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Letters to the EditorsRecycling in Pasco more talk than action© St. Petersburg Times published January 2, 2002 Editor: In response to Gov. Bush's new attitude with regard to recycling, I am a new resident to Pasco County. When I lived in Clearwater, there was a recycling program that required residents to recycle plastic, glass and newspapers. What kind of recycling program does Pasco County really think it has? The article stated, "The state requires all counties to recycle." Maybe, but here it's the most half-hearted effort I have ever seen. I have been required to recycle while living in Connecticut and Ohio. Recycling bins were provided by the state and picked up weekly. Upon moving to Hudson we find that there are no recycling bins, but you are required, if you care to recycle, to use blue bags available for purchase in a few stores. Using any other container will negate pickup of items. It took two weeks of going from store to store, looking for these bags in at least four or five places, before I got lucky in one of the area grocery stores. It is indeed hard to recycle in Hudson. We are the only family on our street who puts out items for recycling. The bottom line is that after all of this, items are collected every other week instead of every week. It would seem that Pasco obeys the letter of the law but not the spirit.
Aloha customers should speak up on waterEditor: At 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Jan. 9, the customers of Aloha Utilities will have the opportunity to address the Florida Public Service Commission regarding the quality of their water and service. The public hearings will be held at the Clarion Hotel, 5316 U.S.19, New Port Richey. Aloha has once again requested a rate increase for its customers, this time for its water service. Aloha is seeking a total water rate increase of 55 percent. In previous filings Aloha has taken the position that the quality of water was separate from rate increases for its wastewater services. Now that Aloha has asked for a rate increase for water it is time for all of Aloha's customers to once again make certain that the quality of their drinking water is made known. Until Aloha provides clean, clear drinking water to every customer it serves, the Public Service Commission should not even consider any application for a rate increase. I encourage every customer of Aloha Utilities who has experienced discolored water, poor service and any other water quality problems to attend the hearings and bring samples of their water. Aloha is asking to more than double their customers' water bills. The members of the Florida Public Service Commission need to see the faces and hear the voices of the people who not only are forced to drink Aloha's water but also will be the ones to bear the brunt of any rate increase that may be granted.
Three senators better than oneEditor: While I can certainly understand the argument that Pasco needs its own senator with no other county to be worried about, with three senators we do have three voices and three points of contacts. While now we are lucky to have three good senators, what if we had one senator and that one turned out to be a bad representative? The bigger problem is the legalities involved in redistricting. Our senators are faced with a daunting task. There are legal criteria that must be complied with or the lines can be challenged in court. Ultimately then, the Florida Supreme Court would draw the lines. That is the same group of people who allowed the 2000 recounts to go on and on before the U.S. Supreme Court stopped them on equal protection grounds. We have three good senators in Jack Latvala, Ginny Brown-Waite, and Victor Crist. I am confident that they will make the right decisions about redistricting.
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