Letters to the Editors

Luring retirees makes sense for state's economy

In your Feb. 22 editorial Retire to Florida, we're cheap, you overlooked the fact that the Destination Florida Commission is trying to target migrating retirees, people who are planning to relocate somewhere. It is only logical to work toward drawing these migrating retirees to Florida, especially because they spend more than their younger counterparts and pay sales and user taxes far in excess of the cost of services they receive.

Retirees currently residing in Florida also contribute to the state's quality of life by volunteering, making charitable contributions, supporting the arts, and participating in civic life. Therefore, encouraging retirees to relocate to Florida would potentially be of great benefit to the state, both economically and socially, given the example of the tremendous contributions that resident retirees already make.

The commission fully understands that service issues for elders must be addressed in order to accommodate the needs of residents and new retirees alike. For that reason, the commission recommended that legislative priority be given to meaningful tort law reform and to increase retiree accessibility to critical health care services.

The commission supports managed growth, and its position is best illustrated by Gov. Jeb Bush's Communities for a Lifetime initiative, a cornerstone of Destination Florida. This statewide initiative assists Florida cities, towns and counties in evaluating their current conditions and planning community improvements to better meet the needs of all residents, including retirees.
-- T. O'Neal Douglas, chairman, Destination Florida Commission, Jacksonville

A matter of market share

I read your Feb. 22 editorial Retire to Florida, we're cheap. Your choice of words describing the Destination Florida Commission's findings do not paint an accurate picture of its goal and objective. The commission was created to evaluate Florida's competitive position in attracting retirees and to make recommendations for the future that would make Florida more retiree friendly.

What we learned is that other states have begun concerted marketing efforts to attract amenity-seeking retirees. Their efforts have been successful and have drawn from Florida's market share. We learned that in the 1980s, Florida commanded a 25 percent share of the retirement market. Since then, the state has lost ground with that share falling to 20 percent by the end of the 1990s.

The commission found that a healthy retirement industry is critical for the continuing prosperity of the state. However, demographic projections show that the current level of economic activity supported by the retirement industry cannot be sustained without a substantial and continuous inflow of retirees from other states. A decrease in the number of retirees coming to Florida would have dramatic fiscal and quality-of-life implications for Floridians of all ages.
-- Terry White, secretary, Florida Department of Elder Affairs, Tallahassee

A political farce

Re: Retire to Florida, we're cheap.

Your editorial just says it as it is! The whole commission was a political farce to build positive opinion to justify the many mistakes being made. Before starting aggressive advertising the state should try repairing the many existing problems. This is an industry induced report, trying to cover up the many existing problems by using duct tape.

It might be an easier sell, and get Florida back on the No. 1 spot of favorite places for retirees, if our people in charge would try quality instead of quantity. Many retirees have moved away from Florida after realizing that life isn't as nice as advertised in the Sunshine State! Word gets around!

Great editorial!
-- Jan Bergemann, St. Augustine

Follow voters' message on amendments

Re: House's goal is keeping the people informed, letter from House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, Feb. 24.

"In the Florida House, we are seeking the advice and consent of Floridians. Why? Because we realize that our constitutional authority comes, not from lobbyists or our own self-interests, but directly from the people."

Does anyone else see the irony here?

"We trust Floridians to receive our message and determine, for themselves, whether they will embrace or reject what we do in Tallahassee."

If Speaker Johnnie Byrd believes his own words, directly quoted above, and more important, if he expects the citizens of Florida to believe him, the constitutional amendments passed by Floridians will be implemented by the governor and Legislature as they were intended, without delay, without evasion, without another vote because Tallahassee didn't like the result, and without "punishment" by a governor and Legislature that think we are too dumb to know what we passed.

Delaying high speed rail, subverting the class size amendment, and stacking the Board of Governors with friends of Jeb, to name just a few, doesn't sound to me like Tallahassee trusts Floridians even a little bit.

Speaker Byrd is trying to waste $600,000 on something that has already been accomplished. Floridians have received Tallahassee's message and have given our advice and consent at the ballot box (you know, that's the part where it comes directly from the people). What part of that doesn't the governor and the Legislature understand?
Saundra Curry, Clearwater

He's a legislative filter

Re: House's goal is keeping the people informed.

