Bad idea

Florida lawmaker files bill to rename Hernando road after Rush Limbaugh | Feb. 22

I’m a registered Republican in Hernando County. My home is a couple of miles from Cortez Road, the road that Republican state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia is trying to rename “Rush Limbaugh Road.” The Republican mayor of Brooksville, Blake Bell, is also in favor of this.

Sen. Ingoglia and Mayor Bell, your opinion of Limbaugh does not comport with the majority of Republicans. Most of us are decent people, and we’re tired of our leaders’ increasingly stupid sideshows.

Limbaugh was a hate-filled provocateur. He thrilled a small minority, a tiny part of our base, and he influenced many of them toward the shrill, ugly side of the Republican party. The main reason President Donald Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Limbaugh was to own the libs. Is this why you want to rename Cortez Road after him? Will this stunt be worth it?

Please, do better. Be kind, instead of belligerent. Be thoughtful, instead of arrogant. And please don’t give the other side any more excuses to call our party “racist.” Our Grand Old Party needs to grow, not shrink.

Kimberly Vallance, Spring Hill

A question for SCOTUS

Court weighs Google’s liability in terror case | Feb. 22

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked during the hearing about internet liability if it wouldn’t be better to keep things the way they are and “put the burden on Congress to change that.” Justice Elena Kagan admitted that “we really don’t know about these things.” They were talking about the internet and its effect on humanity. One would think the same quotes would have applied to the court’s decision on abortion, wouldn’t one?

David Lubin, Tampa

Fiscal responsibility

The US needs a dose of fiscal responsibility | Editorial, Feb. 22

It was heartening to see the Tampa Bay Times run an editorial on fiscal responsibility, but the mischaracterization of the Republican position was unnecessary. They simply want smaller deficits from lower spending rather than higher taxes, and they find destruction of U.S. credit no more permissible than do Democrats.

Rob Pariseau, Tampa

Pinellas pulls funding for Black St. Petersburg radio station affiliated with Uhurus | Feb. 14

I am currently a volunteer at the radio station in south St. Petersburg. It performs a critical role in the community and has equipment needs related to its license to operate, emergency alert system and to continue as a beacon of inspiration, hope and education. The commission denied the station $36,800 in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, the federal COVID-19 relief program. The county commission should do a better job of enumerating the “reasons they should not ever receive funding from this board.”

Chris Clement, Palm Harbor