Each of us wants to believe that if we were tested in some fundamental way when the chips were down — morally, spiritually, or physically — that we would pass the test. But we do not really expect to be tested. That sort of thing only happens to people we see on television and read about in books, heroes and such. And if we were tested, surely we would know it. How could a literal moment of truth in our…
Today on Context Florida: President Obama and the GOP are headed for a high-stakes showdown on the issue of Syrian refugees, says Bob Sparks. Europe is absorbing large numbers of those refugees, but many more seemingly have nowhere to go. This country, as we usually do, pledged to help by taking some. That was before Paris. With as much humanity as we can muster, the influx must be postponed. Not cancelled, but postponed until the identities and intentions of those entering…
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney collected one of the largest hauls of last quarter, according to recently submitted compensation reports: The white shoe firm’s Tallahassee lobbying practice earned an estimated $1.14 million between April 1 and June 30 of 2015. The largest contributor to the firm’s bottom line in Q2? U.S. Sugar Corp. by a mile. It doubled up the next highest-paying client, paying $76,000 for legislative lobbying services and between $30,000-$39,999 for executive branch work, for a total of some $111,000.…
The tenth-seeded Mac Stipanovich is out to a narrow lead over #7 seed Katie Webb in the first round of this year’s TallyMadness online voting tournament. The wily veteran is up 51.2 percent to 48.8 in the early going, two days after polls first opened. But Webb and Stipanovich, both of whom represent major Orlando theme parks, know well what a roller coaster this time of year can be – and how often the improbable wins the day in Tallahassee. Will The Knife carve…
Newsweek goes all biblical on Charlie Crist: Not long ago, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist seemed like a dead pol walking. Tea Party favorite Marco Rubio was thrashing him in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. Crist’s 30-point lead had swung to a 30-point deficit; funding was drying up, as were endorsements. “He’s deader than the day before yesterday,” former state GOP chair Tom Slade told the St. Petersburg Times in late April. “I don’t think there’s any way in the…
Alright, before I get into this, let me just say that I recognize Mac Stipanovich is way, way more powerful than me. He’s even been portrayed by an actual Hollywood actor in a made-for-HBO movie. So I really shouldn’t be calling him out, but then I read what Adam Smith tweeted over the weekend: @adamsmithtimes: Mac Stipanovich on Rick Scott vs Bill McCollum: “Skeletor vs. Jimmy Neutron.” Dude, there is no way Mac the Knife is down with Skeletor. Stipanovich…
Alright, before I get into this, let me just say that I recognize Mac Stipanovich is way, way more powerful than me. He’s even been portrayed by an actual Hollywood actor in a made-for-HBO movie. So I really shouldn’t be calling him out, but then I read what Adam Smith tweeted over the weekend: @adamsmithtimes: Mac Stipanovich on Rick Scott vs Bill McCollum: “Skeletor vs. Jimmy Neutron.” Dude, there is no way Mac the Knife is down with Skeletor. Stipanovich…