In a series of phone calls and e-mails, a Martinez aide urged Pentagon contract officers to seek a "fair resolution'' to $14 million in contract claims sought by the International Oil Trading Co., a fuel-supply company co-owned by Harry Sargeant III of Boca Raton.

As Martinez's staffer was lobbying the Pentagon, Sargeant and his wife donated $50,000 to the Republican National Committee -- then headed by Martinez. At the time, Sargeant was the finance chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. ...

Sargeant's company ultimately received $3.2 million from the Defense Department -- settling claims the Pentagon had initially denied entirely. The Pentagon says Martinez played no role in the settlement. ...

Sargeant gained notoriety last year as a fundraiser for Republican presidential candidate John McCain, whose campaign returned $50,000 in suspicious donations solicited by a Sargeant business partner. In February, an employee of a Sargeant company was indicted on federal charges of funneling illegal contributions to several candidates, including McCain and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist -- a college buddy of Sargeant's.

The employee, Ala'a al-Ali, is accused of using straw donors in California to steer about $55,000 in illegal contributions to candidates.

In an interview with The Miami Herald last year, Martinez said he offered only "routine'' assistance to Sargeant's company. He said his office helped IOTC obtain information, but he did not try to sway the Pentagon's stance in the case.

"I do this for hundreds of people throughout the state of Florida,'' Martinez said last year.

... and LeMieux slides in

"Amid charges of political cronyism and claims he was picked to be the governor's proxy in Washington, there is renewed scrutiny of LeMieux's dealings and those of his law firm, Gunster Yoakley & Stewart:"

• The law firm, chaired by LeMieux, helped foreign workers get visas last fall to help build a high-rise hotel and condos in Miami, depriving dozens of Florida workers of jobs at a time of rising unemployment. ...

• Two weeks before LeMieux left Crist's office, Gunster Yoakley landed a $500,000 contract representing the state Department of Transportation on two matters. ...

• After leaving Crist's office in December 2007, LeMieux earned about $150,000 over a 13-month period as an adviser to state Republican Party chairman Jim Greer, a lucrative sideline that has led some to label LeMieux a "political consultant." He will not discuss what he did to earn that money ...

• For the past 15 years, West Palm Beach-based Gunster Yoakley has represented U.S. Sugar Corp., which for months negotiated with Crist's office to sell much of its land to the state and federal government to clean up polluted runoff in the Everglades. ...

"There's no longer any question: Greer is a hypocrite"

Go read Scott Maxwell's column today. Here's a taste:

There once was a political operative who loved to tell crowds he had a simple way of explaining to children the difference between Republicans and Democrats.

"Republicans get up and go to work," he would tell his son. "Democrats get up and go down to the mailbox to get their checks."

This man not only talked to his son about Republican values, he went into public-school classrooms and talked about them as well.

That man is Jim Greer — the same Jim Greer who, as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, just threw a nationwide hissy fit, claiming that the classroom is no place for politics and Barack Obama's "indoctrination."

One Seminole County mother, Barbara Wells, remembers the day Greer spoke to her son's sixth-grade class. "My son said he made some sort of Hillary Clinton joke," she recalled.

But you know what? Wells didn't pitch a fit.

She didn't call up the local TV station to scream about Republican indoctrination.

Instead, she advised her son: "Whatever you are told in life, remember there are two sides to every story."

Never mind

"Forensic test results released this week eliminated 41-year-old Anthony Caravella of Miramar as the source of DNA found on the victim, 58-year-old Ada Cox Jankowski." "Prosecutors call for release of man after 26 years".

Desperation "push"

"In Florida, where the GOP’s lone Hispanic senator is stepping down, national Republicans have already made clear that Gov. Charlie Crist is their preferred candidate over former state House Speaker Marco Rubio, a Cuban American." "GOP's new diversity push". See also "Politico: GOP’s national 'diversity push' doesn’t include Florida".

Down at the club

After years of editorial board howling about rank-and-file public employees receiving traditional defined benefit plans, we wonder how much editorial whining we'll read about this: "School districts opt not to cut superintendents' pay".

"So now the president is a thug?"

In an editorial about the ECO ruling*, the The Orlando Sentinel editorial board underscores how nasty the now (barely) regulated communications can be:

"In almost anyone's book, the campaign mailer is reprehensible."

Four side-by-side photos show President Obama; Louis Farrakhan; two men who apparently are Black Panthers; and black people holding an ACORN banner. "Is this the change you want to believe in?" the mailer asks beneath the photos. "Violence and intimidation at the voting booth."

It goes on to warn that, "Armed thugs may try and scare you away from the voting booth." So now the president is a thug?

The Conservative Voters' Coalition, for example, was formed less than a month ago, according to an Internal Revenue Service document. It lists a custodian of records, Rachel Stark, and a secretary/treasurer, David E. Ramba.

Mr. Ramba, a registered lobbyist with a long list of clients, told the Sentinel that a 27-year-old Florida State University graduate student who was listed as the group's chairperson was a "front."

was brought by a Broward condo association, along with a University of Florida student libertarian club, the [wacky] National Taxpayers Union, and other plaintiffs -- and guts what had been some of the strictest regulations on interest-group communications in elections nationwide.

Those groups argued successfully that the law was limiting their right to exercise free speech [i.e, spending money equals free speech]. ...

"Under the First Amendment, the government’s ability to regulate political speech about candidates and ballot issues is extremely narrow," said Bert Gall, lead counsel to the group that challenged the law and an attorney with the Virginia-based conservative group Institute for Justice.

Meet the Chancellor

"Earlier this week,"

faculty sternly criticized Brogan's six-year tenure at the Boca Raton school in anonymous evaluations of the administration.

But on Friday, the FAU Faculty Senate softened the rebuke in a 21-to-10 vote passing a resolution praising the former lieutenant governor for working tirelessly on behalf of FAU, increasing admission standards, creating a prominent football team, inspiring others and enhancing student life.

Brogan begins a new job as chancellor of Florida's statewide university system on Sept. 14.

Good riddance, Mel

Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "Sen. John McCain is campaigning in Florida again -- not for something, but against health care reform."

