For children's sake, pay a penny more to ease school strain
Published February 9, 2004
Editor: I am a single mom who works two jobs and I have a daughter who attends River Ridge Middle School. Financially, the last thing I need is to pay more taxes. However, I have grown up right here in New Port Richey. I've been through double sessions and the 45/15 program during the '70s growth spurt. I would much rather pay the extra penny tax than put teachers, students, administrators and families through the difficulties that go with double sessions.
There are so many extra educational and athletic programs that are offered during and after school that could be eliminated due to lack of space. Also, for working parents, the split sessions leave children at home (possibly alone) at odd times and make baby sitting and/or transportation to and from school, clubs and sporting events an even bigger challenge.
When I attended school, my parents might have paid a small extra fee for some supplies, but very little. At registration time and throughout the school year, I find myself paying fees for both academics and athletics. I will do whatever is necessary to help my child obtain a good education and be able to participate in the school activities she enjoys.
I'm sure most people shop in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties and go to Orlando on a regular basis. I'm sure you pay the extra taxes there and don't think twice about it. It's just a penny and it's for the children. Please pay it.
-- Joan Perkins, New Port Richey
Higher impact fees could generate as much money as a penny sales tax
Editor: The Board of County Commissioners is considering an ordinance increasing Pasco County transportation impact fees. That should be good news for taxpayers. But a close examination of the facts reveals more bad news than good.
This is the first fee increase in 11 years. In that time, road-building costs have skyrocketed 162 percent. So taxpayers have paid an ever-increasing portion of the costs of building and improving roads necessary as a result of growth.
The new ordinance would increase fees by only 53 percent in 2004 for a single-family house from $2,167 to $3,318. To catch up with inflation, the fee should be increased to $5,677. Every house built in Pasco in 2003 cost the county $3,510 in needed road improvements above what the impact fee covered. Future increases each year through 2009 will raise the fee to $4,887 (a total increase of only 126 percent), still $790 short of what is necessary to cover past inflation. Of course, the inflationary spiral is not going to end, so the gap will be even greater.
Who is causing the skyrocketing costs? Landowners and developers are. As they raise land prices, right-of-way costs increase. Who should pay the additional costs? Evidently, the Board of County Commissioners has decided that taxpayers should. That is why they are pushing for an increase on their take (from half a cent to 11/2 cents) on every dollar we spend on taxable items.
If the transportation fee had been adjusted to $5,677 and the school fee had been doubled to $3,388 (closer to growth-associated costs) a year ago, the county would have received an additional $5,207 for each single-family house. Multiply that amount by the number of permits issued (5,883), and the county would have raised about $30.6-million more for schools and roads. That is roughly the amount they hope to raise each year with the penny tax. So do they really need the penny tax?
-- Dennis L. Smith, Wesley Chapel
Warning against importing Canadian drugs lacked evidence, credibility
Re: Many Canadian drugs are counterfeit, made unsafely, Feb. 3 letter
Editor: The letter writer who laid out the details for the bogus/counterfeit Canadian drugs has made some serious statements that sound like hogwash to me without any backup!
If the Postal Service really inspected and found 1,700 out of 2,000 drug packages from Canada (or even five) to be bogus/counterfeit drugs, it would have been major headlines. By the way, what happened to these bogus drugs? I would also like to know the source of the author's information on the various countries that are supposedly making counterfeit drugs and then shipping them to Canada for resale to Americans like me? Does he have any evidence to back up these preposterous claims?
The letter writer sounds like he must be one of the following: a lobbyist for the big pharmaceutical companies, a representative of a drug store chain; or a significant stockholder in one or more of the above and losing lots of money!
Can just one case be shown of bad drugs from Canada costing someone their life?
-- Bob D. Shutt, New Port Richey
[Last modified February 9, 2004, 01:05:23]
