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Seeing the results of gun violence as a doctor | Letters
Here’s what readers are saying in Sunday’s letters to the editor.
 
A sign outside the Jackson Heights YET Center gym late last month, where Tampa interim police Chief Ruben "Butch" Delgado held a community forum on gun violence.
A sign outside the Jackson Heights YET Center gym late last month, where Tampa interim police Chief Ruben "Butch" Delgado held a community forum on gun violence. [ LAUREN PEACE | Times ]
Published Jan. 9, 2022

End gun violence

Kids with guns fuel record shootings | Jan. 2

As an Adolescent & Young Adult Medicine physician at USF Health, I see firsthand the devastating effects of gun violence. Several weeks ago, I received an email with the subject “deceased patient,” only to learn that my 13-year-old patient was a victim of gun violence. Two weeks later, my schedule read, “follow-up GSW” — another child being seen after suffering a gunshot wound. The sad truth is that exposure to violence of this kind only begets more violence. It’s time for the Tampa Bay community to work together to end community gun violence. I recently attended the “Enchant Christmas” event at Tropicana Field, and I was deeply disappointed to see one of the booths selling decorative handguns. But this is where we stand; guns and violence will dominate the commercial space until we-the-people demand otherwise. And if some cannot be moved by the human costs, maybe they will be persuaded by the massive economic losses that result from community gun violence.

Dr. Cameron Nereim, Tampa

A cloudy forecast

Tampa Electric eyes further solar expansion | Jan. 5

Much has been written about the lack of home solar programs in Florida, but you seldom read about a significant challenge: power-generating capacity. It is great to have solar on our homes, but that does not lessen the requirement for power companies to have enough power generating capacity for all homes in their grid regardless if a home is mostly powered by solar panels. Unless a home is completely off the grid, the power company has to provide power to a solar home on non-sun days. A base rate regardless of a home’s solar generating capacity must be allowed to plan for and to have adequate power generating capacity. Home solar saving calculations do not include this as a factor but it should be included as a separate line item to educate people about this challenge.

Craig Lewis, Tampa

What’s in a phrase?

The problem with performative centrism | Column, Jan. 2

What in tarnation is “performative centrism”? I could never use such a highfalutin and essentially meaningless expression without blushing. Then the columnist refers to a “radicalized” Republican Party — talk about calling the kettle black. I suggest that the reason “powerful Democrats” go easy on the Republicans is their sincere wish to distance themselves from their own party out of sheer embarrassment. We’ll talk again at the midterms.

Eric Goodwin, Wesley Chapel