Joined by outgoing Florida Sen. Mel Martinez and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the trio held a closed-door "forum" with the staff of a hospital near Miami this week and talked up the dangers of reform to seniors. The senators' road show coincided with the Republican Party's newest anti-reform television commercial, airing in North Florida, that rehashes several of the falsehoods paralyzing the health care debate.

Dubbed "a new seniors' Bill of Rights," the commercial preys on elderly Floridians' (and others') fears that Medicare will be endangered "to pay for a new program," that care rationing based on age, government bureaucrats making end-of-life decisions and other bureaucrats "getting between their seniors and their doctors" are all on the way. All ludicrous but effective fabrications that have managed to derail reform while obscuring the health system's many failures.

We don' need no stinkin' stim cash

"Traffic congestion is so maddening in South Florida that 39 percent of drivers said they turned around and went home when their commute to work devolved into gridlock in the past three years, according to a new survey." "Traffic congestion returning back home more South Florida drivers, survey finds".

SD 8

"Candidates for state Senate tout conservative convictions".

Strange days

"More Floridians want to carry a gun these days. A lot more." "Requests may double for concealed-weapons permits".

Gone

"In the first of what will probably be several top management changes, the head of Florida's driver licensing and vehicle agency announced Friday that she will resign this month." "DHSMV chief to resign Sept. 15".

Raw political courage

"Miami-Dade commissioners voted early Friday morning to keep the countywide property tax rate flat -- despite more than seven hours of spirited public comment from residents, almost all of whom urged commissioners to maintain funding for county services." "Amid protests of budget cuts and staff pay raises, Miami-Dade keeps taxes flat".

The "absolutely appalling" RPOF

"'Forced abortions' in the health care reform proposal? 'Indoctrinating children' for a 'socialist agenda' in a speech on the importance of education?"

It's common to hear such assertions from extreme critics of President Barack Obama – Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin.

But those words came from Florida Republican Chairman Jim Greer, who runs the party headed by Florida's supposedly moderate Gov. Charlie Crist. Greer has suddenly become a fountain of some of the harshest anti-Obama rhetoric around.

That's happening at the same time that Greer is nurturing ambitions for a high-level position in the national Republican Party.

And it's the same time that his political patron, Crist, is having increasing problems with the conservative base of his own party in his campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Greer's latest salvo, on Obama's planned education speech, has suddenly put him in the national spotlight – he was scheduled for four national nightly news appearances Thursday.

Greer denies his rhetoric is an attempt to reconcile himself or Crist with the conservative base.

The nation's political discourse has hit a new low. At least, we hope it doesn't get any lower than parents threatening to keep their kids home from school because the president plans to — gasp! — make a short speech Tuesday about hard work and education. ...

Mr. Greer ought to try being less ridiculous, and parents who keep their kids home from school on Tuesday ought to be ashamed.

Making "the Hapsburgs look like Beaver Cleaver's family"

Daniel Ruth: "Do you ever get the feeling political life in Tallahassee is so incestuous it makes the Hapsburgs look like Beaver Cleaver's family?" "Good times for them; shaft for us".

Confederate flag fever

"The [Sons of Confederate Veterans] group marched in the Homestead parade last year with the flag. The commander of its Miami camp says the group will participate this year and planned to bring the [Confederate] flag." "Veterans Day parade will go on, despite flag flap".

"Drill, baby drill!"

The Sun-Sentinel editorial board: "Crist and state lawmakers think they've found a solution to Florida's ongoing revenue woes. Imagine oil and gas rigs dotting the horizon off our shores. Republican state leaders apparently have envisioned it, and are lining up the votes to make it a reality. 'Drill, baby drill!' may make a catchy slogan, but it does not make for sound public policy." "Legislation to allow oil drilling to occur within five miles of Florida's shores is a little too close to home".

Tea Baggers gettin' lazy

"U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek emphasized the importance of a government-run healthcare plan at a low-key Miami town hall meeting attended by about 400 people. ... This was not the raucous town hall meeting that cable news networks have been recycling this summer." "Calm prevails at Meek's town hall". See also "Meek hosts South Fla. health care meeting".

"Rationales against gay adoption defeat themselves"

Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "It doesn't take a court case to bring in relief the absurdity of Florida's law banning adoptions by gay parents. But it helps. The case of Frank Martin Gill, the openly gay parent of two boys he took in as a foster father five years ago, is forcing the state to defend the indefensible -- to argue that the law is right to keep Gill from adopting the boys even though the state also believes that it's in the best interest of the children to stay with their foster father, and that Gill is an excellent parent."

The more the state defends the law, the more it sounds like it's re-channeling the delirious claims that fevered the singer Anita Bryant's campaign in 1977 that led to Florida's ban.

Bryant thought protecting gay rights would open the door to prostitutes plying their trade to schoolchildren and that "flaunting homosexuals" would automatically make children gay. "It may not have an immediate effect, but certainly down the line it will," she said at the time, "on your kids and your grandchildren, for generations to come."

Certifiable bunk, but no different from the state's claim, in open court, that barring gays from adopting is just, because gays as a group have a higher rate of domestic violence, psychiatric disorders and breakups. The offense behind Deputy Solicitor General Timothy Osterhaus' line of argument is twofold. First, his statistics are wrong, as Gill's attorney pointed out. Statistical differences in gay and straight couples' stability, incidence of domestic violence and psychiatric issues are insignificant. But what if they weren't? Baptists divorce at a higher rate than Catholics. Should Baptists' adoption rights be put in question? Rich white men commit more white-collar crime than poor black women. Should rich white men's adoption rights be put in question?

"How much they can squeeze onto the agenda"?

"It may no longer be a question of whether Florida lawmakers return to work early this fall, but how much they can squeeze onto the agenda."

Lawmakers and Gov. Charlie Crist are talking about calling a special session in October or November to vote on a new gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe. And though the Legislature's presiding officers say publicly it's too early to discuss adding to the menu, an intense lobbying effort is under way to take up a host of thorny issues — from Central Florida's commuter-rail project to offshore oil drilling.

"Enablers"

Scott Maxwell: "Corrupt politicians have enablers -- including us".

"So how many, if any, others were wrongly convicted"?

More Maxwell: "It's time to check back on Gov. Charlie Crist and Attorney General Bill McCollum — two men who have shown absolutely no interest in one of the most twisted cases of injustice Florida has seen in recent years."

