Latest news with #VoiceofthePeople
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Antisemitism top challenge for 78% of Jews: Israeli survey
(NewsNation) — A new Voice of the People survey among Jewish Americans found that 78% listed antisemitism as one of the top five challenges facing them today. Noa Tishby, Israel's former special envoy for combating antisemitism, told NewsNation's 'Elizabeth Vargas Reports' that antisemitism is causing fear for Jews around the world. 'As we see, antisemitism is the oldest form of hate and discrimination that's still being practiced today, and today it just shape-shifted into something new called anti-Zionism,' Tishby said. Voice of the People, an initiative backed by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, released 'The 2025 Jewish Landscape Report' on Thursday. The report included more than 10,000 people across 80 countries. Capital Jewish Museum reopens week after Israeli Embassy staffers killed Tishby said four out of five Jews globally cite antisemitism as their 'greatest concern,' and some responded they worry about 'looking too Jewish.' The report's release comes days after two Israeli embassy staffers were gunned down in Washington, D.C.. Sarah Milgram and Yaron Lischinsky were exiting the Capital Jewish Museum on May 21 when they were fatally shot from behind. The suspect yelled 'Free Palestine' as the police took him into custody, authorities said. 'I can tell you that a lot of Jews around the world are blown away by this rise in antisemitism,' Tishby said. Tishby said the research shows 'the fear is not theoretical.' 'We see that we're right to be concerned,' she said. 'What's happening right now across America should warn everybody because we've been saying this for a very long time. What starts with the Jews doesn't end with the Jews.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Noa Tishby: Antisemitism has ‘shape-shifted' into antizionism
A new Voice of the People survey among Jewish Americans found that 78% listed antisemitism as one of the top five challenges facing them today. Noa Tishby, the former special envoy to Israel for combating antisemitism, joins 'Elizabeth Vargas Reports' to discuss antisemitism and how it's causing fear for Jews around the world. 'There was an understanding that this has been settled after World War II. … But, as we see, antisemitism is the oldest form of hate and discrimination that's still being practiced today,' Tishby says. She says today it has shape-shifted into something new — antizionism. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
20-04-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Cutting government waste? That's not what's happening
Cutting government waste? That's not what's happening | Voice of the People (April 20, 2025) Show Caption Hide Caption How did Elon Musk become so powerful in Washington? As leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk has made major changes, but who is Elon Musk and how did he rise in Washington? Eliminating government waste? That's not what's happening Mike Coon's recent letter states that we should all support Trump because he is chasing waste and corruption. Mr. Coon implies if we lose our democracy in the process that is OK because it is impossible for democracy to be a permanent form of government anyhow. True, we should all support eliminating government waste and corruption, and we should all be concerned about reducing the huge national debt. We do need a rational, well-planned policy toward those ends. That isn't what's happening. Trump's mode of operation is chaos, decrees are followed by retractions, then new decrees followed by new retractions. Mistakes are rampant, making the economy shaky and destroying much of what is good about government. If there are actual savings, they will go for tax breaks, not toward reducing the debt. Mr. Coon is correct to imply that democracy is fragile, too fragile for us to ignore Trump's destruction. The letter quotes an 18th century Scot who had never lived in a democracy nor even seen one in action, but was commenting on ancient Greece and Rome. Alexander Fraser Tyler believed that the only successful government was monarchy. In that, he would certainly agree with Donald Trump. Nancy Simmons, Winter Haven Voice of the People (April 13, 2025) To Hands Off protesters: Who's paying for all this? Corporate greed in manufactured home parks With the recent housing boom in Florida following the COVID pandemic up until the present time, it appears that stick-built homes and other types of housing developments and apartment complexes are being built everywhere you travel in Florida. So, ask yourself why does it seem that more manufactured home communities are not being built? Looking at the big picture, is it not much better for the large corporate out-of-state park owners to keep the supply low and the demand high, which allows for them to demand usurious rent