Readers' comments on business news

Appliance rebates still on slow cycle | Aug. 13

Incompetence not a surprise

The only question I have other than "where is my rebate?" would be "who is holding the money?" Does the federal government still have it? Or is it the state of Florida earning interest on it? Or, maybe American Express has it. $17 million would generate a lot of interest. Maybe they are all in on it.

The audits of 10 percent of applications is a lame excuse when more than 60 percent of payments haven't been sent out. This stimulates the economy how? We may expect this kind of incompetence when it comes to government, but what are we willing to do about it?

Rob Godfrey, Largo

No dough to fight back Aug. 11

Back off, General Mills; it's not close

Tami Cromar, owner of a small business called My Dough Girl in Salt Lake City that produced gourmet cookies and frozen dough, was forced to change the name of her business by a bully named General Mills, which owns Pillsbury. General Mills claims the name is too close to their Pillsbury Doughboy. Yeah, right, like a small business is going to hurt a multibillion-dollar conglomerate, with a name that's not even close to theirs.

C. Grecco, New Port Richey

State homeowners to get $239 million | Aug. 12

Modifying loans is no easy task

As a homeowner facing foreclosure, I was thrilled to read that we might be getting some help. But the story fails to identify any actual means by which "homeowners" will get the $239 million. Exactly how long will it take to share the wealth? How is the Making Home Affordable program working?

As the story indicates, only 30 percent of applicants have accomplished the mortgage modification. In the case of my family, we have signed three contracts dating back to October 2009 and most recently in early July. In each contract, the loan agreement was modified slightly. In each case, a signed contract by SunTrust was never received. We are living mortgage and rent free until SunTrust completes its end of the bargain.

Doran Cushing, St. Petersburg

Chamber of Commerce acting against members

Picks detrimental to businesses

The Chamber of Commerce recently announced its endorsements for each of the Tampa Bay legislative seats, recommending every incumbent for re-election.

With record high unemployment and an environment that is forcing many of its own constituents to close their doors, one would have thought the chamber might utilize it to put forward a clear agenda for turning the economy around.

Instead, it has decided to stand behind candidates whose only common attribute is that they are the current office holder, even going so far as endorsing those who openly support policies detrimental to the businesses that the Florida Chamber of Commerce claims to represent.

Through its actions, the chamber has shown itself to now be nothing more than an unprincipled social club that cares more about throwing a good cocktail party than it does formulating effective public policy.

The chamber can no longer, with any credibility, pretend to speak for the business community of this state. While it may make them feel important to have a long list of incumbents show up to their parties, it's the rest of us stuck paying the tab.

Mike Keller, chairman, Tampa Republican Business Owners