Three reader e-mails not on columns or baseball

You probably don't have time to look at all the junk that gets sent to you.  I quit when you started your blog.  But the attached sounds like its just too much to believe.  If you have time I sure would like your take on this.  I know you cover state and local but probably have friends at the paper that are more familiar with national matters.  Is this truth, half truth of just a lot of hooey? -- John F.

Mr. F. sends along an e-mail that quotes U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as explaining that Congress is going to impose a 100 percent tax on the earnings from owning stock, so that we can give the money to illegal aliens. Setting aside the question of just how nutty Madame Speaker is, she isn't THAT nutty -- it is an obvious hoax. As always, check out e-mails like this at the hoax-busting web site of your choice. My own choice is www.snopes.com, which indeed is familiar with this Pelosi urban legend:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/pelosi.asp

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I entered a song in the contest for the new State Song of Florida.    For some reason....It didn't win. I'm thinking it got lost in the mail or something. Anyhow, I went ahead and made a, um, video:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDgHSVYiq4M -- Grant Peeples

Pretty funny video, actually. Don't watch if you don't want to see occasional swimsuit shots.

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I¹m a Tampa resident who is lucky enough to benefit from the current property tax inequities...  It occurred to me that some citizens in my fortunate position might prefer simply to donate their property tax savings  (or more) back to the City.... My effort to get this information from the City brought a response that, while quite polite and obviously sincere, merely suggested that I send a donation to an independent not-for-profit organization called The Friends of Tampa Recreation.  No doubt, that is a fine organization that does important work, but what I have in mind is broader than that.  Why shouldn¹t I donate directly to the City for, say, storm water control? Or why shouldn¹t I simply contribute to the City generally to spend as it thinks best? -- hi77o

Dear hi77o: I confess to you, that no one has raised the question of directing contributions to specific local government functions. I think it could be a good idea, but at the risk of being cynical, I will point out this -- if lots of folks made contributions to some areas, the government would just cut back the tax revenues to that program and let the donations pay for the normal costs. That's exactly what's happened with the state lottery and education, for instance... I'll put your suggestion on my blog and see what people say!