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Pasco Letters to the Editor

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 18, 2008

Yes Vote May Cost Lives

If you are thinking about voting yes on Amendment 1, I would ask you to think again.

By now most voters have heard a lot about this ill-conceived tax plan. We've heard that most homeowners will get a small monthly reduction of about $20 per month, while some of us may see an actual increase.

We've heard how, on the one hand, the amendment may stimulate the real estate market, but, on the other hand, it will create vast inequities among neighbors.

Yes, both sides are debating the pros and cons and what could possibly happen to our tax system if it passes.

I fight fires for a living, so I am probably not fully qualified to weigh in on issues best left to economists. But I do know this: If this amendment passes, fire services - also known as first-responder services - will be dramatically hindered, and many more people will die as a result.

Do you think I am being melodramatic?

Many people don't know what "firefighters" actually do for a living. I'd like a minute to explain.

The typical firefighter does a great deal more than douse flames. Most often, we are first on the scene when someone suffers a heart attack or stroke. We are the ones rushing with lifesaving equipment, hoping we made it on time.

When a child accidentally drinks cleaning supplies or an elderly person suffers a fall or a pot of boiling water falls onto an unwary child, we're there first.

When these things happen - and they happen far more often than most people realize - it is the neighborhood fire station that is most often best-equipped to respond.

We are highly trained personnel with an incredible array of devices (often very expensive devices) that help us save lives. And, yes, we also put out fires.

In my line of work, minutes make the difference between a good day and a day you can't forget.

The key to successfully fighting a fire and saving the lives of the people inside depends on how quickly we can get to the scene. That means better communications, a highly prepared and trained crew, and fire stations strategically located throughout the community.

All these things save lives, and all these things cost money.

The money to pay for this comes from property taxes. Amendment 1 will force unprecedented cuts in fire-rescue and fire-related services, at a time when our fire rescue department should be expanding along with our county.

As a homeowner, I also know that taxes can sometimes be a burden. I too feel frustrated with rising property insurance, escalating interest payments and a rising cost of living.

But Amendment 1 offers average homeowners like me very little in the way of tax savings, yet it directly strips away my ability to serve my community as a firefighter and paramedic.

Yes, I am willing to let the experts debate the ups and downs and the policy implications of the property tax amendment. But there is no debate when it comes to how I am going to vote. I save lives and property for a living, and I think what I do makes a difference in the community I serve.

I have seen the eyes and relief of those I have helped, and I have felt the pain of those I could not.

And that's why I am voting no.

PAUL TOTTEN

Pasco County Council

of Firefighters

Another No Vote

With all due respect to Gov. Charlie Crist, I respectfully and strongly urge all Florida voters to seriously consider voting "no" on Amendment 1, the property tax amendment.

Legislators have not guaranteed in writing that schools will be fully funded regardless of a decrease in property tax. Even if such a guarantee were provided, their interpretation of full funding may differ greatly from that of the actual need for school funding.

Florida classrooms are where the rubber meets the road for our students.

Full funding can lure, afford and help retain good teachers. Failure to do so will result in a drop in student scores. If student scores drop, demand for real estate goes down. If real estate demand decreases, so do property values.

So, as property owners, our net worth could very well suffer greatly. That matters much more than the couple of hundred dollars we would save each year in property taxes. And the more expensive the home, the more we would stand to lose.

No doubt we would all welcome tax relief, but I urge you to consider the long-term implications of this amendment.

Please do not allow our schools and, ultimately, our net worth to be the targets that suffer. Please vote "no" on Amendment 1.

ARLENE ANDREWS

Wesley Chapel

A Job Well Done

I just wanted to compliment Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley for a job well done.

Last week, using their Web site, I requested an absentee ballot be sent to my son, who is attending college out of state. He received his ballot by mail in just three days.

His roommate, who is from Broward County, e-mailed his request to the Broward Supervisor of Elections Officer more than a week earlier and has still not gotten his.

Thanks, Mr. Corley and staff.

ELLIE SIKES

Wesley Chapel

Sanctioned 'Arson'

In the wake of the Interstate 4 disaster and ensuing carnage, it may be time to re-examine the policy of intentionally setting fires to fool Mother Nature.

Even after possible links to smoke-induced fog, the state forestry department seemed content to let the fire burn itself out in "two or three weeks" and continue burns dozens of times in drought conditions.

We might ask that in an attempt to create a manicured landscape, if the inherent danger and air pollution are worth the price. To avoid the risks from government-sanctioned arson, we may look to fire-prone Australia, where buffer zones and firebreaks seem to have a measure of success.

JERRY FOGT

Valrico

The writer is a firefighter/paramedic for Pasco County Fire Rescue. The writer chairs the Wiregrass High School Advisory Committee, serves on the PTSA Legislative Committee at the school and is a member of the Dr. John Long Middle School Advisory Committe

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