Letters to the Editor: June 19

Letter of the Day: What else is new?

Editor, Daily News:

I was driving west on U.S. 41 toward Fifth Avenue South the other day.

There's a sign that reads "Historic District."

Huh?

Yeah, right.

Tim Keller , Naples

Letter of the Day: Shelter idea

Editor, Daily News:

Re: Hurricane shelters for sexual predators.

This would be a good idea if, and only if, all sexual predators registered with local law-enforcement agencies. However, since many of them don't, would our tax dollars be better spent by building more hurricane shelters for families with pets, rather than worry about the welfare of sexual predators during hurricanes?

Judy Quandt , Bonita Springs

Letter: Everywhere a %$#@& sign

Editor, Daily News:

Three days in a row now I have seen a truck, likely one of several trucks, that is actually a fuel-burning, road-clogging, moving billboard!

The first day it was on Davis Boulevard, and I thought it was in bad taste.

The second day it was at the intersection of Goodlette-Frank Road and U.S. 41 East. I thought it was a waste of resources to drive around all day to promote a semi-monopoly phone company.

The third day it was on U.S. 41 North at a stop light. This time I realized this could further clog our streets.

I got mad, took a picture and decided to write this letter.

I am no "greenie." I love big trucks, boats and fast cars. Driving a truck around wasting fuel, polluting our air and clogging our roads to add to the visual pollution in our community is way over the edge.

The company operating these trucks has every right to do so. We as customers have every right to not support the companies that advertise in this manner. I will not patronize any business that advertises in this manner.

I have been considering canceling my traditional phone service and getting phone service from the cable company and this was the last straw. I hope others will agree that diesel trucks driving around with billboards on them is obscene and they have no place in our community.

Falconer Jones III , Naples

Letter: Looking it up

Editor, Daily News:

As someone who is interested where not just our country but our state is going, I'm amazed that more people don't know who is running for governor.

The Daily News ran a story headlined, "Gallagher, Crist: Cut from the same cloth?"

It said there is little difference between them.

While I think it's honorable that neither the candidates or their local supporters took that article as an opportunity to turn negative, there are some differences.

One example is their economic plans. After hearing Charlie Crist speak and reading what there is to be found about his economic plan it feels like he is willing to promise everything to everyone to be elected. Tom Gallagher is Florida's chief financial officer, and because of that background he has a more in-depth, 23-page plan about how to continue leading this state's financial matters.

Another thing that has really impressed me is how Gallagher is willing to say possibly unpopular things because he feels they are right for our state in the long run.

But there again, I hope no one takes my word for it. In this day and age, all one needs to do to find out more information about candidates is to type their names into google.com

I hope everyone takes 10 minutes to look into the different people who would like to run our state for the next four years.

Kristine Miller , Naples

Letter: Up with down to earth

Editor, Daily News:

We need Charlie Crist to be the next governor of Florida!

As attorney general, he has established himself as being truthful, sincere, talented and a professional with extraordinary leadership abilities. He has served with dignity and poise, and as governor he will continue to make us proud to be Floridians.

With plotting, scheming and general hoodwinking attacking us daily, Crist will forget the pie-in-the-sky theories and deal with the practical problems that need immediate attention and solving.

At a time when decisions are tougher, time is critical. Resources are leaner, and the buck stops with the governor. "Hype" just won't cut it anymore. We need a man of action, a proven leader with absolute resolve and experience. We need Charlie Crist in Tallahassee.

The highest courage is to dare to be yourself in the face of adversity. Choosing right over wrong, ethics over convenience and truth over popularity — these are the attributes of this man. Charlie Crist has constantly combined courage and compassion and served all of us with understanding, dignity and grace.

This is a call to action, a call to all those who believe in the future of Florida and know that ours is a dynamic economy which will be further fueled by this man with an unstoppable passion to make us better than ever before.

Climb aboard. Do the right thing. Vote for Charlie Crist to be the next governor of Florida.

Dick Kalfus , Cape Coral

Letter: Where we stood

Editor, Daily News:

I have been asked the position of the Gulf Shore Association of Condominiums on the request by the Lutgert Companies for rezoning to allow residents of Park Shore to purchase slips on Gulf Shore Boulevard.

