identified too few early voting sites, a paucity of early voting places in predominantly minority neighborhoods and discrepancies in poll-worker training after meeting with elections officials in Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa and West Palm Beach.

"Wave of new voter registrations has swamped the Florida"

"Fueled by a historic presidential campaign, a wave of new voter registrations has swamped the Florida elections office — and prompted state officials to turn to counties for a lifeline." "New voter registration overloads state elections office".

The tip of the iceberg: "In Florida alone, some 600,000 blacks haven't registered to vote, Michelle Obama told a rally on Saturday." "Obama, Biden wives urge new voter registration".

Yesterday: "State office is inundated with new voter registration forms". See also "State, counties grapple to register many new voters" and "Potential voters urged to use official registration forms".

"Mood unfavorable" to three PBC GOPers

"They've got clout and campaign cash. Their names — Jeff Atwater, Adam Hasner, Ellyn Bogdanoff — signify power in the state capital. But back home, they're part of a disappearing breed of Republicans in Florida's liberal stronghold, Broward and Palm Beach counties."

This election year, they're facing uncertain political futures, battling not only Democratic opponents but voter angst over the economy, dissatisfaction with political leaders and a tarnished Republican brand.

Compounding the problem is a surge in Democratic and independent voter registration that has chipped away at the share of Republican voters in these districts.

"Broaden your search for deficit solutions"

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "The Florida Legislature's joint budget commission agreed earlier this month to take $672 million from the state's rainy-day funds to meet obligations and try to overcome the budget deficit. Yet another $800 million has to be found somewhere before the year's end and lawmakers are struggling for reasonable places to turn." "Let go, lawmakers".

Say what?

The Palm Beach Post editorial Board:

If William Abramson becomes a judge in Palm Beach County, it will be like filmmaker Michael Moore crashing a meeting of President Bush and the Cabinet. But if Mr. Abramson brings the wrong sort of temperament to the bench, the Florida Bar is bringing the wrong sort of politics to the controversy.

This week, a month after the election, the last of many recounts showed Mr. Abramson 61 votes ahead of Judge Richard Wennet. Though the result hasn't been certified, and Judge Wennet intends to sue, the odds are that Judge Wennet's 24 checkered years on the bench are over. For Mr. Abramson, one of the first issues to deal with might be the fact that he has been suspended from the practice of law.

Well?

Howard Troxler has a problem with

anybody who tries to minimize John McCain's time as a POW.

Not all GOPers are Klansmen ...

... but you can be sure none of them are going to vote for the Dem candidate: "The group has morphed since the 1960s and is trying to shake its violent history. Members don't wear the white robes anymore, except to one cross-burning ceremony a year. And the klan doesn't hate black people, Pendergraft says. 'We just love white people more.'" "KKK gets a taste of Obama-mania".

Obsession obsession

Note: May we respectfully recommend an alternative video product, The Great Schlep. The folks involved in this venture are listed here.

The St. Petersburg Times: "A nonprofit group that has shipped out 28-million copies of a controversial film on radical Islam [Obsession: Radical Islam's War with the West] refuses to reveal the source of its funding, but numerous ties connect it to a well-known Jewish education group", Aish HaTorah. But Aish HaTorah "vehemently denies any involvement with the film."

Ronn Torossian, spokesman for Aish HaTorah, said that his group would in "no way be involved with Clarion Fund or Obsession because Aish HaTorah is a charity and must remain apolitical." ...

Washington tax attorney Marc Owens, who was IRS director of the Exempt Organizations Division for 10 years, says that if IRS investigates and finds a link between the film and Aish, it will ask: Was the film designed or distributed to have an impact on the election? Is this film an inflammatory hate message instead of a charitable, educational message?

"If the answer is 'yes' to either question," said Owens, "the involved charities could lose their tax-exempt status."

Latino study

Go here for "excerpts from the report, ''2008 National Survey of Latinos,'' released last week by the Pew Hispanic Center." See "Hispanics concerned about immigration".

