Seeing hope for Democrats
Floridians are stepping forward and are being counted, as we showed on Tuesday. The careening-out-of-control national train wreck has been affecting us and with no help from local and state Republicans, it can feel overwhelming.
Democrats are putting a stop to it (Editorial: “Special-election flips are a sign of hope for Democrats,” March 26). On Tuesday, there were three special elections. Not only was there a win in Hillsborough County, but there was one in the district that includes Mar-a-Lago. More of these could affect the chances of a Republican supermajority in Tallahassee, where Republicans feel they can govern unchecked. This session, they couldn’t do the one thing their job absolutely requires: pass a budget.
Make up for the voter suppression Republicans used not to gain voters themselves but throw Democrats off voter rolls.Tell friends. Mail-in voting works. Check your voter registration and re-register if necessary.
Join me in feeling better. Brian Nathan, in the Tampa race, won by just about 400 votes. Those votes counted. The voter speaks and the country has to listen. Then, when we win, everyone wins.
— Catherine Hettinger, Winter Park
Lessons in diplomacy
For over 40 years in various management positions, I learned some valuable lessons that I thought I might share with our local, state and national politicians.
Lesson No. 1: Entering a negotiation convinced that you are the smartest person in the room is a recipe for failure. Detailed preparation coupled with a dose of humility is an approach that will yield a better result every time.
Lesson No. 2: Studying the team across the table is essential. Being comfortable with silence is critical, and repetitively filling gaps in the conversation is a Western cultural inclination that inevitably leads to negotiating with yourself.
Lesson No. 3: Every difficult negotiation will likely end in giving up something you value to get something you value more highly. Have a strategy going in that includes tactical tangents, but be willing to take a partial win.
So maybe it’s time for Democrats in Congress to accept Republican concessions so that non-ICE Homeland Security employees, including TSA agents, can get paid. Perhaps the White House should understand that there are very clever people in Iran, Russia and China who play the long game really well (some might say better than us at present). And maybe both political parties could think about avoiding catering to the growing minority of their voters who steer them hard left and hard right.
In short, a little introspection is way overdue in this 250th year of our little experiment in government of, by and for the people.
— John Tracy, Winter Park
EVs can help to weather the storm
Switching to electric vehicles (EVs) is economically savvy and, coupled with solar-powered charging, makes it environmentally better.
EVs charged by solar power help during power outages, such as after hurricanes. Many of us experienced power outages after hurricanes. Many people who were dependent on solar power were not as adversely affected by the outages.
Solar-panel installation with a battery can cost between $25,000 and $40,000. That up-front cost is hard to justify given a payback that could take several years. But, if the installation costs could be cheaper and efficiency improved, solar panel installation with EV usage would be easier to justify.
Solar-panel efficiency went from 12% in 2000 to 23% currently. More research and development in this area would make solar power more efficient. With more solar-power generation and EV usage our state would be less vulnerable to natural events and crude oil and gas supply interruptions.
— Samuel Smith, Clermont
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