Lutgert superintendent Dick Baker called me several months ago and asked that GSAC support this rezoning request. I discussed this with my board, and although there were questions about parking and traffic, the board agreed to support the rezoning. I sent a letter of support to Baker.

The Lutgert Companies has been good neighbors and supportive of GSAC in our goal of making our area a good place to reside.

Murray H. Hendel , Naples, President, GSAC

Letter: Going our way? No

Editor, Daily News:

The very same U.S. senators who have consistently voted not to raise the minimum wage (for the last 10 years) thought nothing of voting a pay raise for themselves for the last consecutive seven years !

This years' increase brings their salary to upwards of $168,000. And we thought this was a government for the "people's" welfare. It looks as if that is true only if you are a member of the government work force.

This very same body of lawmakers saw fit to cut domestic projects and again allocate $60 billion to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Going in the wrong direction? I sure would say so.

Have we become so insulated that we accept these inequities without outrage? I fear we have, and our form of government is eroding without a dissent from the populace.

How sad!

Irene Ketover , Naples

Letter: An omnipotent one

Editor, Daily News:

I have closely followed the alleged "mass, cold-blooded" killings of innocent civilians in Iraq by our vicious troops and thinking, if this is so, they must be punished for their actions.

But I, like you, do not have the true facts yet to make a judgment of their guilt, although the far left has already tried them via such nefarious people as John Murtha, Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, left-wing radio hosts and Hollywood luminaries. It's enough to convince some that our troops are indeed evil, but worrisome to me, as I believe in the rule of law that one is innocent until the facts are in and a judicial body finds one guilty.

But eureka! Here in Naples we've an omnipotent one who is an all-in-one investigator, prosecutor, judge and jury, with all the true details on hand — per his mind — that proves our troops are guilty. Hopefully, his Monday letter gets to the military judicial branch, as with his facts in hand, they should easily get indictments bringing these men to trial.

I write, of course, about Michael Rodriguez's body of proof of troops tying hands, burning children and killing babies, crippled men and a pregnant woman who ran a barricade refusing to stop — and all this being done deliberately, while laughing at the victims.

But wait, I forgot. I don't visit the crazy left bloggers' sites that spew out such lies. Pity! I could join the chorus of hatred of the military, shutting my eyes to the real problem of terrorism.

C.H. Bernhardt , Naples

Letter: Who is insured?

Editor, Daily News:

Our insurance company has told us that there will be an almost 600 percent increase just because our insurance company (Nationwide) is pulling out of Florida.

We never had a claim in 20 years, and Hurricane Wilma hit only three miles away and didn't so much as turn over a roof shingle. Our condos are made of concrete with walls that go above our roofs so as to divide the roofs into roofs that cover only two units each.

We have five buildings — 72 units, three buildings with 16 units (8 roofs) and two buildings with 12 units (6 roofs) designed independent of each other. So if a hurricane did grab and pull off a roof, it wouldn't be that much, and we are built like bunkers.

My unit (downstairs) has a spancrete ceiling — my neighbor's floor. The only weak point in this whole building would be the roofs. Our risk is minimal to an insurance company, so an increase of 600 percent in cost is ridiculous. And taking our deductible from 2 percent plus $2,500 per incident to 5 percent plus $10,000 per incident is price-gouging.

The time has come for the government to step up and protect us from the ridiculous overcharging. How can anyone justify charging each unit $1,597 for concrete bunkers? This coverage is only for outside replacement of the buildings!

It is time to stand up for the people instead of corporate America (the insurance companies). We, the people, need protection from such actions made by insurance companies.

The politicians worked for the lobbyists and passed laws over the last 50 or more years to protect these companies; now they need to come back to the people and help the people.

Bill Michaels , Naples, Board member, Winter Park VI

Letter: Same old, same old

Editor, Daily News:

The way Congress has it set up, members get automatic raises each year unless they vote not to accept those raises. It saves them the embarrassment of going on record and voting themselves more money.

The exception is that they may vote on whether or not to accept raises in any particular year.

