The inanity of non-readers censoring books | Letters to the editor

I so appreciated Theresa Pogach’s “Another View” on the Opinion Page of June 7. Pogach perfectly described the inane decision by a school in Miami-Dade to withdraw a poem from elementary school students, written and read by the poet laureate Amanda Gorman at President Biden’s inauguration, on the whim of a single self-described non-reader. (“I am not a reader,” said Daisy Salinas, the parent who complained about Gorman’s poem).

This is testimony to the lack of awareness of those who make decisions such as these. This “power of one” concept, which once was lauded as a deep commitment to do the right thing, has come full circle and is now the bias of clueless illiterates and non-thinkers. Their refusal to read is considered worthy and is now being passed through by school administrators.

Ironically, Pogach ends her piece with “Don’t Let Karen Drive the Bus,” a brilliant reference to Mo Willem’s Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, a children’s picture book about a temper-tantrum-throwing pigeon. When this book is read aloud, the children spend their whole listening time warning (out loud) about the self-centered pigeon’s motives. Did any readers out there catch that?

Joyce V. W. Warner, Ed.D., Delray Beach

The writer is a retired associate professor at Barry University.

Why I’m an NPA voter

I read the Sun Sentinel column about dwindling Democrats and was compelled to write to you in response. I am a 28-year resident of Florida and at times have been a registered Democrat and Republican. However, in recent years I changed my registration to NPA because I feel that the Florida Democratic Party does not have its act together and usually presents a flaky candidate in an election. I also do not want to align myself with either party.

My friends try to persuade me to change my voter registration to Democrat to boost the total number of Democrats in the state, and also to be able to vote in primary elections. I have resisted this, though it is tempting, because I do not truly believe the Democratic Party is going in a solid direction, especially in Florida.

Re: Nikki Fried hits the ground running as she tries to inspire Florida Democrats

It’s also essential to note that the total number of NPA-registered voters does not necessarily equate to Republican votes in an election. The more ideologically stringent the Republican Party becomes, the more voters might feel repulsed and vote Democratic straight down the ballot.

That’s my five cents. Thanks for your good writing and that of the paper.

Rebecca Bryan, Oakland Park

Lauderdale’s parking problem

I am an Inter Miami soccer season-ticket holder who’s no longer able to park in the stadium’s primary parking lot.

I don’t see how Fort Lauderdale benefits when City Commissioner John Herbst imitates the Governor and picks a fight with a popular business. Big Bad Beckham isn’t suffering, but the thousands of local and visiting fans who pack the stadium and patronize nearby businesses do.

What about high school graduations and football games that take place there? Should parents and students be sent home because there’s nowhere to park, as letter writer Amy Hamilton suggested? Surely if a park at the Lockhart site was such a priority, it would have been built long before Beckham United came along.

Stuart Green, Oakland Park

Unending density

I cannot even find the words to express the disappointment with the lack of respect for open space. I watch the fumes heat local streets while I sit and wait for traffic lights to cross Federal Highway and Oakland Park Boulevard, and wonder: Why did Palm Beach County commissioners recently vote for even more density?

Susan Schaffel, Fort Lauderdale