Another "pit bull"

"The Democrats are back in the state House 44 race with a candidate who already is firing criticism at Republican incumbent Rob Schenck. Jason Melton, a 34-year-old Spring Hill lawyer, filed to step into the contest that Brooksville businessman Joe Puglia exited last week to focus on his wife's efforts to fight an illness. Melton said Thursday he had considered jumping into the race this year but decided to focus on his law practice. When Puglia left the race, Melton reconsidered." "'Pit Bull': Spring Hill Lawyer Enters State House Race".

Courtesy of the Florida Legislature

The St. Petersburg Times editorial board writes about one "Lori Polin, an agent for Re/Max International, who worked with attorney Allen Boyarsky to sell a number of homes at artificially high prices."

"Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has brought a lawsuit against Boyarsky and two other 'ringleaders' for violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices act."

The lawsuit claims that they engaged in a mortgage fraud scheme, which also included Polin and two other real estate agents, that cheated lenders of more than $37-million and led to the foreclosure of some 50 homes in Central Florida.

The alleged scam operated through collusion between real estate agents, mortgage brokers and others who set up straw buyers to purchase homes at prices far above the home's initial list price. A mortgage for 100 percent of the purchase price would be taken out, and the extra cash between the mortgage amount and the money used to pay the home seller was pocketed. Then the home would be left to go into foreclosure. The apparent con left behind a path of devastated neighborhoods.

McCollum didn't name the real estate agents as defendants in the suit. Oddly enough, the agents are exempt from lawsuits under the deceptive practices act. Instead, real estate agents are policed by the Florida Real Estate Commission. But the deceptive practices act has teeth that the commission doesn't. McCollum has called on the Legislature to revisit the exemption, and it certainly would be worth examining.

Why should real estate agents be protected from lawsuits under the deceptive practices act when such improper behavior can ruin lives and undermine the stability of entire neighborhoods?

Losers beyond repair

Steel yourself for 8 years of whining like this: "Another Democratic convention".

Stress test

Bill Maxwell: "Each year, thousands of high school students stress out as they prepare to take the SAT or ACT tests to get into college. Many researchers suggest that the singular importance placed on these tests has produced a culture of questionable meritocracy and unfairly blocked thousands of otherwise deserving students from entering the schools of their choice." "Stressful tests don't tell whole story".

"Heads roll"

"Two of state Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink's top administrators have been forced out after an audit found a lack of internal controls for handling billions of dollars in public funds." "Heads roll over close call at state finance office".

Democrats Raul Martinez and Joe Garcia have fired back -- lambasting the brothers as out-of-touch politicians who cater to entrenched special interests, ignoring the needs of middle-class homeowners.

Observers expect the barrage of attacks -- which often twist the facts -- to escalate in the final weeks of the campaign as both parties keep a close eye on some of the nation's most competitive House races.

Idi Amin supporting Obama

How long before the idiots who paid for advertising claiming that McCain won the debate before it began (actually before he had agreed to attend), will be advertising that

Idi Amin, a dictator whose regime was guilty of human rights abuses, political repression, ethnic persecution, and extrajudicial killings by death squads is supporting Barack Obama.

Tricky election stuff

"So many new voters want a say in the 2008 presidential election in Florida that the state needs help from counties to get all those new voters registered in time." "State office is inundated with new voter registration forms". See also "State, counties grapple to register many new voters" and "Potential voters urged to use official registration forms".

Time to get real: "prejudice could cost Obama up to 6 percentage points this fall"

Not exactly news: "a substantial portion of white Americans still harbor negative feelings toward blacks." "shows that blacks and whites disagree tremendously on how much racial prejudice exists, whose fault it is and how much influence blacks have in politics. One result is that Barack Obama's path to the presidency is steeper than it would be if he were white."

As for our neighborhood: "Racial prejudice is lower among college-educated whites living outside the South." "Racial gap is wide, poll finds". However, as the next link shows, credit for the first racial lit drop goes to a Northern state.

Chris Rock may have a point when he says the media is all about: "Let's find the craziest black folks we can find.".

