By Sylvia Gurinsky
The theme for fighting the actions of this year's Florida Legislature seems to be "Leave It Alone."
The latest battlefront for that motto is class sizes.
In 2002, Florida voters approved a constitutional measure to limit class sizes.
Now, State Representative Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel (west-central Florida), wants a new ballot measure that, in typical Florida House Republican fashion, messes with the numbers.
CS/HJR 919 would have voters go to the polls next year to decide on a measure that would have the class size limits be based on the "average number of students at school level" instead of the maximum number of students. The House Education Policy Council is hearing the bill as this is being written.
Weatherford and others who support this measure have both short memories and a disregard for parts of the state larger than Wesley Chapel, population 5,700 as of the 2000 Census (but growing). There's Miami, population 362,400 in the same census, and Tampa (303,000).
It was the larger communities in this state that were fighting for the class size ballot measure, which has eased overcrowding in schools across the state. Smaller class sizes generally lead to more attention and better grades for students, and if Govs. Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist have gotten to thump their chests over education improvements in Florida, the lower class sizes are a big reason why.
Bush, Weatherford and others in the G.O.P. have squawked about funding the measure, but it's been worth the results. The Florida Legislature should keep hands off the class sizes. As this year's motto goes, Leave It Alone.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
March 24: With Fingers Crossed......The Marlins Finally Have Tomorrow
By Sylvia Gurinsky
With fingers crossed and bats, balls, gloves and shovels at the ready, it looks like the Florida Marlins can finally get started building that new ballpark.
Yesterday, nine Miami-Dade commissioners decided to give the Marlins something they haven't had in 15 years:
Tomorrow.
They've had an insecure future in South Florida since the baseball strike that wiped out the 1994 World Series and the trust of a lot of baseball fans. Then, after the 1997 World Series win, Wayne Huizenga pulled out the rug from under the franchise with that fire sale. Despite the 2003 World Series win, the Marlins have never really gotten that trust back.
Now comes the chance to try again, if the naysayers will let the franchise do so, and if team owner Jeffrey Loria lives up to his promises.
Play ball!
With fingers crossed and bats, balls, gloves and shovels at the ready, it looks like the Florida Marlins can finally get started building that new ballpark.
Yesterday, nine Miami-Dade commissioners decided to give the Marlins something they haven't had in 15 years:
Tomorrow.
They've had an insecure future in South Florida since the baseball strike that wiped out the 1994 World Series and the trust of a lot of baseball fans. Then, after the 1997 World Series win, Wayne Huizenga pulled out the rug from under the franchise with that fire sale. Despite the 2003 World Series win, the Marlins have never really gotten that trust back.
Now comes the chance to try again, if the naysayers will let the franchise do so, and if team owner Jeffrey Loria lives up to his promises.
Play ball!
Monday, March 23, 2009
March 23: Leave Florida's Department of Community Affairs Alone
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Ah, the reliable things: Death, taxes and the ability of the Florida Legislature to come up with something devious and damaging each year.
This time, it's legislation that would either eliminate or weaken the state's Department of Community Affairs, Florida's government environmental watchdog, and transfer most of the responsibilities to the Department of State, which, as you will recall, has one botched U.S. presidential election in its history (Though current Secretary of State Kurt Browning is not to blame for that.).
Keep in mind that many legislators get lots of campaign checks from big developers. The big developers aren't getting much business these days - something about the economy going south - and they'll try anything. Especially with suitors as willing as lawmakers.
Never mind that Florida's environment, which could play a role in the state's economic recovery, would get ruined in the process.
So far, it looks like the Florida Senate isn't as hard-charging on the legislation as the Florida House. Hopefully, both the Senate and, if necessary, Gov. Charlie Crist will put the kibosh on this plan.
The Department of Community Affairs has been a consistent success story in Florida. The Florida Legislature should leave it alone.
Ah, the reliable things: Death, taxes and the ability of the Florida Legislature to come up with something devious and damaging each year.
This time, it's legislation that would either eliminate or weaken the state's Department of Community Affairs, Florida's government environmental watchdog, and transfer most of the responsibilities to the Department of State, which, as you will recall, has one botched U.S. presidential election in its history (Though current Secretary of State Kurt Browning is not to blame for that.).
Keep in mind that many legislators get lots of campaign checks from big developers. The big developers aren't getting much business these days - something about the economy going south - and they'll try anything. Especially with suitors as willing as lawmakers.
