I :4iA] Publisher VALERIA ROBERTS Managing Editor MICHAEL BECKER Our Opinion A potentially costly mistake S ome homeowners in Jackson County got a nasty shock recently. Their mortgage holders wrote them, requiring them to obtain flood insurance - even though they didn't live in a flood plain. The letters were the result of some erroneous maps issued by the state, and approved by the county and municipalities. The maps had been prepared by a pri- vate contractor for the state. There are several lessons here about what can pos- sibly happen when government services are contracted out; about what can happen when multiple levels of government get involved in a decision; and about what can happen when siall, cash-strapped municipalities are required to make decisions they may not have the expertise to weigh in on. But what we want to focus on now is what can hap- pen when conscientious individuals go above and beyond to resolve a problem. Rick Pettis deserves much credit for tracking down copies of the map inot an easy task), figuring out what was wrong and alerting the proper agencies that the maps needed to be corrected,, quickly. Credit also goes to the affected homeowners who spotted something was wrong, and to the municipali- ties for responding and working to find a solution. Hopefully, the situation will be resolved soon and the homeowners will either not have to buy the insurance, or at least be credited or reimbursed if they do. More importantly, we hope someone is looking at what went wrong this time, to ensure it doesn't happen again. Contact representatives Florida Legislature Rep. Marti Coley, R-District 7 Marti.Coley@myfloridahouse.gov Building L, Room 108 Chipola College 3094 Indian Circle Marianna, FL 32446-1701 Rep. Brad Drake, R-District 5 Brad.Drake@myfloridahouse.gov NWFL State-Chautauqua Campus #205 908 U.S. Highway 90West DeFuniak Springs, FL 32433-1436 Sen. Bill Montford. D-District 6 208 Senate Office Building 404 South Monroe St. Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100 montford.bill.web@ flsenate.gov U.S. Congress Rep. Steve Southerland, R-2nd District 1229 Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-5235 Fax: (202) 225-5615 Sen. Bill Nelson (D) Washington office United States Senate 716 Senatq Hart Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-5274 Sen. Marco Rubio (R) Washington office United States Senate B40A Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-3041 Letters to the Editor Submit letters by either mailing to Editor, P.O, Box 520, Marianna FL, 32447 or faxing to 850-482-4478 or send email to editorial@jcfloridan.com. The Flondan reserves the right to edit or not publish any letter. Be sure to include your full address and telephone number. These will only be used to verify the letter and will not be pnnted. For more information call (850) 526-3614. NO, THIS IS- TE STORY OF THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE PUMLIHING INDUSTRY & LIBRARIES OVER eBoOK LENDING& E 2011 Jeff Sta 2 geAHLER 4/5 2011 Jeff Stahler/ Dist. by UFS, Inc.. We need 'grand bargains' BY MORTON KONDRACKE One last time: The United States will not solve its monumental problems which threaten our future as a great nation without a series of grand bargains between Republi- cans and Democrats. We need grand bargains to tame the burgeoning federal debt, which threatens the next generation's ability to invest and grow big bargains to reduce spending (es- pecially entitlements) and reform taxes. We need bargains on energy policy to reduce our costly depen- - dency on Middle East imports; on immigration to ensure that we can attract and keep skilled labor; on education to prepare our own kids for 21st-century competition; and on strategies to invest in infrastruc- ture. - We probably will need a grand bargain to rewrite President Barack Obama's health care law, which the Supreme Court may strike down, but which, if upheld, will impose enormous costs on the country. We'll get the bargains only if Republicans and Democrats work together, because neither party is ever likely to so dominate the gov- ernment that it can push through its entire agenda. Democrats had that power after the 2008 election including 60 votes in the Senate and control of the House and White House and promptly lost it through overreach- ing liberalism. Voters don't want overreaching conservatism, either. This is a "one last time" call for bargains because, after 48 years in journalism and nearly 20 years writing this column, I am semi- retiring and leaving it to others to bang the gong for centrist problem- solving. I'll chime in from time to time, but now it's up to the likes of David Brooks of the NewYork Tiftes, Da- vid Ignatius of the Washington Post, Fareed Zakaria of CNN and Bill Galston of the Brookings Institution Governor should rethink privatization Dear editor, Gov. Rick Scott was at the Special Olympic Torch run Thursday last week in Tallahassee. The goal of Special Olympics is to help people with developmental disabilities participate as productive and re- spected members of society. Gov. Scott has shown this com- munity no respect. He looked victorious in his photo ops, then the same day said that services to the special needs community will be cut immediately. What a slap in the face. Gov. Scott also intends to priva- tize state facilities that many de- velopmentally disabled have called home for years. My brother is at Sunland in Marianna. He has lived in group homes, in the community- (supported independent living) and at a privatized facility before mak- ing Sunland his home. Under state care he is truly happy and calm for the first time in his 57 years. This is because the state employees work- ing at Sunland view the residents as family, not as a per diem amount. CANDI NELSON