Letter of the day: ‘The greatest gift’
Editor, Daily News:
I believe in power and beauty of words. I am going to borrow a classic statement:
“Pray for the gifts of faith, hope and love, remembering that the greatest gift is love.â€
Love transcends time and space because a baby named Jesus was born in a stable in the little town of Bethlehem 2,000 years ago.
In this world, where there is much confusion and chaos, we must focus on the true meaning of Christmas so we may have more meaning in our lives.
That true meaning is that baby Jesus who was born into this world because He loves us.
Merry Christmas!
Norm Mytyk / Naples
Close call — and heroes
Editor, Daily News:
I have heard of a fire incident on Dec. 8 that played out on the Interstate 75 overpass at Pine Ridge Road.
A semitrailer’s tires caught fire on a tanker truck filled with 8,000 gallons of jet fuel.
The driver stopped his truck on the overpass with tires burning. He called the fire department, which just happened to be a North Naples Fire District station within eyesight of the overpass.
The firefighters arrived at the truck-fire site in a matter of minutes. A quick assessment indicated: 1. attack the fire, or 2. run for your life because the fuel could explode at any time.
The firefighters had been trained exactly how to approach this type of fire. They put out the fire with water from trucks and other means. No fire hydrants are located on I-75.
Had the firefighters not succeeded, the I-75 bridge and surrounding area would have been destroyed. Their years of training for such incidents saved multiple millions of dollars for bridge repairs and inconvenience to the public, not to mention possible lives saved.
Had the tanker exploded, Naples would have been prominently mentioned on the national TV headlines.
The firefighters put themselves in harm’s way by approaching within 10 feet of the fire, stopping it.
A number of firefighters and trucks from nearby districts arrived to help. Among the first to arrive and act immediately were Battalion Chief Ed Bugala and firefighters Bruce Alleman, Kevin Bee, Lt. Michael Coxwell, Kenneth Duffy, Chris Spencer and Lt. Regan Sytsma.
Spencer was in the news a few weeks earlier as a candidate in the special election for the District 101 seat in the Florida House.
Jack Pointer / Naples
Way to go, New Jersey
Editor, Daily News:
Congratulations to the people and the governor of the great state of New Jersey for their recent action in abolishing the death penalty.
It took courage and determination to take the civilized and rational response to capital punishment. The rest of the Western world has already banned the death penalty, realizing it is hardly a deterrent to violent crime.
I had hoped that my home state of Illinois would be first, but New Jersey Gov. John Corzine stepped forward and initiated a much-needed reform.
I would like to see some of the ardent right-to-life supporters speak out in favor of this monumental first step in the abolishment of the death penalty throughout the entire nation. Their platform continues to be based on one issue, and one issue only: abortion.
Let’s hear it from the conservatives on the issue of preserving all human life.
Jeanine Healey / Naples
Drawing lines
Editor, Daily News:
In response to Nick Hale’s letter, I think he and your readers should know class size does matter.
Having taught third grade for five years and high school intensive reading this year, when classes exceed 20 students, learning takes a nose dive. The classroom today is not the way we remember it — where everyone looked the same, had the same background knowledge, and spoke English at home. Nor are the demands on the students the same.
For example, there are over 80 concepts that third graders must master in math alone. I remember two things from my third-grade experience: multiplication and cursive. And we certainly didn’t have to pass the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test to be promoted.
And while on the subject of size, the buying power of my teacher’s paycheck has shrunk substantially. Teachers’ hearts are about three times the size of their wallets, but we still have to pay our bills. And it’s not just about the money. The district’s position of not providing a cost-of-living increase to teachers has sent us the message that we are nothing more than a line item on a budget sheet.
With my master’s, I make $42,000 a year, about the same amount I made in the early 1990s working for a Naples bank. My benefits in the corporate world were better too. And no one “guilted†me into not expecting to be reasonably compensated.
So why did I become a teacher? To do something meaningful, something that mattered. But I’m not sure how much longer I can survive on this salary.
And consider this: What is to stop the district from continuing to cry “poor†well into the future?
Diane Krapf / Naples
The real credit …
Editor, Daily News:
I am proud to be included among the blood donors at The Vineyards who are recognized in George Merritt’s letter.
However, the real credit for the continuing success of these blood drives goes to George Merritt himself, who is tireless in his phone calls to the regular (and occasional) donors.
My wife and I jocularly refer to George as “The Vampire†because we know that when he calls, he wants your blood.
It is always a pleasure to see George in his blood-red outfit waiting at the Bloodmobile on blood-drive days.
Best wishes for the holidays to George and the other donors.
David B. Goldstein / Naples
Where’s the beef?
Editor, Daily News:
Nick Kling of Naples apparently doesn’t go out to eat very often. The policy of including a gratuity on what would have been the total of the check without the complimentary meal, is not only standard practice at restaurants, but is fair for all.
If you and a guest both ate $30 meals for a total check of $60, would you tip the server only $5.40?
Why should the server face a 50 percent cut in his income as the establishment attempts to gain traffic?
Take your $30 freebie and stop complaining.
After all, it’s Christmas.
Dave Clifford / Bonita Springs
Cruel and unusual
Editor, Daily News:
The Democrats in Congress are obsessed with cruel and unusual punishment.
Especially against terrorists.
They should be. They harangue us about the awful deficit while larding appropriation bills with billions in “earmarks.†Cruel and unusual.
They regale us with energy and warming horror stories while they have done nothing substantial about energy since the 1975 energy crisis. Cruel and unusual.
They hide their heads in the sand while experts tell us we have an impending $45 trillion Social Security problem. Cruel and unusual.
They rail against the “rich†who need to pay more taxes, many who are small business owners who create most of the new jobs in America and are not rich. Cruel and unusual.
They howl about the 45 million people who have no health insurance and don’t tell us how many are illegal aliens. Cruel and unusual.
They wail about the minimum wage while allowing illegal aliens to take those jobs at sub-standard pay and away from legal citizens. Cruel and unusual.
They lecture us about illegal aliens but promised in 1986 to stop the influx when the illegal population was 3 million. Now it is probably 20 million. Cruel and unusual.
They told us then the border would be closed. It was not. Cruel and unusual.
The Republicans have been complicit in this cruel and unusual punishment. Good reason we need term limits. Although congressmen would undoubtedly consider that cruel and unusual punishment.
Marlene Petorelli / Naples
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