Happy 250th, America: We can do better
On the eve of America’s 250th birthday, I’m thinking about the preamble to the Constitution, “We the people.” Inspiration to “form a more perfect Union, establish Justice (and) promote the General Welfare.” We are a great and diverse people, and the most successful democratic social experiment ever.
Patriotism and the promise of “liberty and justice for all” are not political slogans for one politician or party, for certain Americans and not others. It’s every citizen’s moral imperative and responsibility to keep democracy alive and provide every American the opportunity to succeed.
But America is not prosperous for all. We have greater wealth inequality now than in the Gilded Age. In the U.S., the top 0.1% hold as much wealth as the bottom 90% combined. And wages for the middle and working classes have remained stagnant since the 1970s.
Is Trump 2.0 helping Americans? His tariffs are killing American farms, raising consumer prices. The Iran war has caused global shortages in oil, costing Americans an extra $90B at the pump. Attacks on immigrants are tearing communities apart, when only 27% of the 60,000-plus in detention have a criminal record.
Talk with your neighbors. Reflect on the values that you and others expect in your community. Communicate from a place of love and understanding, not mistrust, hate, or division.
We can do better. Reject leaders lacking decency and honesty. Elect moral and ethical leaders who demonstrate integrity, empathy, and intelligence. We can be the country our founders would be proud of if we believe and do our part.
Jeff Dorman, Satellite Beach
Question about mosquito control is bugging reader
Let me ask those of you who have children (from infants to 18-year-olds) a simple question: Do you want the kids buried under hundreds of mosquito bites and no public health protection against West Nile v, Eastern Equine v, St. Louis Encephalitis, Dengue, Zika, Chikv and a few others that may or may not be on their way? Because that’s what’s going to happen the any communities along the Indian River Lagoon without any mosquito control, because the billionaire tax relief gets rid of the control efforts, but not the mosquitoes.
You may ask why your local governments aren’t saying anything about it. It’s because, under state law, they can’t open their mouths to speak in favor or against any legislative proposal. So, your kids may have school covered because they aren’t included in the tax relief but imagine waiting outside for school buses anywhere in what was known as mosquito county (Brevard, Indiana River, Saint Lucie) with no public health mosquito control. Also, no downtown dining or events any time from sunrise to midnight along the Lagoon. So there go all your fave breakfast and dinner restaurants. No more tourism, either. I worry more about the children, but there you go — no more mosquito-free beaches, and kids all having to home school with no outdoor recreation from April to November.
But that’s billionaires for you; they don’t care about kids (or tourists).
James David, Fort Pierce
Florida’ F ranking in public education speaks poorly of us
Recently Florida received an F in a national ranking of K-12 public education. I was not surprised.
For decades, Florida has steadily redirected resources away from public schools and toward private alternatives. Supporters call it school choice. Critics call it privatization. Whatever name is used, the result has been the same: fewer students, less funding, and less support for the public schools that educate the majority of Florida’s children.
What concerns me most is that many Floridians, whether retirees or those who can afford private schools, no longer see public education as their responsibility.
But public education was never intended to benefit only families currently using it.
Every one of us depends on educated citizens, from nurses to mechanics to electricians to teachers, all of whom were once children sitting in classrooms.
Public schools accept every child. They do not get to pick and choose. They teach those with disabilities, from poor families, those learning English, gifted students, those facing challenges most of us cannot imagine.
That is why public education has long been called America’s great equalizer. It gave generations of children the opportunity to rise above their circumstances and pursue the American dream.
No civilized society can afford to leave children behind. We have an obligation to educate every child, not just the children whose families can afford alternatives.
Florida’s F ranking is not simply a report card on our schools. It is a report card on our priorities.
The question is not whether we can afford to invest in public education.
The question is whether we can afford not to.
Marcie Sizemore Ramirez, Palm Bay
Musk Foundation’s impact on Space Coast alone is commendable
I am writing to respond to a recent opinion piece by highlighting several overlooked facts regarding Elon Musk and the Musk Foundation. Having served in health care for 50 years, I have worked with people from all walks of life, and I believe it is important to provide a more comprehensive view of these contributions.
