"Pat, sometimes it seems like our friends want me to go over the cliff with flags flying," President Reagan once told me.
After 10 Glorious Years, Sunshine State News and I Are Passing the Baton
You probably can't imagine how much fun I've had at Sunshine State News over the last 10 years. I don't think anybody could.
November 1, 2019 - 6:00am
Politics
Columns
By abandoning virtually all its demands for serious restrictions on Iran's nuclear bomb program, the Obama administration has apparently achieved the semblance of a preliminary introduction to the beginning of a tentative framework for a possible hope of an eventual agreement with Iran.
For a variety of reasons, I gave up alcohol Jan. 4.
I have your attention, don't I?
Comedy Central hosted another one of its vicious and disgusting celebrity "roasts" on March 30, with Justin Bieber as the target. During the "pre-show" before the roast, unfunny comedian Jeff Ross arrived wearing a pope costume and accompanied by sexy "nuns" in black habits and fishnet stockings.Red-carpet host Sarah Tiana introduced him as the "popemaster general" and gushed,"You look amazing. You're going to be hilarious." Ross replied, "Bless you, Sarah. Congratulations on all of your abortions."
Welcome to The Dean's List -- an Ed Dean-style look at who Florida's political achievers were (and weren't) in the last seven days. What you see here is strictly my opinion, not necessarily the editor's or the rest of the staff at Sunshine State News.
What is the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result.
A voracious and eclectic reader, President Nixon instructed me to send him every few weeks 10 articles he would not normally see that were on interesting or important issues.
WASHINGTON -- Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was born in 1970, six years after events refuted a theory on which he is wagering his candidacy. The 1964 theory was that many millions of conservatives abstained from voting because the GOP did not nominate sufficiently deep-dyed conservatives. So if in 1964 the party would choose someone like Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater, hitherto dormant conservatives would join the electorate in numbers sufficient for victory.
An op-ed piece titled "Conservatives, Please Stop Trashing the Liberal Arts" appeared last week in the Wall Street Journal. But it is not conservatives who trashed the liberal arts.
There are still nearly two years left in Barack Obama's presidency, but historians looking back on his record in foreign policy will surely identify one costly error: his refusal to follow through on the implied threat in stating that the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons would be a "red line."
Trending Now
By Kevin Derby
Lets Get to Work, a group with ties to Gov. Rick Scott, released a radio ad in Creole on Wednesday as they look to rally Haitian voters in South Florida. The ad focuses on Scotts economic and education records.
By Kevin Derby
Dan Wahby, the director of government affairs for Lilly USA was named to the board of directors of GOPAC on Wednesday. Wahby is based out of Ponte Vedra on the First Coast. Also named to GOPACs board on Wednesday was Jabo Covert, the senior vice president of government affairs for Jones Management.
We are delighted that Dan and Jabo are joining GOPACs board of directors, said Frank Donatelli, the chairman of GOPAC. Their experience and expertise will be valuable assets as we continue advancing our mission to educate and elect a new generation of Republican leaders.
By Kevin Derby
Conservative group Florida Family Policy Council (FFPC) announced on Wednesday that former Republican presidential hopeful Gary Bauer will be speaking at their annual award dinner in Orlando on Oct. 11.
By Kevin Derby
Florida TaxWatch released How Florida Compares -- Education" looking at how education in the Sunshine State does against the other states. The report finds Florida is third in the nation for K-0 enrollment and has the second best value for in-state tuition at state universities and colleges.
By Kevin Derby
Gov. Rick Scott slightly expanded his lead over former Gov. Charlie Crist, the favorite to win next weeks Democratic primary, in the latest WFLA poll taken by Survey USA.
The poll, which was released on Tuesday, finds Scott ahead with 44 percent followed by Crist with 41 percent. Libertarian Adrian Wyllie takes 4 percent.
For two weeks, the WFLA poll showed Scott leading by 2 percent.
The poll had a margin of error of +/- 4.2 percent.
By Kevin Derby
Familiar Tallahassee figure Michael Hightower, Florida Blues vice president of government and legislative relations, is retiring on Friday. Hightower, who has chaired both the Associated Industries of Florida and the Florida Chamber of Commerce, will leave Florida Blue on Friday.
By
The Florida Democratic Party is going after Gov. Rick Scott for "breaking the law" in its latest ad, which was published to the party's YouTube channel Monday.
The ad, titled "Important," features footage from Scott's 1995 deposition regarding the HCA/Columbia Medicare fraud case. Scott is mostly quiet in the ad, which flashes various newspaper headlines regarding the secrecy of Scott's email accounts.
By Kevin Derby
The State Board of Administration (SBA) of Florida announced on Tuesday that investments in the Florida Retirement System (FRS) Pension Plan increased 17.4 percent during the second half of 2013 and the first half of 2014. The SBA had been targeting an increase of 17 percent.
On June 30, the FRS contained investments totaling $149.1 billion in market value, an increase of $16.7 billion from a year before.
Ash Williams, the SBAs executive director and chief investment officer, said the gains were the result of prudence, patience, and diversification.
By
Gov. Rick Scott's latest campaign ad is playing up the governor's commitment to veterans and his own military service in the Navy.
In the ad, several veterans express their support for the governor and some of his policies, like offering in-state tuition for incoming veterans. One veteran explains Scott understands veterans' needs due to his own experience in the military.
By Kevin Derby
On Tuesday, Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet issued a resolution indicating Floridas support for Israel during the current crisis in the Middle East. The resolution reads as follows:
WHEREAS, Israel remains a force of freedom and democracy in the Middle East; and
WHEREAS, Florida continues to foster a strong relationship with Israel and is home to one of the largest Jewish populations outside of Israel; and
WHEREAS, Israel is a steadfast ally of the United States; and
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