No, we’re definitely not same country

I cannot disagree more with the Rev. John Hamatie’s My Word column, “It’s not the same country anymore,” on Nov. 19, where he delights in the fact that we are a better country today following the re-election of Barack Obama.

Granted, we have made progress in the areas of civil rights and equal opportunity for women in the workplace. But that is where the improvements end. Thirty years ago, we did not have a $16 trillion debt. We did not have such a high percentage — 40 percent — of births out of wedlock. We did not have more than 46 million people on food stamps.

But the most telling example of where we have gone astray occurred during the Democratic convention.

Democrats had to vote three times to include God in the party’s platform. It is sad because that party holds the White House and the Senate. No, we are not the same country anymore.

John Broughton Maitland

Shifting the blame

Congratulations to Monday letter-writer David Moffett (“Election aftermath”). I couldn’t have said it any better. His letter was an excellent description of the current state of our country and what will become of it. I’m sure millions of people feel the same as he does.

I can’t believe so many people put their personal choices and desires above the best interests of our great country, without considering the consequences.

I am sure, however, that we will soon see the ultimate manifestation of these selfish decisions.

The sad part is that the current administration will somehow shift the blame to the Republican refusal to compromise, or use some other lame excuse, as it has done successfully so many times.

John Loffredo Mount

State should not consider fracking

I am at a loss to explain how our state could consider allowing natural gas companies in Florida to apply to use the fracking method.

Our state sits atop a base of limestone that is said to be structured like Swiss cheese. How could anyone possibly know where the pollutants generated by the fracking process would end up? Drinking

55-plus communities should rethink rules

What do you do if you live in an age 55-plus community, which restricts households with children, and your children and grandchildren lose their housing?

Do you evict the entire family, or do you change the rules to meet this ever-growing need for baby boomers to return to the nest?

When these rules were made, we lived in a different society than we have today. We need to address this issue because it is putting more families out of their homes with nowhere to go.

Is this the Christian thing to do? I think not.

The rules need to be changed so we can bridge our children’s needs as the economy recovers. Thomas and Karen Monma

ney

Homemakers need alimony after split

I was disappointed to read the editorial “Debate alimony reform, but make sure it’s fair” in Friday’s Sentinel.

The Sentinel has bought the arguments of Florida Alimony Reform without considering the point of view of displaced homemakers.

After more than 20 years of marriage, a divorced homemaker, with no career or education, has no chance to build sufficient funds for retirement. Even though this spouse may start a career — at entry level — and develop a good-paying job, he or she has only 20 to 25 years in which to establish Social Security and save for the future; the working spouse will have had 40 to 45 years.

Permanent alimony means everything to former homemakers knowing that, when facing retirement, their small Social Security incomes will be supplemented by monthly alimony checks that will keep them above the poverty level.

Ann Dwyer

Pedestrian safety

It’s the law. Pedestrians have the right of way. It can be a risky business walking from a grocery parking lot to the store. The same is true for a pedestrian using a marked crosswalk at a street intersection.

As a driver, I make every attempt to look not only at the roadway but also at the curb, as there are frequently pedestrians waiting to cross the street.

It is not the driver’s choice to judge whether the pedestrian is going to make a dash. The vehicle must be under control, regardless of the situation.

Ron Maslyk Winter