The Way I See ItBy cj pollickAnticipation of Grand Openings - Clearwater Downtown boat slips grand opening tentatively scheduled for April 23. There are approximately 31 reservations so far for the 128 slips. Grand opening of the Belleair Beach Causeway is also scheduled for the end of April. Clearwater Events - Clearwater Downtown Development Board (DDB) is sponsoring the 5th Annual Pet Festival on Saturday, March 27th, on Cleveland Street from East to Ft. Harrison Avenue. The event will run from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. There will be a pet parade, contests, rescue groups, pet supply vendors, entertainment and food. Don't miss the 5th Annual Pet Parade in downtown Clearwater on Saturday. Take the youngsters to an Egg Hunt on April 2nd at Mandalay Park on Clearwater Beach. This Clearwater event is due in great part to the kind donation of the Clearwater Beach Association and Clearwater Parks & Recreation Dept. For more information call 462-6138. According to the Heritage Foundation - Over half the Americans who gain health insurance through the Senate bill will not be able to get their drugs from Washington state Walgreens since they announced last week that as of April 16th they will not accept any new Medicaid patients. Oil Drilling in the Gulf - The Russians and Cubans have reached an agreement to drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico (off northern Cuban territorial water in the Gulf of Mexico.) Lots of oil there, say the Russians who are eager to begin pumping the oil. Of course, leaders in Washington (such as Sen. Bill Nelson) do not support US drilling for oil in the Gulf. Bad idea, Nelson says. As America sits quietly watching the Russians drill for oil, we are told that wind and solar energy is the future for containing energy costs. Perhaps that is true, but in the near future oil, coal and gas will continue to drive our energy needs. Oil and gas drilling in the Gulf? Yes, but not by American oil companies. Russian oil companies will soon exploit oil reserves in the Gulf of Mexico with Cuban government support. What about potential oil spills that environmentalists have mentioned? Those oil issues would follow the Gulf Stream up the coast of America, whether American oil companies or Russian oil companies were at fault. Lawmakers might say that we could then sue the Russians in World Court? Yes, that should surely scare the Russian government! Pelosi and Obama "Buy" Enough Votes - National Healthcare Passes - For those who followed breaking news from Washington on Sunday, the carnival atmosphere in Washington reflected how divisive the proposed healthcare bill had become. Democrat leaders, such as Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, cheered with every newly "bought" vote from waffling Congressmen (once deemed to be pro-life supporters.) President Obama stated he would execute an Executive Order that would, by his Order, not allow healthcare funds to be spent funding abortions. However, and as most lawyers understood, the Order by the President could be changed by either himself at a later date or, changed by another President "with the stroke of a pen." Thus, national funding of abortion is a true reality since it is included in the healthcare bill. (Interestingly, the healthcare bill did have support from a leading Catholic Nun organization although opposed by Catholic Bishops.) With higher taxes on businesses and individuals, the final Health Bill could result in the largest government takeover of social care in American history. Government in Washington just got larger and more powerful; in fact, differences in our government and socialist governments in Europe are few. Several State Attorney General's have stated they would soon sue to prevent the national healthcare bill from being implemented in their states. Of course, one of the reported issues is whether the federal government has the power to supercede state rights in this matter; further, and as asserted by constitutional lawyers, it is unclear whether the federal government has the right to enact laws that may violate the federal Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In other words, the healthcare bill will result in many lawsuits presented by state and Constitutional lawyers. Perhaps the worst part of the contentious healthcare bill passage were secret deals orchestrated by Nancy Pelosi and President Obama to gain a dozen or so votes from fellow Democrats that did not support the Senate version of the Bill. Many politicians aired the ugly side of "what is in it for me" politics in Washington. Americans saw first-hand how business can be done in Washington to pass a law when there are overwhelming objections by the American people, regardless of the majority political party. What is next? November elections. These arrogant politicians are running for re-election in November and are hoping citizens will not vote. Will independent voters vote for change in November? Time