The Readers, Part II: Stormy Weather, Casinos, Property Taxes -- And Why YOU Should Buy A Football Helmet

Thank you to everybody who sent an e-mail this week. I've tried to answer as many as I could, but I can't answer them all. Here are some excerpts from what folks were talking about, starting with this novel idea for tornado protection:

I think it was last year and I was up late watching T.V. when the National Weather Service broke into programing and said a Tornado was imminent and to seek safety in a safe place and put a mattress or cushion on your head,when the danger had passed I thought how stupid that was and why not a helmet? Which would you rather have on your head a cushion or a helmet with a face shield? Anyway I went out and bought one for around $35.00. You don't have to ride a motorcycle or play football,hockey etc to possess one. If you checked with the coroner's office in New Orleans I'm sure you will find many deaths due to head trauma. These helmets could be stored along with other hurricane supplies. Please put some thought into this. Bill Sward, Citrus County

Dear Mr. Sward: I will!

Now, speaking of bad weather...

Question:  Do you think State Farm and the others will drop homeowner policies in Oklahoma now that Oklahoma has had a hurricane?  I saw on the weather last night that Hurricane Erin was still in full circulation when it reached the state of Oklahoma.

Hah! Actually, I remember reading somewhere that there's not a state in the union that isn't susceptible to some kind of natural disaster or another (except for, I believe, one of the Dakotas). Shows all the more why a national catastrophe fund makes sense.

I just received my property tax notification estimates. It is what I suspected. We will not see any significant relief, I received a $19.94 for the year. I have been in my home for 7 years.  This is a classic case in which demonstrates the illusion of a lower mill will result in a lower tax bill. The county assessor only has to increase the value of your property to get back what they lower in the millage. With that being said, only brings a stronger argument for the Sales Tax option that should be on the ballot. Everyone who pays any kind of property tax will find out that the 2.5 cents or even 3.5 cents will be a smaller impact on their pocket book than the staggering property tax bill.
-- Jerry from Brooksville

Dear Jerry: Lots of folks are getting their tax notices and seeing a fairly small drop. On the bright side, at least it's not an INCREASE -- I would give the Legislature a spot of credit for at least stopping the train for one year and ordering a small rollback. A lot of people agree with you about the sales tax. Here is a prediction: IF the "super homestead" exemption is defeated by the voters in January, I bet you the sales-tax idea will come up again in the spring session of the Legislature.

Several folks disagreed with my Thursday column, which was skeptical about using casino revenue to balance the state budget. Here's one:

Typical of todays newsmen, you don't know what your talking about.  Look at Eastern Connecticut, where I lived for 50 years before moving to Spring Hill 3 yrs. ago. The end of the cold war in the early 90's destroyed all the good jobs in the southern New England area. The only thing that saved the area was the 2 beautiful casinos in Eastern Ct., Foxwoods, and the Mohegan Sun. They hired thousands of workers at more then $12. an hr. , many making more then $20. an hr, which saved many a family's homes from going bankrupt. -- Bob Bear

Thanks for the e-mail, Mr. Bear. As I said in the column, I am all for gambling if folks want to do it, but resist the idea that it is a way to balance the state budget or "help education." Our experience with the Florida Lottery shows that gambling dollars tend to replace tax dollars, not add to them.

Comments

[David Mathews]

Hello Everyone,

Those who wish to escape slavery to this poisonous, addiction-inducing, violence-promoting civilization should devote their attention to Nature rather than newspapers, television or the radio.

On behalf of that goal, I have spent the last several days visiting the last remaining fragments of Nature in the region:

Monday: Ft. DeSoto (Where else to begin?)
Tuesday: Upper Tampa Bay Park
Wednesday: Weedon Island & Sawgrass Lake Park
Thursday: Honeymoon Island State Park
Today: Boyd Hill Nature Center

What I have noticed by confining my activities to the immediate area is that Nature has been about 95% eradicated from the local area. I suspect that Pinellas County has more acres covered by asphalt than protected by parks.

I prefer the values of Nature to humankind's values. If you spend any time paying attention to humans you will notice that humans spend most of their time in the pure abject misery of stress, conflict, hatred, addiction and self-destructive habits.

Why anyone would ever choose this lifestyle is a mystery to me. Or at least it was a mystery until I noticed that humans are very much trained animals whose lifestyles are imposed upon them by civilization at large and the brainwashing of advertising.

But should you ever tell a human that he or she is behaving like one of Pavlov's Dogs, they will deny it as they continue to feed their own addiction at the expense of their own health and the health of the planet.

What is the price that America will pay for all of its addictions and self-destructive habits?

Harvard Magazine has the answer here:

http://www.harvardmagazine.com/2007/07/debtor-nation.html

Don't trust the Stock Market. Don't believe the hype. There is no utopia in America's future.

We will all live long enough to witness the collapse & bankruptcy of the United States of America.

If you want to save America, stop shopping. Now. Forever.

Don't buy anything. Don't waste anything.

Instead of living in the dead & artificial & unhealthy world of technological civilization, go outside and become acquianted with the sun & the Universe & Nature again.

If you pay close attention to what surrounds you will you soon discover that Nature's smallest accomplishments are about a billion times more impressing than humankind's greatest accomplishments.

The future of the Earth is fully invested in Nature. Within a century, Technological Civilization will end forever.