LETTERS: Complainers prove red light cameras are needed

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

Complainers prove red light cameras are necessary

Dear Editor:
OK, what's with these folks who do nothing but complain? After reading the June 19 letters to the editor, I'm even more convinced we should keep the red light cameras. The only people who will make a stink about the cameras are those who are getting caught not coming to a full stop or even ignoring the red light completely. And judging by the number of people who complain, I think we need to have the cameras there as a deterrent.

For one, I'm sick of having to sit at a green light while waiting for a driver to complete a turn, passing in front of me after their light had already turned red. That's just plain inconsiderate.

Also, included in one of the complaint letters in the same edition, I noticed there was a comment about the books in our library. The writer used some name-calling and between the red light complaining and his reference to "wacko, paranoid, survivalist themes," I'm beginning to see a pattern here.

People, we need to take it down a notch. I don't know if it's global anger, but we are becoming a nasty bunch of individuals. Our behavior toward each other is starting to resemble nothing more than that of a cave man. We seem to be going backward on the evolutionary scale, not forward.

Luca Rezia
Palm Coast

If you get a red light citation, pay it and consider yourself lucky

Dear Editor:
As I read the June 19 edition of the Palm Coast Observer, I again see people complaining about the red light cameras. Seems we can't let a week go by without people expressing their opinions of the cameras. The one thing none of them say, though, is that they broke a traffic law.

Running a red light is a moving violation. Here in Florida, that is worth three points on your driving record. Get four tickets and you lose your license for a while and who knows how high your insurance rate will go up. All this only happens, though, if you are issued a ticket by a police officer.

So, those of you who seem to receive numerous pictures of you running a red light, along with a citation, should feel lucky. They don't give points for them.

The easiest way to solve your problem is don't run the red light, and if you do, pay the fine and consider yourself lucky.

Ken Gistedt

Palm Coast

Flippant attitude not helpful in code enforcement issues

Dear Editor:
I sincerely hope your flippant attitude about code enforcement issues was not meant to be taken seriously. Garbage cans that are left outside are open invitations to an animal picnic.

While you may be one of many in this community who usually abide by the rules and regulations, I can assure you there are numerous residents who repeatedly violate the ordinances. I'm sure Barbara Grossman will attest to that. She has a tough job and needs support, not criticism, from this newspaper.

In the July 14, 2011, issue of the Palm Coast Observer, Andrew O'Brien wrote an informative article on this subject. He included a simple guide to the top code enforcement issues, which can be found by searching “top code violations” at www.palmcoastgov.com. I saved this article because it serves as a simple guide to what are, for most people, common sense property maintenance items.

If we all took pride in our homes, code enforcement officers would not be needed. This is not a perfect world, and, just as we need police to protect us and enforce the law, we need code enforcement to remind our citizens to clean up their act.

It is not the residents’ job to confront their neighbors. Need I remind you of the barking dog issue in Flagler Beach that ended in a murder. Granted, this is an extreme, but who knows what will happen when confronting a neighbor. Chocolate chip cookies don't cut it. The Palm Coast government website allows citizens to report violations to code enforcement for action. Leave the confrontation and enforcement to the professionals.

Arnold Pratt
Palm Coast

Use the names of the neighborhoods; drop the ‘C-section’

Dear Editor:
My wife and I moved to Palm Coast in 2003. Over the years, we have constantly heard the neighborhoods referred to by a letter designation, i.e. L-section, B-section, W-section, etc. As we all know, each neighborhood has a name displayed on the signs approaching each area: Pine Lakes, Cypress Knolls, Palm Harbor, Matanzas Woods and others.

Isn't it time we used the name instead of a letter, which sounds more like a prison cell block (E-section) or a surgical procedure (C-section)?

Don Lundgren
Palm Coast