Today's Letters: PIP needs Crist's leadership

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published August 21, 2007

Efficiencies, not tax hikes Aug. 18, Q&A: Gov. Charlie Crist

As a personal injury attorney, I have stayed out of the public discussion about the sunsetting of the PIP (personal injury protection) laws since the presumption would be I am arguing out of self-interest. But I cannot stand it any longer.

During his Q&A with the editorial board of the St. Petersburg Times, Gov. Charlie Crist actually made the following comment: "I didn't run for governor thinking about PIP. I really didn't. I ran for governor to protect Florida, to try to help consumers, to help education. This was not foremost in my mind."

Now this is mind-numbingly stupid on many fronts. Crist may not have run on a strict PIP platform to become governor, but issues do arise after election that need to be addressed.

And, governor, if you think in terms of the larger picture, isn't preserving PIP - which you've already said you'd "like" to see - protecting Florida, protecting consumers?

Almost half of our injury clients do not have health insurance. Their only safety net after a car crash is PIP. If/when PIP goes away, who picks up the bills? Taxpaying Floridians, hospitals, doctors and the very consumers you say you want to help.

If PIP sunsets on Oct. 1, watch the filing of lawsuits double and triple. Watch bankruptcy filings increase. Employer health care premiums will rise because heath insurance will become the primary source of payment.

Governor, you've had some harsh rhetoric against the insurance companies and lobbyists, but very little action. If you don't take a leadership role in this arena, you will have lost a lot of support and respect with many constituents.

I will continue to do well as an attorney, but you may not be governor for long.

Walt Blenner, Tarpon Springs

No-fault insurance makes no sense

As we head toward life without no-fault auto insurance, Floridians should not succumb to the standard scare tactics employed by those who profit from the current, broken-down system. While it is true that vehicle owners and drivers should consider how the changes in the law affect them, similar coverages are and will be offered by most auto insurance carriers.

The measure of protection allegedly afforded by the current system is a myth. Rather, the system is rife with fraud, and the status quo is sought by profiteers. Those of us who have lived in states without no-fault "protection" can attest to the fact that life was just fine without it. Those of us who have experienced the system's failures can attest that we are better off without it.

No-fault was designed to afford an injured person protection for reasonable and necessary medical expenses and wage loss. In return, the injured person's right to recover for pain and suffering was limited. Fraud and profiteering have hamstrung both insurers and the Office of Insurance Regulation. The supposed limitations on the right to sue for injuries are now mostly theoretical. When faced with a choice, choosing no-fault simply makes no sense.

Robert Alden Swift, St. Petersburg

Warnings ignored, and good man dies Aug. 17, editorial

Flawed focus

Like many citizens of Tampa, I mourn the loss of Hillsborough County Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Harrison. Your editorial asks why the suspect in this case was still on the streets after numerous violent encounters with the public. May I answer your question?

The reason dangerous felons are sent back out on our streets to hunt us down is that officials like Hillsborough State Attorney Mark Ober insist on fixating on filling our jails with nonviolent drug users!

Just reference the recent case where the courts overturned a man's conviction involving possession of legally prescribed Vicodin. Instead of wising up, Ober and his pious ilk insist on charging the man again and wasting the time and resources of the justice system.

I'll be the first to admit that the man in that case is no angel, but would you rather face him in a dark alley or a person like Michael Phillips? It is time for the public to demand more common sense in this entire process before another heroic figure is killed by a loser free because some harmless stoner got caught with a baggie of grass!

David D. Weaver, Tampa

Veterans Affairs

Cuts before vets

It is very heartening to see the St. Petersburg Times keeping the heat on our local Department of Veterans Affairs. Without heat and light they tend to do as little as possible to help veterans.

What drives them in almost every case is a desire to save money at the veteran's expense. With the VA, it is always about cutting corners and cutting costs. Their political masters only respond to public alarms and translate this down the chain of command to the local VA regional offices.

Any young people joining the military in this day and age need to have their heads examined before they enlist, so they don't need psychiatric help after they get out of the service, if they live that long.

John King, Tampa

Romney builds image as front-runner Aug. 18, story

Pointless trivia

So Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney "has been married 38 years and never in his life had a glass of wine." Therefore he should be elected president of the United States.

What nonsense! I am married longer (62 years), and never had a glass of grape Nehi. On that basis should I start my campaign? Of course not.

These inconsequential bits of trivia distract voters from considering truly significant criteria. When that other guy from Massachusetts was running, he at least did not brag about never eating a bite of bacon. It's just not relevant.

Mortimer Brown, Lutz

[Last modified August 20, 2007, 21:22:52]