Our Town Page 8 C www.sunnewspapers.net The Sun ISunday, April 6, 2014 VIEWPOINT Derek Dunn-Rankin Chairman David Dunn-Rankin Publisher Chris Porter Executive Editor Brian Gleason Editorial page editor Stephen Baumann Editorial writer Email letters to letters@sun-herald.com I OUR VIEW Bad timing won't yield big payday OUR POSITION: Taxpayers should not have to pay for bad real estate wager. ourt isn't the place to re- coup bad real estate bets. We expect a jury which will determine how much Char- lotte County has to pay investors and developers who claim the lack of functioning sewers in an undeveloped section of Rotonda cost them money will agree. Circuit Court Judge Joseph Foster, who earlier had ruled in the plaintiffs' favor holding the county liable for denying building permits based on the lack of sewer service, sided Thursday with the county, which argued that any damages should be based on factors that could limit any payment. The county's attorney Brian Beason argued that a judgment based on a prior case in which the county paid $13 million to another developer would repre- sent an unjustified "windfall" for the plaintiffs. Using the earlier case involving 150 lots could have produced damages up to $60 million in this case. The key differences this time around, Beason argued, are that the so- called Rotonda II plaintiffs still own their property and that the county has since installed sewer in the affected area. We called the earlier suit a shameless example of fleecing taxpayers for personal gain. The facts of the second case are even worse, including the fact that one of the property owners who claimed the lack of sewers prevented him from developing his land owned the company that installed the non-functioning system that the county had to replace in 2011. The truth is neither case should have gotten as far as they did. The failure of all the property owners in both suits to ascertain the developability of land they purchased was not the county's fault, regardless of other circumstances. The fact plaintiffs claimed lack of sewers prevented them from building following the 2006 real estate bust, subsequent financial crisis and 2008 recession is laughable. That two circuit court judges failed to take the real estate reality into account reflects poorly on their judgment. Now a jury of county residents will have final say on how much they and their fellow residents should pay a group of unlucky speculators. Nothing would be our suggestion. A second ruling Thursday also went the county's way. While trying to gouge the county out of tens of millions of under- served dollars, the plaintiffs also sought to gag the county to prevent them from providing information about the case to the public. It takes an incredible amount of gumption to try to block the people who would be paying any judgment from learning as much as possible about the case. Then again, considering the property owners knew or should have known about the status of the sewers all along, it's not surprising that they showed such disdain for their fellow county property owners and taxpayers. Once the jury makes its ruling - the trial is set to begin Aug. 6 - the developers are free to exe- cute their investment strategy in a recovered real estate market. In fact, if not for the court case, they could already be marketing or developing their property. But to do so would undermine their contention that they were damaged by the county. We don't blame the plaintiffs for bad timing. Many investors lost real estate bets during the housing bust. Most didn't try to stick it to their neighbors to cover their losses. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Why not print what you 'know'? Editor: Years ago your paper in- cluded a column I'd written, "What is all the news that's fit to print?" I referenced the storm of criticism directed at The Washington Post during the Watergate era. The attacks at the time were directed not just at the perceived political bias of the Post's publisher and editors, but also towards the veracity of the reporters' stories. The Post eventually returned fire editorially. I paraphrased the sternly unapologetic response: We don't print the truth. We print what we know. The recent events involv- ing the North Port Police Department are saddening. There were failures of all kinds at every level. Clearly there were professional fail- ures, management failures, supervisory failures and behavioral failures aplenty to begin with. After the fact, add to those a failure of forthrightness and a failure of diligent reporting. There's a lot to be disap- pointed about in all this. Especially for the victims. ("Victims" meaning herself and the families of all those involved.) The most disappointing failure for me, considering that former Gov. Rubin Askew was buried just this past week, is your paper's failure to print what you knew when you knew it. (You reported earlier in the week that you had looked into the "un- named officers" personnel files and found no record of current suspension from duty.) As a reader, I'm left frus- trated, sorely aching for the institution you represent and wondering now: What else do you know? And why don't you print it? Tom Carlson North Port The Bush gang used us all Editor: About one month ago I sent you a letter concerning former president George H. W Bush and his gang's plan to get him in office so they could get the price of crude oil up for their advantage. It took years of planning it seems. Remember, the Bush family is in the oil business, so I was told. A de- ceased friend and I analyzed this, and it seems this is what they did. Isn't there some kind of law against using office for your own personal gain? I am soon 88 years old and am not a member of any par- ty. Just a good old-fashioned American who has served his country faithfully. Have you? We don't seem to have very many politicians anymore who are true statesmen, just gangs who want control of the taxpayers' money. I noticed in your March 31 edition that you quoted, the Republican party strategists spent years developing a plan to take advantage of the 2010 census. Was Bush in on that too? Lest we forget, we are walking amongst the largest horde of schemers, con- nivers, liars, cheaters, and thieves the world has ever known. I feel you did not publish my letter because you are either a Republican, a Bush lover, or have stock in an oil company. Are you? Remember, your paper is not the only one in this county. Clayton Collins Port Charlotte Duty to protect citizens at home Editor: