LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Vile Garbage

I have to thank the Hernando Today for printing Frances Earl's column, because it shows the good people of Hernando County just how crazy those on the left have become.

Take for example, Earl's recent column about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Obviously, Earl cannot defend her candidate's record. She has to go on a smear campaign against Palin, repeating stories that have already been discredited by the mainstream media and yet Earl repeats some of these rumors as fact.

Earl calls her column a "Call to Patriots," but quite frankly there is nothing patriotic about her columns. It is vilest form of journalism. If one is going to give his or her opinion, then one should deal with facts, not rumors.

What we see in Earl and those on the Internet and on cable news shows like Keith Olbermann and Chris Mathews are those who are so desperate for the Democrats to win that that they will say and do anything, even lie and spread rumors, and it is unfortunate you will have those out there who will believe the vile garbage they spew.

Peter Stathis

Spring Hill

Throwing Dirt, Lies

I just have to respond to Barbara Rice, Frances Earl and, of course, the blindsided Ted Rall. When you three give opinions, it all comes from MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS and all the far left news outlets. They all made sure Hillary Clinton couldn't get the nomination from her party. They made sure she had the hard questions and gave Barack Obama the easy road. He could use sex, but every time she or anyone else questioned Obama, it was racist.

Rall, when you call Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin a nobody, just where do you have the knowledge to say Obama is so great? He's a pure nobody. He hasn't done anything in his past to say he is capable of being president of our great nation. Law school makes him better than Palin? That's what's wrong with our government now; too many lawyers sitting in the Senate an House of Representatives thinking they are better than the working men and women of this country.

So, all I can say about you three is, you all like to throw dirt, lies one direction, but hold someone up on a throne who is a true nobody. Obama wants to give people who don't want to work and earn their way in our great country, but just to buy their vote from the taxes of the men and women who are out trying to make a living for themselves and their families.

Hope you three can sleep at night and have your sweet dreams about how your party leader is trying to rip off the average man and woman.

Bob Shulters

Springhill

Unfair Attack

Rose Rocco's attack on government workers cash-out policy is unfair.

Employees in many levels of government jobs are allowed to cash-out. The advantage to employers, as Joe Vitalo pointed out, is that fewer substitutes are needed. Who can do the work better than the person who was hired to do it?

Government employees, including the military, do not receive compensation comparable to the private sector.

As Grant Tolbert's name was chosen to be the first on the cash-out list printed in the Hernando Today, let's use him for an example. The amount of his cash-out was $19,007. Tolbert has done an outstanding job for the county for years. He would have earned more in the private sector with fewer headaches. He would have had a chance to break the glass ceiling and be promoted. Should he have taken more time off and been less available to those who needed his expert help?

Wal-Mart, Publix and hospitals are not good examples of the private sector. All three are notorious for overwork and low pay. Good companies in the private sector value all employees and offer excellent benefits, fair monetary compensation and chances for advancement.

One of County Administrator David Hamilton's first acts of service to Hernando County was to request a large raise for himself.

Last year School Administrator Wayne Alexander received a higher raise than he wants our teachers to have this year. Since then he has asked for more money and a paid assistant to free him to teach classes at a college.

Rose Rocco is a county liability as are several members of our county commission and county school board. However, the big problems are at the top: Two selfish administrators who were brought into the county from other areas at great expense. Neither knows or cares about the needs of Hernando County.

Doris Taylor

Brooksville

Editor's note: Actually, Mr. Hamilton turned down a negotiated 5 percent raise for himself because he didn't think it fair to other county employees and, instead, decided to take whatever raise is given county employees this coming year. Mr. Hamilton has proposed no raise for those county employees making in excess of $65,000 per year, which would mean no raise for him, either. As for Mr. Alexander, he did negotiate a 5.5 percent raise before his first year on the job was completed. However, he has scratched plans for an assistant administrator because of budget constraints, and school board members have nixed his request to teach college classes. Also, the average government employee's salary and benefits is far greater than the average wage and benefits of private-sector employees in Hernando County. The compensated absences program for government employees is a double-dip with potential for massive interest - all paid by unsuspecting taxpayers. That's not to mention all the holidays given government employees that private-sector employees don't receive. Also, if Mr. Tolbert could have made more money and received better benefits in the private sector, don't you think he would have?