I firmly believe the real reason for the recession is greed in the ranks of the politicians and the very rich. Honesty, integrity and ethics are absolutely not being practiced by them. Just for starters, I would like every one who reads this to send me an e-mail if they really believe that the two senators, who did not pay their taxes, really did not know they didn't. Wall Street, the financial banking biggies, and the list goes on, pulled a scam on the public and still some got their bonuses and very high salaries. The politicians are taking care of them with all the bailouts. ...more

February 10, 2009

Congratulations to the Tribune and other media outlets for helping bring House Speaker Ray Sansom his just reward. He had nerve to blame the media for his downfall when he has no one but himself to blame. ...more

February 5, 2009

Two unfortunate counterparts to democracy are greed and corruption. Rush Limbaugh has said that the salaries and perks extended corporate executives are none of the people's business. This is one of the few areas where he and I part company. I wonder if the recent near-collapse of our economy has changed his thinking. When business failures result in government bailouts, that cost is passed to taxpayers. Excessive salaries often result in stockholders being cheated. These consequences of poor and careless management alone place executives' salaries and perks in the public domain. ...more

January 31, 2009

William Oehlecker of New Port Richey says don't blame President-elect Barack Obama for problems that result from the greed of all of us. ...more

January 7, 2009

So it's finally time to put 2008 to rest. This was not an easy year by any stretch of the imagination. The economy is limping into 2009 barely hanging on; many people have lost their jobs; area businesses have folded; foreclosures are coming in record numbers. ...more

December 31, 2008

The news has been filled with examples of taxpayer giveaways to banks, investment companies, giant insurance companies and the oil-rich country of Iraq. Now along comes a need to provide a $17 billion lifejacket to mismanaged auto corporations. ...more

December 24, 2008

Could all this economic mayhem actually be healthy on some level, or is that some lame attempt at finding a silver lining on something that has no upside? It's difficult to say there is a bright side, but it's clear we were drowning in phony numbers and a day of reckoning was long overdue. Perhaps the surprise is that it took so long for it to happen. ...more

December 19, 2008

A Shameful Scam The last time I was at Lowry Park Zoo the admission was $6. Recently, I paid $17 and was very pleased. It is a small, intimate and beautiful park. ...more

December 17, 2008

I am writing this letter in hopes that it will remind people of what Christmas really is about and make them realize how much we as people have commercialized Christmas. ...more

December 10, 2008

Unless you're a Gator Hater, you are excited that the University of Florida Gators are playing for a national college football title in January against the University of Oklahoma. Like most folks, we can't wait for the game. But also like most people who care a lick about Division I college football, we can't believe that a national playoff system is not in place to make sure that the best teams get a chance to play for the national title. ...more

December 10, 2008