1ST Amendment.us Blog

Sunday, December 17, 2023

Monday, August 21, 2023

Letter from Terry Yoder

Terry Yoder
T & D Family of Companies 1969 County Road 228 Wildwood, FL 34758 August 15, 2023

Citizens of Sumter County, it's time to WAKE UP! You are all being led like sheep to the slaughter, with no idea about what's going on around you. I am writing to talk to you about the Sumter County Commissioners raising the Fire Assessment and trying to pretend this isn't just another way to raise taxes. The wool is being pulled over your eyes. The Commissioners want you to believe this is not a big deal and will only cost you $323.64 – which is about $200 per house more than what you pay now – but that is NOT TRUE! Why am I saying this? Because they are NOT telling you that the business people in town are raising their assessments so high, their only choice will be to raise prices on all the goods and services you use daily as Villagers. According to the County Commissioner study, your household assessment will increase 161%. That sounds like a lot, but do you know what the commercial and industrial businesses will be forced to pay? As an example, under what the County Commissioners say in their study, the assessment for my 30,000-square-foot building will be $10,320.00. THAT IS AN INCREASE OF OVER 8,000%. AND THIS WILL HAPPEN TO ALL THE BUSINESS OWNERS IN SUMTER COUNTY, NOT JUST ME AND MY COMPANY!

Do you think the business owners will just put their hands in their pockets and pay for these ridiculous increases? NO! They are NOT going to pay. Do you know who will pay? You guessed it – YOU! Your local bar and restaurant owners, hairdressers, nail salons, grocery stores, big box stores, clothing stores, apartment complexes, gas stations, churches, country clubs, mechanics, golf cart stores, boutiques, builders – and every other business in Sumter County that owns commercial, industrial or institutional space will have their assessment raised so high they will have no choice but to pass it on to YOU, the citizens.

Does this sound like authentic conservative leadership? Ronald Reagan always believed in LESS GOVERNMENT and LESS TAXES. What is happening is a true example of GOVERNMENT GONE WILD. These commissioners should be ashamed of themselves. They say, on the one hand, they aren't raising taxes, but they are talking out of both sides of their mouth. This never would have happened with the commissioners we had 5 years ago. Some of these commissioners have never been business owners that had to pay salaries, insurance, expenses, and overhead to keep the doors open and families fed. So they don't understand – because they have never had skin in the game. They should tell you the truth – THIS IS A TAX IN DISGUISE! You may only be paying $323.64 for the assessment on your house, but believe me; this assessment will cost you much more because the business owners can't survive unless they pass the cost of this assessment to YOU! Do you think your commissioners are going to pay for these increases? I don't think so!

And why are we paying these assessments? The commissioners will tell you that it's to get better fire service in Sumter County and the Villages. What most citizens in Sumter County want is advanced life support (ALS). But did you know that this assessment doesn't even pay for advanced life support? The study says that advanced life support will have to be paid by raising property taxes through an MSTU in

the County – another tax – and through amenity and transport fees in the Villages. (Pg. 15). This assessment will be used to pay for more inflated salaries and to fund more pensions.

Do I have your attention yet? If not, keep reading.

Let's take a look at the study that the commissioners prepared to justify increasing your taxes – that they are calling an assessment - but are hoping you don't actually read.

Page 1 – Fire assessment MSBU's MAY NOT fund costs related to non-traditional fire department services such as ALS. The part of the budget that deals with ALS is not included in coming up with the assessment. ALS is advanced life support. Advanced life support includes making incisions in a patient, inserting tubes in people to help them breathe, or using needles to give drugs to people. Basic life support (BLS) include being a first responder, giving CPR, using a defib machine, and helping keep an airway open until someone with advanced life support training arrives.

Page 3 – Sumter County Fire/EMS has 10 stations, and the Villages Public Safety Department has 8 fire stations, with 4 more on the way. ALS is provided from ALL of these stations, so the ALS and BLS are all mixed in together. This means the commissioners must find a way to split it all up. They do this by trying to measure the benefit of having the fire department available 24/7, response times, communication systems, staff and equipment and water supply. Then they come up with a rating. It's all a shell game, and they can come up with these numbers any way they want to come up with the answers they need. You'll see why when you keep reading.

Page 4 – The ratings go from 1 to 10, with 1 being the best. As it sits right now, Sumter County Fire has a rating of 3, and the Villages Fire has a rating of 2. That's better than most of the other communities in the state. The study also says that ONLY 5% of the incidents that the fire department responds to are for actual FIRES.

Page 5 – Talks about why the commissioners can only charge an assessment for BLS and not ALS because ALS does not provide a special benefit to our property.

Page 6 – Talks about how the assessment can only include traditional fire services like fire suppression – which is only 5% of the calls - fire prevention, fire/building inspection, and being first responders – BLS.

