They say when you are in a hole so deep you can barely see a pinhole of light at the top, the first thing to do is to stop digging. ...more

January 17, 2009

If given a choice, would Hillsborough County school employees choose layoffs and salary cuts to help close a multimillion-dollar deficit, or would they take a few days off without pay? As the head of the teachers union put it, it's like asking, "Would you rather cut off your right arm or your left leg?" But the district wants their input. School officials circulated a survey to 25,000 employees this week, asking for their thoughts on the grim options they're considering to save as much as $55 million. ...more

January 16, 2009

If given a choice, would Hillsborough County school employees choose layoffs and salary cuts to help close a multimillion-dollar deficit, or would they take a few days off without pay? As the head of the teachers union put it, it's like asking, "Would you rather cut off your right arm or your left leg?" But the district wants their input. School officials circulated a survey to 25,000 employees this week, asking for their thoughts on the grim options they're considering to save as much as $55 million. ...more

January 15, 2009

The Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities, under the leadership of Director Jim DeBeaugrine, has shown clients admirable compassion by suspending a controversial cost-reduction program. The agency is considering revamping how it funds services. ...more

January 2, 2009

"Credit, the disposition of one man to trust another, is singularly varying," Walter Bagehot, the financial journalist, wrote 135 years ago. "In England, after a great calamity, everybody is suspicious of everybody; as soon as that calamity is forgotten, everybody again confides in everybody." ...more

January 1, 2009

Once Hillsborough School Superintendent MaryEllen Elia makes a decision, she tends to plow ahead, and isn't afraid to ruffle feelings. So she has taken her share of hits from parents, teachers and this editorial board during her 3½ years on the job. She never seems far from controversy. ...more

December 30, 2008

In an area with overwhelming transportation needs, Tampa Bay area motorists should be grateful for small victories. And one will be coming in less than a year when state Department of Transportation officials finally retool the treacherous junction of interstates 75 and 275 at the Hillsborough-Pasco line, which has long been another "Malfunction Junction." ...more

December 29, 2008

As the longest recession in a quarter century intensifies, analysts think the small decline in economic activity in the third quarter has worsened significantly in the current fourth quarter. ...more

December 24, 2008

The Federal Reserve cut its target for a key interest rate to the lowest level on record Tuesday and pledged to use "all available tools" to combat a severe financial crisis and prolonged recession. STORY, Page 13 ...more

December 17, 2008

The nastier this recession gets, the more people will talk about the discrediting of markets and the failure of deregulation. So the next time the Dow dives off a cliff, splash your face with ice water and remember two things: This end-of-capitalism talk is bunk, and it distracts us from the debate we should be having. ...more

December 5, 2008