10 Stories to Read

This is our regular feature where every day I do a post with the top 10 blog posts that I think people should read from the previous day. Posts are included here and ranked based on a combination of originality, focus on Florida, length (longer, more thorough analysis is better), quality of writing and impact of the story.

1. Incertus (Brian) - More on property taxes: "Not to belabor the points Amy and I have made recently about the south Florida housing market and property taxes, but it just so happens there was another article on the subject today that kind of backs up our argument that the problem is that the market is overpriced, not that taxes are too high."

2. FLA Politics - Slavery Update: "Recent legal developments may aid in the fight against modern day slavery in Florida"

3. Interstate4Jamming2 - Another Embarrassment, And I'm Angry!: "This weekend, the Florida Democratic Executive Committee was scheduled to meet in Tampa, and one of the items on the agenda happens to be one of their most important duties as a committee...electing the 27 presidential electors who would possibly vote in the Electoral College should (rather, WHEN) Barack Obama carry the Sunshine State. It didn't happen --- or, for that matter, anything else --- because the committee failed to get a quorum together to conduct business."

4. FLA Politics - Why is this not being investigated?: "Harry Sargeant III, the Republican Party of Florida finance chairman and part owner of a Boca Raton-based oil trading firm, has been credited with collecting more than $500,000 for McCain. But about $50,000 of those contributions reportedly were solicited by Mustafa Abu Naba'a, Sargeant's Jordanian business partner at International Oil Trading Co."

5. Adam4PD - I Said Goodbye to my Dog Today: "Grendel came into my life about ten years ago. She had been adopted from the pound by my step-son's girlfriend. They all moved in around the corner from us, and lived together three or four years. Grendel wold roam the neighborhood, visiting different dogs and people from house to house. She was a frequent visitor to our home where her face would suddenly appear at our back door. She got along with our miniature dachshund, Nicki, and tolerated Georgie the cat. When her parents broke up and were not in a position to take care of her any longer, it was only natural that Regina and I would adopt her."

6. Miami & Beyond - Wet and dry conundrum: "Myriam Marques, the Herald's clunky replacement for Ana Menendez, finds herself wrapped in a dilemma over wet/dry foot. Not that she would realize it -she has been demonstrating a knack for stating the obvious while making it sound as if there's an actual point being formulated. This time she rages against the symptom without looking at the cause."

7. Smashed Frog - Foley, Walsh and Hatch: "What do Mark Foley, John Walsh and Orrin Hatch have in common?"

8. Samm Simpson - Georgia, Russia and the U.S.A.: "There seems to be evidence that the Georgian military not only had United States training, but possibly U.S. mercenaries participated in the attack. Florida resident Joe Mestasl, who was visiting Ossetia when the attack occurred, had these comments..."

9. Miami-Dade Dems - Democratic clubs operating powerhouse office in South Dade: "Those activist Democrats in South Dade are at it again. Led by the powerful Democrats of South Dade Club, a bustling Coordinated Campaign Office opened at 9507 S. Dixie Highway in Dadeland Plaza last month and is serving all the Democratic candidates."

10. Doug Tudor - The Optimist Finds the Silver Lining: "After straw polls on Thursday and Friday, I would be entirely justified to be discouraged in our fight to unseat Adam Putnam and to return true representation to Florida's 12th District....Despite these lopsided defeats, I know there are some qualifiers to be taken into account."

10 Stories to Read

This is our regular feature where every day I do a post with the top 10 blog posts that I think people should read from the previous day. Posts are included here and ranked based on a combination of originality, focus on Florida, length (longer, more thorough analysis is better), quality of writing and impact of the story.

1. Blast Off! - Thanks, Republicans, for killing public education in Florida!: "Seriously. The Republicans are slowly yet inexorably strangling public education in Florida, at all levels, with the budget slashes that are made necessary by their pandering tax cuts. Take a look at how one Florida university is dealing with the massive decrease in state funding..."

2. FPC (Mark Ferrulo) - This is sick…Cancer hospital hires Tobacco Lobbyists: "And not just any hospital, we’re talking H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, one of the top 20 cancer hospitals in the country. This nationally renowned cancer treatment and research institute is paying thousands of dollars to lobbyists in Tallahassee, that are also registered lobbyists for tobacco companies. Seriously, I’m not just trying to grab your attention with a provocative headline and then blogger-judo you down some tangentially related, but less interesting story line. The Moffitt Cancer Center has seven registered lobbyists that represent them in Florida’s capital, who also walk the halls of The Capitol building on behalf of cigarette companies, cigar manufacturers and purveyors of chewing tobacco and snuff."

3. Dan Gelber - Jefferson was right, “Information is the currency of Democracy”: "Today, I forwarded my concerns to the FCC regarding the proposed purchase by WPLG Channel 10 of their rival WTVJ-NBC 6. While I appreciate that Florida’s tanking economy can impact all businesses –including media – the public’s interest in a vital and diverse press must be taken into account. As newspapers downsize, and television stations merge, the losers will be our citizens who will be shortchanged the critical information that informs and empowers them."

