Dr. King reminds us social justice is a moral matter
Published January 19, 2004
There has been much published recently about the need to cast in moral terms the issues of health care, jobs, a living wage, globalization and other matters of equity and humanity in American society. This makes me think of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday is commemorated today.
As an observance of that holiday, I encourage readers to listen to his later speeches "Beyond Vietnam" and "Where Do We Go From Here?" In them he argues passionately for just this idea, that each of these matters is in truth a moral issue. In his telling of the parable of the Good Samaritan he says:
"On the one hand, we are called to play the Good Samaritan on life's roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring." ("Beyond Vietnam," 1967.)
And so it is still today, even more so, because his his inspiration has yet to be fulfilled.
-- Carl A. Schuh, St. Petersburg
DCF: working to strengthen families
Re: Marrying Jerry, . . . and his prayer circle, editorials, Dec. 29.
Your recent editorials present an excellent opportunity to both agree on something and also correct the record.
First, we agree on the following: Virtually all Floridians (92 percent) think that a happy, healthy marriage is one of the most important things in life. Similarly, 80 percent of our state's residents think that children do better when their parents are married and two-thirds think government programs to strengthen families and reduce divorce are a good or very good idea.
Recent data from the University of Florida Family Formation in Florida study confirms that Floridians already believe in marriage and strong family values. The role of the Department of Children and Families is to provide programs that seek to maintain healthy marriage - voluntary extra help to those who want to improve or need assistance. We are simply making ourselves available to ensure the well being of children, to help reduce unnecessary divorce and to bring down unmarried birth rates.
As for the Adopt-a-Worker program, if we decide to implement this initiative - which we have not done yet - it will be an entirely voluntary, no-cost relationship where mosques, synagogues and church congregations provide a variety of support services to children and families in their communities and to our employees. The faith-based community has long been a part of social service programs in other states. They have long been involved in providing assistance and services to needy families. They also pray. That is what people of faith do.
Any program we implement will reflect the needs of Florida's diverse population and will include charitable support, moral support and faith-based support for Florida's communities and DCF's dedicated and hard-working employees.
-- Jerry Regier, secretary, Florida Department of Childrenand Families, Tallahassee
Official abused his position
Re: Group home parents dizzy after DCF runaround, by Mary Jo Melone, Jan. 11.
How dare Carl Littlefield use his position (as an official of the Tampa Bay district of the Department of Children and Families) to intimidate the families he is supposed to support. He created a "bully pulpit" at the meeting with the parents when he declared the meeting "his" and ordered out the newspaper reporter. By virtue of his position at DCF he has considerable control over the lives of the disabled residents and their families and is using that position inappropriately. Threatening to make things more difficult if he sees his name in print is abuse of his position.
It is his his job to help the families find decent placement for their disabled children. And it is his job to listen to them, heed their concerns and make those concerns a priority.
Shame on him. No DCF employee should ever use his position to intimidate those they are supposed to serve and help.
-- Anne Conklin, St. Petersburg
Many children in need are overlooked
Re: Access to health care for children is a state priority, letter from Gov. Jeb Bush, Jan. 15.
"Rather, I continue to remain focused on those children most in need ..." Gov. Bush writes.
Focused on the children most in need? What about the children on the developmental disabilities waiting list? As of now that list is approximately five years long! So for five years, children who need speech therapy, occupational therapy/sensory integration, behavioral services, respite care and many others are just supposed to wait?
My son is among those children. He, like so many other children in Florida, is diagnosed with autism. We are lucky enough to have insurance coverage. However, insurance will not cover speech therapy or anything else he needs. After all, they consider autism to be an educational issue rather than a medical one. The schools are far too strained to handle providing additional therapies, so my son gets a grand total of one hour of speech and one hour of occupational per week. Tell me how that is going to help my almost 5-year-old son learn to talk? To communicate his most basic needs? Any other therapy has to be paid for by us. Only the most well off of families are able to afford the services that a disabled child really needs. The rest of us need help.
-- Tracy Settle-Koch, St. Petersburg
Get angry about fuel prices
Why are Americans so unaware? Why don't they see "the big picture"? Stop and think. If our government raised our sales tax by 5 cents, then three days later raised it by 10 cents, how would we react? If the past is any reflection, the people would raise a massive protest. We'd flood Congress and the White House with e-mail, faxes, phone calls and letters. Many congressmen and the president would be voted out as soon as possible.