Rep. Johnnie Byrd complains he must have direct access to the people because the press filters his message. However, because Byrd is speaker of the House, only those bills, of the thousands that will be submitted, that have his blessing will be allowed to proceed.

And he is complaining the press is a filter!
-- Arthur C. Hayhoe, Zephyrhills

Embracing the Confederate flag

Re: Flag shouldn't be a source of divisions, letter, Feb. 24.

First, the Confederate Flag was not a flag of slavery but of rebellion, rebellion against a tyrannical government that sought by force to compel certain states to remain in the Union. The states of the Confederacy joined the Union freely with the express understanding that they would be allowed to leave the Union just as freely. When they choose to exercise that right they were severely punished. Such punishment continues to this day.

The brave men and women of the South, who were the civilian victims of Gen. Sherman's scorched earth policy, are today to have all emblems in remembrance of those sacrifices vilified and removed. The victors write the history books, and so it is that rebellion must be rooted out and destroyed lest we again question our rulers.

In reply to the second point, that the Confederate flag offends some people, I remind those people that the flag on the slave ships bringing their human cargo to our shores was not the Confederate flag but the American flag.

Rather than denouncing our brothers and sisters of the Confederacy, we would all be better served by following the example of those leaders in Tarpon Springs who through the efforts of the Sons and Daughters of the Confederacy together with leaders of the African-American community found and honored the grave of a brave African-American named Richard Quarls who was born a slave and fought for the Confederacy and who was honored by both races last month in a Confederate Memorial Service in a small black cemetery on the west coast of Florida.
-- Richard Driscoll, Clearwater

Black viewpoints are diverse

Re: A CNN for black viewers, Feb. 24.

It baffles me how a writer of Eric Deggans' talent and depth can believe there is a "perspective of black people" on every topic imaginable, including "George W. Bush's tax plan and possible war with Iraq."

Good luck to those planning a news network based on that belief. My experience has been that there is no single black perspective on any subject that matters -- that the "diversity" of viewpoints is as broad among blacks as among whites -- and I suspect the network planners have little chance of success.
-- Bob Armbruster, Seminole

Why does it take a tragedy?

Re: Nightclub inferno claims at least 96, Feb. 22.

"Play with fire and you will get burned." Perhaps now, this simple preventive phrase will penetrate the thick skulls of those who choose to use fire and/or fireworks unwisely. Why must it always take a tragedy to correct an error, which never should have been in the first place?

The only good that can come from this tragic event is that nothing like it will ever happen again. People who value other people's lives, have no business using fireworks indoors. Those who do should be prosecuted. Let us hope that pyrotechnics will be permanently banned from enclosed areas.
-- JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater

Absent mothers not to blame

Re: Absent mothers, obese children, Feb. 21.

I strongly take issue with the premise of this article. I was a child of an absent single mother way back in the 1940s. I was not an obese child, nor am I an obese adult.

I was the original absent mother in the late 1950s. I was a single mother working two jobs. Previously, I was a single mother going to night school. Whenever there was a choice between junk food or a healthy food, the healthy foods won hands down. I could not afford both. Soft drinks were a rare treat. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. None of my children was obese.

The absence of the mother is not the cause of childhood obesity. It is the failure of the parents to provide healthy foods and to give in too easily to the child's demands.
-- Marilyn J. Day, Beverly Hills

It looks like a tantrum

Re: Case of gate rage leads to lawsuit, Feb. 26.

While the article lists the age of prominent south Tampa lawyer Mac Greco Jr. as 55, it surely appears his actions are those of a 2-year-old pitching a major tantrum. And the fact that he wants the association to pay for repairs to the truck he used to smash the gate is beyond belief.
-- Jim Lyman, Lutz

Mourning a friend

Re: Mr. Rodgers.

Fred Rodgers demonstrated the power of television and its ability to influence.

That is why, although I did not know him personally, I feel as though I've lost my best friend.
-- Terry Neal, Tampa

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