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Letter to the editor

Today's Letters: He sees both sides of homeless issue

Re: City's homeless need help, including from themselves guest column by St. Petersburg City Council member Bill Foster, Dec. 11

At last, an elected official who takes a realistic view of one of the most irksome issues confronting modern urban life.

In his discussion of the homeless issue, council member Foster eschews "politically correct" language and reminds us of our duty as a civilized society to help care for the many among us who are on the street through no fault of their own.

At the same time, he recognizes that some of the homeless are in that situation because of poor choices they themselves made along the way. He does not feel sorry for those who continue poor decisionmaking and expect help with no strings attached.

Such an honest assessment of the homeless population leads him to support Pinellas Hope as a source of hope and care for those needy who accept responsibility for their actions and are willing to accept the hand being offered, even if that hand has conditions. Those conditions are there for the protection of the common good while providing assistance to the disadvantaged.

Foster also supports legislative and administrative efforts aimed at protecting the rights of all citizens to clean, quiet and safe neighborhoods against the wanton destructive behavior of those who selfishly ignore the private property rights of fellow citizens.

If more elected officials, social service agencies and private citizens would see both sides of this issue as Foster does - and if more of the homeless would be willing to meet their helpers halfway, we would gradually remedy the situation.

The Bible teaches that our Creator has put enough of this world's goods on earth to take care of us all, if we can only find a way of distributing them more justly. It seems to me that it is up to those of us who have more of those goods to take the first step in offering a hand, but it is also incumbent on those seeking help to admit the rights of others.

Art Deegan,Clearwater

Re: Big buses seem unnecessary letter, Dec. 9

Buses fill up at major stops

Just a word about the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority and its empty buses clogging up the traffic arteries.

I'm a Clearwater resident with my own functioning transportation, but once in a while I need to get to my mechanic way down in St. Petersburg, where I am having a classic car worked on.

The bus system in this county is awesome. It may be that a bus has no riders from time to time, depending on what point it is at in its route. But my experience is that they run amazingly at capacity. Somebody has done a pretty good job of calculating how many buses are needed to handle the need.

Also, the bus drivers are cheerful and helpful, and each bus has schedules available so you can see what route you need and where you will stop. This information is also available online. You might only see one or two people at a bus stop, but that is because there are some major terminal points where the throngs collect to board and change buses, such as at the malls.

Our buses are not as large or noisy as in some other counties, and come to think of it, neither is the county itself.

Our buses are great, Clearwater is the best place on earth to retire, and I like the St. Petersburg Times even if it never pleases anybody with what picture it has on the front page.

Tina Hirt,Clearwater

Recreational choices are many

I recently spoke to a couple who came into our Dunedin recreation center. They were talking about how they were moving more north, because of the lack of "things to do" here in Dunedin.

The city of Dunedin offers so many recreational activities, programs, classes, support services, special events and volunteer opportunities that it can make your head spin! There are three recreation centers, an aquatics facility, nature center and two library branches to keep busy with, not to mention Blue Jays baseball and downtown's lively atmosphere. We also have more than 220 acres dedicated to recreation, hiking, biking, walking and much, much more.

I couldn't believe these people had lived in Pinellas County for so long and had not taken advantage of the thousands of recreational opportunities we offer. Between ourselves and the other municipalities, you can have a full week of activities and events.

In parks and recreation, the benefits are endless, and as a professional in that field, I can say that it's truly wonderful the amount of dedication our communities show to parkland, recreation and leisure activities. It makes Pinellas County one of the best places to live, work and play because, as we say in recreation, it starts in parks.

Mathew Eberius, recreation leader, city of Dunedin

[Last modified December 26, 2007, 20:36:21]