Trump’s positives
Re: the Sept. 18 op-ed, “My journey from Republican to independent.” I greatly respect the contributions of Michael B. Fernandez to our community. However, his support of Vice President Kamala Harris, who frequently appears like a robot who cannot answer simple questions without tossing her thoughts into a word salad, is not justified.
Ex-President Donald Trump can be obnoxious and hyperbolic, but his accomplishments during his term in office were substantial. In particular, the Abraham Accords.
Fernandez should make a list of what Harris has done. It will be difficult to do, as she has done nothing, not even receiving one vote during any primary to be her party’s nominee.
Robert E. Panoff,
Pinecrest
Save the arts
I have studied at Armour Dance Theatre (ADT) since I was three years old. I am now a high school senior studying dance at New World School of the Arts (NWSA). These institutions, possible through public funding for the arts, have afforded me personal development, skill growth, emotional expression and cultural connection at critical periods in my life.
At ADT and NWSA, arts are a means of transcending differences. People from all life experiences are united by a passion for their art form. The arts are a meaningful and impactful facet of our community, one that will suffer acutely without necessary funding.
As president of the NWSA Class of 2025, I urge Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to reallocate public funding to the arts.
Siena Devine Guzmán,
Coral Gables
Food scraps
Schools are the biggest source of institutional food waste in Miami-Dade County. Most school cafeteria waste could be composted, according to audits sponsored by the Miami-Dade PTA and conducted at MAST Academy, Biotech, Coral Gables Senior High and International Studies Prep Academy. A PTA-sponsored composting event diverted 6,000 pounds of food waste in four months.
A student sustainability ambassador reached 200 students monthly through raffle giveaways and taught students that reducing food waste is one of the top three ways to help the climate.
Reducing food waste would save 70 gigatons (GTs) of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. By comparison, recycling only saves five GTs.
Students have been composting and promoting food share carts and are ready to be part of the solution if a Florida statute, “Recovered Material,” were amended to include food scraps and compostable items.
Michele Drucker,
Miami
Oppressors unite
Re: the Sept. 18 Herald story, “Catholic Church pours big bucks into fight to defeat Florida abortion-rights amendment.” Religious institutions have contributed $850,000 to defeat Amendment 4. Not required to pay taxes, these institutions use money they solicit from members to invest in their power to control.
We are going backward. Church and state unite to oppress and control people, especially women. Let’s please go forward and realize we are intelligent enough to make our own choices. Everyone who values freedom must vote for Amendment 4.
Kathleen Leitner,
Miami Lakes
Maligning Haitians
The Republican slate of Donald Trump and JD Vance is using race-baiting and fear-stoking of Haitian migrants. How typical. As a Florida-born resident, I’ve seen the GOP’s trademark tactic of irrational fear-mongering before.
Eating pets? Really?
Give me a break.
As a longtime Democratic precinct committeeman, I have always been impressed at how proud and thrilled Haitian Americans are about their right to vote in our country. Daily, these respectful and humble people keep their heads down and do the hard work in low paying jobs, like cleaning offices and schools late into the night; as aides and orderlies in nursing homes and hospitals; as sanitation workers and as short order cooks, to name a few.
When I approach them about our elections, they are truly excited to be citizens with the chance to vote here.
Leslie Sheffield,
Fort Lauderdale
Rabbit hole
Re: the Sept. 18 letter, “Halt the negativity.” How nice of the Miami Herald to print excerpts from “Alice In Wonderland” in the Letters section, in which Donald Trump is praised as a true patriot and Democrats’ rhetoric is blamed for the attempts on his life.
From the time he said, “There were good people on both sides,” Trump has made racial and ethnic divisiveness his ticket to political success. He has never attempted to bring the nation together and neither has his running mate, JD Vance.
Perhaps disappointingly to certain MAGA members, the attempts on Trump’s life were not committed by immigrants. One common denominator in both attempts is the easy availability of assault weapons, but that issue is never discussed by any Republican.
Barack Obama ran on being president for all the people in this country; Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have done the same. Let’s put the blame for the unfortunate rise in political violence where it belongs — at Trump and Vance’s doorsteps.
Sylvan Seidenman,
Miami
Time for change
No matter whether one is Democrat, Republican, or Independent, we are all in the same boat: we can no longer trust our elected officials. They only care about increasing their power and financial wealth.
Our politicians are sucking our blood in every form of corruption, be it special interests or relentlessly taxing us to fuel their salaries. They allow big companies, special interests, foreign governments and rich individuals, such the Sackler family of Purdue pharmaceuticals, to ruin our families and country.
Charles Evertton,
Miami
Acid reflux
Re: the Sept. 18 letter, “Halt the negativity.’‘ I regularly view CNN, BBC, MSNBC and Newsday and never hear Vice President Kamala Harris, her running mate Tim Waltz, President Joe Biden, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttegieg, nor any Democratic congressperson spout blatant lies, deliver racist rhetoric or make misogynistic comments about women.
Often, however, these leaders comment about such ugly comments from ex-President Donald Trump, his running mate JD Vance, Trump’s former attorney Rudy Guiliani and many Republican congresspersons.
Harris, Walz and other Democrats have also commented on verifiable, factual statements Trump and Vance have made, such as Trump stating he will be a dictator on day one in a recorded interview with Fox News host Shawn Hannity. Vance even admitted on CNN recently that he makes up stories to direct the news cycle to the GOP side.
As for the news media, since Trump descended the escalator in Trump Tower in 2015, the press has given him a free pass on all of his ugly comments, always trying to soften his daily diatribes. Only in this election cycle is the news media self-correcting by factually reporting to his statements, as serious journalists are supposed to do.
If this change toward factual journalism is causing the letter’s author to think Trump is being picked on, think of the people Trump has harmed over the years with his ugly comments. He is reaping what he sowed.
Rich Szymanski,
West Kendall
Sheepish governor
Gov. Ron DeSantis has once again failed his constituents. Though Florida has the largest Haitian population in the nation, DeSantis is too cowardly to criticize Donald Trump’s demonizing of them. Many Republicans have rebuked Trump’s vile statements, but our governor trembles at the thought of criticizing him.
All Floridians should be ashamed and embarrassed of DeSantis, in solidarity with our Haitian neighbors.
Martin Kleinbart,
Aventura
Fanning flames
In this political season, an “undecided voter” is like someone who stands in front of a house on fire saying, “cool down now” instead of calling the fire department.
Natalie Altman,
Hollywood
Local News
