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By Times Staff
Published December 9, 2007

Why an SUV suits me, column, Dec. 3

Drive a hybrid a long time, too

I am a hybrid owner and purchased my Honda Civic six years ago when the price of gas was about $1.30. I did it more out of a disdain for the Middle East (six months after 9/11) than for cost savings.

I couldn't agree more with your analysis of driving the wheels off your car and how much money that is saving you (hundreds of thousand of dollars over your lifetime, I recently read). My hybrid currently has 130,000 miles on it and I have no plans to not reach the 200,000 mile mark, at which time I will buy my next hybrid. My previous vehicle was a truck, and I drove that for nearly a decade before making the big switch.

Hopefully you have helped someone else realize what the cost of being trendy really is.

John McCarthy, Parrish

Cheapness is no excuse

Your cheapness doesn't excuse your continuing selfishness.

Blake Gray, San Francisco

There's no need to be 'in style'

The column was great. I am 70 years old and drive a 10-year-old Isuzu that works like a truck. And that monthly payment (been mine for seven years) does more good for me than any new, tiny green car. It's nice to know that there is someone else who does not need to be "in style."

Thomas Henry, Clearwater

There's more than mileage to consider

You might find this link interesting: http://cnwmr.com/nss-folder/automotiveenergy. This research found that some SUVs were more energy efficient overall than so-called green cars like the Prius. It's not just a matter of gas mileage. Maybe this will make you feel better about driving a "gas guzzler."

Don Cassel, Largo

Plates are full for trio in the spotlight, column Dec. 2

It's not worth it, even if Rays were a winner

This information is appreciated. I am curious as to whether (Tampa Bay Rays executive) Michael Kalt had success in his earlier efforts to have new stadiums built for the Jets, Mets and Nets. To my knowledge, not so much. It is very distressing to me that efforts are being made to build a new ballpark at Al Lang Field when there are so many reasons not to do so.

A crucial reason is the quality of product being offered currently at the Trop, with the Rays being at the tail end of the league most of the time. To expect the community to pay for new digs for such a team is ludicrous. However, even if they were winners, and fans were streaming in to watch them play every game, I would disapprove building a new field at Al Lang. It certainly is sad to consider that Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink joins the effort in order to protect public funds from a bank run. Where is Gov. Charlie Crist when we need him? Thanks to St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker for abstaining. Maybe we can convince him to call a halt to this.

Betty Upson-Schmitz, Largo

Property insurance

Insurers keep telling the same old lie

Hurricanes ravaged this planet long before our first ancestors emerged from the primordial slime. A mentally defective Neanderthal could deduce that hurricanes were not going away. Incredibly, the insurance companies took our premiums, put the money to their own use and simply ignored the threat. Then when we most needed help, they ran for the hills leaving canceled policies and skyrocketing premiums in their dust. Apace, the industry posted record profits, stockholders collected millions and CEOs raked in hundreds of millions in salaries and bonuses.

Insurance companies claim they lost $13-billion during the '04 and '05 hurricane seasons. Wrong. They simply returned $13-billion that we, the policyholders, had invested in their companies to protect us against losses we could not sustain on our own.

They claim that the astronomical increase in premiums is due to greater exposure. More people are living in coastal areas. Wrong. More people may mean greater potential for damage in a particular area, but it also means a lot more premium to cover that exposure. The risk of storm damage to my home is no greater than it was 40 years ago. One home or a million, the risk is still the same. Based on inflation and subsequent increases in property values, my insurance premium should be $1,440.

Why am I currently paying more than $3,000 a year? The answer is simple. Someone has to pay the tab for the insurance industry's avarice and professional myopia.

Chris Clark, Indian Rocks Beach

Time to fight 'bland culture' label

Enough! There's culture here

How much longer is Florida going to continue to allow the national media to portray us as a cultural wasteland without fighting back? I am getting very tired of New York writers that seem to delight in promoting the misconception that Florida is a less desirable place to live because of some sort of cultural void. The latest attack comes from AOL Money & Finance (see money.aol.com) in an article written by a New York-based freelance writer Carol Vinzant in which Clearwater is listed as "the worst place to retire." The writer states that retirees are "fleeing the bland culture, extreme weather, and high real estate and homeowners insurance prices of Florida."

First off, yes, real estate and homeowners insurance costs have gone up, but the same is true of coastal property throughout the United States. And you can still get a heck of a lot more for your buck here than in California or on the Northeast coast. Second, there are very few states that are not suffering through extreme weather. Which brings me to my biggest complaint: The "bland culture" - her No. 1 stated reason for fleeing. I challenge anyone to name one state that offers more year-round exhibitions, festivals, concerts, theater, art fairs, performances, gallery and studio tours, and public and private sponsorships of art and opportunities for artists.

There are professional artists that live here and produce works that are treasured and sold throughout the world. It's extremely unfair that they must fight the false perception that there is no art in Florida. It's time to invite the national news media to visit - and request a more accurate portrayal of the arts in Florida.

Rose von Perbandt, Bradenton

Home mortgage crisis

Let safeguards lead turnaround

The problem faced by homeowners is not simply the desire to remain in the home but also to have the option of selling the home without significant loss. To exit the current crises, the federal government needs to increase the opportunities for home buying. Blaming everything on the mortgage companies is misleading, because some of the practices that backfired were inspired by a desire to improve home ownership rates for lower-income people.

However, if it is not possible to sell, not only is there no income benefit, but there is loss, including bankruptcy and loss of creditworthiness. The inability to sell can also have other impacts on the economy, such as slowdowns due to difficulties with employees accepting better jobs by relocating.

George Blanck, Tampa

Rebounding economy points to inflation

Fed's moves under academic scrutiny

Popular belief is that a weak housing market, weak dollar and high oil prices are forcing America into a recession. We believe the economy has rebounded from a slow first half and inflation is now a threat.

The Federal Reserve has lowered the discount rate by 1 percentage point in the past year and most recently the federal funds target by a quarter percentage point. The action taken was premature, and the Fed should have left the federal funds target at 4.75 percent.

In its December meeting this coming Tuesday, the Fed should leave the federal funds target alone and, if inflation seems to accelerate in '08, it should be increased.

Brad Ruhmann, Jeff Anderson, Daniel Bennett and Billy Potucek

Florida Southern College, Lakeland

On the NFL Network availability

Cable switch was trick play

I recently switched from Bright House as my cable provider to Knology with the intention to be able to watch NFL Network programming. I really enjoy the programming but recently found that the NFL games are not televised in my area.

I was never made aware that the actual games played on NFL Network would not be available to me. A call to Knology was met with a "We are sorry."

Can someone explain how a customer in Pasco County with Verizon FiOS can watch these games, and I can't? Is satellite the only option to get this programming?

Direct TV, here I come.

William Carpenter, Largo

[Last modified December 7, 2007, 21:52:05]