Of course, not all Republicans are racists, but one suspects that most of these folks will vote for McCain: "White supremacist, anti-immigrant group distributes anti-Obama fliers in NJ town" ("a director of the Intelligence Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks white supremacist movements nationwide, said the organization has seen Internet, e-mailed threats and negative talk about Obama in the white supremacist world.")

And what kind of Dems are these?: "Clinton supporters think more highly of Republican candidate John McCain than other Democrats do. Forty-two percent of Clinton backers view McCain favorably, including 71 percent of them who still don't support Obama. That compares with 33 percent of all Democrats who see McCain positively." "Poll shows Clinton backers still think less of Obama and see McCain positively".

Now this, from the Zell Corporation

The Zell Corporation's "Hispanic" correspondent suggests that "the disconnect between the Democratic surge and the poll numbers favoring McCain among Hispanics may reflect presumptuous confidence among Democrats."

There's a difference between registering as a Democrat and supporting Obama. His willingness to meet with Raul Castro, now the point man in Cuba, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an annoying and dangerous antagonist for the U.S., isn't going over very well among conservative Hispanic voters.

Poor Tommy's "rookie mistake"

"In a highly unusual campaign move, U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney will use a new television ad to apologize for his role in the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal. Set to air today, the 30-second spot shows Feeney alone at a kitchen counter telling viewers that he made a 'rookie mistake' as a freshman lawmaker by taking a 2003 golfing trip to Scotland that was paid for by Abramoff -- whom he calls a 'corrupt lobbyist.'" "Feeney in TV ad: Trip paid by Abramoff was 'mistake'"

It would be easier ...

... to get four square behind the "bailout" if at least one of the bankers jumped out of a (at least a two story) window.

Someone like this guy*, maybe.

Anyway, who knew that Orlando was a hotbed of radical activism: "Holding signs and chanting, "No Bush, no bailout," protesters in downtown Orlando on Thursday evening urged rush-hour passers-by to ask members of Congress to vote against the proposed $700 billion Wall Street bailout. Many motorists honked in apparent support as they passed the group of about 15 people ... Protesters ranged from college students to members of the anti-war group CodePink to independent activists." "Opponents of bailout deal state case in Orlando".


- - - - - - - - - -
*Washington Mutual’s "new chief executive, Alan H. Fishman, was in midair, flying from New York to Seattle at the time the deal was finally brokered, according to people briefed on the situation. Mr. Fishman, who has been on the job for less than three weeks, is eligible for $11.6 million in cash severance and will get to keep his $7.5 million signing bonus."

Ask Mr. Fishman for a loan

"Florida Board of Governors seeks more money".

Deep throat revealed

I thought those ink stained wretches weren't supposed to reveal their sources.

"A Boston Globe reporter [one Tania deLuzuriaga] who reportedly sent racy e-mails to a married school official she covered while working in Miami has resigned, the newspaper said Friday."

DeLuzuriaga's resignation comes after a string of e-mails showed up online and in various newspapers detailing what appears to be a romantic relationship between her and Alberto Carvalho while deLuzuriaga was an education reporter for The Miami Herald in 2007. ...

The e-mails include suggestive banter.

"Will you be completely offended if I jump into your arms the next time I see you (place permitting)?" said one e-mail attributed to deLuzuriaga from Aug. 7, 2007.

The e-mail ends with: "Love, love, love you. xoxoxo."

"Will you be completely offended if I jump into your wonky arms the next time I see you (place permitting)?" said one e-mail attributed to a prominent Florida reporter on on Aug. 7, 2004.

The e-mail ends with: "Love, love, love you. see you at the skits. xoxoxo."

