Views from readers: Airline fees + trash woes + electric cars
Fix the trash problem
I’m writing this letter because I’m a longtime resident of Gulfport.
I’ve been here since I was 7 years old and here lately Gulfport and the surrounding area is looking kind of rough.
There’s garbage everywhere. Everything’s overgrown. It looks like people just don’t care. It looks like the city doesn’t care.
I don’t know if this will make any difference at all, but that’s just my opinion.
Me and my family do our part to make it look as beautiful as possible. But I don’t think other people do.
Sherry Reinike
Gulfport
Stop the fees
I urge Gov. Tate Reeves, Sen. Philip Moran and Rep. Jay McKnight to support a bill to rescind the hybrid and electric vehicle annual registration fee.
This fee penalizes owners of these cars for trying to reduce their energy use and costs. These fees wipe out any potential savings one might see from driving these vehicles.
I realize the reasoning for these fees are to help pay for road maintenance, but the amount the state receives from the fees is so small that their effect on the roads is inconsequential. There are other ways to raise additional funding for roads without placing punitive taxes on owners of these types of cars.
Additionally, if my elected officials did the math, they will see that these hybrid/EV fees are more than what gas owners pay for similar vehicles. It’s bad for Mississippi residents all around. We should be incentivizing the purchase of these types of vehicles.
Paul Lemieux III
Diamondhead
Lacking proper wages
Our disabled veterans are grossly undercompensated. This travesty of justice is causing enlistments to dry up, creating danger.
In fiscal year 2023, a totally disabled veteran with no dependents is compensated at the ridiculous yearly rate of $43,463.40.
The national average wage index for 2021 was $60,575.07 per year and the median income for 2021 was $70,784. The per capita GDP in 2021 was $69,288, among the highest in the world. They have been asking various administrations and Congresses for fair compensation since the end of WWI in November 1918.
In my opinion, the basic reason for their gross undercompensation situation is because they are only compensated for projected loss of wages due to their disabilities. They are not compensated for their low quality of life, which is the norm now in personal injury cases in court. This is done to keep taxation low for the wealthy elites.
This is obvious to our young people. They are not interested in accepting the possibility of a lifetime of near poverty should they get injured in the armed forces for the sole reason of allowing our wealthy elites to evade proper and fair taxation.
Our youth are aware that the people that had their assets and overseas business interests protected the most by our now broken former troops pay essentially nothing to support them in their brokenness.
Be warned. Congress must correct this injustice now.
Athena Jackson
Pascagoula
Too many fees
Thinking about purchasing a $49 fare on Allegiant Air to Orlando?
You’ll also be charged an additional $49 for a carry on bag, not to mention an outrageous fee for a suitcase.
Once you clear that hurdle, you’ll be charged anywhere between $5-$35 per seat on the plane.
In other words, you’ll be nickeled and dimed to death.
The airline also arrives at an airport outside Orlando, so transportation to the city will be expensive.
We weighed our options and have decided to drive to Orlando.
Harry Tyler Kleinman
Biloxi