Advertisement

Tuesday's letters: Trump's true character is revealed

 
Published Jan. 4, 2016

Help choose Letter of the Month

Letters to the editor offer a significant contribution to the discussion of public policy and life in Tampa Bay. To recognize some of that work by our most engaged readers, the Times will select a letter of the month and the writers will be recognized at the end of the year.

Help us choose from the nominations for letter of the month for December 2015 by visiting the website listed below by Thursday. Read through the three letters and vote on the ballot at the bottom of the Web page. We will choose the finalists each month based on relevance on topical issues, persuasiveness and writing style. The writer's opinion does not need to match the editorial board's opinion on the issue to be nominated. But clarity of thinking, brevity and a sense of humor certainly help.

To see the three December nominees and vote, go to www.tampabay.com/opinion.

Once an ally, Trump now heaps scorn on Bill Clinton | Dec. 31

True character is revealed

It is reported that Donald Trump was friendly with, and even admired, Bill Clinton at one time. But Trump recently said that his friendship with Clinton was strictly business. In his own words: "It was my obligation to get along with all politicians. And I did it better than anybody." This says it all about this selfish, dishonest, boisterous and totally unscrupulous man. He will say and do anything to promote his personal aura and his "business." And to him, being a presidential candidate, or even the hope of winning the presidency of the Unites States, is just another piece of business — just another feather on his cap of vainglory.

How can such a bogus and pompous person attract such a large number of followers who keep him the leading candidate of a major political party? Cannot intelligent people see through and distance themselves from him?

Alex Mathew, Tampa

Counties' paths diverge | Dec. 28

Changing patterns of living

This article about the diverging demographic trends of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties jumps to hasty conclusions about the prospects of each county to attract and grow new businesses.

True: Hillsborough County's population is growing while Pinellas' is not. True: In Hillsborough, families with children predominate while in Pinellas's hottest neighborhood, downtown St. Petersburg, young, childless professionals and empty-nesters predominate. Also true: Hillsborough has lots of vacant undeveloped land in its exurban hinterlands and Pinellas does not.

However, the old paradigm about growth in metropolitan areas assumes that most growth of employable households takes place in suburban, single-family homes with children. This model is changing as highly educated millennials, our future young families, prefer living and working in cosmopolitan urban neighborhoods like downtown St. Petersburg and downtown Tampa.

A certain segment of the working population will always prefer the newly built single-family home in the suburbs. That option is available to employees of Pinellas County businesses in north Manatee County, which is about the same drive time from downtown St. Petersburg and Gateway as growing south Hillsborough subdivisions are from downtown Tampa.

The challenge of Pinellas County is not to find ways to increase its population to compete with suburban growth in much larger Hillsborough. Our challenge is to offer diverse housing options to all types of families (with and without children) working in our county. That means expanding and improving housing options in our older, established neighborhoods (both renovation and denser redevelopment) and improving our public schools so that families with children find Pinellas just as attractive as do childless couples.

It also means selling our convenient proximity to traditional new suburban communities in Manatee County. Our dynamic downtown, world-class beaches and superior lifestyle will do the rest.

Jay Miller, St. Petersburg

Maps shift future Senate | Dec. 31

Pursuit of public office

Am I the only one concerned when a politician states that because his district has shifted due to the new map, he will just move to a new district?

Example: Tom Lee, afraid he may not come out on top under the new map, may just move to one of his "multiple houses in eastern Hillsborough." Does that mean he will uproot his family and move just to be re-elected? Or does the family stay and he goes? He's certainly not moving for the pittance he makes as a representative. Perhaps it's to assure the money he makes because he's a representative.

Cathi Greene, Dunedin

Time to cooperate on firearm research Dec. 30, commentary

The facts are already in

This column proposes a government committee to study the gun problem. There is nothing to study. Overwhelming numbers of police chiefs, gun owners and other citizens want the sale of military-style arms banned to the public. NRA and gun lobby money scares Congress into doing their bidding.

Tom Reid, Seminole