The county and the beach in 2018
Well, a new year is here and it’s time to start anticipating the Volusia County Council’s absurd recommendations on how to “improve” working conditions for the beach vendors and lifeguards. Last year they suggested all beach vending vehicles be painted white because colors fade, allowing only 10 empty umbrellas per vendor and a 50 percent increase in the vendors’ fee structure. Most of these superior ideas failed, but the daily parking fee doubled, guaranteeing fewer beach visitors and reduced vendor profits. Then they permitted a giant human “Slingshot” and device appropriately named The Vomatron. I’m looking forward to this year’s madness. It’s going to be hard to beat the City Island fiasco.
. If we want to see something akin to a carnival we’ll attend the County Council meetings. The beach has been here in its natural state for millions of years and will still be here when we’re nothing but a pile of dust and spent attitude. If left alone it will get along just fine. I suspect the hard-working vendors will too.
Worried about sea turtles? Don’t be. They, too, precede us by millions of years and probably worry about our obsession with recording the date, time and number of eggs they generously place on the beach. If they don’t like it here, they’ll find another stretch of mismanaged sand to carry on tradition. If members of the council want to worry about something, they should turn their attention to the large floating sewage treatment plant known as the manatee. These prehistoric misfits easily consume 50 pounds of sea grass daily, process it and ... well, you know the rest. Multiply this by approximately 5,000 “sea cows” and Florida really has a unique pollution nightmare. If the council wants to employ their misdirected attention to a real problem I’d vote for this.
George Rose
South Daytona
Paying for care
Regarding the Dec. 26 story about “Mama C.” raising money for local children’s medical bills: How many Mama C.’s are needed to save all the uninsured and under-insured residents of this county from unnecessary suffering, pain, bankruptcy, or death? What would readers do if their money didn’t cover their own children’s health bills? The sanctity of their child’s life is the responsibility of parents and their doctors, but profit-first insurance companies are in the way.
Health care is a service, not a stock market commodity. Only individuals should make the choice of doctors and treatments, anywhere, regardless of wealth. Without the bloated insurance companies, we as a nation can provide care more efficiently and more cheaply, to all of our children — and adults — as does nearly every other developed country.
Barbara Schablik
Holly Hill
Build better bowls
I remember when, at the conclusion of the regular football season, only one game caught my attention: the Rose Bowl. It seldom settled the argument over which college was best. Those brawls were especially contentious when more than two teams finished their season with similar records. Fortunately, that kind of controversy has been settled (to a great extent) by our current four-team play-off system.
Since the “Best Team” question will be answered via results from the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and the Jan. 8 National Championship, how many more bowl games do we need? According to a recent media listing, that magic number is 36. What?
We can justify the Peach Bowl — it confirmed UCF’s credibility as a top 10 team. A few other games, such as the Liberty, Citrus, and Cotton Bowls, have become regional favorites and draw decent attendance, television coverage, and revenues But some of the lesser contests are drawing pitiful, paltry crowds without enough fans, even at the 50-yard line, to fill most high school stadiums.
Why do these “Whatever Bowls” exist? The Tax Slayer Bowl, Camping World Bowl, Quick Lane Bowl? I suspect the reason for most is the TV revenue. Other reasons may include alumni financing or recruitment of next season’s freshmen players. Let’s study attendance numbers and identify ten bowls with the worst crowds. The next step is obvious: Repurpose the lowest attendance bowl as a contest to identify the worst college team. Name it the “Toilet Bowl.” Doesn’t the very thought have you “flush” with excitement?
Brian Meddaugh
DeLand
Yes, Virginia
Thank you for publishing, once again, the timeless response by the New York Sun to 8-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon’s question “Is there a Santa Claus?”
I can remember my father reading it to me when I was so young that all I ever read in the newspaper were the funnies. That was more than 80 years ago.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all teachers would read this timely and uplifting message in all their classes — from kindergarten to college?
It never fails to bring a tear to my eye.
John P. Stark
Port Orange
Short-form insight
Psychotherapists can throw away their couches. Twitter has replaced them.
The advent of Twitter in our society has created a new psychotherapeutic technology, making the therapist’s couch a thing of the past. There is no longer a need to spend months delving into the subconscious thoughts, feelings and motivations of patients, because Twitter reveals all.
If we want to discover what a person really thinks, and what drives his or her emotions, we merely read their tweets. We can trust people’s tweets to reveal their true heart and feelings, because every day we see examples of people who tweeted their innermost thoughts, and then realized those tweets could be regarded as hurtful, stupid or even inflammatory. They then try to say they really didn’t mean it, or it was taken out of context.
Proverbs 23:7 says “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Today’s version of that might well be, “As a man tweeteth on his Twitter, so is he.” It’s a perfect tool for a psychotherapist.
As an example, the University of Tampa sent sociology instructor Kenneth Storey packing after he tweeted, following Hurricane Harvey: “I don’t believe in instant Karma but this kinda feels like it for Texas. Hopefully this will help them realize the GOP doesn’t care about them.” He apologized, although it turned out to be too little, too late to save his job.
So which tweet do you think reflects his true feelings?
One’s first tweet reveals one’s true self. Throw out the couches.
James R. Schmook
Port Orange
No more coal
Wow. I’m smiling from ear to ear. When I use that new doubled standard deduction and lower rate, I’m keeping so much more in my pocket that I can’t stop smiling.
It’s too bad that our local liberals are choosing not to use the increased standard deduction. You know, a principle is a principle. Surely they’re not going along with killing children and crippling their stagnant Obama economy. Some of them are probably sending in a little more tax, just because they can.
Ha, ha. Of course, that’s not going to happen. I doubt that even one of our proud liberals will forego the Christmas gift provided by President Donald Trump and Congress. I’m also sure that they all are jumping with joy about their pensions and 401(k) investments that have reacted so positively to Trump’s leadership. I've got to laugh every time I hear it’s all because of Obama. Yes, it is. Obama’s dismal eight-year record had a lot to do with Trump getting elected.
Cookies and cream and ice cream for me this year. No more coal. Thank you, President Trump.
Tom Coriale
Daytona Beach Shores
Loss to come
The Republicans have won a Pyrrhic victory. They have won the battle, but lost the war.
Michael Nishti Jr.
Palm Coast