Letters to the Editors

A despicable attempt at guilt by association

Your Jan. 28 editorial Florida's Enron connection is absurd.

Two executives of Alliance Capital Management serve on the board of the Manhattan Institute, a think tank that has complimented our A-plus plan. You imply that this tenuous connection renders me unfit to authorize investigations of Alliance, but this allegation is demonstrably false.

As you well know, I voted (in my capacity as a member of the Florida Board of Administration) to initiate our investigation of Alliance's management of our state pension fund. We will vigorously uphold our fiduciary responsibilities and aggressively seek compensation if any loss in fund assets was due to illegal or improper practices.

Your blatant attempt to impugn guilt by the most feeble of associations is despicable.
-- Jeb Bush, governor, Tallahassee

Leave Bush alone in his father role

My morning routine was broken on Wednesday. I start every day with a cup of coffee and the St. Petersburg Times. But on Wednesday morning I stopped abruptly because right on the front page was an article about the daughter of Gov. Jeb Bush, who apparently has a drug problem. I haven't read the article, and I won't read it because I think it's a disgrace that it is even in the paper.

You should know that I'm a 59-year-old widow in danger of losing my position as a state employee because of recommended budget cuts by our governor. Therefore I would probably read with relish any scathing article that you would publish about Jeb Bush, the politician. But his children and their problems? I don't want to read about them and I won't!

Children should be off limits. Have the reporters no compassion at all? Whatever you may think of politicians, their children are not politicians and did not seek public life. Their problems should not be exposed to the world in general. Yes, he is a politician and this is part of his life, so I guess you do have the "right" to write about it. But it would seem to me that you should consider just how many hats we all wear during our life. When Bush is wearing his political hat -- go for it! But when he has the father hat on, leave the man alone!
-- Jeanne Batcheller, Pinellas Park

Treat addiction as a disease

Re: Jeb Bush's daughter.

Foremost, I honestly believe that any family that has been affected by those suffering from addiction is truly heartbreaking. I also think that most are private matters that should be handled with compassion and understanding.

But when we have public leaders who shape and dictate public antidrug policy, they should then be held accountable to the same standards that they uphold. If Noelle Bush lived with the Bushes and was convicted of a drug crime, technically they should be evicted, because they live in public housing. No matter how ridiculous that may seem, we should note that getting tough with these "criminals" fails to address the fundamental problem of addiction. It is undoubtedly a disease and should be treated as such.

This should also bring to light the current effort to put on the ballot a constitutional amendment that calls for first-time, nonviolent drug offenders to have the option to seek treatment rather than serve jail time. It may not be enough, but is a step in the right direction.
-- John Mead, St. Petersburg

The folly of "getting tough on drugs'

For the past three years Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida drug czar Jim McDonough have been criticized for the state's aggressive policy against drug users, which focuses on incarceration in prisons and county jails.

They have deflected these complaints by telling us how important they believe drug treatment is and how it is a better approach to dealing with drug abuse and the associated crimes that often go with it.

Now we read where Bush has trashed the state budget that pays for drug treatment in our prisons, thus ending programs in all but four of the state's facilities (Prison drug treatment to be cut, Jan, 28).

And less than 48 hours later, his daughter is arrested on felony drug charges. While we all hope that Noelle Bush gets any and all appropriate help she needs, it brings clearly to the forefront the hypocrisy of "get tough on drugs" laws.

Virtually all Floridians who are arrested on drug charges feel the full brunt of these harsh policies. Unless one has sufficient money to hire competent defense counsel, you are assured of being jammed into the criminal justice system. Upon your emergence months (or years) later, you will find employment difficult to obtain, you will no longer qualify for federal student loans, you will never again be able to vote in Florida (if convicted of a felony), you will be barred from a long list of professions. And if you still have the root problems that lead to drug abuse. Who cares? We'll just run you through the mill again.

Gov. Bush endorses draconian drug policies because he knows that his family and friends will never have to experience the full and complete life-shattering consequences of these policies. If he says otherwise now, you don't have to "read his lips." Just check his budget.
-- Stephen Heath, Drug Policy Forum of Florida,
Clearwater

Don't call camp program a turkey

Re: Lawmakers push turkeys in a lean budget year, Jan. 24.