increases each and every year? Making these out-of-state owners live up to their obligations under FS723 and the promises made by their 'unlicensed' salespeople should not mean that the only option to hold them accountable is taking them to court with lengthy and costly litigation. Further, where do they get the money to hire their attorneys? Answer: From the rent they collect from the retired seniors living in their parks. Where is the fairness in that? Yes, we could stand out by the road with signs saying don't buy a home here, but who really gets hurt but those in the park trying to escape corporate greed. Ray Hendrick, Haines City Voice of the People (April 6, 2025) Seniors in land-lease communities are getting fleeced Metallic foil confetti in public parks I recently organized an Earth Day cleanup at Lake Parker Park and was disheartened to find the area littered with metallic foil confetti. This type of trash is extremely difficult to remove and poses a serious threat to local wildlife — particularly birds like ibis that feed in the park and may easily ingest it. Given its harmful and persistent nature, can the City of Lakeland consider banning metallic foil confetti in our public parks to help protect these shared natural spaces? Kathryn Levassiur, Lakeland Voice of the People (March 30, 2025) Trump team at fault for Signal chat leak, not the journalist The handout to billionaires Right now Republican leaders in Congress are debating a package that would provide $4.5 trillion in tax cuts to large corporations and billionaires -- and they plan to pay for it by cutting essential tools families and businesses need to thrive, like health care, public education, nutrition assistance and child care. This is a crime. Seventy percent of the Republican tax plan benefits go the richest 5% while costs will go up for hardworking families who would feel the impact of budget cuts and tariff hikes the most. This will only raise costs overall, increase grocery bills and hurt our economy. Our leaders should make sure the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share in taxes in order to ensure everyone can go to work, raise kids and contribute to communities. This means advancing a permanent Child Tax Credit, as well as child care, health care, nutrition assistance, care for the aging and people with disabilities, and paid family and medical leave. Our tax contributions aren't just expenses, they're investments in the systems that allow us to thrive. It is obvious that the Republicans have become a party that believes in the dictator, and not the people. Bruce Weaver, Winter Haven Voice of the People (March 23, 2025) Remembering the end of the Vietnam War Reparations for J6 insurrectionists? On April 8, 2025, DOJ prosecutors suggested those Jan. 6 insurrectionists whose convictions were wiped out are also entitled to reparations. Attorney Ed Martin, has stated, 'We should have reparations for them. They should get a big pot of money.' President Trump granted clemency to about 1,500 rioters who were prosecuted or pleaded guilty for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, assaulting police, carrying firearms and destroying property leaving five dead and including 174 police officers injured. Congress gave $38 million to formerly interned Japanese Americans in 1948 and another $1.6 billion in reparations in 1989 after passing the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Reparations allowed Native Americans to build casinos. And the government paid slave owners in D.C. $300 for each slave with the Compensated Emancipation Act on April 16, 1862. No reparations for 250 years of slavery, genocide, rape, murder, lynchings and 350 years of discrimination and Jim Crow. Is a million dollars each to the 1,500 insurrectionists fair? Lamar Sessoms, Lakeland Voice of the People (March 16, 2025) Congressman Scott Franklin explains phone town halls I love the other America I love the America that doesn't deport people to infamous foreign prisons with no due process of law. If they entered the US illegally with no proof that they are legally in the immigration system, by all means deport. The overwhelming majority of the hundreds deported to this torturous, El Salvadoran prison have no criminal convictions or even criminal charges. This is brutality, clear and simple, done in our name with our tax dollars. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever believe we could be capable of this. Look closely … this is not a 'prison' and most if any of these people do not belong here. Yes, 'good Christian nation,' this is what Jesus would do. Danette May, Lakeland Want to contribute? Send letters to the editor to voice@ or Voice of the People, P.O. Box 408, Lakeland, FL, 33802. Submit on the website at or go to click on the menu arrow at the top of the website and click Submit a Letter. Letters must be 200 words or less and meet standards of decency and taste.