While we are on the subject of The Miami Herald

The company, with an otherwise spiffy new web look, in a so-called "Best of the Web" section, apparently can't find a Florida website unconnected to the Republican Party or Florida lobbyists; they instead link to:

Best Of The Web

* alt.campaign
* The Note
* Political Wire
* The Politico
* Real Clear Politics
* Red State
* Sayfie News
* Salon
* Slate: Political Futures

* Florida Progressive Coalition
* Reidblog [The Reid Report blog]
* FlaBlog
* Bark Bark Woof Woof
* Blast Off
* Be Think
* Eye on Miami
* Pushing Rope
* South Florida Daily Blog
* Ybor City Stogie
* Florida Speaks
* Litbrit
* South of the Suwanee
* Smashed Frog
* Pensito Review
* Incertus
* Change in Tallahassee

There are even a few "conservative" Florida blogs:

* Peer Review Florida
* State of Sunshine

Florida editors slam Dems

The Palm Beach Post editorial board The employees of Cox Enterprises, Incorporated, in their never ending attempt to appear "balanced", wants readers to know that both political parties are to blame for the oil thing, and particularly that mean Pelosi person: "Shill, baby, shill!".

We apparently need more GOPers in the House.

The geniuses on the The St. Petersburg Times editorial board agree: "Democrats surrender on drilling" ("That leaves Florida with one less shield against drilling.")

One might ask why Dems from other states should give a damn about Florida - after all, Florida has shown itself to be a reliably red state, whose Dems are largely ... how might one put it ... Debbie - "Don't pull that populist stuff with me" - Wasserman Schultzies.

As Charlie sleeps

"Even after $7-billion in spending cuts, raids on cash reserves and salary freezes for state workers, the Florida budget is not back in the black: Another $800-million in red ink must be erased this year." "Florida's budget may be cut again".

Cox Enterprises, Inc urges socialization of Florida's spinelessness

The Palm Beach Post editorial board The must be "balanced" ... folks at Cox Enterprises Incorporated, whine that "Residents of states with an income tax get to deduct their state taxes on their federal income tax returns. Floridians, along with residents of the other seven states that don't have an income tax, must play 'Mother May I' every two years to keep our version of the deduction." "Renew Florida tax break".

That's tuff as far as we're concerned: if Florida doesn't have the courage to implement a reasonable public finance structure (which might include a progressive state income tax), why should the rest of the nation subsidize our spinelessness.

The Corridor heatin' up

"From the presidency to the state Legislature, candidates are spending big money to reach Central Florida TV viewers -- a key market in a coveted battleground state. Just since the Aug. 26 primary, candidates and political parties have bought nearly $3.5 million of television time, according to an Orlando Sentinel review of records at WFTV-Channel 9, WKMG-Channel 6, WESH-Channel 2, WOFL-Channel 35, WRBW-Channel 65 and Bright House cable channels. And voters can expect the volume to increase in the last weeks before Election Day." "Campaigns spend big bucks for wave of Central Florida TV ads".

Woo Hoo!

"Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is coming to Palm Beach County in two weeks to raise money for John McCain's Republican presidential bid, according to local party officials." "Palin's coming to Boca Raton".

Unless you make more than $250,000 annually ...

"Voters whose bottom line is taxes can use a new online tool to calculate what their own bottom line would be with the IRS under a Barack Obama or John McCain administration."

"The Portland-based company Quantrix says taxpayers who log onto www.electiontaxes.com and enter their income can obtain a free estimate of what they would pay in taxes for 2009 through 2012 under each of the two presidential candidates."

For example, the model indicates that a couple with two children earning $100,000 with $20,000 in itemized deductions would have a net tax bill for 2009 of $9,555 under McCain and $9,002 under Obama. That compares with a $9,505 tax bill for this couple under current law, the electiontaxes.com site says. In another example, a single taxpayer making $50,000 and using the standard deduction would pay $6,867 under McCain and $6,325 under Obama, compared with $6,827 under current law.

"The numbers don't lie"

The St. Petersburg Times editorial board: "The numbers don't lie. Florida's top elected officials, Gov. Charlie Crist and the Cabinet — Attorney General Bill McCollum, Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink — have done a poor job in hiring minorities. Their example doesn't reflect well on a state that has one of the nation's most diverse populations." "Cabinet does poor job on diversity".

