Today's Letters: Who was looking after our kids?

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published September 26, 2007

Re: A real nurse? School staff thought so Sept. 21 story

I am appalled that the Hernando County School District would let this person near my children without verification of a background check on her license. I have a special needs child at Deltona Elementary School who requires as-needed medication for his asthma. What if this woman had given him the wrong medication? What if something detrimental had happened to any of the children she cared for? Is the school district going to step up and accept part of the blame? No!

I have been a nurse for 13 years, most of it in a busy emergency department. Any job interview I have gone to that involves health care, immediately requests a copy of my license. When I schedule new agency personnel at my job now, I have to go on the state Web site to verify their licenses.

One of the online comments about this story upset me greatly. To that poster, if we as nurses are just practicing under a doctor and we need to "bring back real nursing," remember the next time you are in the hospital who answers your call bell, gives you medicine, starts treatments in the emergency department and who is at your bedside for more than five minutes? That would be the nurse!

If someone who wants a job as a janitor, or even a volunteer to help with class events, needs to go through stringent background checks due to the Jessica Lunsford Act, maybe the district needs to be a little more strict on who they hire to look after our children when they need help or are sick.

Laura Phillips, Spring Hill

Let's show a little pride in ourselves

As I was driving west on Spring Hill Drive recently, I couldn't help but notice how neglected the medians are from Waterfall Drive to the point where the Spring Hill Garden Club maintains. The grass hasn't been cut in weeks.

Perhaps the national media, and the tens of thousands visitors and dignitaries we expected for the 40th anniversary celebration didn't notice how the county has, once again, let down Spring Hill.

All kidding aside, there should be a regularly scheduled lawn cut, just like you and I have at home. Who's in charge here? Times may be a little tough right now, but we still can show a little pride in ourselves.

Fred Montgomery, Spring Hill

The sheriff who would be king

I think this little tiff between Hernando County Administrator Gary Kuhl and Sheriff Richard Nugent (a.k.a. King Nugent) should be a wakeup call to the residents of Hernando County that it is time for a change, from a do-nothing sheriff to one who might do something for residents and not just himself.

I recently noticed the billboard on I-75, thanking Hernando County for preventing accidents. What a waste of tax money!

Bruce Jolly, Brooksville

Re: I'd say the decision was just cowardly Sept. 16 column by Jeff Webb

Can we outsource county work?

Now that's what I call an editorial! Especially since these "pooh-bahs" are paid per capita and that is why they just love to approve huge building projects - unanimously now, no less.

I am disappointed that Hernando County Commissioner David Russell Jr., has not used his experience from the state level in a wiser way in county leadership, and that Commissioners Diane Rowden and Chris Kingsley don't even bother being the two holdouts. (Not even those times when they know they'd be safe because they would lose the vote anyway.)

I had hopes that Commissioner Jeff Stabins would stand up for this county, given the past political experience he had to endure. I am sorry Commissioner Rose Rocco, after finally realizing her and her father's dream of being elected, has just become another Nancy Robinson (the commissioner she replaced).

I did not go to any of the "Government Gone Wild" seminars, so I don't know how many people went. But I wonder how many residents think like me and are just waiting for the next election cycle?

Perhaps we should consider outsourcing for a new county administrator. We can get qualified people from overseas for less! I am not for taking good jobs away from U.S. workers, but why stop with the manufacturing and customer-service sectors? Management, administration and CEO jobs should be fair game as well!

I've seen comparison charts on abilities and pay scales from Europe and elsewhere in the Financial Times. This would be a great way to save taxpayers money!

Jennifer Sullivan, Spring Hill

Your voice counts

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[Last modified September 25, 2007, 20:00:22]