Today's installment.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...1664810.column

Wow, that little piece of journalism was breath taking! NOT! I can't believe that someone paid her for that. The Shadow ("where the light don't hit" - see definition in previous post) should be thrilled.

Xavier

I haven't read it yet. I need a couple cups of coffee first. Waiting to see what The Shadow says.

I read (quickly) all of The Shadows posts. Most seem to be about the IRS issue and I can't seem to find many other subjects except for some about The St. Johns river aquafer. Lauren Ritchie has written some articles on the Florida water issue too.

Shadow, are you a fan of Lauren Ritchie or are you her?

I know Lauren Ritchie reads this forum and she has posted directly here. I will see if I can find some of her old posts.

It really doesn't matter. It probably will make me feel bad and angry no matter who wrote it. This is about our beloved Villages! It is unsettling and disturbing and .... I know most of you feel just as I do.

There’s not a lot of new information in the second column, but there are a couple of interesting revelations. The fact that the Servadio, the IRS Agent, is out of the picture and another agent has been assigned could be a good thing. I'm a professional negotiator, and know that sometimes you need to change negotiators in order to get a settlement, as people often become entrenched in their positions. Second, it seems that the IRS is continuing to press for a settlement offer that really isn't much of an offer at all. It basically requires the development district to unwind the entire deal by calling the tax free bonds, paying the back taxes in full, and agreeing never to issue tax free bonds again. That's not a settlement offer - that's surrender. I doubt any developer as wealthy and powerful as the Morse family would capitulate - they might settle, but never on the IRS' terms. I'm bothered by Ms. Ritchie's last sentence, "Millions of dollars are still at stake, and the future for homeowners in The Villages is no more clear when this investigation started several years ago." If Ms. Ritchie is concerned about the homeowners in the Villages, she should investigate the possible impacts on Villagers (if any) should the IRS win this argument.

This isn't a jab at Lauren Ritchie, just a fact. If there was anything news worthy to report; there would be a news story. Not a personal op/ed column.

Ritchie's beat is the area encompassing TV which is a large population area and could mean many subscriptions to a financially suffering newspaper. Any information about TV has to come through TV officials unless she does some hard work to come up with news on her own. I'm sure that is a tough beat to cover and causes many hard feelings on the part of a reporter.

Even after filing a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act, Ritchie had to take her information about TV and the IRS into an editorial budget meeting and her editors asked her what news worthy updates she could supply. She told them what new information she had obtained. Her editors made the dicision to go with a column and not a news story. Big difference between news and personal commentary/opinion columns.

Newspapers are in big trouble these days. Column writers love attention. It justifies their jobs. The Orlando Sentinel is part of the (Chicago) Tribune Company. When their publisher quit in 2005, they didn't hire a new publisher. They combined publishers with another Tribune property in Florida. Times are tough guys.

The Tribune Company is in debt up to their eyeballs. They made a big decision and announcement about two years ago to measure their journalists based on productivity and their interaction with their communities. They slashed the news to advertising ratio. Jobs have to be justified. I'm sure Ritchie loves the attention, good or bad, her columns about TV garner. You decide.

No I am not thrilled. I was hopping for some information that would indicate what the possible resolution to this dispute might be. For someone not up to speed on the issue the two articles were probably helpful, to me it was recycled news.

I will explain the obvious.

Per gg, “Most seem to be about the IRS issue and I can't seem to find many other subjects except for some about The St. Johns river aquafer".

I prefer to deal in fact not opinion, subjects backed by documentation, math, science, history.

When I comes to topics like,
Air Conditioner Breakdowns.
Do you have your names on your golf cart?
Stolen cell phone.
'Ding Dong' ice cream vehicles at TV?
I do not read that stuff, I would rather spend my time at the square watching the ladies line dance.

HomoSexual Males in The Villages??
I must admit you all had me talking to my self on that one. The picture in my mind is two men in the middle of SS Square on a beautiful evening, in each others arms, playing tonsil hockey and me loosing my lunch. I could see no point in getting verbally battered by all you hockey fans.

Totally off subject, Monday night I went to Katie Belle’s to see Donna Moore & Dunning Shaw show, what great singing voices, comedy, and really, really funny audience body contact. I recommend it.

Without light you can not have a Shadow. Turn the light off gracie.

bump

Where's the balance?
 

Where is the balance? If Lauren Ritchie is not perpetuating a personal agenda or the agenda of anti-Village interests, where is the balance in her column?

