Editorials
- Remembering the How?
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The year 1776 dawned in a most inglorious fashion.
King George III of England had, just before the calendar turned over a new year, declared the American colonies in rebellion, a rebellion he insisted would be vanquished by what was then the... Full story
- Noxious Fumes
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There must be $200,000 to be found in this budget through cuts, to paraphrase county commissioner Bill Williams on Monday night.
Hello?
Overburdened taxpayers have been saying the same thing - on a larger scale, in terms of dollars - for years... Full story
- Facing Facts
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With another budget about to be crafted, it is time for taxing authorities to come clean about the state of finances in the county and municipalities.
The jig is up on the kind of business witnessed in recent weeks as commissioners see the ugly... Full story
- Dodge Ball
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The lengths to which county commissioners seem intent on avoiding the bullet they must bite were never more evident than last week.
The board held a special meeting last Thursday to examine alternate sources of income than property taxes.
One... Full story
- History Lesson
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"We can't keep doing business as we have in the past."
Such a statement has been made at least once in the past six months in both a Port St. Joe city commission and Board of County Commissioners meeting.
A good start would be with both... Full story
- Losing Their Heads
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Let's call the last two weeks in the life of local government for what it is: the chickens come home to roost.
From the machinations to oust Port St. Joe city manager Charlie Weston to the alpha male struggle at a county commission meeting -... Full story
- Governing Principles
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No matter whether Port St. Joe manager Charlie Weston ultimately keeps his job or how the three city races are decided this week, there is work to do among city commissioners.
The past few weeks spilling into several months have not been the... Full story
- Two Wrongs
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Heaven knows there is little need for more legislation out of Tallahassee.
The Florida Legislature each year somehow squeezes 365 days of mischief into 60 days, passing laws that do little or abdicate tasks and costs to locals and playing Three... Full story
- Number Crunching
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Last week's county budget workshop provided a highlighter for the cliché "never say never."
That because when he pronounced at the beginning of the year that there would be no layoffs of county employees in 2009, the chairman of the Board... Full story
- Too Much Lien
- This is a difficult time for the social safety net that aims to keep the most vulnerable from falling into the abyss.
State and federal governments seem determined to bring budgets into order by cutting the programs that aim to serve the neediest and... Full story