Pages 7 to 14 – This is where you really have to pay attention. This is where the commissioners try to tell us that the amount of total ALS services being provided in the County is only 38%; this means that the amount of money that needs to be paid for by the assessment is 62% of the total fire/rescue budget. This is where the numbers don't make sense. That's because the numbers are watered down. The service rates were added up using numbers over a 10-year time frame. This is so the commissioners can water everything down and make it look like the ALS amount is small and the BLS and fire services amounts are much larger than they really are. It's fuzzy math.

If you look at the last column of the table on Page 8, it's easy to see. The study goes back to 2013. In 2013, ALS service needs were 21.4 % - and in 2022 – they increased to 50.6%. The ALS services have been going up every year for the last 10 years, but when you use 10 years to make the numbers, the commissioners can water it all down and make the ALS number smaller and the BLS and the fire services number bigger, so that the assessment can be bigger. If you use the service numbers over the past 5 years, the ALS service is 43.5% and Non-ALS service is 56.5%. If you use the service numbers over the

past 3 years, the ALS service is 45.8% and the Non-ALS service is 54.2%. Using the numbers over the past 3 years instead of the 10-year period the commissioners are using reduces the assessment amount from 62% to 54.2%. If you believe this assessment is even necessary, this would reduce the amount by at least $7,000,000.00. Using more recent numbers would also reduce the square footage amounts being charged to the businesses. Also, there is no information in the study that talks about how much the fire department charges and gets paid by the health insurance we already pay for. Why?

The commissioners are saying they need almost $40,000,000.00 for this assessment. This includes salaries of almost $30,000,000.00, operating expenses of almost $7,500,000.00 and "miscellaneous" expenses of over $2,600,000.00. Residential property owners are being asked to pay $27,606,751.00, and business owners are being asked to pay $9,788,000.00 to maintain and improve our fire departments which already have a rating of 2 and 3 (with 1 as the best). AND THIS DOES NOT EVEN INCLUDE NEW TAXES AND FEES THAT WILL BE NECESSARY TO PAY FOR UPGRADING THE ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT - ALS -SERVICES!!!

You should be asking yourself why this is necessary. Is it worth the cost to fix what isn't even broken? How much will the new fees and taxes cost us to pay for upgrading the advanced life support? How much will our goods and services cost that will be passed on to us by every local business that provides goods and services? Will response times be increased, and if so, by how much? What amount of our health insurance is already being paid to the Sumter and Villages Fire Departments for claims they make? Is there double-dipping going on by the County charging us and also getting paid by insurance? What will the commissioners do with all of the property tax money they will be saving by charging this new tax?

I am ashamed of this attempt by our so-called conservative leaders to charge us with another tax because that's what this is. This is just another example of the government getting fatter with out-of- control spending. I have lived in this community for over 40 years, and I have watched things grow the right way with other commissioners that were in charge before this group. I will do everything I can to show the people of Sumter County the truth. In my opinion, all of our commissioners are RINOS that only want to raise our taxes and make government bigger! They need to be replaced. When election time comes around again, I will only support candidates that have true conservative values and not abuse their power to tax us.

It's time to stand up and be heard. You now have some facts – don't complain about local businesses raising costs after it's too late. Don't be sheep! Let your commissioners know that Sumter County does not need this unnecessary tax!

Terry Yoder
Citizen of Sumter County Business Owner in Sumter County True Conservative
Patriot

Friday, June 30, 2023

JOHN H. DURHAM caught lying to Congress

Cover-up artist, dirtbag, JOHN H. DURHAM, lied to Congress, in Violation of 18 U.S.C. 1001 and needs to go to prison for 5 years. https://www.uncoverdc.com/2023/06/28/durham-ignored-his-assignment/

Thursday, May 25, 2023

J6 Sick sentence and DeSantis statements

Corrupt DC Judge Mehta Lectures Oath Keeper Founder Stewart Rhodes Then Sentences Him to 18 Years in Prison for January 6
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2023/05/corrupt-dc-judge-mehta-lectures-oath-keeper-founder/

What Ron DeSantis Has Said About Jan. 6
In the aftermath of the attack, DeSantis issued a statement condemning the violence which occurred that day while praising law enforcement's attempts to protect the Capitol building from the mob.
"Violence or rioting of any kind is unacceptable and the perpetrators must face the full weight of the law," DeSantis said in a statement. "The Capitol Police do an admirable job and I thank them for their hard work."
On January 7, 2021, DeSantis repeated his condensation of the rioters during a press conference regarding the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It was totally unacceptable and those folks need to be held accountable. And it doesn't matter what banner you're flying under, the violence is wrong," the governor said. "The rioting and the disorder is wrong. We're not going to tolerate it in Florida."

