We can’t depend on Tallahassee
Not too long ago I sat down at a luncheon with friends and announced, “I want to pay property taxes.”
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I got an immediate response, “I do not want to pay property taxes.” What followed was verbiage about what was perceived as corruption, waste and who knows what else. She spoke fast. Her arguments were unsupported. She repeatedly referred to a website that I should consult.
But I know this. I don’t need a website to tell me why I want to pay my taxes.
Maybe she perceives inequity because she lives in a gated community and pays for streets to be paved. My community is open. Streets are dedicated to Orange County. They are cleaned, fixed, paved and right now sidewalks are being made safer. Will Tallahassee do that?
Maybe she wasn’t here in 2004, when Charley, Frances, and Jeanne bore down on Central Florida. The refuse from Charley was chest-high when Frances began to threaten. The county managed to remove it all before it could be blown around by the next hurricane.
Now imagine that situation should we be dependent on Tallahassee to understand what we’re up against.
I haven’t even touched on schools, fire and police protection. Do you want Tallahassee to handle the budget for that, too? How many people will they need to hire to manage each community? This makes absolutely no sense.
So, I say it is both inane and insane. We need to keep paying property taxes to protect ourselves.
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— Kathy Kennedy, Orlando
‘In God We Trust’ calls for moral responsibility
In response to David Williamson’s Sunday commentary, “‘In God We Trust’ is an un-American motto,” we respectfully offer a different view. “In God We Trust” need not be read as an insult to those who believe differently or do not believe. For many Americans, it is a humble reminder that our nation’s strength rests in moral responsibility, faith, service and accountability beyond self. “E Pluribus Unum” also remains vital. Its meaning, “Out of many, one,” is reflected in 1 Corinthians 12:12: “For as the body is one, and hath many members… so also is Christ.” Together, these mottos affirm that America is sustained by civic unity and a higher call to justice, mercy, and common purpose.
— Richard King and Hezekiah Bradford, Apopka
Pastors King and Bradford are president and vice president of the South Apopka Ministerial Alliance.
Trust in God built America
“In God We Trust” is an un-American motto? Surely you jest! The Christians aboard the Mayflower were forced to leave England due to the king’s religious hegemony. Those Pilgrims became the bedrock of our country. We were established as a country that “trusted in God.”
— John Broughton, Maitland
Trump naysayers have it wrong
“I can’t live in a country run by Donald Trump,” whined a Hollywood celebrity.
I turned off the TV and went to dinner with people whose ancestries included Lithuania, Poland, Denmark and New Zealand — and a bartender from Uruguay.
All of us had achieved the American Dream. So had the grumpy actor on TV.
Noisy naysayers get disproportionate air time. The question is: Who would you choose to have dinner with?
— Robert Anderson, Winter Park
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