We're talking about the cases surrounding discredited dog handler John Preston in Brevard County.

It has already been proved that Preston helped convict innocent men with a tracking dog that a judge later said "simply could not track anything."

Three of these men were later freed from prison — after spending more than a half-century collectively behind bars.

So how many, if any, others were wrongly convicted or still imprisoned?

Who knows? Because Crist and McCollum — the state's two top (supposed) defenders of justice — have ignored repeated calls from public defenders and justice watchdogs to investigate the matter.

After all, fighting for the rights of the innocent doesn't win nearly as many votes as threatening to lock people up.

Where were the immigrant-haters ...

... when Bush pulled this stunt? And are they now cheering Obama's reinstatement of the requirement (see below) that "growers make greater efforts to fill [farm] jobs with American workers"?

The Obama administration

on Thursday said it is proposing new rules that would boost wages and increase safeguards for thousands of seasonal workers brought in each year to help farmers pick their crops. It would also require that growers make greater efforts to fill those jobs with American workers.

If the rules are adopted, they would largely reverse regulations finalized shortly before President George W. Bush left office and return to a framework that had been in effect since 1987.

We can guess what Georgie thinks

"The law firm led by newly appointed U.S. Senator George LeMieux was responsible for securing dozens of visas for foreign workers to enter the country and help construct the St. Regis hotel and condominiums in Bal Harbour – a move that left American sheet metal workers out of a job."

LeMieux is chairman of Gunster Yoakley, a Florida-based law firm which specializes in helping companies hire foreigners to replace American workers inside the United States.

Warning!: "Indignant" political appointee ahead!

"In the latest installment of intrigue at the Public Service Commission, chairman Matthew Carter issued an indignant press release today saying he takes 'great offense' at reports that utility regulators are too cozy with Florida Power & Light Co. executives." "PSC Chairman Carter denies he’s “too cozy” with FPL".

Never forget ...

... that Florida has wingnut panhandlers, who regularly are given a voice Florida's corporate media:

President Obama has surrounded himself in the White House with a cadre of tax cheats, swindlers and power-grabbers who seem like socialists to me. ...

My questions to Congressman Boyd are:

# Where will you stand when the Obama team launches its vicious attack on the Second Amendment? It is already on his agenda.

# What will you do when the administration tries to eliminate the First Amendment and dismantle talk radio and Fox News?

# Will you take a stand and fight for those of us who support you — who supported you before you went completely opposite of the person whom we thought had voted in to support of us. Or will you fall in tow with the Obama administration as you did with the energy bill and as you appear to be doing, waffling around on this socialized health care legislation?

If you are not going to fight against all of this massive destruction of America, I suggest you resign from office, hang your head in shame and go back to Monticello.

We patriots and voters who are good solid Americans who are proud of America will get someone else to take on the fight.

"Proposed revision to rules controlling public access"

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "Florida public records rules are in a state of flux as county and circuit courts put more and more of their files into computerized systems that are generally available to the public — with some exceptions that must strike the fine balance between the public's right to know what its government is doing, and personal rights of privacy. This week the Florida Supreme Court heard debate on a proposed revision to rules controlling public access, recommendations that have come out of a court committee headed by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Judith Kreeger." "Need to know".

So much for Alvarez

Myriam Marquez: Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos "Alvarez held out so much promise. It's sad to watch. Instead of leading good government he became a blind follower of business as usual." "So much for Mayor Alvarez, the crusader".

Imagine that

"Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, elected to be watchdog over the state's coffers, is eliminating hundreds of BlackBerrys, cellphones and wireless air cards within her department -- a move she says will save taxpayers more than $210,000 a year." "Sink reins in wireless costs to save money". See also "CFO cuts back on cell phones".

Rubio, the former speaker of the Florida House who is challenging Crist for the Republican nomination, addressed a Lakeland Republican Club luncheon at Cleveland Heights Golf Course. The crowd that was expected to be about 160 grew to a little more than 190 and gave him three standing ovations.

His main message, to the audience and during an interview with The Ledger, was that Republicans should elect members of Congress who will stand up uncompromisingly to the "radical" economic policies of the administration of President Barack Obama. He implied that Crist wouldn't do that.

RPOFers wanna drill, baby, drill!

"A secretive group of powerful legislators, business groups and Texas oil companies has been laying the groundwork since December to win legislative approval to open Florida waters to oil exploration and end the 20-year drilling moratorium." "Campaign to drill off Florida's coast has cash, confidence".

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board thinks "the Legislature should consider including the drilling ban in a special session that Mr. Crist is expected to call soon to address the casino deal he recently negotiated with the Seminole Tribe." "Deep debate".

But The Orlando Sentinel editorial board wants to "slow things down": "Winter Park's Dean Cannon drew richly deserved criticism in the spring for trying to rush a bill through the Legislature in its final hours that would rid the state of its offshore-drilling ban."

Florida's Chief Financial Officer and now-Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink rightly called it "unconscionable" without a "significant debate, serious study or real time to hear from Florida's citizens." Bill McCollum, Florida's Republican attorney general and now the Republican candidate for governor, derided it as "unnecessary" and a risk.

So Mr. Cannon, slated to run the House of Representatives as its next speaker in 2010, decided over the summer to aggressively vet his proposal this time around, right? He chose, surely, to give anyone with a keen interest in the issue every opportunity — and the sooner the better — to debate its impact?

Hardly. He waited till last week to invite leading environmentalists to comment on a retooled version of it. Emboldened by future Senate President Mike Haridopolos' embrace of the plan, and Gov. Charlie Crist's infatuation with it, Mr. Cannon instead is trying to rush it through the Legislature a second time in a special session that could unfold next month. But Mr. Cannon, what's the hurry? Why not slow things down?

Let me check with Charlie and get back to you

"Where's LeMieux on the thorny immigration issue?"

RPOFers embarrass themselves

"The head of the state Republican Party has attacked President Barack Obama's plan to give a back-to-school address to the nation's students next week, saying the president wants to push a 'socialist' agenda on children." "Fla. GOP: Obama to spread socialism in schools". See also "Florida GOP chairman accuses Obama of trying to ‘indoctrinate’ schoolchildren to ’socialist agenda’ in Sept. 8 speech".

