Talk of The Villages Florida - Rentals, Entertainment & More
Talk of The Villages Florida - Rentals, Entertainment & More
#91
|
||
|
||
"Bubba & Son" ... that is priceless!
Actually, I think their names are Mark G(ary) Morse and H(arold) Gary Morse. |
|
#92
|
||
|
||
Quote:
But who's counting? |
#93
|
||
|
||
Quote:
Also, the Morses may be flawed, but it's certainly easier for me to justify the Morses than Mussolini! Good grief. |
#94
|
||
|
||
A reply to Cabo35
Quote:
Thanks for your response. You make very vigorous and well-reasoned points and criticisms, and I respect them. They are the kind of arguments that can make this Forum a worthwhile place to exchange views. In fact, I was going to leave the subject alone, thinking that I had said what I wanted to say. But I will return to it to vigorously explain why I disagree with just about everything you say. The Mussolini analogy. I never meant to equate the Morses, with Mussolini. Mussolini killed people. The Morses allegedly only kill deer and elk out of season, without a license, and then leave their carcasses to rot in the field. I actually doubt if many readers interpreted my remarks to mean that l thought the two types of crimes are morally equivalent. Yes, I know that the defendants have not been found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a jury of their peers, but let's be realistic. At this stage of the judicial process, several governmental officials and organs (including, from news reports, a grand jury) have concluded that they probably are guilty. In any event, my analogy to Mussolini and the people of Italy was meant to indicate that just because a leader does a good job of running an orderly society, one should not overlook their bad deeds since an unethical leader can cause some very bad things to happen to his society. Poaching, in my view, can hardly be considered an activity that an ethical person would engage in. Whether or not it is a felony in New Jersey is irrelevant. It is a felony in Montana. With respect to your statement that the Daily Sun did carry the poaching story, you have to be kidding. Only after the news appeared in papers throughout the country and virtually everybody here already knew about it, did the Sun finally report it. The report appeared on about page 9, with the title (in small print) to the effect of "Floridians charged in alleged game-law violation in Montana". The scanty references in the Sun to the IRS investigation have been similar and belated. I can cite other examples. This censorship doesn't bother you at all? It bothers the hell out of me. A lot of newspaper owners would tell their editors, "Report all the facts, and let the chips fall where they may." The IRS Investigation I am very well aware that there are numerous other Community Development Districts in Florida that have also sold tax-exempt bonds and that those CDDs may be adversely affected by the outcome of the IRS investigation. I suppose that this may work to the benefit of The Villages Center Districts. I don't feel qualified to express my personal views on the merits of the IRS's claims; however, the potential costs of the IRS's sustaining its position are fairly easy to calculate. While other CDDs have issued tax-exempt bonds, to the best of my knowledge, none of the other CDD developers have set up the equivalent of our center districts, where all the property is owned by the developer and all the board members are appointed by him. The IRS (and the class-action lawsuit) allege that this structure enables the developer to essentially sell the amenities and other property to himself at an artificially high price and pay the price with tax-exempt bonds. The IRS complains that the result is an over-issuance of tax exempt bonds, at the expense of the US Government. The class-action lawsuit complained that another result was such high debt-service costs that the Villages Center Development District was not financially able to fulfill its obligations with respect to furnishing amenities to The Villagers. Am I rooting for the IRS to prevail, as you claim? Of course not, because if the IRS does prevail and if the resulting costs are not passed on to the Developer by the Center Districts, then you, I, and every other Villager will have a big problem to resolve. In trying to do so, we will have no homeowners' association to represent us (other than the POA, which has no dues-assessing power and which, thanks to the Developer's subsidizing the competing VHA, has a relatively small membership). In any event, nothing that you or I say here is going to affect the outcome of the IRS investigation. Effect on Potential BuyersAs to your concern that posts like mine are scaring off potential buyers, the facts that I cite are a matter of public record and can be discovered by any potential buyer with access to the internet. Are you really saying that these facts, and they are facts, should be hidden from prospective buyers? Certainly, they do represent negative factors to be considered in deciding whether or not to buy here, but in making any investment, there are always positives and negatives. A prospective buyer is certainly entitled to know what the negatives ones are. So, let's put the above negatives in perspective. There are offsetting positives. IF you want a place in Florida and you buy a house here instead of along the coast: you are much safer from hurricanes, crime, and traffic congestion, plus you will have access to a great life-style. My basic point is, let's be honest with each other, and let's not drink the Developer's Kool Aid without checking what's in it. All positives and negatives considered, I'm staying here, and Cabo35, I'm glad that you are apparently staying too. |
#95
|
||
|
||
Advogado - Touche ......good post. I suspect there is more agreement than conflict in our assessments. Perhaps are viewpoints are somewhat at odds but I believe we both want to see this community succeed and continue to be the standard by which others are measured for quality of life. Your comments on the IRS investigation make a complex subject easier to read and digest than many other attempts to explain it....including the Orlando paper. I'm sure TOTV members will agree.
Have a good day in The Villages. |
#96
|
||
|
||
Quote:
__________________
Lexington MA, Chelmsford MA, Nashua NH, The Villages, Florida Most people walk in and out of your life, but FRIENDS leave footprints in your heart. "Being kind is more important than being right." By Andy Rooney |
#97
|
||
|
||
Cabo, Advogado,
Thank you for your well-reasoned arguments. They definitely made for good reading - and thinking!
