TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Letters To The Editor

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 28, 2007

Kudos To All Involved

Regarding "Affordable Housing In Works (Metro, Dec. 25):

Thanks for the Christmas good-news update on the Sanctuary at Waters low-cost housing being built by a partnership of the City of Tampa and Metropolitan Ministries on land donated by the United Methodist Church in Sulfur Springs. The Tribune has run regular articles describing a growing homeless population, with few indications of solutions. However, this development is a ray of hope for reducing or averting homelessness for working poor families and those on disability or fixed income.

Fortunately, there are some rays of hope like this and the San Jose Mission low-cost housing in Dover provided by Catholic Charities. And it is wonderful to see partnerships of government, non-profit community organizations, private businesses, and churches/faith-based bodies.

Hopefully, such fruitful collaborations can be expanded using land trusts and other unoccupied properties owned by government and churches to let more working poor families access safe housing at attainable rents - rather than ending on the streets or in tent cities that offer only temporary solutions.

Kudos to all involved, and encouragement for those yet to get involved, despite some NIMBY resistance.

MICHAEL SWITZER

Tampa

Dangerous Collecting

I know it's too late for this year, but next holiday season, Hillsborough County must make a conscious effort to clamp down on the panhandlers collecting money at traffic signals. Not only do they endanger themselves but unsuspecting motorists are distracted and often feel intimidated by these aggressive alms takers.

It is one thing for people to take the time to reflect in the privacy of their homes, to which bonafide charity they wish to freely contribute; it is quite another thing to be ambushed by questionable individuals waving their buckets at motorists who are attempting to go about their holiday shopping. This whole enterprise is demeaning to both the supposed charities and the people who collect for them.

EARL A. MYERS

Tampa

Call To Cancel Books

Regarding "Where Is Al Gore?" (Letter of the Day, Dec. 20):

The letter from Scott Marchetti echoes my feeling about the atrocious waste of paper with all the phone books that get delivered.

Last week I got yet another four-and-a-half-pound "yellow pages" which immediately went into the recycling box. I did find that if you phone the company that publishes this waste - there's an 800 number on the book - you can get taken off their distribution list. This applies to all books.

Everyone who is concerned, please make the call. If they get the message we resent the books and the advertisers who support them, maybe they will stop.

RONALD BOND

Clearwater

Computers Not For All

Scott Marchetti makes a very good point about the lack of common sense in today's world. Also, his math is commendable, if not juvenile. When this young man matures, he may become endowed with wisdom and compassion. His approach to computer usage would indicate the normalcy of a follower and not a leader.

Is it disdainful that there are still inhabitants of this planet who do not wish to spend all their waking hours in front of a computer screen or, maybe they cannot afford this luxury. It might be of interest to note some people still enjoy reading or spending time with family and friends.

Lighten up! Life is too short to be critical of everything.

Yes, as a retiree and computer user for at least 15 years, it is my opinion that if you spend more than one hour each day on the computer, you are wasting your life. Of course, that's your option.

DWIGHT SHINGLEDECKER

Valrico

Save Costs And Trees

Is there anything that can be done to shield us from the barrage of telephone books being dumped on us by Verizon?

It was only about a week ago that a complete set of phone books was dumped on my doorstep. The other morning another complete set was dumped in my driveway, including two copies of the white pages.

On the covers was printed: "Keep Me Until Your New Book Arrives In 2008." My recycle bin is overflowing. A little common sense would save trees, cut costs, and possibly reduce our telephone bills.

PRISCILLA WALTON

Tampa

Money Could Be Factor

Benazir Bhutto was finally assassinated Thursday after a couple of failed attempts. It's Pakistan. What you see is what you get: a primitive society with little value held for individual life, but somehow couched in a pseudo-democracy.

This is not a commentary ruing her death. Although Harvard and Oxford educated, she was corrupt just like all other Pakistani leaders. Her ascension to power would probably not have changed Pakistan in any significant manner but for the minions at the financial trough.

Looting of funds flowing into the country from the United States has become big business. Before our efforts to deal with al-Qaida, there were only millions to be split between the legions of political expectees. Now billions are flowing in. This is major finance, the loss of which will be resisted at all cost by those in power.

Our efforts to support Pakistan's battle(?) against al-Qaida could well backfire as the financial fuel ignites a civil war or at a minimum destabilizes whatever democracy was existent.

Odd, our money could well be the single biggest factor destabilizing this nuclear-weapons-possessing country, moving it inexorably toward Islamic fundamentalist control.

VALD SVEKIS

Sarasota

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT