Young voters should step up; candidates should keep promises: Letters, Aug. 10, 2022

Calling all young voters: Your voices are needed. Get politically involved

I am Sara Cheney, the president of the Youth League of the Treasure Coast. I am writing to you in order to highlight the lack of support and voter information being provided to young voters. As a member of Generation Z, I believe it is crucial that we encourage young people within our community to vote in all elections and get involved with our governmental system.

Statistically, young people are the least likely of all age groups to vote in elections. Especially when it comes to local elections, the turnout rates for young voters are astoundingly low. According to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Research, about 50% of youth voters cast their ballots during the 2020 presidential election. Although this is a significant improvement from past years, it is crucial that we continue to work within our communities to provide youth with the support and encouragement that they need to become consistent voters in elections for all political positions.

We need our community representatives to join local organizations in get-out-the-vote efforts that are specifically directed toward young people, such as social media campaigns and social events in spaces frequented by youth. This is a call to action for everyone within our community to dive into the issues facing our community and encourage young people to become more civically engaged. To do this, organizations such as the League of Women Voters, the American Civil Liberties Union, and each county’s supervisor of elections office can provide the opportunities and resources necessary for residents of the Treasure Coast to uplift youth voices and become more politically involved.

Sara Cheney, Port St. Lucie

'Tis the season for big promises; let's hold candidates accountable

The wannabes and the I-think-I-wannabes are at it again. It’s election time. We the taxpayers are exposed to: Need more money, approve another referendum, extend the same old referendum. All under the disguise of “we will do a great job”! Each election cycle they attempt to explain how they will do a great job. We never see or hear what a great job or what accomplishments were obtained from their last great promise.

Now we have wannabes asking for our support for county commissioner promising to move from Port St. Lucie to the Fort Pierce district if they win. Really? I would think that someone truly dedicated to resolve issues would live in that district prior to running for office. How does one truly understand the issues if not living in the area they wish to represent?

Another bone of contention is the school board and school unions. Pleading for more money, and more money, to meet the needs of our youth. Again, where is the proof that past funds were actually used and had positive results? Where is the accountability? When will the “leaders” learn to live within the (budget) funds the taxpayers (their bosses) are forced to pony up?

We should ask the leaders of the county (the county commissioners), given the extreme increase of property values, if they are going to reduce the property tax rate. I wonder if the leaders have the taxpayers’ best interests at heart. All should judge them by their actions and not give credit to lose tongues.

I for one believe it’s past time to hold these folks accountable for their actions or lack of and I challenge the good folks of St. Lucie County to voice your opinion at the polls that enough is enough.

Marvin Bethune, Fort Pierce

More: Aug. 13 is deadline to request a mail ballot, plus early voting begins and ends Aug. 20

Exposure to some forms of 'news' can be a very negative experience

I’m struck these days on just how phony and dangerous the concept of “news” has become. You can divide it up any way you like: left-right, legacy-new, social-corporate, censored-free. It’s all an incredibly negative experience that is full of partial truth, spin, misleading headlines, and the demeaning destruction of individuals and ideas.

People can choose to limit their exposure, of course, but most people tune out the sources that challenge their preconceptions. That makes it unlikely that anyone is truly informed, and makes it easy for profiteers to lead viewers into a self-reinforcing spiral down the rabbit hole.

There was a time when the broadcast media were required by the Fairness Doctrine to fairly and honestly inform the public on the debates surrounding the issues of the day. It was the price corporations paid for access to the public consciousness. Those days are gone; now it’s only about selling clicks and eyeballs, facts be damned. The problem is that profits are maximized by emotional engagement and this is done most effectively through fear and outrage. So, we become afraid and angry.

The more engaged we are, the more our ability to think critically is tested. At the extremes this results in violence, hate and cultural isolation. For most of us it’s our daily social interactions, openness to ideas, and ability to solve problems cooperatively that suffer. Overall, our institutions, communities and opportunities are diminished and our nation declines.

Expecting unregulated media corporations to conduct journalism responsibly has simply not worked. I know the imposition of government regulation is difficult, but an informed electorate with the ability to understand complex policy choices is critical to our democracy. the preservation of our freedoms requires an adult population with access to civic education. What we have now is far from it.

Jerry DeSantis, Stuart

More: Keep your butts off the ground; respect mask-wearers' choice: Letters, August 7, 2022

More scooters at Walmart would be appreciated by those who need them

No matter what Walmart I have visited, it seems there are never enough electric scooters for the handicapped. I have seen around four scooters per store, even though some Walmart stores will have more than 10,000 customers per day.

Now if you visit Walmart's’ sister store, Sam’s Club, they seem to cater to our disabled, meaning that a store that has maybe half the number of customers per day always has eight to 10 scooters. One might think the math on scooters might be backwards, thinking on Walmart’s choice. Just an observation from a person with disabilities.

Robert I. Binkley, Port St. Lucie

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Young voters, step up; candidates. keep promises: Letters, Aug. 10, 2022