Watch a little Fox Ed, It is essentially asking many of us to do the same thing. I watch mostly CNN and check on Fox but MSNBC is tooooo bitter for me.

Like most people who live here I was once a big supporter of the views you hold. If you are not a......... at twenty, you have no heart. If you are not a ...... at sixty, you have no mind.

I guess that means, according to the quote, I ha

I guess that means, according to the quote, I have no mind. That's okay, I know lots of People my age that apparently "have no mind", that seem to be quite intelligent.

It all depends where you stand whether one's mind is open or closed.

People who are contemplating moving to The Villages should give Lauren Ritchie a big thanks for offering her opinions on the IRS situation. Her columns are factual, for the most part, and explained in a simple to understand manner, no legal mumbo jumbo. Forewarned is forearmed.

I agree. I hope that potential newbies see her columns and review the information before deciding to buy or not to buy. I too, don't understand the mentality of people who are so afraid to hear of anything that is possibly imperfect about the villages. I learned from an early age, that wherever there are huge sums of money involved, there is huge potential for financial misuse. Apparently the IRS thinks that is the case with the whole bond situation. Frankly I'm glad Ritchie has done her exposé and maybe in the long run we will be thanking her.

Ritchie told the truth> The Developer (VLSI) dominated the negotiations on the sell of the amenities nd told the District what they were going to pay him using his appriasers. so it does cause me some concern that VLSI is walking away profit free

People ouht to ask themselves why is it that after all thes years VLSI still has control of the VCCDD and how long willhe hang on to both VCCDD and SLCCD? VLSI appoints a number of county commissioners and one who was a previous president of villages Homeowner Assoc and utilized Sumter One to keep captive these five commissioners. Most people here don't care as long as they can golf and go out to eat But the chickens will someday come home to roost

Yes, there is potential for abuse.. But why in the world would anyone believe that all people are the same? That all financially successful people and businesses are suspect and corrupt? That is profiling. And it is wrong and it hurts people. Do you think only poor people have feelings? Do you not want your children or grandchildren to be head of a successful company?

In the posts on this subject, I don't think anybody has criticized the Developer's success. However, the Developer's actions regarding the sale of amenity facilities raise legitimate concerns for residents.

While I thank Lauren Ritchie for publicizing the issue, which has been buried and distorted by the Daily Sun, her columns have not been a reliable source of information or analysis. For those members who really want to understand the matter, I would recommend the POA website: poa4us.org. Click on Current Issues and then IRS Investigation.

Who said, or even implied, that all successful or wealthy people are suspect and corrupt? I think your sensitivity on this particular subject is irrational for a usually extremely rational person. All successful people are not corrupt or unethical, or devious, but some probably are. The Morse group has done wonderful things here in TV and deserve to be fabulously wealthy as the result. However, that does not mean that everything they have done is beyond reproach. It is always wise to be vigilant.

I didn't attack your post. I gave you my thoughts as you gave yours to other readers. I seldom take what any columnist says as fact. I prefer to go to sources and develop my own opinions. And why are you making suppositions about news outlets I monitor? I have about 20 news sources on my iPad that I scan frequently. Most are newspapers from various cities around the country. My father taught me to keep an open mind when I was a teenager.

I was not replying to posters in general. Only to THAT post.

You see I have never gone to any political meetings and I have voted both ways in my life. Some people are very involved with political groups and make that known on this forum.

I find that envy of an entire class is wrong or being derogatory toward an entire group is wrong. Not all blacks are criminals and not all successful and financially secure people are bad.

And yet I read people on Facebook who think so. So many people are anti big business. They are for small business until that great person figures out how to make a lot of money honestly...

Good post. The kind of generalities you speak of are what anchors us down not only in the USA but worldwide. We, generally speaking, make no effort to know anyone. We make assumptions and attack. Shame really.

We, who have been on the receiving end of that generalization, tend to become a bit jaded. Yet it continues and another shame.

Exactly. Well said!

But the thread has gone off track. The bottom line is, the Developer set up the Central Districts as entities that could issue tax exempt bonds, which in the eyes of the law, required them to act like political subdivisions. The IRS investigated, and found for a variety of factors, including the fact that the Developer has control of the governing board of the central districts, that the district is not a government that represents the Villagers like a normal political subdivision but is instead an alter ego of the Developer. The issuance of tax exempt bonds was hence deemed illegal, and now it appears the Central Districts are scrambling to make amends. Ritchie is just reporting on the process, and the fact that the Developer made millions on this illegal process.

Why?
 

I don't understand all the animosity toward the Developer(s). My son lived in a condo in Jacksonville for several years (just finished building a new house) and his HOA fee was right at $200 a month with no rec centers and all they offer, one outdoor pool, no golf courses at all, and one "party room". They were saddled with many more restrictions than we have here, as well....no grills, no pets, etc. Seems like we have it pretty good here. By the way, don't know if his community is controlled by an HOA or not now. I will have to ask about that.

As for the bond, when we came here in 2004, the bond structure WAS explained thoroughly to us. No problem.

The reason for the title? Given their own troubles and shenanigans, WHY would you trust the IRS more than the Developer(s)? Or Ritchie, for that matter? She seems to have her own agenda and it is definitely anything but favorable to us. Seems Orlando has enough problems of its own without worrying about us. Why is she not writing about the truly "gated" communities there with all their crime occurring? What are they getting for their monies?