Opinion

Letters to the editor, June 16

TBO.com
Published: June 16, 2012

Spice liability needed

So here's a suggestion for our leaders in Tallahassee.

Spice, an often dangerous cocktail of legal chemicals, is being sold by businesses around our state. People can get high on it, and it seems that whenever one of the chemicals is outlawed, they change the mix and go on selling it. There have been hospitalizations and even a death as a result of this drug and a lot of dangerous behavior as well.

How about we enact some laws on product liability that will make those selling this synthetic marijuana financially or criminally liable — or both — for the dangerous effects of what they are selling? It should be simple enough to narrow the availability of the drug by making the vendors pay for its effects.

Or we could just keep doing what we are doing and wait for somebody else to end up in the hospital, die or commit a crime while under the influence.

The Rev. Dick Maxwell

New Port Richey

Fee a mistake

Regarding the news article on the survey by Commissioner Jack Mariano that found continuing opposition to Pasco County's park parking fee, bravo to him for exposing the "failure of the fee."

I am retired and one of the reasons we moved to the area was the parks. There were many of us who used to frequent the parks during the day or just go to watch the sunset. We all stopped when the parking fee went in. It was just a tax on top of taxes we were already paying, and suddenly we had to shell out two bucks just to use them. We have three parks nearby and used to stop at more than one — that is, until we were going to now have to pay twice.

The county has never got a buck from me or anyone that I know from the parking fee and we are very vocal about it when the snowbirds arrive. The fee was a mistake and drove away the residents the parks were intended for.

George Basley

Holiday

Make a note

If you believe the political signs now dotting the area landscape were posted entirely too early, make a note of the names on the signs and remember them when you go to the polls in August and November.

Gerald Goen

Tarpon Springs