Jan. 6 hearings show it’s time to scrap the Electoral College

Electoral College vs. popular vote

Jan. 6 hearings: What we’ve learned, and what’s next | June 15

The nation has been riveted by the Jan. 6 hearings. As we relive the events of that terrible day, it becomes clear how close we came to losing our democracy. It also makes apparent that the Electoral College has outlived its usefulness. Use of the popular vote would prevent closed door machinations about electoral votes. It’s time to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. This agreement among states ensures that the winner of the popular vote receives the states electoral votes. States supporting the compact have 195 electoral votes, Florida could push that to 224. Floridians have the power to take a huge step to help our nation prevent a recurrence of 1/6. Call your senators and tell them what you think.

Tracy Fugleberg, Tampa

Trumpism sham

Trump backers: You have been bamboozled | June 16

I salute columnist Leonard Pitts — truer words have never been spoken. Thank you for using your pulpit to shine a light directly on the Trumpism sham and shakedown. As another writer said recently, Donald Trump may not be stupid, but he absolutely thinks his followers are. If only there was a surefire way to break the MAGA-trance with letters like this one, and have those supporters re-invest their passion into actually making America even better. A quarter of a billion dollars — that’s a lot of lies.

Kelly Mione, Seminole

Whose freedom? Whose rights?

Fla. didn’t preorder shots | June 16

If Florida is the freedom state, and parental rights are foremost on the executive and legislative agendas, why is Florida the only state not giving parents the freedom and right to obtain a federally-provided COVID vaccine for their children from their pediatrician or local clinic? This is yet another example of our freedoms and rights being chosen, or denied, for us, based on what our state government decides is best for us. The hypocrisy enrages me and is just the latest impetus for getting involved in campaigns for the fall elections.

Laurie Toohey, Clearwater

Never any punishment

Leading lobbyist for NRA to retire | June 17

Once again, a Republican violated the law by failing to disclose corporate sponsorship of elected officials and …. nothing.

A spokesperson for a foreign country, a former Soviet country no less, forgets to register that fact with their boss , the governor, and … nothing.

Meanwhile hundreds or thousands of people in Florida cannot vote these bums out because of things like failure to pay court fines the court can’t even find a record of.

Talk about apartheid and white privilege.

Pat Ward, St. Petersburg

Guardians ad Litem

Give foster kids their own attorneys? Florida Guardian ad Litem opposes it. | June 15

One of the things I like best about reading the daily letters column is learning about issues that I’ve missed earlier. If a federal grant for a pilot program to test whether lawyers would help Guardians ad Litem assist more children at risk was turned down, my question is why?