Howard the Grinch?

Here's an excerpt from the Christmas mailbag, in which the gentleman worries that I am turning into a sourpuss:

Recently.. I've noticed more and more of a tendency for you to only find fault with everything Floridian - the legislature, the Governor, the County Commission, the St Petersburg City Council and administration, and pretty much everything else. I'm a third generation native of St Petersburg and share most of your concerns. But -  I also find time to reflect on what's good in my life, my community and my state... Even on Christmas, you couldn't seem to find anything nice to say.  Ernest Hooper found a way to be positive on Christmas , as did Susan Taylor Martin (kinda) in their respective columns. C'mon, Mr. Troxler - you used to be so worth reading.  Don't stop discussing controversial topics and giving us your perspective, but once in a while please find a way to say something good about where we work, live and rear our children. Even the Grinch finds a way to become nice at the end of the story - I hope you can too. -- Charlie Peters, Seminole

Dear Mr. Peters: Thanks for the message and the observations. I always appreciate it most when someone offers a criticism based upon reading several columns over time, instead of somebody who reads one column, disagrees with it, and demands that I be fired at once.

Of course, you are 100% entitled to your opinion. I respectfully will try to defend myself a little bit, using just the last month of columns as evidence. I hope you will give the actual track record another peek and agree that it isn't just me sitting around griping unconstructively all the the time:

12/25 Satirical Christmas carols -- you say too negative, I say, meant in good fun
12/23 On poll data showing Florida becoming more of a community - fairly optimistic
12/20 Crist too close to electric company - yep, this one was critical
12/18 Supporting right to citizen petition in St. Pete Beach - seemed constructive enough
12/16 We need a do-over because of City Hall - definitely critical over baseball secrecy
12/13 Unlicensed practice of geology - disagreeing with a state decision, but sort of funny
12/11 Ladder, husband, what can go wrong? - making fun of myself and ladder-climbers everywhere
12/9 Apples, oranges, creation, evolution - taking a whack at sorting it out
12/6 On three, everybody panic! - trying to be calm about the state investment crisis
12/4 Even the governor has to prove it - explaining constitutional checks and balances
12/2 CNN's debate: guns, flags and Bibles - disagreeing with tone of St. Pete debate questions

Of these examples, the ones that basically were finding fault were 12/2, 12/13, 12/16 and 12/20. Even the City Hall one, however, was not just mere complaining -- I was trying to argue that the city should reconsider the decisions that were made during the baseball secrecy last year. Most of the rest were either explaining or commenting on some current issue, except for the one about the ladder (man, I heard a lot of ladder stories after that one!)

Anyway, as I said, you are entitled to your opinion, and I do not expect to change your mind. But I wanted to try to show there was at least some variety there. In general, though, I do figure my job is to try to offer constructive criticism and running commentary on what the government is doing. Having said all this, it may turn out that you are 100% right, that I AM getting too grumpy and knee-jerk complain-y, and that I ought to do something else... I've been doing this column thing for all but a couple of the past 19 years! I will think about it.

Best wishes for the new year,

Howard

Comments

[Lawrence]

Howard, you have been a little "Grinchy" lately, but then there is so much fodder for you out there, it's hard to resist. You keep up the good work. Long as we have the nincompoops at City Hall, Commission Headquarters, and Tallahassee screwing up, we need you to tell us about it and sort it out. Maybe with the incoming City Counsel, the rubber stamp of the last eight years will get thrown out.

[guy]

Howard, I have watched you over the past 19 years turn from a rubber stamp of City Officials, into a free thinking, peoples advocate with lot's of common sense.
For thirty years, this city has been governed by people that were placed in office by, remember this one, "A Shadow Government".
Some who tried vainly to disrupt this system, like for instance Curtsinger and Katleen Ford were, ridiculed by your employer.
Now we have plenty of Condo's but a city in failure. Our neighborhoods have so many gangs and drug dealers, that it is scary.
But few if any civic leaders, are even addressing this problem.
This is a sad way to go into the year 2008, when our own homes do not feel safe anymore.
Anyway's keep up the good work and please try to push for a teenage curfew, it could help.
Something has to be done.
"Save the Dome and my Home".

[20/20]

Good stuff, Howard... keep it coming.

People who dare to be direct, honest, even a tad (realistically) cynical are often attacked and accused of being “critical”, “negative”, a “trouble maker”… even wanting the terrorists to win in Iraq!

We’ve all worn the proverbial “Rose-colored” glasses for far too long. I dig your candor, and it’s very much appreciated by those of us who prefer reality as opposed to perception.

[e.adams]

HOWARD-enjoy your columns very much even when we disagree-certainly we should all listen to constructive criticism but beware of the "do-gooders"-most of them have hidden agendas!!

[Rick]

Howie is a whiny, name calling know-it-all, nothing more.