USA Today
09-02-2025
- Health
- USA Today
Wanted: Candidates for municipal election
Wanted: Candidates for municipal election | Voice of the People (Feb. 9, 2025) Wanted: Candidates for Davenport Election When the City of Davenport had an 'election' in 2023, no one in my community appeared to have known about it. As a result, the board got to appoint its third commissioner in just five years. Did you know that the majority of our commissioners got onto the board originally by appointment, not by the votes of the people? Mayor Brynn Summerlin was appointed in 2018, Vice Mayor Jeremy Clark was appointed in 2020, and Donna Fellows-Coffey, daughter of local political careerist and former Commissioner Tom Fellows, was appointed in 2023. (In 2023, Summerlin was 'voted' into his mayorship because no one else ran, because nobody knew. Then, due to incumbent advantage, Clark won his last election by about 100 votes in 2024.) In slightly over two months, it will be election day for Davenport. It would be nice if we actually had an election. (You know, with candidates. Plural.) If you live within the city limits, please consider running for office. The democracy of our city of 20,000-plus and, of course, our larger democratic republic need you. Darhlene Zeanwick, Davenport (Editor's note: Qualifying for the Davenport municipal election ends Feb. 14. See when the qualifying periods are for each municipality here.) Voice of the People (Feb. 2, 2025) Not listening to reason on Thompson Nursery Road With state in dental health crisis, why stop fluoridation? Access to affordable oral care is a challenge for many Floridians. In fact, 65 of 67 Florida counties are designated as Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas, affecting more than 7 million Floridians. This means that for many, access to dental care is mainly through visits to the emergency room where they receive antibiotics and pain medicine but no treatment for the underlying cause. Florida hospitals charged almost half a billion dollars in 2021 for the treatment of preventable dental issues. For children, failure to treat dental problems means frequent absences from school or poor performance due to chronic pain. There are also social and emotional consequences such as bullying, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. No wonder some have called the lack of access in our state a 'dental health crisis.' The issue of access to oral health care is vital when contemplating the current fluoride debate. Adding fluoride to the water supply up to the recommended level of 0.7 mg/L helps to level the playing field by mitigating disparities around access to affordable dental care. Let's continue to reduce cavities for all Lakeland residents, especially children and low-income families, by continuing to fluoridate city water. Robert Chapman, Lakeland Voice of the People (Jan. 26, 2024) It's supposed to be 'protect' and serve Jan. 6 pardons undermine justice system and rule of law The Trump 'shock and awe' approach leaves many of us who don't agree with the policies with an overwhelming agenda of what to do next. So many things on which to make our voices heard. News that upsets us today is old news next month – unless we keep fighting it. My priority today is the despicable pardon for the January 6 insurrectionists (Jan. 6 charges dismissed against Jonathan Pollock, Jan. 22.) This man assaulted police officers at the Capitol in defiance of our democratic institutions and the peaceful transfer of power. He is not being held accountable for his crimes. That undermines our rule of law and our system of justice. Why are the Congressmen who feared for their lives at that moment now willing to let Trump reward his violent loyalists with a free pass? Most Americans were infuriated by the events of Jan. 6. The pardons of the perpetrators should be equally infuriating. Katherine Sutherland, Winter Haven Voice of the People (Jan. 19, 2025) What can we expect under Trump's royal reign? Hold Trump accountable for his promises No one likes paying taxes, but the simple truth is there is no free lunch. More than 20% of our federal budget is borrowed money. When our government borrows money, it competes with people like you and me for available funds in the debt market. The higher the demand, the higher the interest rates we will pay to buy a home, car, insurance or use our credit card. Interest paid is money not available for other priorities. Many people are food insecure, often have health issues, some become homeless. It's inflationary, increases our burdens and weakens our team. It's cost shifting. We are the sum of our parts. We want a winning, competitive team, and we are competing against the rest of the world to be a leading industrialized nation. Growing debt handicaps our team and our ability to maintain a healthy, educated lifestyle. President Trump is our new president. He made many promises, people trusted and voted for him, and he is now walking back some of his promises. We should be paying attention, (promise made — promise kept) holding his feet to the fire and asking the question: 'Will we be better off in four years, or have we been played?' Robert Connors, Lakeland Voice of the People (Jan. 12, 2025) Fluoride in water: Lakeland looking for the facts Lessons learned from Trump Anyone who thinks Americans, and the world, have not learned anything from Donald Trump, think again. Most people did not know convicted felons were eligible to be president of the United States. Many never thought a man who was found liable for the defamation and sexual abuse of a woman could win a presidential election. Whoever believed a five-time draft-dodger could become the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces? Most Americans supposed it took years, even decades, to get a case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court; however, Donald Trump proved that the wealthy and powerful have different access to the judicial system than 'regular' Americans. Trump taught all Americans that 'liberty and justice for all' is an American myth. Trump taught us that people will make up reasons to ignore facts to achieve their desired outcome. Trump proved if you repeat lies often enough, and do not deviate an iota from your lies, your lies will become facts for a huge swath of the population that are incapable of critical thinking. So, as America celebrates the re-election of Donald Trump, let us all thank him for the lessons he taught us, our children, the world, and future generations. Michael Schwam, Lakeland Want to contribute? Send letters to the editor to voice@ or Voice of the People, P.O. Box 408, Lakeland, FL, 33802. Submit on the website at or go to click on the menu arrow at the top of the website and click Submit a Letter. Letters must be 200 words or less and meet standards of decency and taste.
