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Today's Letters: Voters foolishly keep feeding hungry government

Penny for Pinellas

The folks who supported the recent Penny for Pinellas are idiots. It wasn't the Penny that was the issue, it was government spending.

Do all of you who voted for it realize the county just recently raised the gas tax? Property tax is out of sight, yet it doesn't fill the appetite of our elected officials.

How much of our money do they want? All of it, that's how much. Government spending is out of control and the voters just told them, "Keep on spending."

Glenn Bradley, Seminole

Apathy is a big problem

The biggest problem in Florida and Pinellas County, in particular, is not hurricanes, property insurance rates or even global warming. The biggest problem is apathy or complete indifference. When only 9 percent of the citizens eligible to vote approve a $2-billion tax that affects all 900,000-plus of us for 10 years, something is really wrong.

How often do we have a chance to say no to additional taxes? Really, not very often.

Now our city and county officials are all dancing in their commission and council rooms thinking of all this extra money they have to spend on their favorite pork projects.

There was absolutely no reason why this vote could not have been put off for a couple years to see what all comes down on our property tax and insurance crisis.

Ron Bowman, Dunedin

Tax this

If Bishop Robert Lynch is so devoted to seeing more tax dollars go to affordable housing, he should take out a full- page ad in the St. Petersburg Times urging legislators to lift all tax exemptions on church-owned property. This would provide millions of dollars in revenue that could be spent on affordable housing. Problem solved.

Julie Latimer, St. Petersburg

Let's rethink our approach to taxation

Florida's system of real estate taxation is outdated, grossly excessive and unfair. I am a snowbird and pay real estate taxes in both Massachusetts and Florida. A comparison of the real estate taxes in each is startling and enlightening.

My home in Massachusetts is assessed for $419,000. I pay a real estate tax to the city of Peabody in the amount of $3,276.19. The rate of tax is $7.76 per $1,000 value.

In Florida, my villa is assessed for $134,000. My current real estate tax is $2,037.42, which represents a rate of tax of $15.20 per $1,000 value. Therefore, the tax rate in Pasco County is nearly double the tax rate in Peabody, Mass.

In Massachusetts, there is no county real estate tax. All government employees in Massachusetts are paid higher salaries than government employees with comparable jobs in Florida, including teachers, police, firefighters, judges and court clerks. How does a liberal state such as Massachusetts function with such a reasonable rate of real estate taxation? Because it also has an income tax of 5.3 percent on wages, interest and dividend income, and a tax of 12 percent on capital gains.

Wouldn't a similar income tax in Florida be more fair and less oppressive to the average taxpayer than an increase in the homestead exemption from $25,000 to $50,000, coupled with the proposed increase in the sales tax of 2.5 percent? In Massachusetts, the sales tax is 5 percent. In Pasco County, the sales tax is already 7 percent.

Why is the Florida Legislature so unwilling to explore this alternative and to initiate an amendment to the Constitution to permit an income tax?

Thomas D. Dolan, New Port Richey

Spending expands

Just about every week, there will be at least one article about local government spending from some angle or another that gets me thinking about local tax rates, whether it be property tax, sales tax or some other form of tax or fee.

A recent example is a new $400,000 statue for the Hillsborough County courthouse. While the article points out several questions about whether the money should have been spent, I think the most important point is missed: How is it that the county government has the money to spend in the first place?

My theory is that local spending follows the same law of physics as gas: It will expand to fit the space (or money) available. The phenomenal increases in local tax revenues due to assessed valuation increases have (surprise, surprise!) been spent. This will continue so long as the millage rate is legislated rather than being calculated by dividing required expenditures by total assessed valuation.

Jim Becker, Tampa

Save the tax cap

I'm a fourth-generation resident of Tampa Bay, and I benefit from Save Our Homes. If it was up to me, all those condos lining our beaches, the town homes, and dense subdivisions would not be there. If they weren't there, most of those people complaining about Save Our Homes would not be here either. In that case our beaches would still be visible, our water supply would be plentiful and our roads would flow freely.

So I think it is only fair that we, the long-term residents of this state, should be protected from having to pay for the adverse effects brought on by overdevelopment. I for one am all for the original plan from Gov. Charlie Crist: Double the homestead exemption and make Save Our Homes portable.

Daniel R. Wickham, Brandon

We need tax relief

The property tax is such a vital subject to all Floridians. And it is essential that all citizens take the time to call their legislators and tell them that they support property tax reform and, whether Democrat or Republican, tell them to get down to business and have a special election now. We cannot wait until 2008.

House Speaker Marco Rubio has a plan for no property taxes in exchange for a 2.5 cent increase in the sales tax. That means the thousands you pay out in property tax now will be in your pockets. Also thousands of dollars in your escrow account will be returned to you.

Please call your legislators and demand no more taxes!

Cee Ross, Port Richey

Spendthrifts, really 

Counties stress their thrift March 9, story

The words thrift and government should not be mentioned together in the same article, ever. When speaking of all of their good spending habits, the pols never mention the many boondoggles and cost overruns that have occurred in the past. More important, they don't mention the millions of dollars of tax incentives they have given to developers over the years. This new development is what has greatly increased our need for road improvements, new schools, more police and emergency personnel, etc.

As I see it, the new tax base is only repaying the incentives, not contributing to the general funds needed to expand services. But then again I don't have the accounting skills that our government has, so maybe I'm wrong.

Don Mott, Largo

Adopt mixed breeds 

Too many strays put to death March 13, editorial

So many of your articles decrying the euthanasia of animals at our animal shelters in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties picture new owners with apparently purebred animals.

I wish people would give homes to less attractive animals, ones that aren't status symbols. For example, a larger mixed-breed dog could become the love of your life. Older cats have virtually no chance. Look carefully through the cage wires. You will see a pair of questioning, hurt, ready-to-be-loved eyes meet your own. You need that cat!

The last dog we adopted at the Pinellas County Animal Shelter was Tanner. He had been picked up as a starving stray. The manager had taken a liking to him and was desperately attempting to find Tanner a home. A mixed breed, what I call a "Southern Biscuit Hound," he weighed 45 pounds, had a lovely smile, and carried an incongruously fluffy tail over his short-haired back.

As advertised, he has never bothered our five cats, is a good watchdog, and carries with him a constant aura of optimism and joy. How many potential adopters didn't give him a second glance because he was neither adorable nor a brand-name breed?

Please consider a mixed breed. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Barbara Day, Clearwater

[Last modified March 16, 2007, 01:07:36]