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.

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"Happy Thanksgiving

to your family

from ours"

Stick the handle

This morning I laughed out loud when I read this letter in the opnion section of the Hernando Today. This letter is in reference to the "Broom" story in their Wednesday edtion. Here's the letter. Enjoy!

No Sense Of Humor

In response to your article on Nov. 19 regarding Linda Hayward: How mature is it to bring a broom without a handle to official meetings?

By the way, where did she stick the handle? Maybe the same place she put her sense of humor.

Joan L. Christian
Springhill

Pick a fight

After watching the Online streaming of yesterday's Hernando County Commission meeting it became apparent that one commissioner has come to the table to pick a fight. Newly sworn-in Commissioner James Atkins took no time in drilling several county employees at the podium in a less than polite fashion. Some of his questions were relevant but his delivery method certainly needs to be polished for the public.

One suggestion for Atkins would be to purchase a copy of Robert's Rules of Order so he can conduct himself in a civil manner during these business meetings. He continually interrupted everyone at his first meeting, even after he was reminded of protocol by the chairwoman.

The most revealing comment made by Atkins came at the end of the meeting. He said, "They had a super majority and it was time to get busy". Chairwoman Rocco was quite gracious in her response, saying she hoped it was a reference to gender and not political because she fully intended to represent the public in a non-partisan fashion.

The giant chip Atkins is carrying around on his shoulder will become a burden to all of us if he cannot come to grips with his new-found responsibilities as a commissioner. It must be tough hanging from those marionette strings, dancing to the music of the state committeeman and REC chairwoman...

Broom

Did you read this morning's article in the Hernando Today titled "Activist insulted by county boss' sign". This story really illustrates blatant hypocrisy from the local Hernando County Republican Executive Committee Chairwoman Ana Trinque. This chairwoman has spent the last four years publicly berating Jeff Stabins and now she thinks he needs to adjust his attitude with the press. "I think Jeff needs to use the media to his advantage," said Ana Trinque in this article. Apparently she expects Mr. Stabins to manipulate the media like she has been doing with her cohorts.

Jeff Stabins has endured verbal, and written abuse, from the majority of the media located in Hernando County but still managed to get elected with a 56% majority. These negative attacks have come from WWJB and Hernando Today. There two media outlets have been fueled by Ana Trinque, the state committee people for the REC, individuals associated with Government Gone Wild, and the Hernando County Tax Payers Alliance.

Commissioner Stabins should be commended for conducting himself as a complete gentleman over the last four years. He did not stoop to the nasty, vile behavior of these people. Face it, Commissioner Stabins well placed "broom" comment made all of us laugh at these angry individuals.

Score one for Commissioner Jeff Stabins!

BandShell

The BandShell Bash last Saturday night featured two of our Hernando County Commissioners. Commissioner Jeff Stabins sang his song about Hernando County and Commissioner Rose Rocco lip synced Kate Smith's rendition of God Bless America. Their performances were part of a celebration of our local veterans. Everyone really enjoyed this relaxed version of our local politicians!

Ginny sends thanks

Thank you for again selecting me to serve the citizens of the 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

I am proud to represent your interests in Washington for another term. In case our paths didn't cross on the campaign trail and I missed the opportunity to thank you personally, THANK YOU for your continued support.

There is one more thing. When you are out and about and you see "Ginny!" campaign signs, if you would please pick them up and either drop them at the campaign office at 6161 Deltona Blvd. in Spring Hill OR call my campaign office at 352-592-9222 and arrangements will be made to have them picked up from you.

Again, thank you for all your help and sending me to again serve as your voice in the U.S. House of

Representatives.
Sincerely, Ginny

Ticking

The voters overwhelming agreed that Ginny Brown Waite has served our community well, by returning her to Congress for another term. Her 61% margin of victory clearly shows how well liked she is in her district. Congratulations, Ginny!

John Druzbick ran a clean campaign on the issues that face Hernando County in his bid for county commission. The majority of voters listened to his message which gave him a victory in his race against Diane Rowden. Ms. Rowden needs to be thanked for her eight years of public service to this community. John is so fortunate that he has such a great wife, named Debbie. She helped him every inch of the way in this election. Congratulations, John and you, too, Debbie!

