Letters to the Editors

Lack of arena called threat to Odessa Rodeo

Re: Club raises funds to save lives, Pasco Times, June 24, 2002.

Editor: As a member of the Seven Springs Rotary Club, I can personally attest to all the good work done by this club for both the people of faraway lands and those in need right here in our own community. This club contributes tens of thousands of dollars annually to help worthy causes in our own community. But the future of this giving is uncertain. A large portion of this money is raised from the Odessa Rodeo, which the club produces every year. The land for this venue is generously provided by the Starkey family. This land will surely succumb to development interests as the SR 54 corridor builds out. This leaves no arena in which to have the rodeo.

As it stands, our elected commissioners have decided to follow the ill-fated advice of a misinformed (read "clueless") consultant, who stated that a multipurpose arena was not needed, but rather a tennis stadium was of the utmost importance. We have all seen how ill-fated that advice was, as evidenced by the withdrawal of the WTA's offer to make Pasco its home.

Because of the lack of vision of our commissioners of the need for a multipurpose arena for Pasco, the Charlie Daniels fundraising concert for the Angelus was moved to Pinellas County, no venue exists for large shows and concerts, and the Odessa Rodeo is in danger. The time to act is now.

As the tourist tax dollars, numbering in the millions, continue to sit in an idle account, the quality of life in Pasco, as well as the ability to attract outside visitors, continues to erode. It's time the commission took the brave step of making its own vision, not that of some overpaid, ill-advised consultant. It's time to look at the construction of a multipurpose arena.
-- Scott Factor, New Port Richey

If starving chickens isn't cruelty, what is?

Editor: Thank you for your wonderful article, State considering charges in starvation of chickens.

If the intentional starvation of hundreds of thousands of animals does not qualify as cruelty, I can hardly imagine what does. This case shows the inherent injustice in the factory farming system, in which animals are treated as machines rather than living beings deserving moral consideration.
-- Daniel Elstein, Brooklyn, New York

Voters have last word on gas tax increase

Editor: Here we go again. The county commissioners have voted to increase the gasoline tax. When will they learn the people will not stand for any tax increase? Every time they put a tax on the ballot for the people to vote for or against, the people voted against any. The people voted against any increase in taxes by a large margin. They (commissioners) still do not know the meaning of fiscal responsibility. Come Election Day, we must vote them out of office. I know the people will have the last say.

I want to applaud and thank Ann Bunting, the president of the Spirit of 76 Republican Club, for her position against this tax increase.

Again, remember to vote next November.
-- Simpson Van Orden, New Port Richey

Nursing assistant shows love, kindness

Editor: I was pleased to read the letter that one of your readers sent to you in regard to Missy Simmons, the nursing assistant employed by Orchard Ridge Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.

I would like to elaborate on what your reader told you about Missy. I too met Missy at Orchard Ridge. My father is a terminal cancer patient who was under Missy's care. This afforded me the opportunity to get to know Missy. She was raised in foster care by an older couple who passed away when she was young. Due to lack of family and missing the only parents she ever knew, she has turned a negative into a positive by "adopting" her patients and showering them with love and compassion. She not only performs her duties with a high level of excellence, she goes above and beyond, spending many of her "off" hours baking delicious desserts for her patients. She solves many of their problems by giving them the encouragement they need. She makes them gold stars for eating and special milk shakes when they can't eat anything else. She even draws pictures on their cups. This artwork meant so much to my Dad that he brought home with him one of the cups that she designed and keeps it with him at his bedside. Missy also gave our family great peace of mind knowing that she was taking care of our loved one.

I noticed how truly interested Missy was in her patients from the moment I met her. She is very interested in their medical conditions and learns everything she can from a technical standpoint. Missy has a goal to attend nursing school in January. I don't know if she still plans to attend as her work hours at Orchard Ridge had been reduced. Should you happen to have any readers involved with organizations or employers who give scholarships to deserving persons, Missy certainly is one of them. My family and I are truly blessed to have met Missy. We will be eternally grateful to her.
-- Shari Peterman, New Port Richey

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