Letters and feedback: Jan. 20, 2021

Florida Today

Trust in Rep. Posey's judgment

I have read with interest the recent opinions of Brevardians who have attacked Congressman Bill Posey.

Writers have called for his public apology; viewed his actions as being an existential threat to the republic; decried that his actions are self-serving; and opined that he undermined state sovereignty. One writer even submitted that the congressman had forfeited his character and integrity. I do not share these views, and I have zero concerns about Mr. Posey's integrity.

In fact, one of the hallmarks of his career has been his laser-like focus on transparency in government.

Granlund

Examples abound: His successful efforts to reform Florida election law following the controversial 2000 Bush-Gore election chaos; his proposal, upon entering Congress, to require a 72-hour period of availability before a bill could be voted on; and his request for documents detailing the Federal Reserve's handling of insurance behemoth AIG's bailout during the Great Recession. In short, he has continuously worked to bring sunshine into government. Shortly after the 2020 presidential election, he sought a federal investigation regarding allegations of election fraud. It seems clear that by Jan. 6, he determined that whatever investigative review had been conducted was still insufficient, and thus he opposed certification.

I trust Congressman Posey's judgment. Moreover, I understand that in several court cases addressing the issue of fraud, complainants were not afforded the opportunity to conduct evidentiary hearings. As a result, the testimony of a raft of witnesses and a proper review of machinery were never exposed to the sunshine.

Fritz VanVolkenburgh, Cocoa Beach

Rep. Posey's missed opportunities

I love Brevard. We are a people who work our butts off and rarely need national attention to feel validated. I grew up here, and have lived all of the country, including in D.C. My travels have given me a greater appreciation for the Space Coast and changed my expectations for Rep. Bill Posey.

I have worked in his office, and respect his typically uncontroversial nature and consistent presence in his district, but I've grown tired of his missed opportunities to lead. Congress has relinquished too much authority to Big Tech and is allowing companies like Twitter to legally determine what is and is not free speech.

To be clear, I'm frustrated with Big Tech for censoring conservative thought, but they are legally allowed to do so when users sign the user agreement. My issue lies with Congress. These massive companies are able to skirt their way around our Constitution without any congressional regulation. I'm a small government guy, but the infringement on freedom of speech exhibited by these monopolies requires government regulation.

Posey specifically has a responsibility to lead legislation that will dismantle Big Tech monopolies and protect the free speech rights of his district. While Brevard is not a hub for these companies; the tech industry is undoubtedly moving to Miami, which will soon be connected to our district via the Brightline. Posey's long tenure gives him both the credibility and congressional seniority to make it happen and it's about time that the nation learns about Brevard's greatness.

Raleigh Sims, Indialantic

Indiana resident Jon Schaffer, right, is shown inside the U.S. Capitol Building during the Jan. 6, 2021, rioting, according to the FBI.

'There has to be accountability' on riot

This is in response to a recent letter by three members of the Brevard Republican Executive Committee.

Yes, we need to heal and yes, we should stop name-calling and accusations. And yes, the spoken word has "real and enduring power."

My questions are these: Where were you when the Name-Caller-In-Chief had nasty names for anyone who did not worship him? Where were you when he lied almost every time he opened his mouth? Where were you when he touted the wonderfulness of Putin over our own Intelligence community? 

It's pretty hilarious that Republicans are now concerned about "healing" and not being "divisive." Really? Every Republican in Congress who did not speak out and simply followed like sheep are responsible for the divisiveness in our country today and they also hold some responsibility (some more than others) for the terrorist attack on the Capitol building. There has to be accountability to help ensure this does not happen again. 

Susan Termini, Merritt Island

POTUS wasn't solely to blame 

Recently, FLORIDA TODAY guest columnist Bob Gabordi wrote an opinion piece entitled "Domestic terrorists cannot be allowed to win."

Bob apparently believes that recent domestic terrorism was all the fault of President Trump. Yes, the president is partly to blame. No, no one can honestly credit him with the remarkable achievement of being solely to blame for the Washington, D.C, riots. Bob was absent from objectivity lessons during class.

