The $23 billion water bill that President Bush tried to kill is plump with pork, but it's not the fiscal disaster he claims. More importantly, it funds projects of critical importance to Florida and other parts of the nation. ...more

November 10, 2007

a Sunday ritual - while growing up in Hudson, then trading their finds for cash. ...more

November 5, 2007

Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani quarreled over tax and spending cuts Tuesday, each claiming greater commitment than the other in a debate in the nation's struggling manufacturing heartland. ...more

October 10, 2007

In the late 1940s, my friends and I did all kinds of jobs to earn spending money. We were between 9 and 12 and didn't get allowances. These were still hard times, and many families had to struggle to make ends meet. ...more

October 9, 2007

Investing in depressed employees can cut absenteeism while improving workers' health, a study suggests. ...more

September 26, 2007

SEBRING –– Idea people are always energizing. Often praised by progressives and sometimes reviled by the status quo, they are exciting to be around regardless of your opinion. Ken Melvin is civic minded, always attending county meetings. He describes himself as a bull in a china shop and an eccentric. His home on Mi-La-Kee Avenue with its underwater mural airbrushed by artist Bruce Maltz is an example. Previously, Melvin was involved with recycling and demolition. Now his dream is to create a citizens' committee putting together a group of business people, newcomers and retired people. Last week he got appointed to a citizens committee, looking into an action plan to reopen Lake Denton. He wants to encourage anyone with positive ideas for government so money and taxes can be saved and positive plans made for the future. ...more

September 10, 2007

Imagine trying to trim a billion dollars out of the budget. That might not seem like too much if you're talking about the federal budget, but it's Florida's budget, and that's a problem. So how do you do it? Obviously you start cutting. But what about spending money? That's what Gov. Charlie Crist wants to do, and we think he's on to something. Just about everything is on the table for proposed cuts, although Crist has said education would not be touched. He has, however, said that state reserves should be used to start major infrastructure construction projects such as roads and schools to invigorate the construction business. By doing this, he says, it will kick-start the state's economy. We're not sure how that would work on the state level, but there's no doubt that the flat housing market in Highlands County is having a massive negative effect on those of us living here. With no major manufacturing plant that employs a huge number of people here, construction and all of its offshoots drives this area's economy, along with citrus. ...more

September 9, 2007