Letters to the Editor: 08.18.11

+ Who’s to blame? Freshman Republicans
Dear Editor:
I normally do not like to place blame on people. Unfortunately, good people sometimes promote bad ideas. This happens when people have been misled.

The latest case involves the debate over the debt ceiling. Our country’s credit rating has been downgraded, and we almost allowed the county to default. Some of our elected officials were willing to allow the country to default in spite of the dangers that economists warned us about. Some of those elected officials even acted as if they wanted a default because it would hurt President Barack Obama.

Their main excuse was that we should not raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans, though there is absolutely no evidence that doing so would be a “job killer,” as Republican leaders claim. U.S. Census Bureau records for the past three decades show that lowering taxes for the wealthy does not create jobs or help the economy for anyone but the wealthy.

Well, it is time to place blame where it belongs, or we will keep electing people who harm the American people because of their dangerous and ill-reasoned agenda, as we did last fall.
Brad Hardin
Venice

+ County should focus on beach parking
Dear Editor:
I want to thank you for the editorial regarding parking at Siesta Key Public Beach. Adding parking at our beach should be the No. 1 priority.

The county’s decision to go forward with using limited funds for new restrooms and concession stand is not logical. Starting the end of this year, the county will start construction on a new drainage pond in an area where they also propose the future new parking lot. They should do both at the same time. It does not make sense to have all the construction stop after finishing the pond to shift construction to the concession stand and restrooms. 

The county should reconsider its plan and create the 360 new spaces in the area of the improved pond. Leave the existing 837 parking spaces intact. That is a total of almost 1,200 parking spaces that could be available in less than three years. If it wants to beautify the existing parking lot, the county should plant bushes in the current islands, which now contain only crushed shell. I just don’t understand the county’s reasoning to focus on the concession stand and restrooms instead of parking. 
Lourdes Ramirez
Siesta Key