"Every speech, every staff decision, every gaffe"

Bill Cotterell: "Crist will be held responsible for every vote LeMieux makes, every speech, every staff decision, every gaffe — although those are unlikely from the calculating, mild-mannered LeMieux."

During the Republican primary campaign with Marco Rubio, if not sooner, Crist will be asked in some forum, "Governor, can you name three things Sen. LeMieux has done that you would have done differently, if you'd had the nerve to just go ahead and appoint yourself to the Senate?" If the past is any indicator, Crist will say that he's busy being governor, as well as running a campaign, that he has his job and LeMieux has his own duties, so he's never really thought about comparisons.

And, of course, people will be pulling their phone records, e-mails and regular correspondence to see who works for whom.

Crist couldn't appoint himself, for practical political reasons, so naming LeMieux was the next best thing — or worst, depending on your viewpoint. It certainly was the safest choice.

Cronyism or qualifications? Consider some of the people Crist considered, after Sen. Mel Martinez announced he was coming home ASAP. If Crist had chosen former U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw or former Gov. Bob Martinez, either man would have been labelled a loser, rejected by the voters the last time his name was on the ballot. Rep. C.W. "Bill" Young or ex-Reps. Lou Frey and Gus Bilarakis? Too old, throwbacks to the Reagan era — even the Nixon years.

If Crist had gone with longtime legislator Dan Webster or state Rep. Jennifer Carrol, the critics would have howled that we need Washington experience, even foreign intelligence. Jim Smith, who was attorney general for two terms as a Democrat and secretary of state as a Republican, would have been specially galling for his former party — lobbyist, turncoat, insider.

"HIV/AIDS ... has reached critical levels"

"HIV/AIDS among Florida's men has reached critical levels, according to a new state report, and the highest rate in any racial/ethnic groups was in Miami-Dade County." "HIV-AIDS rate is increasing across Florida".

Charlie's "numbers don't add up"

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty and Gov. Charlie Crist insist the state's homeowners insurance market is resurging."

Their proof: Forty new companies have come into the state since 2006, bringing with them nearly $5 billion in capital.

McCarty used these numbers during the legislative session to argue against a bill that would have allowed well-capitalized insurance companies to sell homeowners insurance at unregulated prices. The new companies and new capital, he said, would increase homeowners' options, negating the need for the legislation.

The trouble for McCarty, and by extension, Crist, is the numbers don't add up.

"As good a deal as the Legislature should expect"?

Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: Crist

has negotiated a better deal for the state than his first attempt in 2007 and as good a deal as the Legislature should expect. Lawmakers, in rejecting Crist's first go-round with tribe leaders, wanted a bigger share of proceeds and expanded gaming limited to four Seminole casinos, one in Tampa and three in South Florida. House leaders, hypocritically spouting anti-gambling rhetoric in opposing the Seminole's gaming expansion last spring, said they also wanted an option to permit slot machines at dog tracks, jai-alai frontons and other pari-mutuel establishments in the state where they would not compete with casinos.

This is what Gov. Charlie Crist's new deal with the Seminoles would do. It is why Central Florida legislators should support the agreement. It keeps high-stakes gambling away from our borders by limiting it to one casino outside Tampa and a handful in South Florida.

That is how Crist should sell it.

Instead, his pitch hearkens back to the Florida Lottery campaign. We were told the proceeds would be a windfall for schools. Instead, for every lottery dollar that went into the education pot, the Legislature pulled one out to spend somewhere else.

School spending did not increase.

And now Crist is resurrecting this scam, proclaiming the Seminole deal would pump almost $150 million a year into education. Crist says this "will enable the state of Florida to invest in the future of Florida's children."

It's like he's trying to poison his own deal by basing it on something we know is a lie.

The deal not only would not boost education; it also would not bring new money into the state.

Like flies on sh**

"When a crowd of about people 50 began holding a candlelight vigil near the amphitheater to show support for health reform that included a public insurance option,"

another group of equal size gathered next to them holding signs that read "Stop Obama Care" and "No Socialized Medicine."

Shouting matches quickly erupted between members of the two groups at the park in downtown Orlando. One man could be heard calling another a "racist," while another labeled an opponent a "communist."

"Corruption County"

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "It beats 'Corruption County'".

"A tax by any other name is still a tax"

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "Granted, lawmakers faced a budget crisis."

But lawmakers generally avoided serious government streamlining and refused to consider tax reform, including collecting sales tax from out-of-state vendors. These fee increases allowed lawmakers to claim they held the line on taxes. But they hit low-income workers the hardest. The Legislature's "fees" aren't fooling anybody. A tax by any other name is still a tax.

"Ailing economy is No. 1 issue"

Anthony Man: "With primary a year away, ailing economy is No. 1 issue for Florida voters".

"A poke-in-the-eye to the road-obsessed former Gov. Jeb Bush"

Hasterok: "The bullet train might be back"

The specter of its return is satisfying merely as a poke-in-the-eye to the road-obsessed former Gov. Jeb Bush. He put his political capital into scrapping the statewide high-speed train Floridians approved nine years ago.

But landing a new high-speed rail system, most likely from Miami to Tampa, would be much more than Bush payback.

Birther Bill in action

U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge gathered yesterday with 2,000 fellow Floridians who don't see there's much of a health care problem. Some hi-lights:

The leading House health care bill being considered in Washington, D.C., raises thousands of questions by granting the government "tremendous, unprecedented authority" over states and private insurance carriers, a former Medicaid administrator told a capacity crowd at the King Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday night.

"Realize that for 300 million Americans, we don't need to turn the world upside-down," said Dennis Smith, former director of the federal Center for Medicaid and State Operation. Smith was the featured speaker at a packed health care forum organized by U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge.

"(Should we) solve the problems for a relatively small number of people that need assistance? ...

Smith headlined a group of 10 panelists -- including state Reps. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, and Mike Horner, R-Kissimmee -- who criticized House Resolution 3200 and similar legislation being considered in Washington.

"The bills that are being proposed in Congress are the beginning of a slippery slope to socialized medicine," Horner said. ...

Posey lobbied for health insurance tax credits -- $2,000 for individuals, $5,500 for families -- to fuel private competition. He also called for tort reform, investment in electronic medical records and a focus on healthy living and preventive care. Several of his points were met with standing ovations from the crowd.

