Earmarks: Their Merit Lies Within the Eye of the Beholder
ORLANDO, Fla. -- President Obama issued an unequivocal promise during his second State of the Union address: "If a bill comes to my desk with earmarks inside, I will veto it." The pledge drew loud applause but also puzzlement. "I guess the big question is: What is your definition of 'earmarks'?" says Malia Hale, a Washington lobbyist for the National Wildlife Federation. Obama underlined his promise by issuing it twice during the address. The rhetoric was designed to appease Senate and House Republicans -- who already have banned earmarks -- and mollify an electorate leery of a federal ...
Everglades Boosters: Environmental Restoration Can Spur Economy, Bipartisanship
WESTON, Fla. -- During the worst recession in a generation, we can't afford to engage in environmental restoration. Or can we? Tying environmental restoration to economic recovery is the emerging strategy for environmentalists as political turnover transforms government away from Democratic control, big spending and earmarks. That was the theme recently at the annual conference of the Everglades Coalition, an alliance of 53 national and local organizations involved in the largest environmental restoration effort in the history of the planet. The conference draws policy-makers from all ...
Rick Scott Elected Florida Governor as Alex Sink Concedes Tight Race
ORLANDO, Fla. -- This is Florida. And so here it was perhaps no surprise that Election Day came and went Tuesday with no resolution of the state's gubernatorial race, among the nation's most watched, most contentious and most important. That ended Wednesday morning when Democrat Alex Sink conceded the tight race to her Republican rival, Rick Scott. The narrow margin of victory for Scott was 49 percent to 48 percent with third-party candidates accounting for the balance. If elected Sink would have been the state's first woman governor and also the first Democrat to win the position since ...
On Oil Spill, Why Obama Should Listen to Sen. Bill Nelson
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Critics charge the Obama administration responded too slowly to the oil spill. Perhaps the administration should have listened more to Sen. Bill Nelson. Since the spill began -- back when we believed only 5,000 barrels of oil a day were seeping into the Gulf of Mexico -- Florida's senior senator, a Democrat, has been on TV, calling for more leadership from President Barack Obama, for more accountability from BP. He was the first to publicly post images of the leaking well online, after he and Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California pressed BP for the footage, putting a ...
Why the Oil Spill Won't End Gulf Drilling
ORLANDO, Florida -- Suppose the United States did decrease drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, or discontinue it altogether. It's a tempting idea, but the question arises. Then what? What would be our alternatives? For a nation where oil consumption surged 32 percent between 1970 and 2008 and production declined 40 percent, offshore drilling in the gulf, along with Alaska, represents the new frontier. Some 30,000 to 40,000 rigs in the gulf are drilling deep and pumping oil that comprises more than a third of the nation's domestic supply, more than any other source. The technology employed to ...
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