Keys road shabbily rebuilt

I’m not a road engineer, but I have lived in the Keys enough years to have seen the 18-mile stretch rebuilt twice.

Koch: More than mayor of New York

In 1998, I got to share some interesting moments with Ed Koch, the former mayor of New York City who died recently.

NFL has a double standard

The NFL has threatened not to consider Miami for future Super Bowls unless the stadium is renovated, protected from the elements and brought up to its standards. But next year’s Super Bowl will be held in the new, open-air stadium in the Meadowlands, New Jersey, during the coldest part of winter. The record low temperature for a Feb. 2 was 2 degrees below zero.

Which kind of energy creates more jobs?

In their Feb. 2 Readers’ Forum letter, Nuclear energy can lead to economic opportunities, former EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman and Homestead Mayor Steve Bateman missed another economic upside to nuclear power: Nothing makes new jobs like a nuclear accident. As Fukushima, Japan, continues its uncontrolled radiation release, the prefecture has become a “hot” travel destination for scientists and curious visitors who roam the streets with Geiger counters, posting to their Facebook pages the latest radioactive cesium levels detected in sidewalk cracks.

Offshore explosions will harm sea life

Re the Jan. 30 story Groups appeal ruling to let Navy train near whales: The U.S. Navy’s explanation that “only an occasional aquatic mammal will be killed” by its offshore underwater tests in the Atlantic ignores a basic biological fact: In the hunt for food, land-based mammals depend largely upon their sense of hearing and smell. So it is in the ocean.

Angie says: Honest consumer reviews shouldn’t spur lawsuits

There has been news coverage lately about the potential for litigation that could result from consumers posting comments online. In my experience, it’s rare for a company to take this drastic action.

Skip the raise, governor, fund schools properly

I am a National Board Certified Teacher with 30 years of experience in public schools. I do not want a $2,500 raise. Instead, I want Gov. Scott to govern appropriately and play by the rules as teachers do, and as we teach our students to do. Scott does not have a wand to wave to issue us a raise. That’s magic, not playing by the rules. After his budget cut $1.3 billion to education funding two years ago, even if it was followed by a $1 billion increase the following year, it is obvious that neither he nor the Florida Legislature support public education.

Dumping dogs is not the right solution

He came up the driveway one afternoon while my wife, Willy, was hanging clothes.

Public adjusters do valuable work

Re the Jason B. Wolf’s My View column in the Jan. 20 Business Monday, Think twice before hiring public adjusters: The piece misrepresents the role that public adjusters play in the insurance claims process: Public adjusters work as consumer advocates on behalf of policyholders like me. I was president of Snapper Village Condominium Association in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina did millions of dollars in damage to our 783 units and 93 buildings.

Rubio should learn from the past

I got a warm and fuzzy feeling as I read Sen. Marco Rubio's vision for our region in his Dec. 30 article, Crucial time for our hemisphere. Why did I have such an emotional reaction? Because I felt I was 10 years old again sitting in my house off of Eighth Street listening to my father talk about the Cold War. We had just elected a young president, John F. Kennedy, who would soon electrify us with a speech that echoes till this day.

NRA teaches children gun safety

Re Ana Veciana-Suarez’s Jan. 19 column, NRA’s new game app: Callous, tone-deaf: She attacks the NRA for callousness, however, the game was in production for months before the tragedy of Sandy Hook. Though she criticizes the idea of a shooting game for sixth-graders, there were shooting clubs in the public schools, and scouting and 4-H Club camps taught children how to safely shoot rifles. And were we inundated with school shootings then? No.

We are not entitled

The Jan. 21 letter Needed entitlements says that the “great” United States entitles everyone to fair wages, decent and affordable living accommodations, safe and efficient infrastructure and roads, healthcare, adequate food, an education, vacation and personal time, flexibility and a livable retirement income. It addition, it should take care of the medical needs of the elderly, infirm, children and the less fortunate. The letter says that America should pay for this marvelous entitlement society with “fair and graduated taxes.”

He was right to shoot

Jordan Beswick shot a burglar who was in his house. He had a perfect right to do so. The fact that Beswick was, at that moment, outside his window is irrelevant. Maybe the intruder intended to leave the house; maybe not. Was the homeowner expected to interview the intruder as to his intentions first? If he was armed, his history of violence or his combat skills? I think not.

Miami-Dade must push Congress, Legislature to end deadly gun violence

Pregnant woman and her unborn child gunned down outside a friend’s house. Father of nine found murdered in his own driveway Police detective ambushed, killed by gang member with assault rifle. Three people hit, one killed, in drive-by shooting. Four police officers shot with AK-47, one dies. Twenty-three-year-old corrections officer and her two-year-old son slaughtered when their home is sprayed with bullets.

MLK memory: Justice is not static

It was late August, 1963. I was 12. I remember my father calling me into his room. The radio was on, and I heard cheering. It was not a baseball game kind of cheer — it seemed louder and longer. It was a sustained roar.

Benefits outweigh costs

It is common for governments to provide incentives to businesses to encourage those businesses to set up shop or remain in their community if the benefits outweigh the costs.

Rein in teens behind the wheel

Our newly elected legislators have promised us change and a brighter future for our state’s youth. Making young people’s safety a top priority should be a cornerstone of that promise. Life-saving legislation that protects our youngest and most vulnerable drivers would be a good place to start.

Bill doesn’t create ticket ‘scalpers’

A recent post on The Miami Herald’s Naked Politics blog unfairly labeled the state Legislature’s HB 163 as a “scalping bill.” As a long-time consumer advocate, I support HB 163, legislation recently introduced by Rep. Jimmie T. Smith to ensure Florida consumers own the tickets they buy.

Let Dolphins get same deal GM got

I say Miami Dade County should give the Dolphins all the money they need to renovate their stadium.

Let Dolphins’ billionaire pay for stadium

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross pledges to pay for at least one-half of the estimated $400 million required to refurbish Sun Life stadium and asks that tax money and tax holidays be used to pay the rest. If he gets his way, he promises that the team will remain for at least 30 years, reviving the oft-used threat that if government does not assist, he might have to move elsewhere.

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