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© St. Petersburg Times, published October 21, 2002
Re: Willy-nilly meddling gums up our Constitution, by Howard Troxler, Oct. 14.
Howard Troxler makes a point in his column about the amendment process getting out of hand, but he misses the larger point. The voters in Florida would probably just as well leave issues of high-speed rail and class sizes and even pregnant pigs out of the Constitution.
These items are best left for the Legislature. But when the Legislature fails to act in the interests of its constituents, those voters should not be expected to sit back and accept it. Think of amendments as an impromptu plebiscite: The voters are taking matters into their own hands in the only way left to them. Our system has gotten that far out of hand.
-- Paul Swider, St. Petersburg
It should not be necessary to amend the Constitution to provide good schools and a healthy environment. The reason the amendments exist is politicians, especially the state Legislature, refuse to properly fund a first-class education system. The people of Florida are tired of gimmicks (A+ Plan) and unkept promises. There is no question that Florida ranks near the bottom in education compared to the other 49 states. In spite of the hype that Jeb Bush broadcasts around, Florida smells to high heaven. I will vote yes on the class size amendment because the special interests in Tallahassee cannot be trusted.
Smoking is another story. One misguided letter writer puts the prohibiting of smoking in public places as a financial loss in revenue and in jobs. With all due respect for this letter writer I will say he is ignorant of the real facts. Hundreds of millions of dollars are lost yearly on lost man-hours of work. The smokers have a considerably worse record of lost hours of work due to sickness. Furthermore, smoking is a leading cause of lung cancer, emphysema, high blood pressue and heart disease. This results in billions of dollars in funerals, heart operations, high drug cost and a debilitating condition on families. It also costs the taxpayer. The cost of insurance drives the price of everything up. Also the veterans hospital runs a cancer ward where veterans come to die of lung cancer.
The amendments should not be needed, but there is no recourse when government fails. Vote yes.
-- Peter M. Pullara, Temple Terrace
Re: What will they blame next?, letter, Oct. 14.
The letter writer mentioned a parochial school with 60 students per class. That sounds like a once-in-a-while thing. I went through 12 years in New York City and never had 60 in any class. Discipline was meted out in a manner that the authorities (or most parents) today would not allow. However, one thing they had then, and still have now, is the right to refuse anyone who doesn't fit academically or behaviorally. Public schools have no such right. They're obliged by law to keep everyone, including those cut from the private schools.
Then we have the FCAT, which incidentally, private schools don't have to take. All public schoolchildren take them, and the marks are used for and against the school. Remember the ones who were dumped from the private school and don't care? They could and often are, the anchors that pull down the scores. So, tell me, who do the private schools answer to? Oh, sorry, they keep only those who keep up, fit in and make them look good.
-- Joseph Brickman, Largo
I agree with those who believe class size has little to do with education, and downsizing will cause more problems than it helps. When I was in school, class sizes were in the 50s range and we all helped one another. Discipline was no problem. If the teachers found a child lacking discipline she simply called on the parents and the problem was soon solved. Many of the students went on to college and became doctors, lawyers, etc.
The key to education, as it is in all successful endeavors, is discipline, and class size isn't the answer to that. Parental control is.
-- Marie Garvey, St. Petersburg
Would you buy something if you didn't know how much it would cost or how you would pay for it? I am a teacher in Pinellas County, and I am voting no on the constitutional amendment to limit class size. We already have portables at my school. How many more classrooms will we need if this amendment passes? I would estimate that the average age of teachers at my school is over 50. Where will we get competent teachers to replace the ones who will retire in the next 10 years, let alone hire the new teachers that will be needed? Florida is already well below the national average in teacher pay. Where will the funding come from to increase teacher salaries so that more university students major in education?
You might be thinking that to vote no on this amendment would make it appear that you do not care about education. However, your time would be better spent contacting your local school board members to inquire why we don't have the alternative high school they have been talking about for years.
I have no facts to back this up, but after 20 years in the "system," it is my opinion that our administrators spend 90 percent of their time on 10 percent of our student population. If these habitually disruptive students were moved to another location (with smaller classes), the current teacher-pupil ratio would be quite manageable.
