Merry Christmas!

The following is a re-run of a holiday message but I think it best conveys the message of Christmas. Please enjoy this transcript of Ronald Reagan's radio message from 1978:

Christmas-

Meaning no disrespect to the religious convictions of others, I still can’t help wondering how we can explain away what to me is the greatest miracle of all and which is recorded in history. No one denies there was such a man, that he lived and that he was put to death by crucifixion.Where….is the miracle I spoke of? Well consider this and let your imagination translate the story into our own time-----possibly to your own home town.

A young man whose father is a carpenter grows up working in his father’s shop. One day he puts down his tools and walks out of his father’s shop. He starts preaching on street corners and in the nearby countryside, walking from place to place, preaching all the while, even though he is not an ordained minister. He never gets farther that an area perhaps 100 miles wide at the most.He does this for three years. Then he is arrested, tried and convicted. There is no court of appeal, so he is executed at age 33 along with two common thieves. Those in charge of his execution roll dice to see who gets his clothing---the only possessions he has. His family cannot afford a burial place for him so he is interred in a borrowed tomb.

End of story? No, the uneducated, property-less young man who…..left no written word has, for 2,000 years, had a greater effect on the world than all the rulers, kings, emperors; all the conquerors, general and admirals; all the scholars, scientists and philosophers who have ever lived---all of them put together.How do we explain that? ......unless he really was what he said he was.

-Ronald Reagan / Daily Radio Commentary (syndicated) December, 1978

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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
to your family from ours!

Hospital buy-in

Last Tuesday, the CEO of Brooksville Regional Hospital conducted a meeting at Silverthorn Country Club with approximately fifty local physicians. The topic of this meeting was to offer these doctors the opportunity to purchase ownership interest in Brooksville and Spring Hill Regional Hospitals.

These facilities are currently under a long term lease agreement with Hernando County government. Below is an email I sent to the county administrator to ask several questions about this proposed agreement:

From: A.L. Covell

Sent: Monday, December 22, 2008 4:47 PM

To: David Hamilton

Cc: Dave Russell; John Druzbick; Jeff Stabins; Larry Jennings; Kent Weissinger; Garth Coller

Subject: Question, please

Mr. Hamilton,
Last Tuesday, the CEO of Brooksville Regional Hospital Kathy Burke had a meeting with approximately 50 local physicians. From what I understand this meeting was to propose a future buy-in of interested doctors into the Brooksville Regional/Spring Hill Regional facilities through HMA. At this meeting, it was indicated that the lease for these facilities, with the county, was worth approximately $214 million.

The questions that I have pertain to their lease agreement with Hernando County:

1. Is there an option to add doctors to this lease with HMA, in the event this agreement moves forward?

2. Would this lease agreement with HMA have to be completely re-written to include new tenants? If so, would this lease be constructed like the existing one? The existing contract has the lease payment, with a not to exceed number, that does not even come close to covering the lost Ad Valorem revenue on the property, for the term of the lease, which is a substantial loss to the taxpayers.

3. How would this affect the taxpayers in the event HMA defaults on this lease to Hernando County?

With the current state of the economy, this proposed buy-in at Brooksville Regional/HMA will open up many questions from the public on this lease agreement. HMA stock has slipped from over $25.00 a share to just $1.00 a share in the past year. HMA has laid off over 40 people and is currently working with a limited staff.

Apparently this proposed buy-in is moving forward because a number of confidentiality agreements have been signed by local physicians and the principals will begin to determine the net worth of this deal.

This was a hot button issue in the county when the original lease was written and I don't assume that the future deal will be any less controversial to the public in this slow economy.

Anna Liisa Covell

Her concerns

The following is a newsletter from Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite. She clearly expresses her concerns on the recent bail-out of the automobile industry by the Bush administration. Ginny needs to be commended for her staunch approach to this economy, in relationship to the taxpayers of this country.

VOLUME 6, NUMBER 41

December 23, 2008

Detroit Needs a New Business Model, Not a Taxpayer Funded Bailout

As you may know, the Detroit automobile industry – Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford – recently came before Congress to request $34 billion in loans and lines of credit. As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, I had the opportunity to hear first-hand from the CEOs of the three companies, as well as United Auto Workers (UAW) President Ron Gettlefinger.

