Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorApril 14, 2016

Nothing said summer in the old South like the taste of boiled peanuts, the smell of tobacco drying in the barns and a big, ol’ cloud of DDT wafting on the evening breeze. I was one of the mid-century modern barefoot kids running down the dusty North Carolina street behind the mosquito truck. Every night […]

Guest AuthorApril 13, 2016

Seriously? We are arguing about sharing bathrooms again? Didn’t we get that out of our collective political systems in the five years it took to kill the Equal Rights Amendment? On March 22, 1972, Congress sent the simply worded, proposed 27th amendment to the states for approval. Congress gave the states seven years to ratify […]

Associated PressMarch 15, 2016

Republicans Marco Rubio and John Kasich are fighting for their political futures Tuesday, desperate for wins in their home states of Florida and Ohio to keep their White House hopes alive and complicate Donald Trump’s path to the nomination. Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is hoping to keep rival Bernie Sanders from building new momentum in […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 10, 2016

Last of three parts. Unlike Florida’s stagnant civil forfeiture laws, other states have worked to address the problem. New Mexico, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, and Washington, D.C. have joined North Carolina by either banning civil forfeiture or requiring a criminal conviction as a prerequisite for all forfeitures. This is in addition to other states, like California, […]

Phil AmmannFebruary 9, 2016

Second of three parts. Civil forfeiture began as something relatively innocuous. Throughout most of U.S. history, civil forfeiture was primarily used to enforce duties and excise taxes. But this all changed during the 1980s, as law enforcement agencies around the nation began to realize that they could supplement their resources by pursuing civil forfeiture instead […]

Martin DyckmanFebruary 9, 2016

His reputation as a harsh critic of the Voting Rights Act and an advocate for corporations preceded John Roberts to his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2005. As chief justice, he said, he would be like a baseball umpire impartially calling balls and strikes. “Umpires don’t make the rules. They apply […]

Martin DyckmanFebruary 8, 2016

His reputation as a harsh critic of the Voting Rights Act and an advocate for corporations preceded John Roberts to his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2005. As chief justice, he said, he would be like a baseball umpire impartially calling balls and strikes. “Umpires don’t make the rules. They apply […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 9, 2016

“Keep it simple, stupid” (or KISS) is an adage that reminds us of the effectiveness of simplicity. From its origins in aeronautical engineering management, keeping it simple is usually good advice. At risk of being the contrarian, my argument is that sometimes things can be made too simple, especially where politics and economics intersect. To […]

Guest AuthorJanuary 7, 2016

“Keep it simple, stupid” (or KISS) is an adage that reminds us of the effectiveness of simplicity. From its origins in aeronautical engineering management, keeping it simple is usually good advice. At risk of being the contrarian, my argument is that sometimes things can be made too simple, especially where politics and economics intersect. To […]

Guest AuthorAugust 12, 2015

I’ve been a pediatrician for 35 years, and in that time, I have seen first-hand the effect that a changing climate has on my young patients. With more ozone and pollution in the atmosphere, we see worsening respiratory problems, allergies, and asthma. I care for many young infants and children who have to take several […]

Tag: North Carolina

Linda Cunningham: Halting Zika virus creates conundrum in the Keys

Linda Cunningham: Yet again, we’re arguing about sharing bathrooms

Marco Rubio, John Kasich fight to keep hopes alive

Justin Pearson: Legislature should pass important reforms to civil forfeiture laws

Justin Pearson: Legislature needs to reform Florida’s civil forfeiture laws

Martin Dyckman: Justice John Roberts has hurt minorities, consumers, democracy

Martin Dyckman: Justice John Roberts has hurt minorities, consumers, democracy

Dale Brill: Good policy is always complicated

Dale Brill: Good policy is always complicated

Dr. Lynn Ringenberg: Climate change health effects now visible, deadly