Florida weak on water protection

Florida’s fresh water supply is our most critical resource, which begs the question: Why has there been so little coverage about the Mosaic incident and its impact on the Floridan Aquifer?

The water they polluted is more than “dirty” — it’s toxic to humans, plants and all of the ecosystem.

One of my big questions is: Where is the Southwest Florida Water Management District in all of this? They’ve issued consumptive use permits to Mosaic through the years, allowing the mining operation to extract millions and millions of gallons of water daily.

It’s well documented by The Florida Springs Institute that Polk County is one of the highest water users — pumping it from the aquifer — in the whole state of Florida.

Let’s have a light bulb moment here: Isn’t there a big connection to water draw-downs and sinkholes? If the water management districts would stop handing out consumptive use permits like Santa Claus handing out candy at Christmas, we’d be way ahead when it comes to protecting water supply.

Give working poor health care vouchers

The time is upon us when the county commissioners will be making decisions about the allocation of funds within the 2016-2017 health care budget. Having approved an overall expenditure of $23.055 million for the upcoming fiscal year, approximately $7.896 million is not yet allocated to specific existing programs.

Let me say upfront that the county should not be in the business of providing healthcare, but should continue to support the existing medical infrastructure which is already doing a good job of serving the medically needy. Such institutions as MCR Health, Manatee Memorial, Centerstone, We Care Manatee, Turning Points and Blake are providing Florida-leading care to the medically needy in Manatee County, and the commissioners are right to continue their financial support of these health care providers.

I would like to propose one new area of support for the medically needy, and that is deductible support for ACA Bronze and Silver plans for residents with incomes between 100 and 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Most residents within this income category pay a monthly premium which is affordable, because it is heavily tax-subsidized by the federal government.

However, they still face daunting self-pay deductibles which range from $1,000 to $6,000 a year. As a way to financially support this group, we should consider a Deductible Support Program which provides a $500 a year voucher good for five patient visits at any dental/medical provider in Manatee County willing to accept them as full payment for a patient visit.

Assuming 5,000 residents take advantage of the program, approximate first year cost would be $250,000 .

Having reviewed the potential health care budget allocations for 2016-2017, I can say with a reasonable degree of confidence that there are ample unallocated funds available for a pilot program to be set up for the upcoming fiscal year.

Trump’s ideas best Clinton’s

A friend recently posted on Facebook that she was “embarrassed to live in a country where Donald Trump is even being considered for president.” I agree but also feel the same way about Hillary Clinton.

Trump says stupid things, but Hillary has done illegal and dangerous things. She used an non-secured server to share classified info and used the power of the State Department to enrich the Clinton Foundation.

Even if she didn’t have all that baggage, I would support Trump. He understands it is the rule of law that protects our God-given freedoms. President Obama has ignored this and a President Clinton would do the same.

Trump champions the idea that America’s sovereignty and strength will provide prosperity and security for us and the world.

Trump’s presidency might be a wild card, but Hillary proudly proclaims she will continue on the progressive path of Obama. She will further weaken our Constitution, sacrificing our liberty for a globalist agenda.

We will no longer be a people ruled by the consent of the governed and their elected representatives, but “laws” will continue to come through executive orders, bureaucratic regulations and court opinions. Many see these as ways to get their favorite issue enshrined in law — be it same-sex marriage, abortion, gun control, healthcare, immigration reform or free college tuition.

We would be better served by entrusting these issues to the process outlined in the Constitution, with discussion and votes in communities, states and Congress. Hillary’s progressive course leads us further away from our constitutional republic and pushes us into the embrace of socialism.

The visions of the two candidates are dramatically different. Will we continue to be the America of, for and by the people — or will we become just another nation ruled by a powerful and political elite?

This story was originally published September 27, 2016 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Florida weak on water protection."