I love teaching, and I care about kids -- my own two who spent 13 years each in Pinellas County schools and are now at a state university, and all my students -- but I am voting no on this amendment.
-- Carol Mathis, St. Petersburg
Re: The Noelle dilemma: Punish or treat?, Oct. 12.
Lucy Morgan's column about Noelle Bush contains a few contradictions I'd like to lay out. First she states that being the governor of the state doesn't make it easier for Jeb Bush to face the pain of seeing a child in trouble. Maybe not. But he didn't have to go through the pain other parents do as they wait months for their children to be admitted to treatment facilities. Due to several budget cuts that have occurred during Bush's tenure as governor, that wait has gotten even longer. Noelle seems to have jumped to the beginning of the waiting list. And don't make me gag with whining about the facility where Noelle lives. Jail is a lot worse.
As far as the right to privacy, you or I have no right to privacy if we break a law. Our mug shots and names can be posted in the newspaper because the information is a matter of public record.
Weekly, I see the names of drug offenders in newspaper articles -- many of them are on waiting lists to get into treatment.
As far as Noelle's right to the confidentiality of her treatment records, perhaps you can explain how the information about her clean drug screens was released to the press. Looks like the law is enforced selectively here.
If this sounds like I'm opposed to treatment for individuals diagnosed with addiction and alcoholism, nothing could be further from the truth. I'm just burned up by the obvious special treatment Noelle Bush received. The real Noelle dilemma is why she could get help when hundreds of others wait for help due to a system crippled by her father's administration.
-- Eliska Adema, Largo
Photos of Gov. Jeb Bush hugging his brother, the president, appeared on the front page on Oct. 18.
On the same day, photos of Noelle Bush, the 25-year-old daughter of Gov. Jeb Bush and niece of the president, appeared in the back section of newspapers. She is shown handcuffed and being sentenced to 10 days in jail after crack cocaine was found in her shoe at a drug treatment center.
It would have been far better to have seen a picture of the governor at the drug court hearing, hugging Noelle instead of his brother.
She needs attention and the governor needs to find out how and where she is obtaining crack cocaine in a supposedly secure drug center.
If the governor was too busy to be with her in her hour of need, where was her mother?
-- Ruth J. Anderson, Homosassa
With all of Noelle Bush's problems, how come mom and pop weren't there for her sentencing? One of the aunts had to do the job. Jeb Bush
's words would have at least a partial ring of caring and truth if he and his wife had been there with her. No matter what, my mom and dad would have been there had it been me.
-- John Cowan, Zephyrhills
Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week will be celebrated nationwide Oct. 20-26, as national, state and local health partners throughout our nation continue their efforts to alert parents and caregivers about this completely preventable condition. While it is encouraging that the number of lead-poisoned children is declining in Florida and nationwide, not all at-risk children have been screened.
Lead-based paint hazards in homes built before 1978 pose the greatest risk of lead exposure to children. Considering that more than 2-million homes in our state were built before 1970, there is a risk to a great number of the youth in our state.
Medical findings have revealed that children are at particular risk for lead exposure due to hand-to-mouth contamination from playing in household dust and in exterior soil containing lead. Small children, those aged 9 months to 6 years, are the most at risk. The ingested lead is readily available to the children's bodies while body structures are growing and developing. Lead can permanently harm a child's brain, resulting in lifelong learning and behavior problems.
As a parent and a pediatrician, I urge all parents and caregivers to speak with your child's doctor and have your child tested. A simple blood test is the only way to know if a child has lead in his or her blood. If your child doesn't have a physician, call your local county health department or the Florida Department of Health, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at (850) 245-4444, extension 2869.
There are many simple activities that can help prevent lead poisoning. Providing healthy meals and snacks assists in preventing lead absorption in the body. Making sure children wash their hands after playing with toys and especially before eating or sleeping helps remove lead dust. Cleaning areas such as baseboards and windowsills, where lead dust may build up, at least once a week with a damp cloth, will help keep dust to a minimum. Encouraging children to play in grassy areas instead of dirt will help prevent exposure to lead in soil. Our children are our most precious assets. Please help us ensure that lead poisoning doesn't prevent them from attaining all that life holds in store for them.
-- John O. Agwunobi, M.D., M.B.A., secretary, Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee
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