Scarborough

Former state Sen. Dan Scarborough, "who also served time in federal prison has died in a Jacksonville nursing home. ... The Democrat was once Florida's second-most powerful senator and served in the Legislature for 14 years, becoming Senate president pro tem. His political career ended in 1982 when he was convicted of mail fraud and extortion and spent 17 months in a federal prison. He maintained his innocence." "Former state Sen. Dan Scarborough dies".

Breaking: poor people can be fed in presence of tourists

"Federal judge: Orlando's law against feeding homeless a civil rights violation". Congrats to Jackie Dowd (The 13th Juror), who was lead attorney for the "motley group of activists who have been feeding the homeless in Lake Eola park" in downtown Orlando.

Whatever

"Florida's undecided voters may hold key to electoral votes".

Erosion

"The high surf warning has ended, and the swells that caused beach erosion across South Florida are diminishing, the National Weather Service in Miami said this morning." "Waves take bites out of South Florida's shoreline".

How should government respond? The view from the Ritz Carlton: "'We're not taking care of things. We need to use taxpayers' money to take care of stuff like this,' said Al Wilson, of Merritt Island, who watched the beach at the Ritz-Carlton in Manalapan." Great point - a perfect use for those "insidious intangible taxes", dontcha think?

Oops!

With "shifting ground in a bitter political fight over insurance rates, both parties may have to watch their step when pushing anybody else down the red carpet of alleged hypocrisy." "Insurers donate to both parties".

Off topic

The Miami Herald editorial board: "The last-minute stay of execution, issued just hours before Troy A. Davis was to be put to death [in Georgia] by lethal injection, buys time for the court to take a closer look at the case."

This is the least that should be done when there are valid questions about whether the right person was convicted and when a human life hangs in the balance. ...

No physical evidence linked Davis to the murder of Savannah officer Mark MacPhail, so DNA is of no use in his case. Davis was convicted on the basis of testimony from nine people, seven of whom have since recanted their statements. The other witnesses are a man believed to be the actual killer; and a second man who initially couldn't identify the killer, but changed his mind two years later at trial

'Ya reckon?

"Race, ethnicity and religion play too large a role in Broward County judicial elections".

His message in the solidly conservative city was clear: strike at McCain on economic issues. "We can't steer ourselves out of this crisis with a driver who wants to go the same way — into the ditch," Obama said, linking McCain to the Bush administration.

He urged the crowd not to be "hoodwinked" and "bamboozled" by the barrage of TV ads his rival is airing. Many cheered — "Get him, Barack!" one woman yelled.

Obama said McCain's solution to the crisis was to blame his opponent. (McCain has two ads closely linking Obama to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which are at the heart of the mortgage meltdown.)

He is expected to arrive in Pinellas County as early as Tuesday, to prep for Friday's debate against Sen. McCain at the University of Mississippi.

Sequestering himself in Florida is a tactical decision, affording Obama privacy as well as media exposure in the battleground state where a new St. Petersburg Times/Bay News 9 poll shows a dead heat.

Campaign officials confirmed the visit but would not say where Obama will stay or whether he would hold a public event. His strategy follows the lead of Al Gore, who went to Longboat Key in 2000 to cram for his debate with George W. Bush.

On Saturday, Obama's outdoor rally drew more than 12,000 people — not including thousands forced to watch from outside the fence at Metropolitan Park.

"Four little words ..."

"Four little words are generating a lot of noise in Florida. It's another sign of how high the stakes are this election year."

The words: "No match, no vote."

They refer to a state law requiring that to register to vote, a person's driver's license number or last four digits of a Social Security number must match numbers in a government database. The requirement took effect Sept. 8.

If there's no match, a county election supervisor must notify the would-be voter, who must rectify the problem by providing proof in person, by mail, fax or e-mail of a matching number. If proof is still lacking, the voter can cast a provisional ballot and has until two days after the election to clarify things.

Some matches fail because of typographical errors by clerks, or illegible handwriting by a would-be voter. The state insists it catches most of those by comparing the database with the scanned copy of the application form.

