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Today's Letters: Voters, new tax cuts up to you

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published September 9, 2007

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In the depths of the mines, party matters Sept. 2, Robyn Blumner column

Miners' real concerns

I would like to challenge Robyn Blumner on this column. It has not mattered to the miners who heads the Mine Safety and Health Administration as much as who became president of the United States.

In the last two elections, the miners were more concerned about having their guns taken away, about morality, religion and the "homosexual agenda." Related to mining, they were more concerned whether or not they were going to lose their jobs because of "environmentalists" opposing mountain-top removal, strip mining and wanting to curb coal use. Those were the issues on their table, which is why they voted for Bush - twice. It was not who controlled MSHA.

Ellen Smith, Managing editor and owner, Mine Safety and Health News, Pittsford, N.Y.

 
Voter choice can be vital

Robyn Blumner's column last Sunday should be a must read for anyone still undecided about which party's candidate to vote for in the presidential elections. Those selected by George W. Bush for government supervision of mine safety were obviously chosen from the ranks of mine management and their sympathizers, whose interest in mine safety was low.

Conversely, the Clinton administration choices for these posts reflected a genuine interest in mine safety and worker protection. The difference in approach to mine safety by the opposing political parties could not have been more striking.

Merrill Friend, Tampa

A glimpse inside president

A perfect contrast of articles was presented in Sunday's paper. The Perspective section gave a small glimpse of the physical and emotional struggles our wounded soldiers are enduring and how difficult their futures will be (Back from Iraq).

Compare that to Robert Draper's interview with President Bush summarized in the A section (Bush reflects on life after White House). Bush looks at his own future and is mainly concerned about how he should price himself so he can cash in on his fame.

A while back, Bush claimed he looked into Russian President Vladimir Putin's soul. Well, we have now seen Bush's soul, and it is a dollar sign.

Lee Kasner, Tampa

The right time to fight crime Sept. 2, story

Give Giuliani credit

The St. Petersburg Times' PolitiFact can quote all the statistics it wants to! Back when Rudy Giuliani was mayor, I was a resident of a New York City suburb 16 miles from Midtown Manhattan. The city was much more safe under Mayor Guiliani. Prior to his taking office, you could not walk through the Port Authority bus terminal without being approached by drug dealers during the morning rush hour. Walking through Times Square was a nightmare due to frequent muggings.

Giuliani flooded the city with police and because of his zero-tolerance policy, residents and visitors to Manhattan were able to walk the streets again without constant fear. I am a registered Democrat, but I believe in giving credit where credit is due!

Patricia Banach, Holiday

The truth is PolitiFact.com Sept. 2

Weed out the bias

I suggest the Times try to perfect its stated main mission, "merely to tell the truth," before it embarks on such an ambitious project to gauge whether political speech passes its Truth-O-Meter!

The Times too often allows its ideology and bias to drive news stories, rather than allow the facts to guide a story. Often a reporter and/or editor will have decided the outcome of a story and then will find "facts" or quotes that support the desired outcome while omitting comments and facts that contradict the writer's predetermined direction of the story. I have seen this several times when a reporter called me asking for a referral of a person who might comment from a point of view commensurate with the direction of the story.

I suggest the Times allow an independent "Ombudsman of Truth" to submit the newspaper's stories to a review of its accuracy, truthfulness, possible bias, and omissions of contradictory facts. The selection of stories to be reviewed would be random, and without input from anyone associated with the newspaper. The outcome of these reviews would be published regularly on Page 1. Absent such an effort, perhaps we should return to the time not so long ago when newspapers had stated biases, and stop pretending to be presenting the facts in an impartial manner.

Paul J. Bedinghaus, former chairman, Republican Party of Pinellas County, St. Petersburg

The truth is PolitiFact.com Sept. 2

A site to behold

Great idea! Great site! Neil Brown and his staff have an awesome task ahead. What more could a voter ask for than fair and balanced information?

I have sent this link to my friends and to Internet groups all across America. This just reinforces my decision in choosing the St. Petersburg Times.

Sherry Williamson, Lutz

My patience and respect for Gov. Charlie Crist drop like a rock with each passing day. I live in a very modest house. I received my TRIM notice and in the most depressed real estate market in recent history, my taxes increased $215! I wrote the governor twice about my situation. His staff responded to my first letter, telling me I should contact my local officials. "The people's governor" never responded to my second letter.

The average $158 per year savings bandied about by the governor's staff to the media were ill-conceived. As a result, the city of St. Petersburg cut staff and services in anticipation of receiving less revenue from their share of property taxes.

The governor wipes his hands clean by telling voters they can choose to approve an incomprehensible amendment. We vote for "the best and the brightest" to come up with solutions, not to push it off on the voters. Gov. Crist is supposed to be a leader, so lead us out of this mess! What happened to "the buck stops here"?

Julie Watts, St. Petersburg

[Last modified September 8, 2007, 23:17:07]