Sarasota County's School Board must choose education over extremism
Extremists a threat to public schools
Our school boards in Sarasota County need to stay nonpartisan and not political.
There is no necessity for politics in the school system. It further polarizes the important issues that need to be addressed in the schools.
In addition, book banning must be stopped. The people who have started that ridiculous censorship do not speak for the masses. They have this idea of righteousness that is absurd.
They are alienating a large portion of the population by not allowing readers to see themselves represented in books. They only protect those who are white, cisgender and straight.
These extremist groups are spreading their messages of hate for minority groups by making sweeping changes to influence school boards. Parents have the right to say what their children will read, not school boards or a small minority of narrow-minded individuals.
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The school voucher program needs to be reevaluated. It takes away funding that the public schools rely on, which is their only source of funding. This leaves the public schools inferior due to lack of resources.
Not every parent has the time or resources to shop for the best school for their child. They are relying on local public schools to give their children the best education they deserve.
If local schools are underfunded, we are setting up a large portion of our population for failure.
Melinda Schell, Venice
Governor must denounce antisemitism
I am writing to express my profound disappointment, and yes, anger at Elon Musk's recent actions and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ lame reaction to Musk, as reported in the Nov. 21 Herald-Tribune (“DeSantis refuses to condemn Musk’s antisemitic post”).
Musk’s endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory falsely accusing Jewish people of promoting “hatred against whites” is not only baseless but contributes to the rise of antisemitism, and the perpetuating of harmful stereotypes.
At a time when unity is crucial, Musk’s actions are regressive and irresponsible.
DeSantis’ refusal to vigorously condemn Musk's comments is also deeply troubling. As a public official, he must unequivocally denounce antisemitism. Dismissing Musk's actions due to claimed ignorance of “context” is inadequate and fails to address the seriousness of the issue.
Antisemitism requires collective efforts to combat. Musk's endorsement of harmful beliefs fans the flames of hatred and intolerance. Our leaders must take a stand against antisemitism.
I urge the governor to reconsider his response and firmly denounce discrimination.
Arnie Moskowitz, Sarasota
Biden puts construction industry at risk
President Joe Biden recently toured Florida’s Gulf Coast and continued his rhetoric of promoting himself as “the most pro-union president in history.”
This discriminatory language by President Biden discounts the value of work done by the vast majority of construction industry professionals who choose not to join a union, which is nearly 9 in 10 workers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Associated Builders and Contractors supports awarding public works projects to contractors that can complete infrastructure projects safely, on time and on budget, regardless of labor affiliation. Fair and open competition for these projects delivers the best value to all American taxpayers.
The latest data shows that, year-over-year, the percentage of construction industry union membership has dropped despite robust overall job growth.
The decline suggests that construction industry workers are not enthusiastic about joining a union when given a choice to do so.
This is why the Biden administration should not continue to advance controversial policies specific to the construction industry requiring its workers to subject themselves to union-only policies. There is no reason to mandate union-only labor when contractors can fairly compete against each other.
Exclusionary policies and campaign speeches are the last thing Florida citizens need as they continue to face rising prices on everything from food to insurance to housing.
Grant Archer, director of government and political affairs, Associated Builders and Contractors Florida East Coast Chapter Inc., Coconut Creek
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota's School Board should choose education over extreme agendas
