In backing away from its support for a public option in healthcare reform, the Obama administration is picking a fight with the liberal wing of the Democratic party. Liberal Democrats have insisted a public insurance option is necessary to ensure competition for private insurers. Just this week, former
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean predicted there could be Democratic primary challenges if a healthcare bill without a public option is approved by Congress..........here
This morning I sent out a call to all of our customer list asking them to take a few moments and vote for us in Creative Loafing's Best of the Bay. This year they have a category for Best Eco-Friendly Store........here
Deveron Gibbons has a new mailer designed to put voters to sleep. On the front, the mail-piece has a couple of pictures that basically say "I am down with white voters. You are allowed to vote for me." Gibbons even gives you his cell phone number in case you need a free money order........here
If Rahm Emanuel thinks he can now shift the discussion to co-ops as the answer to our healthcare woes, then he is sadly mistaken. Howard Dean very clearly pointed out last Friday at Netroots Nation.......here
Steven Perezluha left his home in Longwood on June 8 on his trusty racing bike, three days after graduating from Lake Mary High. He wore his yellow racing jersey, black bike shorts and a helmet. The maps he stashed away were highlighted with back roads and bike trails that crisscrossed the United States and Canada, a distinct path that would guide him for the next 6,000 miles. Steven Perezluha was headed for Alaska........here
Railed against burgers, french fries, fried chicken and sweet tea in his campaign to promote better eating in a part of the country known for people's unhealthy lifestyles. He might still be leading the charge if he had only left the doughnuts alone.........here
While the officials are hiding behind "safety" claims, the truth is that it's a typical move of regulatory capture by the cab companies, limiting competition so they can keep their prices artificially high and avoid any sort of business model innovation........here
The St. Petersburg Times' Kris Hundley writes that many take their pets to the facility in Largo believing it's a "no-kill" shelter. The brutal reality is otherwise. Animals taken in by SPCA Tampa Bay stand about a 50-50 chance of leaving alive...........here
Joe and Valerie Cuce would appreciate that their customers not look at them funny Wednesday when they walk into the Jersey Cafe and find that they're giving away food.......here
Mary is coming to Tampa!! After looking for the perfect location for some time now, Mary has found the perfect spot for her newest location. Centro Ybor will be the next location for Hamburger Mary's Bar and Grille ... Mary's going to be working hard for the next few months to get the place up to her standards, so be on the lookout for updates on her progress ... Luv Mary!!
Forget fuel, goodbye gas guzzlers— the Bay Area is about to get plugged in. Electric car charging station coming. Largo company plans to install first one in Florida.......here
So much for energy-efficiency and reducing our carbon footprints. here “Before these kinds of vehicles came about, our guests would have to wait 45 mintues for a cab,” .......Ferrell Bonnemort of Cafe Dufrain on Harbour Island
Is it appropriate for State Rep. Darryl Rouson to lobby Hillsborough County Planning Commissioners pushing sprawl?........here He openly advocated for a “multi-modal” center out in the far corner of the county, where we purposely do not have urban services such as water and sewer and where the land use designation does not allow for this sort of thing. If Democrats are good for anything, isn’t it usually being anti-sprawl and pro-gay rights? Rouson appears to be neither, but then I found he used to be a Republican.
Kendrick Meek As a candidate running to represent Florida in the U.S. Senate and as a four-term member of Congress with a 15-year public service record, I have taken great pride in representing my constituents to the best of my ability. In recent years, there has been an explosion of new technologies that help elected officials stay more in touch with their constituents..........here
The spectacle at the Children's Board in Ybor City sounded more like a wrestling cage match than a panel discussion on national policy, wrote the St. Petersburg Times' Adam Smith........here Ms. Miracle Needs To Keep Her Hands To Herself.
I recognize that so much is going to change. So much that I can’t even anticipate right now. But some I can. Like this blog. Four-plus years on, and I would really like to keep it going. But there’s no way it can stay the same – and because I know my focus and priorities will change with a baby in the house, I know this blog will change........here
If there is one place where any bad feelings from the hearings on Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination could have lasting consequences, it's Florida, the pesky swing state that the second-largest Puerto Rican community outside the island calls home..........more
here "Tampa Bay's political bad boy." - St. Petersburg Times "Schorsch is a one man election wrecking crew." - Wayne Garcia, Creative Loafing "The wild-card political consultant." - Howard Troxler, St. Petersburg Times
I used to vote Republican until I realized that I was getting the shitty end of the stick.
I have worked all my life to make other people rich. The people that are crashing the Health reform meetings are insane. I bet most of them don't even have health insurance........here
One of the most extensive algae blooms in Tampa Bay's history stretches more than 14 miles from Safety Harbor to Weedon Island, and scientists predict it soon could lead to fish kills........here
I've seen the news lately, so I had an idea of how noisy these events are around the nation. When I arrived, some two hours before the event started at six, there were already 20 some odd people there.........here
Congressman Meek would be in Tampa on Wednesday to open a new field office, sit for a taping with Bay News 9 and was open to an interview with me. Me, a blogger. A card-carrying member of the new media. I couldn't say 'Yes" quick enough...........here
Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor struggled to make herself heard and eventually cut her appearance short as dozens of people shouted "Tyranny! Tyranny! Tyranny!"........here
Who Would Have Thought People Could Get So Passionate About Protecting Insurance Company Profits?.........Out In Left Field