No clue

In yesterday's Hernando Today, Commission Adkins makes a rambling attempt to sell his "CPR" stimulus plan to the public, again. He made factually incorrect statements on many points but these two came screaming off the editorial page. Here are his statements:

• "We are all to blame. At the end of the day, we have to deal with the reality of the boom and the bust."
• "We are using money sitting there in reserves, not doing anything for the taxpayers of Hernando County". (He is referring to the $2.5 million he wants to use from county reserves for his CPR program.)

First of all, let's be perfectly clear. We are NOT all to blame for the economic woes facing our country. In fact, the majority of us pay our bills on time, in full, and are now being asked to bail-out deadbeats that defaulted on their mortgages. Frankly, Adkins' mentality on the economy is what got the country into this predicament in the first place. Adkins looks like he belongs on the mantle with Barney Frank and Christopher Dodd.

Secondly, it is really apparent that Adkins has no clue on the structure of Hernando County finances. He wants to rob the money from the reserve funds, like his buddy Governor Crist has done at the state level. Apparently he is unaware that some of these reserve funds are necessary to back up the bonds within the county. Hernando County has a triple A bond rating because of the reserves on hand in the county coffers. If these reserves are depleted, it will increase the interest on the bonds. Is Adkins going to then say we need to raise taxes to cover the increase in interest to float his cock-a-mamie bail-out?

If there is a surplus in reserve funds, then the entire county should benefit from a millage rate reduction and not just a few with a get-rich scheme cooked up behind the doors at the local Hernando County Republican Executive Committee...