Never mind that Florida's environment, which could play a role in the state's economic recovery, would get ruined in the process.
So far, it looks like the Florida Senate isn't as hard-charging on the legislation as the Florida House. Hopefully, both the Senate and, if necessary, Gov. Charlie Crist will put the kibosh on this plan.
The Department of Community Affairs has been a consistent success story in Florida. The Florida Legislature should leave it alone.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
March 19: Sounding the Alarm About the Future Of the Press - And "Silent Stinkers"
By Sylvia Gurinsky
This is Sunshine Week, when newspapers generally communicate with the public about the importance of freedom of the press.
This week, there's an added incentive: The importance of the existence of the press.
It's ironic that this is the week that the Seattle Post-Intelligencer chose to end its print edition and go to the Web. The Rocky Mountain News closed entirely a few weeks ago. Other papers, including The San Francisco Chronicle, have their immediate futures threatened. In South Florida, both The Miami Herald and The South Florida Sun-Sentinel are in trouble, with layoffs by the Herald last week and more expected by the Sun-Sentinel.
Earlier this week at a luncheon in Tallahassee, Lucy Dalglish, executive director of The Reporters' Committee For Freedom of the Press and a longtime champion of free press and First Amendment rights, spoke about the dangers faced by not having the press working in the public's favor. Florida Public Radio's "Capitol Report" played some of her words:
"The mainstream media's been heavily involved in efforts to protect whistleblowers and other confidential sources through state and federal shield laws and whistleblower protection, so that people who have information about government or institutional malfaesance can come forward. When they can't get anyone in the government to do what needs to be done to correct the problem, they go to the media, the media protects those sources and the public knows what's going on.....They (media companies) spent a lot of that money fighting for the public's right to know what its public and private institutions were up to. They spent that money on your behalf.....Now, you may have noticed your local media have hit hard times. They're doing much worse than the economy as a whole, if that's even possible, but they are. I'm afraid. I'm very afraid that these folks won't be able to continue this battle. And who's going to suffer? We all will."
Indeed.
Also mentioned on Monday were a collection of bills that could prove perilous during the Florida Legislature's session.
They're known as "shell bills," but there's nothing pretty about them. They are bills that present a general purpose and don't have much detail when they're filed, but the devilish details are added later.
The First Amendment Foundation has a more detailed nickname for these bills: "Silent Stinkers:"
http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/story/1294245.html
Once upon a pre-Internet time, the Society of Professional Journalists, an organization I've been part of for 19 years, had a motto on a T-shirt: "If the press doesn't tell you, who will?" There are some others - but only some.
We need a free and independent press more than ever.
This is Sunshine Week, when newspapers generally communicate with the public about the importance of freedom of the press.
This week, there's an added incentive: The importance of the existence of the press.
It's ironic that this is the week that the Seattle Post-Intelligencer chose to end its print edition and go to the Web. The Rocky Mountain News closed entirely a few weeks ago. Other papers, including The San Francisco Chronicle, have their immediate futures threatened. In South Florida, both The Miami Herald and The South Florida Sun-Sentinel are in trouble, with layoffs by the Herald last week and more expected by the Sun-Sentinel.
Earlier this week at a luncheon in Tallahassee, Lucy Dalglish, executive director of The Reporters' Committee For Freedom of the Press and a longtime champion of free press and First Amendment rights, spoke about the dangers faced by not having the press working in the public's favor. Florida Public Radio's "Capitol Report" played some of her words:
"The mainstream media's been heavily involved in efforts to protect whistleblowers and other confidential sources through state and federal shield laws and whistleblower protection, so that people who have information about government or institutional malfaesance can come forward. When they can't get anyone in the government to do what needs to be done to correct the problem, they go to the media, the media protects those sources and the public knows what's going on.....They (media companies) spent a lot of that money fighting for the public's right to know what its public and private institutions were up to. They spent that money on your behalf.....Now, you may have noticed your local media have hit hard times. They're doing much worse than the economy as a whole, if that's even possible, but they are. I'm afraid. I'm very afraid that these folks won't be able to continue this battle. And who's going to suffer? We all will."
Indeed.
Also mentioned on Monday were a collection of bills that could prove perilous during the Florida Legislature's session.
They're known as "shell bills," but there's nothing pretty about them. They are bills that present a general purpose and don't have much detail when they're filed, but the devilish details are added later.
