Editorial Archive

Tallahassee – After lawmakers ignored their calls to vote down a sprawling education bill, opponents of the wide-ranging measure have turned to Gov. Rick Scott as their last hope to stop the proposal from becoming law.

In 1999, congress declared May would be National Military Appreciation Month so the citizens of our country could publicly thank everyone who puts on the uniform of their branch of service.

On Monday, April 17, Florida TaxWatch joined the taxpayers in our state in celebrating Florida Taxpayer Independence Day 2017. On that day, Floridians are finally earning money for themselves–not for the tax collector. This symbolic date assumes that every dollar earned since Jan. 1 goes to pay federal, state and local tax obligations. This measure of tax burden is based on the relative size of all taxes paid in Florida to our state’s total personal income. In 2017, for the average Florida household, paying its taxes takes 107 out of 365 days, or more than three and a half months.

In 2016, Castlight Health did a nationwide study and probed the rates of opioid painkiller abuse in the U.S. cities. What it found might surprise you.

Somewhere today, as you read this, a child is crying and desperately begging a parent or other family member to stop the beating. Cowered down in a protective fetal position crying and begging. Slaps to the head and face, hits to the arms or something worse, instilling a deep fear in the child and leaving him or her wondering when it will stop this time. That child has no idea why something that was seemingly an accident, like a spilled drink or forgetting to do a chore, carries such a harsh and painful punishment from the hands of someone they love. It is incomprehensible.

Growth is a great thing. When our children are growing we measure off every inch marking the same door frame over and over so we can see how tall they are getting. We make plans for the next inch by buying the next size up in clothes and shoes. We replace the crib with a toddler bed and then a real bed. We plan for their growth and know there will be changes coming. We even put money into a savings account to prepare for their future.

Florida’s Government-in-the-Sunshine Law gives the public the right of access to government meetings and public records. It ensures that government works out in the open for all to see – no backroom conversations between elected officials before a vote. However, as we recently found out, in Santa Rosa County those officials can send texts or even message through Facebook without anyone capturing it or knowing the difference.

The American Press Institute commemorates and celebrates Newspaper in Education Week annually the first full school week in March. Florida Press Educational Services is honored to commemorate Newspaper in Education Week 2017 and encourages teachers, parents and students to read the newspaper daily in school and at home to enrich their lives. FPES encourages publishers and marketing, news, circulation and advertising directors to learn the importance of Newspaper in Education (NIE) programs, too.

1) Costs

Despite repeated promises of premium reductions, Obamacare has delivered major increases. In the employer-sponsored market, costs continue to increase. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, average family premiums for employer-sponsored plans have increased almost 32 percent from 2010-2016.

The county has published their proposed spending plan for an estimated $39 million in local option sales tax funds, and not surprisingly folks aren’t happy with the distribution.