Rick Scott embarrasses Floridians by taking political cheap shots

Scott plays politics on humanitarian aid

In a story Oct. 24, our Republican Sen. Rick Scott took what can only be described as a cheap shot at the Biden administration’s plan to provide humanitarian aid to the innocent civilians of Gaza (“Sen. Rick Scott to oppose aid to Palestinians, saying that Hamas would take it”).

“I completely oppose giving money to Hamas,” said Scott. “I completely oppose giving money to the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization).”

It’s disheartening to see such inflammatory remarks aimed at a proposal that nobody has actually put on the table. Sen. Scott’s comments appear to be an attempt to besmirch President Joe Biden and his administration.

It is crucial to note that the plan to send humanitarian aid to residents of Gaza, as outlined by Biden, comes with a clear commitment to ensure that the aid reaches the Gaza populace who need it most.

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

In his address to the nation, Biden emphasized the distinction between the residents of Gaza and the Hamas terrorist organization, stating that “Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people.”

It is essential that elected officials engage in constructive and informed discussions when addressing sensitive international matters.

Political criticism is an integral part of our democratic process, but it should be based upon facts.

Arnie Moskowitz, Sarasota

Voucher program led to hiring freeze

The recent hiring freeze by the Sarasota County school district – which is taking place during an unprecedented teacher shortage – is cause for concern.

This is a clear example of "School Voucher Economics 101."

More: Sarasota County schools impose hiring freeze amid lower enrollment, stalled union talks

Some voucher opponents have maintained that the hiring freeze is the result of 800 students in Sarasota County accepting taxpayer-funded vouchers to pay for private school tuition. At $8,000 per voucher, that would remove $6.4 million from district school funding.

Meanwhile, voucher proponents such as Scott Kent, who helps to oversee Florida’s voucher program, have noted that only 105 of those 800 students attended Sarasota County public schools last year.

However, Kent failed to mention that in prior years, 695 of those students paid their private school's tuition without taxpayer funding. In all, that is an unnecessary drain of $5.6 million in taxpayer funds that is directly related to Florida's voucher program.

The Sarasota County school district's hiring freeze is a symptom of a larger lapse in judgment by the Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis: the voucher program is funding private schools, most of which are not held to public school standards of teacher certification and accountability.

The economic consequences of the voucher program were obvious before it was implemented, but they were ignored. Taxpayers and voucher students will now pay the price of that ignorance.

Douglas D. Griffin, Sarasota

Government is irresponsible with our money

Every year it seems our federal government cannot balance our budget.

In addition, politicians in Washington have said the Social Security program may soon be in default, and that Social Security payments may need to be cut by 24%.

I will be 82 years old next month, and I started paying Social Security taxes when I was 15. Not only did I pay these taxes – my employers paid, too.

I have reviewed the net worth of our U.S. senators, and none of them seem to have any problems with their incomes. Yet they act as though our money is theirs!

H. Paul McCoy, Venice

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Rick Scott takes political cheap shots while Biden seeks to save lives