Has the columnist reported on the positive developments that have blossomed and benefited the people of Sumter, Lake and Marion counties as a direct result of the growth of the Villages?

The hospital and copious medical services and resources that came with development would not exist for so many area residents that have availed themselves of its services and care.

The tax revenues from new Village property owners that have improved police, fire, emergency medical, public safety resources, roadways and general municipal service would not exist.

Multiple safe, planned, quality entertainment and shopping venues that are enjoyed by thousands of non-Villagers would be on some one's drawing board.

Not once, to the best of my knowledge, has Lauren Ritchie written about the the evil developer's role in bringing the Charter Schools to the region. Thousands of children benefit from first class facilities and quality educational processes now in place. Not once has Ms. Ritchie written about the scores of Villagers, many with professional education backgrounds, who volunteer and work with kids from the area....who generously donate and raise funds for educational programs. That, from my viewpoint would be a benefit to the area's educational services that would not exist without the development of the Villages....and the "evil" developer's vision.

Has anyone seen an article from Ms. Ritchie about the economic and employment opportunities that result directly from the development of The Villages. Now that would be an interesting series of articles comparing the region's economy and job growth before and after development. It would probably sell papers.....ahhhh.....but wait. It might put the evil developer in a positive light and that would be inconsistent with Ms. Ritchie and the agenda of an assortment of Village bashers. Further, it would require a real journalistic effort accompanied by empirical research and Ms. Ritchie has often reminded us that she is a columnist....not a journalist. She is unencumbered by the journalistic concepts of objectivity and balance. From a personal perspective, I am not a shill for the developer. On balance, I believe he has done more good than bad and I believe that is a net positive.

Notwithstanding those that think her "scare" commentary is beneficial in some abstract way, I believe the dearth of real, in depth reporting on this issue speaks louder than her contrived assaults on the developer and the vicarious, intended or unintended distress it may contribute to Villagers of good will. Thanks to EdVinMass, JMitchell, Gracie, BK, Lamont Cranston, et al for adding intelligent perspective to the issue.

For balance, I guess if I was born and raised here, I may have some resentment about what progress has taken away. A quiet, idyllic countryside dotted with watermelon patches, horse farms, cattle grazing peacefully and fishing holes that never heard the whine of an outboard motor. A lifestyle that insulates you from car, truck and traffic noises. A lifestyle that keeps you from the pollution of progress. Damn Walt Disney and Gary Morse.

Ritchie's article today added very little if any important information to the issue. I do not understand why these last two articles were even written. I think the best thing Ritchie could do is leave TV alone until there is some news on the issue, unless she is willing to write a column on the MANY positive things about TV. JJ

Possibly her way of doing a "bump". Just to remind us it is still there.

Balance
 

BALANCE

Balance, I would like to see some balance in the way the Village residents have to purchase the recreation facilities from the developer. How
about a independant appraisel of the properties and someone involved in the process that has the interests of the residents in mind before we are strapped with a debt for thirty years. The Sentinal didn't start this mess. It was the I.R.S. Lets keep focused on the real problem. Just my thoughts.

WILLY

I want to keep focused! What is the real problem? Since I'm assuming that you will continue to live here, can we expect to see you running for one of the vacant seats? I just know you wouldn't be the type to just sit back and complain anonymously. Okay, lets all get on the band wagon. I'm ready to pull support your way.

Xavier

Makes us nervous
 

The bond issue will not stop me from buying a home when I sell my house. But it is stopping me from buying now! I think I will continue to rent when able and hope it gets resolved soon.

Seems like LR is full of opinions. I do believe there is saying about opinions,,, Let me see " they are like ****@#" and everyone has one...

A Question
 

Having read on the District website the articles regarding this IRS question, I haven't seen anything that explains what has changed from 2003. The IRS previously inquired about the bonds issued previously and the result was in favor of TV. After that ruling, it appears the district issued new bonds for future use. Now, an IRS agent raises a question similar to the one raised previously and we start the process all over again?

Regarding the angry response of the agent to TV going "behind his back", I am reading an article in "Bottom Line" about what to do when the IRS calls. One piece of advice is to ask to speak to the agent's manager's manager. That is up two levels. It appears that is what TV did, and, if my assumption is correct that this inquiry duplicates the one done earlier, I would agree with the strategy of going higher to find out why this is happening given the previous ruling.

I really think learning what has changed either in the IRS code, or the way the bonds were issued relative to previous bonds may go a long way to explaining the why's and wherefore's and the homeowners' risk level, if any.