True leaders look crisis straight in the eye

The recent observance of the horrific terrorist events of Sept. 11, 2001 raised some comparative thoughts about our nation’s leadership response to the COVID-19 pandemic. President Trump defended his approach by trying to play down the threat of the virus to boost the morale of our citizens. Unfortunately, while his goal was admirable, it also was flawed.

There have been moments in history that have required dynamic, thoughtful and caring leadership to avoid public panic and despair.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt never sugarcoated the horrible damage and carnage caused by the bombing or the immediate threat to our nation’s security. He boldly and calmly assured Americans we would persevere, recover and overcome.

During the Nazi’s barbaric blitz of London, Churchill waded daily into streets full of death and destruction, lifting British spirits with assurances of hope. He did not act as if there were no problem; he acknowledged the incredible challenge and pointed toward victory.

On Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush rallied the nation to overcome the shock of the terrorist attack, not by pretending nothing happened, but by acknowledging we had suffered great losses before refocusing the way forward, with assurance of a firm response and better preparation against future attacks.

Ignoring a problem, or pretending to do so, does not inspire the confidence needed to rally people to a common cause. A leader with an understanding of human nature must bundle together integrity, wisdom and common sense.

Let’s pray that when the next crisis occurs (unfortunately, there will be one), we have someone in charge who has the experience, values and honest charisma to lead us safely toward the light.

– Don Slesnick,

Coral Gables

TAX SUCKERS

Re the New York Times story published in the Sept. 28 Miami Herald, “Report: Trump paid no income taxes for years:” President Trump paid $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017 with an income of “hundred of millions” of dollars by declaring losses on his returns.

Meanwhile, millions of Americans sometimes pay 10 time to 100 times that figure in income taxes each year.

I guess the president thinks voters also are “suckers” for paying taxes when we could just emulate the super-rich and avoid them altogether.

– Leslie W. Langbein,

Miami Lakes

ATTACKING TRUMP

The New York Times and other media, in a relentless assault on President Trump, are speeding to get the votes of lowincome Americans out for Joe Biden. What better way than to attack Trump’s alleged tax cheating. If Trump has committed fraud, that is a criminal offense. If not, he has taken advantage of a tax code eternally lobbied by those who influence our politicians who write the code.

So, whom do we go after? The IRS and prosecutors who have not put Trump in jail or the lobbyists?

The Times and others know well that this is more of the same: Do anything to keep Trump from being reelected.

When are the media going to go after Joe and Hunter Biden for their unscrupulous dealings overseas?

– Michael G. Merhige,

Kendall

NO BIG DEAL

President Trump is usually grandiose and bombastic. But we have learned he also is the play-it-down president when it serves him. He played down the seriousness of the coronavirus, and we have just learned he has been playing down his tax liabilities for years.

I thank the journalists and newspapers who have often had to scale almost insurmountable hurdles to shed light on the Oval Office occupant.

Facts are not fake.

– Carroll Billips, Fort Lauderdale

RESTITUTION FIRST

Re the Sept. 28 story “Pilot sentenced after $425,000 con on a Miamiarea teacher:” Along with four-plus years in federal prison for his felonies, the sentence requires that pilot Michael Atkins pay restitution to his victim. Incredibly, a letter writer in the Opinion section complains about the governor making ex-felons pay fines or restitution before they are given the right to vote.

Really?

Who would dare look this schoolteacher in the eye and say that letting Atkins vote in four years is more important than her getting her retirement funds back?

Only someone desperate for a potential vote could be this coldhearted.

– Daniel Westbrook,

Kendall

NO SAVIOR

Watching Venezuelan Americans and Cuban Americans in Florida fawn over President Trump boggles the mind. People who either saw their homelands fall to authoritarians or have heard the stories in their homes apparently cannot spot one when he is right in front of them.

They seem so scarred by that past leftist threat, so focused on keeping that side of the political spectrum in check, that they have lost sight of the clear and present danger now charming them on the right.

– Catherine Fernandez,

Miami

CHOOSE A STORY

Pretty much anything goes these days, but Trump supporters need to decide which of the self-contradictory narratives they should follow: Trump either always means what he says, or “He didn’t really mean what he just said.”

He is the great businessman he portrays himself to be lied on his tax returns, or he is a loser, and his businesses have all been failing for the past 10 years. Pick one.

– Robert McIntire,

Plantation

IT’S NOT OVER

As a physician, I am absolutely appalled by Gov. DeSantis’ decision to fully reopen the state.

What is this man thinking?

We still face upward of 3,000 cases a day, with more than 100 deaths a day, and DeSantis acts as if this plague has gone away.

His irresponsibility is breathtaking. But it is more than that. He is responsible for the continuing pandemic in Florida, and refuses, like President Trump, to take responsibility.

This is a deliberate denial. When is this going to stop?

– Kenneth Barnes,

Miami

STOLEN VOTES?

If President Trump succeeds in not counting thousands — perhaps millions? — of ballots nationwide, and especially in Florida, what happens to all our votes for state and local issues and candidates?

– Ira Licht,

Miami

TRUMP CARD

After the revelations of President Trump’s tax returns, it has become clear why he is promising to get rid of payroll taxes. He has a more than $300 million loan due within the next four years. If his companies no longer have to pay their portion of payroll taxes, it would be a huge windfall for him.

Unfortunately, it comes at a cost to citizens who rely on Social Security and Medicare benefits and to those who will depend on it in the future. Of course, Trump and his buddies are not part of this majority.

– Sandra Horwitz,

Coconut Grove

BANK STOCK

Re the Sept. 28 Business Monday story “Professional Bank’s big steps:” Companies seeking to engage in a public offering of their stock are required to provide audited financial statements and to make certain disclosures, but there is no “qualification” process and no need to show they are “financially strong.”

Not only do many companies with no profits and little capital go public, but the law expressly states that prospectuses carry the following legend: “Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the disclosure in the prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.”

– Richard E. Brodsky,

Coral Gables

JUST TWO PAGES

President Trump is claiming the New York Times report regarding his taxes is fake news. All he needs to do is produce pages 1 and 2 of his Form 1040 for all the years he disputes.

– Jerry Horwitz, Coconut Grove

PAY TO VOTE

Amendment 4, approved by most Florida voters in 2018, did not include any responsibilities to former felons other than completing the sentences they had been given. The idea of adding another requirement before re-issuing the right to vote came from our Republican-led state Legislature and Gov. DeSantis.

Was this an attempt to reintroduce a poll tax?

– Melinda Nakaya,

Fort Lauderdale