Teachers deserve kudos; GOP extremists get their way: Letters to the Editor, Oct. 29, 2023
Our teachers deserve kudos
Recently I had the opportunity to serve as a community volunteer on one of the Brevard Public Schools’ Social Studies Instructional Materials Review Teams created to review and recommend curricula for the school system. Our team was composed of middle and high school social studies teachers and community volunteers, and we were asked to review numerous economics, U.S. government and personal financial literacy curricula.
The teachers on our team were phenomenal. Several were already teaching extra courses due to staffing shortages while others were involved in student extracurricular functions, but all were excited to be a part of this project. I know I put in two to three hours a day on this project but I’m retired while they had papers and tests to grade at night.
I had thought I would find our teachers demoralized and burned out from all fallout of the "Don’t Say Gay" law, book bans and slaves learning valuable life skills as well as the fact that our Florida public teachers rank 46th in pay according to the National Education Association.
But instead I found our public school teachers extremely focused on the needs and successes of our students whether they move on to college, the military, jobs or trade school. We have so much to be proud of with them.
Robin Parsons, Rockledge
Parental rights and power grabs
Regarding an Oct. 22 letter about the "pocket Constitutions" given to the middle schools of Brevard County by the Moms for Liberty: This letter was a bit nasty, at times hateful.
The school did not contact me last year or this year to advise this would be given to my student.
The problem with this group and their supporters is they have taken it upon themselves to make decisions for the students of families that are not theirs to make. They have infiltrated some groups for more power over the schools so their philosophy is first and foremost.
I am wondering why giving this booklet is a "needed service" to our schools. It is being taught in my student's school. And the included QR code to make a donation to this group doesn't need to be given to a seventh- or eighth-grader, to be sure. I purchased my student a hard copy of our Constitution last summer. And lo and behold, contrary to the writer's words, I am a Dem, and I did it.
These kids are on the internet every day. The Constitution on there for sure. I am sure the school libraries have this in the library unless, of course, the Moms have banned that from the school library as well.
These people aren't checking with students' parents to make sure they are all right with any decision this group decides to make for our students. Not to mention the school board. Maybe the writer should get her knickers out of a knot.
Donna Carroll, Viera
It's not the Demos causing chaos
I take issue with one of your readers who claimed in a recent letter that Democrats “hate the Constitution." To accuse them of not wanting our students to have access to the Constitution is absurd. The issue with the document sent to the students is the veiled attempt to raise political funds for a nonprofit organization.
It is not the Democratic Party that is in chaos in the House of Representatives, shirking their oath to the Constitution they are sworn to uphold. It is not the Democratic Party members who tried to overthrow the Congress’s constitutional duty to certify the 2020 election. No Democrat is sitting in jail, found guilty of sedition. It is not the Democratic Party’s president who interfered in the constitutional duties of the Justice Department and continues to attempt to do so. It is not Democratic Party members who want to dismantle the workings of the Unted States government which has existed for almost 250 years. The Republican Party ignored the constitutional requirements of the Electoral College and continues to claim the 2020 election was “stolen." It is not Democrats who are sending death threats to their own members of Congress, their families and members of many judiciary proceedings.
I hope the Republican Party can get their act together soon. Otherwise, they are a threat to our fragile democracy and will continue to ignore their Constitutional obligations as defined by our forefathers nearly 250 years ago.
Brenda Callahan, Palm Bay
Why this traffic tie-up?
Before I left town a few months ago, when I needed to drive to Merritt Island from south Cocoa, I used to drive north on U.S. 1, get in the right turn lane, turn onto King Street and then proceed, merging into the left lane without interrupting the traffic going over the bridge. This traffic pattern also allowed me to turn right to Glenn Lane, Hughlett Avenue, Florida Avenue and other streets without interfering with the two lanes of traffic going over the bridge.
Currently, the traffic pattern has been changed. What was a traffic lane on King Street is now a sidewalk and/or landscaping. Now when I turn onto King Street (State Road 520) from U.S. 1, I am forced to merge into the lane of traffic going east. If eastbound traffic is heavy on State 520 (it normally is), cars turning right onto King Street from U.S. 1 are backed up. The turn lane on U.S. 1 cannot accommodate many cars, causing them to infringe on cars going north.
Considering the traffic on King Street, can anyone explain why eliminating a traffic lane is in the best interest of travelers? I hope the change was not for beautification purposes. Traffic in Brevard is expected to increase and we should be planning accordingly.
From the traffic cones now in the street, it appears a similar change is being made to the west traffic lane on King Street. I hope that is not the case.
Joseph Skowron, Rockledge
More: Five Brevard communities have uncontested municipal, special district elections this year
'We all have our own ideas'
I read the recent article in FLORIDA TODAY titled “5 Uncontested Races in Brevard this year."
Is this really a surprise? Why would anyone want to risk their livelihood or their life (or for that matter, their family) by holding a government office? Everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, one doesn’t have to look far to see the gridlock we all find ourselves in. Take your pick — Israel, Ukraine, COVID-19, masks, vaccines, house Speaker, gun control, global warming, pregnancy, etc. — all topics which seem to have become grounds for individuals or groups to satisfy the right to harm or destroy others.
Perhaps we all need to calm down and view different opinions as an opportunity to see another person’s view. There doesn’t need to be someone who's right or wrong. We all have our own ideas. Often, what we think is “normal” is what we grew up with or what we are accustomed to. I hope that we all will drop the "us vs. them" mentality and compromise.
Dave, thank you for keeping us up to date and informed.
John Buscemi, Melbourne
Viable third party needed
Even though the Democrats are destroying America, I will give them credit, as they are doing it with solidarity. Whereas, the Republican Party seems dysfunctional. There is one small group of Republican congressmen preventing any business from being undertaken in the House of Representatives.
This country needs a third party that will adhere to the will of the voters by bringing America back from the abyss that it is falling into. I for one would be elated to vote for a third party, if it would help bring solidarity back to America. Our two-party system is not working and we the people are the ones suffering.
Ted Hesser, Indian Harbour Beach
GOP extremists get their way
An election denier has risen to Speaker of the House of Representatives in Washington. Rep. Mike Johnson (R, Louisiana), a congressman who voted on Jan. 6, 2021, to throw out the votes of millions of Americans across a number of states. A man 100% committed to Trump’s presidential coup, and overthrowing the government he was elected to. Now, second in the line of succession for the presidency.
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz basically engineered the effort to promote a coup planner to the speakership. Gaetz took down Speaker Kevin McCarthy and led the effort to block votes for the No. 2 and No. 3 Republican leaders behind McCarthy, Steve Scalise and Tom Emmer.
The extreme element of the GOP finagled its way over the entire House on this one.
You can thank another extreme Republican, Ron DeSantis, for gerrymandering the 2022 voter map and providing the winning margin for Republicans with four additional House seats. You wouldn't know it based on his falling presidential poll numbers.
Johnson took his oath as Speaker to "support and defend the Constitution without reservation." He said “I do” without a second thought. After taking the oath, when asked about his well-documented election denialism, “MAGA Mike” as he is known, replied, “My position is very well-known.”
When Johnson was asked about his efforts to overturn the election at a press conference, House Republicans shouted down a reporter and told her to "shut up." The poisonous fruit doesn’t fall far from the MAGA tree.
Jeff Dorman, Satellite Beach
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: It's not the Demos causing chaos: Letters to the Editor, Oct. 29, 2023