Mr. Musk’s humanitarian efforts, primarily executed through the Musk Foundation and his companies, focus on disaster relief, technology access, and STEM education. Notable examples include:
Emergency connectivity: Through Starlink, SpaceX has provided free satellite internet to areas struck by natural disasters, including regions in Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, and North Carolina.
Disaster relief power: Following Hurricane Maria in 2017, Tesla installed hundreds of solar-powered Powerwall batteries and solar arrays to restore power to hospitals and communities across Puerto Rico.
Scientific and educational philanthropy: The Musk Foundation has granted hundreds of millions of dollars to support STEM education, pediatric research (including $55 million to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital), and the X Prize for carbon removal.
Economic impact: Beyond direct philanthropy, companies like SpaceX provide vital jobs, including right here on the Space Coast.
Finally, regarding the issue of world hunger, I believe the focus should shift from temporary aid to long-term sustainability. While immediate food relief is necessary during crises, true progress comes from providing the technology, resources, and education required for communities to produce their own food. As the adage goes, “Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for life.” Empowering self-sufficiency is a far more effective humanitarian path than fostering long-term dependency.
George White, Titusville
Our leaders’ fiscal failures are appalling
The many billions of dollars being spent in our country for political campaigns is obscene. They take affordable health care away from everyone and then spend money to buy ads for themselves to stay in power and not represent us very well.
Judy McGee, Melbourne
Trump can find Reflecting Pool culprit in his mirror
Unfortunately for Donald Trump, both physics and biology have joined forces to conspire against him.
Trump, on a whim, decided unilaterally to “improve” the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool by painting the bottom blue. Unfortunately for Trump, painting the bottom blue does nothing to improve reflectivity. Rather, it’s a matter of angle of incidence (something the original designer did know).
What painting the pool bottom blue did do was cause all the incoming light except the blue wavelengths to be absorbed at the bottom of the pool (that’s why the water “looks” blue). That’s the physics part of Trump’s problem. The biology part of Trump’s problem is algae love the blue wavelengths of light. Algae use the blue of light for photosynthesis, and more photosynthesis means more growth.
Consequently, Trump unwittingly created, via physics and biology, the perfect conditions for an explosion of algae growth. Now Trump is locked in mortal combat with the reflecting pool algae. He is desperately trying to kill the algae and restore the reflecting pool to a blue not green color. To this end, the Parks Department (who weren’t consulted regarding Trump’s original plan) are pouring hundreds of gallons of hydrogen peroxide into the pool to try to “control” the algae (at $21 per gallon). This is a costly and Sisyphean task, and we the taxpayers are on the hook for his colossal blunder.
Ultimately, the proper solution is to drain the pool and remove the paint, restoring the pool to its original condition (at our expense, again!). Maybe Trump can find another one of his friends to do the job — at an overly inflated price, of course.
Paul Capaldo, Viera
Our wannabe ‘king’ is no prince of a guy
Thanks to Paul Capaldo, John Cielukowski, Ed Dean, Melvin Deere, Jeff Dornan, Kathy Ojeda, Michael Palmer, George White and Daniel Woodward for their insightful letters to the editor on May 31. Their discerning reasonable critiques were cogent and well-articulated, echoing many of my concerns relative to King Donald XLVII’s perplexing edicts.
Trump’s responses to logical queries from the media have become increasingly more vitriolic, spewing vicious, demeaning, hateful harangues at the questioners. Trump’s behavior and actions are indicative of seriously declining mental acuity, notwithstanding his boastful claims of properly identifying a lion, giraffe, bear and shark on a cognitive test (typically given to 6-year-olds) as testament to sound mental stability. Trump’s insistence of being deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize for ending an unjustified war he started is insanity, further proof of his instability.
Current Republican officeholders and cabinet appointees capitulate to King Donald’s impulsive, reckless, illegal and. at times, unconstitutional mandates, displaying the fealty kings require from their vassals. Trump’s an evil, manipulative, vindictive, egomaniacal, pathological, intractable liar who is devoid of empathy and compassion and whose hubris is unmatched by that of any other world leader. Trump’s vison for world rule was clearly announced upon his entrance to the G7 Summit, stating he was the boss. The only chance our democratic republic has to survive is with his removal from office.
Gregory W. Hewitt, Melbourne
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Education to Reflecting Pool woes, readers speak out in Letters to Editor
Reporting by Florida Today / Florida Today
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By Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