Yet we let the oil companies raise their prices just as they did recently, without a whimper. No committees, no demonstrations, no e-mail. This is amazing!
The revenue raised by an increase in sales taxes would be spent on us citizens. It could be used for education, road improvement, prescription drug help for the needy, fire and flood protection - and the list could go on. Yet the increase in gasoline goes only into the pockets of a few extremely wealthy people with none of it spent on us citizens. We'd have oversight on the government expenditures but no oversight on the gasoline companies' increased income. Incidentally, the rich had their taxes cut and feel no responsibility toward the mass of people who made them rich!
Since George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are oil people who've done much for oil companies, why aren't we flooding them with demands that they pressure those companies to get their greedy paws off us Americans? Kuwait owes us. Why doesn't Kuwait lower its oil prices to help offset what the others do?
We Americans must get angry at this obvious ripoff and flood the White House with our demands for immediate help in this matter. Only President Bush can put enough pressure on greedy oil companies. Only we Americans can put pressure on Bush. For our economy, we must begin our anger today!
-- Sandra Luke, Largo
Costly bargain hunting
Re: As gas prices heat up, drivers feel the burn, Jan. 15.
I read with some amusement about the plight of Frank Postell. He was concerned about the price of gas, so he would drive out of his way to find the lowest price. His Ford Explorer's gas tank has a capacity of 22.5 gallons. So, if he finds gas at 3 cents per gallon cheaper, he will save 67.5 cents per tank. His Explorer also gets 16 miles per gallon in city driving. Postell stated that he will drive to the outskirts of St. Petersburg. On a round trip (4 miles there and 4 miles back), he will burn half a gallon of gas. This will cost him anywhere from 75 to 80 cents per gallon. He is actually losing money.
If he is that concerned about gasoline prices, he may be better off trading in his gas-guzzling SUV for something a little more fuel-efficient.
-- Dana Groulx, Land O' Lakes
Gay announcements are offensive
Re: "Wedding" announcement of gay unions.
I am a long-term subscriber of the Times, and there have been few issues that upset me enough to make me want to stop my subscription. But this is one of them. I am greatly offended that your staff has decided to recognize a gay union in the same category as marriage. This goes against everything I value spiritually and morally, and I must protest.
Some people may discount my position as a "hate attitude." This is not true. I don't hate these people. I don't even know them personally. But I believe the choice they are making to establish a gay union is wrong. I am not ashamed or embarrassed by my beliefs and will stand tall as a person who is willing to make a stand for what I believe is right.
Gay unions are not marriage and should not be honored by inclusion in your wedding photos and announcement section.
-- Mary Beth McNeal, St. Petersburg
Diversity of opinion keeps us going
Thank you, fellow readers, for expressing on Jan. 8 your opinions for or against the inclusion of the first announcement of a same-sex union in the St. Petersburg Times. Diverse views are what keep this country running, no matter how widely the contrary is believed. Without opposing viewpoints, debate is impossible and progress can never be made.
However, with such diversity, it is impossible to accept a single moral code of a religion such as Christianity as the standard in our society. Imposing such views is considered tyrannical and negates the principles of religious liberty that the First Amendment guarantees.
American society is a resilient institution that shifts and evolves to allow the incorporation of new cultures and lifestyles while retaining its founding principles of opportunity, liberty and justice. The decision by the Times to include same-sex unions mirrors American society in its progression toward a future in which every American citizen is guaranteed these rights, regardless of their origin, beliefs or preferences. We have made these steps in the past; I see no reason to change the pattern now.
-- Matt Tucker, Clearwater
Sympathy for Selmon
Re: Health issue puts Selmon on sideline, Jan. 13.
We were deeply saddened to read of Lee Roy Selmon's health problem which requires him to take a leave from his duties at the University of South Florida. Having been season ticket holders for the Buccaneers since their inception in the mid-'70s, we had the privilege and pleasure of seeing Lee Roy perform on the football field at the highest level, always giving his best, with a team which, at that time, was a virtual nonentity in the NFL. That said, he is enshrined in the football Hall of Fame, the only Buc ever so honored, and richly deserved by him. He has always been a gentleman and good citizen of the highest caliber.
Our prayers go out for him in his time of need. We sincerely hope that others will do the same and that he will be able to return to USF and again contribute to its success as he has done so diligently in the past.
-- Jim and Charlotte Wright, Clearwater
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