After 10 Glorious Years, Sunshine State News and I Are Passing the Baton

If you thought the economy was bad, try viewing it through the eyes of a high school-educated U.S.-born worker under age 30. That cohort's unemployment rate stands at 29 percent (a statistic that only counts those still looking for work). Numbers are even worse when minorities are selected -- other than immigrants. The Center for Immigration Studies reports that the presence of 8 million employed illegal immigrants in this country is squeezing more young, native-born citizens out of the job market, or blocking their entry altogether.

Sarah Palin's endorsement in the Florida attorney general's race might not have sealed the deal for Pam Bondi, but the Alaskan rogue's support certainly carried more weight than Newt Gingrich's. Bondi handily won the GOP nomination for AG while Gingrich's pick, Holly Benson, remained mired in third place. Both endorsements came late, yet it was Bondi who picked up the bulk of the late deciders, based on comparative polling results. Advantage: Palin.

While U.S. Rep. Connie Mack is one of the more prominent Republicans in Florida who opposes the Arizona immigration law, he will not be wining praise from advocates of illegal immigrants any time soon. On Thursday, Mack came out strongly against a proposal from the Department of Homeland Security that will dismiss thousands of illegal immigration cases for aliens who have not committed serious criminal offenses.

With Gov. Charlie Crist in the Panhandle on Thursday night, Marco Rubios team made sure there was a Republican to respond to his rival in the U.S. Senate race. The Rubio team called on Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Shalimar, to bash Crist for backing President Barack Obamas federal stimulus. When Charlie Crist endorsed the stimulus, he promised Floridians it would create more than 200,000 jobs, said Gaetz. Today, 18 months later, instead of creating 200,000 jobs, nearly 200,000 Floridians have lost their jobs.