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Why Does Florida Keep Winning All Those Races Not Worth Running?

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By STEVE OTTO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 1, 2008

With hurricanes flanking the state and confusing the political season, your letters and e-mails ranged across the spectrum this week. Here are some samplings:

Austin Curry was one of many respondents to a column on whether anyone in charge was listening and even if anyone was actually in charge.

"It is not just is anyone listening," Curry writes. "It is also does anyone really care?

"Look at the facts. Florida is the leader in Medicare fraud. Florida is the leader in home mortgage fraud. Florida is at the bottom in education. Per child, per dollar funding is atrocious. SAT scores prove children are not being educated. Social service agencies' funding is being slashed. Food banks/pantries are running on empty. Yet millions are spent on political campaigns with the candidates clamoring for your last dollar. The 'drop like a rock' mentality proved to be another fraud upon the folks. Taxes have increased in spite of the promises to be reduced. Where are the visionary leaders that are so direly needed at this time? What has happened to the moral and ethical virtues that all of our politicians espouse during the campaigns? While we have deserving elders and needy children suffering, everything keeps right on chugging along as if nothing is wrong and all is hunky-dory. Steve, there are so many that are exasperated at the absence of leadership. And, yes, it is discouraging to say the least."

From the e-mail came "Bobbert," who writes on the same column: Rep. Ginny"Brown-Waite's self-serving, transparent, grandstanding should be obvious to even the most unsophisticated voter and is reprehensible. More importantly, it is counterproductive, doing nothing to solve the problem."

"ThesaurusMaximus" writes: "Republican Ginny Brown-Waite's rabid attack against crime is laudable and laughable. Will the nation ever witness her rabid passion for criminals WITHIN her political party as she does for someone with an ethnic name that riles up her base just in time for elections? ... Or would that be just too patriotic for her and her ilk?"

An inspiration

Most of this week's comments focused on the story of young Hilary Sedgeman, who is beginning her junior year at Tampa Prep. The daughter of banker William Sedgeman and Circuit Court Judge Martha Cook is an extraordinary honor student, member of the student council, athlete and will one day be one of the leaders in this town or whatever town she chooses to live in. She has also been deaf since birth, and the story of her and her parents' courage and determination just makes you feel good. Here is one response:

"MaryM" writes: "First I cried that here was something inspiring in a newspaper filled with despair. Then I counted my blessings, thought about my family and went out to face the day with a completely different feeling from the one I started with earlier. Thank you for refocusing my day."

Who are the real experts?

Several questioned the so-called "experts" in the story, who told the parents there was little they could do.

"Markkamleiter" writes: "Wonderful article and kudos to a parent who would not accept the low expectations of the experts. Parents of children with disabilities need to set their sights on the horizons and not hear the naysayers and doubters."

"Michaelsmom" adds: "If we only listened to the 'experts' (ESPECIALLY those in our local school system) our children would achieve nothing! It is, sadly, up to the parents to have high expectations and to do everything they can to assist their children. Parents need to learn very early on that the school system equates high expectations with the almighty $."

Finally, many of you remembered Howard Hilton, who died last week, as well as the day the great promoter brought snow to Tampa.

"Pacfandave" wrote: "Everything that could have gone wrong did. Now, instead of a SNAFU of a winter carnival, we have the Hillsborough County Commission to keep us amused. The fun is still there; it's just that instead of laughing about it, we laugh at it."

Keyword, Otto Graphs to read and comment on Steve Otto's blog.

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