Voice of the People (June 30, 2024): Vote for Florida's right to privacy
Florida's right to privacy
Florida’s Constitution defines a right to privacy as: “Every natural person has the right to be let alone and free from governmental intrusion into the person’s private life except as otherwise provided herein.”
That seems clear. The clause identifies who deserves privacy and it defines the offending organization. Paraphrasing the clause could read: “People in Florida should be free from governmental intrusion.”
The idea was put into effect by a federal court’s reversal of a Florida law banning medical care for transgender people, maintaining that the state “cannot flatly deny transgender individuals safe and effective medical treatment” when the purpose of that denial “is not to support the patient’s transgender identity.”
In other words, the Florida legislature cannot intrude upon a person’s natural life just because they don’t like that nature. As the deciding judge stated, “gender identity is real.”
It was a powerful decision, a step toward making life a bit better for all of Florida’s transgender population.
I only wish the same would happen with reproductive rights, where an equally unethical intrusion is occurring in the natural lives of women in Florida.
But we can help turn things around in November—please vote “yes” on Amendment 4.
Ben Graffam, Lakeland
Voice of the People (June 23, 2023):US Supreme Court has lost its integrity
Trump's flip-flop backs RINO Laurel Lee
I'm disappointed by Trump's endorsement of a RINO! [Trump endorses Laurel Lee in U.S. House-15 race after previously calling for challenge, June 14, The Ledger]
Lee never responded to our press inquiry asking her to cut our budget's largest pork, as our GOP Platform requires. “The federal government should not be in the business of originating student loans.” Student debt's over $2 trillion. Students have overpaid taxpayers (“US Department of Education, on average, recovers $1.22 for every dollar paid out in default claims,” Forbes). But this won't continue. Students—bled dry—can't continue if loan originations aren't cut.
Forbes reports that “Trump Proposes Limits On Student Loan Borrowing,” but even when Trump had a Republican-led House and Senate, he didn't keep his word.
Without restoration of bankruptcy availability to student debt, as a “check” on the DOE, they won't cut loan originations.
Trump—who often gets bankruptcy discharge for billions—holds a “bankruptcy for me, but not for thee” double standard, violating the golden rule of his claimed religion, Christianity.
Border funding won’t happen without needed cuts to pork spending, so Lee needs to go.
Gordon Wayne Watts, Plant City
Voice of the People (June 16, 2024):Marco Rubio ditches his integrity for Trump
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