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. Pushing Rope – Fair Districts in Florida: “The current districts are a joke. The best solution is to have the districts drawn by computer. Pols can’t be trusted to put voter rights above partisan gain.”
2. Progressive Pensacola – On the state budget: “As many of you know, the Florida Legislature is currently convened in a special session to address the $2.3 billion shortfall in the state budget. Just as they did last year, they’re focusing on cuts to vital services like education and healthcare, while refusing to cut funding in other areas or to consider tax increases.”
3. Alan Farago – After the Fall: markets without regulation: “We have only a little knowledge how the federal government intervenes in financial markets. What we do know is that since the fall, US Treasury and Federal Reserve policy makers have been flying blind, sailing in uncharted waters: pick whatever metaphor you choose to dissolve the fabrication of markets based on supply and demand, and, free.”
4. Blue in Miami – Marco Rubio and the (R) Senate Seat: “Looking at the suggested Republican’s running according to the Herald, I’m not terribly afraid of any of these guys…”
5. FLA Politics – Keep it Stupid, Simple: “No surprise when you ‘think’ about it, but ‘in the past decade, the most significant predictor of a county’s shift in partisan preference has not been existing partisanship, or even income. It is level of educational attainment.’”
6. Progressive Pensacola – Sansom still under fire: “Even after resigning from his cushy, quid pro quo college job, Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom is still under fire for his perceived improprieties and it’s not — just from the other side of the aisle.”
7. Eye on Miami (gimleteye) – Miami Herald biffs on public corruption: “It seems like Eyeonmiami is the only local site where readers can get a steady trail of views and news about the corruption charges leveled at Palm Beach Couny Commissioner Mary McCarty and her husband, former chairman of the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board, Kevin McCarty. It’s not over.”
8. FLA Politics (Tally) – Voter Initiatives Rehash: “The fundamental idea I’m proposing here is establishing a true referendum process here in Florida. I know that California has given the idea a lot of bad publicity, and certainly there are potential downsides. But, I think that a committed politician who wished to champion the cause could make real changes within the structure of how Florida government operates.”
9. Ron Levitt – Florida Democrats Infighting But Eyes on 2010: “Florida Democrats, flush with success from the Obama victory in November, have returned to their double-barreled normalcy — party infighting while preparing for the next big election. That takes place in 2010 when there will be an open seat for the U.S. Senate.”
10. Pushing Rope – Calls For Prosecutor For Buddy Johnson Mess: “The St. Petersburg Times editorial board is calling for a prosecutor to investigate Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson.”
