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• Remedial courses necessary

  Re the May 15 article MDC helps students discover potential: After having taught mathematics for 37 years at Florida International University, the problem of inadequate student preparation is painfully clear. Many students are wholly unprepared for the course material and would stand no chance of passing required courses without the remedial courses offered.

• The readers’ forum

  Screening tests unfair to some students

  Re Eduardo Padron’s May 19 Other Views article, Pell grants for poor students can change lives so let’s fix the system, not dynamite it: Padron, the president of Miami Dade College, takes issue with a report that the National Center on Education and the Economy recently issued.

• Protect foster kids

  I recently completed 57 months as a house parent in a residential-care home for foster children in Key West.

• Where was Obama during attack?

  On five Sunday television talk shows, the Obama administration sent out senior advisor Dan Pfeiffer to downplay the three recent scandals: AP, IRS and Benghazi. His claim that the still-unanswered question of where President Obama was and what he did was irrelevant, since Obama was in contact with his staff, was particularly outrageous.

• Bathroom reading?

  Re the May 20 letter An honest living, about street vendors: Fine, let them sell water, flowers, fruits and vegetables on the streets, but make sure they are paying for the licenses, sales taxes, income taxes and other expenses required to do business.

• MAM mum

  Re the May 18 story Miami Art Museum gets anonymous $15 million gift: This public-relations announcement diverts attention from the real financial issues of the museum.

• Lack of planning

  Regardless of the spin by all parties, one fact remains clear: Despite what our country experienced on Sept. 11, 2001, and the lessons learned, the Obama administration did not make any contingency plans for the anniversary of 9/11 to protect what was an obviously vulnerable diplomatic post in an unstable location.

• Focus on Americans’ needs

  Elected officials can create all the crises they want over Benghazi, the IRS and √The AP, but the public doesn’t care. We want them to fix the things that affect us daily. They need to lower the unemployment rate, keep gas prices low, make housing affordable and keep our roads from being congested. If they concern themselves with making my life easier then I will vote to reelect them.

• Volkswagen ad offensive

  Americans have short memories and are uneducated about the Holocaust. Am I the only person offended by the current Volkswagen commercials singing the praises of “the power of German engineering?”

• The readers’ forum

  The real loss: Public trust

  Mayor Carlos Gimenez recently revealed that Miami-Dade County faces a $50 million-plus budget shortfall, alerting commissioners and employee unions that the county will seek continuation of sizable benefit concessions. According to a memo sent by Gimenez, these cuts are necessary if the county wants to maintain current public services. In other words, if you want clean water from your faucet or your garbage picked up, then your middle-class county employee will have to make a significant financial sacrifice. This reported shortfall also includes $15 million in the county’s fire-rescue budget, so please try not to play with matches.

• Story overplayed on front page

  Re the May 19 story Notoriety follows Rivera pal in Nicaragua: While most of us would find former U.S. Rep. David Rivera and Ana Alliegro, and their antics, despicable, I don’t think that nasty story about Alliegro and her goings-on in a small town in Nicaragua was worthy of the front page.

• Who’s responsible for Benghazi?

  The May 19 letter Let me out of GOP offers a simplistic explanation of the Benghazi attack. But many quetions remain unanswered:

• Sacred character

  “God created man in His image; he created him, male and female He created them.” Gen 1:7

• Tea party not qualified

  I would like to know exactly what social welfare projects the tea partiers have in mind, and what percentage of their donations will be allocated to said projects. It seems to me that they have allocated 100 percent to fostering their extreme right-wing opinions. That does not qualify them for tax-free status as a nonprofit charitable organization.

• Give Congress a reality check

  Letter writer Ann Chitty spoke of how members of Congress live in Washington, D.C., a showcase city, with guaranteed good salaries, healthcare and assured retirement income. These are three benefits not enjoyed by millions of middle-class Americans. The remedy is at hand — term limits, reduced salaries and benefits, and six-month performance evaluations. A good start would be to vote them all out of office as their terms expire and start afresh. Members of Congress need to relate to their middle-class constituency. Empathy can work wonders.

• Tax break for Dolphins

  It’s interesting how people look at expenditures from the state and cities. Are you aware of how many tax breaks companies are given to move to Florida? Why is money given? To create jobs, to add to our economy. No one looks at how much money the company makes, just what can be done to entice them to come here. The TV show Burn Notice has benefited from such tax breaks.

• The readers’ forum

  Creativity abounds for the mentally ill

  National Art Exhibitions by The Mentally Ill Incorporated (NAEMI) is proud to celebrate its 25th year of existence. Established in 1998 to help persons with mental illness through the expression of their art, the organization has grown to where it is today. Whether you are a mental health practitioner, advocate or an art lover, you can appreciate how NAEMI has sought to recognize the artistic talent among many individuals suffering from mental illness.

• Transparency for hospital pricing needed

  Focusing on treatment variations by hospital is, at best, misguided and at worst, a complete distraction from the real issue. We are a capitalist society and every provider should be free to price its own services.

• K12 online learning provider compliant with law

  There was a serious case of selective reporting in the May 12 article, K12 Inc. struggled to comply with law. Writing about a complaint filed against online learning provider K12 Inc. by a school district, reporters selectively pulled quotes from a lengthy recorded meeting among K12 educators. Yet they excluded from the article the most significant and illuminating passages where K12 supervisors clearly instruct teachers to follow all state laws and direct that “no teacher should fill out anything that isn’t correct.”

• Street vendors make honest living

  After reading the May 15 letter, Street vendors’ havoc, I must express my support for these unique and colorful assets to Miami. I always buy water, flowers, fruit, whatever they are selling. These people are earning an honest living, not living off the taxpayer. Anybody who can bear the heat all day selling in the streets gets my respect and money. I love their entrepreneurial spirit and welcome their presence.

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