Steven T. Smith, Indian Harbour Beach

Think production on vaccine

I must be missing something. The government has spent billions of dollars with pharmaceutical companies to develop COVID-19 vaccines, yet they have exclusive rights to produce it. All of the political fuss has been about distribution of the meager supplies, not production. Why can't the war powers act or other means be used to mobilize our pharmaceutical industry to produce sufficient vaccine for everyone?

Robert A. Sielski, Melbourne Beach

Governor not responding to real need

On Jan. 14, Gov. DeSantis stated that stopping Big Tech censorship of conservatives is "probably the most important legislative issue that we're going to have to get right this year."

DeSantis failed to mention that those being censored are the same persons that use social media platforms to advocate violence against elected officials, Jews, Blacks, and law enforcement. Not to mention their encouragement of violent insurrection against our nation's government.

Florida's unemployment system is overwhelmed and cannot respond to the need, as thousands more Floridians lose jobs each week. Tens of thousands face eviction or utility shutoff. Our vaccine distribution strategy is woefully inadequate. Florida faces a significant budget shortfall this year (and likely for several years to come). With all these (and more) issues screaming for immediate and concerted attention, our governor's focus is on restoring the ability of anti-government anarchists to spew hatred and insurrection as they seek support for their efforts to overthrow our government.

Florida would be better served if the governor, rather than pandering to a small sliver of his base, would consider addressing the needs of the millions of Floridians whose lives have been thrown into chaos during the past year.

R. T. Platt, Melbourne

Tough to get shot spot, but worth it

Congratulations to the Brevard County Health Department.

Beyond a doubt, it is difficult and often frustrating to get an appointment for the COVID vaccination. This is simply the result of supply and demand: the supply is limited and the demand is enormous. I was fortunate to secure an appointment for last Friday afternoon. The Health Department's organization and execution of this event could not have been better. I arrived at 1:40 p.m., quickly moved through the line of cars, received the vaccination, and then waited 15 minutes to be sure I wasn't having a negative reaction. They provided me with a return appointment for the second shot, and I drove home at 2:15 p.m. Everyone was friendly, helpful and professional.

Thomas Schirer, Indialantic

Vaccine rollout is 'a travesty'

Why has our leadership in this state not stepped up to ensure that everyone who is eligible to receive a COVID vaccine gets one? 

Residents of The Villages, with our governor glad-handing them, were part of the very first to receive this, even before frontline workers. This is a travesty but apparently standard operating procedure from our leadership. Every time one of us tries to get on any of the websites to make appointments, they are either down or booked.

Let's face it, not all seniors are tech-savvy and cannot even begin the process. The state/county has the resources to identify any and all residents over 65 and should be reaching out to us, not making us go through hoops for this. Another failure in leadership to protect residents.

Jean J. Theroux, Melbourne

Vote count came down to this

Many people have expressed doubt about the election just passed because early returns from a number of cities showed Mr. Trump in the lead, only to shift later to Mr. Biden.

There is a simple explanation.

Voters supporting Mr. Trump were encouraged by his campaign to vote in person. Mr. Biden's campaign, concerned about possible exposure to COVID, strongly encouraged every voter to vote by mail, and a large percentage did so. Votes at the polls are tabulated electronically as soon as they are cast, either by scanning paper ballots or on touchscreen devices, and so totals are available almost as soon as the polls close. These votes tended to favor Mr. Trump, as his supporters were not encouraged to vote by mail, so he led in early polls. Mail-in ballots in many states are not counted until election day, and must be opened and counted by hand. In many states ballots postmarked by election day are counted if received within a limited number of days later. Consequently votes tabulated later (and precincts reported later) tended to favor Mr. Biden.

That's all it was. In states in which all voting is by mail, no such shift in results was seen.

Daniel Woodard, Merritt Island

Time to change the conversation?

The election fraud and impeachment frenzies bring two longstanding truths to mind. When the ship has sunk, quit bailing. And don’t beat a dead horse. 

Dave Riemondy, Indialantic