Card editor’s note: If ever there was an A Topic, it’s Gov. Ron DeSantis’s war against The Disney Co., the state’s largest employer and a major driver in the state’s leading industry, tourism. The story has dominated the Florida news cycles and the letters section of The Palm Beach Post. Here is a sample of what our readers had to say:
Remuneration in record time
I am so amazed that our elected representatives did not have time during the regular session of the Florida Legislature to do something about child care, food insecurity, affordable housing, or a living wage. Yet they had time to ban books, micromanage universities, and go after Disney when Disney ran afoul of the governor. Better watch out for Republicans. You may face the mouse that roared.
annette jackson, delray beach
Plus:What is special about this special session?
Disney crossed the line
Disney CEO Robert Chapek’s recent action is a textbook example of a CEO overplaying his hand and shooting himself in the foot. It is likely to become one of the catastrophic mistakes in American business history. Disney’s share price is now down almost 30% in the past few months. CEO Chapek has become to Disney shareholders what General George Custer was to the 7th Cavalry by neglecting a basic rule of effective leadership: never forget who you are.
Gerald Farmer, Ocean Ridge
Punishment could backfire in Florida
Governor Ron DeSantis thinks he’s smart to cancel Disney’s tax status. If they eventually decide to leave Florida and recreate their business in a more hospitable state, which they have the means to do, by quietly accumulating the required land and then saying goodbye to Florida, people should be alarmed enough to get DeSantis out of his position.
Saul P. Heller, Peabody, Massachusetts.
Strange retribution against the “Mouse”
I have been a resident of this state for almost 50 years and I thought I had seen it all. I’ve seen crazy legislative action in my time, but never anything like the recent “special session” of the Florida Legislature. Initially, the session was called for redistricting, quite a controversial issue as our Governor vetoed both maps of Congress written by the Florida Senate and House and contrary to the Florida Constitution.
Gov. DeSantis then called for an even stranger law over what many say is the bigoted “Don’t Say Gay” law that DeSantis championed and The Disney Co. opposed. This radical new law, reversing 50 years of Disney controlling its own property, certainly should have been the subject of debate. This hastily announced law was solely payback for Disney’s opposition to DeSantis. He made our state look like a two year old throwing a tantrum. Personally, I am ashamed of the way our governor and the Legislative Assembly acted. I would like them to act like responsible adults and not like spoiled children.
Jim Eisenberg, Palm Beach Gardens
FOR SUBSCRIBERS:With national attention, Sunshine State becomes Don’t Say Gay State
Coverage of Disney vs. desantis skewed
Your front page story ‘Disney vs. DeSantis’ it is biased and unprofessional. The special arrangements made for Disney were a good program that has been beneficial to all parties. Typically, such incentives are offered to companies for defined periods to help defray development costs. It’s not in Florida’s best interest to have special arrangements go on forever.
The role of the Disney Board of Directors is to administer company policy in the best interest of shareholders and customers. It is a for-profit business, not a political action entity. Unfortunately, Disney has entered into a fringe awakening policy that has run afoul of state law, many customers, and shareholders. Clearly a no-win situation.
The Post story is written as a conflict between Disney and DeSantis and not a complete review of all independent districts created before 1968. A professional newspaper would approach each story objectively with all sides equally informed.
Charles Lyday, Boca Raton
Disney: The once-loved theme park also ‘woke up’
Once again, another example of Republican hypocrisy. First, they give corporations a voice in the political process through “Citizens United.” Now, they stifle that voice when it differs from Republican views, as happened with the Disney corporation, stripping it of the special status it enjoyed for more than 50 years. This measure will cost the taxpayers of Orange and Osceola. I wonder if Governor DeSantis realizes that he ruined his own children’s childhood memories. Others have been banned from Disney properties for less.
I didn’t know Mickey and his friends were Democrats until Gov. DeSantis’s campaign pointed it out. It is logical. Mickey and Minnie have a common law marriage. Donald Duck is a near-nudist with no pants. Daisy Duck and Minnie have feminist attitudes and Tinker Bell has been an icon of the LGBT community for years. Tiana and Pocahontas speak for the Black and Native American communities, while Mulan, Elsa, Anna, Stich, Olaf, Jasmine and Aladdin symbolize the democratic acceptance of immigrants. Only Dumbo seems to be in the Republican camp, and I think he wants to use his big ears to run away from the Republican circus.
Karen Zaremba, Lantana
Related comment:Florida remains the petri dish of right-wing politics | Editorial
Disney needs to rethink Republican support
Unlike numerous much-needed public reforms, it took the governor and his Republican lawmakers a day to repeal a law that allowed Walt Disney World to run private governance over its properties. It was to punish Disney for not going along with its draconian “Don’t Say Gay” law. With this spiteful legislation taking effect in 2023, perhaps Disney should publicly donate all the funds it usually gives to Republican candidates to Democrats for the midterm elections.
It is very clear that Republicans do not legislate for the majority of working and middle class citizens. Democrats do, and they would be jubilant to overturn that horrible law and allow Disney to continue to be Florida’s largest employer and contribute billions of dollars in revenue to Florida’s coffers. It’s easier than moving to another decent state.
jude smallwood, royal palm beach
Disney a beachfront in political war
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has once again shown that the Republican Party of this era does not seek to expand rights, but rather to diminish them. His war against The Disney Co. for defying the governor’s disgusting “Don’t Say Gay” bill manifests itself in an attempt to fight back by ending Disney’s designation as an entity allowed to run a private government .
The GOP that tells us it seeks to get government out of the way is now looking to get it in the way: using the law to diminish voting rights, civil rights, labor rights, and early abortion rights. Republicans are leading the way in promoting legislation to ban transgender people from participating in women’s sports rather than leave that decision up to local officials. More outrageous are his efforts to make voting more restrictive and difficult and to prevent those he deems undesirable from casting their ballots.
This is the Republican Party that is expected to win in the upcoming elections. We must be careful what we wish for.
Oren Spiegler, Peters Township, Pennsylvania.
Reference-www.palmbeachpost.com