Cleaning up graffiti and cleaning up their records. This is the aim of a new community service program for youth launched by the Sheriff’s Office. The new “Graffiti Response Program” uses the volunteer hours of kids who have committed minor crimes in an effort to stop the flood of graffiti that is plaguing areas of Pinellas County.

The media gives extensive coverage to the Florida Legislature during the annual legislative session (which takes place starting the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March and proceeding for the next 60 calendar days).  However, many people are not aware that the Legislature does meet in its official capacity for many months leading up to the start of the regular legislative session.

Political philosopher Richard Weaver famously and correctly stated that ideas have consequences. Take for example ideas about rights versus goods. Natural law states that people have rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

A good is something you work for and earn. It might be a need, like food, but more “goods” seem to be becoming “rights” in our culture, and this has troubling consequences. It might seem harmless enough to decide that people have a right to things like education, employment, housing or healthcare.

I was very pleased that hearings were held on the independence of the Federal Reserve system last month. My bill HR 1207, known as the Federal Reserve Transparency Act, was discussed at length, as well as the general question of whether or not the Federal Reserve should continue to operate independently.

The public is demanding transparency in government like never before. A majority of the House has cosponsored HR 1207. Yet, Senator Jim DeMint’s heroic efforts to attach it to another piece of legislation elicited intense opposition by the Senate leadership.