Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Allen West came out swinging on Monday against the idea of raising the federal debt ceiling. West quoted President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., against raising the debt ceiling in 2006.

I think we clearly get the picture here of duplicitous hypocrisy of the greatest degree, West noted. We are at this point due to the over $5 trillion of new debt added by the Obama, Pelosi, Reid machine. Leadership is about making the tough decisions, not situational ethics.

A plan to reduce corporate taxes was heard in a Senate committee Monday at the prompting of Gov. Rick Scott, who has pushed the cuts and eventual phase-out of business income taxes as a way to produce jobs. The bill, however, was temporarily postponed, and the bill's sponsor, Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, admitted that there is little time to get it through the Legislature this year before the end of the regular legislative session.

"I'm not ready to throw the towel in but I'm realistic and we're running out of time," said Richter.

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan stepped into state politics at the end of last week to praise the Florida House passing a bill taking aim at prescription drug abuse and pill mills.

I applaud the members of the Florida House for taking action on such a critical issue, said Buchanan. Now, more than ever, we need to shut down these pill mills that bring untold misery to our children, our families, and our communities.

Freshman Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross announced on Thursday that he was going to co-sponsor a measure introduced by U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, that would repeal taxes on Social Security benefits.

Paul has been fighting for the Senior Citizens' Tax Elimination Actand the Social Security Beneficiaries Tax Reduction Act -- repealing a tax imposed on Social Security benefits implemented in 1993 -- for the better part of a decade in the U.S. House.

The Natural Resource Trustees for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (Trustees) reached an agreement with BP on Thursday with the oil company agreeing to send $1 billion to help restoration projects in states impacted by last years oil spill.

Former Gov. Gary Johnson of New Mexico announced on Thursday that he intended to seek the Republican presidential nomination. Johnson, who served two terms as governor, won national attention during his tenure in office for calling for the legalization of marijuana .

The 2011 edition of the Time 100, the venerable magazines listing of the most influential people in the world, seems just a tad off. The likes of Vladimir Putin and Benedict XVI are nowhere to be found, while musician Sting --who has not had a hit album in years (though I did like his stab at performing the greatest hits of Elizabethan composer John Dowland) --and comedic actress Amy Poehlerare included on the list.

Republicans are in firm control of redistricting efforts in Tallahassee, in their lists of the top 10 congressional Democratic and Republican incumbents vulnerable in redistricting, David Wasserman and Julia Edwards over at National Journal included Republican U.S. Rep. Allen West:

When the House met on Wednesday afternoon, the session began with a moment of silence for former Rep. Jack Tobin who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 69. Tobin served in the House from 1982 until 1998.

Rep. Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek, took to the House floor to offer a tribute to Tobin.

Marking the one-year anniversary of the Gulf oil spill, on Wednesday Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio called for the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship to meet in Pensacola to focus on the regions recovery.