Letters to the Editors

Child in need of prayer and compassion

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 9, 2001

Re: Mom fights for son thrown off school bus, May 3

Editor: The story said this was a preschool program for kids with emotional problems. If this is true then why put this child off the bus? Doesn't he have enough problems that they and the mother should be working to help with?

Most of the bad things that happen in our schools today are because they took prayer out of the system. If prayer was returned, and families started back to the church of their choice, our schools and county would improve.

I am not an old fuddy-duddy grandmother, but the way I see it, most people believe in God or a higher power. Those who don't, well, prayer wouldn't hurt them, either.

I don't like math but I would never ask that it be taken out of the classroom. No more than I would tell someone how to believe. But, all of us can learn something from this poor child already having problems. Folks, work harder with him and have a heart.
Carole A. Buza, Hudson

We're waiting for our (gambling) ship to come in

Editor: My husband, and I are eagerly awaiting the new gambling ship to dock in Port Richey. I think after our trip on the Paradise boat on April 29, we and many others will be glad it is here. Paradise has had a monopoly on the gambling in this area long enough.

We took the 3:30 p.m. boat out on Sunday so that we could be back in by 9 p.m. to get home and relax before returning to work the next day. We finally made it back at midnight. The shuttle boat broke down in the middle of the gulf. The other shuttle could not come and get us because that one is broke down also.

Needless to say we sat there waiting for Seatow to come and get us. We were stuck on this boat with no food, barely anything to drink, unflushable toilets and no lights on the upper half of the boat. We couldn't sit downstairs because the fumes of diesel were terrible. It took 20 minutes of sitting there before anyone would even say what was wrong with the tub.

The main casino boat was in plain view and didn't come to get us. I am sure there are probably some legal reasons that they didn't come; I am hoping this is the case and not just that operators were afraid of losing some money.

When we finally did get back into port the tide was so low that the gangplank was at a steep incline and they had to pull people up to get them on the dock.

When we got up onto the dock and walked through the building there was no one to apologize to us. I called the main office on Monday and spoke with Ann, assistant to the owner. I explained how insulted I was at the way the crew handled the situation. All she said she could do was apologize and offer me some free vouchers to board and for drinks.

Now they have really insulted me because they were offering nothing. With our VIP cards we get free boarding, free drinks and free meals. Each person should have been offered a voucher for complimentary money for the next time out.

Seatow did a great job and it was great to see the Coast Guard helicopter out there in case of emergency.
Ellie Antokas, Hudson

Let's hear some praise for our post office

Editor: At the post office recently, there was yet another person complaining because the office did not open exactly on time. Every time I am at the post office, people say the most negative things about the service we receive, and yet, I never hear the employees complain about the public.

It amazes what these postal workers tolerate, politely at that. In the past four months I have heard people argue and become irate because they are not allowed to pick up their mother's mail, or a neighbor's. The fact that it is against federal law doesn't register with them.

I have overheard people asking to send a box at "shoe" rate, after all, there is book rate! Then there was the woman who wanted to get a letter to Iran by the next day. (She couldn't get to Iran by the next day if she left the post office at that very moment.) One person asked the postal clerk to apply over 200 stamps to her cards for her last holiday season. And of course, there is the guy who looks at all the stamps, takes 15 minutes to do it, then says, "Oh, just give me flags."

There are those folks who do not pay their box rental for a month and are upset to find that their key no longer works, proceeding to yell at the employees. Most people go in there to mail packages and do not have a clue as to how they want it sent. If someone wants to make sure an item gets to a specific place at a specific time, undamaged, then insure it and pay to have it tracked. If that is not done, then there are no guarantees. There are no guarantees when one flies in a plane that the plane will be on time. Sheer volume would let any thinking person know that. The U.S. Postal Service is the best bargain in the world for mail service; compare it to that in any other country. My mail carrier is a very nice person and we appreciate him enormously.
-- Georgiann H. Bowser, New Port Richey

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