Don’t get us wrong, we are not going to advocate here for voter approval of a 1 percent sales surtax to support road-building projects in Osceola County. We already said we supported the idea of letting voters decide and, after weighing the pros and cons, that we would probably vote against it. There are arguments on both sides of the issue – as is always the case – and voters Nov. 2 will have to decide for themselves whether they want to pay more taxes beginning in January for an improved road system.

What we don’t like is the grassroots anti-tax group Ax the Tax and its founder Doug Guetzloe roiling the waters by characterizing county commissioners as “tax and spend zealots” because of Monday’s decision, which was merely to put the question on the November ballot, not to raise the sales tax.

Granted, Guetzloe and his followers have the right to proffer their opinion where and when they want but they also should strive to educate the voters on all aspects of an issue.

For Tony Ferentinos, chairman of the Osceola County Ax the Tax group, to characterize Commissioner Ken Smith as “he just doesn’t care anymore” in voting to put the sales tax referendum on the ballot is off the mark. We see Smith at every commission meeting and workshop – some of them five or more hours long – and we believe he is sincerely interested in the future of the county despite his leaving the board soon.

Commissioners knew there would be opponents and name-calling over their decision to put the sales tax referendum on the ballot, and to do so knowing it was unpopular required courage, we believe. We don't think they came to their decision lightly. Whether commissioners would personally vote for a sales tax increase or whether they believe the issue would ultimately fail is another issue entirely.

We could not disagree more with Ferentinos who said in a press release that our county commissioners are “deciding and hoping that we, the ignorant people of Osceola County, will fall for their trickery and lies about how it will help our economy.” We believe voters can generally sort out issues on their own given enough time and the facts as all interested parties see them.

While using names like  “tax and spend Mongols of Osceola County” might appeal to some voters, we trust that most of them will see through the rhetoric and hyperbole and make decisions based on facts and figures and their own personal budgets.