Letters to the editor:

Letter to the Editor

Valuing family meals

Regarding "Bill bans stamps for junk food" (front page, Feb. 6): All residents of this area should thank state Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, and Rep. Scott Plakton, R-Longwood, for their efforts to try to block tax dollars from being used to buy junk food. Those legislators who are discouraging such action should be contacted by taxpayers and reminded who pays their salaries.

With the current economy, those of us who use our hard-earned dollars for shopping for food, etc., really get peeved when observing the use of food stamp debit cards for only top-of-the-line, brand-name items while we are buying store-brand or lesser-quality food items to save money.

It seems to be time for some heads-of-households to learn to cook again to save money at the grocery store and also provide much more nutritious meals to their families.

Of course, family meals just might be a way to keep some kids off the streets and out of trouble.

June Ambrose

Plant City

Improving public education

While Edward Glaeser ("Desegregation an unsung success story," Other Views, Feb. 6) celebrates "well-educated" black Americans fleeing inner cities to live in white districts, he criticizes whites for doing the same and charges them to "pay a price for limiting their own choice," whatever that means.

In his book "Triumph of the City," Glaeser writes: "If America imitated the best aspect of European socialism and invested enough in public schools so that they were all good, then there would be little reason for the rich to leave cities to get better schooling." Perhaps that is the price we have to pay to improve public education: Fix what we have instead of replacing it with voucher programs — vouchers that pay all public school costs yet often not all the costs of charter schools and that subsidize the school choice of the well-off but create a barrier to most who cannot afford to make up the difference.

Famous Republican Susan B. Anthony once said: "If all the rich and all of the church people should send their children to the public schools they would feel bound to concentrate their money on improving these schools until they met the highest ideals."

Fred Jacobsen

Apollo Beach

T-shirts are cool, too

Regarding "America's 'quiet heroes' " (Letter of the Day, Feb. 2): I have been called a lot of things, but I don't think I've ever been called a hero. I would like to thank Bob Wise, who apparently shares my name, for calling me one. I have never considered myself a hero. I have just given blood whenever eligible to give because someone has to.

When we were attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, those of us who gave blood did so because it was needed. We were given special patches for giving blood in a national emergency. They weren't expected.

I am shocked to find out that only 4 percent of eligible donors give blood. For those who can give but don't, please understand a few things. You have something precious to give regardless of your income level. Are you a wimp? So am I! I hate needles, but I must say it doesn't really hurt. I just don't watch. The worst part is in your head, I promise. In the scheme of things, please get past this to save a life.

"What's in it for me?" you might ask. Besides the satisfaction of saving lives, the removal of blood makes your body make new blood cells. It feels great to have this new blood. It also feels great when a child still has a grandparent or a mother or a father because you gave blood.

If worse comes to worse and you can't think past yourself, the T-shirts are pretty cool.

Robert F. Wise

Lakeland