CharlotteDems.com Editor’s Note: The following letter to the editor written by Charlotte DEC Government Issues Chair Teresa Jenkins was published in the Sun on Sunday, Oct. 28.
Editor:
The stakes are high.
Donald Trump’s yes-man, Ron DeSantis, said he couldn’t name a single issue on which he disagrees with Trump.
“Rick Scott of Florida is doing a fantastic job…” Trump tweeted in August, as algae bloom became a nightmare for business owners and residents, killing dolphins and sea turtles.
DeSantis, Scott, and Trump are a threat to public health. In 2012, Scott repealed Florida’s septic tank inspection law — over 2.6 million homes have septic tanks. Phosphorus and nitrogen from these tanks can contribute to algae blooms.
Following the Parkland school killings, Scott wanted more mental health funding. Florida’s per capita spending on mental health fell to 50th in the nation over the past seven years.
Congressman DeSantis voted “no” on “Protecting Seniors’ Access to Medicare Act.” Ronald Reagan called Medicare “socialized medicine” and Republicans have been trying to weaken it for decades.
Hiring a Republican to protect your health insurance from Democrats is like hiring a burglar to protect your house from the police department. DeSantis voted to repeal the health care law countless times; Trump proposed $350 billion in net Medicare cuts; Scott has left over 300,000 working poor without health insurance. Republicans of all stripes put business interests over environmental interests.
Republican names on the November ballot may be different by district, but they are, de facto, Trump. None of them will protect those with pre-existing conditions or the environment.
The stakes are too high to leave Republicans in charge — of anything.
Teresa Jenkins
Punta Gorda
