Lots going on in the mainstream media...here's your sampler...
A- Palm Beach Post: Former boyfriend posts nude pictures of 13-year-old girlfriend on MySpace and Mom calls the cops.
B- Sun-Sentinel: Florida voters reap what they sow, Part 50.
C- Sun-Sentinel: This is always a great idea for your long-term financial planning. Not.
D- Sun-Sentinel: Stock up on the Nyquil, folks.
E- Herald: Must-see Morin.
F- NBC6: Today is voting day for the new Marlins stadium.
G- Herald: South Miami shake-up.
H- Herald: Something wrong with this headline?
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10 comments:
H- It does sound counterintuitive. I will point out that, feelings on the project aside, it's two different pots of cash we're talking about.
Capital improvements are not funded the same as payrolls and programs, for the most part.
I wasn't going to comment on today's Cooler session, but your comments got me a bit riled up.
B - Yes, that makes sense, let's cut education funding and critical services instead of cutting the bloat in Government.
C - You're right, it's not a great idea for long-term financial planning, I guess those people should just stop paying for their house. I mean, why should we dip into the retirement fund to pay our taxes that are outrageous.
H - That's not even the thing that scares me about the Marlins stadium, it's the fact that the county will be paying substantially more for it than the team will. I would love to have a deal worked out where I pay less for my house than the government does, but I don't have anything to bribe the council members with.
You see, the issue here is not that there are some (probably many) that got themselves in the situation they're in and now can't pay their bills. Those people are definitely reaping what they sow. But why should we continue with this miserable tax system in Florida and pay through the nose when there is SOOOOO much waste in our government? On this tax issue you're starting to sound like the folks at Babalu claiming that asking for a tax cut means we should deal with reduced critical services. No, stop trying to scare people, instead the government should learn to deal with more money than it had 5 years ago. The rest of us don't have our incomes increased as grossly as the government's budget increases, learn to balance a budget.
Rant over, thanks, I feel better.
Allen, the Marlins, as far as I can tell, take no ownership interest in the stadium. They have pledged their 155M in the form of guarantedd rent payments over time to pay the service on the bonds which will be issued to build the stadium. If at the end of the agreement, the team owns no asset, why the offense at the level of their contribution relative to the "owners" of the facility? I'm not disagreeing that they may have or should have paid more, but from a logical standpoint, there seems to be no reason why they should pledge more than the county.
Nonee, as best I understand it, the team has more to gain from the stadium deal than does the county. If the stadium will be revenue producing for the county (the way Dolphins stadium is for the Dolphins) then I'm all for funding it because it will generate extra cash to offset the horrible taxcuts that us dumb taxpayers approved.
The stadium itself doesn't have to produce revenue for the county, strictly speaking, in order for it to be beneficial. There are tourist tax dollars and sales tax dollars from residents which result from providing a viable venue. The county and city investments are made to spur job growth and the accompanying multiplier effect on consumption. I agree that economic development theory is mostly faith-based. But sometimes, like Casey Stengel said, "Ya gotta believe!"
I agree that the tax-cut was stupid. Not because it was a tax-cut, but because I'm rarely in the mood to be sold a bill of goods. And even if I was, it would be for a LOT more than $240 bucks.
Allen: do you actually think there will be less waste proportionate to the reduced amount of money brought in by lower taxes? Government is inept at spending and managing money no matter how big of a pot they are working with. That ineptness isn't going to magically disappear just because taxes are lower.
Florida's population is still growing and the need for better roads, more schools, more teachers, more police officers and firemen follow that. Look for more cuts in vital social services as we continue lowering taxes.
As far as the guy in C goes, he was using his 401K to pay his Amex bills that he had run up. I stand by my commentary.
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On C, if his alternative was screwing up his credit by not paying either Amex or the Bimmer AND if he repays the 401(k) loan, then it's not that bad. Screwing up your credit has bigger consequences.
His big problem is that he spends more than he makes. Anytime you have to use a credit card for living expenses (gas, groceries, etc) you are in over your head. Amex is doing him a favor by limiting his credit.
On B: the problem with making the government "learn to do with less" is that WE are the ones who have to teach it. But we are horrible teachers. Because we are looking for our own skin, we approve tax "breaks" that aren't, we keep an unfair taxation system alive. And when local governments start raising millage rates and we don't like it, the minute police, firemen, city employees and teacher unions wail that robbers will come, our houses will burn and our kids will grow dumb, we will vote for what they want as well.
We could put pressure on Tallahasee for a proprty tax system that makes sense and on our local governments to cut waste. But we need vision. Or leadership. Both are in short supply.
joegraubart.com
How waste and less-than-public-service can take a stable town and flush it into a red ink wave wash is Surfside Florida what are the town elected officials thinking or are they maybe not thinking mayor charles burkett vice mayor howard weinberg do you talk green or do you take green its getting cloudy about your words and what ur duing to Surfside
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