The Way I See ItBy cj pollickAnticipating The Ironman - Preparations are currently underway for the Ironman Triathlon to be held Saturday, November 8th. Many triathletes from all over the world will be competing in this prestigious event. Note to locals … check for road closures or delays in your area. Political Signs A Problem – In Belleair Beach having more than one sign in your yard for a single candidate is apparently against the city code. Sheriff’s deputies spent time asking residents to remove redundant signs because of complaints made to city hall. Pinellas County Commission Gave Purchasing Right To Administrator - On October 7, 2008 the Pinellas County Commission voted to allow the County Administrator freedom to purchase up to $250,000 on real estate (with minimal oversight by the County Commission.) This approval power was most likely a result of a certain land acquisition deal made between the County Commission and former Tax Appraiser Jim Smith. Such deals in the future could be performed with the County Administrator as long as the contemplated land purchase was consistent with the County's land improvement plans. This transfer of land purchasing rights from the elected "County Commission" to a hired County staff member was not without some negative input by some county commissioners who felt the elected officials needed to have input before such land purchases were made. City Of Indian Rocks Beach Trying To Fill Open Jobs - As soon as the City of Indian Rocks Beach solves a few government problems other problems develop. The city is looking for another city manager since the interim city manager does not want the job. And, of course, the city is also looking for a new City Treasurer since the termination of the current city treasurer. Two of the most important jobs at the City of Indian Rocks Beach are vacant. The City Treasurer position will pay $52,347 plus full benefits, stated the City Human Resources Officer. Unfortunately, it makes you wonder how many people would be interested in working in a small-town environment where city politics trickle-down to most every city job. Our Local Tourism Season - If last year was any indication of how bad the tourism season might be in 2009, then business owners had better watch their cash flow. The Canadian dollar has fallen in value (to about eighty cents) and some Clearwater hoteliers are wondering if the Canadian visitors will visit Florida in the same numbers this tourism season. The Euro is about a dollar and thirty or about twenty percent lower than last year and the same loss is true for the UK pound. Of course, this currency exchange rate change will clearly benefit American tourists planning a trip to Europe. It Is Tough For Republicans To Compete Against The Liberal Media - If you are a Republican from most any state you understand how difficult it is to run a successful campaign against the liberal media and well-funded opponents who can run ads that simply are not accurate. It makes some folks wonder if the media can be trusted with any form of so-called unbiased news reporting. The New York Times unabashedly supported Barack Obama over John McCain. Same, of course, was true for the LA Times, CNN, ABC, NBC, MSMBC and hundreds of liberal news sources across the country. Those people seek to make America a nation of socialists, big government, high taxes and expanded federal entitlements. Yes, America, in their opinion, needs to change from its independent capitalistic roots to a new nation based on socialism and interventional big government. Will it succeed? Time will tell, but Sam Clemens warned us of the perils of liberalism in the print media. Gators, Bulls, Noles And Hurricanes - If you are a football fan, then you know that the Gator nation is celebrating a big win over Georgia. Tebow is back to being a Heisman Trophy candidate and if the Gators can win all of their remaining games, they could play for a national championship (probably against Penn State.) On the other hand, if you are a USF Bulls fan, you are disappointed at the result of their last game in Cincinnati. The Bulls need a few wins to make post-season playoffs in a decent NCAA bowl game. Same is true for the Seminole Nation and Miami Hurricane fans. The best team in Florida this year is the Florida Gators… and, we hope they have a chance to play the Nittany Lions (with their cakewalk football schedule.) Kudos To Indians Rocks Baptist And Calvary Baptist School Teams - Both Indian Rocks Baptist and Calvary Baptist are small, private schools that compete in school sports such as football, volleyball, soccer, etc. Yes, both are very fine academic schools that have a high ratio of students that attend college after graduation. However, this has been another very successful athletic season for both local schools and we salute them in their most notable athletic success. |