The First Amendment Foundation has a more detailed nickname for these bills: "Silent Stinkers:"
http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/story/1294245.html
Once upon a pre-Internet time, the Society of Professional Journalists, an organization I've been part of for 19 years, had a motto on a T-shirt: "If the press doesn't tell you, who will?" There are some others - but only some.
We need a free and independent press more than ever.
CORRECTED: March 18: Paulson, Bush Should Get Blame On AIG Bonuses - And Where Was the Media?
(Note: This column has been updated to include Congress' participation.)
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Why is new Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner getting the blame over the bonuses given to AIG executives? He didn't negotiate the deal.
His predecessor, Henry Paulson did. And Paulson's boss, President George W. Bush, signed off on it. So did Congress.
The AIG bailout deal was approved last fall, in the middle of the presidential campaign and the general collapse of the economy. Somehow, the fine print over the bonuses given to AIG executives didn't get out until a few days ago.
Perhaps CNBC missed that fine print while their commentators were shouting. And where was the rest of the business media, at least the part that wasn't being laid off or bought out? Even the stellar "Frontline" documentary a few weeks ago on the economic collapse didn't mention the details of the AIG bailout.
But the person who has the most to explain is Paulson. In the middle of its collective teeth-gnashing, Congress needs to call Paulson and tell him to come clean on what he did with AIG and why he did it - and come clean about their own actions. Meanwhile, Geithner deserves to be let out of the doghouse.
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Why is new Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner getting the blame over the bonuses given to AIG executives? He didn't negotiate the deal.
His predecessor, Henry Paulson did. And Paulson's boss, President George W. Bush, signed off on it. So did Congress.
The AIG bailout deal was approved last fall, in the middle of the presidential campaign and the general collapse of the economy. Somehow, the fine print over the bonuses given to AIG executives didn't get out until a few days ago.
Perhaps CNBC missed that fine print while their commentators were shouting. And where was the rest of the business media, at least the part that wasn't being laid off or bought out? Even the stellar "Frontline" documentary a few weeks ago on the economic collapse didn't mention the details of the AIG bailout.
But the person who has the most to explain is Paulson. In the middle of its collective teeth-gnashing, Congress needs to call Paulson and tell him to come clean on what he did with AIG and why he did it - and come clean about their own actions. Meanwhile, Geithner deserves to be let out of the doghouse.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
March 17: Israel: Those Who Do Not Remember the Past......
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Never mind Hamas, Hezbollah or Iran. The Jewish people have a way of being their own worst enemy.
Israel is truly about to go through its self-inflicted darkest hour with the coming of Benjamin Netanyahu's government. He plans to appoint a foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, who is a racist and under investigation for white-collar crimes.
Netanyahu plans to appoint a national security chief, Uzi Arad, who is currently forbidden from entering the United States because of an investigation of a former Pentagon official for sharing classified information about Iran.
And Netanyahu plans to appoint himself finance minister. There has never been any such thing as a Likud government with a sound economy in Israel. Ever.
It creates headaches for Israelis who don't agree with their policies, not to mention allies such as the United States, not to mention Jews all over the world who want to see peace and stability in the Middle East.
This incoming government won't bring it. Not unless there's divine intervention.
Passover is coming soon, but it feels more like Tisha B'Av - the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av, in which the Second Holy Temple was destroyed, and much of Jerusalem with it, and the Jewish community scattered to the winds for centuries. When people pray on that fast day, they see that the Jewish people did as much damage to themselves as the Romans did to them, with sinning, infighting and corruption.
It is obvious that Netanyahu, with his government picks, has learned nothing from that story.
So here's another prayer: That the reign of the far-right in Israel will be as brief as possible, and that cooler -and smarter - heads can save both the Jewish state and the peace process.
Never mind Hamas, Hezbollah or Iran. The Jewish people have a way of being their own worst enemy.
Israel is truly about to go through its self-inflicted darkest hour with the coming of Benjamin Netanyahu's government. He plans to appoint a foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, who is a racist and under investigation for white-collar crimes.
Netanyahu plans to appoint a national security chief, Uzi Arad, who is currently forbidden from entering the United States because of an investigation of a former Pentagon official for sharing classified information about Iran.
And Netanyahu plans to appoint himself finance minister. There has never been any such thing as a Likud government with a sound economy in Israel. Ever.
