Podcasts and Column Reads

The county commission this week and the Sheriff soon will come under fire for taking a hardline stance against illegal immigration. Yet, their positions are correct. This is not a "good people on both sides" debate.

Commissioner Diana Finegan is taking heat in the local media for bringing an organization's resolution to the board for consideration. Bias blinds other media to seeing she is objectively doing her job effectively by doing so.

We all know the power of first impressions but that shouldn't dilute the importance of having second thoughts.

A philosophical thought experiment makes the argument for why Republicans should not elect former President Donald Trump Speaker of the House.

Without a single vote in dissent, the Democrats unity joined by eight emotional Republicans have done something never before done in the history of the country.

Splitting time between two jobs is tough. Giving someone an opportunity to succeed is what the county should be doing - not making someone's already difficult job harder.

Former President Ronald Reagan said that freedom is never more than a generation away from extinction. While that is true, it also applies to decency, and that generation has now passed.

The existing members of the LAB used a blatant falsehood as a reason to appoint their most recent colleague. Their choice was the right one, but today's episode is about why the truth is important.

Yesterday, the board voted to approve an 18% tax increase. But the lead story in the Chronicle was about the libraries. Does the media have a responsibility to cover what is most impactful to us?

Just Wright Citrus quoted an email with several questions written to Commissioner Diana Finegan. I decided to answer.

It's not often that a governing body is more objective than an established newspaper, but a lingering issue demonstrates this board has achieved that benchmark.

The local media this week has been firing shots at the commission over the board's ability to plan. These accusations overlook the fact that we're just in the early stages of what's to come.

A psychological principle explains why I would be terrible at hiring a new tourism director and what the county is hopefully doing to keep a misstep from happening.

The Chronicle is showing a troubling pattern of story reporting that only further proves a preexisting point about its coverage.

One easy fix could rebuild trust in institutions.

A structural breakdown of the emails reported in Just Wright Citrus this morning reveals a troubling trend perpetuated by those who claim to be pro-community.

Two similar sounding projects are quite different when the details are explored. One is being fast-tracked while the other is an example of what can happen when the disconfirmation bias is overwhelmed.

We all know them. Those that get up and yell at the commission. But today's episode tries to understand them.

Word choice is important, but today's Chronicle commentary section both in its syndicated opinion piece and editorial mistake the definition of what it is trying to say.

Today's episode focuses on a question: "what do you want to do out there?" to explain how we can shape our lives. However, this answer needs to be influenced by sacrifice, and there was no greater sacrifice than what those who lost their lives on 9/11 did for our country.

CCSO will be fully funded and it won't cost you or me as taxpayers any more? How did this happen? Persuasion rhetoric explains.

The commission has a preliminary budget hearing today. They probably won't be thinking of the Ancient Greeks when making decisions, but philosophy does provide a good guide in how to act.

From the ALA membership battle to the sheriff's budget, today's episode cuts through the politics and gets to the heart of each issue in the way the Chronicle editorial cannot.

Some things are outlandish to say or do. But somethings start that way and then become more mainstream as the media covers it. So should the media report on all topics, even the seemingly crazy ones, indiscriminately, or should the media self-select for the good of the audience?

The Chronicle is biased, but it is not on a left-right spectrum as often assumed. Today's predictable outcome of front page content demonstrates why objective standards are preferrable to subjective ones.