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Hernando Today

Say 'no' to cutting impact fees, public spending

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Hernando Today

Published: November 8, 2009

Re: "Builders vow to reduce prices if impact fees cut," By Michael Bates, Hernando Today, Wednesday, Nov.4
Now that the real estate, home builders, construction sectors and banking industry have created the present economic crisis, they now want schools and taxpayers to pay for it in the form of reducing or eliminating local impact fees, cutting public spending and laying off workers in both the public and private sectors.
Citizens have to say "no" to the private sector and chamber of commerce, and to demand that the Hernando County Commissioners not consider such drastic actions on rolling back impact fees for the residential, industrial and commercial sectors in its upcoming meetings or taking such legislative actions.
We citizens and taxpayers are being forced to swallow the bitter medicine of an economic crisis that has created staggering waste and misery in our society and worldwide. There are now more than 18 million unoccupied homes in the United States alone. Yet millions of average Americans are being forced to give up their homes to banks or to the US government via Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
Economists argue a recovery requires ordinary people's spending to go up, not down. But the stimulus has not done this. It only has fattened the pockets of Wall Street, select banks and given bonuses to corporate executives. And the proposed actions on local impact fees contribute to this same downward cycle.
Both the Democratic and Republican political parties, and their elected officeholders, are still in the pockets of the banks and real estate interests who were so responsible for the insane policy of driving up housing prices at all costs.
Now the business sector, and their bought and paid for politicians, want us to tighten our belts in order for these same private sector industries, along with manufacturers, to lighten their financial load "for the good of the country." After all, HBA President Jeff West claims in Mr. Bate's article that they will "... help stabilize home prices, property tax revenue and put people back to work." What hypocrisy and arrogance, and with such selfish motives!
The only way the construction industry will be improved and saved in Hernando County, and nationwide, is if we urge our national government to reallocate monies normally spent on unnecessary or wasteful industries such as the military, nuclear, fossil fuel, mass weaponry and space industries.
We need to radically alter our economic system to cause a more constructive re-distribution of monies for the re-building of our society and in the delivery of social services by addressing our crumbling infrastructure, rural farms and small businesses; and by radically creating more expanded national healthc are, housing and educational systems.

Brian P. Moore
Spring Hill

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