Readers tee off: DeSantis, Brodeur and my bulls***
Scott, thank you for putting into words my frustration toward Gov. Ron DeSantis over his latest “idea” about protesters. [“Flailing with COVID, DeSantis tries to distract public with anti-protester law“] It is outrageous and distracting. Beth
Well, Beth, in the governor’s defense, he says he gets very angry when he hears about people blocking traffic.
Scott, I saw the video of the people in the streets celebrating the Tampa Bay Lightning winning the Stanley Cup. They were blocking traffic. Are those the people Governor DeSantis wants arrested on felony charges? Jeff
Oddly, Jeff, I haven’t heard the governor express any outrage over that.
Are you stupid or is this column a joke? Robert
Robert, I’m not sure I likemy choices there. But if Iwere telling a joke I’d say: Twomuffins are baking in an oven. One muffin says: Boy, is it hot in here. The
other replies: Holy cow – a talking muffin!
Have I missed an article, or have you vetted that there is nothing to the claim that Patricia Sigman took PPP money and funneled it into her campaign? Dave
Sounds like you did miss it, Dave. And yeah, there’s nothing to that claim. It’s just a lie. But I can seewhy you’re confused, because Jason Brodeur and the Republican Party keep telling it. The Sentinel fact-checked the ad and deemed it “false.” So did WESHChannel 2— twice even, saying: “Itwas false back then. And it’s false again.” Brodeur’s plan to get into the Florida Senate seems to bank on the philosophy that, if you repeat a lie often enough, people might believe it.
TheOrlando Sentinel is an agent for the Democratic Party. Every single endorsement is spun to the left. Neal
Amen, Neal. This paper has endorsed nothing but Democrats ... well, Imean except for the Republicanswe endorsed for Congress, the Legislature, sheriff, tax collector, property appraiser, clerk of court and the entire Seminole County commission. But yeah, other than that, not a single one.
Scott, I ama regular reader and big fan of your column. I was wondering if you will be doing a column again this year on the amendments. I always found them to be written in “plain English” rather than the confusing wording on the ballots. Johnny
You bet, Johnny. It should be up in a few days, before early voting begins. I just needed to make sure we got all those left-leaning endorsements for local Republicans out of theway first.
More pathetic bulls*** from the Slantinel. Kevin
Kevin, I take issue with that. We’re not giving you pathetic bulls***. Here at the Slantinel, we strive to give you the finest caliber bulls*** around— the kind of grade-A, grass-fed, free-range bulls*** thatwould make Florida ranchers proud.
Nice follow up on theWashington Post article. [“Orlando’s ugly secret is out. Poverty thrives in the shadow of tourism.”] IfOrlando was a business and an article that critical of the business appeared in the national media, the board of directors would be calling for the head of the CEO. It’s appalling to listen to the utter silence from local “leaders” when these stories surface. Tom
Tom, I think part of the problem is that the issue is so big here — so many low-wage jobs breeding so much poverty— local leaders genuinely aren’t sure howto tackle it. But I also think the fact that those low-wage employers fund so many local campaigns plays a big role, too.
Your column today, with its detailed, well-researched case for diversifying Orlando’ s economy, was one of the best you have ever written on this subject. Marena
Thanks, Marena. The numbers tell the story. And while other communities look to growand attract manufacturing, technology and medical jobs, this community’s story is one of obsessively working to expand low-wage industries ... at the expense of virtually everything else.
Great column. [“Disney, Universal, SeaWorld layoffs: Orlando’s one-ticket town economy is reeling … again“]. I hope this is a huge wake up call for our community leaders. Carlos
I’d like to hope so, too, Carlos. But I’m not optimistic. The only response I got fromthe region’s economic development commissionwas a tweet with the “#SupportTourism” hashtag. We’ll continue to reap whateverwe sow.
Today’s column (about nasty campaign mailers) was fun. I’m an art teacherwho has asked coworkers and family members to keep all those cardboard flyers … somy students to reuse them as paint palettes. Pat
Pat, what a beautiful afterlife for something with such ugly origins.
You’re such a liberal hack. Pam
I apologize, Pam.
You’re a Trumpian at heart. Disgraceful. Linskey
I apologize, Linskey. (Also, I’d love to get you in a room with Pam.)
Scott, sad to see the Sentinel building is closing [“The Sentinel leaves its newsroom of 69 years to find a new home for quirky, curious chaos“] but enjoyed your take. Is that really you with the gray hair? Ces
Yeah, there’s definitely a lot of salt in this pepper nowadays. But the photog’s flash happened to make everything look bit grayer. I didn’t really mind, though. Besides, I figured in a story about the Sentinel closing this historic chapter, howmany peoplewould focus onmy hair?
Dude, you are gray! Tom
So I’ve heard.
I see a much older man with gray hair in your packing-up-mydesk photo. Kilgore
So did Tomand Ces.
Ha ha! Look at your hair. James Did anyone actually read the column?