Opinion in today's paper: Tea Party: Criticism only goes so far

[Patricia M. McBride]

As I feel this writer clearly does not understand the responsibities of our city government and what the tea party is and is about, I thought and do hope some will go in and make comments? We would hardly need city officials if the tea party were responsible for doing their jobs, now would we? A link taking you to this opinion letter at bottom of opinion.

Tea Party: Criticism only goes so far

Posted: September 21, 2010 - 3:15pm

The Tea Party has focused its efforts on identifying waste in the budget rather than soliciting ideas on how we can make this great city attractive to potential residents and companies.

To be successful, you have to spend money on areas that generate revenue and distinguish this city to compete nationally.

I would like to see the Tea Party identify revenue and job-generating ideas rather than having a narrow focus on necessary maintenance projects like the Riverwalk and Friendship Fountain.

These projects are much needed and help to distinguish and highlight the city's greatest asset, other than its people, the St. Johns River. Removing them would do little to balance the budget.

I would, however, agree that the unions have been unreasonable in their pension plan negotiations when the vast majority of Americans lack a pension plan and are required to fund their own retirements through 401(k) or similar savings plans.

In fact, few of the major companies provide this benefit. To expect it today is unrealistic in the new global economy.

I value the services that fire and police provide our community and I hope they realize how lucky they are to have this benefit, as well as work schedules which allow them to maintain second careers to supplement their base pay.

If there is any area for budget negotiations within the city budget, I would have to say the Tea Party should focus its efforts on this growing expense and identifying opportunities for fire and police to fund retirement through a cost sharing plan - like the more contemporary benefit used today, a 401(k) plan.

We are all responsible for our destiny and saving for the future is one of our responsibilities, not the city of Jacksonville.

In the long run, outside of pensions, the areas the Tea Party has focused on for reductions will have a minimal impact on balancing the budget. The issue is generating jobs and revenue and identifying opportunities to turn this economy around.

That, of course, is a much more difficult challenge. It is much easier to be a critic of someone else's plan. The challenge is to come up with original ideas.

Our mayor has done an excellent job and has been open to ideas from the community.

People want individuals with vision and constructive ideas, rather than those who can only communicate the same old rhetoric.

We want positive change!

WILLIAM PRICE

Jacksonville

link: http://jacksonville.com/opinion/letters-readers/2010-09-21/story/te...

[Patricia M. McBride]

I put a couple of responses on the article. I feel this gentleman is going to the wrong people for what he is looking for. We are not the city council or the mayor and these are the folks he needs to contact with his suggestions. We are trying to get them to do their job properly and also have said Mr. Peyton is not, indeed, doing a dandy job and has wasted millions. By doing as suggested by Mr. Price the tea party would be adding to an already over the top budget and not addressing many of the issues the city council and mayor refuse to address including 3/4 billion in unfunded liability that no one at city hall wants to talk about.

[FCTP]

The same old rhetoric is coming from the politicians. They say raise taxes without doing the hard stuff and without reducing or eliminating services that have nothing to do with running a government.

Revenue is NOT generated by government and we have vision. Our vision is that the government will create an atmosphere for businesses to survive and grow and not tax us to death and shut down the free market. That's our vision and it is a great one at that!