Today's Letters: Dirt bikers show reckless streak

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published June 14, 2007

It has been very quiet the past week and I wondered why, then I read the article Hudson teen killed in ATV accident.

It is a shame that it took the loss of a life to have parents concerned about their kids, without helmets, illegally riding ATVs and dirt bikes on Hudson roads. They roar and race sometimes 10 at a clip with dust flying down Nottingham, Robinhood, King Richard, Suave, Hudson, Coyote and other roads and on private property at all hours of the day and night. I've seen them pass police cars on the way down Hudson Avenue to get gas. Some of these kids are 5 and 6 years old.

Some parents are no better, flying down the road with the little ones hanging on the back. Then you have the 30 and older crowd roaring around from 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., and the thieves trying to be quiet while they look for things to steal. Let's not forget the Sunday crowd when everyone and their friends are out.

People buy ATVs and dirt bikes and think they are entitled to ride anywhere they want, even on private property. If they don't have the proper place to ride, don't buy them. Many people in Pasco think they are entitled to do lots of illegal things because there are no consequences.

The loss of life is the ultimate consequence, but I am sure in a few weeks it will be business as usual.

D. Meredith, Hudson

We're at war with waste around us

Blue bags are the cheapest and easiest way to go. A two-year supply costs only $20. We have been using them since Day 1.

The county should make it mandatory. Those who don't comply could have $10 or $20 a month added to their garbage bills. We must save space in our incinerator, and we don't need a landfill.

Those of you old enough might remember World War II paper drives and how pots and pans and all types of materials were collected for the war effort. This also is a war - a war of waste of materials and the environment. Get with it, recycle.

Albert Kuiper, Holiday

Community feel, real Florida gone

I wouldn't mind so much the Northerners moving here if only they would take to heart their new adopted home. People who move here think they are on permanent vacation. They take no time getting to know the real Florida or its people.

Growing up in Pinellas County there was a sense of community. Everyone knew one another. Now it seems everyone is from somewhere else. And none of us is on the same page.

After living in Mississippi for a while, my family settled in Pasco County. (I couldn't afford to live in Pinellas where I grew up.) We have lived at our residence for eight years and seen the whole neighborhood change. And it isn't a good thing. Investors have taken over many properties only to rent to people who don't care.

The Florida I used to know is gone. I wish you all could've seen it. I'm so tired of it all. We are thinking about moving to North Carolina.

Kathleen Jones, New Port Richey

Properties don't have to get papers

I've been following the letters about the unwanted newspaper delivery and just have to put in my two cents.

I'm a paper carrier for 22 years. I've delivered both the free and pay newspapers. I can tell you there are a lot of people who can't afford a pay newspaper and really look forward to the free service. There are ways of marking the properties so those things (unwanted deliveries) don't happen.

For some reason, people remove the marking from the mailboxes. I'm not saying this is what happened in this case, but when I continually threw a paper at an address that wanted it stopped, I received a phone call from my boss.

Stephene Jones, Port Richey

10-year-olds deserve the focus

In response to the writer upset that the entire Little League team wasn't covered in an article, I believe the point of the piece was that these boys were 10 years old.

I do not have a son playing Little League, but I appreciated the article. It is easy to get charged up about 10-year-olds not just competing, but excelling, in a league with 12-year-olds.

Rachel Bryant, New Port Richey

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[Last modified June 13, 2007, 23:03:03]