Letters: Joe Biden has done wonders for our economy; What is happening with U.S. 98?

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Biden’s policies have done wonders for our economy

Alex Crawford took time to write distorted information regarding U.S. policy tools and sanctions.

Correction: After Russia invaded Ukraine, the U.S. and European allies banned the import of Russian oil and natural gas. And, they placed a $60-a-barrell cap on Russia’s oil sold with western shipping or insurance.

It is the job of the U.S. Congress to present a solution to the problem on the Mexico/U.S. border. Congress has done nothing.

In 2022, The Chips & Science Act passed Congress with bipartisan support − one of Biden’s biggest wins. This federal investment in U.S. chips manufacturing is to support new facilities to end the shortage of microchips. It will create 7,000 construction jobs and 3,000 manufacturing jobs.

In 2020, the U.S.-based automakers exported more than 215,000 electric vehicles, the most of any single nation. The electric vehicle market in the U.S. broke records in 2022. Thirteen carmakers have announced plans to spend more than $75 billion to open electric vehicle manufacturing plants in six states in the US.

Since President Biden took office, companies have invested nearly $85 billion in manufacturing of electric vehicles, batteries, and EV chargers in the United States. People want them.

Fay Walker, Pensacola

Readers don't hold back: Letters: Self-proclaimed ‘patriots’ are just Trump apologists; Withdraw Israel support

U.S. 98 reconstruction has been a complete mess

I moved to Gulf Breeze two and a half years ago. My question is what in the world is happening with U.S. 98 reconstruction? These people created a mess, dug out everything and left. I see almost no progress on reconstruction, and no one is working on it. Unbelievable and unacceptable. I lost two windshields to rocks flying from road.

Next question pertains to boat ramps. I am paying $75 per year to use a Gulf Breeze boat ramp. I don’t know why; it is free for Gulf Breeze residents living in certain zip code. If you come after 6 a.m., you will not be able to park your trailer/vehicle.

The boat ramp under the new bridge on the Gulf Breeze side is closed. Somebody worked on it and left it two years ago, and no one is working there now.

The Woodlawn Beach Road boat ramp in also closed, though someone is performing work over there.

I live in Heather’s Place. Our road, River Birch Road, is the worst road in Florida, and no one is working to fix it. Looks like they will wait two to three years until a new phase of house building is complete.

All of this is complete mess, sloppy and unacceptable.

Zlatko Salihbegovic, Gulf Breeze

Old East Hill should demand new Malcolm Yonge Center

Florida’s municipalities exercise “Home Rule.” Each has a constitution or “charter” expressing the will of the people. Some cities have a “Power of Referendum” allowing voters to challenge council actions. A referendum is a veto by the people.

The authoritative Model City Charter heavily relied upon by Pensacola’s charter review commission recommends, “When a referendum petition is filed with the city clerk, the legislation sought to be reconsidered shall be suspended from taking effect.”

On Aug. 19, 2009, the commission voted right after discussing the effect of the suspension. City Hall has the records on file. I gave them copies again earlier this year.

Mayor Reeves opposes referendums. He mocked the women leading the fight to save the Malcolm Yonge Center as emotional, hysterical and “pearl-clutchers.” Reeves' grand plan is to convert Malcolm Yonge’s land park land to housing.

A referendum is a legislative process similar to a mayoral veto. On March 6, Reeves interfered in the referendum unilaterally ordering the gym demolished to quash the petition drive. Twenty days into a 60-day petition drive, the citizens already had collected more than 2,000 signatures.

CRA Chairperson Brahier said Old East Hill was “gentrified” and didn’t need Malcom Yonge Center. I now see lots of “Rebuild Malcolm Yonge” signs on lawns. Old East Hill should exercise its “Power of Initiative” to demand a new Malcolm Yonge Center.

Christopher J. Lewis, Pensacola

Vote Democrat as if your life depends on it

I want everyone reading this to imagine you are a woman. You just found out you are pregnant, you are thrilled! You are making joyful plans to welcome a beautiful baby. Suddenly, there is excruciating pain and blood. You rush to the hospital, and they tell you that you are in danger and will die unless you have an abortion procedure that cannot be done until the fetus has no heartbeat.

Time passes while you suffer. Soon there is no heartbeat. Not the fetus, and not yours. No one should have to suffer that fate, but that will happen soon here in Florida. A six-week abortion ban will become law. Our Republican-elected officials thought it was a great idea to take the right to basic health care and the most basic humanity from women in this state.

Please remember this and pray for the women who will die. And in November, vote ‘yes’ for Amendment 4, the constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability, and vote for every Democrat on that ballot. Vote like our lives depend on it...because they do!

Marilyn Brown, Pensacola

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‘Evangelicals’ for Trump are in need of their own saving

When I was a young boy, I received a strong dose of evangelical religion. It seemed like everyone in my mama's church was either praying for me or trying to drag me to the altar to be saved. Sermons were usually directed toward planting fear, and elevating guilt.

I escaped because my guilt was not great enough to do a "tell-all" in front of a crowd. My religious beliefs were kept private and personal, and I was not attracted to charismatic behavior.

When I heard that a lot of evangelicals had aligned with Donald Trump, I was in total disbelief. I thought the virtues of truth and honesty were more highly valued by them. For "so called" religious people to embrace a man whose philosophy is apparently "deny and lie" represents hypocrisy.

The phenomenon of evangelicals forming a new base for Donald Trump brings me to a recommendation. I offer this knowing that it will ignite some "brother against brother" conflict within my own family. That notwithstanding, here is my recommendation.

Just as the evangelicals tried so diligently to save me, it's now time for someone to save them.

Charles Creel, Bagdad

Florida fees keep regular citizens off ballots

I recently moved to Pensacola from Missouri. I have seen people collecting signatures to get political candidates on the ballot. I honestly have never seen this done before and was totally puzzled.

Google being my friend, I found that in Missouri a candidate only has to pay $300 to have their name on the ballot for U.S. Senate/House. While 20 states have no fees and others low fees, Florida requires six percent of the annual salary of the office they are running for or a petition with the required signatures by the deadline. In this case a congress member makes $174,000 per year.

Well holy cow, you have to be kidding me! I can assure you I would never run if I had to pay that up front. That is $10,440. This is far above the next highest fee of two percent of annual salary in Virginia.

Florida has designed the election platform to keep the regular folks out of office and give those with daddy' money a hand up in the process. When in all actuality what is needed is more regular folks representing regular folks.

Political party doesn’t matter, this is just wrong.

Janis Deveney, Pensacola

If Biden is ‘Crooked Joe’, what does that make Trump?

Trump refers to Joe Biden as "Crooked Joe". Who has 88 felony charges against him? Trump or Biden? The CFO of Trump's financial organization went to jail for the second time today. If you think that Joe Biden is a crook and not Donald Trump, then I have a wall to sell you along the U.S.-Mexico border that Mexico paid for.

David Venn, Cantonment

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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Letters: Joe Biden's policies have done wonders for our economy