Callers issue criticism and praise of Gov. Ron DeSantis, more in this week’s Sound Off

What’s on your mind? Call Sound Off, our weekly column of community comments, at 352-337-0368 to share your opinions. 

• Gov. DeSantis has gone to Williston, Gilchrist County [and] Newberry to hand out big checks for various projects, which is great, but what he fails to tell the people is that this money came from the federal government — various bills that were passed with entirely Democrat votes. Our Sens. Rubio and Scott voted against these bills, as did our Rep. Kat Cammack. If it weren’t for the Democrats, Gov. DeSantis would not have this money to distribute. He needs to be forthcoming and tell people exactly why he has this money to distribute.

Gov. Ron DeSantis poses with Otter Creek Mayor Russell Meeks and a check for $1.4 million to be given to the town of Otter Creek for broadband internet and infrastructure improvements, during a press conference by the governor on the front porch of the Ivy House Restaurant in Williston on April 29.

• I think it’s amusing that the Democratic governors of New York and California are so obsessed with our great governor, Ron DeSantis. They need to focus on their crime-ridden states and leave our great state of Florida alone.

• As I read Gail Johnson’s article in the Issues section of Sunday’s Sun, she talks about heartbreaking stories where GRU bills have doubled or tripled while usage has stayed the same. That is an out-and-out lie! All anybody has to do is look at the rates on their bill. Yes, rates are increasing, but they are nowhere near doubling or tripling. So, if there is no increased usage, there is no doubling or tripling.

More Sound Off:

What’s the plan for the old Terwilliger school? Callers comment on this and other issues

Callers question lack of GOP ballots in Alachua County, offer opinions on other issues

Callers comment on addressing the teacher shortage, Florida prisons and more

• I just don’t understand the brouhaha over plastic bags. I’m 99.9% sure scientists have discovered a way to make bags like that that are not plastic — like from old tires.

• I’m hoping that this will make it to Sound Off. It’s important for everybody to see it maybe in writing: the top voters’ issues. The first one is threats to our democracy came in first with 21%. Cost of living was next at 16%. Jobs and the economy was at 14%. Immigration and situation at the border was 13%. Climate change is at 9%. Guns, 8%. Abortion, 8%. Crime, 6%.  Coronavirus, last one, at 1%. I think all of us have to look at that in the order … of what the people are really concerned about, and I, for one, am the one at that top list: the threat to our democracy. It is scary to see what’s going on in the United States of America.

Story continues

• Donald Trump knows he broke the law. When he criticized other people for mishandling classified information, he said it was illegal and that those people should be in jail. I’m fed up with Republicans who keep trying to defend Trump’s criminal behavior.

• Let’s talk about our president’s excellent record. He got the Inflation Reduction Bill passed, which will not do that for several years, they say. He told us when we left Afghanistan that was an excellent way to leave even though we hadn’t told our military partners — France, Germany, you name it. Now we have, for the last year and a half, the southern border, which we’re having over 200,000 people cross illegally each month, which we’re giving them health care, college, telephones, you name it — things that I’ve never gotten for free but I’m paying for.

• Trump incited an attempted coup and is now promising to pardon the insurrectionists and even “apologize to them” if re-elected. And congressional Republicans are supporting him. Is that the kind of America you want? MAGA — Make America Generate Anarchy!

• The first two years, the Brazilian president has destroyed 18,000 square miles of rainforest, which is crucial to our climate change in the entire world. China is the largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, and he does nothing to change it. Mr. Putin is the largest skeptic of climate change. He blames it on progress and does nothing but nothing to make any changes. So here, now, in the Unted States, we asked Joe Manchin to stop lining his pockets with the coal industry that he has financial ties with and interest that he should be made to recuse himself. Why has this not happened?

• Our survival depends on healing the Earth. One way to do this is to buy less stuff. A lot of raw materials for the many things we buy must be mined. Mining depletes water, destroys land and uses lots of energy, and there are lots of mines on this planet. Please, first reuse, repair and recover material. When you must buy new, buy less.

Get a digital subscription to the Gainesville Sun. Includes must-see content on Gainesville.com and Gatorsports.com, breaking news and updates on all your devices, and access to the eEdition. Visit www.gainesville.com/subscribenow to sign up.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Calls on Gov. Ron DeSantis, GRU rates, plastic bags, Trump, more