Letters

‘You missed the point’

*To the editor: *

Sharman Egan was way off the mark in suggesting that a neighborly visit with a lemon pound cake would have solved the zoning issue at 2012 Dauphin Street. By the time the out-of-state owners visited for the first time, they already had their business operating illegally out of the house. Needless to say, we were feeling none too neighborly at that point, and I don’t think a lemon pound cake would have convinced them to stop operating their business anyway, especially since that was the reason that they purchased the house.

Ms. Egan let her feelings cloud her judgment in this case. The Petersons have run their own businesses, merged their companies with others, and are now two of the top executives of a publicly-traded company with sales of almost $5 million in ‘06. These are smart people who know, or should know, what zoning is all about. Instead of feeling sorry for the Petersons for getting caught, she should feel sorry for us, having to defend our neighborhoods from people like them.

Fred Lloyd

Dauphin Street

*To the editor: *

I take offense at Sharman Egan’s article regarding the signs on Dauphin Street. A business from out of town moves into a residential neighborhood and operates illegally without a business license, and her remedy is to have the neighbors bake them a cake? I wonder what she would have done if this happened next to her home.

I was downtown at the rezoning meeting on July 2, and I was amazed to see these residents join together and fight for the integrity of their neighborhood. That is what being a citizen of a community is all about. I applaud their efforts, and congratulate them on their victory of having the variance request denied.

Chris Huff

Mobile

‘You from ‘round here?’

Man,

I’ve really lost some respect for y’all’s publication after reading the little Ashley Toland girl’s article about the Confederate flag. Is she not from around here, or just trying to emulate “Kudzu Queen?”

It’s not the flag’s fault that the Ku Klux Klan utilizes it.

The Civil War was about more than one human owning another, and if she is a product of today’s public school social studies teachings, I guess she’s not to blame.

As my family and I watched the movie “Sahara” awhile back, I couldn’t believe it when none of our three high schoolers knew what an ironclad was!

As a 40-year-old Southern gentleman it saddens me to see a young, pretty (Yankee?) girl so misguided.

Brian Hall

Mobile

Litter can be laughing matter

*To the editor: *

The title grabbed me because I hate litter but your writing cracked me up (Hidden Agenda, July 4-17). Of course I was pretty cheerful anyway, having imbibed a glass of wine on an empty stomach, or was it two? No matter, this morning it was as entertaining as ever over a cup of coffee.

If Gary doesn’t get canned, please ask him to inquire how many tickets policemen actually write per month? How does that compare to last year? If you double the fine and don’t write bunches of tickets, what’s the point? Is it all flair and no substance? Show me the numbers!

Have you used 311 online? I did, several times, but they never got the e-mail. Turns out there are silly flaws in the system. For instance, if I enter my street suffix as “DRIVE” the entire 311 input is rejected without explanation. One must enter “DR.”

Hmmm, bet they are missing hundreds of 311 messages each month. No wonder they think they are doing such a good job. Most of their phone calls are from elderly. No wonder, anyone under 70 is sending it via e-mail and it’s getting rejected. They never see it. How convenient.

Thank for you making me laugh out loud!

Valerie Blankenship

Mobile

More on tort reform

*To the editor: *

Bob Prince signed off his letter entitled “Reform needed with the right group” with the phrase “corp(orate) reform, not tort reform.”

The need to reform corporations and their overpaid CEOs who commit gross negligence against citizens is a rallying cry for everyone who cares about their right to go to court when the corporate steamroller runs over and flattens them. Tort reform (profits over people) limits everyone’s access to the courts and fattens CEOs’ wallets.

I applaud Mr. Prince and his cause because it is everyone’s cause. The anti-consumer groups he writes about, the Pacific Research Institute and Alabama voters Against Lawsuit Abuse, have led a misinformation campaign to cover up for the gross negligence of their corporate bankrollers for years.

The CEOs who fund these and other phony front groups conveniently try to pass the blame for high insurance premiums, high prescription drug costs and high gas prices off on the civil justice system and the attorneys who hold overpaid CEOs accountable. Many citizens are left uninsured, unable to get the proper medicine and with less money available for food for their families because of CEOs’ gross negligence.

As Mr. Prince so eloquently wrote, the answer is corp(orate) reform, not tort reform.

R. Brent Irby

McCallum, Hoaglund, Cook & Irby, LLP

Vestavia Hills, Alabama

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