Septic tanks and politics stink

I can appreciate Gov. Charlie Crist's decision of getting out of the Republican Party and going Independent in the race for a Senate job. I even like the way he ran the job he has and though he was doing as good of a job as anyone else could have done in the past few years.

However this septic tank law which has been going on since way back in April, when the State legislature passed SB 550 which includes 11 pages of a septic tank bill with almost no one's knowledge except some special interest groups, especially the Septic Tank Association and over enthusiastic environmentalists.

The law mandates an expensive and unnecessary expense and tax burden upon the septic tank owners in Florida by requiring a tank inspection and possible pumping clean every five years.

If it don't work, fix it

From personal experience I know that when a septic tank goes bad, it needs to be fixed or you cannot use the toilets. Proper and regular care of the system keeps the tank working as it should and to have someone inspect it when it is working is useless. The cost of implementing the septic tank evaluation provisions has varied widely from a low of $180 to a high of $800. Since the law itself makes no mention of the actual cost of an evaluation, Floridians can be left to deal with unscrupulous individuals that can charge any fee they choose under the authority of the state.

If the septic contractor finds a discrepancy in your septic system, they notify the county health department and give you 60 days to fix your system. If you fail to comply, you can be fined up to $500 per day. So you have to hire a septic contractor to fix it.

Repeal necessary now

It is hard to believe that Gov. Crist did not veto this bill, especially when he is running for the Senate against two opponents. He has no chance at all if he does not do the responsible thing and call a special session of the Legislature to repeal this unjust, senseless law before it goes into effect in January.

This so called Tea Party should get on his back and make him do what is right if he wants their support.

If he does not, then whoever wins the governor's race will likely waste tax dollars by repealing it after it goes into effect

NASA workers laid off

The PW and I returned from a very interesting visit to the Melbourne area this past weekend, where we went to the Kennedy Space Center and took the tour of the facility.

It is difficult to relate to the largeness of the rockets and space shuttle by just watching videos of the launches. It is when you get right up close and can touch them that one can realize just how huge they are.

The Space Center has taken on the atmosphere of a Disney experience and the displays, videos with live action arenas is almost as good as being there when a launch is made. The first moon landing was very well presented.

Supposedly there will be another few launches, and one is presently on the launch pad for launching in November.

United Space Alliance is the prime contractor for NASA's Space Shuttle Program. However, on Oct. 1, 2010, the day before we took the tour, the company laid off 877 of these employees who were working at the Melbourne Space Center.