This makes me giggle...

I have no excuse.

A fence all the way across the Mexican border? Riiiight.

We can't even get a 2-1/2 kilometer fence correct. And now we're going to build one for the entire length of the border? Yeah. Right.

Budget wonkery

A few random thoughts about the budget worksheet (.pdf file) handed out at the County Commission budget workshop this week:

We were budgeting over $160,000 for "out of county travel?" Where were these people going? Good on them for cutting that expense. Also $9,990 for seminars and "meals, plaques and ceremonies" for the BCC. Did anyone know they had budgeted for this crap in the past? Well, I didn't.

$700 for the County Administrator's Blackberry actually doesn't seem all that high to me. If it makes him more efficient, I don't really have a problem with him keeping that.

The county attorney has chopped $100,000 out of their budget for outside counsel. I'm curious if there is anything left in that budget item.

What the hell is the "Merit System Protection Board?"

We were paying a federal lobbyist $67,500? My first reaction is, "well THAT was dumb," but, on second thought, I'm not so sure...

Facilities management looks to take a pretty big hit, with $865,000 proposed to be cut from their budget, including the entire construction crew.

I hate the idea of eliminating funding for the school nursing program. Yes, it is a $120,000 savings, but considering how little we allocate toward healthcare in this county, eliminating one of the few sources of healthcare for our children seems short sighted. And in view of the overall budget, $120K doesn't seem like all that much.

I hope that the commissioners follow through with the idea of returning Lakeview and the community clinics to full funding. (Actually, I hope they can find a way to INCREASE funding for these items).

Overall it looks like the commission is working hard to "tighten their belts" with these budget cuts. It's a painful process. I hope we see some good results.

Now, how about those proposals for combining redundant city and county operations? We could save a TON more money there if we could agree to do it.

It's PIP-tastic!

The Buzz has an interesting entry about a little detail of the PIP sunset that people had largely overlooked. PIP itself is due to sunset on October 1st, but the real deadline is 45 days earlier, when insurance companies start sending out their insurance renewal premiums, which may be cheaper due to the lack of PIP coverage. The carriers can blow the horn about cheaper insurance rates at that time, making it more difficult, politically, for state legislators to go back and reinstate PIP in a special session some time in September. The insurance lobby has definitely got the legislature over a barrel on this one...

Okay, this is just crazy...

Warren Buffet's taxable income for 2006: $46 million
Warren Buffet's income tax rate in 2006: 17.7%

Warren Buffet's secretary's taxable income for 2006: $60,000.00
Warren Buffet's secretary's income tax rate for 2006: 30%

Even Warren Buffet says this is nuts.

Additional source.

See, this is the kind of crashing wave of cynical realization that washes me down the beach, back to the foaming left-wing liberal sea from which I was beginning to crawl...

Oh. My. GOD.

Nancy Grace breeds.

Be very afraid.

Ann Coulter: Not your average nut

I find it very hard to believe that Ann Coulter is REALLY as insane as she appears. I understand that she casts herself as a "polemicist" or some kind of not-quite-stable talking head, but, come on, NOBODY is THAT crazy. Are they?

Having read all sorts of conspiracy theories this past week regarding the now defeated 1/2-cent sales tax proposal here in Escambia County, the inner conspiracist in me is coming forth. I'm beginning to think that Ann Coulter is really a deep mole, planted by the DNC to help their candidates. Witness the campaign of John Edwards, which is quite successfully using Ann Coulter's bizarre, ranting ad hominem attacks to raise campaign funds.

In fact, the continuing appearances of Ann Coulter on shows like MSNBC's "Hardball" (be sure to watch the video) leads me to believe that the media is, in fact, wildly liberal. Who else but left-wing wackos, understanding the value she brings to their cause, would continue to put Ann Coulter on the air? Lyndon LaRouche was marginalized back in the day because he was such a nut. Seems that Coulter is AT LEAST as much of a nut as LaRouche was, but somehow she keeps getting on the air. Is it just the willowy body, long blonde hair and short skirts? I think not. I think she's the deepest sort of under-cover agent, working for the vast left-wing conspiracy, while pretending to be conservative. The Donny Brasco of the political world.

