Sally's Key West

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15 Minutes of Fame

Ok, probably closer to 15 seconds, but the Key West Citizen printed my letter today. Letters to the editor are pretty much the only thing I read in the Citizen. That and the obits. I must be old... Here's what I said:

Dear Editor,

To the gentleman who wrote: "I am going to say three words that no politician dares to utter: 'state income tax,'" I am going to say three words that every sane person around you is thinking: "Are you nuts?"

Do you still work, sir? If so, how much of your income are you willing to give to the state for the common good? How well has the state done with the money they've already taken from productive people?

Read April 21st letters to the editor. There's evidence of your state tax dollar doing valuable work: protecting us from dog poop falling into the 17 quadrillion gallons of Atlantic Ocean, and hiring someone to keep tabs on county employees who apparently have so much time on their hands they can surf the Web at our expense. Maybe we don't have enough problems at the state level.

If you are a good earner today, the feds already claim ownership of 20 percent to more than 50 percent of what you earned. God knows, they are doing wonders with that piece of the pie. Look around you. Aren't our lives immeasurably better with all that tax money going to Washington?

Pouring money into the bottomless pit of government need will never solve our problems. It will only ensure the need grows. There is never enough money for a politician, especially when it's not his money.

Here's how to solve problems at every level: Stop asking your government to solve them for you, to make the world fair and to make it safer. Life is not fair and the world will never be safe enough. Government has never gotten that job done, even with millions spent on consultants first. Let's solve our own problems, with our own money.

Sally O'Boyle
Key West and Costa Rica

Here's where I got the big idea:

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
            - Thomas Jefferson

Key West The Newspaper

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6 Minutes to Save Our Pines!

I manage the Save Our Pines blog; please take 6 minutes to watch this video. If you've been to Fort Zachary Taylor, you know how wonderful those pines are! The photo from my welcome page was taken there, as were these... already the park looks different. Please help us save what is left!!! Just 6 short minutes - Thank You!

The following is from the Save Our Pines organization...

Hello All Supporters of SAVE OUR PINES,

Our long struggle to "Save Our Pines - Save Our Park" is entering a new phase. Those of us who are closest to the issue are optimistic that we will succeed. But success is not guaranteed! Here is where we stand:

1. We met two nights ago with Representative Ron Saunders. He is introducing a Bill to the legislature to exempt Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park from the blanket rule on cutting down the pines. But nothing is simple. Whereas we had expected this would be a "Local Bill" and thus easily passed, it turns out that it will be a "General Bill". Thus it will require a longer, and perhaps a more difficult struggle, for the General Bill to be processed and enacted.

2. Our direct contacts with Governor Charlie Crist seem promising, leading us to believe that he supports our efforts.

3. A major consideration is timing. When we reviewed the Fort Zachary Taylor Plan at the Advisory Board Meeting this past October 16, we were told that cutting of additional pines would occur without notice, anytime after February 1, 2008. To lose any more pines would be tragic. We're working hard to prevent that from happening.

4. To stimulate broad-based support, we have created a 6 minute DVD. These are being hand delivered to select persons to increase support for our effort and are available to you upon request. The DVD content is now posted on U-Tube.

• Please watch the video as soon as possible - you may want to watch it several times. If we can generate high traffic, U-TUBE will give our website preferred visibility so that more people will learn about our cause. Don't forget to rate and comment on it - Thank you!

Please, email this to all of your friends. As always we appreciate all you've done. We must remain determined until we succeed. Thanks!

Watch The Video, then email to your friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POo9q6w5AKM

In The News Today 20 Jan 2008

Living through a bubble from start up to cresting the wave is quite the education. Looking back, there are definite signs along the way. This Times of India article pointing up what we would now call, in technical terms, "a biggie":

Property rates double in 2 yrs
Times of India - India
"Normally, real estate rates appreciate at around 20 per cent a year or even lesser. So, doubling of prices in two years is big indeed," said a realtor. ...

Many spending less, just in case
Houston Chronicle - United States
By many measures the Houston economic picture is far rosier than the nation's, thanks to a sturdier real estate market and thriving energy industry. ... (video below)

It's Time to say GOOD BYE !
By Susanne in Key West
It's time to say Good Bye to Key West! After living for more than 7 years on this wonderful island we are ready to move on. Ready also to move on in life to other horizons, to another destination. Where exactly that will be and what we ...

No Name Bonneville
By Conchscooter
... on No Name Key so you'll need to learn to maintain the generator, replace the batteries from time to time, and drive 20 minutes just to get to the Overseas Highway, which still leaves you an hour from the fleshpots of Key West. ...

HIGH-TECH GPS TOURS DEBUT TO SHOWCASE LOW-KEY KEY WEST
KEY WEST, Florida Keys — Visitors are using high-tech handheld global positioning system units to tour the low-key island of Key West following the January 2008 debut of Go GPS Tours’ interactive audiovisual sightseeing experiences. ...

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Housing Problematic for Young Teachers

Letter to the Editor, Key West Citizen

I met a couple of young school teachers at a Christmas party recently and what they told me about their housing problem upset me.

They want to build a house in the Keys and they described the confusion and the riddles that it takes to get a building permit. At first I smiled at their confusion and frustration, thinking, "Welcome to the Keys." The young couple also explained that their combined income was above the threshold for low income housing, which means that low income housing is unavailable to them.

They are looking at a four-year wait for a building permit.

Since they are new, I told them that if they had money they could buy the county some ROGO [Rate of Growth Ordinance] lots and then the county might smile upon them.

Then one of the teachers told me something that really upset me. She said the maximum threshold for students in her class was 18, but she has 21 students and that she and the other teachers are picking up the excess.

Am I the only one who sees the dichotomy? The county goes by the letter of the law when it comes to handing out building permits to teachers, but the county will break its own rules to drain from the teachers more than the law allows.

I could tell that this young couple were excellent teachers, and I could also see the look of frustration and flight in their eyes.

Jim Simmen
Key West