Sound Off

Sound Off: May 4, 2026

By Sun Herald

May 4, 2026 3:00 AM

A view of deserted Spirit Airlines counters after the ceasing of its global operations at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after the airline shut down. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com

Sun Herald readers weigh in on local and national topics.

No Spirit

Spirit Airlines just shut down, citing the sky-high cost of jet fuel, among other things, like the government not bailing it out. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wasted no time enlightening us -- it was all Joe Biden’s fault. Give it up, already. Nobody believes this attempt to shift the blame off of where it belongs, squarely on the back of Donald J. Trump’s non-war that he now says is “terminated” in a bid to skirt the 60-day deadline law. Most of us are not as stupid as they assume we are.

Capitalism

So Spirit Airlines is gone. It’s not the first airline to fail, and it likely won’t be the last. That’s how it goes in business.

Good riddance

I had the misfortune of flying Spirit Airlines one time. I won’t lose any sleep over its demise.

Stranded passengers

Maybe all the airlines that the government bailed out should be forced to help any stranded Spirit passengers get home.

Waste not, want not

Many people, it seems are not particularly bothered by the high gasoline prices. How do I know? Because automobiles idling in drive-through lines are no less numerous than they were when gas was under three dollars a gallon.

Betting platforms

People betting on Polymarket and other betting platforms would be wise to avoid betting there. A soldier in the know wins $400K by betting on Maduro’s takedown. Insider trading on government military and oil policy moves seems likely. Unless you’re cheating, you’re probably betting against people betting on a sure thing. The odds are against you.

Makokas brothers

The Makokas brothers were nothing like the “worst of the worst” that our President said he wanted to deport. They were exemplary students taken away in zip-tie handcuffs while waiting for their school bus because of a change in school attendance that violated their F-1 visa. They were sent to different detention centers in Louisiana and Texas. They were returned only through the efforts of the school, the town mayor, public support, and the intervention of two USA senators. This is a rare good ending to what is happening throughout the country. As a country, we should “be best” about what these deportations are doing to good people, as the First Lady has requested.

Send your Sound Offs to soundoff@sunherald.com.