Misleading Voters

Misleading Voters

Shame on Spring Hill Fire Rescue for misinforming the citizens of Spring Hill with their misleading political signs that are littering most street corners in Spring Hill.

Their signs read, "Save your Spring Hill fire district." Do not let this fire board pull the wool over your eyes. Their deceiving signs want you to believe that the people of Spring Hill will lose their fire trucks, equipment and firefighters if you vote "No" for Spring Hill fire district's independence. This is totally false!

The people of Spring Hill would lose nothing. You're fire stations, fire trucks, equipment and firefighters would go nowhere. As a matter of fact, everything would remain the same. The scare tactics need to stop!

This is one county, so there should be one fire department. Enough of this wasteful spending of our tax dollars. This county already spent thousands of dollars to prove how many thousands we would save in taxes if this fire department consolidated with Hernando County Fire Rescue. It's also a known fact that Spring Hill Fire Rescue already participates in training exercises with Hernando County Fire Rescue. And guess what, when Spring Hill's fire trucks are busy, Hernando County's fire trucks come in to help them out. The same also happens vice versa when Hernando County fire rescues trucks are busy. This is called mutual aid.

The only reason Spring Hill wants independence is so that county commissioners have no oversight or say on how the Spring Hill fire board wastes our tax dollars. Being a retired member of the Fire Department of New York myself, I'll tell you that this Spring Hill Fire board circus show needs to be set free. We are in very bad economic times and if a consolidation of these two departments saves thousands in tax dollars, I'm all for it.

Vote "No" for Spring Hill Fire Rescue's independence.

Steve Reznor

Spring Hill

Vote 'No' For

Independent Fire District

I have followed the issue of whether Spring Hill residents are better served with an independent fire district or merging with Hernando County Fire Rescue. Please allow me to share my reasons for voting "No."

• One fire rescue department would be more efficient and provide for more resources in the advent of a major emergency.

• Merger of the Spring Hill dispatch center with Hernando County Sheriff Dispatch Center would provide for an immediate saving of more than $200,000.

• The 4-versus-1 Spring Hill Fire Rescue board would no longer be needed. Remember, this board has brought Spring Hill taxpayers the following: The $1.4 million renovated "Taj Mahal" fire station, which should have been completed for half that; $800,000 for a aerial ladder truck that is useless in a bedroom community like Spring Hill, which could have purchased two smaller, more efficient apparatus for less money; the policy that "rewards" employees for abusing drugs with paid leave; the $60,000-plus mechanic; planning to build another fire station with no effort toward seeking automatic aide policies with Pasco or Hernando County Fire Rescue; the ongoing efforts at intimidation of taxpayers at board meetings; a perception among Spring Hill Fire Rescue personnel that wasteful spending of taxpayer monies is OK because it's just "chump change."

I agree with an earlier letter to the editor that it is time to get serious about countywide fire service. This is the trend across the country, and there are many success stories with better service and lower costs.

Ray Hughes

Spring Hill

Damage Control

Regarding "County Bosses Get $1,021 Raise" in the Sept. 25 edition of Hernando Today.

I have been in Hernando County for 18 years and have never heard about county bosses giving their raises to charity.

Could it be because they know that in the era of redistributing wealth from the middle class to the rich, they have to do damage control?

Jane Kukla

Spring Hill

Blame It On Barack

As an avid Sen. John McCain supporter, I find myself in a no lose situation recently. If McCain wins the election in November, as he deserves to, and I hope he does, our country will remain strong and prosper.

If, however, Sen. Barack Obama wins, as all the "intelligent" political pundits and polls on MSNBC keep saying, I think our country can still survive. After all, we survived eight years of Bill Clinton, didn't we?

If Obama wins, think of how we can criticize and second guess him at every turn, as the Democrats have done to George Bush these last eight years.

Think of all the material Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and all the other conservative media people will have.

I pray it doesn't happen, but when we are hit by a terrorist attack, and we will be because our military, law enforcement and Homeland Security budgets will take a hit funding Obama's social programs, we can say "blame it on Barack."

When our taxes are raised, and they will be, we can say, "blame it on Barack."

When our enemies will try to test us because they feel Obama is soft, we can say "blame it on Barack."

When his inexperience starts to show, and he has errors in judgments, we can say, "blame it on Barack."

When more skeletons than just the Rev. Wright, and William Ayers start coming out of the closet, we can say "blame it on Barack."

When Joe Biden's gaffes become so numerous we start saying "Dick Cheney who?" we can say "blame it on Barack."

By the way, as a side note, how many of you know about all the errors in fact he made in the VP debate last week? Especially the one where he looked in the camera and implored us to go to his old neighborhood diner in his hometown and sit down and speak to the people there. How many of you know that diner has been closed down more than 20 years?

Nothing like being on top of the facts, Joe!

But this is the best thing about an Obama win; it ensures us that Hillary Clinton will never be the president! So, when all you avid Hillary Clinton supporters vote for Obama this November, remember that your true choice for president will never happen. You can (here it comes) "blame it on Barack!"

Russ Colombo

Spring Hill