The Legislature passed the requirement in 2005. Most Republicans voted yes and nearly all 43 opponents were Democrats, the first sign that the exact-match rule was seen as a partisan act that could help Republicans and hurt Democrats.

The NAACP, Haitian-American Grassroots Coalition and others sued to strike down "no match, no vote" in 2007. They claimed poor and minority voters would be most affected.

The League of Women Voters notes that some African-Americans use nontraditional spellings of first names and some Hispanics use paternal and maternal last names.

They lost their lawsuit when U.S. District Judge Stephan Mickle refused to grant an injunction in June. Citing past absentee ballot fraud in Florida, the judge said the law "is justified by the state's compelling interest in fair and honest elections."

Mickle noted that over a 21-month period, the numbers matched in 98 percent of 1.5-million voter registration forms. Critics would argue a 2 percent no-match rate — about 31,000 — is plenty of disenfranchisement in a state where 537 votes once decided the presidency.

Common Cause issued a study on election laws in 10 swing states this week. The author faulted Florida's exact-match standard and said it amounts to vote suppression.

Expect "another presidential cliff-hanger in Florida".

"Deep worries about the economy are setting the stage for another presidential cliff-hanger in Florida." "Florida race still too close to call".

The Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times/Bay News 9 poll (conducted Sept. 14-17 by telephone survey with 800 registered Florida voters. Sampling error plus or minus 3.5 percent) has McCain at 47 percent, and Obama at 45 percent.

Strengthening the economy was cited as the top priority at least three times more often than any other issue, and 49 percent of voters trusted Obama more to improve the economy, compared to 40 percent for McCain. Among independent voters, 53 percent trusted Obama more on the economy, to just 30 percent for McCain.

- "59 percent support oil drilling closer than 125 miles from the Florida coast."

- "53 percent give Gov. Charlie Crist a favorable job rating, down from 57 percent in a January poll."

- "51 percent say Florida is headed in the wrong direction"

A third of voters rated the economy and jobs as the most important issue, followed by oil/gas/energy prices and health care. About 46 percent said they put more trust in Obama to deal with the economy, while 38 percent put more trust in McCain. Sixteen percent were undecided. Women favored Obama over McCain 48 percent to 41 percent; men favored McCain over Obama 51 percent to 42 percent.

Yee Haw!

"A proposal to ban gay marriage in the Florida Constitution is within striking distance of success, according to a new poll. ... The new poll comes as proponents launched an aggressive campaign to spread the word through church congregations." "Gay marriage ban is drawing closer". See also "Undecided voters key to gay marriage ban".

Orlando Sentinel favorite son John Mica, former Chief of Staff for Senator Paula Hawkins, must be pleased.

Huh?

"Florida State University's Board of Trustees voted Friday to give out-of-state students a break in fees in an attempt to improve its student mix and raise revenue." "FSU to give out-of-state students a break on tuition".

The best they could do

"Sarah Palin will be on friendly territory Sunday during a rally at a heavily Republican seniors' community." This explains it ...

There are 661 holes of golf in The Villages -- a Central Florida retirement community of 70,000 ...

MoreBama

"Obama reaches out to women in Florida campaign swing" "S. Fla. women welcome Barack Obama at Coral Gables rally".

Desperate

"Mario Diaz-Balart says his rival should return donation".

Socializing the risk

A few weeks ago, Mike Thomas wrote about a development on Lake Apopka called Bella Collina.

It sprouted during the housing bubble. Speculators paid a half-million for lots on Florida's nastiest, most alligator-infested lake, then flipped them a year later to more speculators for more than a million dollars.

Realizing there are no more suckers on this pyramid, the second set of speculators is defaulting. And the banks are taking the lots back.

Now let's do the math: The developer made money selling the lots. The first buyers made a lot of money reselling them. The second set of buyers lost several thousand dollars.

And now the banks have massive holes in their asset sheets.

As punishment for its incompetence, they now will be allowed to sell those lots to you so they can go on about the business of lending money, perhaps to people who will buy the lots from Uncle Sam.

