Columns

... Or any other Republican-lites the Florida Democratic Party tries to shove down our throats.

Whatever the merits of Medicaid expansion and other low-income health-care programs in Florida, the recent kurfuffel illustrates one downside of getting free money from the federal government.

This is the season of college graduations, and many people may be wondering what kinds of gifts would be most appropriate for young people leaving the world of academia and heading out to face the challenges and opportunities of adulthood in the real world.

Three-quarters of the 2,099 doctors responding to the nationwide survey conducted by the American College of Emergency Physicians indicate they have seen an increase in emergency room (ER) visits since Jan. 1, 2014.

WASHINGTON -- Because so many Republicans want to be president -- or at least pretend they do -- debate organizers have decided to eliminate the least popular from the stage based on how they rank in the latest national polls.

We constantly hear about various regulatory or legislative issues in Washington with the hope that something will be done to correct any given problem, but all too often the result is caught up in conflicting opinions or politics and never resolved.

WASHINGTON -- Ramadi falls. The Iraqi army flees. The great 60-nation anti-Islamic State coalition so grandly proclaimed by the Obama administration is nowhere to be seen. Instead, it's the defense minister of Iran who flies into Baghdad, an unsubtle demonstration of who's in charge -- while the U.S. air campaign proves futile and America's alleged strategy for combating the Islamic State is in freefall.

Trigger warning: This column will include discussion of ideas that may conflict with your own. Those accustomed to reading or listening only to liberal commentators may not be aware of "trigger warnings" and "safe zones" on college campuses.

I was taught early in life to be an active citizen both in school and throughout the community. These lessons were instilled in me by my parents and by my teachers, and provided the foundation for my love and appreciation of our local community and for our country.

The question remaining after Jacksonville's city elections Tuesday is, was Alvin Brown a one-hit wonder?

This spring it seems as if there have been two-point-something Republican presidential candidacy announcements per week. And, since she made her own announcement April 12, Hillary Clinton has answered an average of about two-point-something questions from the press each week.

In a recent panel discussion on poverty at Georgetown University, President Barack Obama gave another demonstration of his mastery of rhetoric -- and disregard of reality.One of the ways of fighting poverty, he proposed, was to "ask from society's lottery winners" that they make a "modest investment" in government programs to help the poor.

A near miss can be a sharp spur, so Rick Santorum wants to say something to those who profess condescending puzzlement about his persistence in pursuing the Republican presidential nomination: You probably have no idea how close I came to defeating Mitt Romney in 2012.

Jeb Bush has spent the week debating with himself over whether he would have started the war his brother launched on Iraq.When he figures it out, hopefully, our would-be president will focus in on the campaign to drag us into yet another Mideast war -- this time to bring down Bashar Assad's regime in Syria.

For years, Florida law prohibited craft beer brewers and sellers from offering their beverage in the standard-size container used throughout the country.