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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 14, 2007

Shortsighted Solution

Regarding 'Crist May Look to Sell Roads, Lottery To Generate Money,' (Metro, Sept. 9):

Selling off the operation of the state lottery and toll roads like Alligator Alley is the fiscal equivalent of eating your seed corn and slaughtering your breeding stock. You'll eat today and starve tomorrow.

I sincerely hope that Gov. Crist and the Legislature see the folly of this shortsighted way of balancing the budget.

JOHN S.V. WEISS

Spring Hill

Nothing To Spend

Regarding 'Governor Offers Cure For Economy: Spend' (Metro, Sept. 7):

Where does the governor propose I get this money to spend? From my homeowners insurance that costs me $3,200 a year? To quote Citizens, 'Ma'am, you should be glad you got a $400 savings!' Most people pray to not get hit by a hurricane. I am hoping one sweeps my house away so I can move out of Florida!

Use 'statewide' money for first-time homebuyers? Did anyone tell the governor that is the primary reason for all the foreclosures in Florida? They were enticed by the banks with those low ARMs, and they had to chew their 'ARMs' off to get out of it.

Is the 'statewide' money for their down payment or are we going to pay their homeowners insurance and property taxes, too? I can't even fathom talking about the property taxes because they may go up as I talk about them.

Lawmakers have run our state into the ground and are looking to us to spend to fix it? Of course, we can always keep rubber stamping all the building permits so we can pave Florida completely to bring more suckers to our 'paradise.'

Look at all the 'For Sale' signs.

ELAINE CLAYBORNE

Land O' Lakes

Lender, Borrowers Guilty

Regarding 'Brokers, Heed Feds Advice' (Letter of the Day, Sept. 7) by Sue Simpson:

Yes, lenders should do whatever they can to help borrowers to avoid foreclosure, but stating that the mortgage mess was caused by lenders isn't an accurate statement. There is plenty of blame to go around.

Borrowers must also take responsibility for not reading their disclosures, not asking questions, knowing that the house they were buying was beyond their means with no thought as to how they would handle the increased payments.

Being accountable for your actions or choices is not popular these days; it's easier to place blame. This is a 'fix' that involves more than the lender - borrowers must be more responsible, too.

BONNIE RAIFORD

Seffner

Paying Price For Greed

Regarding the speculation that created the irrational exuberance in the housing market, investors must pay the price for their greed. This speculative fervor that encompassed the home market is no different than the dot-com bust in the stock market or the tulip bulb fiasco.

There is no magic bullet in real estate that protects greedy investors with a promise that values will come back in their lifetime.

It is a sad commentary that mortgage brokers and real estate agents promised poor, unsuspecting home buyers great escalation in value that would make them paper rich while they struggled to keep their home.

Recently a Realtor's ad showed the value of owning vs. renting with the only benefit being the appreciation of property. Sorry, those values no longer exist in today's market: Show depreciation.

Sympathy for the speculative excess in the housing market is unwarranted. They made a gamble on real estate or multiple real estate purchases and lost.

They should not receive any form of bailout at taxpayer expense, but they should benefit from the lower property tax as a result of their home being worth much less than the purchase price.

I hope their next investment is better than today's real estate.

LOU CHRISTODOULOU

Apollo Beach

Won't Miss PIP

Regarding 'Don't Forget What Florida Was Like Without 'No Fault' ' (Other Views, Sept. 6):

I believe that the citizens of Florida will be better off without this mandatory expense. I have lived in five different states, four of which did not require PIP, and suffered no ill effects from not having this coverage.

PIP is a significant portion of my automobile insurance cost increasing the overall premium by approximately 20 percent. Florida has had the highest automobile insurance rates of any location in which I have lived.

I questioned the mandatory expense through the state insurance commissioner's office when I first moved here and was politely dismissed. I spend a great sum every month on health insurance and have always begrudged being forced to purchase more health coverage I do not need.

I think it is high time that the state Legislature make this optional for those who may want to purchase the coverage. Otherwise, making the entire state pay for the 'extra coverage' seems to be giving the insurance industry something of a free ride.

I have had only one occasion to use my PIP and found it was a continuous struggle with my own insurance company to pay for medically diagnosed and factually documented injuries.

STEVEN MONICA

Tampa

A Worthless Study

Regarding 'Study Says Toddler's Social Skills Are Superior To Apes' (Nation/World, Sept. 7):

As I read this article, I had to suppress a chuckle. I am so relieved that my children, when young, were actually socially worthwhile. I was right not to trade them in for chimpanzees, even though we all thought that primates would make more socially apt 'children.'

We humans truly are so self-absorbed. Perhaps we should learn from our 'nearest primate relatives' and just get on with living our lives instead of worrying about, and spending enormous amounts of money on these 'studies.' Please tell me how this 'fresh insight' helps us?

Thank goodness we all, in light of - or is it in spite of - this investigation, will probably continue to love our children and help them grow into the best human beings they can be.

A. YUNGER

Tampa

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