No one doubts the Big Three are in trouble. Chrysler, by their own admission, will only have $2.5 billion in cash on hand by January 1, 2009, but has $11.6 billion in liabilities that need immediate payment during the first three months of 2009 alone. General Motors is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Ford, which is in the best health of the three, is worried that a failure of either Chrysler or General Motors will have severe detrimental effects to its supply chain.

While the financial crisis has exacerbated these problems, it did not create them. Lack of foresight made them vulnerable to the dramatic increase in gas prices between 2003 and 2008, and poor corporate governance led to a series of bad decisions stretching back thirty years. As a result, nearly one million American jobs may now be at risk.

Many commentators say a loss of the domestic automobile industry will have a severe impact on the economy, and I agree. However, the recent history of taxpayer funded bailouts calls into question whether a bailout of the Detroit Big Three will work. Two months ago, Congress passed a $700 billion bailout. The money spent under this program has not gone into the economy as planned, but instead is sitting in bank vaults across the country. In September, the Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) stepped in to bailout AIG to the tune of $85 billion. A month later, the Fed increased that to $122.4 billion. A month after that, the number grew to $152 billion.

The bailouts of the financial industry, which I have consistently opposed, have put taxpayers in debt for $8 trillion. Similar to AIG, I doubt this will be the last time the automobile industry comes before Congress to ask for money. Giving the industry $34 billion now will simply be a beginning rather than an end. The loan does not solve their long-term liquidity issues, overcapacity in the market, and poor corporate governance.

However, at the same time, millions of retirees rely on their pensions from Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford for their well-being. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, though, protects these pensions. The Big 3 auto-makers have also indicated their pension systems are currently fully funded.

I have carefully weighed the arguments for and against a bailout of the Detroit automobile industry. I have consulted with car dealers in my district, retirees, and financial experts. After much deliberation, I voted against a financial bailout for the automakers when it came before Congress on December 10, 2008. The bill, H.R. 7321 introduced by Rep. Barney Frank (D – MA), would have provided $14 billion in loans to carry the automakers through the first three months of next year. However, the bill did nothing to protect the American taxpayer in case of a default, which is a very real possibility. Moreover, the bill allowed the automakers to ignore the dire problem that is facing them; merely sweeping the problem under the rug will not solve the situation.

One also cannot expect the federal government to invest in a privately owned entity such as Chrysler, which is managed by a very large New York hedge fund called Cerberus Capital. Cerberus Capital has been unwilling to invest even one extra dime in Chrysler, which begs the question: if the owners of Chrysler are unwilling to invest in it, why should the American taxpayer?

Sincere apologies

My sincere apologies go out to Bob and Mary Ann DeWitt. My earlier post about Bob's demise was absolutely incorrect and based on misinformation supplied to me by the Hernando County Planning Department. Bob is alive, and well, on his road to recovery. The previous information was provided to me through the Hernando County Planning Department was obviously well intended to notify Bob's friends, unfortunately it was not verified before it was released to the public.

Long over due

I couldn't believe my eyes when I drove down Martin Luther King Boulevard in Brooksville this morning. The construction of sidewalks along MLK Boulevard has begun and they are really an added improvement for this area. This sidewalk construction project is long over due and will provide safety for residents in this community. By the way, these sidewalks are being added on the Hernando County side of Martin Luther King Boulevard. Hopefully, the city of Brooksville will follow the county's lead, with additional improvements for these residents...

Semper Fi

Local attorney Frank Miller of Caglianone, Miller & Anthony in Brooksville deserves a great, big atta-boy! Mr. Miller is providing storage space at his office complex on Lamar Avenue for the Marine Corp League "Toys for Tots" program. I'm sure everyone remembers the problems that arose from the Marine Corp League with the Hernando County Fair Association for toy storage. My husband, who is a former Marine from the Vietnam Era, sends out a special Semper Fi for Caglianone, Miller & Anthony. Thanks for stepping up to the plate for kids and the Marines, Mr. Miller!

