The Tampa Bay Buccaneers plan to raise ticket prices again next year, the sixth year in a row. ...more

February 22, 2008

Highlands County officials have every right to be upset with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. That's because he's apparently broke his promise to Highlands County and every other "fiscally constrained" county in Florida that will take a big tax hit. The citizens of Highlands County should be just as upset and make sure the governor's office knows about it. ...more

February 21, 2008

I read an article by Marsha Mercer in the Feb. 10 paper about the Clintons that raised the proverbial red flag of caution for me. First, Mercer makes mention of the fact that the Clintons are stonewalling any and all attempts to release any papers from the Clinton Presidential Library, notably the notes, memos and appointment calendar of Hillary while she was first lady. What are the Clintons afraid of that they do not want people to know about her? Secondly, Mercer mentions Hillary's strong desire for universal health care. The thing that got my attention about this subject was, quote, "Hillary's health care plan forces everyone to buy insurance even if they could not afford it." Hillary has said that her administration might garnishee the wages of those who could afford to buy health care insurance but refused to. ...more

February 15, 2008

Whether you're an individual or you're filing on behalf of a family of five, you can use the service. ...more

February 7, 2008

Anisha Washington draws her neatly starched uniform from a dingy bureau in the crowded shotgun house she shares in a hurricane-crippled neighborhood. ...more

January 26, 2008

Some people in Highlands County don't like hearing that to attract a top-level county administrator that the wages must be drastically higher than what's currently being paid. The truth, though, is that you get what you pay for. Highlands County and our cities have gotten off light on what they pay administrators. Elsewhere across the United States, these are well compensated positions and for good reason. City and county administrators must juggle so many constituents, and try to make the most people happy while looking out for the well being of whatever entity they serve. Sometimes making people happy and doing what's best are impossible to balance. ...more

January 16, 2008

I know editorials are opinion pieces, but opinions that make it to your editorial page should have at least some remote basis in fact. What facts do you have to back your assertion that the rising number of voters registering as independents reflects dissatisfaction with the major party candidates? Surely, you don't mean there is a tide of support for independent candidates, since for all practical purposes there aren't any. Do you have surveys, polls, interviews, etc. to support your statement? Worse, you then lapse into repeating the insipid populist pabulum that we have sent so many jobs overseas that wages have not kept pace with the economy. You really should check the facts. Trade has increased over 10-fold since 1960 to nearly $3.5 trillion –– more than one fourth of our total economy. If it caused unemployment and lower living standards, we would all be on welfare by now. Instead: Real GDP more than doubled, we added 81 million jobs, real per-capita and median incomes rose by a third, inflation and unemployment fell to historically low levels. We still manufacture twice as much as China and the combination of manufacturing, mining, and agriculture as a percent of our GDP remains at near record highs. Yes, the number of people working in manufacturing is declining. The same is happening in nearly every country, including China (where the number of workers in manufacturing has fallen 10-15 percent in recent years). We are witnessing the same miracle in manufacturing today that we saw in agriculture in the mid-20th century. Fewer people making more. It doesn't mean we have more unemployment; it means we have more stuff. ...more

January 15, 2008

A local political spokesperson said the reason there are so many people listed as independent voters these days is due to motor vehicle registrations, when people don't know what to put down for party affiliation. That's partially true, but there's something much bigger going on that neither major party seems to grasp. People are tired of the candidates they elect being so out of touch with their needs. During campaigns, these politicians seem all ears on the issues of the day. They talk about the problems, offer multiple-point plans on how to address then. Then, once elected, nothing is improved and special interests always hold much more sway than constituents. It's no wonder so many people are dropping party affiliations and becoming independents. ...more

January 10, 2008

"Although the absolute numbers seem large and impressive, they are small compared with the existing tax revenues and local economy." - Dennis Coates and Brad Humphreys, Cato Institute, "The Stadium Gambit and Local Economic Development" ...more

December 21, 2007

Floridians are feeling wealthier because incomes in the state are finally nearing the national average. But at the same time, Florida badly trails the nation in number of bachelor's degrees awarded and other educational achievements. ...more

December 5, 2007