Jacksonville’s taxpaying boaters will find harsh new rules at the Metropolitan Park Marina. Upon its Aug. 12 reopening, the now commercial "Met Park” Marina website lists rates: $5 per hour dockage for a maximum of four hours and $2.75 to $4 per foot (per night) after four hours.
So, if you’re a boater who has been looking forward to taking your family to enjoy an afternoon again at Metropolitan Park, be prepared now to spend at least $20 to enjoy the same shade, picnic areas and facilities. Fixed docks, awkward for small boats and subject to wakes from passing tugboats, remain under the old rules (no dockage fees except for major events).
The new floating docks are essentially the same construction and configuration as the old ones. The main
differences are linear slips on Dock A, and the original fixed pier has been removed in favor of a single, wider floating dock. It’s still considered to have 78 slips total, as before.
The main pilings are now round and the fender system is the same as before, with the new addition of fueling and wastewater pump-outs at each slip.
What benefits do taxpayers get now for our $13.5 million overhaul (versus maybe $700,000 to upgrade the old slips)? There are air-conditioned restrooms for paying boaters and three new, upscale restaurants in the Four Seasons complex.
Personally, I feel cheated. I looked forward to the Metropolitan Park Marina’s return; I always loved just hanging out with other boaters on the docks. If I really wanted those other options, I’d go to Port 32 in Ortega, with individual pump-outs, over 80 great, walkable dining options. Plus, they have a nice pool and hot tub.
It’s obvious Met Park isn’t really built for us Jacksonville riff-raff, but to impress the out-of-towners. Why can’t the mayor’s office and City Council be proud of the Jacksonville we have, instead of trying to impress everyone else?
We’ve already paid for it twice; just let us enjoy it.
J. H. (Jerry) Tabbott, Jacksonville
Taxes, spending cut but debt keeps soaring
Programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security — alongside defense spending and soaring net interest — consume nearly three-quarters of the federal budget.
Here are the inconvenient truths that those holding political office won’t say out loud, as it does not win votes.
- Supply side economists have advised Congress to cut taxes and spending for decades, as it will supposedly stimulate the economy while lowering the deficit and debt. I am not an economist, but it seems this is not working out very well.
- Old people, like me, are largely responsible for 46% of the deficit. There is little chance of fixing the deficit problem without some cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. People who don’t support some cuts are wrong, just as people voting against any tax increase are wrong. We certainly cannot afford Medicare for All unless tax increases are put forward to pay for the additional costs without expanding the deficit and debt.
- We can’t afford wars and foreign interventions without more taxation, since the debt is too large now. However, someone says, “they have weapons of mass destruction,” which sounds like what once was said of Iraq in the early 2000s, and a few people get rich off wars. Let’s make them pay the price of the war and enlist their sons and daughters in military service, instead of having it fall mostly on the backs of the poor and middle class.
- Having to pay interest on the debt is the dumbest of all. We are at a stage where the debt is 100% of GDP; this likely will create a “debt death spiral” as investor Ray Dalio has pointed out recently. Pay attention to financial experts like Dalio and others voicing similar concerns about our national finances.
Finally, who will pay this off? Not us, but our children and their children, ad infinitum.
James Garner, Jacksonville
Early screening for amblyopia matters
Amblyopia, commonly known as "lazy eye," is one of the leading causes of vision impairment in children. It occurs when one eye does not develop normal vision during early childhood, causing the brain to favor the stronger eye. The condition can stem from several causes, including muscle imbalances in the eyes, differences in prescription for each eye or other developmental issues.
The challenge with amblyopia is that it often develops quietly. Children rarely complain because they may not realize anything is wrong. They assume everyone sees the world the way they do. As a result, a child may struggle to read, have difficulty concentrating or even fall behind in school without anyone suspecting an underlying vision problem.
This is why early screening matters so much. Vision is deeply connected to learning. Research consistently shows that children rely heavily on their eyesight for reading, writing and classroom engagement, in addition to learning about the environment around them.
When vision problems go undetected, children may be mislabeled as inattentive or poor learners when, in reality, they simply cannot see clearly enough to succeed.
The encouraging news is that amblyopia is highly treatable, especially when it is detected early. Treatment may include corrective glasses, patching the stronger eye or using medicated eye drops to encourage the weaker eye to develop properly.
These interventions are often simple, but their impact can be profound. The earlier treatment begins, the better the chances of achieving lasting improvements in vision.
With children back in class this fall, let's make sure they are equipped not only with the tools to thrive, but also with the vision to succeed.
Laura B. Sims, M.D., is a Jacksonville ophthalmologist and chair of the For Eye Care Foundation, the charitable arm of the Florida Society of Ophthalmology.
USS Lincoln situation unacceptable
Having served on the USS Ticonderoga twice in Vietnam, I cannot believe the Trump administration's attitude towards the USS Lincoln deployment.
Vietnam was an actual war, and carriers were at sea for 40 to 45 days at most, and then we would get a port call. When the USS Pueblo was seized by North Korea, we went straight from Vietnam to North Korea, but still only spent 50 days at sea.
This long-term deployment with no port calls creates wear and tear on all crew. They are working 12- to 14-hour days seven days a week; a break is needed at some point. I can't imagine being on a carrier with 5,000 to 6,000 crew for that long. Our service members need to be treated a lot better.
Since our president has no experience in the military, he must be held accountable for what is being done to crew and their families. This also applies to the Secretary of Defense, Florida's two senators and our representatives, all of whom say or do nothing about it.
November seems like a good opportunity to make some of those changes.
Bob Henning, retired, Jacksonville
Rapid rise (and threat) of AI
Researchers are developing artificial intelligence (AI) systems with the ability to gather and process information a hundred times faster than humans. Increasingly these systems are finding ways to think independently of human input.
Many researchers are beginning to sound the alarm warning about the potential negative impact these systems could have on society when fully developed. In a recent project, experimental micro-networks emerged where thousands of autonomous personal AI agents congregated on a private network to post, comment and debate "existence" without direct human text prompting.
Society is pressing headlong in developing systems that are smarter than humans and which they eventually may not be able to control — a system that may decide that humans are a threat to their existence.
Ironically, we can’t turn back because we don’t trust our adversaries to cease such research. Therefore, we forge ahead, developing that which could mean our demise.
William White, Jacksonville
Air Force One stunt speaks volumes
To avoid a recent threat, President Donald Trump snuck off Air Force One in a catering truck, boarded another plane and flew home. His staff and members of the media continued on Air Force One, even though the threat still existed.
First, most of the passengers were apparently unaware of the threat. Seems like they should have been notified and given a choice.
Second, this story illustrates a serious lack of compassion by the president. He did not seem to care that his people on Air Force One may have been in danger. All that seemed to matter was that he got home safe (I guess he had a tee time or something else important).
Third, I give props to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. They knew of the threat and still rode on Air Force One with everyone else.
Scott Schleifer, Jacksonville
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: New Met Park not really for Jacksonville residents | Letters
