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Pasco Letters to the Editor

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 3, 2008

Inspirational Story

Regarding "Can-Do Attitude Builds Houses," Jan. 20:

The article on the high school freshman really was inspirational.

The Cans for Humanity program relays a good message to young adults and encourages children to help their community. The young man, Matt Mooney, has even gotten his neighborhood to pitch in to donate cans in order to help build a house.

Matt is only one-thirteenth of the way toward his goal, but with enough help he hopes he will be able to achieve it. He has only raised 10,000 pounds of cans while he needs 130,000 pounds to be able to help build a residence for a family.

Not only is Matt helping his community, he is also helping the Earth. He is recycling and creating a cleaner environment for all living creatures. If everyone in the world were as ambitious as Matt and would pitch in, the world would be a much more pure abode.

The article encourages readers to help out all communities and even gives a telephone number - (352) 467-9808 - so you can help. There are many more ways to affect your community, but this a simple way to begin.

This article is positive reinforcement for Matt Mooney, and I'm sure he will work harder than ever to finish his mission. I think it's great to congratulate children who are making a difference and trying to impact their county. With more articles rewarding our youth, our future society will surely make a positive difference.

ALEX TALSMA

Land O' Lakes

'Personal Cartooning'

Regarding "GOP Waiting For Call By Mr. Decisive," Tom Jackson, Jan. 27:

Doesn't Jackson have better things to do with his time than write silly and inane articles about Bill Bunting? Bunting has no apologies to make as a former business owner of a New York cab medallion and bar who's currently enjoying a pension from the city of New York after an honorable and hard-working career there.

If Jackson was honest, he would have interviewed Bunting and gotten some facts for an intelligent and revealing article. Instead, Jackson scraped the bottom of his journalism career with demeaning innuendo and personal put-downs. Jackson should be ashamed of himself for his foray into condescension and personal cartooning of the worse kind.

Bill and Ann Bunting have contributed greatly to the community in which they live. Over their years in Florida they have been tirelessly active, not only in the Republican Party but in community beautification projects. They are both fierce supporters of the Second Amendment and conservative values of less government, lower taxes and more personal freedom.

Now that's what Jackson should have written about.

IRENE GIRAGOSIAN

Hudson

Fair Commentary

Recently, the Tribune's Courtney Cairns Pastor reported on a 12-day "cultural exchange" trip to China by a group of middle school students from Tampa's Independent Day School arranged by school director Linda Boza.

You can bet that during this propaganda and indoctrination trip, these gullible children never learned from Ms. Boza, their parents or their Chinese "hosts" the ugly reality of modern-day China.

That reality is a totalitarian Marxist state (similar to Nazi Germany), which persecutes its citizens for practicing their religious faith, brutally crushes any political dissent - Tiananmen Square massacre! -- makes a mockery of democratic free elections and enforces censorship of the press and a nationwide policy of involuntary abortions for women.

But, in the interest of fair commentary, I might concede that learning how to use chopsticks and play pingpong are important for our children!

P.J. CORR

Wesley Chapel

Pasco County Heroes

As program coordinator for Pasco County's Take Stock in Children program, I am appreciative of 119 caring individuals. These volunteers participate in Take Stock in Children, a statewide program that gives local students whose families meet income eligibility guidelines an opportunity to receive up to a four-year college scholarship in partnership with the Florida Prepaid College foundation and under the lead of the Pasco Education Foundation Inc.

Meeting on a regular basis with their assigned students, they are dedicated and devoted to their mission of "making a difference." The mentors represent part of the "Scholarships, Mentors & Hope" motto of Take Stock in Children and are what holds the program together by providing continuous motivation, encouragement and, most of all, friendship to our scholars.

The Take Stock in Children staff wishes to publicly thank our mentors, for they are truly some of Pasco County's heroes!

ROSANNE HEYSER

Land O' Lakes

Sidewalk To Where?

Dade City's answer to Alaska's bridge to nowhere:

Take the U.S. 301 bypass on the east side, and you will see a beautiful elevated and treated wood sidewalk to nowhere. Talk about a waste of money.

There are mostly businesses on this stretch of road, bounded by the railroad on the east side. There is little to no foot traffic.

It looks like a nice job, but what about the cost of maintenance when the rain and sun does its job?

All the hype we have been fed about what happens if property taxes are adjusted, causing cuts in police, fire, school and other services, and they must have discovered a money tree.

The money could have, and should have, been used for a useful project.

FREDERICK E. HEICHELBECH

Zephyrhills

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