Source: https://www.newsweek.com/what-ron-desantis-said-jan6-donald-trump-1718947

May 25, 2023 reversal, pressure works, but can you trust him? https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/desantis-says-ll-consider-pardoning-175556611.html

Monday, May 22, 2023

AZ provides solution to election problem

The Problem: The machines can not be trusted, as this video proves.

The solution: Demand your state legislature Do what Arizona did, immediately. Demand a special Session if necessary. This is the blueprint to a safe and secure election in 2024.

Senator Wendy Rogers Explains this to Steve Bannon on the Warrroom

https://americasvoice.news/video/YvK3pa3HttcC2pg

Friday, May 5, 2023

DACA Reform

Biden Seeks to Open Health-Care Subsidies to DACA Recipients

President Joe Biden will seek to open access to Medicaid and subsidized health insurance to immigrants who are part of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, in a bid to bolster the beleaguered measure for those brought to the US illegally as children. Comment Now

DACA recipients would have access to health care through Affordable Care Act Marketplaces, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program

Under a new proposed rule from the Department of Health and Human Services, those participating in the program would be deemed to have a “lawful presence” in the US. As a result, the roughly 600,000 DACA recipients could qualify for free health insurance if their income level is low enough, or subsidized insurance on Obamacare exchanges if they don’t receive insurance from their employer.

The move is a significant shift from the initial implementation of DACA, which allowed certain undocumented immigrants to avoid deportation and receive work permits, when aides pitched it as specifically limiting access to government benefits. A significant number of DACA recipients may qualify for subsidized insurance under the expansion.

The White House has hoped to expand the DACA program, but that effort has been put on hold by federal courts, which have prohibited the administration from processing new applications. Biden has also called on Congress to provide those brought to the country illegally as children a pathway to citizenship.

To be assured consideration, comments must be received at one of the addresses provided below, by June 23, 2023. COMMENT NOW

This proposed rule would make several clarifications and update the definitions currently used to determine whether a consumer is eligible to enroll in a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) through an Exchange; a Basic Health Program (BHP), in States that elect to operate a BHP; and for some State Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIPs).

To read the proposed rule, Click Here
CMS Press Release Click Here

For and Against

Those in favor

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer: “Dreamers deserve access to health coverage in the only country they call home. I applaud President Biden for this highly impactful policy change that will improve the lives of so many!” [Tweet, 4/13/23]

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin: “DACA holders are American in every way but their paperwork and are an important part of our nation & our economy. Extending ACA health insurance options to them is humane and simply common sense. Congress’ decades long failure to do the right thing for Dreamers is inexcusable.” [Tweet, 4/13/23]

Senator Bob Menendez: “I’m glad to see the Biden Administration taking steps to recognize that DACA recipients have been waiting for over decade for Republicans to come to the table to give them a path to citizenship.” [Tweet, 4/13/23]

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi: “Our Dreamers enrich their communities and make America more American. As Democrats fight for a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, we commend President Biden for ensuring their access to quality, affordable health care.” [Tweet, 4/13/23]

Those against

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) issued the following statement after the Biden administration announced an illegal plan to, without congressional approval, alter the definition of “lawful presence” to give health care benefits to individuals in the United States under the DACA program:

“Rather than focus on policies that will lower the American people’s incredibly high health care costs, President Biden is attempting to send taxpayer dollars to health insurance companies to subsidize coverage in a manner that is expressly prohibited by Obamacare and Medicaid. Worse, this radical attempt to please his base comes just before he is set to end crucial Title 42 border protections.

“This administration’s open border agenda is creating more incentives for people to enter our country illegally, which leads to more instability for law enforcement, weakens our safety net programs, and drives us further into debt. Ultimately, this illegal action will threaten the security of the American people.

“Time and again, President Biden has demonstrated more concern with scoring political points with the radical left than abiding by the rule of law, reining in inflationary spending, or keeping Americans safe. Our committee looks forward to hearing from the HHS Inspector General next week regarding this and a host of concerning issues.”

BACKGROUND:

Obamacare prohibits illegal immigrants from purchasing health coverage through health insurance exchanges and receiving subsidies for such coverage.

Congressional Research Service: “Undocumented individuals (individuals without proper documentation for legal residence) are prohibited from purchasing coverage through an exchange, even if they could pay the entire premium. Because the ACA prohibits undocumented individuals from obtaining exchange coverage, these individuals are not eligible for the PTC.”

As recently as July 2022, the Biden administration affirmed that individuals with DACA status were not eligible to enroll in coverage through the marketplace.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: “Individuals whose immigration status is unverified and individuals granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status are not eligible to enroll in coverage through the Marketplace, even at full cost, although they may be able to purchase coverage outside the Marketplace.”

Submission of Public Comments:

Comments must be received on or before June 23, 2023.
In commenting, please refer to file code CMS–9894–P.
Online: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Note: Regarding a Proposed Rule, it is important to write the agency of jurisdiction. Please use the above links to contact the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.