LETTERS: Down with politicians, complaining and hospital drives

Ormond Beach Observer
Opinion

One reader speaks out against politicians, complaining and hospital fundraisers; and, another reader calls the Ormond Beach Garage an eyesore.

COMPILED BY OBSERVER STAFF

‘Be the light’

*The following letter is in response to three stories in the Oct. 3 edition of the Ormond Beach Observer: "Common Core: Scott rejects outside control of testing in schools," "Something new to complain about" and "Blues fest to benefit neonatal ICU."

Dear Editor,

Gov. Scott, as are most all politicians, is a waste. And we, as voters, have let these bandits shrug their primary responsibilities for personal gain. There. That's my input on the Scott story from Page 1. Voting advice: "Defeat All Incumbents!"

Then Page 6: complaining. Please stop it. You depress yourself and everyone around you. Readers won't read the paper, obviously advertisers won't advertise (who wants to run ads where whiners whine?) and the whole paper just feels negative. Be the light, Mike. CHANGE THIS! Show John and Brian how good you can really be! And ask them to get the color registration right on each page.

Your piece on Page 3: Halifax Health has a Blues thing to raise money? Now, this is really important, OK? Get your nose into the documents that clearly show that this is an organization that is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Needs no extra support and could easily build a world-class unit (neonatal or otherwise) with their petty cash. This medical juggernaut has (as have most of them) waved this "help the less fortunate" flag for decades while making more money in Ormond Beach than, I would bet, any other local business. Go look, Mike. Then, if you wish, complain. Just don't publish the whining.

Next week, let's see some positive copy.

Barry Newman

Ormond Beach

Storage wars

Dear Editor,

I am writing this letter in an effort to encourage the city of Ormond Beach to remove the replica of the “Ormond Beach Garage” that’s currently located at the Birthplace of Speed Park, on State Road A1A.

I am sure you have read the letters recently published in the Daytona Beach News-Journal, and I whole-heartedly agree with the writers when they say the replica is inappropriate for that location. Surely any objective person would agree that this lovely seaside park is just too small for that structure. I live nearby and have always enjoyed the open views every time I drove past, but the sunsets and sunrises are now largely obliterated by this unattractive building. Not only are views blocked, but the replica overwhelms its surroundings and looks ridiculously out of place.

Sadly, this beautiful and unique little park has lost much of its appeal.

Also, didn’t anyone involved with the city review process notices that the submitted design really didn’t look like the original garage? It resembles a utility shed. By painting the words "Ormond Beach Garage" above the door doesn’t disguise the fact that it’s a pretty tacky facsimile.

Hasn’t it reached a point where this issue has become a bit too embarrassing for city officials to ignore? Just because this lovely little spot was given the name “Birthplace of Speed Park” doesn’t mean everything related to auto racing has to be dumped there for display. Since so many people drive by this over-priced “shed” each day, it will stand as a constant reminder of how clueless and misguided our city officials can sometimes be.

Teddy Blauvelt

Ormond Beach