The Way I See ItBy cj pollickHurricane Season Is Here – It is time to consider replenishing supplies that you might need if a hurricane headed towards the Tampa Bay area. Most of our area is located in Flood Zone A. (The Worst.) Know your evacuation route and review your evacuation plan including securing your home. In a Category 1 Hurricane, the lowest has wind speeds of 74 to 95 mph and flood surge of 5 to 7 feet. Clearwater To Authorize Sale Of Revenue Bonds – Clearwater officials plan to authorize the sale of $12,900,000 Clearwater Improvement Revenue Bonds, Series 2008, to Branch Banking & Trust (BB&T). These funds will finance a portion of the downtown boat slips and Beach Walk projects. Construction of the downtown boat slips is planned to begin in January 2009 with completion in July 2009. The bonds would be paid back through revenue from downtown boat slip rentals. Clearwater Plans To Increase City Recreation Fees – Clearwater plans to increase the fee for resident cards for use of city recreation facilities by 40 percent. Further, the city plans to increase fees for non-resident recreation cards by doubling the current non-resident card fee. The increased cost for non-resident recreation cards may become effective on October 1, 2008. Sen. Obama Says Affirmative Action Should Remain - Affirmative Action is a way where certain racial groups are given advantages over other racial groups in such things as hiring, job promotions, entrance into schools, etc., etc. In other words, it is a form of discrimination (one group of people given advantages over another group of people.) Most Americans believe that any form of discrimination is unacceptable. Placing a nice name such as Affirmative Action on a form of discrimination should not cover the reality of what affirmative action does to create unfair advantages. In other words, if American citizens (emphasis on citizens) need additional support for such things such as education, job training, professional advancement, etc., then that special need probably crosses all ethnic lines and should be dealt with as merely a way to help any American who is in need. The American Dream should not have one group of people preferred over another. Sen. Obama supports the continuance of Affirmative Action plans. Sen. McCain thinks it is time to apply those ideas to all American citizens, no discrimination of any type. Lesbos, The Greek Island - In ancient times there was a Greek poetess named Sappho whose birthplace was on the island called Lesbos. Throughout time many people, especially women, visited the birthplace of Sappho to honor this historic woman and her famous poems. The island of Lesbos became a popular vacation spot for many tourists, including gay women (who refer to themselves as "lesbians.") Citizens of Lesbos, on the other hand, have been referred to as "Lesbians" from the founding and naming of the ancient island. The people of Lesbos believe they are the only people who should be called “Lesbians.” Hence, there was an issue on the island of Lesbos of who could be named "Lesbian." Island people did not like gay women calling themselves "Lesbian," which, in their opinion, should be exclusively reserved for the people of Lesbos. Three women sued, the issue went to court, and a Greek judge recently ruled in favor of gay women who refer to themselves as "lesbian." One island protestor waived a sign that said, "If you are not from Lesbos, you are not a Lesbian." California Marriage Protection Act/ Proposition 8 - There is an issue in California called Proposition 8 where the State of California would legally define "marriage" as between a man and a woman. Sen. McCain supports such a definition and Proposition 8 passage. Sen. Obama does not support Proposition 8 or its passage. Marriage defined as between a man and a woman? McCain yes -- Obama no. Sen. Obama refuses to take a stand for defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Yet, he says he supports marriage as between a man and a woman when talking on the campaign trail. Political double speak? Illegal Workers Taking Jobs Once Given To U.S. Teenagers? - There is a group that supports the SAVE Act where U.S. teenage workers would be able to get jobs that are currently being given to illegal workers. According to a recent study, only 37 percent of U.S. teenage workers (ages 16-19) were able to find jobs in 2007. In 2000, 51 percent of teenage Americans were able to find jobs. People who support the SAVE Act believe many jobs that would have, or could have, been given to U.S. teenage workers are being given to illegal workers. Not a good trend for younger U.S. workers who need jobs to help them plan for college, etc. How bad is it? One Iowa employer was recently raided by U.S. federal officials and they found 90 percent of his employees were illegal workers, some workers as young as age 15 who worked 60 hour weeks. Will any president enforce our illegal immigration laws? City Files For Bankruptcy – The city of Vallejo, California filed for bankruptcy protection in May to deal with a ballooning budget deficit caused by soaring employee costs and declining tax revenue. This is not an isolated problem that’s for certain. Other cities across America are being forced to confront cutting city staff and benefits due to falling tax revenues. Kudos To Rush Limbaugh – Rush recently celebrated 20 years of radio broadcasting. Rush’s success is due to the fact he is an incredibly talented broadcaster with a conservative message. Speaker Nancy Pelosi Says Tell Them What They Want To Hear – When speaking about the right to drill for oil on U.S. property, most Democrats support Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.) in saying, no. Republicans, on the other hand, support drilling for oil on U.S. territory. Speaker Pelosi recently said Democrat candidates in tough races can take a different view than hers if necessary. |