Letters to the Editors

Gas pipeline increases risk of catastrophe

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 19, 2000

Re: Settlement was to avoid problems, Oct. 16 guest column:

Editor: I read with great interest Commissioner Simon's guest column and thought the title was quite appropriate in defining what is wrong with how our local government deals with issues, we simply try to avoid them. Regretfully, we took this route once before when dealing with the Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) pipeline through Pasco County. The thought was that the FGT pipeline was inevitable so we should accept it, reach a settlement, and move on with our lives. Little did we know then that by accepting the FGT pipeline through our community we were designating our community as a future pipeline corridor.

Through the recent actions of our County Commission in accepting the settlement proposal by Buccaneer we have now doubled the risk of a major catastrophe within our community. While statistically the risk of a major catastrophe may still seem remote, the damage from just one such mishap will far exceed the monetary benefit achieved through the settlement agreement.

Commissioner Simon, does the settlement agreement treat all affected property owners in Pasco County the same? The obvious answer is no. If you would have taken the time to attend more of the Citizen Advisory Committee meetings or carefully reviewed the meeting transcripts you would have known that the settlement does not provide the same protection to all affected property owners in Pasco County. The obvious question is, why not?

Commissioner Simon did you consider the negative impact to property values that are adjacent to the pipeline corridor. Several condemnation attorneys whom I highly respect have indicated that there will certainly be a negative impact, especially to commercial property along State Road 54. How much will Pasco County lose in future property tax revenues?

Another point of the settlement agreement that I question is the supposed 1,000-acre mitigation site. Can Pasco County afford to have another 1,000 acres of land taken off our tax rolls? With the well fields, DOT mitigation sites, and SWFWMD "Save Our Rivers" conservation program, it is my understanding that Pasco County, of all counties in Florida, has one of the highest percentages of non-taxable land. Can we continue to take more of Pasco County off the tax rolls and continue to expect to meet our future revenue needs? Is Connerton next?

Commissioner Simon, why was the settlement agreement with Buccaneer negotiated without the consent or knowledge of the County Commission? Was it for the purpose of keeping it away from the scrutiny of the press and thus avoiding any input from the citizens of Pasco County?

Commissioner Simon, why did the County Commission appoint a Citizens Advisory Committee which spent nearly a year holding public hearings throughout the county to obtain input from our citizens if it was your intent to ignore their input and recommendations? Were we merely being used as a ploy to strengthen the county's position in settlement negotiations?

Why do money and "avoiding problems" always seem to be the answer? Is it really "the responsible thing to do?"
-- Timothy Hayes, Lutz

Political balance shifting in Pasco

Editor: We have known for a while that the balance of power in Florida between Republicans and Democrats has been devolving upon the counties surrounding Tampa Bay. C.T. Bowen pinpoints Pasco County as the nucleus of this concentration. I endorse his prescience and suggest that in the last four years this county has tipped from predominantly Democrat to Republican. I further suggest that this state will finish in the Republican column on Election Day.

As we all know, everyone who contributed any part of a margin of victory in any campaign can claim to be the one who delivered the prize. To win by one vote is a perpetual Gethsemane. You owe everyone who voted for you and half of them voted for your opponent.

So even before bragging starts, I claim the triumph for an enlightened Pasco. If more microscopic examination pinpoints Hudson as the impetus, well, we shrink in modesty.
-- James A. O'Connor, Hudson

Bush rally protesters were in the minority

Editor: This letter is written with reference to your coverage of the visit of presidential candidate George W. Bush to Pasco County on Oct. 7, 2000. I regret the delay in writing this letter, but, your coverage and the letters to the editor on the subject you have chosen to publish require rebuttal.

I do not know where the Times was, but, we were there. Your preoccupation with coverage of the protesters and denigration of those who came to hear Gov. Bush is an abysmal reporting of the facts. To jog your memory, there were some 2,000 legitimate attendees and a handful of protesters. Contrary to your reporting, a significant number of those protesting, particularly those promoting (presidential candidate Ralph) Nader, were aggressive, in-your-face confrontational.

