December 2013 - Page 2 of 9 - Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Daniel TilsonDecember 26, 2013

How’d you like your weekly salary to be 20 percent higher than it is now? How about knowing for sure that if you do your job well, you’re going to get a raise every year or two and have a shot at keeping up with cost of living increases? What about knowing you can’t get […]

Guest AuthorDecember 26, 2013

Second of two parts. Most Floridians support the legalization of medical marijuana, an issue that voters may decide in a referendum next year. However, we need to heed the objections of the 18 percent of Florida residents who oppose the measure. One congressional candidate confided in me that a family member who had been a […]

Guest AuthorDecember 26, 2013

If you like heavyweight bouts, the citizens of Lakeland have been treated to a six-month knockdown match, and it isn’t over yet. In one corner, we have some city officials — Police Chief Lisa Womack, City Manager Doug Thomas and Mayor Gow Fields. In the other corner is the state attorney for the 10th Judicial […]

Martin DyckmanDecember 25, 2013

There could be no worse prospect than a convention to revise the U.S. Constitution, nor any worse news than the people promoting such a bad idea are members of what Hillary Clinton famously coined a vast right-wing conspiracy. The purported object is to pass amendments to limit federal power, term-limit Congress, require a balanced budget […]

Guest AuthorDecember 25, 2013

First of two parts. We value our First Amendment rights, so I was surprised at the reactions I received when I mentioned the topic of this piece to colleagues, friends and family. They had suggested that I pick a different subject so that I would not offend potential employers and contractors. I suspect proponents of […]

Guest AuthorDecember 25, 2013

America has just finished celebrating Christmas. For most, it was a chance to get together with family and friends, a religious holiday for some, and for others just a welcomed day or two off work. Whether you say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, it’s the same thing every year: One way or the other, all […]

Guest AuthorDecember 25, 2013

It’s winter break for school districts and students are doubtless enjoying a respite from homework, group projects, pop quizzes and high-stakes tests. Yet it’s also the time where educators begin to see the slow drift of those students struggling to find their place academically and socially. These “social misfits” or “academic malcontents” have not found […]

Daniel TilsonDecember 23, 2013

Unless you’re one of the infamously rich and reactionary Koch Brothers or top dog of some other profits-over-people multinational corporate empire, or a hardcore right-wing politician, or a conservative media gun-for-hire, or just an Old School Scrooge… Chances are that at this time of year you’re feeling genuine sympathy for poor men and women who […]

Guest AuthorDecember 23, 2013

Let’s give a shout out to some good news, but do it quietly because it involves libraries. It’s refreshing in this anti-education, Tea Party era to see that so many people say that they support public libraries, those hotbeds of learning, entertainment and advancement. A new study by Pew Research Foundation found plenty of support […]

Guest AuthorDecember 23, 2013

In this season of merriment, each time I hear “There’s no place like home for the holiday,” my thoughts travel thousands of miles southward to the Caribbean. My celebrations are low-key: a decorated artificial tree, Christmas music and for my wife — nonstop Christmas movies on the Hallmark and Lifestyle channels beginning in mid-November. For […]

Month: December 2013

Daniel Tilson: Most Florida workers wronged by “Right To Work” law

Gary Stein: Most Floridians support legalisation of medical marijuana

Cary McMullen: A resolution for Lakeland’s commissioners: find a spine

Martin Dyckman: Be wary of plans for a constitutional convention

Gary Stein: Deadline near for voters to sign medical marijuana petition

Steve Kurlander: Christianity and the responsibilities of free speech

Stacy Gromatski: Truant to dropout: It’s a familiar route in Fla. schools

Daniel Tilson: Dear right-wingers: Ya gotta have heart all year long!

Mark O’Brien: Libraries provide more than just books, movies and CDs

Andrew Skerritt: Grandmother’s culinary legacy colors my Christmases