New College alum: DeSantis taking part in with hearth ants
Ron DeSantis has declared warfare on Sarasota’s tiny New College of Florida, packing the college’s board of trustees with loyalists who will march in lockstep with the governor’s ideological agenda.
In their first train of energy, they fired New College’s president with out even a pretense of trigger. (This transfer appeared to have been deliberate upfront by the brand new board members, regardless of Florida’s Sunshine Law.)
Why is DeSantis concentrating on New College? It’s all a part of his campaign towards “wokeness.” What does this buzzword imply? When placed on the spot, certainly one of his legal professionals outlined it as “the belief that there are systemic injustices in American society and the need to address them.” Scary stuff!
New College has been supported by generations of Florida politicians (together with conservative Republicans comparable to state Sen. Bob Johnson), who did not let the college’s different tradition distract them from its document of academic excellence and innovation.
For me, as a home-schooled pupil who grew up in Vero Beach and took dual-enrollment courses at Indian River State College, New College supplied the best continuation of my academic journey. The expertise I had there launched me on a profitable profession, however extra importantly, it made me a greater particular person ― extra compassionate, extra engaged, extra conscious of the world. Isn’t that what faculty ought to do?
The concept that New College is a few form of left-wing indoctrination camp is laughable. Having been concerned in increased schooling for shut to twenty years since I graduated, I’ve by no means seen an establishment whose members (college students and college) had been extra genuinely free-thinking ― and this, I think, is exactly what DeSantis fears.
Bob Johnson used to say that New College was a fireplace ant: small however tenacious. DeSantis and his cabal could but uncover that these hearth ants can break their picnic.
Thomas Patteson, a local of Vero Beach, lives in Philadelphia.
Tax breaks for homesteaders make leases much less reasonably priced
Regarding reasonably priced housing, I simply paid my property taxes for the yr. I’m a landlord and the taxes on my rental home are over 4 instances the taxes on my homesteaded home. I’ve to incorporate that value within the rental worth for my tenants.
As I understood it, the homestead exemption was arrange so seniors residing on mounted incomes who had been being taxed out of their “homesteads” would get a break. That manner, retirees weren’t compelled to promote the household houses that had been within the households for not less than a technology and had been now price a number of instances what was initially paid for them. This helped primarily widows who may hold the homes the place their youngsters had grown up.
It has grow to be a way of giving all householders an enormous tax break tax. Since most owners are wealthier than those that lease, it’s now one other profit to individuals who want it the least.
To me, portability of homestead has exacerbated the issue. Now somebody can downsize and promote the homestead and nonetheless get the tax break. Why give a tax break to somebody who does not want it and make these least capable of afford it decide up the slack?
Joan Clark, Vero Beach
Why not name God ‘Mother’?
Recently a lady confided in me she has bother with the thought of calling God “Mother.” The event was a current lecture and prayer service in Stuart about St. Edith Stein offered by the Celebrations Group.
I identified there may be nothing flawed theologically with calling God “Mother.” Pope Francis has stated: “God is father and also mother.” Pope John Paul I stated: “God is our father, but even more is God our mother.”
Edith Stein is quoted as saying: “You guide me like a mother’s hand … Holy Spirit, Eternal love!”
The Celebrations Group acknowledges God as each mom and father and far, rather more. However, we spotlight the female points of God as a result of we’re endeavoring to open ourselves and others to a wider and deeper understanding of and love for God.
In a world the place many don’t imagine in God, is it not a superb factor to have religion and to rejoice the immensity and unconditional love of God?
Louise Cunha, Stuart
DeSantis should present he is governor for all Floridians
I‘ve had enough; I can keep silent no longer. As a gay, Black, non-native Floridian, Gov. Ron DeSantis has made it crystal clear to me he’s the governor just for white heterosexuals.
Black Americans had been diminished by his rejection of a complicated placement course on African-American research as a result of it mentions homosexual Black folks. Is he not conscious that homosexual folks are available all colours? Why single out Black folks? Nor do I believe it’s a coincidence that the general public arrested for committing voter fraud in Florida below his no-tolerance coverage are Black.
As for the LGBTQ Community, his response to the Orlando Philharmonic Drag Christmas live performance and his hissy match about Disney expressing an opinion towards his method on the topic within the Okay–12 college system present he has no concern for these Floridians, both. Some extra well-known drag impersonations proven to youngsters in my lifetime embody: Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Popeye, Bluto, Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Harvey Korman, Tom Hanks, Peter Scolari, Herman Munster, John Lithgow, Flip Wilson, Dame Edna, RuPaul and Milton Berle.
I’ve two ideas for the governor:
1. MAKE A COMMITMENT TO REALITY: He ran to be, and received the possibility to be governor of Florida; then govern ALL Floridians, not simply those who look and assume like he does. If he can’t /received’t do this, then resign and let another person do the job.
2. ABANDON ALL HOPE FOR A BETTER YESTERDAY: Things have been carried out that may’t be undone. White folks overran this nation, decimated the native inhabitants, then kidnapped Africans from their houses to grow to be slaves in a distant land. After a protracted struggle to win their freedom, Blacks are actually demonized as being the supply of many social ills.
