NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Was Washington, D.C., holding its breath in December 2012, hoping the hype about the Mayan Calendar prediction was true and there would be thus no need to address the fiscal cliff and sequestration?
Alas, the world did not come to an end, and one more imagined disaster that grabbed the imagination of the gullible, as did global cooling and, now, it appears, global warming, did not happen.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Good grief! You could not get away from the anguished and alarmist reporting about the Triumph, a luxury cruise ship that experienced mechanical and systems breakdowns as a result of a contained fire. The ship did not sink; it floated safely around in the Gulf of Mexico until tug boats could tow it into port.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Mortgage interest deductions. Flood insurance. Short sale and foreclosure mortgage forgiveness. Property insurance. Commercial Business Taxes. Private property rights. New Federal banking rules. The upcoming Florida Legislative Session. Economic growth and opportunity. The housing market. Settlement payments for improperly foreclosed upon homeowners.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- My mother turned 90 on Sunday, Jan. 20. It was a time for celebration and thankfulness.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- What we witnessed in Washington, DC, over the past few weeks – both in the posturing, unseriousness and sheer disregard for the duties that our elected representatives, including both Congress and the White House, were voted by the American people to handle responsibly –was as despicable as anything I have ever witnessed in federal government.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- On Friday, Dec. 14, a terrible tragedy occurred. Twenty very young and innocent children were gunned down by a mad man in their Newtown, Conn., school classrooms. The lunatic also killed his mother, school staff and, when law enforcement showed up, himself. The unspeakable horror of the event, at school where parents should be able to assume that their young ones are safe and with the principal and other school staff losing their lives trying to shield the children from the murderer, has every parent, grandparent and any person with natural empathy in our nation deep in grief.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The Elections have come and gone and many folks are too weary to think about politics. However, one political element that got little attention during the recent elections was the “Tea Party.”
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- I admit to being one optimist who believed with little doubt that Election Day 2012 would result in a glorious result. My optimism was partially rewarded and partially crushed by the voters, those running campaigns, those counting votes and those reporting events (or not).
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Republican House member Dorothy Hukill and Volusia County Council Chairman Frank Bruno are and have been engaged in a mighty battle to represent District 8 in the Florida Senate. When the dust settles, the individual standing will represent most of Volusia County, a large part of Marion County and a sliver of Lake County.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Florida Constitutional Amendment 4 will appear on your ballot in the general election along with 10 other amendments. Of them all, this is the one with the greatest potential to reboot our State’s economy and revive the housing market.
