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Florida can't afford to repeal the intangibles tax

Re: Bush: Fund needy, cut tax, March 8.

While Gov. Jeb Bush's decision to make a U-turn away from his unconscionable proposal to eliminate the Medically Needy program is positive, his accompanying proposal to fully repeal the state tax on stocks and bonds is just as extremist and should be rejected.

If one looks at Gov. Bush's budget, one would think that Florida's needs are limited to the disproportionate number of wealthy Floridians who pay the intangibles tax. One would not think that Florida's rank in education, including per-pupil funding, high school graduation rates, teacher salaries and classroom sizes, ranks near the bottom among states consistently. One would not think that about one in six Floridians lacks basic health insurance. Nor would one notice that our colleges, which could be world class institutions, are instead being underfunded and ignored.

Gov. Bush states that the elimination of the intangibles tax is necessary to draw additional jobs to Florida. However, Gov. Bush should know - and common sense dictates - that Florida has gone far below the equilibrium in positive low taxation which draws businesses to our state. Rather, we are now reaching the point in our system of public education, higher learning and job training where our low funding of these institutions is actually a disincentive to businesses investing in our state.

I implore our legislative leaders, especially the more sensible among them such as Senate President Tom Lee, to challenge the governor's plan to turn Florida into our nation's top underachieving state. We could be so much more as a state, only if we had the leadership with the right vision.

Why repeal per-drink tax?

Re: Repeal of per-drink tax passes one Senate panel, March 9.

Given the state of our economy, with cuts in funding for services to the poor and education, why on earth is the state Senate spending time trying to repeal a per-drink tax? This tax is a pass-through tax and should not cost businesses so much money that they need relief from the cost of calculation. They have been doing it for quite a while now. And because of the way consumers are charged for drinks, I doubt many could actually identify the amount of this tax they paid as part of each drink. Finally, repealing the tax would not necessarily translate into lower drink prices, thus adding to corporate profits.

If they really want to increase profits for restaurants and bars, at least have the decency to say so and not try to snow the public into thinking the goal is to decrease taxes.

Don't pick on PBS

Re: PBS: senseless then, utterly useless now, by George Will, March 6.

George Will calling PBS arrogant is the height of absurdity and pomposity. From its news programs to its entertainment events, PBS presents the best quality viewing schedule available on television. With all the evidence of government waste in today's news, I find it utterly incredible that Will could pick on one of the most deserving recipients of government support. There may be 500 channels out there, but PBS is a unique, quality alternative to almost all of them. Leave PBS alone, Mr. Will, and pick on a real bad guy.

Public television remains valuable

Re: PBS: senseless then, utterly useless now.

George Will's column indicates that the Washington pundit questions the value of PBS. Luckily for us, the American people do not share Mr. Will's opinion about one of the most successful public-private enterprises in this country.

A new Roper survey showed that Americans rank PBS as the most trusted national institution in the county. Some 82 percent of them also said they consider the federal investment of less than one dollar per person per year to be money "well spent," and ranked PBS second only to military achievements in value for their tax dollars.

Nearly 90-million people watch public television each week, up 10 percent from last year. That means more than twice as many people choose to watch PBS over Discovery or the History Channel, and over six times more than Bravo.

What accounts for this success? The simple fact that no other network runs the kind of in-depth, high quality programs that PBS does. From history programs, like Slavery and the Making of America to cultural programs like Islam: Empire of Faith to in-depth science like NOVA and programs dealing with the challenges of our aging population like The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer's, PBS programs are consistently cited as the best on television.

Perhaps more important, public television is dedicated to using our assets to improve literacy and school readiness in children, and knowledge and skills in adults. PBS is the No. 1 source of video curriculum in America's classrooms and is a major resource for free lesson plans, teachers' guides, home schooling guidance and other resourceful activities.

To suggest that there is no need for public service media in today's media landscape is tantamount to suggesting we bulldoze libraries, now that kids and adults seem to have so much to choose from at shopping malls.

Commercial broadcasters are neither structured for nor volunteering to assume the role of PBS, a role that makes us so valuable to the American people and so different from every other media enterprise: being devoted to creating an informed democracy to serving our citizens rather than selling to them as consumers.

In school, earlier is not better

Re: Reveille reverie, March 6.

I disagree with David M. Shribman's article. I may not have a Ph.D. in sleep research, and I haven't compiled research over the last 22 years, but I can tell you as a high school teaching veteran: Earlier is not better. Simply looking at the grades of my first period honors class and comparing them to my fourth period class, one doesn't need to be a Harvard graduate to see the variance in their grades. Every year I become more aware that teenagers do not function well at 7 a.m. You cannot compare a 34-year-old in the workforce to a 14-year-old in the classroom. Our choice plan and busing force us to adhere to this flawed schedule.

I welcome Shribman or anyone else to visit my class at 7:05 a.m. and challenge them to be the force that awakens these young minds to prepare them for the future. No wonder Florida lags so far behind other states in scholastics.

Medicare card madness

I recently applied for one of the approved Medicare cards for prescriptions. I have suffered with psoriasis for more than 50 years and the medication is very expensive. Imagine my surprise when the medication I must use was not on the list for a discount, but Viagra was.

So there is no help for a legitimate medical problem but there's a discount for a pill to help an old man to have sex!

[Last modified March 14, 2005, 09:12:58]