News & Public Affairs
THE MEDICARE PRESCRIPTION PLAN: GOOD FOR SENIORS?
05/09/06Freelance journalist Erlich investigated the Medicare drug program for The California Report, a statewide news program airing on National Public Radio stations. He said today: "Many people are aware of the bureaucratic problems with implementing Medicare Plan D. But even after those are settled, tremendous problems remain. Six million people in the U.S. are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid. They were forcibly enrolled into Plan D, and the vast majority now must pay more for their drugs....
Be the first to commentSEN CAMPBELL VOWS TO BATTLE SEXUAL PREDATORS By Roxanne Escobales
05/09/06The only Democratic candidate running for Florida attorney general took a hard line against sexual predators today in Clearwater. The week after the state legislative session ended, Senator Skip Campbell spoke to members of the Suncoast Tiger Bay club as he continues campaigning for the office now occupied by Charlie Crist. WMNF’s Roxanne Escobales sat in the audience and filed this report.
ACT:
Senator Walter Skip Campbell of Broward County did not mince his words toda... Be the first to comment
PRESIDENT IN SUN CITY CENTER PROMOTING MEDICARE PART D DRUG PLAN-Andrew Stelzer
05/09/06President Bush was in Florida for the second day in a row today, speaking about the new Medicare part D prescription drug plan, and urging seniors to sign up before the May 15th deadline. After visiting Broward community college early this morning, the President flew to Tampa, and then went to give a speech at a retirement community in Sun City center in Southern Hillsborough County. WMNFs Andrew Stelzer was there and filed this report. -----------------
PRESIDENTIAL SONG
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Be the first to commentState Senator Les Miller on Legislative Session part II by Mitch E. Perry
05/09/06Last year, Florida lawmakers approved a plan to give themselves – provided citizens approved it this November, an extention of term limits, from 8 to 12 years.
But the plan, which did not exactly garner enthusiasm in large numbers, died in the State Senate.
Florida voters originally instituted Term limits in 1992, when 77% of the state backed the 8 is Enough “ nstitutional Amendment that granted a maximum of eight years in office to lawmakers and Cabinet officials.<...
Be the first to commentELECTRIC CARS AND CAR-SHARING
05/08/06Four guests appeared on this edition of The Sustainable Living program with Jon Butts and Rob Lorei to discuss transportation issues. The guests were Frank Didik of the Electric Car Society, Steve Gutman with Flexcars, Karen Press with the Tampa Downtown Partnership (813-221-3686) and Julie Bond of the New North Transportation Alliance and a car-sharer from the USF area of tampa. They spoke about the prospects for practical electric and solar-powered vehicles. And they discussed the concept...
Be the first to commentHHS SECRETARY IN TAMPA AS PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN ENROLLMENT DEADLINE LOOMS-Andrew Stelzer
05/08/06With only one week to go before the enrollment deadline for the new Medicare part D prescription drug plan. The Bush administration is focusing on the capital of Americas Medicare recipients—senior citizens living in Florida. Today, health and Human Services Secretary was in Tampa promoting the plan, even as seniors say its confusing and citizen advocates say it’s a poorly constructed giveaway to the pharmaceutical companies. WMNFs Andrew Stelzer has the story.
SOUND OF MEDICARE ...
Be the first to commentNew report blasts how Prescription Drug plan was formed by Mitch E. Perry
05/08/06Secretary Leavitt’s appearance in Tampa comes on the same day that a new report blasts how the Prescription Drug Plan came together when passed by Congress in late 2003.
The report focuses on former Louisiana Republican Congressman Billy Tauzin, and is called, “Case Study in Corruption: How Industry Money and Personal Interest Shaped Part D�. It was written by the Institute for America’s Future, and Americans United.
Tauzin left Congress to become the CEO of the...
