Looking ahead to this week

Pastor D.H. Dawkins Sr., Praise Tabernacle International

Up until recently, some people have thought that President-elect Trump was going to make the White House, the “white” house. It’s interesting to notice that Nikki Haley, Elaine Chao and Seema Verma are the only “minorities” on his newly appointed team so far. Listen, I’m not advocating patronizing the African-American population by a process likened to affirmative action. But I’m sure there are legitimately over-qualified African/ Caribbean-American persons in his reach that would properly represent the diverse nation he is about to lead. And no, I’m sorry but Ben Carson doesn’t count.

Anthony Abbate, Florida Atlantic University, Associate Provost, Broward

Is there no escape from the commercialization of practically every aspect of our daily lives? Now ads appear on our calendar apps with annoying reminders to buy this or that today! While we can turn off similarly annoying pop-ups, let’s hope in the coming weeks Apple comes up with a permanent fix to shut off and block these intrusive ads. The sooner the better. I am thinking about returning to the bound agenda planner — a brand new one for each new year. After all, isn’t your calendar supposed to be private, like a diary?

Ted Deutch, member, U.S. House of Representatives

I again implore my Senate colleagues to approve the House-passed water resources bill before the 114th Congress ends. I’ve sent numerous bipartisan letters and held many personal conversations on how important bill passage is to South Florida. Its passage will mean federal dollars for expanding and deepening of Port Everglades, a major regional economic hub. Passage also means progress on Everglades restoration projects and fulfilling the federal government’s responsibility to our cherished ecosystem. This is not a time for partisanship; Congress must pass this biennial authorization and invest in the environment and economy of South Florida.

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Linda B. Carter, president, Community Foundation of Broward

Giving season is here. Close to half of all 2016’s donations will occur before year-end. Unfortunately, many will spend more time selecting where to eat out than where to donate. It’s certainly the time to be generous, but it’s also wise to be strategic. The National Philanthropic Trust warns the biggest mistake most will make this holiday season is giving impulsively. If you take the time to align your personal values with the mission of the nonprofit you want to support, you may find philanthropy to be a much more rewarding experience. That’s a gift to you and to others.

Howard Simon, executive director, ACLU of Florida

The Trump Administration must not revoke the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that gave temporary security to 700,000 undocumented minors brought to here as children by their parents. To qualify under DACA, these Dreamers are either in school, have a diploma or are veterans. They are ineligible if they have been convicted of a serious crime. While it would be cruel to force these young immigrants to leave the only country they know, the program also benefits all Americans — as many recipients are succeeding in our schools and universities and are poised to make enormous contributions to this country.

Barbara M. Sharief, mayor, Broward County

Gun violence is on the rise — annually there are over 115,000 incidents, and 33,000 related deaths. It impacts our community by increasing health care and detention costs. The increased crime rates and fear affects the quality of life. It is estimated that lifetime medical costs for gunshot injuries total an estimated $2.3 billion and taxpayers contributed almost half ($1.1 billion or 49 percent). Congress has been unable to put partisanship aside and stand up to the gun lobbyist. The solution is simple — implement universal background checks.

Robert Weinroth, deputy mayor, Boca Raton

This past week I attended the 2016 Florida Automated Vehicles Summit in Tampa. In the next 3-5 years autonomous vehicles will be traveling on our roadways. This is both exciting and terrifying for its many implications. The introduction of electric-powered autonomous vehicles will create a near term disruption in our travel routines no less dramatic than transition to the horseless carriage. Alternatives to gas taxes will be required to fund highway infrastructure while vehicle sales are replaced by subscriptions. Traffic congestion will abate; parking structures will become white elephants and the carnage on our roads will be dramatically reduced

Katy Sorenson, president, Good Government Initiative, University of Miami

More than 500,000 Floridians have just signed up for Obamacare coverage in 2017, and it would be interesting to know how many of them voted for Trump, who promised to abolish it. Maybe they’re thinking that the vow to “repeal and replace” will give them better coverage at cheaper prices? Hope it works out for them.