Sound Off: November 16, 2025
Sun Herald readers weigh in on local and national topics.
Dysfunctional Congress
I want to bring to your attention an issue that I find quite perplexing and concerning. It appears that Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) is currently blocking the nomination of four federal judges in Mississippi. The reason behind this blockade is that Senator Wicker (R-MS), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, refuses to support legislation that would grant federal recognition to an Indigenous tribe in North Carolina. I am curious as to why the Armed Services Committee is involved with legislation pertaining to Indigenous tribes. From what I understand, this is due to the fact that the Indigenous tribe issue was attached to a defense appropriation bill, which seems to be a clear indicator of the dysfunction within our government. The practice of tacking unrelated issues onto critical bills is certainly a contributing factor to Congress’s ineffectiveness. Both the recognition of the Indigenous tribe and the approval of the federal judges in Mississippi seem to be important issues with their own merits. In light of this, wouldn’t it be more practical and efficient to introduce these issues separately and proceed accordingly, rather than allowing them to be impeded by unrelated matters?
California CDLs
California is set to revoke 17,000 commercial drivers licenses given to illegal immigrants. A lot of big rigs on the road that should have never been. This is criminal, and Gov. Newsom owns it.
Welcome back
The government is working again and all of a sudden, it’s all-Epstein-all-the-time. No wonder the Republicans wanted no part of bringing the government back.
Food for thought
When is enough, enough? Consider Jane Goodall’s foreword for the book “Generation Restoration”. We must change our measure of success to character wealth rather than material wealth. Religions prioritize character over money and warn of things like the “Golden Idol.” Respect for overconsumption, such as multiple mansions, private planes, and 300-foot yachts, should be recognized as the excesses they are.
Truth?
President Trump wants to hire foreign immigrants to do certain jobs because the U.S. does not have enough talented skilled workers. I guess it’s not that easy to replace all those fired DEI workers.
America First?
$40 billion for Argentina, 600,000 Chinese students and a whole bunch of folks entering on H-1B visas. This is your America First?
They’re trying
Pam Bondi and Kash Patel sure are trying hard to deny, deflect and divert everyone’s attention from anything related to Jeffrey Epstein. Gee, can’t imagine why that would be.
Like a movie
You know in the movies where the hero has to lay down his weapon, so the bad guy won’t shoot the victim? That’s why the heroes (the Democrats) ended the shutdown; not because they weren’t right in what they sought to do (they were). It was because the bad guys were going to starve 42 million of their fellow citizens to death before even talking about the health care subsidies. It’s hard to fathom a more irresponsible and iniquitous action.
Fix healthcare
To continue subsidies for the ACA is just ludicrous. How will America ever get spending under control by holding the entire country hostage.
Nice work, Democrats
The next time Democrats demand something, the Republicans should know that all they have to do is wait them out. It might be painful, but they’ll crack.
Green energy
Fossil fuels are not the future. Green energy is working all around the world. We are being scammed by Republicans. President Trump and other powerful people are making record profits investing in fossil fuels. They are not about to allow the U.S. to convert to green energy and lose their money.
Wake up, Gulfport
I don’t know why Gulfport doesn’t hype boating to attract tourism. Jones Park is used mostly by boat owners but does not attract tourists. We need more excursions, boat rentals, and events. Also, a fresh seafood market would attract a lot of visitors.
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