Jeff Stabins should take on the old slogan of Timex Watch company after this election. The slogan that says, "Took a Licking but kept on Ticking" fit his campaign to a tee. Jeff took a proverbial beating on every inch of his soul, even the soles of his feet. This came at the hands of Hernando County Republican Executive Chairwoman Ana Trinque, their state committeeman, Tom Hogan and several other influential people in our community. Their personal vendetta to have him removed from office was an embarrassment to all Republicans in this county. Aside from this unsavory action, Jeff was overwhelming re-elected as our county commissioner. "Congrats Jeff, you are the man of the hour! "

On a sad note, Shirley Anderson was defeated for her bid for supervisor of elections after a very hard-fought campaign. After the votes were counted last night, many comments and accusations flew at the courthouse about the non-party candidate in this race. This candidate was equated as the "spoiler" candidate who got into the race just to draw votes away from Shirley. This may, or may not be true, but if it was a two person race, the incumbent would have lost in this race yesterday. Shirley, we love you. Don't ever give up on your dreams. You did a spectacular job, even if it came up a little short!

Echo

Did you hear it last night? Did you hear the echo behind the roar of Obama supporters in Chicago? This echo was the slamming of doors across this Nation. This deafening roar that could only be heard by the business community. Obama's promise of an almost 4% tax increase on business has caused a ripple effect of fear for our country. The backbone of our economy is small business and we are just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

After two long years of Obama ripping our country to shreds, politically, economically and racially, he proclaimed in his speech last night that we are the "United States" of America. Mr. Obama cannot just snap his fingers to heal the deep wounds he created by his racially charged campaign. Unfortunately, Mr. Obama never learned Dr. Martin Luther King's message of hope that people should not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Yesterday, Fox News Network reported an incident on the divided, racial climate created by the Obama campaign. It was reported that white voters were being intimidated at the doors of one polling place in Philadelphia by two Black Panther members. This YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCeD1RcJjAg should send shivers up the spine of any American.

The fear that is being felt this morning throughout this country stems from the racial divide created by this man, Obama.

Thanks, Gene

The following is a thank you note to all the supporters of Gene Magrini who came up short in yesterday's school board race. This note from Gene says it all. His class and his grace prevailed throughout his entire campaign. Thank you, Gene!

Thank you to all of you that supported my campaign and voted for me!

We came up around 4,400 votes short tonight, but I am humbled by the fact that we received over 34,000 votes and garnered 47% of the vote compared to 28% in the August Primary. To put this in context - you have to remember that we faced a candidate that has owned a business in this county with his name on it for over 23 years, was involved in numerous civic organizations over the years and I was basically unknown prior to entering this race.

I attribute this showing to the tremendous work of many volunteers - be it sign waving, walking door-to-door, talking to your friends, neighbors or customers - you made these numbers happen and I appreciate your efforts and hard work! Thank you so much!!

The great thing about our election process in this country is that it forces candidates and incumbents to dig deeper into the issues and challenge conventional wisdom and thinking, and pushes new thinking to the forefront. I truly believe we had a game-changing campaign - even though we didn't win tonight - we won in challenging the assumption of what our county should expect from their School Board members. During this election we had a great message and we brought managing and scrutinizing the School Board budget to the forefront of this debate; we brought raising the bar for our students, not lowering it to the forefront; we changed the assumptions of what a School Board race in Hernando County looks like - and yes this was the most expensive School Board race in our County's history!

I thank all of you again for everything you did for me. My only disappointment is that I didn't honor your hard work with a victory! But keep your head up high, and keep fighting for the issues that matter to you - and yes I will do the same.

Thank you again and have a great night.

Gene Magrini

Live stream

Media Release
For Immediate Release
November 3, 2008

Live Election Results Webstreamed on Channel 622

Hernando County Government Broadcasting will broadcast live local election results Tuesday, November 4, 2008, beginning at approximately 7:30 p.m. The complete results of all races and issues on Hernando County ballots will be continuously updated as they are received by the Supervisor of Elections Office until ballots from all precincts have been counted. The live results may be viewed on Bright House Channel 622 or on the Web at www.hernandocounty.us - just click on the "Live Streaming Broadcast" icon located in the upper right corner of the home page. For additional information about the broadcast, call Hernando County Government Broadcasting at 540-6777.