Taxpayers, watch out for government pickpockets

This is chump change.

The average taxpayer will see a minimum of $1500 a year increase for the impending global warming tax. More than that for the new health care tax. More than that for the "stimulus" spending.

And people really believed that only the "rich" would pay? LMAO!

Change, yes change we can believe in.

Lauren, you got it!... you got the message!!!

Any time you have Government involved in your life ...you will pay. A politician has only one goal and that is to relieve the taxpayer of their money.

What ever happened to the saying "live within your means"?
If you can't pay for it, you don't need it.

Bob wrote:

What ever happened to the saying "live within your means"?
If you can't pay for it, you don't need it.

Exactly!!! The people that are out of work, receiving lower wages are forced to "do without" because they can't afford it. When will government (on all levels) be forced to do the same? We the people can't afford to give you the government any more money because WE don't have it.

CRAZY MINNEOLA in the news again.

Make sure the fire department you are paying millions of dollars to have is open when you have a heart attack, and say a prayer that you don't die while the "life savers" over there are arguing about who is the boss.

CRAZY MINNEOLA in the news again, the mayor buried a bag of chicken bones in a ziplock bag last year, and declared the place an historic buriel site.

Only in CRAZY MINNEOLA.

Well, Ms. Ritchie, were is your list of programs the government should drop in order to meet the lower income levels projected? Let's have some real suggestions instead of constant criticism! Suggestions also welcome from other citizens too.

Hey Mary, here's a better idea.

Either, the pubic officials whose job it is figures out how to live within their means, or we get rid of every last one of them in the next election.

How's that for a solution?... you like it?... I do.

Given the permanently lowered state of the economy, I find it utterly bizarre how, when faced with the choice between cutting services, or raising taxes, the majority of public servants initial reaction is are always to save their expensive pet projects at the expense of struggling taxpayers.

I have a bad feeling that the voters will have to clean house everywhere in order to bring about real fiscal responsibility again, because the mindset of pretty much everyone is such that they cannot grasp the significance of life now in the real world of today, verses, the false economy that they had hopped would enable their grandiose plans to be realized. Everyone seems to think that we are going to somehow "recover" back to the false economy of the past and things will be all better then, but I've got a little real news for ya'll wishful thinkers... it ain't gonna happen in this life, so get a freaking clue.

mary wrote:

Well, Ms. Ritchie, were is your list of programs the government should drop in order to meet the lower income levels projected? Let's have some real suggestions instead of constant criticism! Suggestions also welcome from other citizens too.

how bout we start with that useless fire department in minneola, and work our way from there.

Ditto! I'll comment further when I get back.

US Citizen wrote:

This is chump change.
The average taxpayer will see a minimum of $1500 a year increase for the impending global warming tax. More than that for the new health care tax. More than that for the "stimulus" spending.
And people really believed that only the "rich" would pay? LMAO!
Change, yes change we can believe in.

I think its funny as hell that people elected the current bunch of liberals because they wanted change since they thought the mythical rich 2% werent paying their fair share when they paid 40% of the tax. After all 40% pay NO INCOME TAX AT ALL in due to EIC, child deductions, interest and property tax deductions atc..

After 4 years of Obama they are going to look back at the Bush days as the "salad days"!

mary wrote:

Well, Ms. Ritchie, were is your list of programs the government should drop in order to meet the lower income levels projected? Let's have some real suggestions instead of constant criticism! Suggestions also welcome from other citizens too.

I can answer that one.

As Lauren has said before, she's a columnist, NOT a reporter.
She can say just about anything she wants to, just ask her about calling a county commissioner "Developer Debbie".

Lauren forgot to tell everyone about the public service radios Lake county bought,(she was a staunch supporter of the purchase and the manner in which it was done) over 30 million bucks worth.
Had there have been competitive bidding,(even though after a few phone calls Lauren said it was legal) price would have been much lower.

Did Lauren forget to mention the Niagara boondogle? OOps who has to pay for that Lauren?

Why did one of the world's wealthiest men say newspapers would be among his least attractive investments?
Lauren's type of column IMHO, is a perfect example.

Ole' Sister Laurne does speak'em with forked tongue!

She loves to tell us to spend our (taxpayers) money on saving the trees, water ect.....

But she can be seen buying her
tire(s) at the most enviromentally unfriendly place in Tavares.

See, she cares about her saving money, just not you and me (taxpayers)....

Like I said she speaks with the ole' forked tongue! This ain't nothin' new!

you got a federal government that gets bigger by the minute and you are worried about this little town? No wonder this contry is going down the toilet.

Orange county and orlando are talking about some forms of consolidation. My parents live in Tavares and are tired of being taxed to death. There are no fires (at least none that they're read about) and the ambulance corp gets to their neighborhood long before the fire truck does.
Why not let the county handle the fire calls and the ambulance handle the medical calls and do away with the city's fire stations? The city could save a few million and not raise taxes.

Very Popular wrote:

<quoted text>
how bout we start with that useless fire department in minneola, and work our way from there.

You have no clue. You don't know crap about the FD. Worry about you own backyard. You must be a County FF's family. Or maybe one of the county FF's yourself. The FD isn't going anywhere.

ralph wrote:

Ditto! I'll comment further when I get back.

Just worry about Hickville, Tn. You worry about your back yard and we will worry about ours.

Very Popular wrote:

<quoted text>
how bout we start with that useless fire department in minneola, and work our way from there.

Your taxes don't pay for the Fire Department. You worry about your backyard, we will worry about ours. It's obvious you have no clue and know NOTHING about Minneola Fire Rescue other than the moron statements of the Mayor.

Yes some consolidation should occur county wide.. Orlando has spread in such an unproductive way.. annexing parcels ad hoc that it forces the city and county to build fire houses close by.. Lake should use a share system so that this does not happen here.. They should have taken all this excess money from the property tax revenue in the past few years and paid off road bonds instead as most govts in Florida blew it on Stadiums hiring too many people, building too much etc... and now they still want to not face reality and shrink down as many companies have done in order to live within its means... Its crazy.. we have to get this situation under control... it should make you want to fire those who have been on a spending spree and now want us to pay for it at every turn.. and now they want to add more fees .. pay more in energy.. more in healthcare etc while we are loosing our jobs