Watch out, Ann, your cover is disintegrating...

The Constitution in a nutshell

In an article on Slate.com, Professor Walter Dellinger gives a wonderfully clear overview of the U.S. Constitution and how the U.S. Supreme Court decides cases based upon it. I went to law school and spent a year studying Constitutional Law. I think I should've just read this article instead. Would've saved a bit of time...

Breakfast Tacos...

So I followed Robert Rodriguez's recipe for "Sin City Breakfast Tacos" (careful, some "dirty words" there) this morning. This was my first attempt at home-made flour tortillas, and they came out quite nicely, if I do say. Sorta small and weirdly-shaped, but tasty - much better than store-bought'n tortillas. My only problem was that I don't have a big griddle to cook them on, so I had to cook them one at a time in a skillet, which took a while. All in all a good experience, so I'm going to try again soon, concentrating on making them slightly bigger and more round-ish like.

I feel so domestic.

I'm voting "No." Here's why...

After much consideration I have decided to vote against the 1/2-cent local sales tax, which is proposed to fund healthcare for the working poor. I agree that we have a serious, and rapidly worsening, healthcare crisis in America. Far too many people who work hard to support their families cannot afford health insurance and therefore rely on trips to the ER when illness or injury occurs. The hospitals treat these people and pass along a portion of the cost to insurers, who in turn raise insurance rates, which causes more people to lose coverage. A vicious cycle, for sure.

However, I do not believe that a local sales tax is a good way to address this problem. There are a number of faults with the proposal, but the one that bothers me most is that far too few people will benefit from this plan in any real way. Access Escambia reports that, if 100% of eligible workers in Escambia County signed up for this plan, it could help about 30,000 people, which is less than 10% of the population. Judging by the enrollment rates in other Florida counties that have tried similar plans, the chances of getting anywhere near 100% enrollment are slim and none. Alachua County has had a similar program in place for over 2 years, and has only 770 people enrolled as of the beginning of this month. Education and public relations might help somewhat, but I believe that enrolling a significant percentage of eligible workers would require a fundamental change in the mind-set of a lot of these workers, which seems unlikely. Ultimately, I believe this system would cause a significant drain of economic resources in Escambia County that would not wind up benefitting the vast majority of Escambia County residents. And, I'm sorry, but I just don't believe that this little program in this little county would have any significant effect on health insurance rates.

In the end, it seems like Access Escambia is trying to kill the elephant that is our NATIONAL healthcare crisis with a pea-shooter. What is needed is a fundamental change in the way this nation addresses healthcare. We will have to give up some benefits we have enjoyed before. It will cost A LOT of money. Luckily we HAVE a lot of money. The war in Iraq has already cost us over $400 BILLION (with a "B"), and will likely exceed $1 TRILLION (with a "T"). With a fraction of that amount we could fund a national healthcare plan that would provide benefits to us and our children for decades.

Judging from the stories I've read and the people I have talked to, it seems unlikely (to my eyes, anyway) that this tax will be approved. So, for now, the hard truth is that the working poor of Escambia County will likely continue to suffer without healthcare. I hate that fact. But I believe that it is within our power to change our world, if we can agree that a comprehensive NATIONAL healthcare plan is our highest current priority. That will take courage, leadership, and a lot of banging heads. We should get started.

The "Healthcare Primary"?

Tim Noah posts an article on Slate.com positing that healthcare may well become the #2 most-important issue in the upcoming presidential election (behind the ubiquitous war in Iraq). He discusses Barack Obama's proposed healthcare plan (.pdf file), concluding that it is "better than it looks."

Here in Escambia County, 1 in 5 people have no healthcare insurance. In Houston, it is 1 in 4. Similar stories are being heard all over the country. Some folks will be vigorously opposed to any national healthcare plan ("socialized medicine" appears to be the preferred epithet) no matter the need, cost or results. I think it is absolutely necessary, and what's more, inevitable.

