tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91440292196001814532012-02-16T19:21:10.376-05:00Thoughts and Insights on Florida and National politicsDoug Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03632038329448121484noreply@blogger.comBlogger81100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144029219600181453.post-579034537901281672011-09-23T15:17:00.001-04:002011-09-23T15:17:12.857-04:00

In feudal monarchies there were often multiple posts in the administration of the court. One of these fine posts and appointments was that of chamberlain. This was the person responsible for the accounts of the court and he received his title from the act of receiving or paying out money from the funds kept in the royal sleeping chamber, or the chamber where the money was lain, or in today’s

Doug Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03632038329448121484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144029219600181453.post-78056960976484985842011-08-05T15:53:00.002-04:002011-08-05T15:55:25.029-04:00

 There were a lot of times during the last month I was tempted to make comments about the deficit ceiling crisis.  The absolute ignorance of some of the participants earned Congress its current reputation.  But it seemed that so many of the paid pundits were making such a noise that any comments would be lost in the vapor. However, a conversation with someone that took the time to ask and another

Doug Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03632038329448121484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144029219600181453.post-78572376037563187162011-06-28T15:47:00.001-04:002011-06-28T15:47:11.203-04:00

The nation is facing an unprecedented crisis that doesn't need to happen. The debt limit ceiling has to be raised so we can pay our bills. We can do this with a simple vote. We have done it previously and we can do it again. However, the TEA Party conservatives have decided to use this opportunity to advance their agenda instead of taking care of the serious business of the country. Unable

Doug Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03632038329448121484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144029219600181453.post-5099817008145245862011-05-09T13:34:00.001-04:002011-05-09T13:34:49.806-04:00

Many of my friends and colleagues know of my reluctance to use consensus to come to a decision. To me a consensus decision often means to come to the lowest common agreement. These are agreements that do not meet the vision of the most aggressive of the group and quite often prohibits the group from soaring to new heights. Consensus decisions offend no one. This group decision includes even

Doug Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03632038329448121484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144029219600181453.post-77514501222467746562011-04-04T14:21:00.001-04:002011-04-04T14:21:36.198-04:00

That is the roughly the quote from Rod Smith, the Chair of the Florida Democratic Party Saturday the 2nd of April. Chair Smith went on to state that as of that date our erstwhile governor had a 31% approval rating after only 8 weeks in office. That rivals President George Bush number 2's approval ratings in the last two years of his 8 years in office. Now that has to be some kind of record.The

Doug Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03632038329448121484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144029219600181453.post-34824757688059159462011-03-09T17:39:00.001-05:002011-03-09T17:39:11.618-05:00

Senate Bill 1218 (SB1218) is a joint resolution presented by Senator Altman, from Brevard, Orange and Seminole Counties to remove the clause, "No revenue of the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution." Basically it is the

Doug Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03632038329448121484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144029219600181453.post-15219490592007281822011-01-31T17:13:00.001-05:002011-01-31T17:13:55.957-05:00

    It pains me to think that in these tough economic times for the state and the people of Florida that the best the new Florida administration can do is recycle archaic dogma. What does it say for our potential future that the administration is re-enacting forty year old battles instead of presenting new ideas and solutions? What I refer to here is the partisan belief that unemployed prefer

Doug Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03632038329448121484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9144029219600181453.post-48532998283540078712011-01-18T14:07:00.001-05:002011-01-18T14:07:19.043-05:00

Florida House Speaker Larry Cretul in his opening remarks to his fellow representatives reiterated a Republican mantra that "government does not create jobs." When the opposite is so obviously true, why do we have to have the debate? Yet again why can't the debate begin? Mr. Cretul stated this mantra as fact. As if there were not and could not be any dissenting opinion. Yet he stands at the

Doug Courtneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03632038329448121484noreply@blogger.com1