One party's failed state | July 5, Perspective
What the Democrats stand for
I've read several pieces related to the Florida Democratic Party's recent task force report that alleges that Democrats have failed to communicate a core message. I have always believed there are three basic virtues of the Democratic Party: freedom, justice and protecting the American dream.
Democrats have a long history of fighting for personal freedom for Americans to live their lives as they choose as long as they're not hurting others. We have defended the right to privacy to protect citizens from excessive government intrusion. We have pushed for greater access to voting and to stop unlawful gerrymandering. We have advocated modernizing our drug laws to promote treatment rather than jail time and decriminalization where appropriate.
Democrats have also stood up for justice to assure that all are equal under the law regardless of the color of one's skin, origin, sex, religion or sexual preference. We have fought to assure that the largest corporation or wealthiest among us have no greater protection under the law than any other individual citizen. And we have been champions of victims' rights, restoration of felons' rights and a robust judicial system to safeguard these rights.
Finally, Democrats have fought to protect the American dream. We believe that each American should have the opportunity to make a decent living, to afford a home, to start a family and to prosper if one is willing to work for it. This means we must foster sustainable, long-term economic growth by having reasonable regulation of industry and fair taxes for all. It means passing laws that keep jobs in America and stop those who seek to ship them overseas. It also means protecting access to affordable, high-quality education and health care, maintaining and modernizing our aging national infrastructure, resolving our broken immigration system and protecting our environment for future generations.
State Sen. Darren Soto, District 14, Orlando
Obamacare rates on the rise | July 5
Push for insurance profits
How ironic that this headline appears on page one the same day that PolitiFact reports, "Health law's impact on paychecks positive." Which is it? It looks like insurance companies aren't satisfied with their record profits and sky-high stock prices, and want increases of 13 to 21 percent. Is this due to Obamacare or to the unfortunate reality of profit-based health care?
Moe Loogham, Lutz
22-year-old launches firework off his head July 6
Call a halt to the explosions
Every year we hear of fires and personal injuries due to fireworks being used by consumers. Why does Florida turn a blind eye to this practice? In New Jersey and other states, fireworks cannot be purchased by ordinary citizens. They are available only at public venues supervised by the appropriate fire department professionals. There are plenty of public displays for all to enjoy. Let's stop this backyard shooting of fireworks and guns to celebrate our holidays.
Gayle Salamone, Trinity
Doing business in Tampa
Ten years of growth, jobs
Ten years ago, the Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. opened a business center in Tampa to provide redundancy to its New York-based headquarters. We couldn't have picked a better city to do so, and I hope more businesses continue to relocate and grow here.
Beyond its friendly and welcoming community, Tampa has been a prime location for DTCC to grow its business because of its diverse talent pool, high quality of life and growing economy.
Tampa has contributed greatly as DTCC has expanded its role in protecting the safety and stability of global financial markets. From the strong support of local leaders to talent funnels like the University of South Florida, the University of Tampa and MacDill Air Force Base, this city has helped facilitate our growth, enabling us to create more than 800 local jobs.
Our facility now employs about 20 percent of the company's total global population with employees representing virtually all of DTCC's business and support functions.
Because we proudly call Tampa home, our employees volunteer their time and make personal contributions to a long list of Tampa area organizations, cumulatively volunteering well over 1,000 hours of community service a year.
To our business community partners and our elected leaders who have helped us flourish and succeed, we say: Thank you.
Marie Chinnici-Everitt, Tampa
Veterans' care still being delayed July 1, letter
Information on care
TriWest would like to thank the letter writer for his submission regarding veterans' care in the Tampa Bay area, and for his service to our nation.
TriWest is partner to the Department of Veterans Affairs in administering the Patient-Centered Community Care program and the Veterans Choice Program in all or portions of 28 states. In Florida, TriWest administers the program for only the Panhandle area. As of April 2013, TriWest no longer administers the TRICARE program for the Department of Defense.
Under the Veterans Choice Program, if a veteran is placed on the 30-day wait list by a local VA medical center, or resides more than 40 miles from the closest VA medical facility, the veteran may be eligible to receive care from a community provider.
Veterans should call toll-free 1-866-606-8198 to verify their eligibility for the Veterans Choice Program. If the veteran is eligible and resides in our geographic area of responsibility, TriWest assists the veteran with making an appointment.
For more information about the Veterans Choice program, please visit www.va.gov/opa/choiceact.
David J. McIntryre Jr., president, TriWest Healthcare Alliance, Phoenix