Re: Let the police help Midtown to prosper, by Bill Maxwell, Sept. 10.
Bill Maxwell is right about one thing. Innocent citizens are not being gunned down on their way to the store on the north side of town. They are being run over by drunks leaving bars! There are more citizens being killed by drunken drivers on the north side than there are by drug dealers on the south side.
Don't get me wrong, I am for the police arresting drug dealers. But explain why 170 people who were not connected to drugs were arrested.
To put this into perspective, I will bet that if the St. Petersburg Police Department were to have a sting and target the bars in the north side of St. Petersburg, the officers would find drugs, illegal weapons, outstanding warrants, drivers without licenses and plenty of dangerous DUIs. The sad thing is that if they did this on the north side the politicians would not get re-elected. Target the 25 percent and the 75 percent will re-elect you. Target the 75 percent and - well you figure it out. Now, let's look at the drug dealers on the south side. Does this mean that the south side is the only area to have drug users and drug dealers? Or perhaps it is because they are more violent than the north side drug dealers. Or perhaps it is because the north is 75 percent and - well you figure it out.
Now for the other part of Maxwell's article. I am white and have never been to an Uhuru rally, meeting or demonstration. I am a founding member of CUSP, Citizens United for Shared Prosperity, and the Uhurus have allowed us to meet at their building. Some of the Uhurus are members of CUSP, as are citizens from every district in this city. I agree with the Uhurus, that the city's effort for economic revitalization, economic redevelopment, economic (whatever the new term may be today), is just a front to keep the citizens on the south side happy.
I agree with Maxwell that the Midtown area looks better. But where are the jobs that will pay a living wage? Of all the businesses that have moved into the area, most are not going to hire people and some of the businesses were given incentives to move from one area of the south side into the Midtown area, so they already have the same employees.
The south side needs real jobs that will pay a living wage. It needs better transportation that can get citizens to work and to stores faster and more reliably. The citizens of south side do not need handouts. They need what we have on the north side - economic freedom. In my area (City Council District 1) I have a college, a mall, a Wal-Mart, plenty of light industries, a Home Depot (opening soon), movies, Best Buy, grocery stores, many restaurants and parks, all within 1 mile of my house. I know of some areas on the south side that don't have any of these things within a mile of their house.
Bring industry into the south side that pays benefits, living wages of at least $9 per hour for full-time jobs, and the citizens of south St. Petersburg will revitalize and redevelop themselves. Once shared prosperity becomes reality in the city of St. Petersburg, we will all be better for it.
And the next time we throw a net out to catch the bad guys, let's make sure we are fishing the entire lake and not just the south end of it.
-- Dennis Homol, St. Petersburg
Rejecting social responsibility
I am still dumbfounded and incapable of expressing the absurdity of one letter writer's assertion (Minimum wage myths, Aug. 21) that "poverty in the United States of America in the 21st century is a chosen condition."
I accept the fact that the writer probably believes it. I just find it extraordinary that a rational person could conclude that most poor people want to be. More likely, his assumption is palatable to him because it rejects social responsibility. We don't have to make it any better. We attribute the liability to people whom we oppress, but will probably never have to look at or answer to.
I sensed the same bewilderment after reading Bill Maxwell's most recent characterization of his arch-nemesis, the Uhuru movement (Let the police help Midtown to prosper, Sept. 10). Maxwell's tedious obsession with vilifying the Uhuru organization is hollow. He articulates public policy that the St. Petersburg Times endorses, but asserts only through the byline of a black editorial writer.
Readers can absolve themselves of any culpability since Maxwell says the recent police aggression against young African men is justified and righteous. People swallow Maxwell's dubious assertions because he has a captive audience: Most folks are unlikely to attend an Uhuru meeting to hear the other side.
-- Judy Robinson, St. Petersburg
A strange position
Re: Group condemns police gun and drug task force, Sept. 5.
Am I to understand that the members of Uhuru movement don't want extra police officers patrolling their neighborhoods? They don't want the St. Petersburg Police Department to arrest drug dealers and people with illegal guns? They want the officers to leave and patrol other neighborhoods? Am I the only person that thinks this sounds strange?
-- Ed Taylor, St. Petersburg
Insensitive to flag's impact
Re: Group wants Confederate flag license plate, Sept. 16.
