Are we upset yet?

Al’s
Loupe

Are
we upset yet?

By
Alvaro F. Fernandez                                                       Read Spanish Version     

alfernandez@the-beach.net

My
“upset meter” grows dangerously close to exploding. I swear at
times I feel like strangling some of our so-called “leaders” and
politicians. I also wonder if I’m alone in my perturbation. Are
people not watching what is happening? Are we too busy with our daily
lives that we have no time to react to the betrayals and thievery
going on? Do we even care?

Last
week the Miami-Dade County Commission voted 9-3 to finalize its
“bait-and-switch” plan, a term used by The Miami Herald in their
editorial titled “The final betrayal on the [half-cent] transit
tax.” In 2002, Miami-Dade county voters approved a half-cent
addition to their sales tax for projects which would extend Metrorail
(our above-ground public rail system) and increase the number and
efficiency of our bus routes. But as The Herald editorial stated
clearly, “Even though the voters’ mandate was to invest the tax
money in capital projects, the county used it to fund operations.”
Yes folks, once again, we were screwed.

They
took the taxpayers’ money and used it where it was not
supposed to go — to catch up on maintenance projects that had been
neglected in the past. Something we had never been told about when
they sold us the half cent deal back in ’02. Last week
commissioners arbitrarily changed the rules of the game, without even
consulting us, and decided that funds could be used for transit
operations. They were kind enough to set-aside 10 percent for future
capital projects.

These
are the same commissioners, by the way, who scream holy murder when
anyone suggests spending the money they’ve slated for the new
baseball stadium on something more deserving of our tax dollars. No!
we are told almost violently. The money has been earmarked for
entertainment purposes and cannot be used for anything else. Folks,
these people are playing us like a Las Vegas casino. The difference
is that in Vegas at least we know what we’re in for.

“Upset
meter” continues on the uptick

Over
the weekend I read that state legislators are looking for money under
every mat in Florida. Our state, like the country, is in a terrible
money bind. With tax dollars down, our Tallahassee politicians have
got to come up with answers to finance the state’s budget. Some of
them think they’ve found the mother lode — which should worry
Floridians. We’re talking about more than 8 billion dollars. Money
many Florida parents send monthly in what is known as the Florida
Prepaid College Program.

I
personally am vested in the eight billion. Every month I send a check
of $82 to the state of Florida in an established account with my
daughter’s name on it — this will continue until she’s 18. The
deal: I pay for her college now at today’s prices. She is
guaranteed at least four years of college (in any state school that
accepts her) when she reaches college age.

But…
since the money is sitting there, not being used, there are some
who’d like to borrow it.

Over
my dead body…

We’re
paying for water that’s already ours

Over
the past several years I’ve written several columns where I’ve
mentioned that bottled water in Florida is not taxed. In other words,
Coca Cola or Nestle or Zephyr Hills is not taxed for draining water
from our state (a precious commodity which becomes scarcer and which
should be considered gold in Florida) aquifers and sold to customers
here in Florida and elsewhere. Their exemption is an incentive to
keep their business in the state while creating jobs, we are told.

But
with the economy on the rocks… there’s talk of taxing bottled
water companies six cents for every gallon of water extracted from
Florida. But lo and behold the lobbyists are at work. They’ve come
up with a better plan — for the bottled water companies. What they
suggest is adding on the sales tax for every bottle of water sold. In
other words, let the consumer pay for the water large corporations
like Coca Cola drains from the state — for free. And as an aside,
studies show that their bottled water is no better that the water we
drink for our own spigots at home. (Of course not, it’s the same
water.) So don’t waste your money.

Which
goes to show you that unless you’re rich I doubt you’ll be able
to afford a lobbyist to take care of your business in Tallahassee. So
don’t be surprised if you end up paying sales tax on bottled water
(possibly from under your own backyard) soon.