Editorial: Lobbyists do not have clean hands

This year, there’s a lot on our ballots—much of it complicated and confusing. Tallahassee politicians have a long history of making it that way; because, if they came right out and said publicly what they wanted to do, they would be run out of town on a rail.

The Florida Association of Counties, a paid lobbyist for counties around the state, including St Johns County, is using their alias “Keep it Local, Florida” to fool lazy voters into turning down a major homeowner-friendly Amendment to Florida’s Constitution. Their propaganda says Amendment 1 has been designed “to look like a tax cut”. But, they claim, for many Floridians it will mean “tax HIKES”.

Their partners in crime are ancient print media companies who are circling the drain, kept alive by corrupt politicians driving the cost of required legal advertising to the highest price in decades. Legislators and Counties who are in bed with media lobbyists still protect the withering dinosaurs of print with antiquated state laws that make you buy unnecessary “legal notices” in an “ink-and-paper” newspaper instead of an Internet publication that has more reach and costs half as much.

Here’s what Florida’s newspapers are recommending on Amendment 1:

• Miami Herald: NO
• Orlando Sentinel: NO
• Tampa Bay Times: NO
• Tallahassee Democrat: NO
• Florida Times-Union: NO
• Florida Today: NO
• TC Palm: NO
• Naples Daily News: NO
• Fort Myers News-Press: NO
• Your Observer: NO
• Herald-Tribune: NO
• Daily Commercial: NO

This collection of liberal socialist rags never saw a tax they didn’t like. This is the first time in almost 200-years that even they are having to suck it up and become financially accountable. They are learning the hard way, some on the steps of Federal Bankruptcy Court, that bad management, bad planning, and lack of concern for the people, has consequences.

Wondering if you’ll win or lose under Amendment 1? Visit the tool at amendment1.tax/ and enter your address. You may be pleasantly surprised at your savings, I was. My savings under Amendment 1 will be $200.59, according to the calculator.

As for the ominous warning from the self-serving Association of Counties? “Overall cost to local governments in Saint Johns County: $10,688,459.78 in Lost Revenue”. Money you have not earned is never a “cost”. Payroll, insurance, and communications are “cost”.

In government, it’s just a tax you wanted to collect that the people stood up to and said NO! If you gave $10 million dollars to St Johns County government, they will spend $11 million. The lesson to our local government? There is a bottom to your checkbook. It’s not your money, it’s ours. Learn to do more with less — and do it today.