Be the first to commentLes Miller on Florida Legislative Session by Mitch E. Perry
05/08/06Florida Governor Jeb Bush called the end of the 2 month Legislative session that ended Friday night “an awesome session�, despite getting rejected on both the Class Size Amendment and School vouchers, a couple of his signature issues.
But Bush did have some victories – such as beating the trial lawyers on liability-lawsuit changes, repealing the intangibles tax he has always called “insidious�, winning a batch of other business oriented tax breaks and succeeding with...
Be the first to commentTim Bristol talks about Tongass Forest by Mitch E. Perry
05/08/06Recently, the U.S. Forest Service used $1.5 million in taxpayer dollars to build roads for a logging company which only paid $180,000 for the trees it cut using that road.
And Since 1980, over one billion dollars of taxpayer money has been wasted on punching logging roads – what critics deride as “Roads to Nowhere� - into wild forests in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska
Next week a Congressional vote is expected to be held on cutting spending for road bui...
Be the first to commentThe Sunday Forum
05/07/06Features guests Eddie Adams and Jim Greenwald Republican Candidates for US Congress District 11, Florida.
Be the first to commentANTONIA JUHASZ, author, The Bush Agenda: Invading the world, One Economy at a Time w/ Mary Glenney, Women's Show
05/06/06Antonia Juhasz, author, visiting scholar, Institute for Policy Studies. Antonia will talk about her book, "The Bush Agenda: Invading the World, One Economy at a Time," in which she exposes a radical corporate globalization agenda more befitting of a ruthless empire than a world leader of democracy. She presents the Iraq War as the agenda’s most brutal application to date. Juhasz brings to sharp focus the dangerous fallacy that the United States can combat terrorism and spread democracy th...
Be the first to commentSpeaking Out on Moral Values: Setting Priorities That Really Matter - Birgit Van Hout, Community Tampa Bay and Rev. Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley, UU Church, Tampa w/ Mary & Arlene, Women's Show
05/06/06“Our goal is to encourage progressive faith communities and organizations to transform the discussion of moral values from mean-spirited attacks on certain individuals to a conversation based on fundamental American values of justice, equality and compassion,� said Russell Patterson, lead organizer for the Defending Democracy Project, sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa. We will discuss the topic with two of the speakers. Betsy Davis of WOMEN also joined the discussi...
Be the first to commentWOMEN - Women's Emergency Medical Needs, BETSY DAVIS, Board Member w/ Mary and Arlene
05/06/06Betsy Davis, Board Member, W.O.M.E.N. In 2005, W.O.M.E.N. provided financial assistance to more than 200 women and girls in the amount of $33,505. 100% of all donations to W.O.M.E.N. go directly for services to women and girls. Their mission is to raise funds for low-income women and girls who choose to terminate their pregnancies but cannot afford to do so. They believe that it is a simple matter of justice that all women are able to access a safe abortion procedure. Betsy will talk abo...
Be the first to commentWorker boycotts provoke backlash by Mitch E. Perry
05/05/06An unprecedented series of marches, demonstrations and work boycotts on behalf of illegal immigrants in the past month has generated headlines across the nation and put a spotlight on legislation in Congress. But it may also be fueling a backlash against the immigrant-rights movement.
A Zogby America survey taken after the April 10th demonstrations and released this week finds that 61 percent of Americans say that the protests make them less likely to be sympathetic toward illegal immi...
Be the first to commentST PETE TIMES WRITER FIRED OVER RONDA STORMS MYSPACE COMMENTS-Andrew Stelzer
05/05/06Today both the Tampa Tribune and the ST Petersburg Times reported that TBT arts columnist Gina Vivinetto has resigned from the newspaper after acknowledging that she posted several “contributions� to a phony website that mocked Hillsborough County Commissioner Ronda Storms.
Vivinetto has been employed by the St Pete times since 1990….For nearly 6 years she was the paper’s pop music critic, but moved over to the paper’s new tabloid – which began as a weekly a couple of years an...
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