Given that Florida was a national leader in speculation and fraud, look for our state to become the new Nevada as far as the percent of property owned by the federal government. Maybe Bella Collina could be converted into a bombing range.

The ad that never was

Randy Schultz discusses the Post's political ad last week, that "wasn't labeled as an ad for John McCain." "The secret cell helping McCain".

From the "values" crowd

"Just as a crumbling economy brings about more depression, substance abuse and other mental-health problems, budget cuts are forcing mental-health providers to scale back their services." "Mental health care dollars dwindle".

On a related issue: "Medicaid recipients across Florida accuse the state of illegally forcing them to live in nursing homes." You see,

Obtaining Medicaid-supported services at home is substantially harder than getting placed in a nursing home and often involves a long waiting list, even though it may actually cost less.

Advocates charge that nursing homes have successfully pressured politicians to make qualifying for community care more difficult. The defendants claim the plaintiffs want the courts "to second-guess" the way Florida has chosen to make services available in light of the state's available resources.

"The people"

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: spends some time with an unusual candidate: "John McCain says 'the American people' will be his bosses, not special interests. It's a good line. Of course, there's no way beyond the abstract that the president can work for "the people" because 'the people' don't agree on what the president should do. 'The people' couldn't meet with President McCain every morning to give him his marching orders. Maybe a more local candidate could work for 'the people.' That's the plan of John J. Sottilare, an independent candidate for the Florida House 86 seat held by Democrat Maria Sachs." "'People' vote, but they don't rule".

GOPer-GOTV

The Orlando Sentinel editorial board: "This amendment does more than just target homosexual unions. It puts all manner of domestic partnerships at a possible disadvantage. For example, after a similar measure passed in Michigan in 2004, the state's Supreme Court ruled that public institutions could no longer offer health and other benefits to domestic partners of the same sex. Many institutions found a way around the ruling, but why put people in Florida at risk? Besides, state law already restricts marriage to a man and a woman, and Florida doesn't recognize gay unions performed in other states. This measure seems more like a cynical attempt to bring out the conservative base in a presidential election year." "What we think about Florida's amendments".

The rich are different

Carly Fiorina,

a top adviser and campaigner for John McCain who was ousted as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard in 2005? Though stock dropped 50 percent under her tenure, many news reports — and an unsuccessful shareholder suit alleging that directors neglected to get shareholder approval — said she walked away with $21-million in severance and $21-million more in stock options and pension benefits. ... "That's inaccurate. My severance package was around $11-million, but that's still an incredible amount of money," Fiorina said in a Political Connections interview airing today on Bay News 9.

"Highway robbery"?

The St. Petersburg Times editorial board: "It sounded like highway robbery. A critical piece of land needed to extend a highway around Orlando had been appraised at $25-million and $28-million. In typical government fashion, state officials and the local expressway authority had agreed on a price of more than $37-million. All the governor and Cabinet had to do last week was follow the staff recommendation and approve it. Gov. Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink refused." "Standing up for the taxpayer".

Daniel Ruth's column ...

... this morning includes his musings on "morons" "Can Jim Norman Sense The Annoyance Over His Courage Award Idea?".

Libraries

Bill Maxwell:

Ironically, public libraries in many parts of the country are in crisis at a time when they are more popular than ever. According to the American Library Association, visits to public libraries increased 61 percent from 1994 to 2004, and the numbers have continued to rise.

So what's the future of public libraries? No one has the definitive answer, but one thing is for sure: If the economy continues to tank over time, forcing municipalities to further trim their budgets, the value and accessibility of this grand old institution will diminish in ways we can't imagine.

"The most money for the least gambling"

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "There's no way to revoke all high-stakes gambling and to keep it out of tribal casinos. The new goal should be to have as little gambling as possible. At this point, a legislatively approved agreement with the Seminoles - ideally giving Florida a bigger cut - is the best way for the state to get the most money for the least gambling." "Restrict new gambling to new Seminole deal".