USA Today
26-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
It's supposed to be 'protect' and serve
It's supposed to be 'protect' and serve | Voice of the People (Jan. 26, 2024) Show Caption Hide Caption January 6 police officers condemn Donald Trump's pardons Lawmakers and police officers criticized Donald Trump's decision to pardon January 6 defendants. It's supposed to be 'protect' and serve The Ledger's account of a dangerous Florida Highway Patrol car chase in Lakeland [How an FHP chase ended in a serious crash, Jan. 14] is one more example of a troubling Florida trend toward policies leading to death or injury to innocent citizens. A chase last fall by the Plant City Police Department ended with a deadly eight-car crash on Harden Boulevard near Lakeside Village. Whatever happened to the policies prohibiting these senseless and reckless pursuits? Another disturbing policy trend has led to the shooting deaths of disturbed individuals who could have been rendered harmless by means of non-lethal firearms capable of delivering either disabling tear gas or rubber bullets. The Ledger account of the Polk sheriff's sergeant who shot five times a small, 21-year-old new mother who he'd said threatened him with a shovel is a case in point. This isn't an attack on the ethics of the large majority of our law enforcement personnel. From my talks with them, I don't believe most Polk deputies would have shot the woman, even if policies or a superior seemed to encourage it. If we really value life we can and should do better. Randy Wilkinson, Lakeland Voice of the People (Jan. 19, 2025) What can we expect under Trump's royal reign? Until 2028, get over it It amazes me, as I read recent Lakeland Ledger letters, how many folks are still suffering from 'Trump Derangement Syndrome.' Had Harris won, I would have accepted the results. President Trump won a decisive victory and now everyone is still attacking him. I have friends who lean left. My own conservative political posts on social media are minimal. Could I have gloated, yes, but I have seen so many posts from my democratic friends, so many nasty posts, I think to myself go ahead. This is exactly why Democrats lost last time. If these folks continue to use that as their message, i.e. it is all about Trump, you will continue to lose. I listened to Biden's farewell speech on Jan. 15 and his reference to oligarchy. Clooney and Oprah Winfrey are not exactly in the poor house. There is a lot of irony in all of this. So my last words: Get over it. In 2028, we will have an election of new candidates; until then, we have President Trump and JD Vance as our leaders, we are in good shape. David Shumway, Winter Haven Voice of the People (Jan. 12, 2025) Fluoride in water: Lakeland looking for the facts Oil drilling in Gulf: Risk vs. reward As The Ledger has chosen to continue its liberal ways by regularly publishing the ramblings of R. Bruce Anderson, I am compelled to respond with an alternate viewpoint. Anderson's recent objection to the majority's wishes to reduce prices by producing more oil is an excellent reflection of the approach of many liberal leaders. My reading of Anderson's article 'Drill, baby, drill-but not here: Are Republicans about to learn another hard lesson?' [Jan. 12] is that we should ban anything that has the risk of a bad outcome. Wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados and floods are terrible events that result in loss of life and significant economic and ecological harm. Should we ban human activity from areas prone to those catastrophes? How about disasters such as Chernobyl, should all nuclear power plants be banned? The BP Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill was a disaster. Lives were lost and the economic and ecological harm was both immediate and long lasting. Is that disaster sufficient reason to ban all oil drilling near Florida's coast? Are there benefits? True leaders make their decisions based on a risk verses reward evaluation. If we, as Americans, don't agree with their actions, we change leaders. Edward McDonald, Auburndale Voice of the People (Jan. 5, 2024) Burning in Combee area hurts quality of life Musk and America: The Titanic without life rafts I read the report "Musk brings government efficiency push to Capitol Hill" [Dec. 6] and couldn't stop thinking about the Titanic. Musk wants to destroy the "life rafts" that tens of millions of Americans cling to: Social Security, Medicare, VA services, Medicaid, and more. This last election was the final warning to hundreds of millions of Americans and billions around the world that democracy in America is on the brink and the life rafts are missing. True believers love a crusader, especially one who's willing to take up a cause that they can identify with. The extremely wealthy, have been on the lookout for a vehicle to ride to dominance of the American economy and political system. They found it with the advent of television and the Internet. They (the oligarchs) knew that they had a base – white Christian evangelicals. The plan? Energize them with wedge issues: brown-skinned immigrants, abortion, gay rights advocates, women's rights advocates, and the like. The oligarchs bought up television networks and newspapers. They then went to work, particularly during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. They wiped out the Middle Class and achieved their final victory in 2024 with the election of Donald Trump. Richard Sutherland, Lakeland Want to contribute? Send letters to the editor to voice@ or Voice of the People, P.O. Box 408, Lakeland, FL, 33802. Submit on the website at or go to click on the menu arrow at the top of the website and click Submit a Letter. Letters must be 200 words or less and meet standards of decency and taste.
