The Way I See ItBy cj pollickBack To School - Pinellas County public schools begin classes Tuesday, August 24. Where has the summer gone? Tuesday is Primary Day - Hopefully there will be a large turnout for Tuesday's Primary. If you are happy with the "status quo," vote for the incumbent. If not, vote for a "non-insider." The really interesting race is, of course, for the Republican candidate for Governor. Will Rick Scott defeat "Washington Insider" Bill McCollum? Time will tell. Clearwater Police Department Concessions - Clearwater City Council said they were looking for (financial) concessions from the Clearwater Police Department. Time has passed, what are the concessions? Financial concessions sought by the City Council were due to a multi-million dollar money-saving proposal made by the Sheriff's Department. We Live In A Litigious Society - If you were fortunate enough to own a company with a 100 or more employees, you most likely had been sued or settled a legal threat…just to get rid of it. The larger the company, the worse the problem of litigation. Now, I ask, can you see why most successful businessmen avoid politics? As We Sink In Debt, They Buy And Grow - Remember when American automakers were the world's best carmakers? My, how times have changed. Ever hear of a company called Tata Motors? Yes, that's right, Tata. Tata is an automobile company located in Mumbai, India that bought Jaguar and Land Rover, as well as a few other companies in 2008. It is the largest automobile maker in India (with about 70% market share) and has annual revenues over $16 billion US. It is one of India's largest corporations that began as an engineering and automobile company. As one of the world's leading automobile companies, Tata is rated in the top of multi-national auto companies. This auto company from India has grown and prospered, in part, due to competitive business laws in India, US automakers, on the other hand, have suffered (and been bailed-out by taxpayers.) Makes you wonder what the heck is wrong with our leaders in Washington. Why have American companies suffered and lost their competitive business edge while others, unknown auto companies from around the world, have prospered? Could it be due to unrealistic union/worker demands? American high taxes? Gross automaker mismanagement? Trade restrictions of other governments? False currency valuations? Clearly, something has caused American automakers to lose ground to most every other automaker around the world…and it can't be due to the time-honored American work ethic. Never heard the name Tata Motors? Perhaps it is time to learn more of this growing and successful company from India. Tata to all of you Jaguar and Land Rover owners. Obama Stirs The Pot - Is there any good reason why President Obama would want to offer any support to the building of a Muslim Mosque near the 9-11 site in New York City? Probably not a good idea if you are a smart politician. However, if you wish to support Muslims in building a Mosque in New York City near the 9-11 site, you would speak in favor of their idea-regardless of political backlash by many American voters. So goes a comment made by President Barack Obama last week in favor of the Muslim Mosque to be built near the 9-11 crash site. Yes, America is a land of religious freedom, unlike many Muslim countries, and Obama is a lawyer trained in US Constitutional Law. Thus, his support of religious freedom is not without legal precedent in America. But, did the President need to discuss this controversial issue in public and create another reason why some people believe his support of the Muslim religion is greater than other religions! Why make the New York 9-11 matter a campaign issue, unless you think it would gain Muslim support in future elections? America is being divided by racial and religious lines by current politicians in Washington, and that is not a good thing. Of course, what is surprising about all of this divisiveness is that racial and religious divisiveness was not the change people had expected from Barack Obama when he was elected. Then again, not many people knew much about Barack Obama when he ran for office. Meek Travels With Bill Clinton - Rep. Kendrick Meek will have the nation's top Democrat recruiter with him when he takes his campaign for the US Senate to voters in southern Florida. Former President Bill Clinton will travel and speak in favor of Rep. Meek to many voter groups. Clinton is most likely to say that Meek is the only true Democrat running for the US Senate seat…and perhaps he is right. However, when Meek was debating his Democrat opponent Greene on television, Greene said, "I'm the true Democrat in this race, if I lose I said I would support the Democrat. My opponent (Meek) said he would not support me, if he lost. I take that to mean he will support a non-Democrat." If polls are reasonably accurate, then Meek had better think about supporting another (non-Democrat) candidate. Greene is ahead of Meek in most polls. On the Republican side of the campaign, Marco Rubio continues to receive endorsements that once went to Charlie Crist. Even though Crist has enjoyed support in current polls, once the primary elections are over and the Democrats have their candidate, Crist's numbers will likely decline. Republicans in Pinellas County (and across Florida) know that a vote for Crist is a wasted vote-Democrats know the same. More Deficits - The U.S. government reported a $165.04 billion deficit for July, the second highest monthly deficit on record, and so far in fiscal 2010, the government has spent $1.169 trillion more than it made. If our government were a business, it would be a huge failure. Accurate Reporting Fallout - The Heritage Foundation's Robert Bluey reports that a D.C. reporter was suspended for accurately reporting that Obama received more money from BP than any other politician in the history of recorded campaign donations. Fair and accurate reporting? Not in Washington. Higher Birthrate - According to a new study by Pew, while illegal immigrants make up just 4% of the U.S. adult population, they make up 8% of all births on U.S. soil, including 1 in 12 births in 2008 alone. Is there any wonder why Americans can't afford to pay for this trend? TARP Money Went Overseas - According to the TARP Congressional Overnight Panel, the Wall Street bailouts funneled billions of dollars to foreign financial firms. Thus, our government, you and me, paid funds to bailout US companies that (then) sent funds to foreign corporations and banks. Did any foreign nation do that for U.S. companies? No. Happy Meal Ban - The San Francisco city council is considering legislation that would ban Happy Meals (meals for school children.) Boycott L.A. Times - The Los Angeles teachers union president said Sunday he was organizing a "massive boycott" of the Los Angeles Times after the paper began publishing articles that use test scores to estimate the effectiveness of district teachers. Without test scores, how could we evaluate teachers? "I've never been able to understand why a Republican contributor is a 'fat cat' and a Democratic contributor of the same amount of money is a 'public-spirited philanthropist.'" -Ronald Reagan |