"I don't like someone, at my age, telling me what health care I can have," said Larry Cygan, 63. "(Obama) took longer to decide what kind of dog to get for his family than he did for our health care."

Don't forget the "underinsured"

The The Miami Herald reminds us that "While covering the uninsured has been a main focus of healthcare reform, millions more fall into the category of 'underinsured' -- those with coverage, but not enough." "`Underinsured' find health bills piling up".

Never mind ...

"State Rep. Ray Sansom, Jay Odom and Bob Richburg -- the protagonists of a political scandal involving a $6 million taxpayer-funded building in Destin -- no longer appear to fight the idea that Odom planned to store private aircraft there."

After months of denials, that possibility has been well-established through testimony, e-mails, court motions and other documents. During a court hearing Wednesday, Odom's attorney declared the move "perfectly legitimate and legal.''

But lawyers for all three men -- indicted on felony official misconduct charges -- argued that State Attorney Willie Meggs' case should be dismissed anyway, saying he has neither the evidence nor the authority to pursue an issue that originated in the Florida Legislature. A ruling could come next week.

St. Pete

Troxler: "Winners, runnersup, also-rans and stragglers in the St. Petersburg mayoral elections". Background: "St. Pete's mayor race has been whittled to 2".

"Lawmakers plan to close an election-law loophole"

Marc Caputo: "The hardball tactics used by attack groups in a state senate race could be just a prelude of tough campaigning in 2010 as lawmakers plan to close an election-law loophole." "Florida lawmakers want names behind political attack ads".

PSC follies

"A Public Service Commission lobbyist [Ryder Rudd] may have violated rules by attending a party hosted by a utility executive, an inspector general found, as state police investigated the commission in a possible ethics case."

More PSC follies:

An ethics complaint filed in May by Tallahassee businessman Steven Stewart accuses PSC Commissioner Lisa Edgar of violating state ethics laws by allegedly using her aide as an intermediary to discuss a pending PSC issue with FPL executive Ken Hoffman.

Edgar denied any wrongdoing Wednesday. "There was no inappropriate or illegal communication,'' she said.

According to Fasano, when Edgar was seeking confirmation by the state Senate for her reappointment to the commission, Rudd worked closely with her, escorting her to senators' offices.

At the same time, Rudd was in frequent contact with utility lobbyist Jorge Chamizo, who represents FPL and Progress Energy of Florida, according to phone records obtained by the Herald/Times.

Edgar said she knew nothing of any phone calls by Rudd to the utility lobbyist.

Stewart, an engineer who worked for three years in the Office of Public Counsel representing consumers in rate cases and then spent 15 years as an expert witness in utility cases, also made a conflict of interest allegation against another PSC commissioner, Katrina McMurrian.

McMurrian agreed to serve on a utility-sponsored conference this year with FPL executives at the same time she was being asked to review their rate case -- which would be the first increase for the company in 24 years.

As a member of the board of the Energy Efficiency/Smart Grid Public Advisory Group, she attended private dinners with FPL executives. McMurrian responded that she joined the group to better educate herself on the issues.

State law prohibits PSC commissioners from discussing a pending rate case with utility officials but it specifically excludes PSC staff from the ban.

A 1991 grand jury report recommended that the statute be changed to close that loophole but it was never amended.

It covered full tuition to students with GPAs of 3.5 or better, and covered 75 percent of tuition for students with GPAs between 3 and 3.5. It did so no matter how much tuition increased year after year (as it has). The program cost $380 million last year. Taxpayers didn't foot the bill. The state lottery, which generated $4.12 billion in sales, did. The program's funding source is not in danger. But the Legislature sees that source as the end-all of education funding. It raids it to fund a lot more than Bright Futures. Last year, [the Legislature] broke its promise to Bright Futures recipients. ...

Lawmakers are slashing at the wrong end. Bright Futures could have used some reform. But the priority should have been on ensuring that poorer but well-performing students were not at risk of losing a portion of their scholarship. Florida isn't a wealthy state. Nor is it a state with a long tradition of higher education. Thousands of students entering college this fall are the first in their family to do so. Many are poor. The slow devaluation of Bright Futures will hurt them most, eroding their ability to stay in college.

Some students may have to work more to pay their bills. Some may find that dropping classes is essential to balancing their responsibilities. But doing so compounds the penalty: They have to reimburse the state for their Bright Futures award immediately once they drop a course or be booted out of school. And dropping a course may have worse penalties. Before this year, Bright Futures students could keep their scholarship with just six credits per semester. Now they have to register for 12. So here's the state essentially imposing new costs on students with one hand while doubling the punishment with the other, when students can't pay. The reimbursement requirement, being a consequence of the state's decision to decrease Bright Futures funding, should have been structured in such a way as to allow students to pay back the state over the course of a year or more rather than jeopardize their enrollment.

The state may be saving money by reducing awards, but it's short-changing the futures of thousands of students. As it stands, Bright Futures is now a misnomer.

"The governor blatantly served himself"

"Anyone hoping Gov. Charlie Crist would make an enlightened choice to capably represent Florida in the U.S. Senate until we elect someone next year is bound to be disappointed."

But then, we're getting used to that.

He could have picked a former congressman, a former U.S. attorney or a former big-city mayor to fill the rest of Mel Martinez's term. Instead he picked his best friend and former chief of staff George LeMieux to hold up Florida's end in national debates over health care, homeland security and education until, the governor hopes, he can do the job himself. ...

The governor blatantly served himself, not the people of Florida, with this appointment.

In doing so, the governor compounded the disappointment over Martinez quitting by disappointingly picking a relative novice to occupy the seat for a year. ...

No offense to Tallahassee, but Capitol Hill is a much more intense place. It's hard to see how LeMieux, in a compressed, short time frame, is going to learn enough about federal entitlement programs, and the ways of the Congress, to make a difference for Florida, or America, at such a critical juncture.

Can't blame floridians if they conclude the governor didn't make the best of the opportunity he was given.

Brilliant

"With a ban on an income tax written into Florida's constitution, state and local governments are paid for primarily through sales and property taxes."

Both revenue streams are much more dependent on population growth than an income tax would be. And Florida's constitution limits the growth on assessed values of homestead properties to no more than three percent a year. ...

