Bradenton Times News Articles

On Tuesday, Florida Republicans will have the opportunity to participate in nominating the GOP presidential candidate for 2012. Many voters who will vote in November will nonetheless sit on the sidelines and allow others to decide who they will be able to choose between at that time, by not participating in primary voting. Doing so only serves to reduce their voice in the democratic process.

I met Newt Gingrich in 1993 when he spoke at Bradenton Municipal Auditorium.  Never having heard of the man I went into that lecture prepared to hear a typical half-hearted prepared political speech. I left the auditorium a changed person: a "born again American".

After my last column, several readers responded that war with Iran was seemingly inevitable. It's also clear that many voters and presidential candidates agree – and events this week have lent credence to that mindset. Though I hope they're all wrong, it would probably be prudent to take an objective look at what armed conflict with Iran might look like.

One reader is very disappointed in plans to construct the Fort Hamer Bridge, which he feels is not only unnecessary, but flies in the face of other needed safety upgrades on other area roads, specifically nine urban collector roads identified by Public Works in August of 2010 as needing safety upgrades.

There have been many allegations that the Manatee County School District is top heavy. That is, they have too many administrative positions. The Manatee Education Association (the teacher’s union) has issued a report comparing similar School District's administrative expenditures to the number of full-time students.

Over the past few weeks, conflict with the potential to escalate to global warfare came closer to touching off than most Americans perhaps realize. Major geo-political events like Arab spring, along with the realities of financial and energy markets have continued to compound longtime cultural and military tensions, as world powers are reorganized in the 21st century. Here's a rundown of things to watch as the world heads toward its next inevitable world war, perhaps sooner than we think.

One of our readers was amazed to hear of Disney's rabid opposition to casino gambling expansion. On a recent business trip to one of their Orlando properties, he saw what looked suspicously like gambling - people wagering considerable sums of money for prizes - only the "people" were young children.

If you did any kind of web surfing yesterday, you undoubtedly came across sites that were either shut down or modified in order to protest two bills moving through Congress that threaten the Internet's freedom through seemingly well-intended regulation that has broad and vague implications. What's all the fuss about? Allow me to explain.

It's said that when the elephants fight, all of the grass gets trampled. Nowhere is that more true than within the industry of tomato growers. The battle is not between the individual growers, but between the market and the culture in which it operates. Industrial monoculture farming is not the family farm it has replaced  – not even close. In today's market, it's often not an early freeze or a drought that dictates success. The corporate-structured safety nets guarantee profits for some, often while making the destruction of their crop a part of the business. The cost to the public, however, goes far beyond their wallets. 

As the Manatee County Commission gets set to vote on a Duette phosphate mining expansion recommended for approval by the county's planning commission, we need to again ask when Florida is going to seriously evaluate the cost/benefit ratio of placating such a disaster-prone industry that has brought relatively little to the table, considering the havoc it's wreaked on our state.