It creates headaches for Israelis who don't agree with their policies, not to mention allies such as the United States, not to mention Jews all over the world who want to see peace and stability in the Middle East.
This incoming government won't bring it. Not unless there's divine intervention.
Passover is coming soon, but it feels more like Tisha B'Av - the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av, in which the Second Holy Temple was destroyed, and much of Jerusalem with it, and the Jewish community scattered to the winds for centuries. When people pray on that fast day, they see that the Jewish people did as much damage to themselves as the Romans did to them, with sinning, infighting and corruption.
It is obvious that Netanyahu, with his government picks, has learned nothing from that story.
So here's another prayer: That the reign of the far-right in Israel will be as brief as possible, and that cooler -and smarter - heads can save both the Jewish state and the peace process.
Monday, March 16, 2009
March 16: CNBC's Exploding Truck
By Sylvia Gurinsky
News watchers may remember a time when NBC News had egg on its face, in 1992.
With newsmagazines as the TV trend du jour at the time, NBC's "Dateline" aired a report that questioned the safety of General Motors trucks. What NBC didn't tell the public was that they'd strapped incendiary devices to the backs of trucks to try to create an explosive effect. GM sued, NBC apologized, and correspondent Michelle Gillen, who came from South Florida television with a reputation for stellar investigative reporting and should have known better, eventually lost her network career (She is at Miami's WFOR-Channel 4 today.).
Today, it's financial channel CNBC that's the company's problem child.
Sound and fury by CNBC correspondents (and Comedy Central's Jon Stewart) aside, the question needs to be asked: What, exactly, is CNBC's role supposed to be?
Is CNBC supposed to cover business, providing sound reporting? Or is it supposed to be an advocate, a business cheerleader?
Is CNBC supposed to go by the standards and practices of NBC News (which were revised after what came to be known as the "Dateline fiasco")?
People are hungry for facts - without hype. The understanding here is that CNBC has not provided them before and during this economic crisis, or when its reporters have provided them, they've been literally shouted out by commentators more interested in making noise and being buddy-buddy with Wall Street.
In other words, the economic crisis is CNBC's exploding truck story, because the network didn't cast a critical enough eye on Wall Street or Washington.
Mark Hoffman is the president of CNBC. He's a journalist, so he knows something about standards and practices.
Hoffman needs to go on the air - at CNBC, on NBC - and on the Web and let readers and viewers know exactly what those standards are for CNBC. And as the parent network did 17 years ago with the truck, Hoffman needs to give a "mea culpa" for CNBC's failings in covering the economic meltdown.
This time, the consequences for CNBC's abdication of its journalistic duty are even more dire than "Dateline's" were.
News watchers may remember a time when NBC News had egg on its face, in 1992.
With newsmagazines as the TV trend du jour at the time, NBC's "Dateline" aired a report that questioned the safety of General Motors trucks. What NBC didn't tell the public was that they'd strapped incendiary devices to the backs of trucks to try to create an explosive effect. GM sued, NBC apologized, and correspondent Michelle Gillen, who came from South Florida television with a reputation for stellar investigative reporting and should have known better, eventually lost her network career (She is at Miami's WFOR-Channel 4 today.).
Today, it's financial channel CNBC that's the company's problem child.
Sound and fury by CNBC correspondents (and Comedy Central's Jon Stewart) aside, the question needs to be asked: What, exactly, is CNBC's role supposed to be?
Is CNBC supposed to cover business, providing sound reporting? Or is it supposed to be an advocate, a business cheerleader?
Is CNBC supposed to go by the standards and practices of NBC News (which were revised after what came to be known as the "Dateline fiasco")?
People are hungry for facts - without hype. The understanding here is that CNBC has not provided them before and during this economic crisis, or when its reporters have provided them, they've been literally shouted out by commentators more interested in making noise and being buddy-buddy with Wall Street.
In other words, the economic crisis is CNBC's exploding truck story, because the network didn't cast a critical enough eye on Wall Street or Washington.
Mark Hoffman is the president of CNBC. He's a journalist, so he knows something about standards and practices.
Hoffman needs to go on the air - at CNBC, on NBC - and on the Web and let readers and viewers know exactly what those standards are for CNBC. And as the parent network did 17 years ago with the truck, Hoffman needs to give a "mea culpa" for CNBC's failings in covering the economic meltdown.
This time, the consequences for CNBC's abdication of its journalistic duty are even more dire than "Dateline's" were.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)