In 2007, Florida voters passed property tax reform that also limits the increase in the assessed value of non-homestead properties to 10 percent a year. The same constitutional amendment also doubled the homestead exemption to $50,000 for all but school taxes.

The Legislature this spring approved putting a new constitutional amendment to voters that would lower that cap to 5 percent.

Never mind

"[T]he 15-page report doesn't say whether the reductions were the result of more efficient management of patients or worse care." "UF study of Medicaid program shows savings".

Where are the freaks screaming about rationing health care when you need them?

Cuba policy on the ropes

"The Cuban embargo continues to divide the exile community, though support seems to be eroding, a recent poll reveals."

The single question was posed last month to 400 Cuban Americans, mainly in Florida:

Are you in favor or against continuing the U.S. embargo on Cuba?

• 41 percent said they are against keeping the embargo.

• 40 said they were for it.

• 19 percent said they didn't know or gave no answer.

Pollsters said the response shows the topic remains a highly emotional one in Florida and nationwide.

What the RPOF calls "more freedom"

The Saint Petersburg Times editorial board: "In May, the staff lobbyist for the Florida Public Service Commission 'dropped by' a Kentucky Derby party at the home of a Florida Power & Light executive in Palm Beach Gardens. Ryder Rudd, the recent recipient of an 8 percent pay increase, claims he and his wife took time out from their vacation so he could mingle and gather information from the executives of the state's biggest electric utility on behalf of the ratepayers of Florida. But mint juleps, utility executives and PSC staffers should never mix." "Regulators get too cozy with utilities".

Kudos to the The Orlando Sentinel editorial board: "Florida's $65 billion-a-year tourism industry has faced a lot of challenges in recent years, from hurricanes to spikes in gasoline prices to a meltdown in the nation's economy. State regulators can't do anything about those. But they could help the industry fight back against another problem, if they would only get serious about health and safety violations at Florida hotels and motels."

As a recent two-day report in the Sentinel made clear, the state's Department of Business and Professional Regulation's Division of Hotels and Restaurants has taken a far too lenient approach to its responsibilities at hotels and motels.

"Simply do the political calculation"

Mike Thomas writes that "[e]verything is a political calculation with Charlie Crist. And so it's easy to understand his attraction to the climate-change issue." So, although 2006 was

a down year for Republicans, two of them did quite well in 2006 — Crist and California's Arnold Schwarzenegger, who won re-election by a landslide.

Schwarzenegger was a national leader on climate change. He demonstrated the issue cut across party lines, making it perfect for Republicans seeking to broaden their base.

Charlie wanted in on Arnold's action.

And so he brought Schwarzenegger here to headline his Florida Summit on Global Climate Change.

This was Crist's first major initiative as governor and his first time on the national stage. He was a sensation.

Editorial boards gushed as he signed executive orders that would put Florida on a California path ... .

"On his way to padding his record-breaking Senate campaign account, Crist — the one-time environmental governor — has gutted the state's growth management laws, trashed its water-permitting process and walked away from a laudable climate-change agenda," wrote the St. Petersburg Times this week.

The Times actually seems surprised.

But predicting Crist is simple. Simply do the political calculation.

Bill's crystal ball

"Health care reform will pass Congress this year, but without many of the provisions in the House bill and without a public option." "Sen. Nelson: Health Care Reform to Pass".

"A whopping blow"

"The recession has dealt a whopping blow to the nation's fourth-most-populous state. Unemployment is soaring. The state is second to California in the number of foreclosures. Earlier this month came the most jaw-dropping announcement of all: The state that had made population growth the linchpin of its economy for more than 60 years lost a net 58,000 people in the 12 months ending April 1, according to newly released estimates." "As population drops, is Fla. losing its luster?".

The best LeMieux could do?

Update: "Flagler track owners blast Crist's gambling deal".

"With hours to spare before a legislatively imposed deadline, Gov. Charlie Crist and the Seminole Tribe quietly signed a gambling agreement Monday that will keep slot machines and blackjack at the tribe's South Florida casinos. In exchange, the tribe would pay the state $150 million a year."

The deal was signed behind closed doors and without the pomp and fanfare that characterized a similar agreement signed by the governor and the tribe in November 2007. That agreement was invalidated by the Florida Supreme Court because the Legislature had not authorized it.

The rich are different

"Pat Rooney Jr. — the president of the Palm Beach Kennel Club dog track, restaurateur, attorney, radio personality, South Florida Water Management District board member and older brother of Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney — says he’s leaning toward running for a northern Palm Beach County state House seat [HD 38] next year and will announce his plans in September." "Pat Rooney Jr. leaning toward state House run; decision in September".

Belle Glade, Pahokee and South Bay

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "Nearly two years ago, Palm Beach County commissioners wondered aloud whether the cities bordering Lake Okeechobee could survive." "No bailout for Glades cities".

Luv 4 sale

"Charlie Crist S. Fla fundraising spree".

"Crist's selection of his friend for Senate disappoints"

The Miami Herald editorial board: "By selecting George LeMieux, his former chief of staff and past campaign manager to serve as senator, the governor picked a loyal bench-warmer and seasoned GOP operative while Mr. Crist runs for the same Washington job."

How convenient.

Mr. Crist displayed a total disregard for more experienced former and current members of Congress and legislators -- and other qualified candidates with no U.S. Senate ambitions -- who could have stepped in without a hitch. It was a predictable pick by a governor who has lost touch with many Floridians and has backtracked on some of his moderate positions.

Trying to avid those "large fee increases"

"Florida drivers overwhelmed the state's computers as thousands tried to get licenses and registrations ahead of large fee increases." "Drivers crash state's computer system in late scramble to avoid fee hikes". More from Sreve Bousquet: "Long lines and computer backups on eve of higher fees for car tags, drivers' licenses".

St. Pete

"A small army of contenders will battle it out for the mayor's job today. ... The two top voter-getters will go on to the election Nov. 3." "A group of 10 contests St. Pete mayor's race".

Entrepreneurs in action

"A Miami Beach munitions 'genius' with a $300 million Pentagon contract could face up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a fraud charge." "Miami Beach weapons wunderkind pleads guilty to defrauding U.S.".

