Where is the blue wave of voters? | Aug. 14

Why I left the Republican Party

I clicked the button. Instantly I was no longer a Republican. I had believed we were experiencing a horrible hiccup in the history of the Grand Old Party. My party had stood for rule of law, fair play and a conservative approach to spending money that our children would have to pay back. I am not naive. Neither party is innocent. Neither party has all the answers. Neither party should govern alone.

I did not leave the Republican Party in response to our president. I clicked that button because my fellow Republicans have not risen to the occasion. Those we sent to Washington sit by and allow our country to sink into hate, division, and corruption. They disregard their responsibility to provide checks and balances.

Our Republican senators and representatives have forgotten a basic truth of democracy — that an elected official must be willing to lose the job in order to do the job.

We have given over control of our votes to sound bites, rumors, and conspiracy theories delivered in the form of posts and tweets. The nation needs us to stand up and defend the republic. We must become a new brand of patriot armed with facts; the ability to listen to different perspectives; and to make independent decisions. We are not blind. We are not gullible and we are not lazy. Let's rebuild an informed, active electorate of critical thinkers who will restore balance to our land and our futures.

When I think about it now, I did not leave my party. My party left me.

M. Kunkel, Land O' Lakes

Politics today

No blind loyalty

Blind loyalty to our president, in my opinion, is one problem with the current discourse in our practice of politics. No human being (politicians, especially) is infallible. The black and white, win-or-lose mentality may be good for partisans, but is it good for democracy and well-being of all our citizens? I think not.

Don Hinderliter, Sun City Center

A new Rays stadium

What a stadium can do

Throughout my working career, I've had the good fortune of witnessing first-hand the positive impacts a new baseball stadium has on the local community. I was a Phoenix resident and watched the first pitch at the Arizona Diamondbacks stadium in 1998. I watched a downtown area blossom with the Astros' new stadium while living in Houston during the early 2000s. Looking at those cities today, it is undeniable how the new ballpark helped transform an area of town that was once an afterthought. The Rays have given us, the citizens of Tampa, an opportunity to build a one-of-a-kind ballpark that connects historic Ybor City to our blossoming downtown. It's our time to step forward and support the Rays and the community leaders working hard to make this happen.

Todd Buchanan, Tampa

Church shrouded decades of abuse | Aug. 15

How many sinners?

"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned." And sometimes the man behind the curtain is not fit to bless anyone. How widespread is this plague, if the hierarchy shuttled problem priests from parish to parish? If Pennsylvania is not enough, what about New Jersey, my childhood home, or the remaining states?

Randy Malone, Weeki Wachee