100 Central Florida
Our panel of 100 influential leaders discusses the most important issues affecting you.
TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK
LOVE AND SECURITY, Joel C. Hunter, president, Parable Foundation: Congratulations to the onePULSE Foundation for winning a $247,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security. The programming onePULSE is producing is not limited to LGBTQ+ concerns. With their “Love Not Hate’’ theme, they are addressing the most active issues affecting us all: racism, violence, civil rights, and other social cancers. The most effective cures for these relationship destroying epidemics come from community organizations that will help us recognize the issues in personal, moral, and educational terms. Thanks to onePULSE and to DHS for recognizing security is not just a matter of physical safety but also of loving better.
HELPING PUERTO RICO, Viviana Janer, vice chairwoman, Osceola County Commission:
I was proud to team up with a local Kissimmee church, Iglesia De Dios, and Congressman Darren Soto this week in one of Central Florida’s first efforts to get supplies to residents of Puerto Rico, who are in dire straits in the wake of Hurricane Fiona. The timing is extremely traumatic, as it coincided so closely with the landfall of Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Maria’s devastation. With lessons learned, our community will have a more focused relief effort. We’ll do everything we can to help because those hurting in Puerto Rico are our neighbors, our friends, our family.
LIBRARY CENSORSHIP, A.J. Marsden, assistant professor, Beacon College: Recently, a town in Colorado passed a resolution effectively to ban the banning of books at their public library. The town’s librarians state that their purpose is to “promote curiosity, knowledge, and exploration while fostering a safe and inclusive place for our community” — all of which can be done without banning material. Sadly, the Florida-based Moms for “Liberty” group are branching out from targeting books in schools to targeting public libraries all across the nation — wrongly assuming that their ideas conform to all Americans. If you don’t want your kids to read certain books, that’s fine. But don’t limit another American’s right to that content. Period.
FIGHTING OVER KIDS, Timothy McKinney, Chief Executive Officer, United Global Outreach: I am over narcissistic, abusive and manipulative men dominating loving, caring moms to the point of financial ruin and emotional breakdown simply for fighting to have a custodial relationship with their kids through the very expensive court process. Men who make more money. Wives who bore the children. Politically and/or financially connected men who dominate with motion after endless costly motion because they can. Twisting facts, making accusations, and running up the legal tab. This abuse of power over loving moms that simply don’t have the money to pay the lawyers or experts to make their case must end.
INTEREST-RATE HIKE, Muhammad Musri, president, Islamic Society of Central Florida:
The Federal Reserve raised interest rates again on Wednesday by 0.75% to fight inflation. The Fed rate increases pushed mortgage rates in Florida above 6%, making it impossible for many Florida families to get a loan to buy a home and instead are forced to rent. Rental rates are sharply higher because wealthy investors are buying the homes with cash and renting them out. Inflation was mainly caused by artificially higher fuel cost for all industries and people. The Fed policy of further increases is misguided and will cause a recession, instead Congress should impose a profit-tax on oil companies.
COSTLY PLANE RIDES, Mark E. NeJame, founder, senior partner, NeJame Law:
Gov. Ron DeSantis will cost Florida taxpayers even more than the $12 million that was specifically earmarked for the outbound transfer of “illegal aliens” located in Florida. Those flown from Texas to Massachusetts were never in Florida, until the DeSantis-controlled charter stopped for 45 minutes in North Florida. Moreover, they weren’t even “illegal aliens” as they were all from either Venezuela, Cuba, or Nicaragua, having escaped oppressive regimes and were legal asylum-seekers. DeSantis, is under criminal investigation. A class-action lawsuit is filed alleging human rights violations and fraud. More suits will follow for his misuse of funds. Florida taxpayers will pay dearly for his theatrics.
VOTE NO ON AMENDMENT 2, Gloria Pickar, president emerita, League of Women Voters of Orange County: Your ballot for the upcoming general election will have three amendments to the Florida Constitution originated by the Florida Legislature. One amendment would limit citizens’ ability to be architects of their own state constitution: Amendment 2 Abolishing the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC). The Florida League of Women Voters opposes this amendment. The CRC meets every 20 years to consider changes to the constitution. Although the CRC would benefit by updates to include bipartisan appointees and unbundling amendments so each addresses only one issue, eliminating the commission altogether will remove a generational opportunity for citizens to revise their constitution. Vote No.
QUEEN’S FUNERAL, Joanie Schirm, GEC founding president; World Cup Orlando 1994 Committee chairman: Who didn’t watch Queen Elizabeth’s funeral among the world’s population of nearly 8 billion. The tribute became a distraction from the constancy of disturbing news coming at us from across the world. Most viewers admired the dutiful Queen for her seven decades of service, her way with words, her straightforwardness in various circumstances, and her love of family, country, dogs and horses. Watching the Queen’s humor in the Platinum Jubilee ad of her sharing tea and a Ma’amalade sandwich with Paddington Bear will further brighten your day. Google YouTube: Ma’amalade sandwich, your Majesty?