Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida • P2

2 unda A ugus 4, 2 01 3 ampa ay imes PSC ta mpab ay om pinion Olson had previously said $1 million might be re turned to the county general fund, but he intended to escrow the rest to acquire land for a planned ser- ice enter i outh-central Pa co. Commissioner ed Schrader raised the idea of taking all the one then tried to slow the process down, asking for input from the ax Collector ff ice and a possible special eeting to set a lower tax rate. ak the (tax rate) uts, answered Commissioner ack ariano. A majority agreed. It was ash, politically convenient and irresponsible budge ting that will lead to spending uts elsewhere when reality sets in.

adding the revenue side allowed the commission to set its tentative eneral fund tax rate at 7. 3441 mills, a 7 percent increase over the urrent tax rate, but less than the originally proposed 10 percent jump. But there are two problems. One, they aimed too high. The ax Collector ff ice is now ro jecting $3.2 million in unspent fees, of which the county would be entitled to 90 rcent, or roughly $2.88 million.

And two, whomever becomes the next tax colle ctor a lso has he ability ile an amended budget with the state Department of Revenue to keep the fees if that person follow Olson tated intent. At a minimum, commission- ers must make roughly $620,000 in uts or further aid reser ve accounts to balance their proposed budget. Spending additional reser ves is unlikely since commissioners already indicated they will tap sa ved mone to pay for a merged emergency dispatch center and to set up employee health clinics to trim future medical insurance bills. They also face the potential of finding nearly $2 million ore depending on the actions of the next tax collector It a big price tag for imprudence. taxing and spending decisions should be based on ore ncrete i formation than just wishful thinking Budget dream might become a nightmar asco commissioners ed a refresher course on the st lesson of scal responsibility: Do spend what you don ha ve.

Last month, in a zeal to trim the proposed property tax rate, commissioners included a $3.5 million allocatio rom the asco ax Collector guring the unspent fees would be av ailable them since Go v. ick Scot had yet to name a replacement for the late Mike Olson. Ti me ed itoria Yo ur etters Share our opinions go to tampabay ters Sc ho ol shou ld in ve st i ch il dr en Ma ny of us sit idle as we listen to our asco School Board members report to us year after year that we are facing a deficit. No they want the taxpayers to fund $3.5 million for noninstruc- tional personnel raises not covered by allahassee. This raise is a permanent budget increase when our district does not ha ve the one y.

I feel allahassee was in the wrong in not giving all employees a raise. But backs should not be used to balance the aise. The chool uperintendent thought changing class times would be a great idea to sa ve mone but in the end, it directly impacted the citizens. It should never ha ve reached the point of parents cr ying foul for the district to return Deer Pa rk Elementar to its normal schedule. re also so broke we are not oing to follow the class size amendment and risk ines.

But we want to ind $3.5 million for aises. I a sk for $60,000 or Wiregrass Ranch and We sley ha- pel high schools so that lacrosse can be recognized as an FHSAA sport for both boys and girls. I am et with rejection ver step of the wa y. School Board members ha ve stated sports are an important part of a child success in education and development. Spor ts also are a deterrent from illicit activities and help ith time- management and increased grade performance.

arents, you see where we are headed. Our children are not the priorit y. If we ot choose ow that money is spent, I ould hire more teachers so that we were class-size ompliant. I would lobby for lacrosse to be a FHSAA- recognized sport. Wo uld you not invest that money in your children? I would.

work on making the schools a out the children. Anthon erugini, We ley Chapel Cr im st or wa a bi too de tail ed A recent article xplained how a person or persons broke into a fenced enclosure at om arn Pa rk in Brooksville and made of with a utility vehicle. The a rticle stated the crook or crooks simply removed the electric meter from an adjacent building to disable the alarm. What are you going to do next? Print a list of proper rglar ools and here to rchase them? Thomas Karcher ew ort Richey YO UR OICE UNT Yo may submit a letter to the editor or possible publication through our website at tampabay.com/letters, or by faxing it to (7 27) 8696233, or by mailing it to asco Times 11321 U.S. 19, Po rt Richey, FL 34668.

Yo must include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited fo clarity, taste and length. Gues column r. Rao usun uru inding happiness in life, limb If you ver wanted to be a physician, then follow along ou can be this patient cardiologist: Yo are on call for the emer- genc room and receive a call, in the middle of the night, to treat a young ma who passed out momentarily after xperiencing chest pain. Yo correctly identify the problem and order medication for him.

ou feel ood ven though you did not ge paid for your time or trouble. The young man has no insurance. He et urns to you ver fe months. His heart is doing fine with medication. He inally obtained health insurance, but refuses to find a family doctor because he likes you and trusts you so much.

Ne xt visit, he tells you that he has had another serious problem since he was oung and he did not feel comfortable telling anyone. He thinks his left leg never belonged to im and he wants it amputa ted. He is longing for an artificial eg which he feels would make him extremely happy ou realize that he has a well- recognized psychological condition, apotemnophilia the longstanding desire for amputation of a specific limb. owever you xplain to him that you would not be able to find a surgeon to amputate his perfectly normal and healthy leg a nd i nsurance will not pay for it. He tells you that he has sa ved up enough money to pay for the surger y.

reminds you that plastic surgeons do all kinds of things all the time to make people look be tt er and feel happier ou tell him that his thinking process is not normal. questions, who decides what is normal? What right does society ha ve to deny him something tha he finds so indispensable for his personal happiness? ou recommend he see a psychiatrist. He absolutely refuses. Yo cannot force treatment on him, as he is not suicidal and he has no intention of harming others. ou ask him to find another physician, as this is not your line of work.

He again politely refuses. What would you do at this point? ere what I did: I thought of advice from one of the great physicians of all times, Sir William Osler The ood physician treats the disease, the great physician treats the patient who has the disease. During conversations with this patient over the years, I happened to find out that he has a girlfriend with whom he is truly in ve. I arranged for her to come to the of ice without his knowledge. was so ashamed of his thoughts, he never told her I advised her to somehow make him feel that his legs are desirable to her Ne xt ff ice visit, he told me that he found a family doctor He is fine with his leg is get tin married and buying a house with the money he sa ved.

or the firs time, I sa true happiness in his yes. After all, happiness comes in all shapes and forms. Mo st of us, a sometime or other need a little help to find the right kind of happiness. Dr Rao usunuru is a practicing cardiologist in Bayonet oint and a prior winner of American eart Association national physician of the year awar d. Musunuru.