Opinion: Execution is a horror regardless of offender's age

The death penalty advocates must be salivating. The passage of Amendment 1 means that the brutal, yet legal, punishment of killing those convicted in the Sunshine State can be carried out on those criminals under 17 years of age. Florida must now follow the lead of the U.S. Supreme Court, which has allowed executing 16-year-olds. For those favoring this barbaric practice, "sweet 16" has a whole new meaning.

Amendment 1 directs the Florida Supreme Court to follow the precedents set by the U.S. Supreme Court on all interpretations of what constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. Since Florida barred execution of anyone under 17 and the U.S. Supreme Court recently affirmed approval of the execution of a 16-year-old, Florida's ban is negated.

The Times asks, "Do the people of this state really want to execute 16-year-old offenders?" The implication seems to be that it's okay to execute every offender older than 17 and that's what the people really want. Outrageous. The question should not be about age. The age of the convict is irrelevant because the horror of execution is not relative.
-- Jack Bray, Dunedin

A better approach

Re: A deathly amendment.

Perhaps the way to reduce the possibility of child offenders facing the prospect of execution is to ban capital punishment for all people. This may even have the effect of promoting the enlightened, upbeat idea that killing people of any age is wrong, even by execution.
-- Tom S. Brown, Largo

Get rid of candy-coated justice

Re: Teen's death sentence overturned, Nov. 8.

I served on a jury in a first-degree murder case and we found the defendant guilty. We had to deliberate on the death penalty and this was really a difficult decision, even though this person was without a doubt guilty. We did agree on the death penalty only to have the judge overrule the decision. Later we found out that the defendant had been released from prison and that he had killed a homeless person, no one high profile or of any importance, and after eight years he was released from prison.

The teenager in the case cited in the article took two days to kill his victim. He would have had sufficient time to change his mind, just as the judge changed the sentence in the case I served on.

Cruel and unusual punishment is forbidden for the murderer, but cruel and unusual punishment is permitted to be inflicted on a victim! I fail to see the justice here.

Now this teenager may face a life in prison where he will have his meals provided, TV, health, dental and vision care, plus free education. Who will provide the victim's family with health insurance, groceries and education? Who says crime doesn't pay? What deterrent is life in prison when all the above is provided for you?

As a personal point of view, I am sick hearing the excuses of a bad childhood, being the product of broken home or being under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Let's get real, judges: Do the crime do the time, even if it is the death penalty. And get rid of the candy-coated justice.
-- Maryann Rigby, Hudson

Part of the plan

Re: Squeezing the IRS, editorial, Nov. 11.

Do you really think the Bush administration is mistakenly underfunding the IRS? These things are not accidents. Their purpose is exactly the consequences you describe: disabling the government.
-- Paul Swider, St. Petersburg

We need tax simplification

Re: Squeezing the IRS, editorial, Nov. 11.

In your editorial, you conveniently leave out what else Charles O. Rossotti, resigning head of the IRS, said. He said the tax code is too complex for the public and the IRS agents to understand.

I say we have no more IRS agents until Congress passes tax simplification, preferably a flat tax so that the average taxpayer can understand the tax code. Additional tax agents are a big step toward the police state the Times usually worries about.
-- David Meng, Bradenton

Polluters get off too easily

Re: Analysis: Polluters' fines lower under Bush, Nov. 7.

Thank you for printing this article. The Bush administration has waged an unprecedented assault on the nation's environmental laws, disregarding the health of the public.

The repeal of the Superfund tax placed on polluting industries is detrimental to the health of Americans, as well as their pocketbooks. One in four Americans lives within 4 miles of a toxic waste site, and 85 percent of these sites are polluting the groundwater. Local toxic sites can be found in Tarpon Springs and Tampa.

While the Superfund tax was being enforced, polluters were being held accountable for their actions. However, today that is not the case. Cleanup efforts have slowed and diminished, because of the limited funding. The Department of Environmental Protection is forced to use taxpayer revenue to pay for the cleanups it is able to address.

