The Miami Herald editorial board: "Crist flubbed his first pick for the Florida Supreme Court, but he will get more chances to show that he represents all of the state's 18 million residents, not just those with a partisan cause." "Court majority in Gov. Crist's hands".
But Charlie and the RPOF said ...
The Palm Beach Post editorial Board: "When Gov. Crist criticized the Florida Supreme Court last week for tossing the tax-cutting Amendment 5 off the November ballot, he was expressing his own and the prevailing belief that Floridians are overtaxed. Not so, says a national study by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. According to the group, the local tax burden on Floridians is 47th."
The Tax Foundation study makes clear what Gov. Crist won't face. Florida doesn't have a rational tax system. Continuing to cut taxes for the sake of popularity does nothing to make the system more rational.
"Study contradicts notion of an overtaxed Florida".
"Now the ground war begins"
"They watched the meteoric rise of an obscure Alaska governor and the ascendance of a presidential campaign that pundits pronounced dead just eight months ago. Now the ground war begins." "Florida Attorney General McCollum: Election will be 'knock-down, drag-out fight'".
"Prolonged impoverishment"
"The average freshman entering the University of Florida this fall had a high school GPA of 4.18 and an SAT score of 1293. That's an admissions standard that likely would have excluded many of the lawmakers and governors who are responsible for it. But the increasing exclusivity of public universities is only one of the deleterious effects of their prolonged impoverishment, and legislative leaders are still offering neither a solution nor an apology."
"The university system, which ranks last in the nation in faculty-to-student ratio and has its lowest per-student state funding in two decades, is in a financial free fall. But lawmakers don't seem to make the connection with their plodding approach to an unprecedented budgetary crisis. House Policy and Budget Committee Chairman Ray Sansom, who is line to be House speaker, seems unperturbed." "Lawmakers failing to save universities".
Alaska's Ronda Storms
Daniel Ruth writes that "it took a nanosecond after the announcement of Palin's veep pick for readers to start noting she was '...an Alaskan version of state Sen. Ronda Storms'" "Que Sarah Sarah: Facing Storms Of Missives Over Elitism And Ethics".
"Maybe Charlie should go run in Alaska"
Mike Thomas: "Life can be so ironic. Here his critics were saying he didn't have the brainpower or resume for a spot on the ticket. And now, taking his place is a former sports anchor with 20 months' experience presiding over an arctic wilderness populated by caribou, oil companies and corrupt Republicans." "Sorry, Charlie: You can't swim with barracuda".
The Zell Corporation defends Palin ...
"Jane Healy: Reaction to Sarah Palin's nomination reeked of unfairness - and hypocrisy".
... bashes unions ...
In a prominent Sunday place in the The Orlando Sentinel we get this pack of lies from derriere wipe, "Mark P. Wylie, president and CEO of the Central Florida Chapter Associated Builders and Contractors in Orlando: "The darker side of labor unions".
... and recreates McBush
The Zell corporation thinks McBush is "a POW turned political rebel", and it uses these words in a "hard new" piece, as opposed to "editorial" .
If government acted this way ...
The Daytona Beach News-Journal editorial board: "When Volusia County initiated talks with Prison Health Services about taking over health care at the county's jails, it should have paid more attention to the caution flags. The company trailed lawsuits and allegations of bad care." Just read it: "Act Corp.-jail pact good; shorter leash for PHS".
I am shocked!
The St. Petersburg Times editorial board: "The first draft of a rule that sets alternative energy goals for Florida looks to be written by the utility industry. ... The goals would rank Florida among the worst in the nation on alternative energy." "Weak backing for new power".
"Drill, Baby, Drill"
The Tampa Tribune editorial board:
McCain, who had previously opposed offshore drilling, is pushing to open protected areas quickly. Republican vice president candidate Sarah Palin told a cheering crowd last week, "The fact that drilling won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all."
McCain and Palin should understand that the choice is not between drilling and doing nothing. The choice is between hurtling forward with a drill-baby-drill frenzy or developing a responsible strategy that balances the risks and benefits - and sets a moon-shot goal for weaning America from foreign fuel.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has done little to advance the debate. After years of standing against offshore drilling, he jumped on the drilling bandwagon as soon as McCain did. Later he said he supports additional drilling only if it is "far enough, safe enough and clean enough," but he's made no effort to define what that means.
Florida should be willing to contribute to a comprehensive effort that helps the nation transition to clean energy sources. While allowing rigs close to shore should be unthinkable, it's worth considering the cost-benefit ratio for allowing rigs, say, 75 miles out.
But the Sunshine State cannot afford to gamble its coast for a half-hearted energy policy that will further fuel the nation's oil addiction.
What's needed is not an angry chant, but a careful and objective look at the risks and benefits.
Crist should take a cue from California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who stands strong against constructing oil rigs in the sunsets of coastal states.
"Call To "Drill, Baby, Drill" Misleads Nation, Threatens Florida". The The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "Nuclear energy is back in the news, and here in Florida, its future remains uncertain. There are, of course, pro and con arguments related to expanding our reliance on nuclear energy, and a full and fair review is essential before Florida plunges ahead." "The right blend"
Whatever
After Palin's "speech", the Dems
lined up two of their top female stars, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Broward County and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, to lay out plans to counter her appeal by showcasing her conservative beliefs and her limited experience in government.
They pointed out Palin's speech was long on attacks on Obama and short on vision for foreign or domestic policy. During an election year when voters are anxious about the war in Iraq, rising energy costs and an anemic economy, Democrats contend that being an ordinary American hockey mom won't be enough. That affinity will only get her so far.
Wasserman Schultz has 9-year-old twins and a 5-year-old. But she said she has been re-elected because she represents her constituents' interests.
"Moms want to know I support the issues important to them," she said. "When you look beneath the surface issues of her being a mom, women voters across the country are going to see there's no there there."
"Palin's pull beyond GOP base is unclear".
While RPOFers pray at the alter of Palin ...
"Arrests. Threats of violence. So-called literacy tests. Those were among the obstacles a young John Lewis fought in the 1950s and '60s trying to register blacks to vote as he fought alongside figures like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for civil rights. But Lewis, now a U.S. congressman from Atlanta, told those gathered at the official opening of the Pensacola headquarters for the Barack Obama presidential campaign Saturday that they don't face those same barriers today." "Civil rights icon helps open Obama HQ".
"Oblique allusions that do not alienate swing voters"
A great one from Dan Moffett: "A large part of the game for Republicans and Democrats from now until November will be finding ways of making oblique allusions to complex issues without saying enough to alienate swing voters. Near the top of the list of complex issues is immigration reform. You haven't heard much about it the past two weeks because it is very difficult to come up with oblique allusions that do not alienate swing voters." "Invisible, like the illegals".
"Money laundering" or a "fee"
"The nation's principal organization of defense attorneys is backing a prominent South Florida lawyer against federal money laundering charges, calling the prosecution an assault on a defendant's right to counsel. The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers wants the case against Ben Kuehne thrown out, on grounds it could chill the willingness of attorneys to defend known or suspected criminals, particularly in drug cases." "Defense attorney group criticizes charges against S. Florida lawyer".
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