Unless something notably dramatic happens in the next few days, the Florida Legislature will have given dereliction of duty a bad name. Real revenue-raising reform will have been shelved. The sales tax formula that worked well enough in the Leroy Collins era will remain alive and, well, grossly inadequate for a state no longer in [...]
What to make of the seemingly vindictive, all-but-double-jeopardizing re-arrest of Youssef Megahed, 23, earlier this month? Three days after the former USF student was found not guilty of explosives possession he was arrested again, this time by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. A deportation hearing is still pending. The rationale for the feds’ immigration [...]
The 2008 presidential election was not the best of times for America’s pundit class. Among the media mis-reads: Hillary Clinton was a “shoo-in” for the Democratic nomination, and the GOP nominee would surely be either Rudy Giuliani or Mitt Romney. So reflected Susan MacManus in a recent talk to the Tiger Bay Club of Tampa. [...]
It’s already been a busy off-season for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who had an awful on-season. Through three days of layoffs, Lightning owner OK Hockey let go about two dozen employees as part of its “restructuring.” Among those laid off: David Cole, director of fan development, Jay Preble, media relations specialist, and Matt Hitchcock, AKA [...]
Doc Blanchard died recently. For most contemporary sports fans his obit likely prompted a “who’s that?” response. Blanchard, 84, was a prominent athlete in the mid-1940s. It was Blanchard, not Tim Tebow, who was the first to win the Heisman Trophy (1945) and play on two national championship teams (1944-45) before his senior year. The [...]
Last weekend’s Summit of the Americas underscored the reality — historic enmity yet rife with 21st century potential – that is the United States relationship with the rest of the Western Hemisphere, especially Latin America. Cuba, of course, was an issue, even if it wasn’t on the agenda. And the Obama-Chavez exchanges made headlines and [...]
In less than two months, we’ll know if Tampa is an All-American City. Again. Last time this city was so designated by the National Civic League was 1990. Now Tampa is among 32 cities — from Phoenix, Arizona to Providence, Rhode Island — vying for the honor. It will be bestowed on 10 of them [...]
Reflecting back on the 2008 presidential campaign, USF’s well-regarded, media-savvy political scientist Susan MacManus mused that the pundits were dead-on about a couple of things. Indeed, Florida was critical, the I-4 corridor was determinative and Hillsborough proved to be “THE bellwether” county in Florida. And, yes, a way ultimately was found for the Florida democratic [...]
I think we can all agree that the death of 8-year-old Paris Whitehead-Hamilton of St. Petersburg was a tragedy. One that warranted as much grief as outrage, because it was so senseless and so eminently preventable. What I won’t concur with, however, is the sense of societal guilt that some have been parceling out. In [...]
Tampa’s Frank Sanchez, a Barack Obama insider since early in the presidential primary and a key operative in various vetting scenarios since the election, has now been appointed to an important administration position of his own. Pending Senate confirmation, Sanchez, 49, will become undersecretary of commerce for international trade. Advising a candidate is obviously different [...]
