We can do two things at once

DeSantis sees Ukraine war as territorial dispute | March 14

During the Civil War, the U.S. Capitol dome was completed, the transcontinental railroad was in the works, the Homestead Act was passed, the North further industrialized. Immigration was encouraged, and the North achieved financial stability. Gov. Ron DeSantis offers a false choice between supporting Ukraine and dealing with issues at home. The amount of money in aid to Ukraine is a very small percentage of the defense budget. Vladimir Putin’s Russia is far from a third-rate power in that he poses a significant threat to Europe, because he has a nuclear arsenal and supplies gas to Europe.

George Magakis, Norristown, Pennsylvania

Against this. For that?

DeSantis hammers diversity programs | March 14

Gov. Ron DeSantis states he is against diversity, equity and inclusion. Then what is he for? If he opposes DEI, he must be for the opposite of DEI, right? The opposite of diversity is conformity. The opposite of equity is inequity (“lack of fairness or justice”). The opposite of inclusion is exclusion. Hence my conclusion: Based on his own words about what he is against, DeSantis’ policies are for conformity, lack of fairness and exclusion. And this is freedom?

George Meyers, St. Pete Beach

Don’t permit this

Permitless concealed carry makes sense for Florida | Column, March 14

As an infantry-trained Army guy (a long time ago), I can state that untrained people should not be carrying guns. If crime is the issue, it makes a lot more sense to understand why there is so much crime and violence rather than increasing the potential for it. Anger, poverty, inequity, mental illness, lack of opportunity, a broken health care system and racism trigger much civic unrest. Dealing with solutions to those issues would go much further than unrestricted gun-carry to address our society ills.

Marc Yacht, Hudson

Home-school skepticism

Bills to expand Florida’s school voucher programs are on a fast track | March 10

The notion that parents may receive $8,000 per child for “homeschooling” their children seems flawed. Who is going to monitor how the parents spend that money? Who is going to see that children are actually learning, or that their parents are well-enough educated to be “teachers?” For a governor so skeptical about parents who might ruin their children’s lives by taking them to a drag show, he seems incredibly gullible on this issue — with our money.

Stephen Phillips, St. Petersburg