Pasco Letters to the Editor

Longing For Florida

Another gloomy, miserable day on the southern shore of New England influences my desire to be home in the warmth and blue skies of Florida.

Green grass, rhododendrons in full bloom and a multitude of robins in their relentless hunt for worms and bugs provide evidence that spring is really here and summer is fast approaching.

However, one could never tell by relying on the weather as an accurate indicator. Since the first day of May we have enjoyed a total of 2.5 days of pleasant weather here in Massachusetts.

We savored them, of course, but yearn for more. Usually by this time of year we have taken many strolls along our beach, searching for shells and occasionally walking barefoot in the warming surf of Buzzards Bay.

Attempting to stave off cabin fever, we have been to the shopping malls far more than necessary, visited a car dealership (even though we purchased a new vehicle just three months ago) and taken in a movie, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," which we would have done anyway as our daughter worked on its production and has a very brief part in it.

And we put at risk a tiny portion of our diminishing nest egg at a nearby casino and spent many evenings playing cards with my elderly aunt.

Accustomed to a very busy schedule at our beloved Betmar senior park in Zephyrhills, it is quite difficult to docilely accept an indoor, sedentary lifestyle that weather can force upon us.

The local weatherman here has promised a summer-like weekend for us. We have heard that before, so we shall take a wait and see attitude.

But in hopeful anticipation we have removed the outdoor furniture from the shed, wiped off a winter's accumulation of dust and placed two recliners and two other chairs in the living room by the slider leading to the deck.

If, in fact, the clouds disappear, the sun does shine and the gale-like winds reduce to a gentle breeze, we shall be ready to enjoy our incomparable view of the coastline. And we'll resume the outdoor life and pretend we are back home with all of you.

Take care, and God bless.

RICHARD P. PHELAN

Westport, Mass.

Food For Thought

I'm so glad to see "Pasco County Considers Tobacco Hiring Screen" (May 28).

I don't smoke. I don't really work out much, either. I'm three or four pounds above what I was allowed to weigh during a 20-year, seven-month military career.

I snore. I swear too much (maybe because I play golf). I eat red meat, eggs and cheese by the handful. I drink beer. At times, I drive a few miles over the speed limit. I don't eat many carbs, and I won't change to vegetarian because I would hate dying at about the same age as vegans do, of absolutely nothing, according to them.

So I wonder what else might Commissioner Michael Cox dislike in others that he wants to control? Does Commissioner Cox have the time to drive by Dunkin' Donuts, Burger King and other places to see where employees are having lunch and what they're having?

I'm afraid this is where we're headed in this country. Before uber-liberals, communists and socialists found a way to get a foothold on control of our lives via "global warming" and "health risk," we understood that personal liberty trumped everything else within limits. We understood we share risks in everything.

I share automobile insurance risk with folks who speed excessively, disregard safety rules, fail to signal turns and don't drive very well. I share life insurance risk with other clients of my insurance company, maybe skydivers. I share homeowner risk with other clients of my insurance company who aren't as aware of household hazards or who build on flood-prone rivers or storm-prone shorelines.

The point is, how far does the "nanny state" go? There is not a single, solitary person I know who doesn't have some habit or make some choices I don't like. However, I cherish the personal liberty to make those choices.

Were I an employer I would designate areas for smokers with the admonishment they take no more breaks than nonsmokers, and that would be the extent of it. Oh, and they could lunch at McDonald's should they so choose.

WAYNE HAYS

Hudson

West Pasco Blues

There should be a new motto for west Pasco County: "If you want to develop some land and do not have the economic resources to complete it, by all means come to western Pasco County."

Here we sit with another eyesore started by developers who went over budget and left their project half-finished. I am talking about the shopping complex at the corner of Trinity Boulevard and Little Road.

First, we have the eyesore on Main Street in New Port Richey. They should have left Spoonbill's and Juan's right where they were. We have chain-link fences and cinder blocks looking something like buildings, making our downtown a real disaster.

Now, we have the Trinity complex with a beautiful new bank (like we need another bank) and a wonderful new parking garage. Who is to park in the garage? We do not know, as they have also run out of money, and there are no more than a couple of trucks there on any given day.

Do they want to use up more land? Fine, give us yet another Wal-Mart. At least Wal-Mart finishes its buildings - and in record time.

Or maybe use some of the road crews; they complete their projects, albeit slowly, but they do complete them.

Next time they want to give someone the go-ahead to start a project, how about confirming that they have more money than what they are planning to use or at least additional economic resources if needed?

Often, a building does not cost anywhere near what they expect, and companies usually go over budget. It is time to face that reality before we have another half-completed complex and another eyesore in west Pasco County.

KERRI BOWMAN OUSLEY

Trinity

Job Description

I know it's more sensational to have a headline that reads "Teacher Sent Racy Messages" than to describe someone who has been arrested for misbehavior of a sexual nature as a "part-time School Board employee." Still, your front-page article on Lisa Marinelli is misleading and undermines the credentials of fully degreed classroom teachers.

To substitute in Pasco County, one only needs to be at least 18 years old with no felony convictions, have a high school diploma and attend the training program.

With all due respect to the brave souls who fill in for absent teachers, calling a substitute a teacher is like calling an orderly a doctor.

GAIL REYNOLDS

Dade City