A Patriotic Plea: Raise My Taxes or True Patriotism for Floridians: Raise Taxes by Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper, Senior Pastor Coral Gables Congregational Church.Op-Ed Page Editors CORAL GABLES Coral Gables, city (1990 pop. 40,091), Miami-Dade co., SE Fla., SW of Miami; inc. 1925. Founded at the height of the Florida land boom, Coral Gables is a noted planned city, with tree-lined boulevards and Mediterranean-style buildings. , Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 23, 2001 The following is an Op-Ed piece written by Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper, Senior Pastor Coral Gables Congregational Church The Coral Gables Congregational Church is a historic church in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. It is located at 3010 DeSoto Boulevard. On October 10, 1978, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. : New circumstances teach new duties. The pancaking economy resembles the collapse of the World Trade Center On September 11, 2001, the two main towers of the World Trade Center complex were each hit by aircraft as part of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The south tower (2 WTC) collapsed at 9:59 a.m., less than an hour after being hit, and the north tower (1 WTC) followed at 10:28 a.m. : We are crashing floor by floor. Now is the time to do our patriotic duty to raise state taxes. Cutting $1 billion from the state budget will only collapse another dozen floors, take out another round of consumers, destroy another aspect of the economy and the trust that supports it. A billion dollars in new taxes? Absurd? I don't think so. In fact, it is the height of common sense under the current circumstances. Frankly, two billion would be excellent. A billion from us all for each other to stabilize the moment. And another billion in public works public works pl.n. Construction projects, such as highways or dams, financed by public funds and constructed by a government for the benefit or use of the general public. Noun 1. spending, beyond tourism, in Florida. I can't fight for my country in a uniform but I can fight against terrorists with my taxes. I too can sacrifice, especially if I can think outside of what has become too comfortable a Florida box. Florida has long had an unsound unsound said of an animal, usually a horse, which has been examined for soundness and found to be unsatisfactory. fiscal policy. Relying exclusively on a state sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. on a thriving tourism industry was always bound to collapse, due to its lack of diversification. We are captive to tourists; they are a little fiscal jail to us. Other states have the same problem that we have now; we just have it worse. The reason is our excessive reliance on tourism, which is still "what makes us happy" but still and nonetheless too small a basket to put a whole state's eggs in. The House Appropriations Chair, Rep. Lacasa, told the Democratic caucus caucus: see convention. last week he believed we must return to 1999 expenditure levels. What he didn't explain is how we get rid of the almost 1/2 million people who have moved to Florida since then, who we must educate, transport, provide healthcare and housing for, not to mention the simultaneously growing elderly population. For example, the idea that this is the time to cut staff in Florida's nursing homes (an idea actually being discussed by the State Legislature A state legislature may refer to a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. The following legislatures exist in the following political subdivisions: n. 1. a. A low, sustained, mournful cry, usually indicative of sorrow or pain. b. A similar sound: the eerie moan of the night wind. 2. Lamentation. v. resembles the voices some of us wake up to in nightmares from under the rubble of the World Trade Center. Secondly, the workers who will be displaced by such an action will only become wards of the state and therefore more expensive than they are while working. And third, the economy needs the spending. We need to circulate, not freeze, money. Even if the moral argument in that last paragraph doesn't excite you, surely the economic argument will. It is more expensive for the state to let state workers go than to keep them, especially in times of crumble crum·ble v. crum·bled, crum·bling, crum·bles v.tr. To break into small fragments or particles. v.intr. 1. To fall into small fragments or particles; disintegrate. and crash. We now face the special session, sure to cause lasting harm to countless thousands of our most vulnerable. That session can cause lasting harm -- or it can think outside of the dangerous Florida fiscal box. No, it is not popular for politicians to cut taxes. Too many of us, foolishly, guard our pocketbook against the state. But right now, new occasions could teach new duties. We all want to do something intelligent to help each other. We don't want to send any more money to New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of than we already have. We know we are going to need it here. We also know that Florida has long been too reliant on one kind of economy. Now is also the time to diversify the economy and the state could lead the way in public works spending. Minimally, politicians and newspapers ought to do some polling. Find out: Are Florida voters really that unpatriotic that they would let the state further destroy its own economy? The Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper Senior Pastor Coral Gables Congregational Church 3010 DeSoto Blvd. Coral Gables, FL 33134 (305) 448-7421 |
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