__________________
Holyoke, Mass; East Granby, Monroe, Madison and Branford, Conn; Port Clyde, Maine; North Myrtle Beach, SC; The Village of Bonita (April 2009 - ) |
#98
|
||
|
||
Quote:
__________________
Oldcoach Ed "You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails" "Be yourself - everyone else is taken" |
#99
|
||
|
||
"Absolutely agree - I am a prospective Villager, and NONE of the negative news about the developers gives me one moments doubt of my desire to live there. In fact a prevailing opinion that the developers are infallible, and that news negative to them should not be brought to light, would give me more pause than knowing that many of my neighbors were interested in the truth no matter where it falls. And since I was the one who brought up Hitler, and stated that I was in no way comparing the Morse's to him, I will say again that the analogy was used as an extreme example of people turning their heads to moral depravity because their lives are generally improved. The Villages concept is a fabulous and successful one which will likely outlive the developers and survive any personal missteps they continue to make." -- Oldcoach Ed
From my view, I disagree. I too have considered looking at the Villages as a place to retire. A developer who has such a lack of respect for life certainly makes me think twice about giving him any part of my hard-earned money. I consider a person who poaches or mistreats animals, on the same moral level as someone like the dogfighter football player -- (someone or another) Vic. I certainly would never turn my head to that sort of behavior just because the Villages is such a nice place to live. And...I really thank the original poster here for bringing this to my attention, it should be brought to light. |
#100
|
||
|
||
Quote:
I too thank the original poster for bringing this up and beleive in truth and justice being vigorously pursued. I intend to buy a previously owned property so relatively little of my home purchase dollars will find their way to the developer. What money of mine does end up in the developers pocket will be well deserved, as it will be a reward to them for providing a great community in which to live.
__________________
Oldcoach Ed "You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails" "Be yourself - everyone else is taken" |
#101
|
||
|
||
Mermaid,
You now are not going to consider living in The Villages because one of the Developer's sons is charged (not yet found guilty) of poaching game (hunting on his own property without a personal hunting license)? You equate this to running a dog fighting ring like Michael Vick? Did that sirloin steak you had for dinner come from a cow that committed suicide? Did that lobster do a swan-dive into the pot of boiling water thinking he was competing for Lobster Olympics? If you are a total vegan, you are in a class by yourself. If you eat eggs, think about the chickens in the little cages; if you drink milk, think about the dairy farms. There is animal cruelty in all of those things so do not get on a high horse (no pun intended) about hunting showing a lack of morality. I do not hunt but that is my personal choice and I do not condemn others for doing it. Wait for a verdict before condemning anyone. |
#102
|
||
|
||
Poaching on his own land? Oh, that makes it ok, sort of like doing a crime is fine if you are in your own space! LOL
Now I have a couple of potential questions about the Villages, and am very interested to know about a place before I would move there. Who wouldn't? I'm sure you & everyone else who moved down checked the place out first. I want to live in a place where I am comfortable with, for lack of a better word, the ambiance. This extends to the developer as well. Unfortunately, I have read, on these boards, many comments about liberals & their politics; about ethnicity, and generalities about those less fortunate than the middle class. This last episode concerning a creep (developer) who thought nothing about cutting off the legs of an animal so he could get a better ego photo op was really disturbing. All this gives me a lot to think about. However, I was pleased that most of the comments here showed that the residents were very upset about his actions. I really appreciate the information that I glean from here, and enjoy reading all the comments. As for my eating habits, we live out in the country, neighbor farmers here supply the food we don't grow ourselves, I know how it is raised. I have a pretty clear conscience. My dietary habits have nothing to do with some bubba poacher who has too much money & no sense of what is right or wrong. We do not hunt either, but as long as it is done legally, and humanely and with the intent to eat, it is acceptable. |
#103
|
||
|
||
Quote:
|
#104
|
||
|
||
Mermaid, I totally disagree with Bogie. Do I like the developer and the conservative nature of many Villagers? Of course not! Do I live happily having an ultra-right neighbor? You betchya (and I even enjoy sharing a meal with them). Do I resent not being able to listen to any non-Republican politician on TV property? Yes. Do I think the Daily Sun is a joke as a newspaper? Yuppers, but it serves its purpose -- to let us know what is going on in TV and to sell TV to visitors.
The developer is not The Villages. The people who live here are. You will not find a more generous group of people anywhere on this planet than you will find here. You drop your wallet and the odds are it will be returned completely intact (other than trying to find out how to contact you). You broke your leg? Be prepared for everyone on your street trying to help take care of you. Your house burned down? Don't be surprised if complete strangers offer their home to you. Since the Morses want to sell homes and make money, they do an excellent job of maintaining the common properties. Thanks to volunteers, there are lots of clubs to join, things to do. The golf courses are pretty well-maintained. The rec centers are well-decorated, always clean, have almost anything you need for any game or sport. TV is not perfect -- not even for a conservative -- but it is a pretty dang good place to live and enjoy. Don't judge it on its political leanings nor by the developers. They've done a good job of building TV. They're human; they use bad judgment at times. They can be as arrogant and self-centered as any human, especially a human with money. But they're not The Villages! BTW -- It was not a Morse who cut the legs off the elk for the photo op -- it was Rainey.
__________________
Army/embassy brat - traveled too much to mention Moved here from SF Bay Area (East Bay) "There are only two ways to live your life: One is as though nothing is a miracle; the other is as though everything is a miracle." Albert Einstein |
#105
|
||
|
||
Mermaid,
Redwitch is absolutely right about The Villages being a slice of Heaven with wonderful people all around. I am thankful every day that my wife and I moved here. You will not be able to grow your own food here except for a few tomato plants, etc. Definitely, do look into the meat and fishing industry to see what kind of cruelty goes on there and you will see a hunter not being such a bad character. Hunting on your own 50,000 acres should not be a crime - and isn't a crime in Montana - unless you are a non-resident owner. The outfitter's license was supposed to suffice for all the persons hunting but actually was a sting operation. A well paid lawyer will get them off. |
Closed Thread |
|
|