4. Miami-Dade Dems - Bush rubber-stamp identifies Democratic "dear friends": "Attention in the camps of Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Kendrick Meek. This is what you get from your failure to be fully on board the campaigns of your Democratic colleagues. Your Republican incumbent friends will use your names – your Democratic names – in their desperate attempts to fend off strong electoral challenges."

5. Florida Citizens for Science - Let’s help science education here in Florida!: "Florida Citizens for Science is launching a fundraising campaign to help teachers and students right here in Florida with science education. Through the great site Donors Choose, FCS has selected five science-related education projects to fund. As the school year kicks off in just a couple of weeks, let’s give these teachers and students the equipment they need to succeed!"

6. Incertus (Brian) - We tried to warn you: "Lots of us did. Tons of Florida bloggers warned that Amendment 1, passed last year by overwhelming margins, wouldn't save taxpayers much money and would cause huge service cuts, and not enough people listened. As a result, we have layoffs and service cuts across the board--police departments aren't replacing cops who leave the service, schools aren't replacing teachers who leave, and so on. Fortunately, people are starting to notice that a tax cut has some negative sides as well."

7. Miami & Beyond - Oh, but it's all about the sports and the pretty buildings: "It pisses me off how the world has agreed to cooperate with the Chinese in this gigantic whitewashing. Everybody is babbling about keeping politics and the Olympics separate."

8. the 13th juror - Homeless man convicted of trespassing — at Naples shelter: "St. Matthew’s House has been full for the past three years, so Juan Trejo stretched out on the floor of the Naples shelter’s old soup kitchen. He had no place else to sleep. Then he spend the next 97 days in the Collier County Jail, charged with trespassing."

9. Progress Florida (Ray Seaman) - Clueless Crist: Part II: "Now Crist wants Floridians to trust him and vote for Amendment 5? Get real Charlie. Seriously, Floridians really need to stop trusting this guy."

10. Adam4PD - The Promise of Our Youth: "On Saturday night, I was a judge at a debate contest as ten teenagers addressed racial, gender and age stereotypes head-on. A crowd of over 100 mostly young people sat in the audience, fully engaged in the exchange of ideas on stage. The next day an even larger crowd gathered at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park for Gospel music, performances, and hot dogs. Spending time with these fine young men and women, primarily African-Americans, was just the antidote I needed to combat cynicism."

Story of the Day

The most talked about story on the Florida blogs yesterday was the passage of the FISA bill. Here's what people said...

Samm Simpson - Can you hear me now?

Pushing Rope - ACLU To Sue Over FISA Bill

Blue Herald 2.0 (QuestionGirl) - Jonathan Turley Explains Last Night What the DEMOCRATS Did Today

Pensito Review (Jon Ponder) - Obama Votes for FISA and Immunity for Bush, Telecoms - Clinton Votes Against It

madfloridian's journal - Congress votes to immunize lawbreaking telecoms, legalize warrantless eavesdropping

Why Now? - Real Americans

Pensacola Beach Blog - Fear vs. Constitution: The Box Score

Discourse.net - Senator Bill Nelson Lets Us Down Again, This Time on FISA

Blast Off! - Dems fail on FISA while another American stands up for principle

Blue Herald 2.0 - Democrats Who Voted Against Dodd Amendment

The View from Outside

The latest about Florida politics from other states...

Daily Kos - FL-25: Joe Garcia FISA Statement

Daily Kos - Obama leading big in South Florida

Pam's House Blend - NYT Mag interviews Charlie Crist: he hasn't found 'the right one' for him

AMERICAblog - NYT kinda sorta asks FL GOP Gov. Charlie Crist if he's gay

AMERICAblog - The $50 billion gamble - is this what Florida wants?

Story of the Day

The most talked about story on the Florida blogs yesterday was Charlie Crist's flip flop on oil drilling off our coast. Here's what people said...

Progress Florida (Ray Seaman) - A Very Cold Day In Hell

becoming change... - crist: flip-flopping on florida's beaches

Flablog - Editorial roundup, oil edition

st. petersblog - Black gold, Texas tea

Morning Martini - Gov. Charlie Crist loves his new flip flops

BeThink (Andrew Wahl) - Offshore drilling is the answer? Really?

Dan Gelber - More Election Year Gimmickry

Talk To Me - Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Pensacola Beach Blog - Climbing Aboard McBush's Flip-Flop Express

Samm Simpson - Comment on Drilling and McCain and Crist

The O-Train Station (KTJCM) - Love w/ Disagreement (Oil Drilling)

Miami & Beyond - Worth the risk?

Eye on Miami (Genius of Despair) - Say "NO" To Governor Crist

Eye on Miami (gimleteye) - The Republicans and Offshore Oil

Blue Herald 2.0 (QuestionGirl) - Charlie Crist Reallllly Wants to be VP

Betty Cracker - How to Lose Florida Part II

Incertus (Brian) - Evolving?

Pushing Rope - Who Wants to Be Vice-President?

Bark Bark Woof Woof - Shorter Charlie Crist

Miami & Beyond - Crist flips on oil drilling

Blast Off! - Crist flip-flops on offshore drilling in Florida

Bark Bark Woof Woof - Drill Bits

FLA Politics (j2thaizzo) - The Suicide Solution

South Florida Daily Blog - McCain Serves Us Cake