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Letter to the editor

Today's Letters: Don't make bikers' chances any worse

I've been reading about all the motorcycle deaths around here, much of it in recent St. Petersburg Times articles. Going out that way is not in my plans. I think of myself as a pretty safe rider/driver.

Having said that, who knows what's just ahead of you when riding? I've been around for a lot of years (68) and know one takes fate into one's own hands when one awakens each morning. Living in fear of what might happen isn't my idea of living.

I've been a pilot and can attest to riding a motorcycle as being as close as one can experience to total freedom/exhilaration, short of flying. Maybe pilots and riders are the only ones who know what I'm expressing here. For me, I'm going to ride as long as health allows.

I hope every biker (and other vehicle driver) will read the Times story (Motorcycle deaths on rise, Jan. 11) and will start paying attention a little more closely to what's going on around you. Don't live the rest of your life knowing your negligence killed a biker.

David M. Childress Sr., Palm Harbor

Take little off the top of salary list

Recently it was reported that the average Pinellas County government employee earns $70,000 a year. This average is somewhat misleading because there are two different kind of employees and a large difference between the pay of those employees.

The two kinds of employees are classified and exempt. The classified service employee is the working class. These are the people who maintain our parks, repair our roads and process and administer the clerical needs of the people of Pinellas County. When you consider the population growth Pinellas County has seen in the past 10 years, I think that we can all agree that for the most part they do a great job.

The classified employees are employed from a competitive open register maintained by a Unified Personal System to ensure fairness. Their pay range and classifications are clearly identified and outlined. Few earn $70,000 a year.

Pinellas County also has exempt employees who are appointed by the appointing authorities or our elected officials. Many of these employees earn well in excess of $70,000. It is when you figure these two different types of employees that you get an average of $70,000 a year.

We are currently under budget reform and these same elected officials have enacted a hiring freeze and stated that further cuts in services might be necessary. I have counted these exempt employees and there are well above 300 of them. We now face tax reform. It is time to cut the number and define the duties of these exempt employees and reconsider if the taxpayer can afford them.

Lance Perry,St. Petersburg

[Last modified January 22, 2008, 20:06:16]