Fall back and reflect

An unscheduled hour to think

On Nov. 5 we will set our clocks back an hour, gifting us a little piece of unscheduled life. This is your personal invitation to use that hour to help make America a better nation. Can you think about all the ways you can help create the best nation possible? Be calm and still, think about your role as a citizen, your duties and your responsibilities. The people we choose in the elections of 2024 will have a great effect on the quality of our life. Who shows the values you want your children to adopt? Breathe deeply and see a better nation for all of us. Choose wisely.

Doris McTague, Tallahassee

Make it harder

A “senseless loss of life” in Ybor shooting | Oct. 30

“A senseless loss of life...” is the headline on the Ybor shootings. Yet Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to eliminate the federal bump stock ban (”DeSantis rips bump stock ban,” Oct. 29). He wants to make it legal for someone to shoot faster. Why?

John Stansbury, Brooksville

Seeking competence

Voucher system struggles | Oct. 28

Why is it that so many things conceived by the governor and Florida Legislature hit with a thud? One may argue the merits of the expanded scholarship funding for students going to private schools, but if the idea is to make something happen for the benefit of Florida citizens, then it seems reasonable that the implementation be relatively smooth. Start-up glitches are to be expected, but this longer-term inability to administer a relatively simple program is unconscionable. Families are not getting the scholarship money promised, and the private agency administering the program, Step Up for Students, is identified as the culprit. Maybe so, but the primary responsibility belongs to the governor who should be acting as the state CEO, but he has other things on his mind. The real leadership test is governance and getting things done effectively and efficiently. That is not what we are seeing.

Jon Crawfurd, Gulfport

Don’t sugarcoat it

Less boo for your buck; candy inflation hits double digits | Oct. 29

I hope we all can hear and heed the news that the cost of chocolate and sugar both went up because of weather events — heavy rains and then drought are hurting cocoa production and monsoon rains did the same for sugar — and not because of anything to do with anyone named Biden.

Daisy Ottmann, Largo