Tax Watch website is down

Went to read the new Florida Tax Watch report and found their website is down. Crashed by the thousands of Escambia residents wanting to pore over the report? Kinda doubtful, but we can hope... Hopefully the website will be back up shortly.

Florida Tax Watch Report is up

Florida Tax Watch's report on Improving Transparency and Accountability in Escambia County Government (.pdf warning) is up on the Tax Watch website.

It looks to be about 40 pages long, so I'll have to wait until this weekend to be able to read it, but Rick Outzen notes on his blog that the report "finds that revenue and spending increases since 2000 are 'unsustainable.'" Not shocking.

Paradigm Shifting, part deux

So last November I complained about a tank of gas costing me less than $70.00. Ah, the folly of youth. That same tank now costs me almost $90.00. At Sam's club. Sheee-yit, mang. So the Tundra is officially for sale. If y'all know anyone who is interested in a very gently used 2001 Tundra SR5 with lots of the bells and whistles (sorry, no leather), lemme know. Gotta unload this albatross, y'know?

Same song, different year

I wrote almost exactly a year ago about my Rice Owls being eliminated from the 2007 College World Series after a couple of early wins. No such luck this year, though. Two losses and out. Ugh. But, hey, we can console ourselves with the fact that they've made the CWS 3 years in a row now, right? And that they won the whole thing in 2003? And, uh, um, aw screw it. I want a beer. Frackin' Owls...

Got a foghorn and a drum and a Hamer that's rockin' and a cord and a pedal and a life that'll do for now...

Some things just feel like home. I put on this record tonight, and even 20+ years down the road it still makes my spine tingle. If you haven't listened in a while, give it a go again. You won't be sorry.

Good Ideas Abound (not so much here, tho)

Poking around the Florida Tax Watch website looking for the still-elusive report on its analysis of Escambia County's tax and spending practices (I'm equally giddy and apprehensive about the results of that report), I came across their "Notable Practices" report (.pdf warning), which seems like a great resource.

I haven't read the whole thing yet, but it looks like a collection of really good ideas that it would make sense for us to consider here.

Perhaps not surprisingly, there is only one "notable practice" from the Pensacola/Escambia County area, involving "urban infilling," which is described in the report as

us[ing] an urban infill implementation grant and funds from other programs to acquire 12 lots, construct seven homes, and pay for 1,700 overtime hours that were worked by police officers patrolling the urban infill and redevelopment area.

The report states that "[t]hese activities helped encourage private developers to build housing in this area." I'm not sure what project this refers to, but it sounds neato.

Maybe some of our local nabobs should read through some of the ideas coming from other areas in the state? Maybe? Anyone? Bueller?