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Hernando Today

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 18, 2008

Move Forward

Energy and our energy policy are pretty hot topics these days, and I've read and heard quite a bit on the issues, but there's still something that I cannot, for the life of me, explain. There seems to be a significant number of people who believe that doing nothing is preferable to taking an imperfect course of action.

These are the folks who say that there are only X barrels of oil under ANWAR and it'll last only Y years, so let's not drill there; besides it would take 10 years for ANWAR oil to come online. (I really hesitate to say this, but it was President Clinton who vetoed drilling in ANWAR back in 1995 because it would take 10 years to produce results; that was 13 years ago.) They say the same thing about drilling in the Gulf, i.e., it's a finite amount of oil that won't be available for years. Yada yada yada. In other words, if the proposal isn't a total solution to the problem, forget about it.

Meanwhile, Brazil is preparing to drill off its Atlantic coast and Mexico is expanding its offshore production in the Gulf. Cuba, with help from our good friends China and Venezuela, is going to begin drilling off its shore, just 50 miles from the U.S.

So, while we're frozen in place, seeking the silver bullet plan for energy, the rest of the world is willing to move forward with a partial, stop gap solution. Frankly, I just don't get it.

John S.V. Weiss

Spring Hill

Big Day, Big Let Down

June 10, 2008, was a day I had looked forward to for 12 years. My son was graduating from Hernando High! Little did I know how fast my dreams would be quashed.

We arrived at the school and found both parking lots filled beyond capacity. We parked in grass behind the senior parking, small matter my son was graduating. We arrived at the school to find two very long lines at both doors, took our places and waited. Not for long. An angry parent informed those of us in line that the gymnasium was filled to capacity. Hernando County deputies were stationed at the door to curtail angry parents.

Unbelievable. What happened? Did they give out more tickets than seats? Or as the school states, we were late and knew they would be closing the doors at 7:15 p.m.

Dianne Saltsman is an assistant principal at Hernando High School. She said the doors closed at 7:15 p.m., and people were given plenty of notice about what time to show up to get in.

"At five until 7, Mr. Griffith, one of our other assistant principals, was over in the area and parents were still going in and out," Saltsman said on Bay News 9.

This I can document as a blatant lie. I called my son's cell phone at 6:43 p.m. to inform him of what was happening, and he saved the call. It's a sad day when administrators choose to blame their faux pas on parents.

I would like to end this by apologizing to the deputies who were left to deal with angry parents, as no administrators would address us. And thank you to the teachers who gave up their seats under false pretenses. I did get to see my son graduate. Congratulations Shane and the rest of the class of 2008.

Khris Eikenberry

Brooksville

A Matter Of Trust

It would seem that the Spring Hill Fire commissioners still don't trust the voters of Spring Hill. Perhaps the groundswell of support for independence hasn't grown, and now they need to complicate the ballot. Well, if that is the case, I think the ballot should read as follows:

Yes - Spring Hill Fire district becomes independent of county oversight and control even though voters have twice before rejected independence. It also will not result in saving an estimated $500,000 annually that a report commissioned by the county commissioners indicated would be saved. It would perpetuate the dual dispatch system in place with the resulting duplication of personnel and function.

No - This might abolish the Spring Hill Fire District resulting in $500,000 yearly savings to the taxpayers and elimination of the duplicate functions caused by having two districts. The equipment and personnel would be available for the benefit of all county residents. Any no vote isn't binding on the fire district as they can approach the Legislature to grant independence irrespective of the will of the voters.

I believe this wording will cover all bases so the voters will be completely informed as to the ramifications of a yes or no vote. I find the efforts of the Spring Hill Fire commissioners aimed at confusing the voter, not enlightening them. How about a simple yes or no? Either that or the county commissioners can follow the recommendations of the six-figure study they paid for and put the Spring Hill Fire Board out of its misery by doing their duty by voting to abolish it and consolidate the two departments.

Harry Chamberlain

Spring Hill

Do-Over Warranted

I am not a parent of a child at Hernando High or involved in any way in the graduation fiasco, so mine is an unbiased opinion.

I am, however, a parent. I am a parent who helps with homework, volunteers in school, pays for the many, many miscellaneous things that always seem to pop up in school, but most importantly, and on a daily basis tries to instill in my child the important things in life. Be kind, do well in school, go for the underdog, never judge a person by what they look like, try to understand other people's points of view even if they completely differ from your own.

My point is this: A lot of hard work goes into the raising of children, and graduation from high school is a milestone in a child's life. To hear "Pomp and Circumstance" as your child walks down the aisle with his or her fellow students sends chills up your spine, as you can tell they are looking in the audience, and you know they are looking for you! Tears fill your eyes and all of the sudden all the hard times, all the days you wondered if you were doing an acceptable job raising your child seem unimportant.

You pray for the best for the child. You encourage, you scold, you cry, you laugh, but most importantly you love, and you do it unconditionally.

Next year's graduation will be outside? Not good enough. I think there needs to be a do-over this year and have that outside.

Don't take this away from the parents, as it will be something they never forget.

Kippy Canfield

Brookville

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