As a Canadian American of many years, I thank Keith Christensen of Fort Lauderdale for his letter to the editor about the friendship between our two countries.

The president keeps saying that Canada takes advantage of the U.S.

Is he aware that there are about 40 million people in Canada compared to about 340 million in the U.S.? Does he think Canadians will spend as much money as Americans who live here?

There is no unfair trade between the two nations. When I came here in 1980, I was overwhelmed with admiration for what this country had to offer. Now, I’m overwhelmed by disappointment.

Nicole Bourassa, Boca Raton

Opportunities for success

A new Florida law that took effect on July 1 is a game-changer for young adults aging out of foster care or experiencing homelessness. The Young Adult Housing Support bill (SB 584) provides vital housing support and a lifeline to some of the most vulnerable youth in our state.

For too long, youth leaving foster care and those experiencing homelessness faced overwhelming barriers to stability — trauma, lack of family support and few housing options.

Florida will now prioritize these young adults for campus housing and work-study programs while expanding access to Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) vouchers statewide, and helping more adults qualify for apartment leases. It also mandates a study to recommend steps to reduce housing barriers.

This law is the direct result of the advocacy of Florida Youth SHINE, a youth-led statewide advocacy organization based in Coral Springs for those who are, or were, in the child welfare system. They identified housing instability as a top issue, and their leadership turned concern into action. Thank you to Sen. Ileana Garcia, Rep. Alex Rizo and Rep. Marie Woodson for this life-changing bill.

We all benefit when young adults have a fair shot at success. By investing in their stability, we not only prevent homelessness but strengthen Florida’s workforce, schools and communities.

Geori Seldine, Boca Raton

The writer is executive director of Florida’s Children First.

A misleading message

I received an email from the Social Security Administration celebrating passage of “historic tax relief for seniors” in the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” As a senior, I found this misleading and deeply concerning.

The bill offers modest tax benefits to older Americans. These superficial gains come at a huge hidden cost to the long-term health and financial security of the very seniors it claims to help.

This legislation will trigger automatic cuts to Medicare totaling $500 billion over eight years. For seniors, these cuts mean higher premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, amounting to thousands of dollars annually for many.

Worse still, the bill cuts $1 trillion from Medicaid, threatening long-term care for more than a million low-income seniors who rely on both Medicare and Medicaid. These dual-eligibles stand to lose critical services, forcing many to pay 20% or more of their modest incomes to keep coverage.

The bill’s permanent tax cuts would severely undermine the solvency of both the Social Security and Medicare trust funds, likely triggering benefit reductions of up to 19% as soon as 2033.

We deserve policies to protect our health and retirement — not spin that masks devastating cuts. Seniors should not have to sacrifice stability for tax breaks that overwhelmingly favor the wealthy.

Bob McColgan, Lantana

A disappearing democracy

Does anyone see this cruel irony?

As we celebrated the birth of democracy, we felt it slip through our fingers at the hands of a corrupt, despicable despot — the very thing we were warned against by the creators of our Constitution.

Today’s Republican Party is a bunch of weak, spineless cowards who cower in obedient terror at Trump’s feet.

Our forefathers must be turning over in their graves at what we’ve become. Shame.

Linda Ribner, Lauderhill