Letters and feedback: Oct. 27, 2020
Half-cent tax 'reeks of waste'
Recently, I was scrolling through Facebook when a political ad popped up that said, "Paid for by Brevard Public Schools." The ad was promoting the half-cent sales tax, which is currently on the ballot. As a mother, a conservative and a taxpayer, I found this appalling.
I support BPS so it can provide my kids with a quality education. Not so it can waste my hard-earned money on political campaigns aimed at raising taxes. Moreover, I had to wonder: If our school board has all this cash sitting around to squander on political ads, does it even need a tax increase? That's to say nothing of the ethical conflict created by a government body using taxpayer resources to bankroll a political agenda. If every other candidate and issue has to raise money the old-fashioned way, why should our pro-tax school board help itself to public funds?
The half-cent tax now reeks of waste, fraud and abuse. It was advertised as a stopgap but, as politicians have proven, there is nothing more permanent than a "temporary" program. If we want to defeat shady tactics and waste, we must defeat the half-cent tax on Election Day.
Susan Hammerling-Hodgers, Rockledge
Editor's note: Hammerling-Hodgers is the Brevard Republican Executive Committee District 4 chair.
Posey has served District 8 poorly
I read FLORIDA TODAY's recent article comparing Rep. Bill Posey and Jim Kennedy in the 8th District congressional race. I feel the analysis was very incomplete and lopsided concerning Bill Posey and his campaign. In the face of a pandemic, economic crisis, and 21st-century global challenges Posey's politics, integrity, and voting record deserve better scrutiny.
Rep. Bill Posey is not sure if he believes in climate change, when the real question is: Does he understand what it is? It's a question of science, not religious belief. Bill Posey has repeatedly peddled in conspiracy theories about matters of national security. Whether that was his "Birther Bill" intended to advance a false and racist narrative about President Obama's birthplace, or his denial of facts about the Robert Mueller investigation into a foreign attack on our elections, he has served both us and the nation poorly in helping to spread disinformation. On top of that, he calls his political opposition "antifa" and "terrorists." Posey's strength as an incumbent with his political connections is outweighed by his terrible voting record on environmental issues and divisive presence among both our residents and our space program.
In the 8th District, this election isn't about who has more personal connections to entrenched partisan interests. It's about what kind of a person we want representing The Space Coast on the national and global stage, and who has the knowledge, background, and skill set that can bring us together to get things done. Jim Kennedy is that man. Do better.
Matt Fleming, Satellite Beach
'So much disinformation' out there
I voted early but see from the elections website that my vote has not been counted. Hopefully, this will change before Election Day. I think Trump will win. The Republican Party has pretty much gerrymandered, suppressed minorities’ votes and "lost" Democratic votes so much, Biden has little chance of winning.
There is so much disinformation out there from Russia, Iran, etc., that people are misdirected and have a false impression of what Biden stands for. First, Biden is a practicing Catholic — a Christian and a genuinely good human being. Donald Trump is not. The Washington Post says Trump has lied to the American public over 22,000 times since taking office. Would a good Christian advocate stealing children from their parents at our southern borders to discourage people seeking asylum?
The mishandling of the COVID-19 crisis by Trump and Republicans will go down in history as the horrible disaster it was and is. As to the much-vaunted tax cuts, they help only the richest. My wife and I live on a fixed income, less than $50,000 a year, and the Republican tax bill eliminated our ability to deduct medical expenses from our taxes. So we pay far more in deductibles which we cannot claim. We both have serious heart-related problems and I have had a heart transplant. I would be dead now except for Medicare, for which Trump has proposed cuts.
I love my country but Trump and his Republican allies have damaged it almost beyond repair, and will destroy our democracy if in power longer.
Alfred Brayton, Titusville
Biden's coulda, woulda, shoulda
Joe Biden in recent TV ads has stated that if elected he would institute a mask requirement "which should have been done in the beginning."
In the beginning of the pandemic masks were in short supply. State and federal governments were bidding against one another for masks. Experts recommend against the public using them in part to preserve available supply for medical and other critical users.
Masks were unobtainable by most members of the public. Methods of making them were widely published. I searched for material to use as a mask and used a less than perfect bandana mask until I was able to purchase a supply of masks which I continue to use.
