Is it possible for the Osceola News-Gazette to not be a cheerleader for zany taxing schemes by local governments and at least include some citizen input into their 'reporting'? In an article titled '5-cent county gas tax still a question' the writer explores the government driven propaganda and false choices as laid out by government staff and the elected officials they control. A simple example of this is in the very first paragraph where the 'reporter' uses a statement of possible outcome as fact for the rest of the article. The ambiguous statement "gas tax hike could help the county pay for road projects that are fund-deficient, county officials said," is used to build an article that leads the reader to believe that a five cent gas tax hike would lead to better roads in our community. No evidence, facts, or studies are presented or referenced as possible proof of this supposition, just the ramblings of those who have left our entire community in a 'fund-deficient' state and who are still pointing to housing growth as our financial saving grace. The only study that is loosely referenced is one by the county that the increase to the full $.11 gas tax would only cost families with two cars $75.00 per year. Again, no fact check or alternate sources are referenced to prove or disprove the given numbers.We can only assume that the Osceola News-Gazette staff thinks this was a well rounded article because they provided a 'kinda-sorta' voice of opposition by including comments from the St. Cloud City Manager, Tom Hurt. His loose opposition to the tax comes from the point of "I don’t see what we are getting out of this." This means he is for the gas tax increase if the St. Cloud government can get a bigger slice of the pie. Again it comes down to government protecting government instead of government protecting the people it is supposed to serve. This also points to a shift of 'free market' ideals because local leaders now think they need to put a bureaucrat between you and the gas pump to help decide what a 'fair price' really is.
To conclude this article we have to ask if it is really that hard to find a resident of this community that is not tied to the inside development crowd who is against tax increases? We are betting that if a reporter worth their pay would actually walk out the office door and up to Broadway, they could find one actual citizen who thought a tax increase might be a bad idea. Of course this would require some work from those who claim they are "Around Osceola."
13 comments:
The horrible articles the Ad-zette writes are just to make it look like they are more than just ads. Their articles never reflect the feelings of the community because they only care about those who will pay for ad space.
Thought you guys had stopped writing. Glad to see you are back!
If the gas tax passes, will the County FINALLY do the repairs and improvements it is 5-10 years late on? Or will we continue hearing the same old stories about"past commissions got us where we are today". Too bad Shipley moved we could ask him. Can't ask Smith, he can't remember breakfast.
Nothing will change. They will pass the tax and spend it on a sports venue that is going to magically create jobs even though it never works they way they promise it will. This new commission is just more of the same.
From now on, can you please go back to posting your meaningless drivel in the form of Popsicle-stick theater?
At least the Gazette is still around, giving you quotes and information for you to hate on. If you're so against their reporting, why don't pick up the phone and make some calls yourself? But if you did that, your own arguments might be backed with actual facts instead of baseless ranting. You would lose some of your blog-cred.
Just for your reference though:
15,000 miles per year divided by 20 miles per gallon = 750 gallons of gas per year. Multiply that by the 5 cent tax per gallon and you get $37.50 per car or $75 a year for a two car family.
Now you have your "alternate source" which proves the county's "study." Have your grandkids check my math if you're unconvinced.
They need to not pass this stupid gas tax increase. I know that nobody listens, but raising the gas tax after raising all of the other fees in the county is not the best way to improve our county. It will only push more people into forclosure.
The people who work for me won't have to worry about driving to work anymore if they pass this tax. I will have to shut down my delivery based business because of the additional cost. I wish more people would realize that it is about more than just a gas tax and WayneWho is the only one talking about it. The county and the city of Kissimmee have raised fees and taxes on almost everything. Much of that cost my business, like most others, has had to eat to keep customers buying. Another tax/fee that eat into my profit margin will make it to where it does not make sense to run my business in Osceola any more. So that is 4 delivery drivers, 2 sales staff, and 2 production staff that will be laid off because of this tax. Maybe the ONG should talk to some of the employees who will lose their jobs because of this and find out how they feel about it. The cost to their families will be alot more than $75.00.
After losing my job late last year I could only find a new one out by Sanford. I am driving over 90 miles per day 5 days a week from Kissimmee to Sanford. While I am glad I have a job, any changes in the gas prices hit my family in the wallet. Maybe the math genius would like to calculate that out with a car that gets 21 miles to the gallon. Figure a simple 23,000 miles per year gives you an increase of $55.00 for the tax increase alone. That will be a total of $120.50 in gax taxes all together for roads that suck. Not to mention the increase in tolls along the greenway that will add up to close to $200.00 in a years time. And like everyone else, I will gladly leave Osceola county behind when I can actually sell my home.
All I know is that I voted for the guy who said he would never raise a tax, so I am counting on him!
I think you hit the nail on the head wayne. Since gas prices have fallen, the bureaucrats think that they can squeeze more money out of us by driving up the gas prices to fund their projects. Get the bureaucrats out of the way so we can rebuild our county!
Looks to me like you have 10 to one against raising the tax. Maybe that should be cited by the gazette.
I have been watching this argument on this blog since it started. I am glad that there is at least one place that doesn't accept tax increases with out arguing their true merit. I think the point that has been missed is that it does not matter if it cost the average family $10.00, $37.00, or $100.00 per year. Government should not be allowed to just take this money when they did not spend the money they already take in to fix our roads. We can not just give them more money. They need to learn to live within their budget just like everyone else.
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