Yes, love America
Teach your children to love America | Column, May 28
Thank you to columnist Peggy Noonan. She may not have intended it, but she framed the perfect dichotomy for the upcoming presidential election. Yes, there is a minority on the far left and far right that denigrate the morality of America past and present. The vast majority of us, however, love and respect our great, but imperfect, country.
So yes, let’s teach our children to love America but by being honest about our greatness and our past and present mistakes and shortcomings. That is best done by the examples we set and the choices we make.
The most important election in American history is upon us. Teach your children the values that you love about America by voting for the candidate who engenders them. Do you love and respect the U.S. Constitution, the rule of law, the separation of powers, the judicial system and all of our foundational institutions, the fallen American soldiers who defended your democracy, the rights of all Americans and democracy versus authoritarianism? Who best engenders those values?
Class is in session. Teach your children well.
Rod Dalton, St Petersburg
‘Warts and all’
Teach your children to love America | Column, May 28
I disagree with columnist Peggy Noonan’s assertion that we live in an age in which children are instructed “that America is and always was a dark and scheming place. …” I don’t know anyone who teaches their children to hate America, but I have seen politicians try to paint anyone who sees both the good and bad parts of American history as someone who hates America.
Noonan advocates teaching children from the “Manual of Patriotism” that was published in 1900. Instead of teaching a sanitized version of history, we should teach actual American history, warts and all. Children should learn about the ideals of justice and equality that are written about so eloquently in our Declaration of Independence. They should also learn that our experiment in democracy was born with the original sin of slavery.
Children should learn that although slavery was abolished, the rights of Black Americans were eroded to a thin shell by Jim Crow laws and about the lynchings in the South, the great migration to the North and the limited housing and job prospects encountered due to racial discrimination.
I can think of no better way of making young people cynical and apathetic than purging our history of anything “that might make someone uncomfortable.” People should feel uncomfortable about some of our history. That doesn’t mean we hate America. Every country is imperfect. We are lucky to live in America where we can take action to make it better and try to approach the ideals expressed by the country’s founders.
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Explore all your optionsRobert Trehy, St. Petersburg
More flood control
2 takeaways from this week’s Spotlight Tampa Bay forum on climate change | March 24
Thanks to the Tampa Bay Times and sponsors for holding the recent Spotlight forum on climate change, especially how it is affecting Tampa Bay. It was good to hear directly from Mayors Jane Castor and Kenneth Welch as well as Nobel Prize winner Terry Root, marine scientist Gary Mitchum and Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council Resiliency Director Cara Woods Serra. The discussion was both concerning and hopeful. Hopeful especially with respect to what local cities have already done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including growing our tree canopy and promoting zero-emission construction. Concerning because of the work yet to be done.
Castor particularly noted that in Tampa long-term planning has been “slow-going” and that current policy does not go far enough to protect future development from sea-level rise. Welch spoke to the growing need to shift development away from coastal high-hazard areas.
Some important climate mitigation measures are underway such as the recently approved $760 million 20-year Stormwater Master Plan in St. Petersburg. Also, studies in St. Petersburg are now getting underway to address storm surge. Hopefully we will not experience another Idalia-like hurricane, or worse, until these urgently needed projects are in place. Much good work is being done to plan for recovery and rebuilding from a major storm. But prevention and mitigation are the best and least costly policies in the long run.
Will Michaels, St. Petersburg
A missed opportunity
2 takeaways from this week’s Spotlight Tampa Bay forum on climate change | March 24
The Tampa Bay Times’ recent Spotlight Tampa Bay Forum on climate change missed an opportunity to include things that have real climate benefits while improving the quality of peoples’ lives — active transportation, human-powered mobility such as walking and biking, and micromobility including the use of small electric vehicles like scooters and golf carts.
While transportation issues were prominently discussed, most of that involved talking about cars and mass transit. Nobel Prize winner Terry L. Root asked audience members to promise to buy electric cars. I wondered why she didn’t urge people to think about modal choices trip-by-trip, or perhaps advancing toward car-light living, reducing cars per household.
With many trips in our area being 3 miles or less, why not talk about the progress made toward connected and safe networks for walking, biking and shared micromobility? Or cite examples of services and amenities that inspire mode shift, for example: St. Petersburg’s Localtopia provides free bicycle valet services, which this year avoided more than 1,000 car-miles in a single day. The Tampa Bay Lightning also provides bike valet service for home games, and it’s often filled to maximum capacity. Car lovers may not envision using active transportation, but many of them might consider it if the routes are safe, pleasant and amenity-rich.
Providing opportunities for active transportation won’t solve all our climate challenges, but they will help. They are less expensive and quicker to deploy than mass transit and warranted inclusion within an expert panel’s discussion on climate change in Tampa Bay.
Christine Acosta, Tampa
America needs responsible voters
More voting, please | Letter, May 26
In the letter ”More voting, please,” the writer states, “My personal issue is not with noncitizens who might vote, but with citizens who are eligible voters and don’t bother to do so.” Noncitizens do not vote, so she is unquestionably correct not to fret. But the last thing I want is more low-interest voters showing up.
We don’t need voters who regard social media as reliable news sources. (TikTok and Instagram content doesn’t win Pulitzer Prizes for a reason.) We don’t need more voting by the 13% of voters who, polls report, believe President Joe Biden repealed Roe v. Wade, or the more than 50% who reportedly believe this is the worst job market in 50 years rather than the best; or who can’t comprehend that today’s average wages buy more than they did four years ago, even with inflation; or who make public health proclamations beginning with “I’m not a doctor, but...”; or the ones who back governors and legislators whose solution to global warming is purging references to climate change from state documents. That list is just the tiniest sample of vital issues most voters won’t have studied before casting ballots.
I see voting as a privilege. Privileges come with responsibilities. Our national tragedy is too many people using the privilege without any responsibility. We don’t need more voters, just better voters.
Jim Smith, St Petersburg
Garbage collection
Be cautious in raising Tampa’s garbage rates | Editorial, May 29
The opinion expressed in the recent editorial is spot on, especially regarding reducing garbage collection to once a week. If you look down our street on the second day of collection each week, you may see two cans placed out for collection out of 12 homes.
Todd Wickner, Tampa
The right question
Be cautious in raising Tampa’s garbage rates | Editorial, May 29
The editorial on Tampa’s garbage rates asked “could once-weekly service collect the same volume in a more efficient manner?” For this homeowner, the answer is definitely yes. My collection schedule for garbage is Tuesday and Friday, but I can’t remember the last time I put out my cart more than one day a week. Even then, I usually have two bags at the most. The city should at least try out once-weekly and see how it works before raising our rates.
Joseph Brown, Tampa
Not talking to me
Robert De Niro slams Trump at Biden campaign press conference outside N.Y. courthouse | May 28
Let me start by saying that Robert De Niro has made many great films. That said, I would no more take political advice from him (an actor) than I would take surgical advice from a fast-food worker. The Biden administration, which likes to claim the high road, showed its true colors Tuesday during the staged event across the street from where former President Donald Trump is on trial. The American people in November are going to send a clear message to the Democratic Party that we will no longer tolerate its left-wing agenda that has brought nothing but pain, suffering and embarrassment for the United States and all Americans.
Mark Khan, Wesley Chapel