Access Escambia / PETT Debate (Part Deux)

I attended the Access Escambia / PETT-PAC "information session" last night. I was disappointed to see so few people (only about a dozen) attending, and not a single representative from local media. I suppose the low turnout was due, at least in part, to the lack of significant advertising about the event.

Jim McClellan presented on behalf of Access Escambia, and Greg Fink presented the opposing position of PETT-PAC (People for the Ethical Treatment of Taxpayers - Political Action Committee). If you've been following this issue for a while, like me, there was not a lot of new information presented. Access Escambia's position is that something HAS to be done about the public health situation in Escambia County, and the program they have proposed, while admittedly not perfect, would be a good start in attempting to reverse (or at least slow) the downward trend. PETT-PAC agrees that we have a health-care crisis, but believes a local sales tax is the wrong way to approach this problem.

After the presentations Jim and Greg, a fairly lively question-answer session followed. Members of the audience asked some hard questions, and it appeared that many are skeptical about the Access plan.

I am still on the fence. Like everyone, I agree that we've got a real, and rapidly increasing, problem with healthcare. I also agree that something needs to be done. However, I am not convinced that a local sales tax is the right answer. With only 4 days until the vote I need to make up my mind pretty quickly. When I do, I will attempt to reveal my decision-making process here.

Aaargh! Owls lose...

So I made the tough choice and went to the Access Escambia / PETT-PAC "information session" (not "debate") instead of watching the Rice Owls vs. North Carolina Tarheels in the College World Series. And, natch, BECAUSE I DIDN'T WATCH, Rice lost and is now eliminated from the CWS. Yes, that's right, I take full responsibility for the Owls' loss. I am quite sure that if I had sat home drinking beer and watching the game instead of taking an active interest in my local community, my team would've won.

Dammitdammitdammitdammit!

More on the sales tax issue later.

Access Escambia / PETT Debate

An anonymous comment on Rick Outzen's blog is the only announcement I've seen of this debate:

Access Escambia and PETT PAC to meet Tonight. Access Escambia and PETT PAC will be discussing the PROS and CONS of the Half-Cent Health Care Surtax Referendum.
When: 7:00 P.M.
Where: Bethel A.M.E. Church, located at 511 Woodland Dr, Pensacola, FL.

Damn. Why'd they have to schedule this during the Rice vs. North Carolina rubber match in the College World Series? Winner of tonight's game is in the championship against Oregon State. Hmmm. Attend debate about local 1/2-cent sales tax, or watch a VERY IMPORTANT(!!) baseball game? Whatever shall I do?

Tuberculosis at the Escambia County Jail

File it in the "scary but not surprising" folder:

I hear that a recent inmate at the Escambia County Jail had tuberculosis, and that the Sheriff's Department, despite knowing about it, failed to inform other inmates, visitors, public defenders, and maybe even some of its own personnel about the presence of the highly-communicable, deadly disease in a timely manner. Personnel from the Public Defender's office have been undergoing TB tests to be sure they haven't contracted anything.

Yeesh. Yet another reason to stay out of trouble...

AccessEscambia Plan

Rick Outzen has posted the entire 169-page AccessEscambia Business Plan (.pdf format).

Enjoy!

I'll have my pie in the sky, please...

OK, so WEAR News reports that the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce wants to turn the 9-acre vacant lot between the Civic Center and Aragon Court into a "Technology Commerce Park" that will bring in a thousand high-paying jobs. The story states that

The goal is to attract technology based companies that will pay their employees at least 50-thousand dollars a year.

Hey, I'm all for goals. I think it's important to strive for improvement and I applaud the Chamber and city/county government for their vision. But, c'mon. A THOUSAND jobs? Paying at least $50K a year? A $50 million bump to the local economy? While we're setting goals, why not just build Wonka's Chocolate Factory and we'll all become Oompa-Loompas?

Sorry, it's kinda late and I'm cranky.

Transparency for all, except me...

Congressman Jeff Miller: "We should have transparency in the earmark process."

Taxpayers: "Great! How about showing us the earmarks you requested, Jeff?"

Congressman Jeff Miller: "No way, man."

Putz.

