Opinion | Sarasota | Your Observer

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

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

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

Observer Staff
May 19, 2011

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Willie Shaw should heed editorial advice.

Sarasota
Opinion

Observer Staff
May 18, 2011

OUR VIEW: Fixing a broken system

Florida's economic development system has long been a bust, plagued by excessive bureaucracy, ponderously slow and inefficient with multiple state departments involved.

East County
Opinion

By Rod Thomson
May 18, 2011

MY VIEW: Turn off the TV. Quick!

TV and the rest of Digital Land that we use to watch videos are making us fat, lazy, dumb and horrible citizens.

East County
Opinion

Observer Staff
May 12, 2011

Our View: Right turns in the Legislature

Gov. Rick Scott, a Tallahassee outsider despised in the media and willing to take unpopular stands on principle, had a surprising amount of success during his first legislative session as governor.

Sarasota
Opinion

Observer Staff
May 5, 2011

OUR VIEW: Newtown needs fresh leaders

Newtown is a community black eye that Sarasota leaders have been trying feverishly to put mascara over to protect the important tourism industry. That effort will be successful, and Sarasota and her beaches, golf courses and snowbird industries will recover. Memories are often short.

Sarasota
Opinion

By Carolann Cahill and Jim Lampl
May 5, 2011

MY VIEW: Go slow on Jackson Lab

The non-profit Jackson Laboratory has a solid reputation in its field and a demonstrated track record of success in securing public funding. But that does not justify Sarasota County jumping on the Jackson Lab bandwagon heading our way.