We, the taxpayers, must pay for the mess that others are making. This hardly seems fair to me. The Superfund tax should be reinstated as a cost for the companies to participate in potentially polluting industries.
-- Collin Hu, Clearwater

Deflecting readers' attention

Re: Israelis answer shooting rampage with rockets, Nov. 12.

Once again, Arab terrorists murder a mother and her children -- in this case residents of a community known throughout Israel for its collaborative relationship with its Arab neighbors.

Once again, a car loaded with explosives designed to kill innocent Israeli civilians explodes, this time just short of its destination.

Once again, the headline in the St. Petersburg Times seeks to focus the readers' attention on the Israeli response rather than on the murderous attacks to which they responded.

Once again, your readers are entitled to ask: Why?
-- Barry Augenbraun, St. Petersburg

Health care in crisis

The Nov. 9 article by Kris Hundley, Care dismays insurance insider, was an accurate telling of the current mess our health care system is in, both from the patient's and provider's points of view. Unfortunately, I believe this is front-page news, as we are all affected, not just those interested in the Business section.

As a provider, I am seeing my malpractice premiums rise 40 percent for one-fourth the coverage (my prior policy limits are no longer available due to the medical malpractice crisis), my fees slashed another 4.5 percent, due to government mandate, and my family's health insurance premiums rise another 18 percent.

Although the article relates the experiences of a pediatric group, those of us who practice with a predominantly adult population are overwhelmingly affected by the Medicare fee schedule. Florida's having such a disproportionate number of retirees compared to the other states makes its physicians more susceptible to federal spending guidelines and cuts.

Something has to give soon or there won't be any physicians left practicing in Florida.
-- Jonathan Radin, MD, Seminole

Unequal treatment for immigrants

Re: Haitians' discriminatory detention, editorial, Nov. 2.

There is no way to fairly treat illegal immigrants who find their way into our country, because the INS is incapable of handling the job. Illegal aliens must be detained until they can be given a date for a hearing to determine their status. In the case of the 17-year-old sniper suspect, John Lee Malvo, he was released by the INS after getting a hearing date many months away.

Illegal aliens do not show up for hearings, so what makes you think the Haitians would ever come out from hiding? This is why we have at least 11-million illegal aliens all over the country. So Malvo, his mother, Haitians, Cubans and all illegal aliens should be deported at the earliest.

Your editorial should have addressed the discriminatory Congressional Cuban Adjustment Act, passed Nov. 2, 1996, which now should be rescinded. It gave the boat people political asylum which afforded them automatic permanent residence status, the opportunity to work legally, to government welfare, to unemployment benefits and to free medical care.

With the possibilities of millions more boat people arriving in Miami, Washington agreed that any Cuban caught by the United States would be sent back to Cuba, but agreed to authorize 20,000 visas annually. However, these accords entice Cubans to leave the island illegally. For although any Cuban now caught by the U.S. Coast Guard is returned to Cuba, it still grants Cubans permanent residency if they touch U.S. soil and lets them have all the benefits. No other immigrant is afforded these benefits. Now this is discrimination and should have been mentioned in your editorial.
-- C.J. Bjornberg, Clearwater

Try being less critical

Re: Laughable immigration policy, letter, Nov. 6.

It is no secret that much of our food is harvested, butchered and processed by illegal aliens. We should remember this when we sit down to the bounty we enjoy.

Also, yes, it is certainly true that a recent sniper suspect is an illegal alien, but Timothy McVeigh was a U.S. citizen, as is Ted Kaczynski.

Unless the letter writer's folks were Timucuan, Ais, Jengas, Apalachees or perhaps Tekestas or Calusas, I think she should be less critical of those "storming our shores."
-- Anna Rangel Boone, Zephyrhills

Expecting a tax cut

Now that the Republicans are in complete control and plan to make all President Bush's tax cuts permanent, shouldn't every senior citizen pledge not to cast another Republican vote until they eliminate the unfair income tax on their Social Security benefits?
-- Charles White, Spring Hill

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