PIP-awareness is growing

I wrote about the sunsetting of PIP a few days ago. Chris Chiari, a Democratic candidate for Florida House district 91, has an interesting podcast (.mp3 format) about this issue on his website. I like that he takes a stand on the issue, even though he won't be in the legislature (if he wins) in time to prevent PIP from going away.

This issue is one that largely slipped under the radar of Florida voters last fall, but will be a growing issue over the next few months as more people become aware that PIP is going away.

Owls win again!

The Rice Owls won their second game at the College World Series yesterday, besting North Carolina in another double-digit performance, 14-4. They now have two days off before meeting the winner of the North Carolina-Louisville elimination game on Wednesday.

GO OWLS!

Uninsured workers not just a local problem

I just read an article in the newspaper of the town in Kansas where I grew up. Other than different names, it could be a re-print of the article in today's Pensacola News Journal about the working poor and the lack of access to healthcare.

It seems to me more and more evident that we HAVE to get a nation-wide solution to this problem.

Florida's low tax burden

A very interesting editorial in the Daytona Beach News Journal discusses the fact that Florida is, and has been, in the bottom 25% of all states as far as its local-state tax burden. As the writer notes:

Only 12 states bear a state-local tax burden lower than Florida, according to the 2007 Bureau of Economic Analysis (Department of Commerce). Those 12 states are Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming.
. . .

The findings for Florida show that in a 37-year period, Florida's average ranking is 41.

The writer's thesis seems to be that Florida already has an extremely low tax burden when compared to other states, which brings more business and population here, but with no clear revenue plan for dealing with the influx of population we are simply digging a deeper hole for ourselves.

When compared to other states, does it really seem like Florida has a tax crisis? Our governor and state legislators seem to think so. I'm not so sure...

OWLS WIN! OWLS WIN! OWLS WIN!

So the Rice Owls stomped the Louisville Cardinals yesteray in game 1 of the College World Series, by a score of 15-10 (gotta love those aluminum bats!). Things weren't looking so good for the Owls in the early parts of the game. Their lead-off pitcher, freshman Ryan Berry, looked to be "on tilt" from the first pitch, which hit Louisville's Boomer Whiting. Later in the first he hit another Cardinal, Dan Burton. Berry made it through 2-2/3 innings, giving up 2 runs before Wayne Graham had had enough. A tough day for the normally outstanding freshman.

After 4-1/2 innings the Owls were down 10-4, but ultimately the power of the #2-ranked team won out and the Owls prevailed, 15-10. Next game on Sunday.

GO OWLS!

Is PIP gone for good?

When Jeb Bush vetoed an attempted revision of the Florida PIP statute last year, it started a clock ticking which will run down on October 1, 2007. If nothing else is done, the no-fault insurance system that has been in place for the last 36 years in Florida will go the way of the dodo after that date. Insurance carriers say this will cause auto insurance rates to go down. Hospitals argue that this will simply shift the cost of care to them. It looks like they're both right.

Tom Zucco wrote a good piece on the issue recently in the St. Petersburg Times.

There are also some rumors being reported that the legislature might come back for yet another special session in September to consider the PIP issue again. If Colorado's experience with allowing PIP to sunset is any indicator of what Florida faces, I would expect a pretty big battle between insurance and the healthcare industry on this issue. Expect the healthcare lobby in Tallahassee to put a lot of pressure on lawmakers to bring up this issue once more before October 1st.

Is Alachua County the model for failure?

AccessEscambia.org touts other county-wide, sales-tax-supported healthcare systems for the working poor in Florida, noting:

Other counties in Florida- Polk, Hillsborough, Alachua, and Gulf- and in other states have successfully developed and implemented similar models for the delivery of health services to the uninsured and medically poor.

Looking at these other counties, it does appear that the Polk HealthCare Plan and Hillsborough HealthCare have been successful in reducing healthcare costs and providing needed care to the working poor. However, the Alachua County plan, known as CHOICES, has been criticized for collecting too much money for too few beneficiaries. In fact, only about 700-800 people have enrolled in CHOICES, while the program has received in excess of $20 million in sales tax revenues.