will tell. Locally, Bob, a small businessman in Clearwater, said last Saturday, while volunteering at the Little League Fields, "I don't know how I can afford to keep my doors open if this law is enacted. The economy is killing me and now this law." MSNBC Online Poll - MSNBC, one of the more "left-leaning" online companies in America, conducted a poll of its readers asking if they were angry or not about the passage of the Healthcare Bill. The result? About 65% of respondents said they were "angry." The message? Congress passed a healthcare bill that did not have support from about 65% of Americans. This MSNBC online poll result will not make national news. Why? It's not the result some folks wanted to see after the contentious vote in Congress last Sunday. Save Thirty Minutes - According to the Heritage Foundation, the Obama administration's $1.25 billion stimulus-funded high-speed rail project between Orlando and Tampa will only shave about a half hour off the current 90-minute car ride. Joe Biden Said It, But Media Doesn't Care - What did VP Joe Biden say to the President before signing the Health Care Bill into law? "This is a big f------ deal!" Of course, Biden's off-the-cuff quips are rarely reported by Washington media faithfuls. On the other hand, the same is not true for GOP officials that blurp off-the-cuff comments, such as the Texas legislator referring to another official as "Baby killer." (Which made national news and such official was asked to apologize.) Will Joe Biden apologize for his foul language, unbecoming of a VP, in public? Probably not, but Obama/Biden liberal media friends are not calling for an apology - they think Joe Biden is funny. Imagine what Joe says when speaking privately to friends like Chris Dodd, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the President strategizing how they could upset the Tea Party People! Government Pension Plans - We're in a deep recession, unemployment is high, small employers are struggling to survive, and government employees are enjoying pension plans with little or no personal contributions. No contributions from government workers, but funded pension (retirement) plan gratis of working citizens (with no pension plans.) Why do elected officials install and support such "Cadillac" benefit plans for government employees? Union endorsements and campaign support. Elected officials should be more fearful of common workers and their votes, but they are not. Low Television Ratings - When you learn that cartoon network has a greater viewer audience than CNN and MSNBC combined, then you must infer that people are just not interested in the style of reporting used by CNN and MSNBC. On the other hand, FOX NEWS has continued to grow. Fair and balanced news reporting? Who knows for sure, but more people follow FOX NEWS each year. Sex Abuse Cover-up - There are recent news reports about sex abuse cover-ups in the Catholic Church in Germany and in the Boy Scouts of America. The stories are about hundreds and thousands of cases where young boys have allegedly been sexually abused by older "trustworthy" people. In Europe, the German Catholic Church is attempting to address the onslaught of allegations of sexual abuse by Priests, one Church leader referred to the new cases as a "tsunami" of sex abuse allegations. The Boy Scouts of America have similar problems. Over 1,000 sex abuse files have been reported by an attorney representing one abuse case (over 20 years ago.) Boy Scouts of America organization had known of this "problematic" file of names for years. In fact, one Boy Scout leader admitted to acts of sexual abuse on boys while he was in a leadership position. How will this problem be addressed by the Catholic Church in Germany and the Boy Scouts of America? Time will tell. Tiger Says It's a Private Matter, Let's Move on - Look for Tiger Woods at The Masters golf tournament. Woods is trying to put his personal problems behind him and move forward playing golf (his lifetime passion.) Recently Woods was interviewed for five minutes and asked about his problems. Tiger responded by saying it was his problem and he was dealing with it. He took full responsibility and said he would continue with professional treatment. Woods said he was sorry. Next up for the Tiger is Augusta, a place where decorum is strictly enforced and unruly fans are escorted out. Thus, expected protestors would be limited to where they could wave signs and/or heckle Woods as he plays golf. There might not be a better place for Tiger Woods to begin playing competitive golf than Augusta, Georgia. It was only a matter of time before Tiger would begin playing again and The Masters is a major tournament he would love to win (as he chases the "major's" record currently held by Jack Nicklas.) The PGA needs Tiger Woods and Tiger Woods needs golf. Let's hope for a good future for Tiger Woods. Imagine the television audience for this year's Masters! "Action. Actions are our epochs." -Lord Byron |