Speak Out 4/28/14

Tax incentives

Ever wonder why downtown Cape was such an attractive, fun place to shop? Could it have been the pride of ownership, the tender loving care of the display windows, the street in front of the stores was spotless? Respect for private property was strong. Then cities and counties, even states, began giving away tax breaks if a business would please come build in "our" town or state. Business soon learned they could extort tax breaks from governments, often pitting them against each other to see who would give up the most in tax breaks. Now the stalwart businesses who hung around and kept trying to invigorate the downtown area want "their" share of tax benefits and want a community improvement district because there is no longer pride of ownership and responsibility for the overall appearance of their business. Broken windows beget broken windows, broken beer bottles gather on the sidewalk, because ultimately no one cares. Could this be progress?

Consequence

Today I went to the hospital pharmacy to pick up some oncology mouthwash for my husband, who is undergoing chemotherapy. When I tried to pay for it with my health savings account card, it was denied. The pharmacist told me the Affordable Health Care Act will no longer allow me to use my own money in my account to pay for this item. She said it would cover Hello Kitty bandages and pill cutter and blood pressure cuffs. When are the liberals going to realize the emperor is wearing no clothes?

Union legislation

Oh, please. We're not that dumb. In the name of giving public union members more power, state representative Holly Rehder (R-Sikeston) has introduced legislation to drive a stake through said unions.