Fighting for Four Winds marshland
Dear Editor:
The people of the Four Winds Estates and Windward Cay were betrayed by the County Commissioners, including Peggy Choudhry.
Nov. 15 was the meeting to approve or deny the rezoning of the swampland, rich with wildlife, that has stood by our neighborhoods for decades. While many of us stood to fight the rezoning, only Jay Wheeler stood for it. He betrayed everyone, including myself.
But it seemed the commissioners had already made their decision by the time of voting. What was the point of having us make our comments when they weren’t listening to us? You don’t say “I hear you” and do the opposite of what we’re asking. I am so angry and disappointed in every commissioner, and would like them to know that no matter what, I’m going to fight every development they allow to set foot in our wetlands.
The boxing gloves are on. Ring that bell.
Megan Miller
Kissimmee
Don’t divide, just be Americans
Dear Editor:
Lately we read a lot of stories about people who are really proud of their foreign heritage. They consider themselves Russian-American, Spanish-American, Afro-American, and so on. I don’t think a person should forget where they come from, it’s who they are. I do think we’d be better off if we considered ourselves just plain Americans. It seems we can’t be plain Americans until our blood has been diluted by other blood lines through marriage.
For instance, I’m Scottish, Irish, Welsh, English, Dutch and American Indian, so I am truly American. I’m proud of each blood line, but I’m an American. My ancestors came to America for a new and better life, not an extension of the old one. They made sacrifices to do so. They left family and friends, most of whom they never saw again. They were proud to be Americans. They learned the language and customs here.
Those who fought the War of Independence and every war since did so as Americans. In our Pledge of Allegiance, “indivisible” means, united we stand, divided we fall. So when we refer to ourselves as Afro-Americans or Spanish-Americans, we are dividing our country and loyalty between two countries – and we cannot serve two countries, just like we cannot serve two Gods.
Calling each other slang names has no place in our society. If we make our home in the U.S., we are just plain Americans. Perhaps if we think of each other that way we won’t notice color or race, because a person is just plain American.
Jan DeMond
Kissimmee
Spending bill to tax retirees
Dear Editor:
HR 5376 is the $2 trillion social spending bill that the U.S. House of Representatives just passed. It purposes to deliver social, energy, climate and economic reforms to the American People. Sounds fine on the surface, but how will the Federal Government fund this bill?
Positioned well below your willingness and stamina to read its 2,466 pages of text are tax reforms that I think adversely affect retirees. HR 5376 includes changes to the 1986 Tax Code allowing tax increases to your retirement accounts.
Democrats sold this bill as a “tax the rich” act, but it is actually a “redistribution of wealth” act.
According to the Federal Reserve, the majority of personal wealth in America is held in IRA accounts, bank accounts, trust accounts and property. Households headed by people over 55 hold 73 percent of the value of domestically owned stock, and the same share of America’s total wealth. Currently American households hold approximately $136 trillion of wealth.
A recent study by the Wharton School of Business found the bill would increase spending by $2.1 trillion over its 10-year budget window while increasing revenue by only $1.8 trillion, for a 10-year deficit of $274 billion. So there is already a shortfall, meaning more revenue will need to be raised. According to a study by KPMG, rules modifications to retirement plans include contribution limits for IRAs, increases in minimum required IRA distributions, graduated tax increases for Roth rollovers, surcharges on high income individuals (which the government defines and can change), estates and trusts.
Maybe it doesn’t affect you based on the definition of a high-income earner or your level of wealth today, but what about the future? You, the retiree, will eventually fund this bill through increased taxes on your retirement accounts. When the government obtains that much control over your retirement savings and the ability to redefine levels of wealth, you are in for a world of hurt. Congressman Darren Soto already threw you under the bus by voting in favor of this bill as Speaker Pelosi instructed. So I now urge all retirees to contact senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema via their website or by phone and let them know, as a retiree, you do not support HR 5376 and should vote against it. A call to Soto’s office letting him know what the underside of a bus looks like wouldn’t hurt either.
Sergio E. Ortiz
Kissimmee
Note: Mr. Ortiz is a candidate for U.S. Congress District 9