Brian E. Cowan, Port St. Lucie
Legislature may have spent $10 million on needy Floridians, however …
While there are a number of items of laws handed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature throughout their current particular session with which I disagree, essentially the most tough one to swallow is their resolution to spend $10 million in state taxpayer cash “ … to pull undocumented migrants from anywhere in the U.S. and direct them to what Republicans call ‘sanctuary’ cities and states …” (Press Journal, Feb. 12).
One can solely speculate how these funds may have helped Florida residents address rising prices, outrageous property insurance coverage and energy price hikes and a housing disaster (amongst others). Instead, the governor chooses to make use of our hard-earned funds to burnish his conservative credentials and stick with it his tradition wars so he can keep within the nationwide highlight till his inevitable announcement to run for president in 2024.
To quote a former president: “Sad!”
Wil Cunningham, Vero Beach
DeSantis’ actions present he needs to manage Floridians
Our governor has revealed himself as none aside from a power-hungry authoritarian!
Under the traditional guise of “freedom,” he needs to get rid of the “woke” motion and books of topics that disturb his (and others of his type) mindsets. He appears to have a purpose to create division and breed hatred, with the intent of destroying our democracy and changing it with a distinct type of presidency: authoritarianism!
Read concerning the horrors of previous efforts at authoritarianism earlier than it’s too late and such books are banned.
Norman Payne, Port St. Lucie
Cowardly actions result in incursions into Americas
I believe Joe Biden is a coward.
The present perils dealing with our nation due to the incursion into our air area by overseas entities isn’t any laughing matter. Whichever nation is liable for this hazard (China, Russia, North Korea?) should be confronted. I worry this can grow to be a navy drawback, as a result of the present resident of the Oval Office just isn’t match for the job.
I imagine our cowardly exit from Afghanistan was all our enemies wanted to start their bully strategies towards America and different nations on this hemisphere. Facts present that not solely our intelligence, however our surveillance, has been invaded by the enemy.
How may Chinese spy balloons not have been found for weeks whereas they meandered throughout America? Why did not Biden get them organized shot down instantly? There had been two extra shot down days after the primary, with one other over Montana with that state’s air area being closed for hours.
Canada skilled an incursion into the Yukon Territory and gave permission for our planes from NORAD to shoot it down. Even although will probably be tough to seek out all of the proof within the snow, will probably be simpler than diving into the Atlantic Ocean, as ordered by Biden.
Election time cannot come quickly sufficient for me. We should get this particular person and the Democrats out of workplace if we’re to save lots of America.
Nancy Celano, Sebastian
Administration a bust over CCP balloon
We all learn the fiasco of the CCP balloon because it floated unimpeded from coast to coast. And I questioned on the administration’s lame excuse for not taking pictures it down.
Add then the leaked deflection that Donald Trump additionally had balloons within the sky and did nothing about it, despite the fact that he did not even know. So there! But then, the outcry grew to become insufferable.
The administration lastly determined to “safely” blow the primary balloon out of the sky with a type of large navy fighter jets, and a million-dollar missile, for all of the world to observe on CNN.
That’ll present that nasty CCP. We can shoot down large, unhealthy balloons every time we wish. We bought the stuff!
But, who determined to blow it to smithereens leading to bits splashing into the ocean inflicting a tough retrieval from the particles subject? The different may have been to shoot it down, with bullets presumably to float right down to Earth. Every child is aware of: If you set a gap in your balloon, it loses air. Did nobody else know?
I’m wondering additionally, do these Democrats and such, who should comply with the celebration line, ever get lumps of their throats and wish to gag or go full out and throw up at these and different pronouncements by the administration?
I additionally await the CCP to offer us the invoice for his or her balloon and demand we return its balloon.
Jim Grant, Jensen Beach
Times a lot less complicated manner again when
Several many years in the past once I was child, teen and younger grownup, I lived in a group within the Northeast with a inhabitants of greater than 150,000. We had one domestically owned newspaper and three TV channels owned by firms inside 40 miles of house.
Most of the folks I knew lived in two households, labored in crops domestically, had vehicles and by no means locked their doorways. I’m certain there are lots of readers that may relate to that.
To work within the crops, you needed to be a heat physique that could possibly be skilled to run a machine, and also you made sufficient cash to help your loved ones comfortably. You did not want a highschool schooling to have a superb life. At that point, I knew solely two folks out of the a whole lot of pals I had that even smoked grass, however alongside the best way Vietnam occurred.
Then got here the company zeal for slicing prices, enlarging earnings and importing items. The crops disappeared, principally to overseas nations. Along with this, the native paper and TV stations had been bought by company conglomerates; then the web appeared.
The world of medicine exploded after Vietnam. Unemployment skyrocketed in folks with out a highschool schooling, with many of those folks turned to promoting the very drug they use for revenue as a result of they cannot discover jobs.
The paper and TV stations grew to become extra selective in what they thought would possibly affect the readers towards the opinion of the company homeowners who had by no means even been within the metropolis. The web then grew to become the news media for the younger, and everybody then knew someone bought shot in Los Angeles, another person bought fired in Chicago, and so on.
Paid advocates grew to become the norm, and right here we’re on this catastrophe.
Edward Marasi, Port St. Lucie