Shoe

It just wasn't a bizarre moment when a reporter threw his shoes at President Bush. It was a symbolic gesture to Mr. Bush from this muslin reporter. Does anyone remember the Iraqi people beating the fallen statute of Saddam Hussein with their shoes? The sole of the foot is considered to be the dirtiest part of one's body in the Islamic faith. Throwing, or beating someone, with a shoe is symbolic as the highest form of insult a person can deliver to another person in that region. The Iraqi government immediately demanded an on air apology for this incident from media outlet that employed this reporter. Time will tell if an apology will be offered by this media outlet. This "shoe" incident should not be brushed under the carpet as a bizarre moment. It was a direct insult to our President and our country...

Ginny votes No!

The following excerpt is from Congresswoman Ginny Brown Waite. This is the actual text of our congresswoman's presentation in the House just prior to the vote on the bailout for the automobile industry last night:

Brown-Waite, G. (R-FL): “I thank the Gentleman and I thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there's an old saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. “And I think today we realize that the well-intentioned road may lead to bankruptcy. Not just for the automakers, but perhaps for the U.S. Treasury. Today we've heard from well-meaning Members of this House that unless we send $15 billion to the Big Three, the American economy will fail. I don't doubt their sincerity but do I disagree with their conclusions. Some of my constituents support the bailout, but most of them don't. As you can see from the picture next to me, the American citizens are hurting right now. The car in this picture is a Dodge Dynasty and by the way, this car has not been produced since 1993. So you can understand the angst of the car owner who realizes that his hard-earned tax dollars and those of his children and grandchildren are going for these bailouts. His message is very clear. Where’s my bailout? The bill before us today does nothing to address the real pain being felt by American citizens. Nothing helps to lower health care costs or protect the mortgages on their home. I’d also like to say that we had again a rush to judgment, a rush to bringing the bill to the floor and we need to be concerned about that process. Please remember that Chrysler is a privately-owned entity by a massive hedge fund firm in New York City. This hedge fund firm is not willing to invest one cent more in Chrysler. And yet we are asking our cash-strapped taxpayers back home to do it for them. Like we saw with the last bailout boondoggle, there are not enough safeguards here. We have to remember, too, that the loan and the conditions that are attached to it do not correct the structural weaknesses at these companies. It merely postpones the consequences for a short while. They’ll be back for more and more and more. This loan policy also continues the tragically flawed policy –

Suggestions

Commissioner David Russell needs a big atta-boy for his two major suggestions at yesterday's planning meeting. Unfortunately, his suggestions were pooh-pooh by several local activists at the meeting, and were glossed over in both newspapers this morning. Mr. Russell's suggestion provides a straight forward way to accomplish the upcoming tasks before the county commissioners, with the public being included in the planning process. This method allows the public to be in on the ground floor of planning Hernando County's future instead of just watching it pass by, after the decisions are made by the county staff, and then confirmed by county commissioners.

First, Mr. Russell's suggested forming four standing committees, to be made up of two county commissioners, county staff, and the public, to address the needs of the county. These committees would work out details of proposals for the county commissioners and provide insight, just like the standing committees in the state legislature, and that of Congress. The suggested, local committees would provide a method of public input in the planning process.

Second, Mr. Russell said the county needs to have state and federal infrastructure projects ready to go now. These planned infrastructure projects would coincide with the proposed federal economic stimulus package being floated in Washington DC, to jump start our economy. Hernando County does not need to miss the boat on this "stimulus" to put local people back to work in our community.

Commissioner John Druzbick also needs a pat on the back for his proposal to change the bid process for engineering firms. His simple suggestion to award contracts to local firms (in the event of a tie situation with companies outside Hernando County) in the bid process keeps jobs local. This was one of Mr. Druzbick's campaign promises to keep the job base local. Hopefully, he will continue to pursue his plan to temporarily reduce impact fees for property owners, using local contractors, to put more local people back to work.

It is refreshing to see these two commissioners thinking outside the box to move our county forward in a positive fashion instead of relying on the old, tired methods pushed by local activists that did not work in the past.