Why is this important? Because, of these counties, Alachua County is the most similar to Escambia County. Polk County has a population of nearly 600,000, while Hillsborough County has over 1.1 million residents. By contrast, Escambia County and Alachua County both have less than 300,000 people. Alachua County and Escambia County report very similar median household incomes ($34,696 and $36,743, respectively, in 2004), as well as similar retail sales per capita ($10,720 and $11,255, respectively, in 2002). Hillsborough County, by way of comparison, shows a median household income in 2004 of $44,850, and per capita retail sales in 2002 of $13,231.

The problems that Alachua County has faced with its CHOICES program makes me even more hesitant to support the Access Escambia plan.

Fightin' Owls in CWS

Fight for Rice,
Rice fight on,
Loyal sons arise,
The Blue and Gray for Rice today,
Comes breaking through the skies.
Stand and cheer,
Vict'ry's near,
Sammy leads the way,
Onward go! to crush the foe,
We'll fight for Blue and Gray.

So my Rice Owls are in the College World Series. Again. Damn, that Wayne Graham has built a hell of a program.

The Owls open play against Louisville tomorrow (Friday, June 15th) at 1:00 p.m. on ESPN2.

Go OWLS!

Random thoughts on the proposed 1/2-cent sales tax

I'm wondering about the 1/2-cent sales tax for healthcare in Escambia County.

a) The proposal is that there is an 11-member board of directors, with 5 of those members being nominated by county commissioners (1 from each district) and 6 being in the healthcare industry (1 each from Baptist Hospital, Sacred Heart Hospital and West Florida Hospital, 2 from the Escambia County Medical Society, and 1 from the Partnership for a Healthy Community). This seems to set up a controlling interest of the board amongst local healthcare workers, who may have a vested interest in this new system. Wouldn't it be easier to sell this to voters if they didn't think it was a "fix" by the local hospitals? I would suggest they re-allocate these seats to include at least 6 of the 11 being non-healthcare professionals from the community.

b) The ordinance proposes a "Watchdog Committee." What authority do they have? The ordinance is silent on this. If they're going to have any real effect, shouldn't this "watchdog" have some teeth?

c) The ordinance calls for an administrator and whatever personnel are needed to do the job of the new system. I would like to see some limits on the amount of tax revenue that can go toward administrative costs and salaries.

More corn for ethanol hurts the Gulf

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A national agriculture expert says growing corn in the Midwest for green fuel could increase pollution downriver and contribute to a "dead zone" that forms each summer in the Gulf of Mexico.

Gary Mast says the country is in a dilemma. He says the nation wants food and fuel and wants it produced environmentally soundly.

The problem is that corn needs more nitrogen fertilizer than other crops. So more corn means more nitrogen fertilizer and runoff carrying the fertilizer fuels the growth of microscopic organisms that then die, fall to the bottom and decompose, using up the oxygen there.

Mast is a Department of Agriculture representative on a national task force created in 1997 to find ways to reduce the runoff of nutrients.

He summarized the problem to the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force, which environmentalists and others criticized during a public comment period for failing to do much of anything.

The dead zone has averaged about 48-hundred square miles since 1990. The record -- 8,500 square miles -- was in 2002. Last year's covered about 6,662 square miles -- about the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island together.

Matt Rota is the water resources program director of the Gulf Restoration Network. He's among those who say the task force hasn't done enough. He says he supports getting off of oil, but letting more fertilizer wash down the Mississippi would be robbing Peter to pay Paul.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Text of proposed 1/2-cent sales tax ordinance

AccessEscambia.org has posted the text of the proposed 1/2-cent sales tax ordinance on their website, in .pdf format.

Pensacola loses again...

Once again, Pensacola has been shown to be lagging far behind its very close neighbors in terms of economic vigor. As reported by The Northwest Florida Daily News yesterday, Fort Walton Beach, only 40 miles down the road, has been ranked SECOND on Moody's Economy.com "Business Vitality Index," ranking behind only Austin, TX. Other panhandle cities in the top 50 include Tallahassee (35th) and Panama City (36th). The Wall Street Journal posted a .pdf file with the top 50 cities listed
here. Is Pensacola on the list? Are you kidding?

