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Hernando Today

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 22, 2008

Kudos To Rowden

With the exception of Hernando County Commissioner Diane Rowden, I cannot understand for the life of me the thought processes of the other four commissioners with respect to impact fees.

It's really very simple, commissioners. Lower impact fees means more money needed for infrastructure, possibly covered by an increase in sales taxes, an increase in real estate taxes or the issuance of bonds. In addition, the sales value of our homes will go down by the amount the impact fees are reduced in order to stay competitive with homes sold at these reduced fees. This further means less real estate taxes collected by the county because of the reduced value of our homes.

The builders and the Realtors are the only groups pushing for lower impact fees. They say it will stimulate the economy. They argue that it will afford the opportunity for more homes to be built, thus making more jobs available for the citizens of Hernando County. There is one problem with this argument, however, and that is that there is already a two-year inventory of available homes in the county.

So how does this concept provide jobs and stimulate the economy? The only thing that lower impact fees stimulate is the hip pockets of the builders and Realtors. These associations are now upset because one commissioner has the guts to stand up against them and expose the truth. Kudos to Diane Rowden!

Now back to my original concern on this issue. That pertains to the thought processes of the other four commissioners. Why are they receptive to such action? These four commissioners have agreed to delay a discussion on the fees until the builders can get their act together. They have agreed to allow an economist who lobbies for the builders to make a presentation at the commission meeting. It certainly couldn't be that they are expecting payback for their support, could it?

Please commissioners, don't lower impact fees!

John J. Davis

Brooksville

Build Court

Complex Near Jail

Read an article that the county was moving on a new court complex. The article said they wanted it to be built in Brooksville, near the square or nearby that area.

I feel that this would be a fatal mistake as it should be as close to the county jail as possible and have a lot of land for additional buildings for expansion along with plenty of parking. This project should be done right the first time so we will never have the mess that we now have at the current court facility.

James Greco

Spring Hill

Vote For A Third Party

We find ourselves in a time of authoritarian rule where government makes the rules and we are expected to live by them. In years past, the rule of law was instated by a people who chose to adhere to control due to the benefit of equal justice and a protection of one's property and freedom to propagate business as one sees fit to procure a profit.

This has gone by the way side as many who wish to maintain a certain order and control have managed to create a new method by which they have retained the "status quo," which resists change and rigidly maintains the order of the day. As long as we have those whose lifestyle depends on a "Rule of Law" that provides the standard of living to those who are supposed to protect us, rather than provide justice. We can expect little more than nothing! We now need to free ourselves not from a slave ship, a prison or a concentration camp, but from many of the illusions fostered in our democratic society.

We need to stop voting Democrat or Republican. That is all part of the illusion. You have both parties espousing change, but you know that change will never come. They are both part of the system that has been put in place to maintain the status quo, so please vote for a third party. Unless you do, we will never free ourselves of tyranny! Have you ever noticed, the more the parties change, the more things stay the same? Vote for freedom and liberty this time; vote for a third party.

Lorne DeWitt

Brooksville

Balancing Act

Worth Attempting

As far as lowering the impact fees on new houses, I'll have to agree with Hernando County Commissioner Diane Rowden. Don't do it, and even if we did, I would doubt that it would spur anyone into building a new house.

You want reality, drive down any street in Spring Hill, abandoned, foreclosed and for sale homes are cropping up like cavities in a sugar junkies mouth. I bet that people here would sell nearly new homes cheaper then a contractor could build them.

If you want reality, factor in the dismal unemployment rate, shameful ecological practices, traffic, low average wage and the strain on the infrastructure of this county and you will realize that the last thing we need are more people without an increase in local higher-skilled occupational opportunities or a public transportation system to areas with good jobs. And when I say transportation system, I'm not talking about highways.

What our politicians have to do is keep "Florida as a wonderful place to live," but change "Florida as a tough place to make a living." Now, that is a real balancing act worth attempting.

Ed Risk

Spring Hill

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