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Hernando Today

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 2, 2008

Independent Family

Businesses Need Support

Our heartfelt thoughts and best wishes go out to the Zarcone family, owners of Ram's Restaurant who, after 11 years, were forced to close their doors due to the economic nightmare we all face.

It's times like this that make one realize just how vulnerable a small business is. With no corporate headquarters to fall back on, a couple of slow weeks can spell doom.

As a concerned citizen and small business owner, I implore you all to support the little guy before he too falls victim to this recession, correction, collapse or whatever term they are using this week.

Make no mistake, when the dust clears, the Chili's, the Outback's, the Carrabba's and all the rest of the cookie cutter establishments will still be standing.

As far as the independent family businesses ... well, that's up to us.

Mark Peloquin

Steve O'Brien

Las Brisas Restaurant

Spring Hill

Unique Educators

I don't understand why a letter writer ("No Substitute For Formal Education" in the Aug.1 edition of Hernando Today) placed an exclamation mark after "one only has to have a high school diploma to teach here!"

It's nothing earth-shattering.

When my grandfather graduated from high school in 1908, that was all that was needed to be a teacher. As the family was having a hard time making it, he and his brother and two sisters all taught school when they graduated high school.

I have always felt that they were fortunate to get such good, meaningful jobs as quickly as they could, rather than having to be day-laborers.

The founder and first editor of "Field and Stream" magazine, A. J. McClane, says in his "McClane's New Standard Fishing Encyclopedia" that my grandfather "died enjoying near legendary status as a cult figure, venerated in the last decade of his life as the Stradivari of the Midge Rod."

President Eisenhower, Ted Williams, Henry Ford all used his now classic bamboo fishing rods; he was known as a genius. His brother founded the National Bank of Detroit during the Great Depression, and it was Michigan's top bank for more than 50 years. They were wonderful people I'd give anything for my children to have known.

Since they hadn't gone to college to be educators, the schoolkids of the early 1900s would have missed out on such great people as teachers had a further education in the field been required.

Those kids were lucky that any high school grad could teach while waiting for an entry-level position or college degree in what they really wanted to be - they were taught by folks who were very bright, just not interested in a life devoted to teaching. This offered unique educations to children who'd otherwise only be taught by people who planned to be teachers all their lives.

Some interesting people with other callings were added to the pot of teachers. What lucky kids!

Deanne Young

Spring Hill

Credit Card Upcharge

As is the norm nowadays, my wife and I were looking for decent gas prices on the intersection of Barclay and Spring Hill Drive. The Mobil posted a cost of $3.85/9 a gallon, so we went there.

Upon swiping my credit card, the amount on the pump read $3.90/9 per gallon.

I went in and inquired why there was a 5-cent difference to be told that since I was using a credit card or debit card, there was a 5-cent per gallon extra charge.

No other gas station does this. Not the BP station across the street nor the 7-Eleven off to the east.

We ended up going to the Shell at Barclay and Elgin to pay $3.83/9 per gallon using a credit card and not paying an extra fee for using the credit card.

The owner/manager of the Mobil station should be ashamed to be bilking people, who are already struggling with gas prices, out of even more money to line his pockets. This station will never see another dime of our money again.

Ray Thompson

Spring Hill

Dredge Delay

Put the dirt in the sink holes and move on. It's dirt. I'm sure people are tired, as I am, with all the red tape to do anything when I'm sure the DOAH can find other things to man about.

One petitioner?! Just one note: There's always going to be one.

Linda Kirkwood

Brooksville

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