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Monday's letters: Putnam's strong record on the environment

 
Published Feb. 17, 2017

Putnam's silence on algae danger | Feb. 8, commentary

Putnam's record on environment

I read with disappointment the recent attack on Adam Putnam's environmental record. Over the course of my career, I have had the opportunity to work with many environmental leaders from across the United States, and few have Putnam's proven record of environmental leadership.

Putnam's record making a positive impact on Florida's environment is shown in actions, not words. As a congressman and member of the Everglades Caucus, he helped secure funding for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan; after advocating for it in 2010, Putnam was integral in the 2016 establishment of the state's first comprehensive water policy in decades. He also played a key role in the conservation of critical lands through the establishment of two new state forests, and the preservation of nearly 30,000 acres of land through the Rural and Family Lands Protection program. No other Florida leader has ever made water issues central to his or her campaign, repeatedly saying that "the biggest long-term challenge facing our state is water."

Don't be moved by the political distortion of Putnam's history. Many environmental organizations — including the Everglades Foundation, Audubon Florida and Nature Conservancy — have praised his efforts. Putnam's environmental record speaks for itself: Floridians have benefited from his leadership on the environment, and we are lucky to have him working on these complex issues.

Melissa Meeker, Alexandria, Va.

The writer is CEO of the Water Environment & Reuse Foundation, former executive director of the South Florida Water Management District and former deputy secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Consumer agency

Protections under attack

Sticking with the Republican maxim that anything that is good for consumers is bad for business and thus bad for the billionaires who rule the United States, U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, plans to introduce a bill that would eliminate the Consumer Complaint Database.

That database is a service provided by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Hensarling plans to strip of its authority to discipline banks and other lenders that abuse consumers. Hensarling's bill would also allow the president to hire and fire the bureau's director at any time, for any reason. Any guesses as to which industry insider billionaire would be named director?

While the loss of the Consumer Protection Database, which fields 25,000 complaints monthly, would be tragic in itself, it is but collateral damage. The real target here, which Republicans have not been shy to admit, is the CFPB itself. That bureau was created to protect consumers — and the entire economy — from the predations of the financial services industry that caused the Great Recession.

If you enjoyed the Great Recession, then Hensarling is your man, and his bill is your cause.

David Kirby, Tampa

'Trust' rift doomed Flynn | Feb. 15

Blaming the messenger

President Donald Trump blamed the intelligence community for its leaks, and the media for its reporting, as the reason for Michael Flynn's resignation. He did not blame Flynn's resignation on the fact that Flynn misled the American public (and Vice President Mike Pence), and he did not blame Flynn's resignation on the fact Flynn discussed with the Russian ambassador the easing of U.S. sanctions against Russia before Trump was even inaugurated.

Complaining about leaks and their reporting is ironic given how Trump enthusiastically encouraged and utilized leaks (now attributed to the Russians) and reporting of the Democratic Party's emails during the campaign.

Mark A. Brown, Brandon

U.S. workers 'disengaged' | Feb. 16

Lessons from the past

Robert Trigaux's article about disengaged workers was a disheartening read for a 94-year-old who lived through the Depression. Then, any job that was available was a good job. Our ambitions may not have been as lofty, but we worked at whatever was available. Every young boy I knew had a newspaper route, or delivered groceries, or washed cars, or acted as a helper for some local tradesman. No job was too small or demeaning. Blame it on the rise of technologies, as reported, but I cannot discount the fact that we live in an atmosphere of entitlements and overprotected households which, in my opinion, contributes largely to the so-called "disengaged."

Not too long ago, large manufacturing companies would establish a plant in a neighborhood and hire almost the entire community. Workers were satisfied with this paternal establishment, which not only paid them but seemed to have a genuine care for them and the community. Some provided day care centers and insurance programs to the point where a generation of satisfied young workers followed their parents into the protective fold. There was pride in their product.

The outsourcing of jobs and the abandonment of long-term manufacturing sites in America is a factor in allowing these companies to relinquish their responsibilities and promises to their employees. Millennials, Trigaux states, want jobs that are meaningful, and if not, they are off to the next experiment. Yes, we are in the midst of changes in the workforce, but I think some are just not hungry enough.

Orfeo Trombetta, Seminole

Trump punches back | Feb. 17

Ego caught in the headlights

Watching President Donald Trump's news conference was a lesson in the art of deflecting the most serious questions facing his young presidency.

The transcript reveals an "ego caught in the headlights" attempting to impress us with what an incredible election win it was so that we would change our criticism to unquestioning admiration and stop asking difficult questions.

Cal Branche, Hudson