Sales tax/healthcare quandry...

As is my wont, the more I look at the proposed 1/2-cent sales tax increase to fund medical care for the working poor, the more fuddled I become. I'm agree that SOMETHING must be done about healthcare. We're sinking, and decent healthcare has become a fantasy for way too many people, to the severe detriment of us all. When the revolution comes and folks of my ilk are sent to the fields (or just lined up against the wall), I suspect that several generations of "healthcare only for the wealthy" will be a major factor in the mob's wrath. Make no mistake, Madame DeFarge is knitting even as we speak...

BUUUUUTT, I also am not convinced that a local sales-tax increase is the right solution to the problem. The proposal, if passed, would give Escambia County the highest sales tax in the state. This seems counter-productive, given the disproportionate impact of sales taxes on those whose budgetary margins are very low, i.e., the working poor, who are the people that the tax is intended to benefit in the first place. The fact that this essentially amounts to a tax subsidy for Baptist Healthcare doesn't rub me the right way either. And I don't believe that the actions of one county will make a whit of a difference in insurance rates, which seems to be an implied argument of the Access Escambia crowd.

So, where does that leave me? As I said before, I'm fuddled. But I can safely say that my previously-reported bent toward supporting this proposal has now reversed, and I am more likely to vote against it. I hope to see more information and debate about this proposal in the two weeks we have left before the vote.

UPDATE: Rick Outzen advises that the Independent News (www.inweekly.net) will run a story on May 21st about this proposal.

Sucky movie of the day

OK, so "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" sucks. Really. They try to do way too much with the movie and it winds up being about 1-1/2 hours longer than it should be. They had me for the first hour or so, then I started drifting at about the 90-minute mark, and there was STILL 90 MORE MINUTES TO GO. I mean, damn, this movie was just a chore to get through. In the words of Men on Film, "Hated it!" Keith Richards was cool, as you'd expect, but he can't save the movie.

So, for the record, Spiderman 3 sucked, and Pirates of the Caribbean also sucked. So far not such a great summer movie season.

Paging Dr. Frankenstein...

In a fascinating and wildly creepy operation, Spanish surgeons have transplanted a man's right hand onto his left arm.

Read all about it:

Spanish hospital transplants right hand to left arm

Coulrophobia

Jerry says I should write about the fear of clowns. So here goes:

I am not deathly afraid of clowns. The appearance of a clown is not likely to make me run screaming for the exit (in most circumstances), but they definitely make me uncomfortable. Creepy, evil things, clowns. I'd much rather not have them around at all. I'm sorry if this offends any of you clowns, but that's the way it is. I have no particularly traumatic experience upon which to base my dislike of clowns, which has oddly increased as I have grown older. I figure by the time I'm 80 I really will run screaming for the exit when I see a clown. Of course, by then, I might be so deranged that I run screaming for the exit at the appearance of anyone at all. But mostly clowns, I expect.

Anyway, a tip: If you want to make me happy, do not hire a clown for my birthday party. Seriously, I'm not joking. This is not "reverse psychology" in an attempt to have a clowny birthday party. I really don't like them.

Here is Wikipedia's entry on Coulrophobia.

Here are some anti-clown websites:

http://www.ihateclowns.com

http://www.punkrockpenguin.net/thingies/clowns/

http://www.filmwise.com/visual/clowns_01.shtml

Whoops!

My friend Cory points out that my statement below, that the proposed 1/2% local sales tax will raise our total local sales tax to 8%, "one of the highest rates in the state," is incorrect. As Cory notes: "We are already the highest at 7.5% along with Jackson, Leon, Madison and Monroe (the Keys). The only urban County besides us is Leon."

My bad. Thanks, Cory.

Cory also directed me to this website, which lists sales tax rates for each county in Florida.

1/2-cent sales tax for health care: Good Idea(?)

