February 25, 2008 01:12 pm
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To the Editor:
Hello Fellow Suwannee County Citizens. In a past election held here in Suwannee County there was an amendment on the ballot to vote for county commissioners by district or to change the countywide voting. This passed because the everyday working people of Suwannee County liked the idea of voting for the people who vote on their taxes and it passed in spite of opposition from the powers that be. One commissioner stated that this was not good for commissioners. There were some fundamental reasons for this to be on the ballot for the tax-paying people of Suwannee County.
Suwannee County is not the county it once was even five years ago. The rate of growth and change in this county has increased tremendously and is continuing to do so. A government that works well in a rural setting as Suwannee County once was, is now found to be inadequate in this present infrastructure, and so forth. Problems remain much the same from the district to district in a rural/agricultural setting. The biggest difference you have in the county is in the city limits and we have a city council to deal with these problems. A county government that chooses representation by small districts simply means that a commissioner only has to please a few voters in the county and he is assured of reelection to a job that pays more than most of the working class people in this county get paid. They do not have to be concerned how their decisions affect the rest of the county. That's fine for a simple rural community, but not for the Suwannee County of today. We need a county commissioner who is concerned about the county as a whole because of the growth and change that is taking place all over our county here in Suwannee County. Will this solve Suwannee County's problems? No. But it is a step in the right direction. The commissioners opposed this amendment. One of the reasons they gave for the opposition of countywide voting was that it was not fair to minorities. No one particular group should feel left out in a free society. Minority representation is a good idea. The voting system used in Suwannee County fails to give true minority representation. There is now more than one minority group in Suwannee County and if you are not in the right district you can neither run for the minority position, nor vote for this position. Yet, there are some who wish to convince voters that they have freely elected representation which serves the people and not their own interest and yet, still the minorities are told this is your freely elected representative. Within the system we now have in use in Suwannee County it removes a lot of opposition from all the commissioners holding positions in office. The present minority seat holder runs unopposed and he certainly doesn't want change.
There are other ways to have a minority seat that would be fair to the minorities of this county and the county as a whole. This is typical politics. The politicians are worried about their own pocketbooks and not the county's tax dollars.
Paul Mercer
Editor's note: Mercer is president of the Committee for a Better Suwannee County.
To the Editor:
The day you ran my father-in-law's obituary, Jack Lessman, I read your "To the Editor." It spoke about Hospice and how they were serving our area. It made me feel compelled to write a public letter stating how greatly we regard Haven Hospice of Lake City. It is such a trying time when your loved one is passing away. They opened their doors to our family. They took great care in keeping him in comfort. They were always there for us to talk to.
The Doctors and staff were very professional and understanding at all times.
There were days when the room would be full of people. The stories of hunting, fishing, (and yes, even laughter, because of the great memories), would be so loud we would have to shut the door, but no one on staff even made us feel we were too loud, or stayed too long. We were able to grieve in our own way. They let us spend 24 hours a day with him with two comfortable chairs that made out to beds in his room. We could even eat there or bring in food. There was a little refrigerator in the room. Also a family bath we could use for showering. They provided towels and personal care supplies. There were large sitting areas outside of the huge, private room they provided for him.
Coffee and tea were always fresh in the refreshment area, it was also complimentary. They even had a child's play area with toys that were provided. I really enjoyed walking their lovely outdoor garden paths with a huge sitting pavilion. It was truly a home away from home. We were very blessed to have a place of comfort not only for Jack, but for us also.
Sherry Lessman
Lessman Family
To the Editor:
Hot Diggity! Ninth in teenage pregnancy in the state! One wonders how this happened, here, in Suwannee County.
Many years ago, in the mid to late 1980s, we had a skating rink. There was a movie theater (there were two of them when I lived here as a child.) There was a drive-in theater. As my children grew into their teens, there was at least one effort made to start a nice place for young people to hang out, to have vendor-prepared sandwiches and soft drinks, and even provide a place for young musician wannabees to play for their peers. But no, we were told, it "would bring the wrong kind of people to Live Oak."
The theaters closed, the drive-in closed, the skating rink closed, but by golly there was still Live Oak Plaza for the kids to congregate in. And guess what - the wrong kind of people came anyway.
Now we get to see the results. The wrong kind of people came, the young people scattered to the springs and other places, and the babies started coming. Imagine that!
But we got a prison. Now maybe we can become a thriving metropolis like the other places with prisons - Lake Butler, Mayo, Jasper, Sanderson, and Trenton. (That was sarcasm.)
We have no jobs or quality entertainment venues; we give our children cars or trucks as soon as they are eligible to drive alone, we have virtually nothing to keep us from becoming number one in the teenage pregnancy statistic. So, we will continue to go to Wal-Mart and see children with children.
Lewis L. Lange
To the Editor:
This is in response to the person who commented concerning "Buddy" in the Rant and Rave column of your paper. Buddy was adopted from our animal shelter. I have met Buddy and would not be in fear of him being anytime in my home. We are all concerned an time we hear of a Bull Dog attacking anyone, but most of the attacks you here is from Bull Dogs that have either been in a pen or on a chain.
All dogs bite, all dogs can inflict harm, as far as I can research, there is not a scientific study that proves that one breed of dog bite more or caused more harm than any other breed of dogs. Any can be a risk, even small breeds have seriously hurt or killed children, an American Pit Bull in a good home is safer than a Dachshund in a poor home. We the owners decide how safe our dogs can be, in the majority of dog problems, the owner is to blame. The dogs are blamed most of the time and are usually killed. You can tell a lot about a person by his dog.
In the case of a penned or chained dog, most of them are never out of their pens, they are never petted, never hear a soothing voice, they are left out in the rain, cold and are not able to run and play as they should. To their owners, they are "just dogs." Any animal needs love, they need to be petted, able to run and have a safe and dry place to live. I see chained dogs all over this county, they are hunched over in the rain, in the cold, two such animals live near me, they have been on chains their entire lives. We need a law here that prohibit' the chaining of dogs, period. I do not claim to be an expert on dogs, but I have dogs of my own and have bred and raised dogs most of my life, I take care of my animals. My puppies were petted and played with starting at three weeks old.
We have a good animal shelter, we have great people that run it, we have volunteers that do the best they can with what resources they have, but it is up to us, the owners, to do our jobs right so there won't be another "Buddy" or any more attacks by Bull Dogs or any other breed. We have a responsibility to our animals if we choose to have any and to our community. we are to keep them safe, teach them to obey us and to not be a threat to anyone. Working together we can all do this.
Sheila Weaver
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