Broward wisely has a health care tax proposal on the books

Kudos to Broward Mayor Nan Rich and County Commissioner Michael Udine for putting the kibosh on the 0.25% sales tax ballot to provide cardiac CT screenings.

Less praise, but kudos nonetheless to Commissioner Mark Bogen for removing the agenda item after County Auditor Bob Melton’s findings raised serious concerns about the program. (Rich requested the audit.) What most Broward residents don’t know is that the county previously set aside $10 million for this pilot project, with questionable benefits to the actual health of Broward residents.

In fact, as of March 31, 2024, 1,736 tests have been completed as part of the pilot, and the province has spent more than $2.5 million in public money. Of that, only $624,400 was used for the actual cardiac testing. Other expenses include $926,525 for contract administration costs, $610,548 for marketing and $345,000 for a consultant physician.

Let’s also not forget that Broward County voters approved a 30-year, one-cent sales tax increase in November 2018 to increase mobility and address challenges in the county’s transportation system. This reader sees no improvement whatsoever in our traffic congestion, further synchronizing our traffic lights, or implementing 21st century public transportation needs. Perhaps the county auditor can uncover how the roughly half a billion (yes, with a B) dollars generated per year in tax revenue has been spent.

Howard A. Tescher, Fort Lauderdale

Pro-Putin rants in DC

Once again, Governor Ron DeSantis appears to have missed the memo from his MAGA allies.

As he signed a bill requiring Florida students to be educated on the evils of communism, U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, aka Moscow Marge, and several of her peers strongly espoused their support for Vladimir Putin and echoed his propaganda points and misinformation in the House of Representatives to prevent U.S. support for Ukraine.

Presumably, students in Florida will be confused to learn that Russia was the birthplace of communism and its attendant evils, while at the same time being urged to support Putin’s plan to violently re-establish a coalition of countries reflecting the former Soviet Union.

Jerry Barkan, Pompano Beach

The fight against Alzheimer’s

As a caregiver for my wife Lisa, one of the estimated 48,000 Broward County residents living with Alzheimer’s disease, it is clear that we must do more for those affected.

I recently visited the offices of U.S. Representatives Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Washington, DC as a member of our local Alzheimer’s Association AIM Advocacy delegation. We asked for their support in signing important legislation that will help fund America’s response to this growing health care crisis.

The BOLD Reauthorization Act will continue to fund and strengthen the nation’s dementia public health infrastructure to provide education about early detection, diagnosis, and newly available treatments for this debilitating disease.

The AADAPT Act will help educate and empower primary care providers to provide better diagnoses and treatment options.

If we want to create positive change in South Florida, our representatives must support legislation that will truly impact the lives of Floridians.

John Strader, Hollywood

Mr. Congeniality

A recent letter to the editor from Marvin Hofberg praising Donald Trump (“Trump has done a great job”) was pure comic relief. Apart from ridiculous statements about a booming economy, he praised his idol for his likability (remember ‘Lock her up’ and ‘suckers and losers’?); charitable activities (ordered to pay $2 million in fines for misuse of charitable funds in New York); and thoughtful humanity (affairs with a Playboy model and a porn star). I wonder if Mr. Hofberg is doing a local stand-up comedy act. I can always use a good laugh.

Bob Chaban, Boynton Beach