Immigrants get the job done
As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation with abundance and joy, and honor those who sacrificed for our country, we should also remember the people whose labor quietly sustains that abundance every day. Florida’s economy depends on immigrant families and farmworkers, yet their living and working conditions often fall far below what any of us would consider acceptable.
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These workers harvest our food, tend our nurseries, and support industries that keep the state thriving. Still, many labor for long hours in extreme heat without shade, without reliable access to clean water, and without the basic protections most Floridians take for granted.
Many came here legally, seeking a chance to rebuild their lives. They contribute to Florida’s prosperity yet remain among the least protected. Their work is essential, but their safety is treated as optional.
Improving conditions for immigrant workers is not a partisan issue. It is a matter of basic human dignity. Fair wages, safe housing, shade and water in the fields, and reasonable workplace protections should be the floor, not the ceiling. Florida can do better. And when we honor the humanity of immigrant workers, we strengthen the entire state.
As we mark this historic anniversary, I urge readers and policymakers to look closely, listen carefully, and act with compassion. The promise of our nation rests not only in its past sacrifices, but in how we care for the people who sustain us today.
— Clint Buczkowski, Lake Mary
Recovering from TPS change
Central Florida hospitality employers said last week they’re worried about staffing after the U.S. Supreme Court stripped protection status from Haitian and Syrian immigrants.
But with his current refugee policy, President Trump has already provided the solution. Just backfill vacancies with white South Africans. Problem solved.
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— Walter Kelly, Casselberry
SAVE Act isn’t worth saving
A letter-writer asks, “How many illegal votes are OK?” and states that “Democrats want to have as many votes as possible who are dependent … on government handouts, which I believe is the case for the large majority of undocumented immigrants.” (“Pass voter ID and let legal voters vote,” July 3). In my view, the writer has fallen victim to a concerted effort to misinform.
Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for most benefits. What he also fails to mention is that the SAVE Act will seemingly make it much more difficult for many long-standing citizens of the United States by birth to obtain the necessary documentation to prove their identities when complying with the Act. How many women, through no fault of their own, will have to jump through often unnavigable steps to prove their identities because they remarried and now have a legal name different than that at their birth? I believe the SAVE Act is more a voter suppression tool than it is a voter integrity tool. Because the fact remains that voter fraud is “miniscule” and the Act is fixing a problem that does not exist.
— Doug Quara, Mount Dora
Pick Supreme Court justices at random
There would seem to be an easy way to reform how America can achieve a more ideologically balanced Supreme Court. First, a 10-year term limit. Second, when a vacancy comes open, put the names of every judge who has served on one of the District Courts of Appeal for at least 10 years into a hat. Draw one name out. That judge is elevated to the Supreme Court for a term of no more than 10 years.
No politics, no congressional hearings. Randomly selected, highly experienced new justices.
— John Bowers, Orlando
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