Be aware of gators in hunting season
August marks the beginning of alligator hunting in Florida, when for the next three months thousands of alligators will be killed for their skin and meat, with the hunt being less about population control and more about profit. Alligators have managed their own populations just fine for millions of years without us interfering.
Encounters with the Florida icon are rare, but sadly they have happened and fewer would happen if members of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission got the dollar signs out of their eyes and focused a lot more on education.
People who live in Florida must also realize that the alligators were here first, and not be so quick to call a trapper when a gator is sunning in a public space. You chose to move into the latest development where your street is named after the woods that were destroyed and the alligators are just trying to survive in what was taken from them by humans.
If you don’t want to see gators, and insist on walking Fluffy or taking a swim at dusk in murky water: do not move into their environment and do not feed them to get your selfie. Simple as that!
— Bryan Wilson, Winter Springs
Higher prices? Measles? Sign me up
I will support all Republican candidates in the upcoming elections for the following reasons:
I like high gas prices. They help me decide which kids to feed.
I like high grocery bills. They make me decide to eat less and I like gambling on which foods to eat and which will give me explosive diarrhea or cyclosporiasis or salmonella. The FDA is awesome.
I’ve always wanted to get measles. It makes me look more mainstream and shows everyone what I think of vaccines. Besides, Robert Kennedy is an expert in the healthcare field and has the backing of Trump, who handled the COVID-19 pandemic spectacularly.
I like never-ending wars. It keeps me focused on where my tax dollars should be going … to mega-defense companies. The added diversion from those pesky Epstein files is a bonus. Boys will be boys, after all.
I like the fact that Trump and his administration lie to me at every turn. It distracts me from useless social programs like Social Security and Medicare, the G.I. Bill, Fair Labor Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act. Who needs them anyway?
I like high inflation, it gives me something to look forward to — like the day it will come down like a rock, just like Trump promised.
So, that’s why I’m supporting my Republican Party, because they’re doing such a terrific job. Who needs change anyway? Things could not possibly get any better.
— Ed Dean, Merritt Island
Stop unethical activity
We must stop unethical activity in our government.
Congress keeps looking the other way as the president engages in unethical behavior. Recent examples include reports of charging Wall Street high fees for faster access to his market-moving Truth Social posts, making large personal profits from family cryptocurrency businesses, trading stocks while publicly promoting those same companies, and accepting expensive foreign gifts and business deals that may create clear conflicts of interest — along with much more.
Is it acceptable to allow the president of the United States to act unethically? No. From both an ethical and constitutional standpoint, it is not. The presidency rests on public trust. Unethical conduct undermines the rule of law, risks national security, and sets a dangerous precedent for every level of government.
The Constitution provides clear remedies. Under Article II, Section 4, the House of Representatives holds the sole power to impeach a president for “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Historically, “high crimes” have encompassed serious ethical abuses of power and breaches of public trust, even without a specific criminal statute.
Ending clear unethical activity by a president is important to the long-term health and stability of our country. Do your part, vote for members of Congress who will fulfill their duty and put an end to this unethical activity.
— Bill DeBusk, West Melbourne
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