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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 15, 2008

Our Government At Work

Regarding "Ammonia Pipeline Owner Fined $400,000 Over Leak" (Metro, July 9):

Haven't you heard it all now?

So a knuckleheaded kid comes into your garage with matches looking for treasure and burns your house down. Guess what? According to the federal government, it's your fault. You didn't inspect the roof! You didn't have an emergency plan! You should be fined.

Under this "logic," the owners of the World Trade Center should be held liable for failing to wash the windows on schedule prior to 9/11.

If this is the kind of regulation and governance coming out of Washington, here's one more reason to shrink the federal government. By the way, who was it who didn't execute the emergency plan in the Hurricane Katrina debacle? And how much were they fined? The answer is FEMA, and the fine was zero. Bet you can't wait until the federal government is in charge of your health care.

ERIC SCHILLER

Tampa

Fine Was Unfair

Did I read that right? Two boys drill a hole in an ammonia line, and the company has to pay? Does that mean that if those two boys come on my property and drill a hole in my gas tank, I'm going to have to pay someone? That's not right.

ROY E. ROOD

Tampa

Free Diet For Inmates

Regarding "What's On The Menu At Polk County Jail?" (front page, July 10):

But did they cut off the cable TV? Just think of it this way; inmates will be slimmer when they get out - it's a free diet.

PAT MONTAGUE

Tampa

Floridians Big Risk

Over the last 18 months, the governor and the Florida Legislature have taken steps with the Florida Catastrophe Fund that places the economic future of this state at risk. In an ill-conceived attempt to lower insurance premiums, our politicians have saddled the Florida taxpayer with the catastrophic costs of a major hurricane. Should a Category 3-plus hurricane make a direct hit on one of our major metropolitan areas, it is my understanding that Florida taxpayers could be liable for up to $29 billion to reimburse insurance companies. This would have serious ramifications for Florida taxpayers and our economy.

This is but another Band-Aid attempt to deal with hard issues in a politically expedient manner by politicians more focused on their own political futures rather than what is best for the citizens of Florida. And now, the governor is writing a $224 million check to Warren Buffett so that Buffett will guarantee to provide $4 billion in cash should we need it for the next hurricane. This deal was roundly criticized by the state's attorney general and chief financial officer.

I really don't believe the citizens of the state of Florida are aware of all of this.

JERRY W. TIDWELL

Odessa

Patients End Up Paying

Regarding "Jury Did Its Job" (Letters, July 8):

Mike Trentalange is obviously a lawyer, and his letter is, in my opinion, loaded with legalese, half-truths and misleading statements. He stated, "Holding careless doctors accountable ... actually saves money ... by placing the cost of carelessness on the responsible party and not on taxpayers in general."

The errant doctors don't pay those malpractice awards: Their malpractice insurance carriers pay them. Now the response may be, "Well, their premiums will go up." True, but misleading. When premiums go up, the doctor simply raises fees to cover the increase. Or they schedule more patients, further reducing the time for accurate diagnosis and treatment. In any case, it is the patients who end up paying the judgments.

ALFRED J. d'AMARIO

Hudson

Still Hearing The Noise

After a search, I can find no place to determine how many arrests were made or citations issued for fireworks-related incidents. When I called the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office I was told that it is impossible to find that information. If it is illegal to use fireworks for recreational purposes, and it is the case that thousands - maybe tens of thousands - of people do so, you would think that there would be numerous arrests.

In my neighborhood the fireworks began on June 27 and have not finished yet. Some people even set off loud boomers well into the early morning hours. Why is it that those yahoos have immunity and the rest of us citizens have no recourse, since the Sheriff's Office refuses to uphold the law?

It is time for our county commissioners and the state Legislature to pass laws and ordinances to outlaw the sale as well as the use of fireworks by private citizens.

JOHN STEFFERUD

Brandon

Servicing Our Waterways

If you care about the water quality in Tampa Bay join us July 16 at 9 a.m. on the second floor of County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. in downtown Tampa. People from communities all over the bay area will attend; the more who show up the better the board of county commissioners will listen.

The suggestion for our strategy is very simple: We ask the BOCC to create an ordinance allowing the creation of municipal service benefit units with the understanding that the oversight group, which we will be a part of, will be back in a year to discuss permitting and the county matching our MSBU funds.

MSBUs would be created much like a Division of Roadway Maintenance, only this MSBU would service Tampa Bay's waterways throughout Hillsborough County.

If this effort does not move forward now, there may never be a comprehensive canal dredge program in our county. If the measure does proceed, it will allow dredging of choke points and provide a means to keep canals navigable for the long term.

BRADLEY A. WARE

Tampa

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