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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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News

FL Dems speak out again against DeSantis’ suspension of Orange County prosecutor Monique Worrell

By MITCH PERRY , The Florida Phoenix, Sept 5, 2023. A month after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, Florida Democratic state lawmakers held press conferences in Orlando, Miami, and Tampa on Tuesday calling that decision an attack on direct democracy. DeSantis suspension of Worrell last month for allegedly “neglecting her duty

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Opinion

Cooper Street Rec Center needs love

The following editorial was published in The Daily Sun on Sept 5, 2023. OUR POSITION: A recent back-and-forth at a Punta Gorda City Council meeting made it clear to us that council members might benefit from spending more time at the center. We were surprised when, at a recent Punta Gorda City Council meeting, some members

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Labor issues

Labor Day: Unions and groups are galvanized by attacks, politics and extreme policies forced down upon us

By ROXEY NELSON, Florida Phoenix, Sept 4, 2023. All elections have consequences, but some trigger an even more powerful backlash. That’s what is happening in Florida today in response to the state legislature and governor’s office bulldozing their way over so many basic rights while ignoring the essential needs of everyday Floridians. These hyper-partisan Tallahassee

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Opinion

DeSantis should have expected the boos

The following Letter to the Editor was published in The Daily Sun on Sept 2, 2023. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was booed recently while attending a vigil for the three Black people gunned down by a white man at a Jacksonville store. The governor’s presence at this solemn gathering was clearly aimed at promoting his presidential

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Opinion

Young voters should see Democrat’s values

The following Letter to the Editor was published in The Daily Sun on Sept 2, 2023. I write these letters because as a lifelong Democrat I’m trying to do my part to encourage folks to get engaged and to care enough about our country’s political discourse, so they don’t waste their vote. Voting is the

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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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Campaigning

Ron DeSantis is afraid of questions from a 15 year-old

By Jake Lahut, The Daily Beast, September 1, 2023. Quinn Mitchell has seen at least 35 presidential candidates in person since 2019, when he first started showing up at New Hampshire primary events to ask them questions. Not a single one of them had ever treated the now-15-year-old as if he were a threat—until Ron DeSantis came

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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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Opinion

Steube’s loyalties are in the wrong place

The following Letter to the Editor was published in The Daily Sun on August 25, 2023. Donald Trump is a national embarrassment. His continued prominence in our politics despite multiple criminal indictments — not to mention his culpability for fraud, rape, and more — brings shame on us all, and poses a grave threat to

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Analysis

DeSantis gets mixed reviews from 1st GOP presidential debate

By MITCH PERRY, The Florida Phoenix,  Aug 24, 2023  MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – AUGUST 23: Republican presidential candidates (L-R), former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy participate in the first debate of the GOP primary season hosted by FOX News at the Fiserv Forum on August 23, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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Candidate Profile

Debbie Mucarsel-Powell launches challenge to Rick Scott

By Jim Turner,  News Service of Florida, Aug 22, 2023 TALLAHASSEE — Former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, an immigrant born in Ecuador who served one term in Congress, entered the race Tuesday to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott in 2024. The announcement made Mucarsel-Powell the top name in a Democratic field that includes former U.S.

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Republicans

Skip the RNC debate this Wednesday

While the Republican Party is caught up fighting each other, President Joe Biden and Florida Democrats are fighting to make our lives better. The more people get to know Ron, the less they like him. If his performance in past debates is any indication, it’s going to be a disaster. Ron wants to “Make America

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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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