The Readers: Why, Yes, We Agree, But What About This Other Thing?

Mostly agreement so far with today's column about local governments telling us how to vote:

Agree with you on your view of this matter, as usual.  Perhaps next you might substitute 'Bishop'  for 'city hall'. Isn't there something about separation of church and state in the Constitution? -- John

Well, at least the bishop cannot take my house if I do not pay taxes to him. The government CAN take my house unless I pay taxes, and then the government uses those taxes to try to tell me how to vote? Sheesh!

So you are saying your superiors at the "Times" who endorsed the" Penny Sales Tax" are wrong and you aren't, right! Mr. Gailey needs to take you to the wood shed!  -- Leo

Good thing I don't work for those guys, then. Mr. Gailey probably growls at his B section in the newspaper now and then, but so I do to the editorial page, so it all evens out.

The law needs to state if they put X dollars in to "educate us" they must supply the same amt to the opposition. It's our money. Right?  -- Boo-Boo

Ah, equal time for the opponents? I kinda like it...

And now, onto other matters:

I look forward to your take on (the) Pinellas County School Board’s 5-2 vote to play chicken with the State Board of Ed, as well as how you view the District’s going on offense and any related impact on its plan to come back to taxpayers next year, asking that the special property tax that supports increased teacher pay be renewed. This on the heels of a $6.1 million in-your-face give-back, and a potential $6 million out-of-pocket punitive mandate. -- Jim McCormick

True, but it might be a game of chicken that the locals win by default, if the Legislature changes the STAR merit-pay plan that Pinellas and other counties have refused to take part in. Looks like that might happen...

It's my understanding that, as the FL statutes are currently written, the PSC commissioners can't do anything about the telephone rates.  If a consumer advocate wants to be on the PSC, like a certain elected official, aren't her hands tied in trying to "fix" the telephone rate issue if the statutes aren't changed? -- Anonymous

Ah, you're talking about Sen. Nancy Argenziano, R-Crystal River, a consumer advocate trying to get a job on the PSC. Don't worry, between electric, gas and water utilities, there's still plenty for the PSC to do, even if local telephone service (and profits) are largely deregulated.

I wish you would devote a column or a blog to the firing of the US (attorneys).  This is a huge story that I believe will lead to the resignation of Gonzales.  It gets right to main problem with the Bush Administration.  --  Armand, Monticello

Fortunately it seems to be getting pretty good attention, unlike a lot of things that ought to and don't. As for me, I am a metro columnist, meaning that most of what I write about deals with stuff in Florida and in our local communities in the Tampa Bay area. Now and then I venture into a Washington issue though so you never know.