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We need a more reasoned take on drunken driving

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published January 7, 2007

From a good time to a crime Dec. 31 

A whole new class of criminal has been created by the DUI laws in Florida, criminals who have no victims and who make no profit from their crime. A person pulled over for DUI, without damaging anyone's property or harming another person, can pay heavy fines, have his/her life disrupted and be marked for life with higher insurance premiums and other penalties.

Frankly, those who damage property or injure someone else deserve what they get. But what about those convicted of DUI who do neither?

Control of their lives passes from their own hands into the hands of others: a probation officer, DUI counselors who control when they can be released from counseling and others intent on punishing them for a crime without a victim.

Both Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD, and there's an appropriate acronym) and the governor's office honor law officers who make more than 100 DUI arrests in a year - no matter the conviction rate, and no matter the collateral damage to the lives of people who have harmed no one else nor anything else.

It is time to create a more reasoned approach to DUI, and quit making criminals of persons who have harmed no one.

Curtis Reeve, St. Petersburg

Walking the fine line Dec. 31, Perspective story

Valuable information

This was an excellent article on the rules and regulations for drinking and driving. This topic could be further expounded upon by noting that the rules apply for bicycles as well as motorists, and that providing a minor with alcohol could mean jail regardless of the circumstances.

The public can benefit greatly if properly informed of the state's statutes with concern to alcohol .

Dale Glissendorf, Tampa

Bringing bioscience to Tampa Jan. 3, editorial

One more giveaway by our government

Your editorial gives us just another example of a disgraceful giveaway of the public's money. It is a wonder, that after years of being coerced by private companies, our public officials still think it is a feather in their caps if they can announce another giveaway.

The $35-million that is being donated by the state, Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa will only enrich the pockets of the executives of drug giant Merck and spinoff M2GEN. We don't need "165 high-paying jobs" that will probably be filled by out-of-staters. We need many middle-income jobs so average families can afford to live in our area.

M2GEN, the for-profit spinoff of Moffitt and Merck, will profit from discoveries that your tax dollars have funded. In their zeal to donate "your" money to these companies, have our officials made a deal for the public to profit from these donations? Will we be sharing the patents that will emerge from the research into "individual therapy"? I doubt it, and I further doubt that any individual therapy could be afforded by the common folk.

For our officials to sacrifice the bread and butter of our people so that high-priced executives can extend their own lives for a few more months is despicable.

Alfred E. Giannone, Beverly Hills

Iorio has enemies, but can she lose? Dec. 24, story

Not all love Iorio

I have to take issue with the statement in your paper that Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio is loved in the city's neighborhoods.

Here in south Tampa, I've noticed a very real and growing feeling that the developers have been allowed to rape the city and that City Hall has been a rubber stamp for them. We are not asked if we want a minimansion or condo in the area. When I e-mail the mayor's office and ask why, I'm told the developers meet the city codes.

I agree with Marion "Serious" Lewis that the city has been prostituted to the developers and eminent domain has been abused.

David Grachek, Tampa

Stalking is serious

January is the month for New Year's resolutions and the many promises they bring. January is also a serious month for women. January is Stalking Awareness Month. And for many victims and advocates it's so important to create awareness and a better understanding of this misunderstood crime.

Simply stated, stalking is a course of conduct directed at a specific person that places a reasonable person in fear for her safety. The fear and danger are real.

Consider the disturbing truths about stalking:

- 76 percent of women killed by their intimate partners were stalked by these partners before they were killed.

- Victims often lose time from work or never return to work as a result of being stalked.

- One in 12 women will be stalked in their lifetimes.

There is much you can do to protect yourself and the ones you love from being stalked. For more information, contact the Stalking Resource Center at 1-800-FYI-CALL (1-800-394-2255). Locally, for safety planning, support and educational seminars, contact the Spring of Tampa Bay at (813) 247-5433.

Stalking is a crime. And anyone can be stalked, not just celebrities. So please learn more about stalking so you, too, can survive this serious crime.

Natalie Baird, board member, and Linda Oberhaus, executive director, the Spring of Tampa Bay, Tampa

Highlight helpers Dec. 29, letter

Keep reminding us

In support of the Dec. 29 letter writer, I, too, would like to see a weekly notation or feature of a charity that needs our help. I have long held the view that we need frequent reminders to inspire us to rise above the overwhelming amount of negativity thrown at us by the media every day.

I believe more of us would contribute to charity if the thought were put before us. We just need a little prodding. Some of us can no longer volunteer our service but can - and will - write a check.

Just think - the St. Petersburg Times making a difference! And it would cost so little space.

I think it was Plato, as well as St. Paul, who said that people will do "good" when they know what "good" is.

Hazel L. Phipps, Treasure Island

[Last modified January 7, 2007, 07:49:30]