Letters to the Editor, April 23

In keeping with the First Amendment

Councilors: In keeping with America’s First Amendment, and regardless of one’s position in the matter, will you consider re-inviting public speaker Alex Popoff back to present his opinion regarding the MIPD Chief issue, this time without public interruption, harassment or insults?

If such an invite becomes a reality, will Mr. Brechnitz, as chairman, not again forget his authority to have attending MIPD officers clear chambers, allowing any public commentator to publicly state his opinion without audience’s shouted interruptions, blockages and insults?

This really isn’t a controversial proposal in the USA … or is it?

Russ Colombo, Marco Island

Democrats and 2020

How do Democrats plan to win the 2020 presidential election? U.S. House of Representatives Bill, HR1. This Bill would federalize and micromanage our election process. This would eliminate the ability of states to determine citizens’ rights to define voting qualifications. This would end control of state elections. This is unconstitutional.

This bill attempts to stop oversight of the voting roles. The Dems propose to redistrict in the way to favor the Democrat Party. Further information on HR1 can be accessed on Google. Lately, the Dems want to eliminate the Electoral College. They know that the popular vote would give them an advantage. They want to declare Washington D.C. a state. This would award them two more Democrat Senators. If Puerto Rico can become a State, there will be more Democrat votes. Another ploy is to pack the courts with more liberal judges.

Add to this giving convicted felons the right to vote, and the promise of reparations for slavery. The Democrats are attempting to flood and overwhelm the system. They want to replace our representative form of government with a new socialist experiment. As President Obama promised to fundamentally change the government of the United States of America. So... too, the Democrat Party.

Carol Montpetit, Marco Island

Reducing robo calls

Everyone receives irritating robo calls every day. If the caller ID is not recognized, we do not answer, but we are angry about the interruption.

Recent Naples Daily News articles verify the scope of this problem. Efforts by the major telcos to verify the identity of callers might impact fraudulent calls, but they will not reduce the robo calls. Creating a list of known scam callers will not eliminate the nuisance, just as the “Do Not Call” list is ineffective.

Needed is a universal financial disincentive to the callers. I propose a small charge to the caller for every dialed call. Maybe one, two or even five cents per call. Everyone pays this small amount for each call they place. This will be a very small increase in the monthly bill for most individuals and legitimate businesses, but it will be a huge cost to the robo callers that place thousands of calls per hour.

The 5 billion robo calls per month plus legitimate calls will generate a large amount of cash. This money should be the incentive for the telcos to implement such a system. Most of the needed technology already exists and was used for many years to bill for longdistance calls. The cash generated would be shared by the telco where the call was originated and the telco receiving the call. If the originating telco does not collect and forward the money, the receiving telco does not forward the call. Foreign calls would be treated similarly. Some of this cash also could go to the U.S. government to encourage the legislation necessary to force such changes.

Carl Andrysiak, East Naples

Jets too low over Collier?

Could anyone find out why jet planes are approaching Naples Airport at 1,000 feet over Immokolee and Collier? 

Seems to me this is a bit sloppy, dangerous and a nuisance. Get on up!

Dennis Wichterman, Naples

A prayer for this time

During this season, my mind turns to "The Southwell Litany," an old favorite of my late husband, Samuel Southard, a seminal leader in the pastoral theology and pastoral counseling movements.
It’s a weighty missive and given the state of this world, its words can bring the transformation we so desperately need, one person at a time. Even if you have chosen not to believe there is a God, the Litany’s content speaks to everyone willing to examine themselves honestly. Here is an excerpt:
“Save us and help us, we humbly beseech Thee, O Lord. … From pride and self-will; from desire to have our own way in all things; from overweening love of our own ideas and blindness to the values of others; from resentment against opposition and contempt for the claims of others; enlarge the generosity of our hearts and enlighten the fairness of our judgments; and from all selfish arbitrariness of temper. …”
“In all times of ignorance and perplexity as to what is right and best to do, do Thou, O Lord, direct us with wisdom to judge aright, order our ways and overrule our circumstances as Thou canst in Thy good Providence; and in our mistakes and misunderstandings.”

Donna Southard, East Naples