Letters to the Editor for Aug. 1, 2012

<p><b>Time to step down</b></p><p>Wow! The bad news keeps piling up on the Alachua County Housing Authority.</p><p>When will the board of directors decide they have seen enough? The audit report from HUD as reported in this newspaper on July 28 is one more chapter in this tale of incessant ineptitude.</p><p>I know from experience that following those pesky federal regulations can be tedious. But when it comes to what they allow and what they forbid, it's not that complicated. </p><p>Competent adults need only follow the directions. If the long-term director won't do the responsible thing and step aside, it's time the board of directors asked her to. </p><p><i>Sam Collins,</p><p>Gainesville</i></p><p><b>Police don't retreat</b></p><p>Irene Palmer (Voice, 7-24) blames Gainesville police officers for shooting a man armed with a knife who had threatened officers and could not be restrained with non-lethal force (a Taser). She said the officers should have tackled the man. </p><p>Law enforcement officers are not trained to tackle people who have weapons and refuse to comply with verbal orders to drop them. And they are not trained to run or retreat from trouble, as she suggested.</p><p>Officers want to go home to their families at the end of their shifts. People must be held accountable for their acts.</p><p><i>Charles Risk Jr.</p><p>Trenton</i></p><p><b>Dock their pay if they won't go to work</b></p><p>One way to save the country money is look at Congress and the fact that they are not planning on doing anything until after the election in November.</p><p>I think both parties need to be sent back home, without pay or benefits, for the next three or four months. As long as they plan on not working, why should they be paid?</p><p>I don't know of any job that will pay you for not working (the fact that they seem to be proud of what's going on is incredible). Both parties should be ashamed of themselves for the way they are acting.</p><p><i>Jim Hope,</p><p>Alachua</i></p><p><b>Telling headlines</b></p><p>Did you notice the three headlines on consecutive days last week in The Sun?</p><p>Wednesday, July 25: “Budget Office says Obama's health care law reduces deficit.”</p><p>Thursday, July 26: “Expanding Medicaid may save thousands of lives.”</p><p>Friday, July 27, reporting on the Republican candidates for the House of Representatives: “All four voice strong opposition to ‘Obamacare'.”</p><p>Are Republican voters faced with the prospect only of being able to vote for a candidate who opposes reducing the deficit and saving American lives?</p><p><i>D. Jack Elzinga,</p><p>Gainesville</i></p><p><b>Mum's the word</b></p><p>The Sun has reported that the Aurora shooting suspect sought medical help prior to his rampage. The Florida Legislature wants to prohibit doctors from asking patients about gun ownership. So it goes. </p><p><i>Nath Doughtie,</p><p>Gainesville</i></p>