Dear Hernando County Republican Party,
Apparently, you all have woken up to the fact that the school boards are a major problem. It’s about time you finally realized this. Better late than never I guess. The rest of us have been fighting to get Patriots elected to the board since July, and even longer. While it’s easy to blame the Democrats for the recent property tax hike, given that they did it, the blame needs to be shared equally. Everyone dropped the ball here.
While the Democrats on the school board deliberately crafted a poorly worded tax referendum in 2020 they didn’t vote it into law themselves. No, the blame for that falls on the shoulders of a poorly informed and un-motivated (lazy) electorate who foolishly voted this 20% property tax hike into law despite being warned not to for months. This same electorate voted Prescott, Hatch, and Duval into power to begin with as well. Equally at fault for this blunder is the absent Hernando County GOP who through total negligence allowed the Democrats to gain power on the board so they could get this poorly worded tax referendum on the ballot in the first place.
So in the grand scheme of things I put the blame on the local Republican Party for the sad state of the school board in Hernando. They will throw everything and the kitchen sink at the US Congress, state legislature, and county commission, but for whatever reason, they almost always ignore the school board.
Sorry, this will be a long gripe, but I’m old so I’ve earned my right to make long incoherent complaints.
I know that the school board is supposed to be Non-Party Affiliated (NPA), but let’s be honest everyone knows it’s not. We have 3 Democrats on the Board and 2 RINOs who jump every time the Democrats tell them to do so. It’s rather pathetic to watch so-called Republicans dance for the teacher’s unions and Democrats every 2 weeks. Again, very easy to dump the blame on these two RINOs, but let’s be honest with ourselves, they are a minority on the Board, so even if they, magically grew a spine they couldn’t get anything done.
So again I place most of the blame on the back of the local Republican Party and its leadership because the Party knows who the Republicans are, and they know which Republican school board candidates are strong and experienced enough to fix this mess on the school board. They knew what was at stake and they knew the board would hike up our taxes. So despite this, the school board candidates get ZERO support financially or otherwise from the Party.
Why? Well, that is a good darn question. Let’s look at the Democrats for comparison and how they deal with school board races…
– The Hernando Democrats will move heaven and earth to fund and support their candidates, while the Hernando Republicans dump all of their money into State and County races like it is still 2005.
– The Hernando Democrats will ensure that they only have 1 Democrat running in each race in the County, while the Hernando Republicans average around 3 in each race which only helps the single Democrat get elected. For the record, we have 2 Republicans in each race right now and I would not be surprised if we saw more jump in before August to help the Democrats get re-elected.
– The Hernando Democrats will make sure that their radical leftist voting base knows to show up in August to vote for the school board instead of November long after the school board races are done. Meanwhile, the bulk of Hernando Republican voters don’t even understand that the school board elections are NPA, much less that they occur in August.
– Heck, last time I checked the Hernando Republican Clubs are still holding their meetings on Tuesday’s which conflicts with the School Board meetings!
Why? Again, all good questions, and again let’s not forget the voters and their part in this colossal screw-up.
I’m a retired Vietnam Vet, I’m seriously disabled, deaf in one ear, blind in one eye, and I don’t have a left hand. I mostly get around with a cane and a lot of help. Despite my present condition, my age, and the handicaps I suffer with I managed to get up and get out to meet all of the Hernando Republican school board candidates. Some I have been able to meet twice. I must say that I’m very impressed with three of them (Shannon Rodriquez, Jenn Licata, and Monty Floyd) that I will support and do whatever I can to help them get elected. Can you say the same? What is your excuse for not getting out and doing your Civic and Patriotic duty?
Oh, that’s right, there was a neat reality TV show on or that big football game. I guess Juvenal was right when he said… “Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt.” Well, at least he was right in regards to Hernando County. It’s easier to herd cats than to get the people of Hernando County out to do anything worthwhile or inform them about an important matter.
I’ve attended three school board meetings this year, and my kids are in their late 40’s and early 50’s, but guess what I pay taxes just like a lot of you, and I pay a lot of taxes. So I’m going to show up and give those crooks on the board a piece of my mind. Why haven’t you shown up?
So to everyone who is out there right now mad as hell about their taxes going up, it’s easy to shake your fist at the heavens and pass the blame onto the Democrats, but really how many of you have bothered to do anything to ensure that we have qualified, experienced, and red-blooded American patriots on that board to begin with? Where has my party been at? Why are voters allowing the Democrats to control a board with the power to ruin us through mismanagement and tax hikes?
So you are made about the taxes and you want to blame someone for the money that is being stolen from you by the School Board? Well, most, not all, but most need to look in the mirror if you want someone to blame.
Sincerely,
F. Shepherd
PS – I hope this upsets voters and upsets those in the Hernando GOP. Both of you needed a swift kick in the rear, I only pray that this tough love was enough to wake you up and get you all active. This is not a game.
