Legible license plates

When should cops chase? | May 11

Cops shouldn’t do high-speed chases, but they do need to be able to see the license plate. Florida plates are full of extraneous icons, words and pictures. If their primary purpose is for making money, then they are fine, but if their purpose is for identification, they are severely inadequate. Europe has long had license plates that only show numbers and letters. They are for I.D. The states need to follow suit.

Al DiSalvio, Sun City Center

On dog doo, be a Do Bee

The scoop on putting dog poo in neighbor’s trash | May 11

I love the way writer Christopher Spata mixed dog poo with philosophy. He described people’s irritation at finding dog poo in their garbage cans and gave dog owners’ reasons for putting the poo there. In search of a new behavior that might make everyone happier, he looked to the law (ineffective), and then to philosophers. Spata sought moral and ethical guidance from living and dead philosophers: Seek virtue, respect the dignity of your fellow persons, wrap poo tightly. How about this simple rule: “Just be nice.”

Anne L. Hall, St. Petersburg

Victims of capitalism

New law requires school lessons on victims of communism | May 10

I see where Gov. Ron DeSantis is designating Nov. 7 as a day when Florida students should learn about the “victims of communism.” How about a course on “victims of capitalism”? Students can learn about worker exploitation, low wages, rent gouging, foreclosures, evictions, for-profit health care systems leading to overpriced or unaffordable health care, lack of support for families. All of these are byproducts of our wonderful capitalistic system.

Andrew Foertsch, St. Petersburg

Vietnam’s lessons

New law requires school lessons on victims of communism | May 10

Speaking of “victims of communism,” I hope the governor will require that Florida students learn about the Vietnam War and how 58,000 U.S. military personnel died because our leaders believed we had a moral imperative to “stop the spread of godless communism.” He won’t have any personal memory of this because he is too young. Of course, any textbook covering that topic may well be banned as embarrassing to our citizens.

Tony Leisner, Tarpon Springs