We are the founders of the Pasco Association for Challenged Kids. We do not consider our summer camp to be a "turkey." We have run our summer program since 1997. Working with state Rep. Mike Fasano and the Center for Independence, we began our program with about 15 children with all types of disabilities. In 2001, we served more than 30 children ranging in age from 5 through 21 with both physical and mental disabilities.

We began our program because there were no summer programs serving children with disabilities in Pasco County. If our program is not funded this year, there will be no place for parents of children with disabilities to send their children where they can both have fun with their peers and be cared for by trained personnel and have medical supervision, all at a reasonable cost to the families.

It would be heartbreaking to these innocent children and their families to take away the one program that lets them have fun in spite of their disabilities and just lets them be kids having a great time.
-- Paula Cohen and Barry A. Cohen, founders, Pasco Association for Challenged Kids Inc., New Port Richey

Make every effort to protect privacy

Re: Identity theft and public records, editorial, Jan. 24.

The call to close government records that contain personal information is more than understandable if you are the victim of identity theft. Have you ever been? Evidently not.

The time and expense that one has to go through to get back his or her good name is ridiculous! It is too easy for someone to obtain your or my personal information and use it for ill-gotten gain.

Each person should have the legal right as to whether or not personal information is released as well as have the right to know who wants it and for what purpose. You'll understand this once you've been burned. Otherwise, a person will have to spend $750 to $1,000 dollars to have his records sealed.

It's time to put a lid on this. If someone wants to know more about you or me, then it should be our decision, not the government's as to whether or not that information is released. Maybe you don't care if you are an open book, but I do. I value my privacy and so should every citizen.

If we don't make a change to protect our privacy, then we might just as well put all our personal information in the phone book.
-- Ray Palmer, Clermont

Casinos would be good for Florida

Re: No more legalized gambling, Jan. 25.

I disagree with this editorial. Florida needs privately owned, Las Vegas-type casinos. Every day, tour buses and airplanes are filled with people heading to Biloxi, Miss., or Las Vegas. Why should Floridians or Florida tourists be inconvenienced by having to travel to another state because the St. Petersburg Times or Gov. Jeb Bush thinks they will become gambling addicts? Also, why should they spend their money in another state when Florida could use it?

Seventy-five percent of the people who frequent casinos are senior citizens. Most of these people worked hard and earned a good retirement for themselves. Do you think these people are dumb enough to lose their life savings at a casino?

Senior citizens frequent casinos because they don't cost anything unless you do gamble. Some seniors just like to go and people-watch and buy dinner or watch a show there. They find the noise and the glitter uplifting in their old age. Some people might become addicted just as some patrons of bars might become alcoholics, but you aren't writing editorials to close bars.

Privately owned Las Vegas-type casinos would generate a much needed tax base for Florida schools. They also would provide jobs for many people. The Supreme Court should approve legalized gambling for the voting ballot.
-- Charles and Shirley Borcsane, Clearwater

The good side of Bertie Higgins

Re: Celebrities under the influence, Jan. 24.

While I do not argue with your right to publish the article on Bertie Higgins, I do feel that your column borders on supermarket tabloid journalism (muckraking).

In the interest of fair reporting, you should have reported the current activities of Bertie Higgins, i.e., a strong family man, raising two fine teenaged boys. He is busy writing music and performing with his Band of Pirates. The group just returned from a concert tour in the Orient playing to sellout crowds. Bertie is currently under contract with Sony, recording new CDs. Bertie also plays many benefits. Printing the negative is your right, but I feel you have a moral obligation to also print the positive. I am proud to say that I am a friend of Bertie Higgins.
-- Robert Reilly, Trinity

Move strip to editorial page

Re: Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury.

Can you really consider this a comic? I don't think so. Garry Trudeau makes a political statement almost every day -- and it certainly is slanted. There can be no doubt as to his party affiliation. Even when he makes a feeble attempt to be humorous, he fails completely. I would judge his work to be political satire and suggest that it belongs on the editorial page.

This is an election year, and it would seem appropriate that he be considered a political cartoonist (and not a very good one).
-- Barbara E. Hubbard, Clearwater

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