Opinion

Letters from readers: New courthouse a waste

Staff — Sun, 27 May 2012 04:06:49 +0000

NEW COURTHOUSE

What a waste

Building the new courthouse will be remembered in Jacksonville history as the worst waste ever of taxpayer money.

The current courthouse could have been expanded, instead.

Dick Braendle, Ponte Vedra Beach

PUBLIC TRANSIT

Just like roads

School district needs succession plan

Staff — Sun, 27 May 2012 04:06:14 +0000

Why don’t more urban school districts like Duval County have a solid plan in place for succession of the chief executive?

Why can’t an organization of this size — 123,000 students, more than 160 schools, more than 14,000 employees — have a plan to groom top management for the organization’s most important?

It’s a mystery that we sought to unravel in recent weeks.

Duval County has hired superintendents who came from the ranks, notably the current one, Ed Pratt-Dannals. But the sense is that did not happen based on a strategic plan.

Point of View: More than diet and exercise are needed to fight obesity

Staff — Sun, 27 May 2012 04:05:08 +0000

The Institute of Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control and HBO just released a film, “Weight of the Nation,” warning us of the latest epidemic to sweep the country: obesity.

Today, two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, along with one-third of children. The tally has doubled since 1988. This, despite $40 billion spent in 2007 alone for diet aids.

Obesity can cause chronic illness, disability and death: The Institute of Medicine pegs the cost at $190.2 billion a year.

Messy conflicts cloud Jacksonville facilities contract process

Ron Littlepage — Sun, 27 May 2012 03:27:44 +0000

The process for deciding who will manage the city’s sports and entertainment facilities could get messy, real messy.

Last week, the City Council voted to give itself a role in awarding the contract, ignoring the advice of General Counsel Cindy Laquidara that under current procurement rules the final decision rests exclusively with Mayor Alvin Brown.

In pushing for an active role for the council, Councilman Ray Holt said, “We all know what’s been in the media.”

Letters from readers: JP Morgan Chase and Fannie Mae

Staff — Sat, 26 May 2012 04:09:56 +0000

JPMORGAN CHASE

Compare to Fannie Mae

I can’t understand why everyone is commenting about JPMorgan Chase’s $2.6 billion trading loss.

This is a publicly traded company with stockholders who own the company. If anyone should be upset, it should be the stockholders.

It was their intent to pay a dividend and use $15 billion to buy back stock, thereby improving the value of the stocks outstanding.

They still intend to pay out a dividend to stockholders, but they have deferred the stock buyback.

Term limits inspire strong reactions

Staff — Sat, 26 May 2012 04:09:14 +0000

Term limits are back in the news as the Florida Supreme Court recently issued a ruling that appears to put constitutional officers back under term limits.

Such officers include officials such as the sheriff, supervisor of elections, clerk of the court and property appraiser.

Though the initial ruling related to Broward County, the city’s top lawyer, Cindy Laquidara, ruled that Duval County would be affected, as well.

Jacksonville mayor's ignoring council could backfire

Ron Littlepage — Fri, 25 May 2012 06:02:01 +0000

Sometimes it takes a 2-by-4 up beside the head to get a mule's attention.

Or as City Councilman Robin Lumb put it recently, "The sounds you hear are sabres being rattled, but they remain in their scabbards. That could change."

Lumb's message was directed at Mayor Alvin Brown's administration and was yet another example of an increasingly frustrated City Council.

The topic being discussed during a council committee meeting where the sabre rattling took place was the inability of the Jacksonville Children's Commission to hire a new executive director.

How Marco Rubio could help Mitt Romney win

Matt Towery — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:04:57 +0000

Yes, this column is based out of Florida, so it would seem that an opinion piece suggesting that Marco Rubio makes the most sense for vice president on the Republican side would normally appear to be "home cooking."

But until recently, there have been plenty of reasons to believe that perhaps other names made more sense as a choice for Mitt Romney.

In the recent issue of Newsmax magazine, I am quoted as saying that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee would be the best choice for the GOP ticket. And in many ways he still would be a superlative choice.

Letters from readers: FCAT scores

Staff — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:04:19 +0000

FCAT scores

More homework needed
I believe every child is gifted and has great potential. It is in teachers' and parents' hands to squeeze it out of them without hurting them in any way.

My daughter is doing her second grade in a Duval County A-rated school. We moved from New York this academic year.

The difference, I feel, is the lack of practice kids do at home (in the name of homework). In New York she had 20 minutes of homework every day and reading every day. She never complained as every kid had to do it.

Satire on voting rolls: Purging the dead is no big deal

Staff — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:03:52 +0000

Am I still living in the land of the free and home of the brave?

The scurrilous attempt by the state of Florida to rid the voter registration rolls of the dead is contrary to fact, American jurisprudence and our infallible and inerrant Constitution.

Factually, most of the living don't bother to vote, and it's ditto for the dead.

Most of the living have no idea (or care) who the chief justice of the Supreme Court is, and it's ditto for the dead.

Most of the living just want the government to leave them alone, and it's ditto for the dead.

Voting: Diligence is needed to keep rolls valid

The Times-Union — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:03:27 +0000

Florida officials need to move aggressively to make sure registered voters are qualified.

It's no small issue.

State officials said as many as 182,000 registered voters are not eligible to vote, the Associated Press reports.

This list relates to non-citizens that probably are here legally but still are not eligible to vote. These people are being asked to bring proof of their citizenship to their local supervisors of elections offices.

Stand your ground law: Public debate is healthy

The Times-Union — Fri, 25 May 2012 04:02:54 +0000

If there is anything positive that can come out of the tragic circumstances of the Trayvon Martin death and the 20-year sentence to Marissa Alexander, it is all the public interest in the criminal justice system.

Does the Stand Your Ground law go too far? Is it too vague? Has it caused a surge in justifiable homicide cases that didn't exist? Should it be repealed or amended?

Great Parks: Jacksonville National Cemetery

Mike Clark — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:21:53 +0000

Everyone can be proud of the Jacksonville National Cemetery, the 526-acre space on the Northside, designed to serve veterans' needs for more than 100 years.

It's still relatively new, but there is more than enough to make a trip worthwhile. You take Interstate 295, go north at the Lem Turner exit. After about five miles, you turn on Lannie Road past the Montgomery Corrections facility.

Why so many children have diabetes

Tonyaa Weathersbee — Thu, 24 May 2012 05:38:42 +0000

A few weeks ago, I ventured into a local ice cream shop and ordered one scoop of butter pecan ice cream on a sugar cone.

What I got, though, was a puzzled look from the server.

A youth probably no older than 20, he didn't know what I was talking about. Waffle cones, he said, was all they had.

Waffle cones, as ice cream aficionados probably know, are wide-mouthed cones. It usually takes two or more scoops to fill one up.

Letters from readers: Trayvon Martin

Staff — Thu, 24 May 2012 04:01:42 +0000

TRAYVON MARTIN

An outsider comments
I am simply shocked by the 20-year sentence that Marissa Alexander received for defending herself and her children against an admitted abuser!

Others from outside Florida couldn't believe the way the Trayvon Martin case was handled — and now this.

I now believe that there are separate sets of justice in parts of your state that depend on the color of one's skin. I hope all sensible Floridians will vehemently protest until the laws are changed so all Floridians receive equal treatment.