The Way I See ItBy cj pollickMemorial Causeway Exotic Plant Removal - The City of Clearwater is seeking volunteers to help remove exotic vines growing on mangroves along Memorial Causeway shoreline. This project will be held on January 19th from 9 a.m. until noon. Volunteers should meet at the southeast parking lot at Memorial Causeway and Gulf to Bay Blvd. Water, tools and supplies will be provided by the City Parks and Recreation Department for this exotic plant removal. Interested volunteers may call Karen Maldonado at 727-562-4803. The exotic vines are the ones that tend to cover the domestic mangroves growing on the north and south sides of Memorial Causeway at the shoreline. US Military Troop Support - Interested in donating food and other supplies to our military troops in Iraq? Call 595-4646 (City of Belleair Beach) and ask for more information regarding donating supplies for our US military troops fighting in Iraq. The cities of Belleair Beach, Town of Indian Shores and the Indian Shores Woman's Club are sponsoring this volunteer support for our US troops. As a reminder, do not send glass, aerosol cans or pork products. The packaging will be done by the volunteers and sent to our troops located throughout Iraq. New Hampshire Results - In a surprise to the Barack Obama presidential campaign staff, Hillary Clinton beat Obama in New Hampshire by 3% (39%-36%). This victory was a surprise not only to the Obama campaign, but the upset win came as a surprise to national election polling firms that predicted a Barack Obama win in New Hampshire. On the GOP side, Sen. John McCain won, as predicted, over a close second Mitt Romney. McCain had won the New Hampshire GOP vote in the last presidential campaign over then Gov. Bush. On to South Carolina and Michigan where Obama is again predicted to win the Democrat vote and Mitt Romney is predicted to win the GOP vote. Then the candidates move on to Florida where Mayor Rudy Guiliani has been campaigning while avoiding Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Favorites? For the folks who follow primary elections, national pudits are predicting close races with no clear frontrunners. It is likely that not much may be decided until 'Super Tuesday" when primary election results will reflect clear winners. The bad news from New Hampshire? Former Sen. John Edwards is reportedly close to casting his support to Barack Obama and former GOP Sen. Fred Thompson may end his quest for the presidency. Increasing The Term Of Office - Citizens of Belleair will have a chance to vote in March on whether an elected official's term of office should be two or three years. Currently elected officials in Belleair serve for two years and run for re-election. City commissioners are recommending that the two-year term of office be increased to avoid city elections every two years - citizens in Belleair will decide this issue in March. Chief Justice Roberts Seeks More Pay - Chief Justice John Roberts is asking Congress to increase the pay of federal judges. US District Court judges are paid $165,200 a year - the same as elected members of the US Congress. Roberts says that is less pay than some first-year attorneys. One congressional judicial committee agrees with Justice Roberts and is recommending a pay raise to $233,500. Roberts, however, would like to see salaries jump up to $299,000, which is more pay than the Speaker of the House ($212,000.) Pay raise for judges during a recession? No way. Prescription Drugs - Healthcare spending in America is reportedly over $2.1 trillion or more than $7,000 a person. Healthcare spending is 16 percent of the gross domestic product of America. One inflationary culprit? Prescription drugs. Prescription drugs rose 8.5 percent from 2005 ($216.7 billion.) The real inflationary problem? Prescription consumption increases and not prescription price increases. One third of all prescription costs are from public (government) programs, such as Medicaid, etc. Heartfelt Sympathy is extended to Anne and Berle Garris on the death of their beloved daughter Nancy Garris Dean.
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