After the disaster of Katrina and the thousands who suffered and died, we saw Bush do little or nothing to help while spending billions in the Middle East. I visited the ninth ward three years ago and only five houses were rebuilt, two by Habitat and three by Brad Pitt. Shameful. Now I read about the disastrous mudslide in Washington State where 30 houses were swept away and possibly 100 people died. Family members and volunteers digging for possible survivors with no help from their own National Guard or the country's Army Reserves. Obama can spend billions in the Middle East, search for a foreign crashed jet or send 250 troops and supplies to Africa to look for the war lord Kony but no help for his own people. Shameful. The National Guard of each state is accountable to its governor not the pres- ident. The Army Reserve is supposed to protect the country at home not abroad. Bush broke the law by putting them into service and Congress al- lowed it. Bring them home where they are needed and belong. I wonder how many veterans died in Washington and New Orleans? They did their duty to protect their country but did not deserve the same. Guess Americans don't matter. Do the resea on health ca Editor: In response to a M letter. I have assisted one children in dealing v the challenges of ins under the ACA after policy was canceled company. If this person thin] the ACA will take cai situation that she de as a result of an acci and a two-day stay a hospital costing $25, had better do some al research. Automobile insura Florida can be the pi vehicle to cover autc dents and resulting medical care. Florida $10,000 requirement is frozen. One can h( get additional cover purchasing addition injury coverage. The this coverage is mini And if she thinks the will replace that cove should think again. I policies under the A( to auto insurance in case. She very well n be liable for the $25, I found out this inf talking to my auto ir for about five minute When my son signed for ACA insurance th the government web it took over four hou find out that he coul a replacement health plan for about 1 1/2 ti cost of his previous much higher deduct This is what happens you believe what pec without doing the re yourself. \ ip3tEALL~G'A TO TOE PRICE TAG a ToECc44RESSY (\ E UNiTED S STATES OF "AMERICA.. Editor: Jeff Filock Supreme Court arguments are underway for the "HHS mandate." SCOTUS will irch consider the fed's arguments about "women's health" i re and the exercise of religious freedom. The government is painting its position as arch 31 the only legitimate pro- woman stance, and religious i of my Americans as irrational and rith anti-women. urance The 41,000-strong grass- his roots network, WomenSpeak by his forThemselves.com, has demonstrated that the gov- ks that ernment is so wrong on both *e of the counts. Abortion and contra- scribes ception are something, but dent they are not "women's health." t a local Pro-life and religious citizens 000, she are pro-woman with a tender addition- heart that can't be found in the "pro-choice" philosophy. rnce in The "scientific" report on primary which HHS completely relies ) acci- in the mandate is slanted and costs for shoddy. It was produced by i has a an Institute of Medicine panel t that largely staffed with Planned wever Parenthood board members ige by and contributors. It ignores al bodily significant scientific evidence cost for about the physical, emotional mal. and social risks of campaigns SACA promoting contraception and rage she early abortifacients. Nor does VI any it treat the real hurt, sorrow CA defer and guilt faced by many such a post-abortive parents. night still The government's rationale 000. for its positions in the Hobby fo by Lobby and ConestogaWood isurer cases is that women are more es. likely to achieve equality with I up men if we enter the public rough square child-free. That is site simplistic and demeaning to rs to your mother and mine, in fact d get to every woman. Our federal i care government should support mes the equal and even favorable plan with opportunities all people ibles. who welcome and support s when every new member of the ople say human race, no matter the search circumstances of her or his conception. Bob Hill Port Charlotte Anne Camille Talley Punta Gorda I LETTER SUBMISSION POLICY Letters are welcome on virtually any subject, but we do have some rules. Please keep them to the Editor section is designed as a public forum for community discourse, and the opinions to less than 250 words. Letters will be edited to length as well as for grammar and spelling. All and statements made in letters are solely those of the individual writers. The newspaper takes letters must be signed with full name not initials. An address and telephone number must be no responsibility for the content of these letters. Please send or bring correspondence to the Sun, included. The phone number and address are not for publication, but must be provided. Due to the Letters to the Editor, 23170 Harborview Road, Charlotte Harbor, FL 33980, or fax to 941-629-2085. number of letters received, we are able to run only one letter per person per month. The Letters Readers with access to the Internet may email Letters to the Editor at letters@sun-herald.com. SSI recipients cleaning us out Editor: In the March 25 edition there was a story reprinted from Washington AP regarding Hispanics not signing up for Obamacare. Of course it is all the fault of the Republicans! What a bunch of hooey! Hispanics are not signing up because the majority do not pay for health care now! Why would they want to sign up and pay for what is now free? When I filed for Social Security in Fort Myers eight years ago I almost walked out of the office because there was nowhere to sit. The majority of seats were taken by Hispanics waiting to sign up for SSI, I later found out. I was glad I asked as I only had to wait about 10 minutes for Social Security sign-up. Almost none of the Hispanics around me spoke English. I had to tell the wom- an next to me that they had called her number since they called it out in English. I am sure that today they also call it out in Spanish. Look up what the average person receiving SSI gets. I don't want to even print the number here. You'll be shocked! It has only gotten far worse in the last eight years. Unless voters get together and get rid of all currently in office to end this insanity, we are doomed! Dan Rothbauer Punta Gorda Contraception not 'women's health' OurTown Page 8 C www.sunnewspapers.net The Sun /Sunday, April 6, 2014