THE TOP STORIES LAST WEEK
James Coffin,
Phil Handy, longtime Republican fundraiser and activist, shared deep concerns in a guest columnist in last Sunday's Orlando Sentinel about the ongoing efforts of the Republican majority in Florida's legislature to curtail the ability of voters to alter our state constitution through ballot initiatives. I share his concerns and appreciated his clear outline of what's going on. In our world of hyper-partisanship/tribalism, I take my hat off to any Republicans or Democrats who, based on their adherence to what they see as immutable principles, are willing to call to account their own tribe when necessary. Kudos to you, Mr. Handy. May your kind increase.
Glenton Gilzean Jr.,
The world marked Autism Awareness Day on Tuesday. I truly the stigma associated with autism dissipates. Millions of Americans are on the autism spectrum and live happy, healthy and successful lives. With that said, we must applaud all the businesses that go above and beyond to accommodate those on the spectrum, such as SeaWorld, which recently became the first theme park in Orlando to be named a certified autism center. This designation means that their staff are properly trained and they maintain the necessary facilities, such as quiet spaces, to help guests in need. For many families, these small actions taken by SeaWorld will go a long way.
Francisco Gonzalez,
There are lots of video clips going around of Joe Biden being very touchy-feely. It's with both women and men. There are photos of him hugging people through crises. And somehow this is a national outrage? No, it's not. It's another manufactured outrage. America actually needs to lighten up — and you know, we all need a lot more hugs. We need a lot more affection. And we need not always jump to conclusions that something sinister is going on. Let's take a lesson from Joe Biden and give someone a hug today — even if you work with them.
Jeremy Levitt,
The issue of reparations for African-American enslavement and systematic segregation and racial discrimination is receiving national attention. It is the talk of presidential candidates that support the idea of reparations including Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren and Beto O'Rourke. For decades, representative John Conyers introduced H.R. 40, a reparations bill, into Congress without success. Now, representative Sheila Jackson Lee has taken the mantel and the revised bill seeks to “address the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery in the United States and colonies between 1619 and 1865” by establishing a commission to study and develop reparation proposals for African-Americans. It's a great first step!
Muhammad Musri,
A bill was introduced by Dennis Baxley (R-Sen.) and Mike Hill (R-Rep.) in the Florida legislature to protect the fetus once a heartbeat is detected. Thereafter, the woman would have to carry a pregnancy to term unless it threatens her life or she's the victim of rape or incest. This bill matches Islam's position on abortions. With a conservative state Supreme Court, legislature and governor, this bill could become law. The bill should allocate funds for abstinence education, for free birth control and contraceptives to everyone, and should offer women who can't parent incentives to give up the baby for adoption. María T. Padilla,
Puerto Rico hasn't received $90 billion in recovery aid since Hurricane María. Not even close. Congress has committed about $40 billion, the majority of which hasn't been appropriated. Same is true of Florida and Texas. Big difference. A recent Government Accounting Office report stated Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands still haven't received a dime of $1.5 billion in approved Community Development Block Grants, mostly for low-income areas. Trump's tweet about Puerto Rico disaster funding plays into the century-old profanity that Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans are undeserving of everything from civil rights to federal funds.
Jim Philips,
Senator Rick Scott had to backpedal after President Trump suggested he and two other senators develop a Republican health care plan. Scott said any plan would have to come out of the White House first. Then Senator majority leader Mitch McConnell declared the idea DOA for the time being. The White House concurred after facing a possible political disaster over its never-ending desire to gut Obamacare.
Larry Pino,
If you're one of the recipients of the more than one billion robocalls harassing cellphone owners, you are no doubt pleased with the FTC's actions shutting down four illegal operations, including one in South Florida. The principals of Boca Raton-based Pointbreak Media agreed to fines totaling $12 million, as well as permanently ending robocalling activities. That's all good news; however, it would be better news yet, now that Pam Bondi has moved on, if current Attorney General Ashley Moody keeps Florida commerce clean by taking aggressive action against businesses which violate Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and federal telemarketing laws.
Stephanie Porta,
Right now, leaders in the Florida House and Senate are fast tracking bills that would make it even harder for voters to have a say on issues that impact our daily lives. If the AntiVoter Initiative Bills were a reality in previous elections, issues relating to restoring voting rights, medical marijuana, crowded classrooms, or funding land and water conservation would have never become a reality. Wealthy, big special-interest groups are trying to make citizen-led ballot initiatives a near impossible reality for future elections. Now is the time to call on our elected leaders to vote against severely restricting the amendment process.
David D. Swanson,
Once again, the Florida House has ignored our lack of affordable housing (worst in the country) in favor of other projects, only one of which is hurricane relief. They have tried to explain away sweeping the Sadowski fund by saying it's going to hurricane relief, but that only accounts for $123.6 million. The fund started with $350 million! The other $225 million could have been spent on affordable housing, but it won't be. Thus, the poor of our community continue choosing between housing, food and health care.