Will It Be Hillary Versus "Jeb!" In 2008? WSJ Editor Emeritus Robert Barley writes that "[w]atching Mr. Dean's surge in the primaries, Sen. Clinton may have to rethink her preference of delaying a presidential bid until 2008 to run against Gov. Jeb Bush or some other non-incumbent." See "The Stop-Dean Candidate: Hillary".
Gov. Bush, Can He Work With Anyone? - "The Republican tide that washed over the legislature in 1996 and swept Gov. Jeb Bush to unprecedented power in 1998 may be receding. At the very least, it has become clear that there are limits to Bush's political power in Florida. Bush acknowledged as much Thursday when he released a statement that he would not call lawmakers back to Tallahassee this week for a third special session to deal with medical malpractice insurance reform, the issue that he has identified as his principal objective for the state this year." See "Infighting capping Medical malpractice debate".
Unbelievable - "Children and Families director Jerry Regier is using his fundamental Oklahoma roots to make employees of Florida's embattled agency participate in mandatory character-training sessions. Regier has contracted with Oklahoma City-based Character Training Institute. The nonprofit company, with direct ties to evangelist Bill Gothard, is providing the curriculum for some 1,750 agency workers in the Orlando region, which also includes Brevard County. Regier made the material available to former Oklahoma deputy and current Orlando chief David Dennis. DCF employees were not uniformly happy July 25 to arrive at work for a one-hour lecture on "Dependability," backed up with laminated pocket guides, handouts, Character First! banners, and even cardboard cutouts of SpongeBob SquarePants and Minnie Mouse on the walls." See "Character training riles DCF workers - Program based on evangelist's teachings". Maybe this explains it: "Regier's mind not on job".
Come To Florida, Go To Jail - "Propelled by laws mandating longer sentences, Florida's prison population grew last year by more inmates than any state's save California, according to a federal report released last week. The number of people incarcerated by Florida climbed to 75,210 in 2002, a 3.9 percent increase. Across the country, state prison populations increased by an average of 2.4 percent." See "State's prison population up 3.9% last year - Second only to California".
Graham - "Bob Graham, the Cassandra of the presidential campaign, is issuing warnings again. Will anyone listen? Graham warned last year that war in Iraq would be a mistake, that it would distract the nation from its war against Islamist terrorists. He warned that Iraq could become a quagmire. The jury is still out on whether the war was a mistake, but Iraq is starting to bear the telltale signs of a quagmire." See "Nation Must Heed Graham".
High School Student Asks: "Does Bush really want to weaken graduates?" He writes: "Save us, please, from the tyranny of the unknowing politicians. Let them walk a week in my shoes and then go back to their leather armchairs. They can write legislation to make me leave more quickly and ruin my quality of life. Or they can start at the root of the problem and improve public education with teachers, not with business administrators.". [Note: we rarely post letters to the editor, but this one is worth a read].
You Know The College Football Season Is Around The Corner When . . . The Tallahassee Democrat has headlines like this: "Gators might transmit West Nile".
Gambling - "Last year, Gov. Jeb Bush vetoed a bill that -- as he rightly pointed out -- expanded gambling in this state. Bush clearly understands that gambling is a losing bet for Florida, and that most residents of this state are opposed to any further progress down the slippery slope that leads to casinos. Today, the governor has a nearly identical bill on his desk that would also expand gambling by extending the hours and upping the stakes in poker rooms located at parimutuel facilities like greyhound and horse-racing tracks." See "Raise the stakes". 6:58 AM
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