Last week, I completed my vehicle registration renewal in two minutes online. Why can’t there be a powerful and practical required module that reviews and illustrates the most common causes of crashes, based on relevant local data, followed by a question and answer component for drivers to complete?
Also, at the driver’s license renewal center, waiting for an appointment presents another ideal opportunity for accident prevention education. We perform a quick vision test; Surely everyone would also benefit from a safety skills reminder since it’s been decades since most have been licensed.
I think car dealerships (who can run security video in waiting areas) and companies that are also making a profit should be approached for some kind of sponsorship. All residents are affected by these horrific crashes, injuries, unimaginable loss of loved ones, stress, and the outrageous insurance rates that result.
This would seem to be the theme to unite everyone.
Diane SkripeckTemple terrace
A Solution to DeSantis’s Medicare and Social Security Conundrum | May 24
Columnist Henry Olsen has some interesting ideals about saving Social Security and Medicare for those most in need, but he misses a fundamental factor in his equations. The Republican Party has long been the champion of the rich and big corporations. Any solution that requires the moneyed elite to pay more or receive less will never happen under Republican politicians.
brian walkowiakSt. Petersburg
The Florida Purge: Whitewash History, Ban Books | may 23
Scott Maxwell’s column hit the nail on the head, shedding light on Governor Ron DeSantis’ ongoing concern about whitewashing American history in our state’s elementary schools. Obviously, neither he nor his complacent Department of Education want our children to learn the unvarnished facts about our nation’s sordid past, flaws and all.
Apparently, Florida’s leaders who question the truth want to teach social studies the way it was taught in the 1950s, when we didn’t read about evils like segregation, Jim Crow, and sit-ins. Now, it’s current challenges, like the Black Lives Matter movement and why some athletes kneel during the national anthem.
DeSantis says we can’t teach children these disturbing subjects because they will end up hating their country. But what is more likely to happen is that our young charges will mature and think that all is well with our nation and that any questioning of their actions amounts to insurrection.
Our governor is trying to mold our schoolchildren and educators into blindly obeying his autocratic dictates. Should we uncritically accept the wisdom of “Big Brother” or teach our schoolchildren the real facts and, more importantly, how to think for themselves?
Stephen FeldmanApollo Beach