This year, Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, made a bid to get a yes or no vote on the increase, but the House, obviously buoyed by a 23 percent approval rating, voted 249-167 to defeat that measure.

These guys just don't get it. And yet, some people will still try to return them to office when they next come up for election.

If we do, we're as dumb as them.

Robert F. Tate, Naples

Letter: Mud in your blood?

Editor, Daily News:

All-terrain vehicle enthusiasts who want to ride in or near Picayune had better attend Tuesday's Collier County Commission meeting at 4 p.m.

They should arrive early enough to get through the metal detector, up to the third floor of the Government Center and sign speaker cards before 3:55 p.m.

The commissioners need to see ATV enthusiasts in large numbers at this meeting as the "time certain" 4 p.m. discussion will be about the South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection having broken their agreement.

Speakers should request the board find SFWMD and DEP in default of their promise to supply 640 acres on which to ride ATVs in Collier County.

For riders to be at this meeting is as or more important than attending Brian McMahon's rally in the Picayune a couple years ago.

If you've got "mud in your blood," be there!

Frank F. Denninger , Hialeah

Letter: Ugly and dumbest

Editor, Daily News:

"Get Fuzzy"? Hah! Get funny or get off the comics pages.

This strip has given me only about one "tee-hee" in a hundred.

I've given this inane and sophomoric effort the benefit of the doubt since its inception.

But, besides displaying disgustingly ugly animals, it is by far the "dumb, dumber and dumbest" of your comics pages!

Thomas A. Benedik , Marco Island

Letter: Never mind

Editor, Daily News:

As follow-up to my recent letter headlined "Freaked out — no help," about my puppy getting locked in a car, I would like to thank Naples Mayor Bill Barnett and Deputy Police Chief Jim Slapp for contacting me and researching the officers who would do such a thing and refuse to give me much help.

Due to excitement at the time trying to get the puppy out of the locked car, I didn't notice for sure whether it was the Naples police or the Collier County Sheriff's Office that responded to the U.S. 41 East Wal-Mart parking lot.

Now I know now it was the Sheriff's Office that answered the call.

I would like to apologize to the Naples police, Slapp and Barnett, and thank them for their assistance in clearing up this matter.

Darlene Berry , Naples

Letter: Overvalued? No way

Editor, Daily News:

In light of the numerous real estate articles that have run in your paper recently, I think a few things need to be clarified.

First, the National City study that people keep referencing in claiming Naples is overvalued is profoundly flawed. Most of the wealth in Naples is held by retirees and part-time residents. These people have enormous net worth yet their income numbers tend to be low.

The study looks at income relative to property prices to determine value. If you live in a $3 million home and make $80,000 per year in interest income, you are living beyond your means according to this study.

The study does not take into account the cash, investments and other wealth you may have.

This is a horrible way to determine values relative to income in a retirement-heavy resort town.

Second, if homes here are 100 percent overvalued, why can't I have a home built for a low price on my own land? The answer is simple: You can't even build the homes in question for a 100 percent less than the going rate of the same home already completed. In their formula, a $1 million home is only worth $500,000. Reality is, you can't even build a nice medium/large home with a pool and nice quality finishing touches for $500,000, let alone find land to put it on all for that price.

Third, if you are trying to tell me that the cost of construction is grossly inflated, then you can't, in the same breath, tell me that area wages are too low. What would these houses cost to build if wages were higher?

I am a Realtor and an appraiser. Naples appears to be undervalued in many ways. It's cleanliness, county parks, proximity to the Gulf, ever-expanding shopping and dining options, and overall beauty when compared with other towns in Florida is obvious.

This is the time to buy in Naples. Rates are still low, selection is good and values abound.

John Blaine , Naples

Letter: Shelter idea

Editor, Daily News:

Re: Hurricane shelters for sexual predators.

This would be a good idea if, and only if, all sexual predators registered with local law-enforcement agencies. However, since many of them don't, would our tax dollars be better spent by building more hurricane shelters for families with pets, rather than worry about the welfare of sexual predators during hurricanes?

Judy Quandt, Bonita Springs