Do the MAGA fans selling Trump merchandise pay taxes? | Letters

Too much Trump worship

Marketing MAGA: Trump stores open around Tampa Bay and beyond | Sept. 8

It figures these sellers of Donald Trump merchandise are cheating Trump out of his cut of the licensing money. That’s how they “honor” a patron saint like Trump. Of course as Trump’s fortunes dwindle, he’ll care more.

The biggest question was the one this story hinted at, noting “all five stores claim they make a profit.” So, do they pay their taxes? Any taxes, from business, to licensing, to state and federal taxes on earnings? Does anyone think Florida’s Attorney General Ashley Moody will investigate that? C’mon, man!

These people throwing their money away on garbage merchandise also bawl about “inflation” and gas and grocery prices. Maybe they have the money they need, but spend it on garbage, then blame the “libtards” for their tight budgets.

Stephen Douglas, St. Petersburg

Amendment 4

A recent Catholic church invitation to a prayer session falsely refers to Florida’s Amendment 4 on abortion as “deceptive,” which it is not. The amendment is very clear. It protects a woman’s right to make an abortion decision before viability and her doctor’s right to make that recommendation and perform an abortion for health/medical reasons after viability. Amendment 4 prevents the government from making women’s health care decisions while ensuring that abortions performed after viability are made based strictly on a doctor’s assessment of the medical condition of the woman and the fetus.

What is deceptive is the church’s assertion that voting yes on Amendment 4 is a vote for death over life. The opposite is true, as has been demonstrated time and time again since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

I believe that the church’s misguided position on Amendment 4 is well meaning, but if the church is sincerely interested is supporting life over death, it should be praying for common sense gun laws. Now that’s worth storming heaven for.

Russell Moody, Sun City Center

Corporate home ownership

Florida lawmakers stay quiet as corporations buy thousands of homes | Sept. 8

President Harry Truman imposed nationwide rent controls on private housing during and after World War II because of severe shortages of private housing. Those restrictions lasted well after the war and were praised and criticized. Current corporate mass buying of private homes and apartments is a legitimate investment as ownership of private property is a constitutional right secured by the 5th and 6th amendments to the constitution. The right covers tangible and intangible assets but in not absolute under certain conditions.

Housing demand exceeds supply in large numbers, catchup will take years. Many prefer no government intervention but pragmatism and the America dream of a place to live are counter forces. If any level of government decides to intervene, it must allow owners — corporations or mom and pops — a fair return on their investment and impose regulations for only a reasonable time. Some experts noted Truman’s controls lasted too long.

James Gillespie, St. Petersburg

Neglecting properties

Florida lawmakers stay quiet as corporations buy thousands of homes | Sept. 8

Corporations are not just flooding the housing market here in Florida. They are buying homes, neglecting maintenance and renting to whomever can pay the rent. Housing developments that were mostly retiree owned and neat as a pin 40 years ago are now shabby and rundown. Forest Hills East near me is a good (or bad) example. Upwards of a quarter of the lawns are overgrown and often littered with renters’ cars. Few lawns are really neat and edged. Holiday Lake Estates is even worse. That development has really gone downhill with neglected landscaping and, literally, junk piled around some of the houses. We need county workers riding around, taking pictures and citing (or at least writing letters to) the out-of-town homeowners. What is our county commission doing for their pay?

Pete Wilford, Holiday

Who gets the credit?

Gas prices falling, some to below $3 a gallon | Sept. 9

Gas prices fell under $3 a gallon at about a quarter of all Florida fill up stations. Remember when prices were high people put little stickers on gas pumps with a caricature of President Joe Biden pointing to the pump prices that said “Biden did this!” Where are they now?

Woody Isom, Tampa

Trump’s doesn’t get tariffs

Trump vows a 100% tariff on nations that snub the dollar | Sept. 4

For someone who went to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump must have failed the course on tariffs. He keeps talking about putting tariffs on just about everything thinking somehow it will be good for consumers. In the next breath he talks about lowering taxes and the cost of goods.

Trump somehow thinks the exporters pay the tariffs but fails to understand the tariffs are collected on our end. The guy who wants to lower taxes and cost of goods actually will be raising them.

Joseph Marra, Venice

Please, not again

Trump vows a 100% tariff on nations that snub the dollar | Sept. 4

When he was president, Donald Trump’s tariffs and the resulting trade war with China led to spending billions of taxpayer money to bail out struggling American farmers. Tariffs are a tax on the consumer and also on the producers of products that are exported to other countries once those countries retaliate with their own tariffs or refuse to purchase ours. It seems Trump intends to make the same mistake and expect different results.

Michael Glennon, St. Petersburg

Instruments, not guns

In Tampa, a cello instructor teaches at-risk kids more than just music | Sept. 8

What a beautiful story about the young woman, Bethany Thompson, and the positive influence she is providing to those students using musical instruments. It made me think about the young shooter in Georgia, Colt Gray. Instead of his father giving him an assault weapon as a gift last year, perhaps a musical instrument would have been a better choice for that troubled 14-year old.

Marilynn Myers, St. Petersburg