E-bikes are a threat to South Florida pedestrians. Regulate them, please | Opinion

Regulate E-bikes

Electric or motorized two- and three-wheel vehicles are a massive menace to Florida’s pedestrians, as the Feb. 6 Herald story, “Coconut Grove couple’s walk ends in ER. Now they want changes to e-bike rules,” indicates. This incident is typical of the damage that has been and will be created in the future if city and state lawmakers do not immediately impose stiff legal regulations.

Fines and legal penalties should be imposed on parents of minors who ride these vehicles around our communities. Parents should be required to get licenses and registration with the appropriate authorities. These accidents will continue to plague our communities until the law imposes proper safeguards.

Seth Werner,

Coconut Grove

Epstein scandal

Congress owes its duty to the American people, not to presidents, parties or wealthy interests. That duty is being tested. The Jeffrey Epstein files and the documented connections between Donald Trump, his associates and Epstein require full public scrutiny. This is not political theater; it concerns the exploitation of minors and potential obstruction of justice at the highest levels.

Attorney General Pam Bondi has operated as Trump’s personal defender rather than an independent public servant. The Department of Justice cannot credibly investigate while such conflicts persist. Congress must step in. Silence or delay amounts to complicity in abuse of power.

No matter what this administration attempts before the end of Trump’s second and final term, it will not escape accountability. The public demands transparency, hearings and lawful consequences for wrongdoing.

Congress must use its constitutional authority: require full disclosure of the Epstein files, conduct independent investigations and pursue impeachment if evidence supports it. Party loyalty cannot supersede the oath to defend the Constitution.

The American people will remember who acted and who stayed silent. Democracy depends on leaders choosing courage, integrity and accountability over fear or convenience.

Justin Walden,

Pensacola

Election integrity

Across America, state and local election officials are doing one of the most important jobs in our democracy, usually without recognition. When elections run smoothly, their work is invisible. That is exactly why they deserve our thanks.

I am a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer and a fellow oath keeper. I swore to support and defend the Constitution and so have they. That oath is not symbolic; it is a working promise.

Election officials make our elections possible and help ensure they are free, fair and credible. Voting is the foundation of our democracy. Our vote is how the people choose who governs and how we allow leaders to borrow our power while they are in office.

Many election officials have worked under pressure and intimidation in recent years. Yet they continue to follow the law, document their steps and serve the public with professionalism. All Americans depend on them, whether they realize it or not. Many of us are grateful, even if we have not said it out loud until now.

Thank you to the people who safeguard our elections and protect the integrity of every vote.

Eileen Lawless,

Miami

Lost art returns?

Students should start learning cursive in kindergarten. This is how my classmates and I were taught in Los Angeles, all of us growing up fluent. Like learning to speak a language, writing cursive becomes effortless when taught from the beginning. Sadly, cursive instruction was removed from Florida state law in 2010. Luckily, some of Florida’s most forward-thinking schools and parents teach it voluntarily.

Surprisingly, the pervasive advent of AI in education has sparked an urgent need for children to learn cursive writing. With students regularly turning in homework cut and pasted from AI, many teachers conduct in-class, handwritten essays to test actual writing, reading and comprehension skills. Students able to write cursive — with the pen staying on the page while writing each word — work faster than students printing the same work. Not teaching cursive from the beginning hobbles every student’s progress.

I urge the Florida Senate to pass bill (H 127) requiring elementary school students to learn how to read and write cursive starting in second grade. I would amend this to begin teaching it in kindergarten. Let children grow up writing cursive as easily as they learned to speak.

Susan Sussman,

author,

Aventura

Fighting spirit

Democracy in the United States is facing one of its most fragile moments. Generations before us fought to build freedom, liberty, justice and dignity. These are being slowly weakened by an autocratic vision that places the will of one man above the rule of law. America does not stand for this.

We cannot accept a system in which power is valued over people, fear replaces empathy and institutions meant to protect us are turned into tools of control. A nation that forgets the simple truth of treating people as we wish to be treated risks losing its moral compass.

Witnessing the spirit of the United States — its openness, its checks and balances, its respect for truth — being eroded for personal ambition is heartbreaking. This moment calls for courage and unity.

Democrat or Republican, we must come together to defend democracy, reject injustice and protect the values that define America. Our country is worth fighting for — together.

Ruben Garcia,

Miami

Powerful statement

I was so impressed with David Jolly’s Feb. 5 op-ed, “What’s happening in Minnesota matters in the Florida governor’s race,” written with so much thought and truth. I only hope Florida’s voters take it for its serious nature.

We are living in awful times and “We The People” must take action to save our democracy, no matter our political affiliation. Let’s save our country to live in a safe environment. Vote in the midterms for change.

Ina Rentzer,

North Miami Beach

Moral leadership

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have recently expressed public alarm about the nation’s trajectory. Their voices matter, but the moment demands more. Former President George W. Bush should now join them.

This is not about partisan disagreement or policy preference. It is about preserving constitutional governance. When executive power is exercised without restraint, when loyalty is valued over legality and when democratic institutions are undermined rather than defended, silence from those uniquely qualified to speak carries consequences.

America’s living former presidents occupy a rare moral position. Together, they represent institutional memory and an understanding of what happens when democratic guardrails fail. A unified public statement — grounded in constitutional principle rather than political party — would carry historic weight.

Michael Smith,

Fort Myers

MAGA hypocrisy

United States Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley have accused Netflix of promoting “woke ideology.” Meanwhile, the senators obviously support Paramount (home of “RuPaul’s Drag Race”) acquiring Warner Bros., giving them a stake in HBO, which has one of the top shows of the moment, the gay hockey series “Heated Rivalry.”

Is the problem really about ideology? Or is it about feeding the culture wars for the MAGA cult who drink their Kool-Aid?

I guess “Euphoria” on HBO is okay because MAGA sweetheart (in their dreams) Sydney Sweeney is in it?

Alex Jimenez,

Winter Park

Repelling reptiles

During the recent cold snap, Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wanted us to trap cold-stunned iguanas and place them in cloth sacks, allowing the iguanas to breathe.

What was FWC going to do with those invasive creatures once we handed them over?

I envision federal-state cooperation. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ FWC hands over the iguanas to Trump’s ICE, which then deports the creatures to their native countries, thereby helping America get rid of even more illegal immigrants.

Leo Bueno,

Coral Gables