Miami Herald >  Opinion >  Speak Up

  • Florida is still an attraction 500 years later

    In a nation whose attention span is limited to 140 characters and a new celebrity is invented on YouTube every second, opportunities to celebrate five centuries of history are rare.

  • Medicaid-expansion alternative more costly

    As state after state has signed on to the Medicaid expansion offered under the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), Florida Republican legislators have dug in their heels.

  • Make Old Cutler Road safe for cyclists

    I enjoyed Andres Viglucci’s March 23 Other Views article, Biking to work a bust, Miami-style. I, too, would like to see Miami-Dade County become more of a bicyclist’s haven for commuting and recreation. Years ago, I managed to commute from deep South Dade to Coral Gables on my bike and loved every minute of it.

  • Florida Surgeon General: Good health starts with good jobs, education

    There has been a lot of discussion this week about the health rankings of Florida counties. For the fourth year running, the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, which provide state and local leaders a snapshot of the overall health of people in each county. The rankings make clear that health results from many sources beyond clinical care. Combined economic, social, behavioral, and environmental factors are more significant determinants of health.

  • Online-only retailers should collect sales tax

    Florida’s small businesses have reason to be cautiously optimistic this legislative session. For the first time, the Florida House has passed a bill out of committee that would close the Internet sales-tax loophole.

  • Make your voice heard on Medicare

    During the month of March, the 635,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area should pay attention to their mailboxes for a chance to make their voice heard on a critical topic — their healthcare.

  • Foreclosure legislation invites bank fraud

    New legislation — House Bill 87 and Senate Bill 1666 — which backers say will clear the backlog of foreclosure cases in Florida actually will create more problems by putting speed ahead of justice.

  • Miami merits a signature bridge

    The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, and Tower Bridge in London are vital infrastructure links for these international cities. They are also landmarks and sources of pride for those communities. As a global center for business, culture and tourism, downtown Miami deserves an iconic bridge, too.

  • Expanding Medicaid makes economic sense

    Last month, Gov. Rick Scott announced that he was going to take the federal government up on its offer to cover the cost of Medicaid expansion in Florida. His decision would give health coverage to as many as 1.2 million additional low-income Floridians.

  • Miami must stop demolishing its history

    Tuesday was a sad day for Miami Beach. The Design Review Board approved the complete demolition of 42 Star Island, a notable 1925 estate designed by Walter DeGarmo, Florida’s first registered architect. The home has a long history and is one of the most widely recognized homes in Miami Beach. It is the latest in a line of architecturally significant pre-1942 homes that have been approved for demolition in the past year - an eightfold increase over the prior year and an alarming number that threatens the unique tradition, aesthetics and character of our single-family neighborhoods.

  • Teen drivers should be safe drivers

    A report released last month by the Governors Highway Safety Association found that fatal traffic crashes involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers were higher nationwide during the first six months of 2012 than during the first six months of 2011.

  • Help newborns thrive

    Nothing aches like having to watch a newborn child suffer. The pain that a parent, a sibling or even an attending physician experiences defies description.

  • U.S. Postal Service making big improvements

    Re Josephine Kenna’s Feb. 22 Speakup Online letter, Post office too unreliable: I apologize to Ms. Kenna for her unpleasant experience at her post office and assure her that we aim to provide a level of service that makes our customers want to do business with us.

  • Charter schools operate at the expense of public schools

    The first Florida charter school opened in Miami in 1996 with fewer than 100 students. Today, there are more than 47,000 students attending charter schools in Miami-Dade County. In some respects, this may be considered a success story that speaks to both entrepreneurial ingenuity and the Florida Legislature’s plan to deregulate a portion of the public education system. But now, more than 15 years later, it’s important for all of us — whether or not we have children in school — to take a serious look at what we have paid for and ensure that our best interests, and the interests of all our children, are being served.

  • Enact rule to protect bluefin tuna

    The pilot program described in Sue Cocking’s Feb. 24 article, Study contains good news for bluefin tuna, also benefits prized game fish and the recreational anglers who target them.

  • Police should get out of their cars and keep Brickell traffic moving

    As a 17-year Miami resident who lives on Brickell Key, I have seen how much this city has grown. With growth has come good and bad. Right now, I am writing about the bad.

  • FANM, Haitian Women of Miami celebrates 21 years of helping community

    How many times have you read about a university or well-known institution receiving a major gift for a new library or hospital wing?

  • Rushing Wal-Mart’s plan for Midtown is a mistake

    There are many reasons that Wal-Mart doesn’t belong in Midtown Miami. The existing roads bordering Midtown Miami already suffer from brutal gridlock. Adding an estimated 3,000 vehicles per day, fighting to occupy 580 free Wal-Mart parking spaces will only exacerbate the problem. Furthermore, frustrated drivers will seek shortcuts through Midtown’s residential roads creating a safety concern for pedestrians and cyclists.

  • Peace Corps volunteers deliver abroad — and at home

    Mention the Peace Corps, and you might get a surprised “Is that still around?” In fact, Peace Corps Volunteers are still serving in 76 countries, and the more than 200,000 Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) who have served since President Kennedy created the organization by executive order on March 1, 1961 continue to serve in their communities, classrooms, nonprofits and government agencies.

  • Lawmakers stage assault on workers, home rule

    Wage-theft and living-wage laws on the books in Miami-Dade and other counties in the state, once again, are under attack in the state Legislature.

Web Search powered byYAHOO!SEARCH
Search: Horoscopes | Comics & Games | Data Sleuth