August 4, 2000
Editorials
Lead exposure and poor learning
With all the distractions schoolchildren face these days, it's easy to overlook lead poisoning as a possible culprit that contributes to stagnant student performance. But a recent study indicates a correlation between exposure to lead and low test scores among Florida students. Given the results of previous studies documenting the insidious damage lead poisoning can cause our children, the new findings are not surprising. State lawmakers should fund research to determine the extent of this hazard and arrive at ways to treat and prevent lead-related ailments, especially among schoolchildren.
Contributing to air pollution
Some state officials who favored ending auto emissions testing in six Florida counties (including Pinellas and Hillsborough) rationalized that car manufacturers already fight air pollution by adding catalytic converters to their vehicles. They forgot about that common threat to high-tech anti-pollution devices: a shade-tree mechanic with a wrench.
The courthouse shadow
"The judiciary, we just look silly to the public, I think." On that score, the speaker, Hillsborough Circuit Judge Robert Bonanno, is something of an expert witness. He was caught after-hours, sneaking around a fellow judge's locked, private office. Who knows why? But the state -- not the county sheriff -- should investigate, for Bonanno's misconduct is far more bizarre and has more serious implications than the judge admits.
Letters
Conventions let us watch history in the making
I've been watching the Republican National Convention, and I disagree with these "sour apples" who say that since the conventions are a foregone conclusion, "Why have them?" That attitude, in my opinion, is nothing less than insulting.
Blumner
