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Economy

Division threatens fragile democracy

Not long ago, a nightly routine for the Republican president and the Democratic speaker of the House was to meet at the White House, share a drink and discuss how to bridge any gaps in their search to serve our country. Where has that spirit of constructive political leadership gone? Now, a Republican senator has

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Health Care

DeSantis risks lives with bad COVID advice

What possible explanation can Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo have for suggesting that Floridians under 65 should not receive the latest COVID-19 booster? COVID-19 boosters have proven to save lives. According to NPR, researchers from Yale University who studied the pandemic’s effects on Florida and Ohio say that from the start, in

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Analysis

Uncertain and afraid: Florida’s immigrants grapple under new law

By GISELA SALOMON, Associated Press, Sept 18, 2023. MIAMI — For many in Florida’s vast immigrant community, daily life in recent months has become one governed entirely by fear. Some try to drive as little as possible and make fewer trips to the supermarket. Others no longer take their children to the park and worry about

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Housing

Some seniors are hit hard by our housing crisis

The following editorial was published in The Daily Sun on Sept 18, 2023. OUR POSITION: Retirees who aren’t fortunate to have comfortable retirement income and who live on fixed incomes are as much in need of affordable housing as those in our state’s workforce. Florida is a top landing spot for retirees. More than one out

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Opinion

Why do Republicans demonize teachers?

The following Letter to the Editor was published in The Daily Sun on Sept 1, 2023. As I watched the Republican Presidential Primary Debate last week, I was appalled that teachers and teachers’ unions were demonized. Teachers were charged with indoctrinating students, going against the concerns of parents, and ignoring the need for student achievement.

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Biden's Vision

We must keep marching toward Dr. King’s dream

By Joe Biden, president of the United States, published in The Washington Post, August 27, 2023. Sixty years ago, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and hundreds of thousands of fellow Americans marched on Washington for jobs and freedom. In describing his dream for us all, Dr. King spoke of redeeming the “promissory note to which every

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Insurance

Insurance woes just getting worse

The following editorial was published in The Daily Sun on August 26, 2023. OUR POSITION: Homeowners are getting squeezed by higher insurance bills with no end or relief in sight. Hurricane Ian’s category 4 winds and hours-long deluge of rain did even more damage than the eye could see. The storm was, by most accounts, the

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Environment

DeSantis is lying to our kids

The following Letter to the Editor was published in The Daily Sun on Aug 21, 2023. As the citizens of Hawaii tragically die in unprecedented wildfires and we on the mainland face record-breaking heat with ocean temperatures above 100 F, the DeSantis administration is now peddling climate lies to our kids. The conservative Prager University

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Analysis

Using Frederick Douglass to rationalize slavery? In Florida, Yes!

By Charles M. Blow, Opinion Columnist, New York Times, Aug. 16, 2023. Gov. Ron DeSantis’s presidential campaign may be floundering as he struggles to win over Republican voters with his deadpan robotic demeanor, and he may be shuffling campaign staff like he’s taking a mulligan, but the damage he did to Florida to get himself to

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Picture of homes underwater in Florida
Environment

DeSantis oblivious to climate change issue

The following letter to the editor was published in The Daily Sun on July 27, 2023. As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis focuses on his struggling presidential campaign, he ignores real issues faced by Floridians due to climate change. The governor may not be persuaded by climate science, but actions by insurance companies may get his

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Analysis

The Florida Board of Education’s new standards for African American history

By HEATHER COX RICHARDSON, Letters from an American, July 22, 2023. The Florida Board of Education approved new state social studies standards on Wednesday (Jul 20, 2023),  including standards for African American history, civics and government, American history, and economics. Critics immediately called out the middle school instruction in African American history that includes “how

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Florida Legislation

DeSantis, Republicans helped insurance firms

The following Letter to the Editor was published in The Daily Sun on July 23, 2023. Recent data from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation showed 521,819 Ian residential property claims have been opened with 23,818 still open without payment, 152,877 closed without payment, and who knows if adequate payments were made on the 287,021

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Opinion

Rocky Hanna: With 460,000 school library books, parents will determine kids’ access

Recently there have been new laws and regulations placed on schools by the governor and the Florida Legislature focused on determining whether books and educational material are deemed obscene or age appropriate. In the past, media specialists and librarians could use something called The Miller Test to determine whether a book was appropriate for school aged children.

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Florida Legislation

Republican assaults on LGBTQ+ Americans are failing in court

By Jennifer Rubin, The Washington Post, June 29, 2023. As we draw to the close of Pride Month, attacks against the LGBTQ+ community from right-wing pols and their followers should shock the conscience. The Anti-Defamation League published a report finding that “between June 2022 and April 2023, ADL and GLAAD documented at least 356 anti-LGBTQ+ extremist

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Biden's Vision

FDP Chair Nikki Fried celebrates Biden’s billion dollar Internet investment in Florida

Tallahassee, FL — After the Biden-Harris administration announced major investments to expand access to affordable, high-speed internet in all 50 states, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried issued the following statement: “Access to high-speed internet, especially in our rural communities, has long served as a dividing line in our state,” said Chair Fried. “With this historic $1.17 billion

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Immigration

Campaigning in Texas, DeSantis reveals unsparing 2024 immigration platform

By JACKIE LLANOS , Florida Phoenix, June 26, 2023.  Gov. Ron DeSantis announces at a June 26 campaign event in Eagle Pass, Texas, his plan to tackle undocummented immigration if he wins the 2024 presidential election. Photo credit: Rumble Just days before Florida’s newest and most restrictive immigration law takes effect, Gov. Ron DeSantis pledged to allow

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