One piece of evidence in the criminal misconduct case against former House Speaker Ray Sansom is a list of things he bought on the state Republican Party's American Express card. Over two years Sansom charged $173,000, the St. Petersburg Times reported, including flowers, electronic gear and family travel. He spent $839 just at Starbucks.

State Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer said nothing inappropriate occurred. He refuses to provide supporting details. ...

Greer says that anyone who keeps talking about credit cards is just trying to hurt the party. Nonsense. The party's credibility is at stake.

Crist should get to the bottom of what's going on, no matter whose cappuccino gets spilled in the process.

SunRail

Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board:

The state's high-speed rail application isn't due to the Federal Rail Administration until Oct. 2. But Florida applied Monday for $270 million from the high-speed rail fund to offset the cost of building the $1.2 billion SunRail line. It's a bit of a stretch to go after the high-speed rail money for SunRail but worth the try for these reasons: The commuter line would feed passengers to the fast train. It would also improve the economic link between Central Florida's east and west coast communities. Then, too, the additional money, combined with $300 million in other federal funds that U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, says are promised, should reduce the financial obligation of local partners like Volusia County. That should ease the concerns of SunRail opponents who have blocked the Legislature's approval of the commuter line deal with CSX railroad company for two years.

Remember, newspapers are just businesses ...

... and it is all about the bottom line. The Miami Herald editorial board: "While most businesses were turning to 401(k) plans for their workers in the 1980s and 1990s and away from defined benefit plans, local governments counting on union support promised generous pension perks for those plans that guarantee a set amount for life." "How to fix pension mess".

How's your defined contribution plan (a/k/a 401(k) plan) looking these days?

"Another twist"

Mark Lane: "But there's another twist at work here, too. Last May, in a little-noticed ruling,"

a federal court invalidated Florida's 2004 law that regulated so-called "electioneering communications organizations." These are those groups that take out political ads but aren't part of political campaigns.

For example, when a couple of lobbyists get together and form a group called Outraged Grassroots Regular Ol' Citizens With No Axes to Grind Against Government Waste. A group like this used to have to register with the state and report where its contributions came from. No more.

You may have seen the ads attacking former House Speaker John Thrasher for being a big-spending superlobbyist who "took money to lobby for trial lawyers and against taxpayers." These were paid for by the group Stop Tax Waste, which, the Thrasher campaigns says, was set up and funded by trial lawyers.

The Partnership for Florida's Future has begun airing counter-ads showing sinister cigar-smoking guys in suits and warning about "greedy personal injury trial lawyers and illegal aliens" conspiring together to sue the pants off everybody. Then there was a race-baiting mailing from a mystery group called Conservative Voters' Coalition, which despite its elephant logo has been denounced by the state Republican Party.

'Ya reckon?

"A Sentinel analysis of state inspections suggest officials do little to make sloppy hotels and motels fear state regulators." "Does state lack teeth in punishing Central Florida's dirty hotels?".

Remember, it ain't a "tax" increase

"Floridians questioning motor vehicle fee increases". See also "License, tag fees set to increase for motorists Tuesday".

"Bush is the key"?

"It has been a decade since former Gov. Jeb Bush joined forces with then-House Speaker John Thrasher. Now Thrasher now wants to return to the political arena, and Bush is the key." "Does Jeb still have influence?".

That and unlimited amounts of lobbyist cash to grease the campaign wheels.

"Retirement visa could boost economy"

The Sun-Sentinel editors: "As envisioned by its advocates, a new U.S. retirement visa would be available to foreign retirees who buy a home for at least the median value in the community where they would be living. They'd have to pass a security check and agree not to take a job. They'd need to document sufficient assets, and health insurance, to avoid burdening U.S. social safety-net programs." "Change law to make Florida a retirement destination".

The new media

Bill Cotterell: "One interesting angle of the new media, in government, "

is public notice of government meetings and contracts. By law, they have to be advertised so the taxpayers know what their government is doing. Part of the case against former House Speaker Ray Sansom involves a meeting of the Northwest Florida College board of trustees, which was advertised in Okaloosa County but held over here at Florida State.

Not to get into the legal details of whether the meeting was properly advertised, or whether it was Sansom's responsibility or the college trustees' duty to do so, but what if they had just put out notices all over Facebook and Twitter for a few days? That's probably not covered by current law, but it would probably inform more people than a discrete little classified ad in a Fort Walton Beach paper.

The trouble is, only "friends" or "followers" on FB and Twitter would get the word. That's not exactly public notice.

Birther Bill talks health care

"The event will include presentations by Posey and Dennis Smith, a former director of the Federal Center for Medicaid and State Operation under the George W. Bush administration. ... Smith is the senior fellow in health care reform at The Heritage Foundation's Center for Health Policy Studies." "Posey wants big, civil crowd".

The whining never ceases

"Employee Act would harm industry".

From the "values" crowd

"Agencies that serve some of Pasco County's neediest citizens will be on the chopping block Tuesday as commissioners hold their final budget workshop of the summer." "Agencies to plead for funding from Pasco County".

"Significant challenge to Florida's law against gays"

"An adoption case that is now before an appellate court case presents a significant challenge to Florida's law against gays." "Case is a serious challenge to Florida's gay-adoption ban".

ECOs

The Daytona Beach News Journal editors:

Individual donations to specific candidates' campaigns are capped. But donations to groups [like ECOs] aren't. Nor are group-to-group donations. So individuals donate limitlessly to an ECO, which in turn donates to another, shedding donors' identity along the way and piling up cash to bankroll "issue" ads that don't specifically endorse a candidate. The result is transparency in appearance only. Groups like Conservative Citizens for Justice or Alliance for Florida's Future or Stop Unfair Taxes sound legitimate. But finding out who's behind them can be impossible.

Florida's 2004 law had it right in principle and in many of its specifics. It's not unfair, or burdensome, for any organization that intends to campaign for or against issues to register with the Divisions of Elections. Nor is it burdensome for an electioneering organization to have to disclose its donors' identity and the amounts they give. That's the essence of transparency. The difference is in how electioneering is defined. A small community association printing a few fliers for its members to describe what's on the ballot should not have to meet the same standard as an organization actively campaigning in various media on behalf of an issue or against a candidate.

