Downtown Clearwater Marina/Boat Slips - "Too many items on the next election ballot, let's wait!" was the message from Clearwater officials last week regarding including a referendum question about adding 140 boat slips to downtown Clearwater's waterfront.
I would not have waited. The downtown Clearwater boat slip project would have passed support from the majority of Clearwater voters. Of course, hearing from some citizen groups who would not support the downtown boat slip project probably caused some Clearwater officials to postpone the project at this time.
A worthy project?
Yes, Clearwater is a waterfront community with a wonderful downtown area. Clearwater needs to create the availability for more boat slip rentals to local citizens. Downtown Clearwater would be one of such places to add boat slips for citizen's usage. Let's hope this downtown Clearwater boat slip project is presented to voters sooner rather than later.
Nancy Bostock for School Board - Must be the heat. Pinellas County school board member Nancy Bostock has support from this paper and the Big Paper! Of course, fair-minded followers of school board meetings would state that Nancy Bostock is one of the most prepared members on the school board. Bostock deserves re-election. Pinellas County needs her insight and temperment on the school board . . . which has many upcoming tough decisions in helping to educate our young students.
Judicial Elections - Does it matter if a judicial candidate has been registered as a Democrat or Republican? Do you think political party registration is a reflection of how candidates personally feel about social and fiscal issues of national and local importance?
If yes, then you should have the right to know such information. And, of course, you do have such right to know. Folks should be proud to stand-up and state which political party they favor.
Some media source should print such information, even though the judicial races are non-partisan.
Keep your eye on the Gazette at election time.
South Carolina Leads In Immigration Growth - Unskilled jobs are plentiful in South Carolina state recent immigration reports from the census bureau. Unskilled job growth reflected a 48 percent growth in immigration from 2000 in South Carolina.
In fact, the growth of immigration in several U.S. states has resulted in minority growth to the point where minorities are now the majority, such as in New Mexico. Arkansas has also reflected substantial immigration growth as well as many southern states.
How will the growth of immigration, legal and illegal, be reflected in future national and state elections?
Time will tell, however, this large voting consortium will, over time, have greater control of national politics in America. As expected, major political parties are trying to attract these vast multitudes of voters. It should be interesting to observe the clever rhetoric used in television and print media ads to sway these new voters to one political party or the other.
Bad Mouth The President And Present No Solutions - When I noticed Hillary Clinton recently bad mouth the president with loud words and no solutions, I wondered who was impressed with her loud voice. No solutions were given by Hillary regarding the war on terrorism or the war in Iraq as she criticized President Bush. She merely complained about the war in Iraq and the president, even though she voted for the war (Much like Joe Lieberman.)
Obviously, it is easy to criticize the president over the war in Iraq; but, what are Hillary's solutions? She never gives solutions. Should we cut and run and leave Iraq to terrorists who would soon be in America? Cut military spending and cut spending for national defense? Increase taxes and increase our federal bureaucracy? Protect the US borders? No solutions come from Hillary only complaints that make sound bites on friendly news channels and friendly newspapers.
I'm not saying all the decisions from Washington have been good decisions in fighting the war in Iraq. I am saying that if a person complains about the war on terrorism, he/she should offer solutions. Then all of us could weigh the new solutions of politicians versus where we are in Iraq. Monday morning quarterbacks are rarely wrong. However, and most folks would agree, it is much different in real game conditions when you are the decision-maker.
Hillary Clinton commander-in-chief of the United States?
You tell me.
The Judge Ruled in Favor of Insurers - In a recent Gulf Coast hurricane claim that went to court, the judge ruled in favor of the insurance company. This decision will likely be followed for the many hundreds of other legal claims pending against insurers who wrote basic homeowner insurance policies without flood coverage.
The judge ruled that homeowner damage from flooding (rain) is not covered under a homeowner's policy that excludes flood (water) damage. Even though there might have been homeowner wind coverage, the homeowner must prove that the claim was not due to water (rain) caused by flooding. Some insurers claim that even homeowner claims caused by a combination of wind and flooding are not covered under a policy that excludes flood damage.
The recent court decision is a major victory for the insurance industry that might have had to pay many hundreds of millions of dollars in claims if water damage was a covered item in combination with wind coverage (when no flood coverage was purchased.)
Message to homeowners?
Buy flood insurance if you are concerned about hurricane damage.
Insurance Reform - I like the things candidate Jim Davis says about insurance reform in Florida. He first said, what some other candidates are now saying, that there should be a large reinsurance pool created for insurers in Florida to buy necessary excess loss reinsurance coverage. Jim Davis was right and his opinions on this subject will help him win votes in the upcoming election.
Davis is in a tough Democrat primary for the governor's seat. Davis is worthy to be the Democrat's choice in the primary. Could Davis beat Crist or Gallagher? Time will tell, but he would be a tough and worthy opponent.
Insurance reform in Florida?
Most voters would say, yes.
Tough Campaign Talk - Gubernatorial GOP candidates Tom Gallagher and Charlie Crist are throwing campaign jabs at each other based upon factual voting records and stands on contemporary political issues.
For example, Gallagher says Crist is liberal in his abortion stand (Crist is pro-choice, Gallagher is pro-life) and Gallagher says Crist is lax on illegal immigration (Gallagher is pro-enforcement of illegal immigration, Crist is not.). Recent campaign ads from Gallagher make his position clear on those issues important to voters. However, Crist's campaign team says that such ads are mud-slinging.
With Crist's poll numbers arguably higher than Gallagher's, voters might be interested in what Gallagher is saying about illegal immigration and things like late-term abortion and same-sex marriage laws. (Gallagher does not support same-sex marriage laws, Crist has other views on this subject.)
Recently I had to chuckle when someone in the Crist campaign team criticized Gallagher for having support from a gaming industry person. Didn't Crist visit Donald Trump for campaign support? Isn't Trump in the gaming industry?
Best GOP candidate?
Gallagher or Crist. It appears that Gallagher is the more conservative of the two, but how can anyone not like Charlie Crist.
For the Democrats I like Jim Davis of Tampa. Davis has good ideas on insurance reform and he is a solid citizen.
Faults - Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults. - Ben Franklin