Re: Taxpayers are increasingly burdened with funding education, Nov. 5 letter to the editor:
Editor: I recently read a letter written by Robert Haley about his concerns with rising taxes in Hernando County. This subject should be of interest to all residents of Hernando, but I would like to point out a few facts that seem to have been missed by Mr. Haley.
The money that schools receive from the lottery is paid to replace regular funding given to the county, not as a supplement. Blame state officials for this scam.
Gated communities are not only for families with children.
Residents of retirement communities in Spring Hill, come on, look around and count the schoolchildren in this county and divide by 21/2 and compare that number with the retirees. My mother and father paid much higher taxes in New York state when my sisters and I were attending schools and did it long after we moved on in life. It's part of life; learn to accept it or move.
You may, and I hope you do, enjoy your retirement, but remember everyone needs the support that younger people bring to the community through the services they provide. Remember also they will help pay for the next generation. No one rides for free.
-- Joseph Spano, Spring Hill
Great to see homegrown physicians
Editor: When I first moved to Florida and started checking out the Spring Hill area, the major health care concern was the dearth of medical care in Hernando County and the almost near absence of it on the west side.
Now a strange phenomenon has taken place. We're growing our own. A few years ago, Dr. William McGrogan came home to start his own internal medicine practice. This year, Dr. Clemente Nunag announced that his son Joel joined him in his practice. (Incidentally, Dr. Nunag was the second physician in Spring Hill.) Now, Dr. Natalie Sumner Leibensperger, who was raised in Hernando County and graduated from Hernando High School, has come home to establish her own OB-GYN practice.
Pardon me if I get a little choked up. But for years, I have hoped we would develop a local economy to a point where our kids would not have to leave Hernando County to pursue a career. I never realized I'd see a time when we would be producing our own physicians.
I want to welcome our kids home and let them know that I'd always be happy to support them. I hope everyone feels the same way.
-- Vince Vanni, Spring Hill
Garbage collection problems pile up
Editor: By the time I read your article a few weeks ago that spotlighted the incredibly lousy service Waste Management provides, my garbage had been successfully picked up twice in a row. So, I did not jump on the bandwagon, being a firm believer in abstaining from kicking garbage collectors when they are down.
But, now I am kicking. Once more, unbelievably, I just dragged my garbage back up my driveway and stored it safely in my empty dog kennel. (At the time I spent $160 for said kennel, I had other aspirations for it. Alas, it holds garbage whenever Waste Management fails to do its job.)
I thought we had the problem licked. One morning several weeks ago, I woke up at 4 a.m. I heard the steady "beep, beep, beep" of the garbage truck backing up down the road. I jumped out of bed, got dressed in record time, rushed to the road, grabbed the two bags of garbage sitting beside the road and placed them about 4 feet into the road. I headed back up the driveway, got into my car and drove to the end of the driveway, where I parked, headlights aimed directly at the two black bags. Then I got out of the car and stood beside it, right as the garbage truck made its appearance.
The two men sat in the truck for what seemed a very long time, probably about two minutes. I started to think maybe they were actually going to just drive away. Finally, one got out and grabbed the bags. Neither of us said a word.
I hoped I would not have to continue my excursions down the driveway before the crack of dawn.
The relationship between Waste Management and myself has become a looming thing, passing the point of ludicrous. I have called them and e-mailed them, and each time, the only result was an increase in my amazement that any company with such a complete disregard for anything similar to customer service could possibly stay in business.
I once e-mailed them and asked if I was on Candid Camera. Surely, they couldn't be serious. On at least four separate occasions, I was assured the men would be coming back to pick up the garbage they missed the first time around. Not once did that take place.
After my early rising/headlights ploy, my garbage was picked up. Once. Then dear Waste Management went back to its old ways.
Two weeks ago, the garbage truck pulled up later than usual, and while the men were collecting my neighbors' garbage, my adult son walked out to the road to confront the driver. "You need to pick up my mom's garbage," he told him. "Well, yeah." the driver said, as if that was an obvious request. "You've left it sitting there at least 10 times. She has called and e-mailed, and it doesn't do any good." The driver's attitude became more apologetic, and he said, "Oh! Sure, we'll get it; no problem!" And they did.
The promise was kept for two more garbage pick-ups. Twice they picked up my garbage without headlights beaming on it, without more phone calls or e-mails and without being confronted face-to-face by disgruntled customers.
In one e-mail I sent them, I even explained why it was especially upsetting to me whenever they bypassed my garbage. It reminded me, each time, of seven years ago, when we lived elsewhere in Spring Hill, and they frequently "forgot" our garbage. My husband was dying of cancer then and trivial little extra problems didn't seem trivial at all. There was enough to deal with, without worrying about garbage collection service.
If this situation wasn't so pathetic, it would be funny. I have a very well-developed sense of humor, but sometimes my laughter borders on a series of hysterical shrieks. Suing for "mental anguish" somehow no longer sounds like something only sue-freaks engage in.
Is there any hope that things at Waste Mangement are about to change? Their service continues to stink to high heaven.
-- Alison Peters, Spring Hill
Review kindergarten drug program
Editor: I am appalled to hear what they are teaching children in kindergarten about drugs.
My son has come home and told me about what they are teaching them in the drug awareness program at Shady Hills Elementary School. Not only are marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes a drug, but now they are teaching them that caffeine is also a drug.
When discussing this with my 5-year-old, he informed me that he wanted to do drugs.
Is not caffeine in the chocolate milk that they serve at school for breakfast and lunch? Are they telling them that it is okay to do certain drugs, and are they feeding them to the children?
I feel the program should be reviewed and revised for age appropriateness.
-- Karen Peterman, Spring Hill
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