The Legislature should revisit its 2004 law early next year in time for the 2010 election cycle, preserve its transparency requirements but redefine its reach to ensure that communicating about an election and "electioneering" aren't confused. The First Amendment should be guarded. But it shouldn't be a cloak for anonymity that turns the amendment against itself by denying voters the right to be clearly informed about those who seek to influence them.

Lobbyist games

Aaron Deslatte: "Florida's 2005 ethics reform banning lobbyist meals and gifts for politicians could find itself caught up in a potentially sweeping reordering of election laws spurred by an anti- Hillary Clinton film yanked from theaters last year." "Florida lobbyists still trying to undo state's gift ban".

Thomas gives his RPOFer buddies a pass

Mike Thomas: "My worst fears about national health care have now been realized. All it took was an hour with U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, and knowing there are hundreds more just like her in Washington." "Health care on the wish list".

11

"Here's a number that may worry the Florida GOP: 11. That's the number of paid staffers Obama 2.0 has in Florida at the moment." "Yes, we can, evermore".

Beware "powerful legislators, business groups and Texas oil companies"

"A secretive group of powerful legislators, business groups and Texas oil companies has been laying the groundwork since December to win legislative approval to open Florida waters to oil exploration and end the 20-year drilling moratorium." "Push for drilling off Florida's coast is well-oiled".

"Congressionalcare"

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "The federal government pays about 70 percent of insurance premiums. Employees pay the difference."

That's a better deal than most, but it isn't free. U.S. Rep. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, said he pays $326 a month for his coverage. Reps. Klein, Hastings and Wexler all are enrolled in the Blue Cross Blue Shield plan that covers 4 million of the 8 million federal employees. They have co-pays and deductibles. Blue Cross determines which drugs they and their family members can get and whether they can see a specialist, be hospitalized or even treated at all.

"Charlie Christ"

Jac Versteeg: "Spell check keeps suggesting that I change Charlie Crist to Charlie Christ, and I'm beginning to think that spell check is on to something." "Does Florida have a prayer?".

"A helping of disillusionment"

The New York Times: "Choked by a record level of foreclosures and unemployment, along with a helping of disillusionment, the state’s population declined by 58,000 people from April 2008 to April 2009, according to the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research."

Except for the years around World Wars I and II, it was the state’s first population loss since at least 1900.

“It’s dramatic,” said Stanley K. Smith, an economics professor at the University of Florida who compiled the report. "You have a state that was booming and has been a leader in population growth for the last 100 years that suddenly has seen a substantial shift."

The loss is more than a data point. Growth gave Florida its notorious flip-flop and flower-print swagger. Life could be carefree under the sun because, as a famous state tourism advertisement put it in 1986, “The rules are different here.”

But what if they are not? Or if those Florida rules — an approach that made growth paramount in the state’s sales pitch, self-image and revenue structure — no longer apply?

State may not "see a dime"

"If Seminole Tribe, Crist don't reach agreement state won't see a dime". See also "Seminole deal would add to a gambling industry that has grown to high stakes".

"A titanic and costly clash"

"It has been a decade since former Gov. Jeb Bush joined forces with then-House Speaker John Thrasher to reduce taxes, legalize school vouchers and generally make life miserable for Florida's mostly liberal trial lawyers."

Having capitalized on that success by earning millions as a high-powered lobbyist, Thrasher now wants to return to the political arena, and Bush is the key. He stars in pro-Thrasher TV ads that blast the lawyers who are now aggressively working to defeat Thrasher.

With no Democrats running, the Sept. 15 primary for the North Florida Senate seat is winner-take-all where anything can happen, because voter turnout is usually low in special elections. That means a short, intense campaign heavy on advertising, and an effective get-out-the vote effort can be crucial.

The result is a titanic and costly clash between the Republican old guard and trial lawyers, and the outcome could have implications for years in the state capital.

That's our Charlie ... all things to all people

"Crist is as cordial as they come in the political world. But his office may have went a bit too far with a 'thank you' letter sent to a Pasco County man who had mailed Crist a copy of a Nazi-era anti-Semitic video." "Crist to “pro-white” candidate: 'Thanks for the video!' UPDATED".

LeMieux investigation

"Crist and former chief of staff George LeMieux -- the subjects of a federal public corruption investigation -- have been cleared of allegations that they tried to thwart a state criminal probe into a Fort Lauderdale insurance company, according to sources familiar with the ongoing case."

Crist's selection of LeMieux to replace U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez would not have been possible had LeMieux still been under scrutiny by federal prosecutors investigating alleged influence-peddling by Mutual Benefits and its former top executive.

LeMieux was in the cross-hairs of the investigation after a major Republican fundraiser working with the FBI made a secretly recorded phone call to LeMieux at the governor's office in 2007, trying to get LeMieux to implicate himself, sources said.

But the phone call backfired: LeMieux immediately reported it to Crist's general counsel, who called the FBI. Still, LeMieux remained under investigation through much of 2008, along with Crist and several other members of his inner circle from his tenure as Florida attorney general and then as governor.

Gerrymandering

Adam Smith: "Forget that the governor's office, a U.S. Senate seat and every other statewide office are open this election cycle. The 2010 campaign that could have the farthest-reaching implications for Florida is a redistricting ballot initiative that would change the way congressional and legislative districts are drawn." "Florida's ballot initiative to ban gerrymandering starts to draw foes".

Good question

Scott Maxwell asks "Why is blood so costly?".

Them bad scary mean firefighter unions

The malleable Miami Herald editorial board* slams firefighters and their unions whilst publishing Chamber of Commerce propaganda in the form of a so-called "editorial" this morning: "We ask our police officers and firefighters to do things we won't do because of the risks involved."

In exchange we pay them more [than other low paid public employees?], make sure they are well compensated for any harm received on the job and allow them to retire at an earlier age than other government workers because of the stress and risks they face. All of this is fair.

What isn't fair is how much political clout the first responders' unions wield in local governments and in Tallahassee to the detriment of taxpayers.

Lazy bastards

"About 50 firefighters battled a two-alarm blaze this morning that caused the evacuation of a hotel along South Orange Blossom Trail." "Firefighters battle blaze at motel on South OBT".

Tampa rail

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: ""."If you someday look out the window of a local train taking you into Tampa and see a traffic jam on a highway, would you call the train a failure? How you answer says a lot about which side you're on in the debate over local rail." "Rail system won't empty the roads".