But we start with a particularly noteworthy response to my column last weekend suggesting taxpayers should stop subsidizing the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce and its associated groups.
Attorney Frank Kruppenbacher, a member of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, says he doesn't want his public agency to cut any more checks to chamber-related groups until he's convinced the public gets something in return.
So he penned a memo to airport staff, asking for greater accountability for the agency's most recent contribution of $17,600.
Smart man. More local officials should be asking questions — such as whether "visioning" really requires millions of dollars.
And whether taxpayers need to help fund an organization run by a man with a $398,000 annual compensation package.
When I posed those questions in print, it sent chamber folks into a tizzy of attacks and retribution. (One of their main talking points was to suggest "public-private partnerships" were under attack. Of course, that was never the point. I just wonder why teamwork requires so many tax dollars.)
And, as Kruppenbacher wrote: "In the midst of the bantering, it is my opinion everyone is missing a critical point in the Sentinel article … is there transparency?"
There sure better be.
Oh, and by the way, Kruppenbacher isn't some natural-born enemy of the chamber … seeing as how he's a past president of the group.
Now, on to other topics....
Scott, thank you for your column on the special tax breaks for Disney and NASCAR. I started my business with my own money. So did most of the business owners I know. None of us asked taxpayers to help. This is the kind of stuff that really ticks off hardworking Americans. James
The inequity of granting special tax breaks to the big companies with the best lobbyists — and not to thousands of others — is just one of many flaws with this idea.
Mr. Maxwell, you are so off-base. These people invest their money. They create jobs. Shut up and leave these people alone! Purnell
Um, Purnell, if they were only investing their money, they'd get nothing but huzzahs from me. The problem is they want my money. And yours. They can have yours.
You know how Gov. Scott wants to drug-test welfare recipients? Well, this is corporate welfare. So will Bob Iger and Meg Crofton submit to a drug test? J.J.
Meg seems pretty lucid to me. But we should maybe test some of her best-known workers. I mean, Mickey's voice always sounds fresh off a helium bender. And what on earth do we make of a duck who walks around pantsless yet dons a towel when he leaves the shower?
Scott, so Jeff Ashton, the guy running for State Attorney, defended his son on DUI charges. No judgment there; all fathers would do that. Yet he argued the Breathalyzer results were unreliable and therefore inadmissible. Wouldn't Ashton use test results to prosecute people? Anthony
Like you said, Anthony, I don't begrudge Ashton for wanting to help his son. But I do wonder about his judgment. I think the best thing he could've done would be hire a good attorney and get out of the way.
Scott, thank you so much for your column, "Caring for life shouldn't end at birth." I have always wondered why so many people, including legislators, think the babies that are already here aren't as important as the babies that haven't been born yet. Lorraine
Lorraine, the reaction to that column was something I don't get very often: about 100-to-1 in agreement. And much of that came from self-described "pro-lifers" who said that politicians who claim to believe in the sanctity of life — but cut the programs meant to keep neglected children healthy, protected and even alive — aren't just inconsistent, but immoral.
Scott: Having worked as a child care investigator for five years, I truly understand your point. It's one thing to defend the sanctity of life, but another thing to protect the child. I loved the job. But one of the reasons I left was the apathy about child abuse and neglect. Politicians rarely showed up to our child-protective offices. In fact, I never saw any during my watch — unless it was a photo op. Manuel
Not sure I can add anything to that, Manuel.
smaxwell@tribune.com or 407-420-6141
