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Border questions

Here he goes to save the day! Sheriff Woods is going to the border.

Other than collecting some political bonafides with photo-ops, what in the world does he think he can do, and how will this be important to Marion County?

The border problem has been a mess for the last three presidential administrations, and his presence is unlikely to make a difference.

Before retiring, I made requests to a board with three questions: How much will this cost? How will this be funded? How will it benefit our corporation? Commissioner Gold is right to question this plan, especially since valuable resources are needed here. Please get answers to these questions and share them with this newspaper.

JoAnne Willits, Ocala

It seems that, based on a recent column by DavidWhitley, it would be best if he stuck to only covering sports and not making social commentary. His inability to grasp the nuance of athletes protesting against unequal treatment is the reason I offer this suggestion.

Just because someone doesn't salute or honor the flag doesn't mean they hate America. This may be too complicated for Whitley to understand, but as an example do you think it is possible to love your wife but dislike some of her traits? It doesn't mean you hate her. The athletes aren't stating that they hate America; they are stating that they hate the inequality and racism that exists in this country. I would venture to speculate that most people thinking and feeling people feel the same way.

I don't hate this country, but there are traits the country has that I hate.

Ron Williams, On Top of the World

On July 2 the Star-Banner published Everybodys country from a gentleman who has a misunderstanding of the difference between socialism and capitalism. I am aware that you are endeavoring to print a mix of opinions, whether the opinions are informed or misguided, in order to allow us all a voice. Hooray for the First Amendment!

However, you followed his letter by repeating, highlighting and amplifying the worst of his misinformed manipulative statements, which I refuse to repeat here, about socialism teaching the zero sum game of people wanting what we have and emptying our treasury by giving free stuff to them. Even the most white-washed history lessons in public school teach better information than that. Only propaganda has twisted the myth of Reagans Welfare Queen to keep the biggest corporations in a corporate welfare state of lowered taxes and the unwillingness to pay their fair share of support to their workers and the infrastructure that lines their officers pockets with millions of dollars while their workers are living in their cars! Corporate greed and lobbyists buying corrupt legislators are raping our citizens!

Fact: Most developed countries, including the U.S., employ a mixture of socialist and capitalist programs. Thats how we have the freedom of a capitalist system balanced with the restraint of some socialist programs including Social Security, Medicare, interstate highways, police and fire departments, public schools and public libraries. These and other tax-funded governmental programs are designed to support the common good of our citizens, not oppress anyone or make us entitlement-crazed.

When you clean out the far-right insurrectionists from the Capitol and replace them with real conservatives, you will see a return to bipartisan leadership that will serve the common good with laws that support both entrepreneurial spirit and the reasonable protection of American families and individuals.

Jill Carel, Ocala

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Today's letters: Readers comment on the border, a sports columnist and socialism - Ocala