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THE SUNCOAST NEWS

Published: February 11, 2009

In its recent anniversary issue, the New Yorker magazine took a look at the state of affairs here in Florida. Apparently there is nothing amiss in the Empire State worthy of note. So it declares things here a real mess, thanks to the collapse of the real estate market. While it told of some foreclosure hardship tales from southwestern Florida, the ground zero of the devastation, according to the New Yorker, is good old Pasco County.

George Packer, a New Yorker staff writer, apparently paid a recent visit to Pasco and, judging from his article, "The Ponzi State," spent much of his time cruising the S.R. 54 corridor. On his Southern sojourn, Packer, a Yale man, found people selling the last of their worldly possessions out of the garages of their soon-to-be-foreclosed houses. For some reason many of these people have bad teeth and everyone in Florida has a real estate license.

Pasco County, the article took pains to note, played a key role in re-electing George W. Bush as president in 2004. Packer also notes the former president's little brother, Jeb, was twice elected governor of Florida. Packer apparently imagines Florida is now atoning for these sins.

As best we can tell, Packer imagines Florida can cure its housing industry woes if it builds the light rail system Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio is pushing and enacts an income tax and Floridians move back into big cities.

Lest anyone think we're making this up, just read Packer's article. It's a fascinating tale.

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