Advertisement

Tuesday's letters: Cruz's credentials vs. Obama's

 
Published March 30, 2015

Ego in the big top | March 26, Daniel Ruth column

Cruz's credentials vs. Obama's

As much as I hate to read anything written by the Times version of a comedy writer, I find it ironic that in Daniel Ruth's description of Sen. Ted Cruz you could substitute Barack Obama's name and never miss a beat.

Ruth mentions Cruz's brief time in the Senate, but Obama was barely there for more than a cup of coffee. He writes of Cruz's unchained ego, hubris and narcissism. You could put Obama's picture in the dictionary beside those words. He writes of the announcement at Liberty University. All of Obama's spouting of accomplishments are to ultraliberal bastions of education whose students get their news from comedy shows. They cheer without a clue of reality.

Ruth mentions the number of bills authored by Cruz. What was Obama's record in the Senate? We know where Cruz was born and have his school records.

You should look where you throw rocks. Most have hit the White House, where the occupant has already proven his inexperience and failure.

Don Niemann, Seminole

Battle brewing over the pyramid | March 29

The pause that refreshes

After a 12-hour endurance test (not to mention the months and years leading to it), we are indeed closer to selecting a design concept for our next St. Petersburg pier. Some criticize the committee for hitting pause after narrowing seven designs to three, but it was the right decision. It provides time to consider many factors, including the city's greater goals.

It's possible that the Pier Selection Committee could be deadlocked after yet another meeting, but there is no questioning the committee members' efforts to thoroughly understand the pier designs and the programmatic recommendations developed by our Pier Working Group.

As one of many who spent substantial time and effort trying to get the Lens built, I gained intimate knowledge of the fabric of St. Petersburg. With the public given a selection of seven designs and with an engaged constituency then making an abundantly clear statement, the public perspective is the most important piece of this puzzle. Now is the time for the committee to support the residents' design that moves forward, with a nod to history, and to continue the momentum and progression of one of the most interesting cities on the planet.

James Moriarty, member, Pier Working Group (2014), St. Petersburg

Plea deals for lawyers are rejected March 27

Justice was served

Thank you, Judge W. Douglas Baird, for protecting the honor of our Florida justice system and the credibility of our Florida law licenses. The mainstay of justice is access to courts. The demise of justice is manipulation of courts. The mantra of lawyers is a citizen's right to his or her day in court.

In sweet irony, these lawyers will get their day in court. Thankfully they were not able to slip into the shadows with a claim that they failed to "supervise" a paralegal.

Judge Baird rose to the occasion, as 99.9 percent of Florida lawyers do every day.

Catherine Kyres, Tampa

McDonald's puts control at your fingertip March 26

Failing the taste test

This article reports on McDonald's sensing the need for menu improvements to address its lagging sales. The emphasis is on a "Create Your Taste" initiative that allows customers — at additional cost — to "do something different," such as specifying thicker patties, applewood bacon or other embellishments.

But the problem is not the ingredients or the size of McDonald's burgers. A good burger needs to taste fried. For too long, McDonald's burgers — however prepared — have tasted boiled.

Whatever the larger or more elaborate ingredients, burgers that taste boiled will only serve to further eat away at McDonald's profits.

Rolf Norbom, Crystal River

High cost of mental health gaps | March 25, editorial

Too many are at risk

For every high-profile case involving a tragic death, there are thousands of cases that go unnoticed of people who do not get needed mental health treatment. Many of these cases also have tragic results.

Hundreds locally end up homeless or in jail as a result of poorly funded services for the mentally ill. In Pinellas County in the past five years, we have lost case management and outpatient services, lost our short-term residential treatment programs, lost our crisis intervention teams, and lost dozens of inpatient treatment beds. Community mental health centers have cut large numbers of staff and changed the focus of their services to specialized areas for funding purposes. Outreach services into the community have disappeared. Community mental health services can do no more than apply a bandage to the wound of individuals who manage to navigate a system that is overwhelmed, understaffed and ridiculously underfunded.

These thousands of unnoticed cases far too often result in broken, untreated individuals who could be productive members of society. This lack of available treatment also results in traumatized, disillusioned families whose crushed lives will never be the same.

John Jones, past president, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Kenneth City

Did someone yell timber? | March 27

Chivalry is not dead

When I saw Will Vragovic's picture of Desmond Jenning's bat flying through the air, the first thing I noticed was the chivalrous gentleman in the hat and dark glasses sitting next to the lucky woman in green with his arm outstretched to protect her from getting hit.

I thought knights in shining armor didn't exist anymore, so this picture filled my heart with joy. Hopefully, the young men who see this picture (and some of the older ones too) will take a lesson.

Maryrose Nicolazzi, Port Richey