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Opinion

Immigration reform protest in Tallahassee last month. Note use of "anti-immigrant" when the issue is "illegal immigrant," and the use of children.
  • By Rod Thomson
  • June 8, 2011
MY VIEW: Needed: immigration principles

Immigration reform frustratingly died in the Florida Legislature last month. What is so difficult about making everyone play by the same rules?

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
  • By Gary Berns
  • June 8, 2011
Delay incorporation vote

As chairman of the Friends of Lakewood Ranch, I write to respond to your editorial entitled, "Too soon for petitions."

  • East County
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • June 8, 2011
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

McNeal article a smear campaign

  • East County
  • Opinion
Jim Ley
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • June 2, 2011
OUR VIEW: The lesson from Ley

In the totality of his tenure, you can easily argue Jim Ley performed well as Sarasota County administrator. So his resignation last week - or to be more precise, the circumstances that led to his departure - should not forever or indelibly blemish his 14-year record.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
  • By Rod Thomson
  • June 1, 2011
MY VIEW: Reforms, not money, working

School reforms have led to dramatic education results in Florida, even in the face of budget cuts.

  • East County
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • June 1, 2011
OUR VIEW: Too soon for the petitions

We get it: When you're in a battle, you do what you have to do, and you be aggressive about it. No stone unturned, as the cliche goes.

  • East County
  • Opinion
Jim Ley
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • June 1, 2011
OUR VIEW: What is the business plan?

We keep reading and re-reading the 34 goals members of a town subcommittee presented to the Longboat Key Town Commission to be adopted into the town's vision plan.

  • Longboat Key
  • Opinion
  • By George Rauch
  • June 1, 2011
The pace of the economy is not accelerating

The last few Market Watch articles have focused upon the dangers of the market. The posture in which the market currently exists, although called a bull market, is so expensive that the public is set up for great losses.

  • Longboat Key
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 26, 2011
Our View: Benches, unfortunately, had to go

It is refreshing to see a serious Sarasota City Commission willing to take decisive action on behalf of productive law-abiding members of the community. It did so when voting to remove park benches from Selby Five Points Park for what should be obvious reasons.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
  • By Jeffrey Oldenburg and Peggy Benzinger
  • May 26, 2011
MY VIEW: Redeeming North Trail

As we have been working to help revitalize blighted areas in Sarasota (the Rosemary District, Gillespie Park and North Tamiami Trail) for the last 18 years, we share your editorial writer's frustration ("North Trail hypocrisy") in that no seated City Commission in the last 30 years has contributed anything really significant to the revitalization of the North Trail.

  • Sarasota
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 25, 2011
OUR VIEW: The rec center dilemma

Longboat Key residents have known for a long time the recreation center at Bayfront Park needs to be replaced. The hard parts are deciding how to pay for improvements and how expansive those improvements should be.

  • Longboat Key
  • Opinion
  • By Gerald Feder
  • May 25, 2011
MY VIEW: The pension operation can't simply be punted

The notion of punting the town's pension "operation" (whether the firefighters' or all three of the town employees' pension "operations") does not confront the complexity of the issues facing the town with respect to employee benefits.

  • Longboat Key
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 25, 2011
OUR VIEW: Keep the Promise for Israel

To understand why the Observer Group newspapers have always been strong supporters of Israel - and find deep fault with President Obama's Middle East speech last week - we have to go as far back into the written record of history as possible.

  • East County
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 25, 2011
OUR VIEW: Higher priorities for deputies

Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube is doing what all other levels of government are doing - except the irresponsible feds - and that is cutting spending and reprioritizing.

  • East County
  • Opinion
    By
  • Observer Staff
  • May 25, 2011
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Resident questions McGonegal's abilities

  • East County
  • Opinion
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