Another pandemic will come

Gov. DeSantis praises COVID-19 report | Feb. 12

A century ago, there was an outbreak of smallpox in St. Petersburg. Some residents were distrustful of doctors and refused to vaccinate their children. My grandfather, who held the position of city physician at the time, along with an army of nurses and the St. Petersburg Police Department, locked down at least one of the schools and forcibly vaccinated all of the children. My, how times have changed.

Smallpox is far deadlier than COVID-19 or any of the known coronaviruses capable of interpersonal transfer. But how many people know about the 35% mortality rate associated with the camel coronavirus MERS? This virus currently passes from camels to humans, only rarely from human to human, fortunately. It’s only a matter of time, however, before we face another, deadlier pandemic from yet another novel coronavirus or perhaps an influenza virus having undergone a major antigenic shift. Are the folks who took comfort in the lower COVID-19 death rate among young adults aware that the 1918 pandemic preferentially killed those with the strongest immune systems? It is nothing short of tragic that epidemiology has become so politicized. Eventually, we shall all suffer for it.

Alvin G. Wood, Haslett, Michigan

Age and decency

How Biden and his allies are pushing back against a special counsel’s claims about his memory | Feb. 11

At the time they would be elected for a four-year term as president, the life projections of Joe Biden and Donald Trump, according to recognized annuity tables, are 7.8 years compared to 9.43 years. That is a difference of 1.6 years. These charts project average ages. A real head-to-head comparison should also include weight, eating habits that could affect blood pressure, heart health, etc. Looking at the two men in this context, I think that Biden is clearly the preferred choice. Using age as a Republican strategy shows desperation and a need to invent issues that might divert voters from Trump’s abuses of office and lack of decency. Instead of age, since they are both senior citizens, I propose that we factor in decency. It is equally legitimate and certainly more important to resolving the issues that divide us. Internationally, among world leaders that lean toward democracy, there is little comparison. Using these factors, I believe that any voter, no matter party affiliation, should vote for Biden. That’s simple common sense.

Brian Valsavage, St. Petersburg

Proud to be ‘woke’

At Spotlight Tampa Bay forum on education, strong viewpoints and a standing ovation | Feb. 4

The Times recently sponsored a Spotlight Tampa Bay forum on education. A panel discussion on “Conflicts, challenges and culture wars in Florida classrooms” resulted in a robust exchange of viewpoints. There were excellent insights from the adult panelists and impressive perspectives from the exceptional student panelists — all clearly future leaders. There was an extensive discussion of diversity and the state legislation being passed to micromanage what can and cannot be taught in local schools. Both panels discussed recent Florida legislation restricting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts. DEI can be defined like this: Diversity = Different; Equity = Fairness; Inclusion = Being included in a group. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in a school setting means fairness to all in the effort to provide an equal opportunity for an excellent education to each of Florida’s children as the key to becoming a productive citizen.

Spend your days with Hayes

Subscribe to our free Stephinitely newsletter

Columnist Stephanie Hayes will share thoughts, feelings and funny business with you every Monday.

Loading...

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

Those who consider DEI efforts “woke” ideology are perhaps “asleep” to the reality that many children live in less fortunate circumstances and lack the essential equal opportunity. How did DEI become a “woke” term? Diversity of the population is a fact — no argument there. Equity is synonymous with fairness, a concept accepted by most as the right thing to do. And inclusion simply means not excluding someone because they are different. Here is apparently where the objection comes in, as many do not want to assure fairness to people who are different. Each of us must decide where we stand on inclusion. I am proud to be “woke.”

Rick Warrener, Odessa

Putin’s dummy

Trump says he ‘would encourage’ Russia to do what it wanted to ‘delinquent’ NATO | Feb. 12

During a 2016 debate, Donald Trump said he was not Vladimir Putin’s puppet. No, Donald Trump is Putin’s ventriloquist dummy. He’ll say whatever Putin wants him to say, and Putin doesn’t have to move his lips, just pull the strings. I imagine that every American president since the late 1940s (except Trump) just rolled over in their graves or vomited when Trump said he “would encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to NATO countries who, in Trump’s opinion, haven’t paid their bill. And who would know better about not paying your bills than Donald (many bankruptcies) Trump?

Don Evans, Clearwater

When he shows you who he is ...

Trump says he ‘would encourage’ Russia to do what it wanted to ‘delinquent’ NATO | Feb. 12

Former President Trump said he “would encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to countries that are “delinquent” regarding financial commitments to NATO. One of the frequently cited claims by his supporters is how safe we were during his presidency. Encouraging hostilities between countries in no way makes us safer. Abandoning ratified treaties on a whim in no way makes us safer. He in no way makes us safer. Never has, never will. The poet Maya Angelou famously put it this way, “When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.” With Trump, you can’t believe a word he says but you can believe his actions.

