I am having concerns. How come the FDA can find a problem with Lolly Pops, that may be defective, and within hours have them pulled from the shelves, and we have hundreds of life THREATENING (not life saving) drugs on the market , and they do nothing? Just listen to the advertisements on TV and listen CLOSELY to the side effects. Some, blatantly state that you could die as a result of taking them. And the FDA has approved them for human use.

If you took every pill that is advertised on TV for the most minor problems, and you took them EVERY DAY, as they recommend, you could die then also. NO ONE has ever tested those pills in conjunction with one another. In effect, you are a Guinea Pig. If you die, no problem, they'll just pay compensation to the victim's family and sell some more, hoping that the next batch will be OK. Again, the FDA does nothing. Could it be that the FDA is controlled by The Pharmaceutical companies, and the Medical Profession? Your life is at stake. ASK QUESTIONS. Don't take any combination that has not been tested and found safe.

I find it hard to believe that there are still people out there who actually believe that this Earth was made in 6 days, and that man was made, by some entity, of dirt and a woman was made from one of his ribs.The Old Testament which is their source for this information, was NOT written by GOD. It was written by men.

If people wish to believe this, I have no problem with that; BUT that is not science, and should not be taught as if it was.

If the School Board chooses to be afraid of these people, then they should be aware that they will lose Federal Funds, since they will be violating the separation of Church and State. The schools would then be "Religious" and not eligible for those monies.

I could spend many hours debating the different parts of the Bible, but it would be useless, since their response would be based on FAITH, NOT SCIENCE.

I would expect the Board to state their individual Religious beliefs, just as the Presidential Candidates have done. Let us know where you are really coming from.

Are we gradually getting to the point where "Disbelieves" will be burned at the stake? After Scientology, who is next?

In 1979, I was hired by the County of Bucks, in Pennsylvania, to be the first "Advisor to the Physically Limited". This title was later changed to "Advisor to the Handicapped" because my duties involved helping those with Mental, Visual, and Hearing problems as well.

Another part was to make sure that Business' were accessible to the Handicapped. The third part was to issue Parking Placards and Licenses to those who needed close in parking. That was the biggest problem.

I was asked by a Legislator to write the Law for Handicapped parking in the State. I did so. The law was passed and all seemed to be going well. I did have many "Questionable" requests for parking permits. Some by people who were told by their Drs. to "Exercise more". So they wanted a parking space close to the Mall so they could go in and walk the Mall. Needless to say, these requests were denied. I had some who even wanted one because of Bunions. Most were from people who were overweight. They thought that since they could "Not walk very far" they were handicapped. They were, but it was of their own doing. Request denied.

Unfortunately Drs. are being asked to "Approve" this kind of request here in Florida. Naturally, if it is their patient, they will probably fill out the form, saying that the person needs handicapped parking, probably claiming a "Heart Condition". He does not want to anger his patient.

I filled this position from 1979 until 1994, when I retired .My personal, and professional, opinion is that Handicapped spaces should be available for those people using Wheelchairs, Walkers, Crutches, Quad canes, and in some cases, Regular canes, ONLY. A person with a vision problem will not be driving . A person with a mental disorder, will have a support person with them. I have seen, and talked to people who are OBVIOUSLY not handicapped, and their reason for using the space is that "They can't walk too far". But they sure can motor when they get out of the car. I have even had some tell me that the placard is their Mother's, or Father's, or even that it was their Husband's, who passed away recently. If every person got a Placard just because they could not walk "too far" these spots would have to be re-named "Senior Citizen Parking".

My recommendation is that EVERY person who desires a Handicapped placard or License plate, should have to go to a central location and PROVE that they can not walk, and be certified by that agency, NOT by their personal Doctor. If the driver of a car parked in a Handicapped space is NOT Handicapped, by set standards, that placard should be removed, and not re-issued . Fines should apply. Maybe a Phone number could be available so people could report violators.

I could write a whole page on this subject, but I think you get the point. Blessings to Joe Raetano. Keep pushing.

Friends:
Time is short so I will try to cover all the bases quickly.
If you have been reading the paper you can see that they are trying to MANIPULATE the Tax numbers on Amendment 1, which would give you a Tax break.

1st. They tell you that you will get "an average of $240 per year" . But as you can see, they say AVERAGE. That means (not that I have to tell you) if your property is worth more than average , you will get more. Note that they say "per year".

2nd Then they tell you that they (The Government) will LOSE 7 BILLION dollars (of your money) over 5 (FIVE) years. Why don 't they say how much for 1 year? answer So it will sound worse.

3rd Then they tell you how many services will be depleted i.e., police, fire, libraries, museums, etc. This can not be true. The Government has a mandate to provide those services..

4th Then they tell you that the SCHOOLS will be "Crushed" due to the lack of funds.. Also NOT TRUE, since the school funding is NOT included in the reduction.

5th The schools get money from Taxes and the Lottery. This amendment will not change that

6th They want you to pass amendment 2 so you can pay MORE taxes to the school system. (That would be three taxes for the schools.)

7th That would cost you another $84 average per year. (Note they do not say how much for 5 years.) That would seem like a lot. But even so. They say you will get $240 back then want to take $84 back. That leaves you with $156 average. Which is better than a jab in the eye with a big stick.

SOOOO I plan on voting YES for number 1 and NO for number 2. I need the money more than they do. I am SURE that if we continue to pursue our tax concerns with the Legislature, they will give us what we deserve. If you vote number 1 down they will just say we do not care about paying LOWER taxes. If we vote number 2 in they .AGAIN, will say we do not care about paying HIGHER taxes.

Think about it and be sure to cast your vote tomorrow, if you have not already

C U @ the polls

I have been watching the Presidential candidates on TV Have I had a choice? I have been especially watching the Democratic ones. In particular Hillery and Bill and Barak.

Is it my imagination or are Hillery and Bill playing "Good Cop - Bad Cop"? Somewhat like Bush and Cheny did Hillery takes the high road and tries to make everyone think she is above all this Nastiness. But if someone attacks her, she sics Bill on them and he attacks them. I have seen the same thing on Cop shows for years.

Barak Obama is getting a pass. Somehow that does not seem to be Kosher. It is expected that the Blacks will vote for him, but the Whites are supposed to also, for fear of being called Racist. The RACE CARD shows it's ugly head again.