The security forces were restrained in their activities until the doors to the gymnasium were opened. At that time, several protesting groups formed a coordinated effort to block the line of people from moving toward the door, and security had to intervene.

Additionally, I question the validity for some of the protesting groups. Given their dress, grooming, awful English and smell, they appeared to have been recruited from the ranks of the homeless. This is no condemnation of the homeless, but, if true, a condemnation of the protest organizers.
-- Mary Ann and Ralph Hiltz, New Port Richey

Glidewell on the mark with candidate debates

Re: Their fuzzy responses can drive you nutty, Oct. 13 Jan Glidewell column:

Editor: The column was a gem. Finally, someone in the media told it like it is about the Gore/Bush debates.

Whenever they receive a question they don't like or are unprepared for, they fall back on what Jan calls a canned answer. Seldom does it come close to the question asked. Worse, Jim Lehrer can't, or is unable to, say "Answer the question!" Some debate!

All the promises made by Bush/Gore are based on huge surpluses expected in the future. Yet, anyone with half a brain knows that is unrealistic. Still, they both persist in using those projections. (How to lie with statistics.)

In the past I have often voted for the lesser of two evils, so to speak. This time I'd have to vote twice.
Bill Donofrio Spring Hill

Pasco doesn't need any more sand mines

Re: Panel rejects Shady Hills sand mine, Oct. 19: Editor: I attended the meeting of the Planning Commission and read the article quoting the lawyer representing the parties proposing the mining operation. I would only hope that those reading the article realize that the residents of Hudson are not blind, deaf and stupid. We have had more than our fair share of sand mines and the refuse dumped in them.

To say that the present mines indicate that this mining operation is acceptable to this area is incorrect. Most of the mines that were mentioned were started and mined prior to the population explosion in our area. Those that did begin most recently occurred because of lack of action by the residents, through lack of knowledge. This almost happened again. This area is growing quickly, and for the attorney to say that we are saying "The sky is falling" had better look up himself.

There are residents living next to the proposed site who would suffer noise and pollution that they did not plan on when they purchased their respective properties. The environment is in danger here from possible pollution and the danger and destruction of the wildlife habitats in the area. Finally, as to the remark regarding the probable, not possible, development of home sites in the area. Yes, I would love to see the land remain as it is. However, any intelligent person knows that in order for our area to grow and prosper there must be available housing.

For the attorney to compare the development of home sites to mining 160 acres plus to that of building 100 home sites is comparing apples to oranges. Although, there would be increased traffic in the area, wildlife invasion and the construction problems, there would be 100 new families in the area to help cover the cost of repairing our newly paved roads and contribute to the tax base of our county, not ripping up more land and destroying the peace and health of the area. The public, those living in and out of our immediate area need to take notice and make a stand. How much is enough?
-- Cherrilyn Pearson, Hudson

Our health care system doesn't work

Re: Diabetes afflicts farm workers, Sept. 25

Editor: This was heart breaking. Diabetes is becoming the new epidemic in our country -- close to 16-million have been diagnosed, and the number is rising. But tens of thousands of them, like the farmers in Dade City, work very hard for employers that don't offer medical insurance. Many will not receive the care they need, and the implications are potentially disastrous. I personally have seen an increase in amputations among diabetics who can't afford antibiotics to fight foot infections. While this occurs, pharmaceutical companies and HMOs make billions every year from the misfortunes of other human beings.

Stated simply, our health care system doesn't work. Eli Siegel, the great philosopher and founder of the education Aesthetic Realism, was right on target when he stated that profit-driven health care is an unethical failure because it is "based on contempt for people."

"Nobody should ever have to pay for having his body cared for," Siegel wrote in the National Ethics Report of July 1968. "The idea of people worried about their health and worried about money is barbarous. It's ego corruption."

Treating patients in terms of how much money can be made from them is utterly contemptible and, in my view, totally contradicts what medicine is supposed to be all about.

If Bush and Gore really want to make our health care system just, they should formulate a truly democratic universal health plan in which all people are insured. Its only purpose should be to give adequate health care.Dr. Jaime R. Torres,National Diabetes Education Program,New York
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