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Where’s the ethanol in Florida?
I’ve been fascinated with biofuels since I saw the documentary The Fat of the Land on Free Speech TV, where a group of young women drive cross-country in a van modified to run on cooking oil (stopping at restaurants along the way to refuel). That was a few years before the more-recent ethanol craze, and [...]
1 million lives in Africa not worth 1 month in Iraq
…according to most of Florida’s Republican Congresspeople: President Bush’s initiative to fight the spread of AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis has been credited with saving more than a million lives in Africa alone. Think about that for a moment: One million human beings. Its success and moral righteousness help explain why the effort has attracted support [...]
Florida: Lowest CO2 emissions per capita in the South?
I’d been thinking lately that, given how car-dependent Florida is, we probably have a high amount of carbon dioxide emitted per capita relative to other states (and thus, a relatively greater contribution to global climate change). The thought struck me again tonight, so I decided to look for some data. Turns out, the opposite is [...]
Who loves campaign cash in Tallahassee?
Surprise! Florida’s once-praised system of using tax dollars to help candidates running for statewide office could become political history. The Florida House voted Wednesday to scrap the system that offers candidates for governor and state Cabinet posts the chance to tap public financing if they agree to overall spending limits. The repeal is advancing in [...]
Progressive messaging from… the Chamber?
In its weekly newsletter, the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce has a call to action! for business leaders to support… increased government spending?! Chambers of Commerce are often stereotyped as conservative, well, business types — suits, whose policy goals are always less public services and lower taxes. What gives? The issue at hand is commuter [...]
Florida fails the working poor
Hi, I’m Gavin Baker, the newest blogger in these parts. I live in Seminole County, north of Orlando, and keep a personal blog at gavinbaker.com. Researchers at the University of Central Florida released a report earlier this month which sheds light on the shameful side of Florida’s economy. The report, Poverty in Central Florida, starts [...]
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