The Way I See ItBy cj pollickSheriff In Belleair Beach - For the June 1, 2007 to September 30, 2007 period, police services will cost the town $120,525. From October 1, 2007 to September 30, 2008, the cost will be $398,734. This new police department expense will save the Belleair Beach taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars plus police department expense savings in insurance and benefits. Voters Sent A Message And Senate Republicans Listened - Republicans in the U.S. Senate listened to American voters and effectively stopped pending legislation to support amnesty for illegal immigrants in America. President Bush and leaders of the Democrat controlled Senate could not muster enough votes to support a Senate bill supporting illegal amnesty. Voters throughout America flooded Senate phone lines protesting the pending bill. White House phone lines could not handle the influx of callers speaking against illegal amnesty. Ironically, Florida Senators Bill Nelson (D) and Mel Martinez (R) supported illegal amnesty. Of course, they were on the losing side of the controversial illegal immigrant amnesty debate. This recent vote was just another defeat by Senate Democrats such as Ted Kennedy trying to push for illegal immigrant amnesty; in fact, some political pundits in Washington are already saying this recent Senate vote would also hurt Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in his presidential campaign bid. (McCain supported the amnesty bill) and candidates such as Hillary Clinton (D) and Barack Obama (D). One thing should be clear to politicians: American voters will not vote for illegal amnesty - - and those politicians who have supported illegal amnesty may find voter backlash in the next election. It is already being discussed by Democrats in Florida that Sen. Mel Martinez (R) could not win re-election if the election was held today. President Bush? Another sign that Republicans are distancing themselves from his leadership. Hillary Clinton? Her stand in support of illegal amnesty and President Bush will hurt her election chances in the Democrat Primary. One U.S. Senator stated that if the amnesty bill was passed, the financial cost to fund their retirement in America would forever bust the current social security system. The future? Time will tell, but for now, illegal immigration remains a top campaign issue for the 2008 presidential election. The war - - illegal immigration - - taxes - -healthcare and social security remain top campaign issues for candidates to debate and fully explain their solutions. Soaring Hospital Costs - Just spoke to a friend who had a stent put in a vein in her leg as an out-patient (did not spend the night). Her hospital bill - $37,000. That did not include any doctor bills. In and out for a mere $37,000. Venice Florida Gator Attack - Imagine going to fetch your golf ball on the side of a nearby pond and an eleven-foot long alligator snaps onto your arm dragging you into the water! The golfer fortunately survived the attack after fighting-off the large gator. This is just another sordid story about a large gator attacking a visitor in Florida. Is it time to control alligator population in Florida? Hardball Or Motorball? - There is a television commentator from San Francisco named Chris Matthews who regularly "motors" on about a political subject at lightening speed before asking questions to a guest. They call his television spot Hardball. Yes, Matthews says he is an Independent, but his political-speak shows he is nothing more than another San Francisco liberal. Hardly an Independent. Matthews typically refrains from debating with articulate conservatives, such as Newt Gingrich, but normally favors inviting liberal political consultants to his "show" who favor his biased political opinions before he asks a question. No big deal, it is not unusual to find this type of political rhetoric on major news stations and CNN. What is amazing, however, is how liberals criticize Fox News and similar political "shows" such as The O'Reilly Factor on Channel 67 at 8 p.m. (who says that he is an Independent, but is clearly a moderate/conservative.) If you are a liberal, you'll like Matthews and Hardball - - if you are a conservative, you'll like O'Reilly and The No-Spin Zone. Both television programs cater to a certain political crowd and viewers know the difference. It's all about showmanship. The Insanity Of It All - When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that schools can't use race as a criteria for desegregation, it avoided ruling on whether schools could desegregate based on socio-economic status (income.) Thus, a young family that lives across the street from an elementary school might end-up busing their children to another school three miles away just because of their income. Insane? In trying to develop schools that are "balanced' with the so-called demographics of the community, school board leaders are now confronted with the elimination of race as one profile criteria that could be used to develop diversity. This 5-4 Supreme Court decision also applies to colleges and universities across America. Race cannot be used as a criteria to enhance school desegregation. Income? Now, that is another matter. The way I see it, the problem in education lies with quality of education, not whether students come from families with money or without money. For example, inner city schools normally serve low-income families, many of which are single parent families. Finding good teachers to teach in that environment can be difficult and expensive. Bottom line? Quality of education is lacking for those students. The solution? Bus children from another neighborhood into that school. The issue is quality of education for those young students. All students deserve a quality education; however, in a safe learning environment. The recent Supreme Court decision? It does little to help current problems for many school districts. House Democrats Lead The Way For Pay Raise -Voters once thought that when Democrats such as Nancy Pelosi of California was in charge of Congress, government waste might be slowed. Not true. In fact, and regardless of a record-low voter approval rating. (19 percent according to a recent Gallup poll.) Congressional Democrats led the way for a $4,400 annual pay raise to $170,000, plus government benefits. In the last election Democrat candidates said they would act different than Republicans. NFL Pension System - There are some football superstars who have retired from the NFL with spectacular retirement plans, aka OJ Simpson. On the other hand, there are NFL football players that have retired with less than spectacular retirement or disability plans, aka Mike Webster of the Steelers. Congress recently stated that they might begin a review of the NFL pension system (given all of the bad press by some retired football players who are homeless or disabled without compensation.) Head injuries. When Troy Aikman, (of the Dallas Cowboy fame) was asked about head injuries of retired NFL quarterbacks, he quickly responded by saying that defensive players had more head contact (and possible injuries) than quarterbacks. Of course, not many people would question the statement of Aikman. Billions of dollars are made by businessmen and colleges across America on the game of football. Superior athletes give their best in high school and college just to have a chance to make good money playing professional sports. Not all professional athletes make millions of dollars a year, most do not. The way I see it, college football players should have a college-paid disability insurance plan for athletes who become unable to play football, etc., due to a sports related injury while making the university sports department millions of dollars a year. Something more than just books and tuition (if the athlete graduates, and most do not. But, they remain injured!) Professional athletes, one would think, should have better than average disability insurance and a retirement plan where the retired athlete could live a modest retirement, not rich mind you, just a modest income where he does not need to live on the streets. Where is the player's union and rich owners? This is not about the wealthy super-stars, this is about the average professional athlete that is soon forgotten after he is cut from the team after several years of bodily sacrifice. Same is true for the college athlete who was injured and forgotten by the coach and fans. What college football player does not remember at least one good athlete who tore a tendon (in a game or practice) and was soon forgotten? "Whatever happened to Joe ------, he was destined for great things until he was hurt," is a line many of us might have heard. Action Packed Start To Finish - If "Die Hard Three" sounds like the type of movie you might enjoy, don't miss it. |