Letters to the Editor, Feb. 23
‘Favoritism in the vaccine distribution’
Does a man who wants to be respected act like a 5-year-old boy? Does he say if you don’t like me or criticize me, I am going to take my ball and go give it to someone else to play with? That’s what our governor did when he threatened to take away vaccines from the Florida areas that criticized him and give them to areas that don’t criticize him.
It is too bad he lowered himself to that. His behavior certainly doesn’t garner him respect or, I hope, votes in the future. Is his nose as long as Pinocchio’s yet? Some of those stories he has been telling about not showing favoritism in the vaccine distribution should be making it grow.
Now that I have said this, my name surely will evaporate from the vaccine waiting list.
Bob Berback, East Naples
Have your say on golf, green space
Greater Naples area residents have a chance to influence the revitalization of the Golden Gate Golf Course. Much to the credit of the Collier County commissioners, this neglected golf course is back in play.
Based on county-sponsored studies, it has been determined that approximately similar financial resources would be required to convert and maintain this property to either a “passive park” or some combination of golf course and passive park. Any combination would include a VA nursing home, workforce housing and a mix of office and commercial spaces.
In short, the options consist of a 110-acre redesigned golf course, a 91-acre combination golf course and passive park, and a 78 acre passive park.
Commissioners request your feedback at outreach meetings Monday, Feb. 22, at 5:30 p.m. and Monday, March 22, at 5:30 p.m. Attend in person — seating will be limited — or virtually to express your opinion. Review the three suggested options and sign up for virtual meeting attendance at www.colliergggcproject.com.
Gary Hodgson, Golden Gate
Voter ‘harassment’ bill in Legislature
Republicans are pushing Florida Senate Bill 90, which would force voters to request a vote-by-mail ballot each year (if they want one). Right now, vote-by- mail requests are valid for two general election cycles.
The bill is a solution in search of a problem. Our vote-by-mail system doesn’t need a fix. Even Republicans say it works well (Orlando Sentinel), and the conservative Heritage Foundation found zero fraud cases in Florida in 2020 (heritage.org/voterfraud).
I strongly oppose this bill. The bureaucratic burden would fall on the supervisors of elections. They’d have to spend precious time and taxpayers’ money to alert millions of voters that our standing requests for vote-by- mail ballots for 2022 were being tossed out, and then to process our annual requests.
The change would make it more cumbersome and time-consuming for citizens to vote. Not every Floridian has loads of free time (for tasks such as) requesting vote-by-mail ballots. Many are holding down two or even three jobs, taking care of children or elderly parents, etc.
This Republican initiative would not add “integrity.” It just would add inconvenience and discourage voting. Call it by its name: voter harassment.
Suzanne Cherney, East Naples
Release reserved shots?
As reported (last) week, vaccine injections (first shots) throughout Florida were canceled or rescheduled due to delayed delivery of the vaccine.
Florida has in excess of one million doses being held in a warehouse to ensure second doses can be given. It seems to me an easy decision to release temporarily some of these sequestered doses to continue the vaccinations rather than cancel a week's progress. This may be the highest-priority project that this state government has ever handled.
William Cannon, East Naples
Remember this month'
Sens. Scott and Rubio, remember February 2021 as the month you two sycophants chose to support and pander to an unstable demagogue rather than defend the American people and the future of our nation.
Remember this month because we will.
Ted Barto, East Naples
Fossil fuels: a wider view
The headline 'Study links fossil fuels, early deaths' was sensationalism run amok. Even accepting that 'fossil fuels could be blamed for 8.7 million premature deaths in 2018,' there is no hint of the billions whose lives have been made immeasurably better through fossil fuels. Without fossil fuels, there would be no planes, trains or automobiles. The Industrial Revolution would have been still-born. And what type of fuel put those GPS satellites in orbit?
Few advances are wholly good or bad.
Andrew Terhune, East Naples
More:Letters to the Editor, Feb. 19