During this time Biden was famously hunkered down in his basement. He did not need to seek out a mask supply as would the entire population of the country had a mask mandate been imposed.
There was neither a stockpile of masks nor sufficient domestic manufacturing capacity to support a mask mandate at that time. Neither of them were established during the eight years of the Obama/Biden administration.
Biden's assertion about what should have been done is 20/20 hindsight, which ignores the limitations that existed at the time.
James Beasom, Melbourne Village
'Trump did not build the economy'
I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat. Mainly because I think they both act like gangs.
That being said, as someone who has not been emotionally tied to either party, I am baffled at the conduct from a lot of the Republican senators. At the risk of playing both sides I don't like everything that the Dems have done either but hands down, especially in the last 10 months, the Republicans have turned a blind eye to almost all of the wrongdoings and ineptitude of the current president.
And just to try and help myself understand, the main reason that people are voting for Donald Trump is because of the economy? People, do your research, Donald Trump did not build the economy. Donald Trump inherited a very good economy, He did help extend that economy, but that does not mean that he built a great economy.
If this is your main reason for voting for Trump again, it is based on a large falsehood — and you will be putting this disaster back into our White House for another four years of tearing people apart.
Rob Higbee, West Melbourne
Harris would be a 'disaster' for U.S.
It's not unreasonable to consider the consequences of the president (Trump or Biden) becoming disabled or worse given their ages.
Surely it is clear that Mike Pence possess the leadership qualities, experience and mainstream orientation to do an excellent job. Kamala Harris, on the other hand, has no such qualifications. In addition, she continues to display the same arrogant, smug and condescending attitude that she displayed during the Kavanaugh hearings. Is there any wonder that she is so unlikeable?
Does anyone think she could be effective in dealing with Putin and Xi, or have our best interests in mind? She agrees with raising taxes on individuals and business and imposing more regulations on companies and thinks this will create jobs? The opposite will happen, so she is obviously not familiar with basic economics.
In her recent debate with Mike Pence she was not forthcoming on a number of issues, particularly regarding packing the Supreme Court. Her (and Biden's) silence on this issue provides all the answer we need.
In summary, Harris would be an unmitigated disaster for our country. Time to wake up, voters.
Ray Speck, Melbourne
An executive order and the 'deep state'
Yes, America, there is a deep state. Donald Trump just enabled it. After railing against a non-existent deep state, President Trump has signed an executive order to create just that. His libelous claims about cabals of plotting, faceless bureaucrats are pure fiction. I have served in several different agencies and across government in both Republican and Democratic administrations. Never, not once, did I ever get a whiff of the corruption or the conspiracy this president claims. The so-called deep state simply did not exist. Until now.
President Trump recently issued an executive order that goes far beyond the 7,000-plus existing Schedule C political positions. Reaching down into the ranks of the career civil service. To bypass merit-based hiring and protections to appoint cronies. The spoils system writ large. It took the assassination of a president (Garfield), but we got it right in 1883 with the passage of the Civil Service Reform Act. Rooting out the rot of corruption in public appointments. Ending the spoils system for most federal jobs. That is a reform that has served us well. Until now. The spoils system is a hallmark of every tin-pot dictator, every authoritarian whose apparatchiks are beholden to him, not the country. It is what this president embraces, and it is what Joe Biden will rescind as repugnant to our values and national interest.
So, when you go to vote, ask yourself: Do I really want to sign onto four more years of this corruption?
David Dickinson, Melbourne
A year for the ages, a fork in the road
The election of 2020 will be a once in a lifetime event in a year that has been one for the ages. The choice between Trump and Biden is like choosing which fork in the road to travel.
Choosing the lesser of two evils pains me. While I have reservations about Biden, Trump is the evil that keep growing. With all of these campaign stops, I wonder who is paying for the use of Air Force One, and Air Force Two for Pence? Imagine the cost of Secret Service, personnel, fuel. The campaigns are supposed to pick up the cost but like with most everything Trump touches, it ends up tainted and frayed. Who is enforcing the rules of the road, so to speak?
According to stories reported in FLORIDA TODAY, COVID-19 has been spread among attendees and families who have been at Trump rallies and the recent Rose Garden event. The worse of the two evils is a magnet for the huddled masses who are inspired by Trump.
Bill Lundell, Indian Harbour Beach