Campaign Signs - If you drive down the main streets of local towns having city elections, such as Belleair, Belleair Beach, Indian Rocks Beach and Largo, you will notice dozens upon dozens of campaign signs.
"Do you mind if we place a campaign sign in your yard for a few weeks?" is typically asked by a friend of the city candidate.
Most folks don't care. In fact, most of the good people who accommodate campaign requests for signage do not know how each candidate feels about local issues.
Campaign signs may sway some voters, but most voters would like to learn more about a candidate's position before voting.
My advice? Learn the issues and vote your conscience. Be an informed voter.
- We have all heard about how our vice president sprayed a fellow hunter with bird pellets while hunting in Texas.
Not a good thing, but that type of accident has happened to other hunters. Good hunters are safe hunters and it is unfortunate that this type of accident occurred.
On the other hand, I can remember (then) President Jerry Ford's golfing accidents … when he would accidently hit golf balls into nearby innocent observers. Not good, if you have ever been hit by a flying golf ball. I imagine other presidents have had the same misfortune while playing at social golfing events.
Is the hunting accident of Dick Cheney that big of a deal? I mean, you would think some San Francisco talk-masters, such as neveraskquestion talkyoutodeath Chris Matthews (Hard Ball?), had no other important world news to discuss.
Yes, it was a terrible accident, and since Cheney was involved, it made national news.
Here we are with a war in Iraq, a war on terrorism, a falling economy, no progress on stabilizing social security, no plan to cut healthcare inflation, drug gangs taking-over prisons, falling behind in advanced technology education, a huge federal deficit to confront, illegal immigration problems, and the big news is that the vice president had a hunting accident while quail hunting with friends?
Look, the really bad news for Dick Cheney is that he sprayed an attorney. We can only hope for a complete recovery for the injured friend of Dick Cheney.
The Louisiana Purchase - No, this is not about the historical land purchase of middle America by the U.S. government from the French. Rather, it is about the U.S. government's upcoming purchase of the property in New Orleans, Louisiana.
If things go as expected, the U.S. government would become the largest landowner in the greater New Orleans area. A purchase price of about 60 percent of the value of each home destroyed in the hurricanes, plus 60 percent home value to banks who had not been repaid mortgage funds.
Yes, the math is indeed interesting to review.
The Great New Orleans bail out could cost American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
What about insurance companies?
They will pay for coverage people bought, no more, no less.
FEMA?
Yes, they will pay for the small percentage of people that bought coverage.
The uninsured? Those homeowners who refused, for one reason or another to not buy insurance?
Government bail out.
In nearby Mississippi, the State Attorney General is suing insurance companies to pay for claims that should have been covered by FEMA (but few people bought such flood coverage).
The insurers expect to win the lawsuit.
More hurricanes and losses?
Yes, according to experts, there could be another terrible hurricane season in 2007-2008.
Government bail out?
The financial precedent is unfolding in Louisiana and Mississippi. I wonder if the U.S. government would do the same for homeowners in West Palm Beach, Naples, or Boca Raton?
The Bubble - All along Florida's beaches there is a transformation of rebuilding older motels into high-rise condominium projects. On Clearwater Beach, this is clearly evident.
However, some folks are following Wall Street Journal talk about a real estate "bubble," which according to real estate experts, would cause a decline in rebuilding and lower prices.
Speculators (those people who buy condominiums to resell as soon as possible) could get caught in a financial jam due to leveraging money, so state financial experts.
The interesting part about all of that Wall Street Journal talk is that such has not happened on Clearwater Beach. Building continues and there are plenty of people to buy.
The future? Who knows, but there is a strong market for Clearwater Beach developers.
Seen On A Bumper Sticker - I'd rather go hunting with Dick Cheney than hitch a ride with Ted Kennedy.