Terry R. Arnold, Treasure Island

Less brainpower

Google rebrands its AI | Feb. 9

So it seems that Google “introduced a free artificial intelligence app that will enable people to rely on technology instead of their own brains …” Great, just what we need, people using their brains less.

Terri Benincasa, Palm Harbor

Money for nothing

Hillsborough’s unspent taxes | Editorial, Feb. 10

It should not take seven weeks to get information from the office of the Florida chief financial officer about the amount the state was holding from the 2018 Hillsborough County transportation sales tax. But what is even more concerning is the amount: $569,782,845. This money, taxpayer money, my money, is sitting idle in an account that earns no interest toward its originally intended purpose. Imagine the roads that could be built, the potholes that could be filled, the transportation infrastructure that could be improved. The taxpayers of Hillsborough County want this money spent. We voted for the tax! This could benefit communities all over the county. That this money is just sitting there getting “old and dusty” is just appalling. Surely there must be a way to put it to its intended use. I don’t want my contributions to this tax refunded; I want the money to be spent wisely to benefit the taxpayers in this county. And sooner rather than later. So someone, somewhere needs to propose some solutions to this ridiculous situation!

Lesley Zajac, Tampa

May peace come

Israeli forces rescue 2 hostages in Gaza raid that killed at least 67 Palestinians | Feb. 13

Reported deaths in Gaza are 28,000 today out of a population of 2.5 million. During World War II, the German Blitz of 1941 killed approximately 30,000 Londoners (43,000 nationwide) out of a greater London population of 9 million. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions. May peace come soon.

Richard Lynen, Valrico

A pretend conservative

DeSantis wants to prohibit ‘fake meat’ products | Feb. 10

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ initiative to ban artificial meat products is bizarre but telling. It’s such a trivial issue I would be surprised if this proposed bill ever makes it to his desk to be signed into law. I’m astonished that someone who claims to be a conservative would take such a Big Brother attitude on a consumer product. Doesn’t a conservative preach the power and efficiency of the market? Once a product has passed safety testing (thank you, federal government) a traditional conservative trusts entrepreneurs, experts in commerce, and the individual consumer armed with dollars to spend based on rational choice. Not so, apparently, with our governor. We’ve all been wondering what his governance might look like after his failed run for president and now we have the answer: it’s a pretend conservative with a focus on triviality.

Jon Crawfurd, Gulfport

Better way to save lives

Prevent child drownings | Editorial, Feb. 10

I would like to know if the Florida Legislature looked into the economic situation of parents whose children were among the 97 children who died from drowning in 2023. Providing swimming lessons to families of four who make under $60,000 might not have a major impact on the drowning deaths of children. According to the Florida Department of Children and Families, of the 97 children who died from drowning in Florida in 2023, 70 drowned in swimming pools, most of which were in their own yard. Some drownings were in friends’ pools or in vacation rentals. In all these cases, the child almost always “got out of the house undetected.” Five children, four of whom were infants, drowned in a bath tub. Seven autistic children were among the 15 who drowned in a nearby pond or canal and they were all reported as having wandered away from the home undetected.

Funding to keep children safe from leaving the house undetected seems to be a more productive approach. The Legislature might be wise to consider subsidizing door alarms for these families if they have a pool or pond nearby. There are also wearable devices that set off an alarm when they get wet, which would also be good for children visiting a vacation home or hotel pool. It’s never a bad idea to have all children learn how to swim, especially in Florida, and I do hope that subsidizing swimming lessons helps, but the statistics might point to more productive steps the Legislature can take.

Susan Harper, St. Petersburg

A bad climate

Don’t say climate change? | Feb. 10

Saturday I awoke to two headlines. The first article described a new supercomputer study that confirmed the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (the AMOC) — of which the Gulf Stream is part — is approaching collapse faster than previously expected. This is happening because glaciers and Arctic ice are melting, dumping fresh water into the current and lowering its salinity. When it does collapse, sea levels could surge. In addition, “Some parts of Europe might see temperatures plunge by up to 30 degrees Celsius” and “the Southern Hemisphere, on the other hand, could see increased warming, while the Amazon’s wet and dry seasons could flip.” In short, a sudden, global climate catastrophe. The other headline read, “Don’t say climate change? A measure backed by Florida’s House speaker could delete most mentions of the phrase from state law.” When will Floridians stop electing ignorant citizens to our highest government offices?

Gregg Niemi, Tampa