Tallahassee and The New Republic to carry the cause. And there are many in U.S. poli- tics who understand the need for bipartisan action to solve America's problems as witness the "gang of six" senators working to defuse the federal debt bomb before it brings down the U.S. economy. If archconservative Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and ultraliberal Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., can agree to support the recommendations of Obama's debt commission, there's Shop for the nation. If House Republican leaders can team up with moderate Democrats to keep the government running and refuse to yield to tea-party ideologues and the demagogic presidential wannabes and talk- radio blowhards who urge them on there's hope. If Republicans and Democrats can agree, as they did in the lame- duck session of the last Congress, to extend President George W Bush's tax cuts for two years and also extend unemployment benefits and reduce payroll taxes, there's hope. To be sure, that agreement in- volved dispensing largesse and in- creasing deficits. Defusing the debt bomb is going to require enormous political courage which is why Republicans and Democrats have to do it together. Polls show that while the voters want deficits cut, they think it can be done simply by slashing foreign aid and raising taxes on the rich, not reducing Social Security, Medi- care and middle-class tax breaks. And so-called leaders Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Democratic ConferenceVice Chairman Charles Schumer, D- N.Y., come to mind seem bent on making the task harder by claiming that Social Security benefits needn't be touched. Where Obama fits in this picture is anything but clear. He appointed the Simpson-Bowles commission, but he has yet to expend one erg of energy to help get it implemented. In fact, he has stipulated that retirement benefits shouldn't be "slashed" even though the com- mission actually proposed gradu- ally extending the retirement age to 69 in 2075. The commission also proposed lifting the level of income subject to payroll taxes above its current $106,000 level. It's a version of an idea floated by one of my favorite idea-activists, Rick Swartz, applying the principles of tax reform to Social Security by "broadening the base and lowering the rates," i.e., taxing all income but cutting tax rates to encourage hiring. Entitlement and tax reform are both going to encounter fierce re- sistance from entrenched interests, starting with AARP and extending Sto Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform, which is currently attacking Coburn, of all people, for proposing to reduce tax breaks on business. If General Electric can make enormous profits and pay no taxes whatsoever as The New York Times demonstrated last weekend there is obviously a cry- ing need for tax reform. There also needs to be at least a reduction in de-facto subsidies to industries like housing and health care also ethanol and oil that distort investment decisions. Special interests will fight to defend them. But tax reform has happened before in 1986. The interests fought it, but it had Presi- dent Ronald Reagan behind it, plus Senate Republicans plus House Democrats. It didn't take a crisis to enact tax reform in 1986, but usually it does take one to compel difficult action. The imminent expiration of the federal debt ceiling could be a driv- ing force for action on the debt. Of the other bipartisan grand bargains that ought to be on the agenda, the one most possible this year would be on education reform, but at least there ought to be constructive debate on energy, immigration, health reform and infrastructure investment. Letters to the Editor Scott needs to practice what he preaches Dear editor, Gov. Rick Scott participated in the Special Olympics Torch Run March 30 by carrying the torch. I was offended and in a state of disbelief that he chose to celebrate this amazing event, knowing all the while that he was planning to slash the budget for people with dis- abilities so drastically that services would be adversely affected and inadequate for this population. Could his true interest have been that this event would pres- ent a photo opportunity for him? Families who have loved ones with disabilities are voting, taxpay- ing citizens of Florida and would expect Florida to be a leader and pace-setter in caring for their disabled citizens. Shame on us all if we don't. My son resides at Sunland. We want him to continue to live, work, play and have friends in a small, community-type setting. At Sunland he is happy and produc- tive. We do not need the budget cut. They are not living life in the lap of luxury now. However, at Sunland, they do have a comfortable life in a setting that is safe, loving and beautiful. We feel that, as citizens of the state of Florida, these individuals deserve at least that much. In fact, they deserve the best that we can give them. Every day is a challenge for them. My son goes to bed with autism, he gets up with autism, and it will never change for him. Another thing that will never change is the fact that he is loved and has a fam- ily that intends to stay involved in his care. We demand that Gov. Scott do the right thing and stop attack- ing families like ours. I would like to know whether or not our governor has ever set foot at Sunland. He is a father and should ask himself how he would want his daughters treated if they were disabled. He would never choose to privatize, I'm sure. Priva- tization simply will not work in this situation. I can think of many cons, compared to the pros. This cannot be covered adequately with a few words. Once again, we plead with Gov. Scott to reconsider the budget cuts and privatization issue and do the right thing. ELIZABETH AND JOHN GREER Marianna