I just have to let you know that after reading Saturday’s Sun Sentinel, ending with my favorite, the Opinion page, the inimitable Pat Beall’s column once again made my morning reading a joy with her laugh-inducing description of Mike Johnson, who should have a plaque outside his office reading, “Don’t know anything, I’m busy.”
A more whimpering lawmaker would be difficult to find.
My laughter was not to be silenced. In the second section of the paper appeared the advice column with a hapless wife’s lament that her husband kept gifting her with hospital socks. That kept me in stitches from start to finish.
So, Sun Sentinel, not only do you provide grist to the serious-minded but intelligent, hilarious writing by Pat Beall and the not-to-be-taken-seriously letters on matters that must be someone playing a joke on the advice columnist.
In this era of vanishing local newspapers, the Sun Sentinel is a standout!
Emogene Keffer, Plantation
A speaker’s weaknesses
Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva hugs a family member after winning the 7th District seat held by her late father, Raúl Grijalva. She won on Sept. 23 and has not yet been sworn in to office in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
House Speaker Mike Johnson has kept Congress out for five weeks. He’s afraid of swearing in a duly-elected congresswoman who would be the final vote on a discharge petition to force the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Protecting alleged pedophiles is evidently more important than protecting suffering Americans.
If Congress won’t swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat who won a special election in Arizona to succeed her late father, a federal judge could.
A president cannot fire a federal judge for actions allowed by the Constitution, as judges are appointed for life and can only be removed by impeachment in Congress for misconduct. The protection is intended to ensure judicial independence. Too bad it didn’t work with Chief Justice John Roberts.
Tracy Anton, Hollywood
A concerned citizen’s voice
I wanted to write to our senators and representatives regarding abrogation of their sworn duty, but I realize my letter would be read by a third assistant aide.
Writing to the Sun Sentinel will be seen by a larger audience.
I write to our leaders not as a partisan but as a concerned citizen of Florida who believes that the foundation of our democracy is being chipped away by cowardice and silence.
Time and again, Donald Trump has defied the Constitution, undermining the rule of law, attacking our judicial system, and spreading lies that damage faith in our democratic institutions that you swore an oath to defend.
Yet you remain largely silent. The people did not send you to Washington to cower before one man’s power or to rationalize his abuses. They sent you to uphold the Constitution, even, and especially, when it’s inconvenient or unpopular.
Your silence enables the erosion of everything this country stands for. Rediscover your sense of duty to the United States. Speak up. Defend the rule of law. Show the courage your office demands. History is watching. Your legacy will be defined by what you do next.
Michael Rosen, Coconut Creek
Condo owners are hurting
The collapse of Champlain Towers South was a horrific tragedy, yet no other building in South Florida has experienced a similar catastrophe.
While it’s wise to require preventive construction repair measures, the strict deadlines by the Legislature are arguably excessive and punishing to ordinary property owners.
Many face special assessments ranging from $50,000 to $150,000, forcing seniors to sell their homes or leaving them trapped in units they can’t afford to repair. Our lawmakers should ease these timelines and offer financial assistance to those overwhelmed by regulatory burdens.
Owners are paying for decisions made long before their time, often without full disclosures. Condo residents should urge state lawmakers to act compassionately and provide relief from this financial strain.
John Gagne, Fort Lauderdale
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