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Whining isn't everything
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 26, 2001 Pinellas School Board Chairman Tom Todd whined his way into a couple of Super Bowl tickets. In the process, he set a terrible example for the school children he is supposed to be leading. The first lesson Todd taught them is that selfish whining pays. Parents and teachers should let him know if their students learn to emulate him the next time they want to skip homework or attend a Britney Spears concert. The second lesson Todd taught them is that he and other exalted muckety-mucks deserve special perks that are not available to ordinary citizens. Todd correctly noted that those who set the direction of our schools are among the most important people in our community. But once he succeeded in wheedling two tickets from the Glazer family, he didn't turn around and offer them to a couple of hard-working teachers or talented students. The Glazers, owners of the Tampa Bay Bucs, gave Todd and other area School Board members a chance to buy two $400 tickets each after Todd sent them an official letter complaining that he and his colleagues weren't being given the same courtesy as other local dignitaries (such as Todd's wife, a Pinellas County commissioner). Todd says the Glazers -- who have seen the value of their franchise increase by hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to a stadium tax paid by hundreds of thousands of Hillsborough County residents who weren't offered Super Bowl tickets -- called to apologize to him for their oversight. "That's what I call making it right," Todd said. That's what we call not having a clue.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
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From the Times Opinion page |
