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By Times Staff Writer
Published July 15, 2007

Help deliver mail carrier bill, letter July 8

Postal Service must operate prudently

A recent letter from the president of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 599 suggested that security measures are not in place for contracted delivery services. Let's not confuse contract negotiation rhetoric with the facts.

While contract carriers are not postal employees, they are subject to the same laws as career postal employees. All those delivering the mail including subcontractors are required to undergo rigorous background examinations conducted by the Postal Inspection Service with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Office of Personnel Management.

Members of the National Association of Letter Carriers are at odds with their newfound disagreement with a section of the contract they have with the Postal Service.

What's at issue is a contract provision, agreed to in 1973, which allows the Postal Service to employ contract employees to deliver mail. It's not something the Postal Service has turned to in large numbers, but there are times when circumstances dictate that it's the right course to follow.

Those circumstances are varied, but as a self-supporting independent federal agency, the Postal Service must make prudent fiscal decisions in the days of ever-escalating costs.

Some have suggested this is a collective bargaining matter and should be discussed at the bargaining table and not outside on Ward Street. Here are the facts. Contract delivery accounts for a very small percentage of all Postal Service deliveries approximately 1.9 percent.

The Postal Service is adding about 2-million new delivery stops each year and as such, we face these decisions every day. It should be noted that in fiscal year 2005-2006, approximately 94 percent of new delivery routes went to postal career city or rural carriers. And, it's important to point out that no current Postal Service employees are being replaced with contract workers.

Using contract employees for mail delivery is not new. In fact, the famed Pony Express riders were contractors. Their efforts supplement the excellent work of our postal career employees. Our principal responsibility, however, is to our customers and we believe this mix will continue to ensure mail service at affordable prices for all Americans.

Nancy Fryrear, Tampa

Postmaster, Tampa

At 50, there's a lot of living - and saving - to do, column July 10

SSA trust fund is more than IOU

While I agree with John Wasik's theme in this piece, I take issue with his reference to the Social Security trust fund as a "huge kitty of government IOUs."

The SSA trust fund invests surplus taxes in government securities (public and private), just as foreign investors like the Chinese government help finance our debt.

Why are these government securities legitimate investments to foreign countries, but disparagingly called IOUs to taxpayers?

To me it's just another example of the business press denigrating and undermining this fine government program to convince the voting public that privatization is the only solution.

Scott Shoup, Tampa

Odds favor upgrade to Vegas-style slots June 29

It's time to again expand gambling

I thought your article was very interesting. I voted against gambling originally years ago, then voted for regular Vegas slots in South Florida, which was never implemented completely even though the people voted for it. Why?

Now Gov. Charlie Crist has 60 days to cut a deal with the Seminoles. Do it. We have gambling anyway, given the horses, the dogs, lottery and poker rooms. So what is the difference? If it was voted on today, I would guess that the people would vote for Vegas-style slot machines. The state needs the money now.

Audrey C. Petrovic, Seminole

Lou Pearlman

Investigation into death is needed

I just want to say that in regards to the Lou Pearlman case, Helen Huntley has been on the ball reporting and keeping us up to date. I did not lose money to Pearlman, but, instead lost a good friend. Frankie Vazquez was Pearlman's right hand man until the end. He was not aware of what was going on because he was not involved in the financial aspect of the business. When he found out what Pearlman was up to, he confronted him.

Less than 48 hours later, he was found dead of apparent suicide. What I would like to know is why would an investigation not be done regarding this apparent suicide with Frankie being someone so connected to Pearlman, and all this information about the scam coming to light around his time of death?

What is wrong with law enforcement? Are they afraid of what might be found out? Why is it that Gov. Charlie Christ keeps dodging the bullet when it comes to anything related to Pearlman? Could it be the fact that his own campaign was funded by Pearlman?

Law enforcement needs to do what they are paid to do and that is to uphold the law. Protect those that have lost so much!

Kim Ridgeway, Seminole

Insurer rate hike requests business as usual

We shouldn't be surprised by this mess

Media reports exposing the insurance industry's most recent rate hike requests should come as a surprise to no one. It is a business built upon broken promises when performance is due and the latest example of why the industry so desperately needs regulation.

Why Florida's Legislature thought that shifting risk to its citizens would actually result in lower premiums is bewildering. Were our state legislators fooled by a promise for lower rates in exchange for shifting a much larger portion of catastrophic loss to policyholders? Or is it just more evidence of the massive insurance lobby in Tallahassee?

It is unrealistic to expect that an industry, which lives by fine-print exceptions, shareholder value and extraordinary executive compensation would follow through on its promise for rate reductions in the absence of legal enforcement.

The unfortunate result is Floridians are now nothing more than a Hurricane Katrina away from financial calamity in return for nothing. Perhaps our legislators will learn the hard way if they ever find themselves, along with thousands of their constituents, in a position of catastrophic loss with no recourse.

William F. "Chip" Merlin, Tampa, managing partner, Merlin Law Group

There's plenty of blame to go around

For Gov. Charlie Crist and the Legislature, the worsening insurance crisis may be a blame game, but for property owners it's become even more of a survival game than it was before the "special session" of November 2006.

Rates for residential apartment buildings rates have more than doubled in many cases, making it impossible for owners to survive without additional dramatic rent increases. Citizens offers no rent reimbursement in the event of a hurricane, so property owners almost automatically face foreclosure in the event of a "name" storm. Few homeowners have seen any meaningful reductions, with most suffering increases

On the other hand, the same insurance companies who, we were told, promised reductions when they were given greater access to the catastrophe fund for reinsurance, get paid hefty commissions up to 12 percent to write policies for Citizens, and the requirement of new appraisals every 18 months for Citizens policyholders has added to the cost of obtaining those policies. Also, appraisals, as a whole, are skewed to massive cost increases for replacement value, with variances of up to 30 percent on larger properties.

Could that have something to do with the fact that the higher the value, the more insurance necessary, the higher the commission?

What a deal! We taxpayers get to take on more state liability. The insurance companies increase rates anyway. Property owners get to pay for new maximum value appraisals. And the insurance companies are paid more money for the service of writing state policies at maximum commission rates?

Yes, governor, there is lots of blame to go around. In fact, it's shameful. How about fixing it?

Martin Altner, Clearwater

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[Last modified July 13, 2007, 20:08:55]