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All voters should have confidence in the electoral process

Re: A vote of confidence, Feb. 27.

This article quoted from the Collins Center for Public Policy study that 85 percent of those polled thought the election was "good or excellent." If you read the entire survey, you will also find that 14 percent of those polled were "not very, or not at all confident" that "Florida has done everything it should to prevent election fraud." Breaking that down further, you will see that 26 percent of black respondents and 12 percent of Hispanic respondents felt that way.

That should be a challenge to the state and county officials to understand why 26 percent of Florida's black voters think more needs to be done to prevent election fraud. I don't believe, as Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Kurt Browning said, that these are just Democrats who are sore losers.

Our election officials need to make a concerted effort to restore every voter's confidence in the electoral process. Voting is our birthright as American citizens.

Blogs expose media bias

Re: The role of bloggers, editorial, Feb. 26, and Learning to love blogs, Feb. 27.

This blog fan (Instapundit, Little Green Footballs, Powerline) applauds your support for the role blogs play in holding mainstream media accountable for accuracy and fairness.

Here's the perspective of a news junkie:

The mainstream media, which scrutinize every other aspect of society and play it back for public consumption, have not effectively held themselves accountable to the public. Because of MSM reluctance to shine a public spotlight on their own bad apples, a lot of low-hanging fruit is ripe and ready for blog picking.

Yes, the battle for media scalps is fought on a conservative-liberal battleground. Conservative bloggers take credit for forcing out Dan Rather of CBS, Eason Jordan of CNN and Howell Raines of the New York Times. Liberal bloggers take credit for the resignation of Jeff Gannon of Talon News.

In spite of its partisan atmospherics, the blogosphere will do a good job exposing media bias. The way blogs interact provides a self-regulating feature. Bad information fades and dies and its purveyors lose clout. Good information and analysis are touted and routed from blog to blog, gathering up more interest and action from the heaviest, most influential consumers of news.

But aren't blogs biased, too? Yes, but they acknowledge their bias. The mainstream media, on the other hand, say their reporting is unbiased so the media bias story is about them. Surveys show that a large majority of MSM journalists vote Democrat. At their conventions, they cheer liberal speakers. It is fair to ask, are they even capable of seeing their own bias?

Blogs have a lot of work to do.

Officials need to be questioned

Re: Modern media need to show a little more courage, Feb. 27.

Thank you, Eric Deggans, for your analysis of courage (or lack of same) as it applies to "modern media's timidity."

The examples Deggans provided could easily be expanded just by reference to several other columns in last Sunday's Times. Consider Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt's reasoning for reducing federal assistance to Medicaid: "Do you want to give everyone Chevys or a few people Cadillacs?" Perhaps one of the reporters present might have asked Leavitt, "Do you want to give the wealthiest 10 percent in our country major tax benefits, or do you want to provide additional assistance to families like the Holls who are desperately waiting for services for their disabled child?"

Similarly, perhaps someone in the media will ask the governor why he continues to promote privatization of programs despite the many serious questions that have surfaced regarding it.

Yes, Mr. Deggans. I hope you and others in the media will continue to raise these issues. If an informed public is the backbone of democracy, then the lack of information will only serve the interests of those with other agendas.

Effective mass transit is missing

Re: The new view of I-275, Feb. 28.

Why is there so much congestion on local roads and highways? The Department of Transportation and planning councils can't seem to figure it out, but the answer should be obvious to anyone who's spent time outside of the bay area: no mass transit.

Buses here are a joke; they're just as subject to traffic as other vehicles and take longer to get anywhere. What the area needs is a rail network, particularly one linking Tampa to its Pasco and Pinellas suburbs. Such a system, if implemented properly, would ease congestion, decrease commute times and cut down on automobile pollution.

As the state refuses to invest in efficient, sustainable transportation, the burden falls on the local governments. The leaders of the Tampa Bay area need to work together to develop a practical, passenger-friendly public transportation system. If not, the traffic problems will only get worse.

More restrictive zoning needed

Re: Growing pains, Feb. 27.

It was encouraging to read Dan DeWitt's column, which belatedly recognizes that Florida has had an overgrowth problem for more than 15 years that has not been addressed either by the legislative or the executive branches.

All one has to do is drive through any part of Pasco County and look at the new developments - large homes occupying 85 percent of the lot and built within 10 feet or less from the lot line. There are still hundreds of thousands of acres of unimproved land in Pasco County. Why are developers allowed to build homes literally on top of each other?

The time is long overdue for more restrictive zoning. Why hasn't this happened?

State should compensate Dedge

I am writing regarding the compensation of Wilton Dedge, a man who was recently freed after serving 22 years for a crime he did not commit. There has been commentary by local citizens in the media on what to do. I have met Wilton and his parents, Mary and Gary. They are good people who want nothing more than to close this chapter of their lives and move forward.

Wilton was long denied access to the court system from which he sought redress. Each time he sought relief, no expense was spared in fighting him. For 22 years, junk science and lies prevailed. He was imprisoned while many people his age were starting college or starting a family. He was not able to marry or have children.

As the Legislature takes up the issue of compensation for the wrongfully imprisoned, I hope everyone will pay close attention to how this will be handled. The state should step up and take responsibility, allowing Wilton Dedge a hearing without further delay.

[Last modified March 6, 2005, 00:13:18]