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Letters to the EditorsWhy mention 'bikers' in shooting story?
© St. Petersburg Times, Editor: Re: Couple's quarrels called common, Aug. 28 Citrus Times: A woman shoots her husband in a bar parking lot. You mention they were "bikers," although there were no motorcycles involved. I do not see where this statement bears any importance on the facts in this case. Had they been golfers, bowlers, Italian, Jewish or even members of the Elks Club, would you also have mentioned that? You didn't mention that he was a decorated war hero, having earned three Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star defending our country and saving the lives of other soldiers. You didn't mention that she was an online psychic and former Citrus County School District bus driver. The "biker" community has done a lot to disprove the stereotyped image that the media has created over the past decades. They are business owners, politicians and generally good-hearted people. The "bikers" are the ones who, every year, pull together with CUB to provide Citrus County children with Christmas presents. They do "runs" and benefits to support people in the community, veterans, animal leagues, food drives, Special Olympics and just about every other non-profit organization known in Florida. Killing a person is wrong no matter who you are, but to bring someone's choice of enjoyment into an issue relating to a murder is also wrong.
Parkway will destroy quality of lifeEditor: The Suncoast Parkway toll road is not the yellow brick road some would have us believe. Picture our semirural county with 16 bridges 20 to 25 feet tall, four toll booths and five interchanges with their inevitable gas stations, motels and fast-food chains. Assertions that crime will not increase with the toll road are utterly false. Sheriff Jeff Dawsy has repeatedly stated that as the population increases, so does crime. When the jail was built in 1992 for $8.3-million, it appeared to be overbuilt. But after only six years, there was overcrowding. This situation occurred because of growth. The one and only purpose of the toll road is to bring more growth to our county. This growth will increase the taxes we have to pay. Most people assume that if the number of people paying taxes increases, the cost to each individual will be less. This is not true. In reality, more people moving into an area creates an increased demand for every type of local government service: police, fire, schools, etc. Studies have established that property taxes paid by new residents do not equal the costs of the multiple services required by these new people. When was the last time your taxes went down because of growth? And the biggest irony of all is that this growth will make traffic worse on local roads and you, the taxpayer, will have to pay for this road construction as well! The assertion that everyone who opposes the toll road is a NIMBY (not in my back yard) is as ludicrous as it is insulting. Many of us live in homes distantly located from the proposed route of the toll road. Our motives have nothing to do with self-interest. We are genuinely concerned with the destruction that this road would bring on the quality of life of every individual in this county. A study in the journal Science holds that pollution has caused premature death from asthma, breathing disorders and heart disease. More people have died from exhaust than automobile accidents. Breast cancer has become an epidemic and may also be related to exhaust. Researchers have found that children living near high-traffic streets are at greater risk of developing cancer, including childhood leukemia. The toll road would create a few winners (developers, bankers, etc.), but it would generate a vastly greater number of losers. Right now we have paradise here in Citrus County. So don't be fooled. The toll road is meant to benefit the few at the expense of the rest of us.
Wider road will devastate Floral CityEditor: My main concern for attending the first workshop of UTOPIA (Under the Oaks, People in Action) in Floral City was due to my conviction that the proposed widening of U.S. 41 S from Inverness would be "disastrous" to the city, which I reported in the action study group assigned to me. Immediately, a bank employee adamantly retorted that that description was too strong and should be softened. Curt Ebitz, the head of the group, and a strong proponent of Citrus 20/20 who has written numerous lengthy articles on the virtues of development, but never of its comprehensive problems, quickly accepted the softened version. The consensus of the workshop group studying traffic said, "Future road widening should have minimal impact on Floral City's character." For any rural townspeople wanting to preserve the city's natural heritage, as UTOPIA proclaims, to invite a representative of the Economic Development Council essentially invites a hungry wolf in sheep's clothing into the chicken coop. But that is exactly what was desired and occurred in Floral City. Months after the workshop, then-Executive Director Rick Jensen, an individual known to speak his mind, was invited to make recommendations for the attraction of appropriate kinds of new businesses in Floral City. When I asked Jensen what effect widening U.S. 41 S would have on Floral City, he most emphatically declared, to the astonishment of the development-lovers, that it would have disastrous effects. Thus, if there are people who support or who are not bothered by the widening of U.S. 41 S from Inverness, they appear to be found in the business-oriented UTOPIA camp. Florida law gives a threatened community definitive legal procedures of recourse against state Department of Transportation incursions. Instead of declaring endangerment to the lives of residents of Floral City and warring against the DOT with an ultimatum to not widen U.S. 41 from Inverness, UTOPIA's leadership welcomes it with devastating plans of compromise or accommodation. Such plans encourage traffic and its cancerous problems of population and new chain store growth. These plans, like the redevelopment program itself, will contribute to the (still undisclosed) problems of crime, poisonous fumes, home-shaking rumbling noise, deterioration of mom-and-pop stores and the friendly and religious culture. Thus, as with the other items on Commissioner Jim Fowler's dream list, allowing the widening of U.S. 41 S gives away another vital key of the kingdom to developers, a consequence that will be disastrous to Floral City and harmful to Citrus County, and for which all pro-developer leadership will be responsible.
Don't chop up our congressional districtEditor: Members of our state Legislature have the responsibility of creating two new congressional districts in Florida because of the increase in population since the 1990 Census. On Aug. 27, a Senate and House subcommittee entertained remarks from Florida residents. The following is a summary of my remarks. The counties of Hernando, Pasco and Citrus have been part of the 5th Congressional District for 20 years, and they have been ably represented for by Karen Thurman, first when she was in the state Senate and now in the 5th District. A strong community of interest exists among Pasco, Hernando, Citrus and Levy counties. You should not divide us or pull us apart simply to achieve a partisan political objective. In addition, this region -- and in particular, the 5th Congressional District -- is home to one of the largest communities of military retirees across the country. I belong to the local chapters of the Retired Officers Association, the Reserve Officers Association and the National Association of Retired Federal Employees. Thurman handles hundreds of cases each year for our members. She has an outstanding record for helping our veterans and former federal and postal service employees. Our nation's veterans have always tried to live up to the ideals of sacrifice and service. And that is why we cherish those community leaders who have honored our sacrifice and our service. Congresswoman Thurman is one such leader. She knows her constituents and they, in turn, know they can depend on her when important decisions are to be made in Congress. For example, she initiated a measure that was signed into law last year to make a prescription drug benefit available to Medicare-eligible military retirees. That is the type of leadership people in this region have come to rely on. If you chop us up, or separate us from our elected representative, you will be doing us a tremendous disservice. This is a plea to save our congressional district so that we can retain Thurman as our representative. These issues are enormously important to the people of our district. I ask that you not divide the community of interest that has benefited greatly from the current configuration of the district.
Share your viewsThe Citrus Times welcomes letters from readers for publication. Because of space limitations, letters should be of reasonable length. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length. All letters must be signed and must contain the writer's address and telephone number. Addresses and telephone numbers will not be printed. Send your letter to Citrus Times, 301 W Main St., Inverness, FL 33450. To fax a letter call 860-7320. Send letters by electronic mail (in text only format) to citrus@sptimes.com.
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