I haven't really looked at this proposal in depth, which kinda sucks 'cause the vote is coming up pretty quick (June 26th). The proposal is to add another 1/2% on to our local sales tax (raising it to a total of 8%, one of the highest rates in the state), with the extra money to be used for healthcare for the working poor in Escambia County who don't qualify for Medicaid but also can't afford health insurance. The website for proponents of the tax is Access Escambia. I haven't yet seen an organized opposition to the proposal, but you can bet it's out there.

My questions: (1) how much of the money goes for preventive healthcare, such as "healthy baby" programs, pre-natal care, education, etc...
(2) is the proposal essentially just another form of emergency-room care for the working poor who can't afford insurance, and if so, is that the best way to spend our tax dollars?

My instinct is that, after I do more investigation, I will wind up supporting this proposal. My instinct is also that it will not pass (i.e., as usual I will wind up picking a loser). I will report more when (or if) I learn more about the proposal...

Water shortage warning for NWFlorida

Here comes summer...

It's strange, every summer it seems like I wind up HOPING for a hurricane, just to give us some damn water. I'm parched, I think I'll go have a drink...

From the WJHG website:

The Northwest Florida Water Management District issued the warning a couple of days ago. The dry conditions have taken a toll particularly in the Sand Hills area of northern Bay County.

Several area water utilities are asking people to voluntarily conserve their water. Rainfall levels have been below normal for the last 15 months, and forecasters are predicting that trend to continue.

In the Sand Hills area, you can see the dry conditions have affected many of the dozens of lakes there. Water levels have dropped to an extreme low level. Some lakes and ponds have even dried up completely.

People here get their water from private wells, instead of from the city or the county systems. But a lot of those residents are concerned the drought will cause their wells to run dry because water levels have dropped below pump intakes.

People with lake front property, like Georiene Eckert, say the conditions are some of the worst they've seen in years. "We got a grand kick watching the alligators come up and down through here. We didn't bother them, and they didn't bother us. But within the past 5 years, everyone's leaving."

Bay County is extremely lucky. While communities such as Dothan have to impose water use restrictions, our local cities can rely on the crown jewel of drinking water in the panhandle, Deerpoint Lake. Water management officials say the lake's water levels have remained pretty steady.

New Red Snapper Rules (sort of)

The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council just announced the sort-of-but-not-really-new bag limit for Red Snapper. As it has been for a while now, the bag limit for recreational fishermen is 2 Red Snapper per person. It seems the significant part of the new regulation is the new limitation on commercial fishermen at 5 million pounds, down from 6.5 million last year and 9.1 million in the recent past. Shrimpers must also further reduce their bycatch. Charter boat captains and shrimpers are, as usual, complaining that these new limits will put them out of business, and I understand their frustration. The simple fact is that the banks may well wind up owning some of these boats, as the local industry thins out in the wake of these regulations. Overall, though, I'm in favor of the limits, as I'd really like my grandchildren to be able to haul up some manhole-cover sized reds and grouper in the future. (They may not be able to eat them because of all the mercury and arsenic, but at least they can have the fun of pulling them up.)

Read all about it in the GMFMC pamphlet (.pdf file), and in thePensacola News Journal.

Clear as Mud

Okay, so the $12 million figure on the 2-1/2 year late hurricane money from FEMA is correct. Sort of. $12 million is slated for this area, but about $9 million immediately goes to the State to repay it for post-hurricane services. Of the $3 million that's left, only about $1.2 goes to Escambia County, while the rest goes to the Sheriff, Santa Rosa Island Authority, City of Pensacola, etc. I think. I'm actually in a total muddle about this. Can ANYONE provide a clear explanation of the actual figures that are going to actual agencies and administrations?

As usual, Rick Outzen's blog seems to be the best source for closest-to-understandable information.

Money, money, who's got the money?

The Pensacola News Journal reports this morning that Escambia County will receive an additional $12.1 million from FEMA for hurricane recovery. But at the same time, Rick Outzen says on his blog that the $12 million figure is an "overstatement" and that the real number is $1.8 million.

In any case, it's reassuring to know that our favorite local Congressman-slash-Bush-lapdog Jeff Miller voted AGAINST this appropriations bill. After all, why would he want to see his constituents receive the benefit of millions of dollars of additional hurricane recovery money?

Putz.