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Letters to the Editor: Voters care mainly about the economy

 
Published Sept. 19, 2014

Benghazi inquiry could go to 2016 | Sept. 18

Voters care only about economy

When voters pull the lever for president in 2016, the last thing on their minds will be Benghazi. If Republicans want to recapture the White House and defeat the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, they would be wise to focus on the economy.

The current administration's questionable foreign policy, including actions taken by Clinton at the State Department, are not key drivers for the electorate.

Americans historically vote their pocketbooks. The year 2016 will be no different, notwithstanding recent events surrounding the emergence of the Sunni jihadists known as ISIS and support by most Americans to take military action against them. President George H.W. Bush's approval rating soared to 90 percent with foreign policy successes in Panama, the Persian Gulf, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and breakup of the Soviet Union. But the reversal on his famous "Read my lips, no new taxes" campaign promise resonated with voters, rendering him a one-term president.

With an anemic economic recovery, the unpopular Affordable Care Act, lackluster job growth, and an unemployment rate above 6 percent, opportunity knocks for the Republicans if, and only if, they take a page from the Democrats' playbook: "It's the economy, stupid."

Jim Paladino, Tampa

A promise to troops, and terrorists | Sept. 18

Ill-fated 'solutions'

President Obama has now prepared the nation for an open-ended struggle against a growing horde of crafty "barbarians" known as the Islamic State, and is busily rounding up support from other nations to help the U.S. military defeat and destroy them. Let us assume for the moment that he will succeed and that ISIS will eventually be eliminated. But should we not also ponder what such an unquantifiable expenditure of blood and treasure will have achieved?

In Iraq a Shiite majority, ever more heavily influenced and abetted by neighboring Iran, will undoubtedly strive to maintain pre-eminence in any "unity" government. The Sunni minority in the west of the country (now loosely allied with ISIS) will continue to chafe at such a state of affairs while harboring fond memories of their dominance during the long dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. In the north, the Kurds will never abandon their dream of an independent Kurdistan, which was promised to them by the victorious allies at the end of World War I, an ambition effectively quashed by Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq, all of whose territories contain Kurdish minorities.

In Syria Bashar al Assad's minority Alawite government, supported by Russia, Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah, will continue its offensive against a plethora of rebellious groups who spend as much time quarreling and even fighting amongst themselves as they do in attempting to topple the Assad dictatorship.

Clearly then, the defeat of ISIS can hardly be seen as an end in itself, much less as a solution to the upheaval following America's misbegotten invasion of Iraq or the general unrest in the region resulting from the "Arab Spring." What those solutions might entail has seemingly yet to be visualized, much less explained by President Obama or other Western leaders. As the saying goes, "Welcome to the Middle East!"

Fred Kalhammer, Sun City Center

Gov. Scott names pair to PSC | Sept. 19

Qualifications not needed

Not that long ago, I submitted my one original and 14 bound copies of my 49-page application for consideration as a public service commissioner.

However, I just read that Rick Scott just picked his two commissioners: one is a lawyer with no utility experience who was already serving so she is getting an additional term, and the other is someone also with no utility experience. I find it ironic that two former commissioners appointed by Charlie Christ were ousted a few years back for not having utility experience but now the other new commissioner also has no utility experience.

I was told that the other six candidates selected to be reviewed by the governor, were "more qualified." I wonder. I have a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida, am a state licensed professional engineer, have worked for both a publicly held utility (Florida Power & Light) and a municipally owned utility (Lakeland Electric), plus have extensive experience in engineering, renewable energy, and 16-plus years experience in sales, which qualifies me to be able to communicate with a wide variety of people and diffuse difficult situations.

Perhaps the lack of utility experience may allow the commissioners to make better choices with regards to the interests of the ratepayers and citizens of Florida. Time will tell. I, for one, will be watching carefully.

John L. Alger, Jacksonville

First a loss, then shock | Sept. 17

Prorate the benefit

It's time the rules were changed. The logical formula (forgot, we're dealing with a government agency) to pay back a Social Security benefit due to death would be to prorate it. After all, the person has been alive for a portion of the month. How difficult would that be? Where's the common sense?

Barbara Johnson, Spring Hill

Moffitt Cancer Center

Inexcusable wait times

It happened again. I sat with my friend at Moffitt Cancer Center as he waited for his chemo infusion that was now three hours late in starting. This delay is not an exception; in fact, lengthy wait times for treatment at Moffitt seems to be the norm.

When my friend was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he counted his blessings that Moffitt moved him swiftly into their care system. That and one 7 a.m. appointment were the last times the word swiftly could be used. He has sat in waiting rooms and small patient rooms for as long as two or more hours. Personnel move around and past him, rarely acknowledging his anxious wait.

My friend holds each moment of his life as precious these days. For those fighting the physical and emotional battle that is cancer, it is unconscionable that this excruciatingly slow ticking of time occurs in Moffitt's many waiting rooms. Clearly Moffitt has a strong mission and presence in the Tampa Bay area. But my esteem for Moffitt has slowly degraded as I sit, watch, and wait with my friend. Moffitt's compassion for its patients must include the precious gift of timely treatment.

Julie Miller, Tampa