By JEFFREY SCHWEERS | jschweers@orlandosentinel.com | Orlando Sentinel, December 22, 2023. TALLAHASSEE — Time is running out for Florida to opt into a new federal program that would provide $248 million to help feed 2 million children next summer who might otherwise go hungry. But it isn’t likely to happen as the state agency best equipped to run the
The following Letter to the Editor was published in The Daily Sun on Dec 20, 2023. Even the personalities on Fox Business channel could barely contain their enthusiasm as the Dow hit a record 37,000. They had to admit, begrudgingly, that Biden and his administration must be doing something right. The facts are clear: As
The following editorial was published in The Daily Sun on Dec 20, 2023. OUR POSITION: A Republican-sponsored tearing down of current restrictions on teenage workers is not a terrible idea, but it may go a little too far. A Republican-backed bill being proposed in the Florida Legislature is an obvious attempt to temper the tight labor market.
The folllowing editorial was published in The Daily Sun on Dec 6, 2023. You may have noticed in recent weeks that alarming headlines about inflation — specifically, those ubiquitous stories about the cost of gasoline, or eggs, or other household goods — have vanished. Media outlets no longer feature those fearsome charts with arrows zooming
The following editorial was published in The Daily Sun on Oct 17, 2023. OUR POSITION: Trying to cull customers from Citizens Insurance is needed, but not at the expense of homeowners still struggling to recover from hurricanes. It’s well documented and certainly no secret that Citizens Property Insurance Corp., Florida’s state-backed insurer of last resort, has
The following editorial was published in The Daily Sun on September 30, 2023. OUR POSITION: The foot-dragging on making a decision about the Cultural Center’s future is puzzling. Way back in February, Charlotte County commissioners were treated to a study funded and commissioned by the Charlotte County Community Foundation. That report, which wasn’t cheap, took almost a year. It suggested several
Not long ago, a nightly routine for the Republican president and the Democratic speaker of the House was to meet at the White House, share a drink and discuss how to bridge any gaps in their search to serve our country. Where has that spirit of constructive political leadership gone? Now, a Republican senator has
© Florida Phoenix BY: MITCH PERRY – JULY 20, 2023 3:07 PM Supporters of a proposed 2024 constitutional amendment that would legalize recreational cannabis in Florida contend in a new filing that Attorney General Ashley Moody is abruptly changing course on what the Florida Supreme Court has said in the past about getting pot amendments on the ballot.
Tallahassee, FL — After the Biden-Harris administration announced major investments to expand access to affordable, high-speed internet in all 50 states, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried issued the following statement: “Access to high-speed internet, especially in our rural communities, has long served as a dividing line in our state,” said Chair Fried. “With this historic $1.17 billion
The following Letter to the Editor was published in The Daily Sun on May 29, 2023. Before they’ll honor our IOUs and to save money, Republicans want to impose more work requirements on our most vulnerable citizens, most of whom are already working, if able, at minimum wage jobs, if they can get them, with
By David Firestone, a member of the New York Times editorial board. Published in The New York Times on May 17, 2023. Seen from outside Washington, the debt ceiling battle might seem like an abstract argument between the political parties over federal spending and deficits. But for millions of low-income Americans who depend on
By CHRIS MEGERIAN, Associated Press, March 10, 2023. WASHINGTON — With Republicans in control of the House, there’s no chance that President Joe Biden’s new budget plan will become law as it stands. Instead, the financial blueprint that he announced Thursday in Philadelphia will serve as a political talking point for a president preparing to
The following Letter to the Editor was published in The Daily Sun on March 7, 2023. I was in disbelief at this morning’s newspaper concerning the new Sunseeker Resort. Now the commissioners are “concerned” about traffic, parking, and finding 13,000 workers? Now you have questions? You are now concerned that our roads are not built
The following editorial was published in The Daily Sun on Jan 27, 2023. OUR POSITION:We were warned about the price hikes requested by Florida Power & Light months ago. Call it the bill for Hurricane Ian damage. Whatever excuse you want to use, it won’t make it any easier when you fork over money for
An editorial by the TAMPA BAY TIMES First the good news: Florida was the fastest-growing state in the nation last year, new figures show. That growth breathes new life into the economy and makes Florida more attractive and competitive on the global stage. But the state is lagging behind in key investments — in housing, health
By Jason DeParle, The New York Times, Nov. 25, 2022. WASHINGTON — When the history of American hardship is written in some distant decade, two recent events may capture the whipsaw forces of the age. Child poverty fell to a record low. And the program that did the most to reduce it vanished. The story of
By Isabella Simonetti and Julie Creswell, The New York Times, Nov. 1, 2022. A year ago, a bag of potato chips at the grocery store cost an average of $5.05. These days, that bag costs $6.05. A dozen eggs that could have been picked up for $1.83 now average $2.90. A two-liter bottle of soda that cost $1.78
By Peter Baker and Clifford Krauss, New York Times, Oct. 31, 2022 WASHINGTON — President Biden threatened on Monday to seek a new windfall profits tax on major oil and gas companies unless they ramp up production to curb the price of gasoline at the pump, an escalation of his battle with the energy industry just a week
By Clifford Krauss, reporting from Houston, The New York Times, Oct. 28, 2022. The good times are back for the oil companies, but with the global economy on edge, there is more caution than celebration among executives. On Friday, Exxon Mobil and Chevron, the largest U.S. oil companies, reported a fourth consecutive quarter of robust profits.
By Karin Rives, S&P Global Insights, Aug 24, 2022 Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will work with the state legislature to codify a rule barring the state’s pension fund from considering ESG factors in investment decisions. Vote Crist for Governor and Adam Hattersley for CFO! Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration on Aug. 23 approved
By A.G. Gancarski, Florida Politics, September 5, 2022. “Before Floridians start losing their homes.” The increasingly fraught issue of homeowners insurance is a hot topic in the Governor’s race. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist contends Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as “unfit to lead” the state’s increasingly wobbly property insurance market, challenging the Governor to reverse price hikes rolled out