as they deserve. Then, I would consider returning to the classroom to teach in this state.

Karen White Porter, Newberry

Green dreams

The Democrats are celebrating the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. Despite patting themselves on the back, it will have little effect in curbing inflation.

They are also celebrating the spending of $369 billion for low-carbon technology. This will have no effect on global warming because whatever the USA does will be overwhelmed by what the rest of the world does or doesn’t do.

Some economists think passing more huge spending bills during an inflation crisis is unwise. Spending on green dreams has a bad history. Think Solyndra, one of President Barack Obama’s green failures. The federal government has a very bad record as a venture capitalist

Joe Biden's attack on the oil industry and the war in Europe have cut supplies and increased prices. There are some ugly unexpected consequences of this, like the huge rise in inflation.

China, India and much of Africa are increasing their fossil fuel usage to raise many out of poverty and/or to update their economies. There is no easy way to get to a low CO2 environment from where we are now. Some scientists and physicists say the best way probably is with more nuclear reactors

Nowadays, building anything more complex than a chicken coop would take many years. The greens are even having trouble sighting solar panel and windmill farms, which many want but want somewhere else. Classic NIMBY!

Jonathan Berger, Gainesville 

Double standard

There's not a MAGA rally where the attendees don’t still chant, "Lock her up!" For a year-and-a-half, Hillary Clinton was thoroughly investigated and exonerated for possible mishandling of top-secret, classified government information on her personal email server. That investigation was spearheaded by Donald Trump, the MAGAs, the Republicans and Fox News.

But now that Trump is being investigated for similar illegal activities, Trump, the MAGAs, Republicans and Fox News are calling it a political witch hunt and demanding that Trump’s hand-picked FBI director, Christopher Wray, be fired and the FBI defunded.

What if Clinton did what Trump did? What if she left public office and illegally removed top secret, highly classified documents and refused to return them, for over a year, despite numerous negotiations and even a subpoena? What would Fox News and the Republicans be saying? You know, don’t you? They'd be calling for at least a lifetime in prison.

Ted Quinn, Alachua

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This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Letters on the West End Golf Course, DeSantis' plan for teachers, more