LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Another Side Of The Story

I guess this has been "Gang up on Annie Williams Month." Let me give you the other side of the story.

I purchased a house lot here in Spring Hill in 1968. I've kept abreast of the Hernando County government pros and cons ever since. I would like to know what government officials, including constitutional officers, have not made mistakes that have cost the taxpayers money. There are none! But how many of them have stepped up and said, "It was a mistake and it's my fault?" Not many.

Annie Williams was quick to put the blame for the "botched ballots" on herself. A polished politician could have said, "The ballot was correct when I saw it, someone sabotaged it." And the blame would have been passed to a subordinate or the printer.

Look into your own lives. How many of you have made mistakes that cost your employer money? I'd like to confess my mistake: In the 1970s, I was chief of management - employee relations - in the Civilian Personnel Office of the U.S. Army Natick Laboratories. One of my responsibilities was to discipline employees who broke the rules. A young intern in the Food Laboratory was reported making inappropriate remarks to a female employee. I called him in and counseled him and told him that anymore complaints about his conduct would be reason for dismissal. Well, he continued with his suggestive remarks, so I wrote a letter dismissing him from a federal government job.

Here's where the mistake was made. I neglected to put the specific reasons for his dismissal in the letter. Why? Because a government record has a long life, and I didn't want to ruin this young man's career by citing the reasons for dismissal in the letter. Well, three months went by; and I received a letter from the Civil Service Commission ordering the employee to be reinstated. I wrote back and said the employee will be reinstated after he collects three months pay and that he should report to my office. While sitting at my desk, I said, "Now I'm going to fire you for all these reasons." I put several affidavits in front of him, all containing damaging testimony. He looked at them and said, "I quit." My mistake cost the U.S. government several thousand dollars.

Annie Williams is a classy lady - she took the blame for the ballot snafu. She is honest and upfront. She knows every facet of her job, and I feel that taxpayers want an honest person in her job who has the integrity to face mistakes in a classy manner.

Again, I ask, how many government officials have never made a mistake that cost the government money?

Nick Morana

Spring Hill

Diversify From Oil

In his latest letter, Tom Cannariato once again advocates more drilling as a solution to our energy difficulties. The problem though, is this: The United States can't possibly become energy independent as long as our transportation system is based on oil.

Even if the U.S. could double oil production, we would still have to import 10 million barrels of oil per day.

In real life, the U.S. can't even slightly increase oil production for more than a few years at a time.

The offshore oil moratorium, which President Bush recently lifted, only applied to areas less than 100 miles from shore. It did not apply to Louisiana, Texas or Alabama, or to areas where oil production was already taking place. The vast majority of American waters are outside the moratorium area. Drilling closer to shore and/or drilling the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge will not alter the basic fact that the U.S. is going to have to import an increasing share of its oil.

Oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens is pushing a plausible plan. He wants to replace 20 percent of U.S. electricity generation with wind and solar. This would free up natural gas to be used as automotive fuel. Another possibility is a shift to electric cars. That would allow us to run our auto fleet on nuclear, natural gas, coal or wind power, thus freeing us from foreign oil.

Mr. Cannariato is correct that there are national security implications to our oil dependence. A worrisome possibility is the loss of "dollar hegemony." The reason that other countries want dollars is that oil is traded only in dollars. Countries that need to import oil must run a trade surplus with the U.S. and be paid in dollars. So, Americans can consume more than we produce, and pay for it with dollars that we print. If oil exporting countries decided that the dollar was unstable or losing value too rapidly, they might prefer to be paid in, for example, Euros. That would mean that the U.S. would have to sell Europe enough goods (and earn enough Euros) to buy 15 million barrels of oil per day. The U.S. would quickly slump to a third-world living standard.

Nor is the gold standard the answer. The U.S. was on the gold standard until 1970, when President Nixon realized that the U.S. did not have enough gold to cover the "petrodollars" that were flowing out of the country to oil exporters. The dollar is now a "fiduciary" currency, meaning that it has value only because people have faith in it. And, of course, because it is the only currency in which oil is traded.

The world oil supply situation is very uncertain, and our economy is extremely vulnerable to oil price shocks. We need to use known and existing technology to diversify away from petroleum as quickly as possible.

Dallas Dunlap

Brooksville

Excellent Coverage

Editor's note: This letter was addressed to Hernando Today Sports Editor Tony Castro.

As secretary of Spring Hill Dixie Baseball, I would like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere thanks for the excellent coverage your staff provided during our Rookie, Minor, Major and Dixie Boys All-Star season. The stories were well written, with captivating headlines, and great photos.

Each and every staff member that contributed to covering our League did a superb job. We appreciate their thoroughness, professionalism and dedication to their jobs. Their gift for writing has impressed all those who follow the Hernando Today sports on a daily basis.

As we head for the World Series, I know you will keep in touch with us for monitoring our progress. Thank you again for your excellence!

Helen Keith

Spring Hill