The Way I See ItBy cj pollickCity Of Largo And Reasonable Pay Scales - Unbeknownst to most taxpayers of Largo, city officials have been approving salary packages for top city employees that exceed comparable pay scales of other neighboring cities, such as Clearwater, by large margins. Citizens have the right to ask: Why would elected officials in Largo offer top city officials more higher salaries than comparable jobs in nearby larger cities? This issue is likely to become topical at future Largo City Hall commission meetings. If Largo citizens are interested, they can read more of this matter on page one. According to the facts reported by Leo Coughlin, Clearwater City Manager Bill Horne manages a larger city (in every business category) than Largo for less pay. Makes you wonder what officials performed comparable "pay scale" studies for the City of Largo. Super Boat Nationals Returns To Clearwater Beach October 1st-3rd - The 2nd Annual Super Boat Nationals Championship will begin October 1st. The Friday through Sunday schedule includes a festival at Coachman Park. The boats race along Clearwater Beach to the interest of many boat-racing fans. The power and speed of these "super" boats is amazing. Personal Attack Advertising - One Tampa radio commentator recently stated that he had never observed as much personal attack advertising as in some current televised campaign ads. And, of course, he is correct. Negative televised ads by people like McCollum and Meeks have been more about attacking the person than attacking opponents' views on important political issues. McCollum (Rep.) says he has real political experience, Meeks (Dem.) says the same. However, both people are being painted as career politicians who seem to care more about winning a job than serving the people of Florida. Can personal attack ads sway voters' opinion? Time will tell, but recent polls show both McCollum and Meeks losing in party primaries. Voters seem to want new, fresh voices and not more rhetoric by career politicians. The way I see it, it could be Rick Scott (Rep.) vs. Jeff Greene (Dem.) Two self-made wealthy businessmen who are spending a lot of their own money to campaign. Then there is Charlie Crist, our ever-smiling governor who never seems to be happy in his job. Neither Republicans nor Democrats currently trust Crist. And why should voters trust Crist, he flip-flops on important issues and fundamental beliefs more than…Arlen Specter, Democrat turned Republican then back to Democrat (ousted Senator from Pennsylvania.) On the other hand, Marco Rubio (Rep.) has been steadfast in his beliefs and support of people's rights (versus big government.) The way I see it, Crist is near the end of his political career, much like Arlen Specter and Marco Rubio is the voice we need in Washington. Issues? Yes, wouldn't it be nice to simply have the candidates outline their positions on important state and national issues for everyone to review. Why must they disguise how they really feel about taxes, social security, healthcare, illegal immigration, job creation, national debt, education, etc., etc.? How About Those Rays? - As of this writing the Tampa Rays are in first place in their division. And, as the Yankees are spending money adding players to their roster for a season-ending run for first place, the Rays are remaining supportive of the players who got them this far. It should be interesting to see how recent additions to the Yankees help their chances for success. The Rays? Looking good. A few injuries, but the team is playing solid baseball. The next time the team is in town, why not take the family to a big league baseball game (and show your support for a job well done.) It Makes You Wonder - Some readers have called to express their unhappiness with biased reporting when it comes to supporting one political candidate over others. Those disgruntled citizens say they do not believe what they read in newspapers. When asked if they thought the Wall Street Journal supported more conservative candidates, the citizens responded affirmatively. When asked if most large daily newspapers supported liberal candidates, the citizens responded affirmatively. Thus, and depending upon who owned the media outlet being questioned, one might observe either conservative or liberal "bias" being reported/endorsed, so say disgruntled citizens. Have any of you readers noticed political bias of the media? Wasteful Spending - A new report on the top 100 most wasteful stimulus projects includes $308 million for BP clean energy projects. Grassroots Arizona Protests - So you thought the protesters in Arizona regarding the law on Illegal Immigration were local concerned citizens? Wrong, many of them were paid protesters that were bussed in from all over the country by groups such as SEIU, who have a specific agenda. Guess you could call them at "Rent a Protester." Check Immigration Status - Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli issued a legal opinion authorizing state law enforcement to check the immigration status of anyone stopped by police officers for any reason. Too Conservative - The Washington Post refused to sell Newsweek to Newsmax because it was too conservative, but The Post sold Newsweek to the husband of a Democratic member of Congress. Rejecting Obamacare - With all precincts reporting 71% of voters in Missouri voted to establish a state law rejecting the Obamacare individual mandate. "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free…it expects what never was and never will be." -Thomas Jefferson |