John W. Adams, division commander for the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which is lobbying to create a specialty license tag in Florida bearing the Confederate flag, acknowledges, "We know the flag is controversial . . ."
Knowing this only demonstrates Mr. Adams' lack of sensitivity to those who believe the flag symbolizes oppression, segregation and discrimination.
If the Sons of Confederate Veterans group needs at least 15,000 vehicle owners who would consider buying the tag to get it approved by the Legislature, then I am happy to report, along with Gov. Jeb Bush, their pool of prospective owners just decreased even more.
-- Joseph D. Murphy, Oldsmar
A symbol of violence
Re: Group wants Confederate flag license plate.
If the Confederate flag is going to continue to have a place in our country, perspective about the flag should have its place as well. That flag was a Confederate battle flag, and as such represented a group that used violence in an attempt to end the United States as we know it. There are plenty of positive symbols of the South, but that is no more one of them than an al-Qaida battle flag is a symbol of Arab pride.
-- Doug Saguto, Tampa
Honor Confederate soldiers
Re: Group wants Confederate flag license plate.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans is a legitimate historical preservation organization. It will never be confused with a hate group. As stated in your article, this tag would help fund the group's preservation projects.
By name, the NAACP's purpose is to advance and benefit black people in our society. It seems that by its actions this is not always true. Time and time again the group's members have shown that they are more interested in the repression of any idea that doesn't fit their agenda. This proposed tag has nothing to do with the NAACP, and I'm sure that group could find something more important and beneficial to use its resources on.
If the the state of Florida can have a manatee tag, I see no reason we could not honor Florida's Confederate soldiers with one. Count me in, I'll buy one.
-- Lanny Hayes, Palm Harbor
Young people taking a stand for faith
I have just experienced one of the most uplifting and awesome moments of my life. Tears of pride are yet clouding my vision as I type this letter. You see, Wednesday was National See You at the Pole Day for young people all across this great country. On this day, before school, young people, of their own inclination, gather around their school flag poles and pray for their school and nation.
As I dropped our son off early that day, the sight that met my eyes completely overwhelmed me. At his school as well as all the others I passed, I witnessed young people boldly standing up for their rights and convictions. This is not always a popular thing for adults to do, let alone our children, who are bombarded daily with peer pressure to "fit in" and not be different. These young people were unobtrusive and spoke not a word, yet their courage spoke volumes to me, and I hope, many others. And yes, our son was there, completely on his own terms. Was I proud? Yes, bursting, and in awe of him and all the children who were there and everywhere across our nation.
I wonder, do we as adults have that kind of courage? That kind of love for and belief in our nation, our God? I, too, sometimes fall short of my convictions. But if my child can be courageous enough to stand tall, I'm going to be right behind him, proclaiming: "One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
-- Maricriss Dausch, Brooksville
Veterans seek full benefits
Re: Republicans join in fight against veteran benefit cuts.
I read the Sept. 13 AP article regarding the so-called concurrent receipt situation for retired, disabled veterans. A more appropriate title would be the Disabled Veterans Tax. The cost estimate is $58-billion over 10 years.
The Defense Department extorts $695 per month from my retirement pay, which makes me pay a tax of $8,300 a year. Just think of the amount of money the U.S. government has saved over the past 112 years that this tax has existed. All the retired disabled vets from World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the subsequent altercations have had to pay this tax. The amount the government has saved over the past 112 years must be staggering.
We are not looking for retroactive money. We just want our full VA benefit and our full retirement pay. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has notified us he will fight giving in to us.
-- Sidney Grahn, Seminole
Questionable art objections
Re: Art, expectations collide, Sept. 15.
Isn't time our public servants, i.e., Hillsborough Commissioner Ronda Storms and the like, wake up?
Without a specific task, we commission a local artist to create a piece of public artwork for all to enjoy. Part of the artist's effort includes his personal interpretations as well. I understand the rusting of the bare steel as a statement, and it is a powerful one. I viewed the work and think it is terrific. Now we are going to spend another $1,000 of public money to study why bare steel rusts in the Florida climate. Come on, people, get a real life!
Would you rather have all the firearms back on our streets? We have a tremendous resource of "local artists" within our community and we should continue to utilize their talents. Commission more public artwork and keep the talent and dollars spent within our local area.
-- Stephen Corrado, Clearwater
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