Medicaid and SNAP benefits saved my life. Why would Congress hurt seniors like me?
Saving lives
I am 65 years old and suffer from several chronic medical conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer. I have also been hospitalized on several occasions, including for major surgery. When I received a hospital bill of more than $40,000, Florida Medicaid paid it entirely. This saved me from financial ruin and was lifesaving.
Then, in 2021, due to a clerical error, my Social Security check was cut off. I had no income whatsoever for several months. I applied for and received Florida SNAP so that I would not go hungry. Medicaid and SNAP both saved my life.
As the June 2 Miami Herald editorial revealed, ''Beautiful' bill cuts Florida seniors' food stamps. That's ugly,' the House's proposed cuts to Medicaid and SNAP will be devastating for seniors like me. These benefits are vital — they should never be cut, only expanded.
Brian Douglas,
Miami
Worth saving
As a U.S. Navy veteran, I'm always surprised when I hear people thank military service members for the 'rights that we all enjoy.' I considered it my job to protect Americans from foreign attacks.
While my service might have protected life, the 'liberty and pursuit of happiness' part of the equation was and is provided by the U.S. Constitution. Rather than saying 'thank you for your service,' I wish more people would stand up to the daily attacks on our Constitution.
Many in our country no longer enjoy some rights. Let's do something about it before some of those rights are not available to the rest of us.
Tony Chifari,
Miami
Inhumane action
I am Catholic Cuban American and member of organizations like Cuban American Women Supporting Democracy, the Pedro Arrupe Jesuit Institute and the Miramar Circle of Protection, all working toward a more just society.
As has been reported, more than 500,000 individuals from Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti and Nicaragua will lose their legal status due to President Trump's order and a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing it to proceed. This legal pathway, known as 'Humanitarian Parole,' was established because of our broken immigration system and reflects the desperate conditions in these nations, where violence and lack of basic necessities prevail. The order allows ICE to deport these immigrants back to the dangers they escaped.
I vehemently oppose this. I urge everyone, especially Republicans who believed their loved ones were exempt from such policies, to speak out against this inhumane action. We must reverse this order and grant these individuals the opportunity to remain in our country.
Silvia Munoz,
Doral
Beauty detoxed
After seeing viral nail design videos online and how cheap it can be to do your own art, I was hooked and immediately bought the needed supplies. However, processes like Gel-X, which is what most at-home nail techs use, can be detrimental to our environment. Ten plastic nail extensions per person, per session, multiplied by millions of people worldwide is bound to take its toll, eventually. Further, the extremely harmful chemicals in acrylic or regular polish end up harming waterways and our health.
To reduce this impact, more sustainable options are emerging. Brands like Manucurist offer plant-based, non-toxic polishes, while The GelBottle has a refill system and recyclable packaging to cut down waste.
For those still interested in extensions, Bio Sculpture promotes biodegradable gel products with less harmful ingredients. Even small changes, like using reusable nail forms or acetone-free removers, can help reduce your beauty routine's footprint.
Anagha Iyer,
high school student,
chair,
Broward Sierra Group, Junior Team,
Miramar
Purging names
President Donald Trump's Department of Defense plans to rename U.S. Navy ships to reflect what it describes as 'warrior culture.' The name of gay rights activist Harvey Milk will be stripped from a vessel — during Gay Pride Month, no less.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Harriet Tubman, Thurgood Marshall, Cesar Chavez and others will also be removed from active ships named in their honor. Sadly, the administration doesn't recognize that these civil rights icons are in a warrior class of their own. The Navy has a long tradition of naming vessels after prominent people.
To add to the list of indignities inflicted on the American people by this administration, buildings, roadways, even bodies of water are being renamed to align with the president's whims. This is consistent with the purge of DEI references from libraries and databases.
These actions reflect a culture of repudiation not dissimilar to the sweeping transformation of Cuban society by Fidel Castro's government, which included the renaming of public buildings, institutions and landmarks to reflect revolutionary ideals and to erase symbols of the previous regime.
Rosemary Ravinal,
Doral
Congressional failure
Lots of good, bad and indifferent talk has occurred about the recent MAGA federal budget bill the U.S. House passed.
What is truly annoying is our elected officials' constant stupidity in admitting their stupidity over voting for what they did not know or that they paid no attention to what was in the bill before approving it. A few years ago, U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi told America that Congress had to vote for a bill so they could then read it and see what was in it.
Today's GOP representatives, by admitting that they did not know what was in the bill they had voted on and passed, is a call for their immediate impeachment. If this is not failure to do one's job, I am not sure what that might be.
So I continue to fly the flag upside down, as we are in deep trouble.
W.F. Cunningham, III,
Fort Lauderdale
Bondi complaint
A recent article in the Herald revealed that prestigious lawyers and judges have lodged a formal complaint against Florida Bar member and current U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. The complaint is well-deserved because she either committed or came close to committing perjury during her confirmation hearing four months ago.
Since winning an undeserved confirmation, Bondi has proved herself to be what many Floridians already knew of her: a political hack, provocateur, election result denier and prevaricating lawyer, unfit for the high position of a nation's chief law enforcement officer.
David Kahn,
Boca Raton
Controversial hunt
Florida's black bears deserve respect, not to be chased by dogs or shot over bait piles. Yet the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) just voted to allow a bear hunt using these exact methods.
This decision flies in the face of overwhelming public opposition. At the hearing, people opposing the hunt more than doubled the number of those supporting it. In written comments submitted to the Commission, a staggering 75% voiced opposition.
The FWC is supposed to manage wildlife in the interest of all Floridians, not just the less than one percent of the population who hold a hunting license. Commissioner Steven Hudson stood with the people and voted no, after voicing legitimate concerns over this travesty of a proposal. He deserves our gratitude. The rest of the commission failed in its duty.
At the next meeting In August, we will return and stand up for ethical wildlife policy and for the future of Florida's wild bears.
Jeffrey Konner,
Aventura
Political influence
Florida had a chance to bring a well-known and respected academic, Dr. Santa Ono from the University of Michigan to help the state move forward, but a politicized Board of Governors (BOG) relied on comments by the likes of Donald Trump, Jr. and U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds to reject him.
The last two BOG approvals for university presidents were termed-out politicians. Our State University System, as controlled by BOG, is being degraded and destroyed one appointment at a time. Culture wars should not be part of the decision-making process.
Juan A. Galan, Jr.,
Coral Gables
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'Hold the line on the House OBBB reforms to significantly strengthen the rollback of IRA subsidies for wind and solar to end during President Trump's term — otherwise they will inevitability be renewed as in the past,' the memo states, 'and, by that point, the grid will become generally unreliable with no quick fixes to inevitable widespread unaffordability and power outages.' That demand comes in response to a push by some Republicans in the Senate — including Utah Sen. John Curtis — who want to preserve some of the clean energy tax incentives in the IRA, arguing they are crucial for Trump's agenda to remain energy independent. Conservatives are similarly pushing for deeper cuts to Medicaid benefits, outlining specific changes that would 'protect the most vulnerable' while addressing 'money laundering, fraud, and abuse.' 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GOP lawmakers uneasy about package to codify DOGE cuts ahead of House vote this week
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