{"id":4660,"date":"2026-06-19T09:33:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T09:33:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=4660"},"modified":"2026-06-19T09:33:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T09:33:55","slug":"letters-we-cant-depend-on-tallahassee-in-god-we-trust-represents-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=4660","title":{"rendered":"Letters: We can\u2019t depend on Tallahassee | \u2018In God We Trust\u2019 represents America"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We can\u2019t depend on Tallahassee<\/h4>\n

Not too long ago I sat down at a luncheon with friends and announced, \u201cI want to pay property taxes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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I got an immediate response, \u201cI do not want to pay property taxes.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

But I know this. I don\u2019t need a website to tell me why I want to pay my taxes.<\/p>\n

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?<\/p>\n

Maybe she wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Now imagine that situation should we be dependent on Tallahassee to understand what we\u2019re up against.<\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

So, I say it is both inane and insane. We need to keep paying property taxes to protect ourselves.<\/p>\n

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\u2014 Kathy Kennedy, Orlando<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018In God We Trust\u2019 calls for moral responsibility<\/h4>\n

In response to David Williamson\u2019s Sunday commentary, \u201c\u2018In God We Trust\u2019 is an un-American motto,\u201d we respectfully offer a different view. \u201cIn God We Trust\u201d 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\u2019s strength rests in moral responsibility, faith, service and accountability beyond self. \u201cE Pluribus Unum\u201d also remains vital. Its meaning, \u201cOut of many, one,\u201d is reflected in 1 Corinthians 12:12: \u201cFor as the body is one, and hath many members\u2026 so also is Christ.\u201d Together, these mottos affirm that America is sustained by civic unity and a higher call to justice, mercy, and common purpose.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Richard King and Hezekiah Bradford, Apopka<\/em><\/p>\n

Pastors King and Bradford are president and vice president of the South Apopka Ministerial Alliance.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Trust in God built America<\/h4>\n

\u201cIn God We Trust\u201d is an un-American motto? Surely you jest! The Christians aboard the Mayflower were forced to leave England due to the king\u2019s religious hegemony. Those Pilgrims became the bedrock of our country. We were established as a country that \u201ctrusted in God.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 John Broughton, Maitland<\/em><\/p>\n

Trump naysayers have it wrong<\/h4>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t live in a country run by Donald Trump,\u201d whined a Hollywood celebrity.<\/p>\n

I turned off the TV and went to dinner with people whose ancestries included Lithuania, Poland, Denmark and New Zealand \u2014 and a bartender from Uruguay.<\/p>\n

All of us had achieved the American Dream. So had the grumpy actor on TV.<\/p>\n

Noisy naysayers get disproportionate air time. The question is: Who would you choose to have dinner with?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Robert Anderson, Winter Park<\/em><\/p>\n

You can submit a letter to the editor by sending it by email to insight@orlandosentinel.com or by filling out the form below. Letters are limited to less than 250 words and must be signed (no pseudonyms nor initials).You must include your email address, address with city and daytime phone number for verification. Letters are subject to editing for clarity and length.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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