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Pasco Letters to Editor

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 17, 2007

Updated: 12/16/2007 08:23 pm

Learning Environment

Regarding "Pasco's Black Schools Prepared Students For Life," Imani Asukile, Dec. 8:

Our educational system has evolved immensely throughout the last few decades.

Schools nowadays have shown to differ in many diverse areas throughout. This includes changes in diversity.

From the article it is clearly shown how "black" schools, or African-American-populated schools, were, as stated, "judged by the book's cover." The title and imagery perceived from mostly black schools often brings one to believe negative things, but time and time again, the common belief is proven wrong as great success stories evolve, as shown in the article.

I was born in South Africa, where education isn't a top priority, and raised there. I was too young to attend school before my family made the move to America. I, still to this day, believe that if I had been raised in that educational environment, I would not be anywhere today.

The school system of this country was enough to make my parents pack up and move halfway around the world. It truly shows how education plays a key role in our lives and how important it is to our being.

Therefore, no matter what ethnicity your school is mostly populated with, a common learning environment should be available nationwide and teach students all over to be prepared.

TYRELL GLASS

Tampa

Losing Patience

It seems that emergency room doctors and their billing companies' prime directive is no longer patient care but to put the patient between a rock and hard place when it comes to the bill.

Ever since East Pasco Emergency Consultants took over the billing for ER doctors at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, we have had problems with every bill for every visit. If you call them to try to resolve the issue, they will put the onus back on the patient to contact the insurance company, as they refuse to make a phone call on the patient's behalf. Every time I call them, at some point I am treated in a rude and unprofessional manner.

Going to the emergency room is never a pleasant experience, and, unfortunately, between my wife and me, we have had to make several visits over the past year or so. It is a shame that it is made more unpleasant by wondering what will be wrong with the bill and knowing I will have a fight on my hands to get it resolved.

I would expect better from an organization whose goal should be to help people, but that apparently is not the goal of East Pasco Emergency Consultants.

JAMES D. RUSS

Zephyrhills

In Defense Of Guns

Regarding "Guns Can Backfire," Letters, Dec. 10:

A retired police officer, Gretchen Taute, is so misinformed and biased about age it is appalling.

People of all ages, genders and races successfully use firearms to defend themselves, their property and others all the time. I could send her thousands of news accounts of "elderly" persons who have done this. Not long ago, even a very elderly "Miss America" did it.

I was a deputy sheriff and a state trooper, and I do not personally know of any instance where a firearm was taken from a person, although I have read accounts of it happening.

Taute makes her letter sound like that just because someone may be up in years, they should not be trusted to use a firearm to defend their self. Do we take away constitutional rights just because of age?

And the robbery victim, Donald Golden, could have been successful in defending himself with his firearm. I, for one, want the option to be able to use a weapon against these predators.

I think it is absolutely despicable for anyone, much less a retired police officer, to categorize anyone because of age, race or gender not capable of using a firearm to defend one's self. I am certainly glad Gretchen is retired.

KEN SNOW

New Port Richey

Let's Fight Crime

Crime has exploded in Pasco, up 15 to 20 percent, and most of it is taking place along the U.S. 19 corridor. The first thing I would encourage people to do is check out the crime stats at www.fdle.state.fl.us/FSAC/UCR/2006/Counties/Pasco0....

Our population also is up 4 percent, and murder is up 87 percent! Overall, crime is up again for 2007 at a rate several times higher than the population increase. Look at the figures for burglary and theft.

Pasco residents need to get proactive on this issue right away. Otherwise, our area will continue to get more dangerous, and our property values will decrease due to our communities being labeled a high-crime area.

What can we do? Well, there are many things we can be doing, in my opinion.

Voice your concerns to politicians, police departments, the sheriff's office and local governments. Send letters to these agencies, and call them, too. Just look at what we are paying in taxes and what we are paying to live here. There is no excuse for crime going up at a rate of three to four times the population increase.

We should demand that law enforcement address this and reduce crime per capita in Pasco. Unlike Pasco, most of the country, and even many areas of Florida, have lower crime rates than in the past.

J. HOLLYWOOD

New Port Richey

Street Wise

Last year around this time, you had an article about a celebration on Cochrane Street in Dade City. You must have gotten the spelling from incorrect street signs up at the time, because you spelled the name of the street the same incorrect way.

Because a storm had damaged the original signs, they were replaced - unfortunately, with signs that misspelled the name as "Cochran Street." The official name of the street never changed from "Cochrane Street." After I called attention to the error, the city replaced the signs again, this time with the correct spelling.

The street is named for Stanley Cochrane, whose son still lives in Dade City. There never has been any doubt abut how the family spells its surname.

I can understand why you made the initial error, but I don't understand why you still have not printed a correction even though I pointed it out to you within a day or two and again later, and now a third time.

NORMAN CAREY

Dade City

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