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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 10, 2008

And Now Here's 'Amendment 1A'

Now that Amendment 1 has passed, here is "Amendment 1A" for the November ballot.

1.) All homes, commercial properties and vacant land have the tax base returned to the 1995 assessed value.

2.) All homes and commercial properties built between 1995 and 2008 have the tax base returned to the original assessed value for the year added to the tax rolls.

3.) The value of all homes and commercial properties increases by 3 percent compounded annually to determine the 2008 assessed value.

4.) Any taxable improvements made to the home or commercial property adds to the assessed value from the year of the improvement.

5.) Vacant land treatment follows:

a.) With no change, the land remains at the 1995 assessed value with no increase annually.

b.) The owner signs a Conservation Easement and the assessed value is set at $0.00.

c.) The property is rezoned and the value is set at the current assessed value.

d.) The property sells, the taxable value moves to the greater of assessment or sale price.

6.) All new construction enters the tax rolls at the selling price.

7.) The $25,000 Homestead exemption applies to all qualifying properties.

My logic is that existing properties require no increase in services, so why should the tax rise because the value has gone up?

With this, existing homes sell, first-time buyers can afford to buy and part-time residents can again afford to winter in Florida.

New homes require an increase in services so impact fees have to cover those costs.

The last part of this is that it has to be retroactive to stop the exodus of people from Florida. By this, I mean that regardless of any change in ownership, the above applies.

To avoid increases in the millage rate the only exemption to sales tax should be food and prescription drugs; this makes the sales tax a true usage tax.

Government will have to learn how to spend like a citizen and quit writing bad checks. This tax system is fair to every existing and new citizen of Florida.

Richard Ross

Brooksville

U.S. Jobs For U.S. Citizens

It is about time our Florida Legislature is taking action to protect our jobs from being taken by illegal aliens. I applaud Rep. Gayle Harrell and Rep. Don Brown for having the courage to lead the fight for us.

Illegal immigration is not just a federal issue as has been proven in the states of Arizona and Oklahoma. Both these states have passed strict immigration laws that are forcing employers to hire Americans instead of illegal aliens.

Florida already has Florida Statute 448.09, which prohibits employment of illegal aliens, but this law is being ignored by employers. Florida should follow the guidelines of the federal government and fine employers $10,000 per illegal alien in their employment. The federal government has the E-Verify system in place, which will confirm the immigration status of an employee once his or her Social Security number has been entered.

Illegal aliens are costing Americans billions of dollars in education, medical costs and benefits. Right now, our Congress is trying to give 3 million illegal aliens tax rebate checks as part of the stimulus package, which is outrageous. We should thank our Legislature for taking this bold step to help the state of Florida make sure jobs go to U.S. citizens and not illegal aliens.

Betty Dobson

Brooksville

Is Brown-Waite Prejudiced Or Just Ignorant?

I am a lifetime Republican, a resident of the 5th Congressional District, and a United States citizen who was born in Puerto Rico. I am writing you today to express how outraged I am by the statements made by our representative, U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, regarding the people of Puerto Rico in the Economic Stimulus Package recently approved by the House of Representatives.

For the record, I am a social and fiscal conservative, and I completely disagree with the idea of the federal government handing out checks to stimulate the economy, especially when that money will most likely be used to purchase goods manufactured in China and not here in the U.S. I agree with Rep. Brown-Waite that we should not be sending taxpayer funds to those who do not pay income taxes. That is not at issue here. The issue is her statement referring to us who were born in Puerto Rico as "foreign citizens."

Rep. Brown-Waite apparently needs a refresher history course, so she can understand that the people of Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens and have been so since 1917 when the Jones Act granted them citizenship. Puerto Ricans have proudly and bravely defended this Nation in every conflict since World War I, and have had the second-highest number of war casualties per capita among jurisdictions of the United States.

I am afraid her comments are not just a product of ignorance but rather some sort of underlying prejudice against those whom she does not consider to be "American" enough. As a Republican I am ashamed at her attitude. Be advised, Rep. Brown-Waite, that Puerto Ricans are the fastest-growing segment of population in Central Florida, and if you wish to continue representing the 5th District you might want to consider apologizing for your ignorant and insensitive comments. If not, I know of at least one Puerto Rican Republican who would love a shot at your seat to fairly represent them.

Mike Casillas

Wesley Chapel

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