Today's Letters: Don't count on merit pay to work

Merit pay was made quite popular in the 1960s and 1970s as a means of increasing an employee's income - an employee who performed his/her duties in an outstanding manner, as judged by the supervisor of the unit in which the employee was assigned. The supervisor was expected to make a completely objective evaluation pertaining to the employee's performance and avoid any extraneous conditions that might be present.

Will the merit pay concept work successfully in Hernando County government or the school district? No!

Merit pay will not be fair in our county for many reasons. The first reason is that our supervisors are too close to their employees. They're in the same car pool, they go to lunch together, they belong to the same church, and they belong to the same fraternal organizations. Supervisors' spouses are friendly with the spouses of the supervisors' employees.

All the above adversely affect the supervisor's objectivity. If supervisors could perform their duties at the work site and then be completely separated from his/her employees, then maybe merit pay would work. But in a small organization that is impossible, so the bottom line is merit pay will not work in Hernando County.

Nick Morana, Spring Hill

Unknown hero saved dog's life

I have a hero. I don't know what he looks like and I don't know his name. I only know that on June 22 he showed up at the Hernando County SPCA with a mother dog and her seven tiny puppies. He stated that he had found and scooped up the pups in a gopher tortoise hole. The volunteers at the shelter named the mom "Foxy" due to her remarkable likeness.

While volunteering at the shelter I found myself spending a little more time with Foxy than the others. Having an ornery, aging Spitz named Sadie at home, I vowed to always come home from volunteering at the shelter "empty-handed." However, as the puppies got older I knew Foxy soon would become eligible for adoption.

One day when I came to the shelter, Foxy wasn't in her usual run with the little guys. Over the July 4 weekend, someone had thrown two dogs over the fence after hours and space was now scarce. Because all of the puppies had found homes, Foxy was placed in the run with the big guys - dogs 40 pounds and up. I went to the front office, requested an adoption form and placed a deposit on the little girl.

Foxy is more expensive than most purebred dogs. When she arrived at the shelter she tested positive for heartworms. She needed expensive treatment, as well as spaying. All of this was paid for by the SPCA. Sadly, she'd have to remain at the shelter until the lengthy heartworm treatment was completed.

Finally, she was released from the shelter into my care. I was like a giddy little school girl when I was given permission to bring her home. Now the worry was to see if my dog Sadie would approve of the new addition to the family. To my surprise and delight, Sadie took to her immediately and they are now joined at the hip. Foxy has now become a perfect member of the family. Best of all, Foxy is the most loving, affectionate dog ever. I'm certain that if Foxy could talk she'd say, "Thanks for bringing me here."

If I could ever meet my hero, I'd say, "Thank you for saving the life of this beautiful dog by bringing her to the Hernando County SPCA."

Kathi Jackson, Weeki Wachee

[Last modified November 4, 2007, 20:22:28]