The rationale last year for loaning public money to General Motors and Chrysler was that if they crashed, the entire economy would be damaged. ...more

April 1, 2009

The White House sought today to stress the positive in a looming fight with Congress over a $3.6 trillion budget, saying blueprints put forth by Democratic allies in both chambers hew closely to President Barack Obama's priorities. ...more

March 25, 2009

It's often difficult to knowwhen elected representatives should make tough decisions and when the people should have the final say. Both ways have merit, and in Spring Lake, it's clear what must be done. ...more

March 22, 2009

Sheriff Bob White announced today he will phase out a unit that tracks court defendants before trials and reassign the unit's four deputies to patrol duty. ...more

March 20, 2009

Share your comments and see what luxuries others have - or have not - given up in these tough times. ...more

March 13, 2009

The state still faces a deficit of up to $700 million this fiscal year - and $5 billion next year - despite last month's budget-cutting session, the Senate's top budget chief said Monday. ...more

February 10, 2009

The state still faces a deficit of up to $700 million this fiscal year - and $5 billion next year _ despite last month's budget-cutting session, the Senate's top budget chief said today. On top of that, said JD Alexander, head of the Senate's Ways and Means committee, property taxes are expected to yield $1 billion less than the state needs just to maintain the status quo for K-12 public school funding. ...more

February 9, 2009

The state Senate wants to suspend the Florida Forever land conservation program six months, effectively abandoning dozens of land purchases already in the works, including several in the Tampa Bay area. ...more

January 9, 2009

Environmentalists are reeling from the Senate's decision to axe Florida Forever funding for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends June 30. The proposal would mean canceling issuance of $250 million in bonds, which would have supported Florida's purchase of environmentally sensitive land around the state. ...more

January 8, 2009

The state of Florida is facing an unprecedented budget crisis. Our lawmakers will be meeting in special session in early January, where they will need to make difficult decisions to address the pressing needs of our state. One area of the budget under consideration is the Medicaid hospice benefit. Because of that, I am writing on behalf of some of our most vulnerable citizens, the terminally ill and their families that receive dedicated end of life care from hospice organizations across the state. The demographics of hospice patients might surprise you. Along with our aging population and cancer patients, hospice organizations also care for children, teens, young and middle-aged adults, heart disease patients, Alzheimer's patients and kidney disease patients. Anyone of any age diagnosed with a terminal illness is able to receive hospice care, where healthcare professionals and trained volunteers address all medical, emotional, social and spiritual needs. ...more

December 30, 2008