Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorAugust 12, 2014

George Sheldon is campaigning for the Democratic nomination for Florida Attorney General. If he wins, he will face Pam Bondi, the current attorney general, in November. Here are his answers to questions I posed to him: What does the Florida Attorney General do? The attorney general is the chief legal officer for the state, responsible […]

Guest AuthorAugust 11, 2014

Recently, Gov. Rick Scott delivered his fourth “State of the State Address,” titled “Destination Opportunity.” It should be called “State of Delusion.” For the rosy picture he painted of the debacle of his years in office, he would have flunked a lie detector test. Here are some of the governor’s claims translated into the truth: […]

Guest AuthorAugust 5, 2014

Politicians love to lavish tax breaks on potential voters, especially in election years — nowhere more than in Florida. Promoting the state’s Aug. 1-3 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday this year, Gov. Rick Scott boasted that “families will be able to save money on school supplies and other back-to-school items that will set students up for […]

Guest AuthorJuly 31, 2014

We need a state constitutional amendment to ban all wagering in Florida. Oddly, raising taxes is considered a cardinal sin, but gambling is supposedly a blessing — especially since the state began pimping it through the Florida Lottery. Republicans have consistently refused to increase taxes in a bad economy, in a good economy, and in […]

Guest AuthorJuly 29, 2014

Among the country’s lower 48, Florida was a land of almost unequaled promise. Surrounded by navigable waters, the peninsula’s unique geography and pristine natural beauty beckoned all to visit and emigrate–and thrive. Mother Nature shined on the state, along with women like Marjory Stoneman Douglas (who saved the Everglades) and Barbara Capitman (who saved South […]

Guest AuthorJuly 27, 2014

There are three types of politicians: The first works mostly on behalf of the people they serve, by far the rarest of the lot; the second works chiefly on behalf of their own interests, by far the vast majority. The third tries to impose an ideology on others, an aggressive minority. Florida Attorney General Pam […]

Guest AuthorJuly 22, 2014

It’s as simple as 1+1=2. Every kindergartener knows that if you want more of something, you have to add to it, not subtract from it. Every farmer knows that if he wants a bigger harvest, he has to sow more seed. Not so Republicans. Since 1981, when Arthur Laffer duped Ronald Reagan into believing “supply-side” […]

Guest AuthorJuly 15, 2014

While candidates for Florida governor trade barbs about what they said or did years ago, none of them talks about the crisis in the state that’s staring them in the face. If you don’t already know it, you will before long: There is a caregiving crisis in the U.S. — and especially Florida. Directly or […]

Guest AuthorJuly 8, 2014

Forget James Carville’s bloviation that “it’s the economy, stupid.” At best, his advice may apply short-term to winning elections. But if you think, as every American should, about what affects the long-term direction of the country, it’s really the U.S. Senate and the judges, stupid — especially those on the U.S. Supreme Court. Republicans have […]

Guest AuthorJune 22, 2014

Thanks to modern pharmacology, to the eternal relief of couples everywhere, his erectile dysfunction may be due to decreased blood flow, not age, and treatable — or so the advertising claims. And, happily, with judicious pill-popping they may be back in the sack to marital (or whatever) bliss, their only major fear being that an […]

Tag: Stephen Goldstein

Stephen Goldstein: A Q&A with George Sheldon, Democratic candidate for AG

Stephen Goldstein: Gov. Rick Scott’s “State of Delusion”

Stephen Goldstein: Scam, sham, flimflam: End back-to-school sales-tax holiday

Stephen Goldstein: Gambling is for losers; we should ban it in Florida

Stephen Goldstein: 17 sensible initiatives to make Florida world-class

Stephen Goldstein: Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is out for herself

Stephen Goldstein: Republicans publicly abandon failed Reaganomics

Stephen Goldstein: Florida is a lousy place to grow old

Stephen Goldstein: Blame Democrats for the Hobby Lobby decision

Stephen Goldstein: Boycotts are the cure for Florida’s Electoral Dysfunction