PSC Chairwoman Nancy Argenziano wanted to serve a second term on the commission that regulate Florida’s electric and telecommunications utilities. But she wasn’t considered for re-appointment. Argenziano talks about why.

Marine scientist and inventive deep-sea explorer Dr. Edith “Edie” Widder sums up destruction in the Gulf of Mexico from the BP oil spill in three words: “a hideous stain.” She says BP will never be able “to make things right.”

By John Koenig – What is ‘effective citizenship’? Want to ‘transform civics from a spectator sport into a participatory sport’? Ex-Sen. Bob Graham and Chris Hand discuss their blueprint for citizens to change government, “America, The Owner’s Manual: Making Government Work for You.” In this final excerpt from a recent conversation, they talk about the best examples of citizens faced with something they’re concerned about that government is doing and mobilizing in the right way to make sure that their interests are represented in the process.

By John Koenig – In an interview with Bob Graham and Chris Hand, Graham tells about seeing a T-shirt that proclaims, “I love America. I hate its government.” Says Graham, “If you pledge allegiance to the flag, the next line is, ‘and to the Republic, for which it stands.’ We’ve lost that sense that we are 310 million people who have an allegiance not only to the symbol, but also to the republic for which the flag stands.” In their book, “America, The Owner’s Manual,” Graham and Hand give citizens hope and confidence that they can fight City Hall, that they can change decisions being made at every level of government.

Former U.S. Senator Bob Graham on U.S. oil policy: With only 3 percent of the world’s known reserves, we should not drain America first, but rather accelerate utilization of alternative energy to free future generations from dependency on foreign oil.

By Michael Joe Murphy — A conversation with “FloridaThinker,” UF historian David R. Colburn, who says, “Charlie Crist is running as an independent because Republican Marco Rubio from Miami had significantly outdistanced him in polls for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate. I’m not convinced that Crist’s independent run speaks to national developments. Rather it seems to speak to developments in the state – indeed, it seems to reflect the political adage expressed by the late House Speaker Tip O’Neill, that all politics is local. Crist wouldn’t be running as independent if he thought he could have won the Florida GOP nomination.”

Former Senator Mel Martinez says that immigration reform is essential, but that Congress should wait until January to attempt it.

Explosive growth and sprawling urban development of the past have turned the Florida dream into a nightmare for many people. What should life in Florida be like in the future? We put that question to Joyce Belloise and Jack Kelly, producers of the WPBT2-TV documentary, “Imagining a New Florida.”

Ex-U.S. Rep. Lou Frey of Orlando – our newest FloridaThinker – talks about his role in getting the state to take a big step toward ensuring that students learn civics — and how civility in Congress has eroded since he was there from 1969-1979.

By John Koenig
Editor & Publisher
Twenty-six years ago, as a journalist new to this part of the country, I quickly ascertained that Florida was not so much a unified state as it was a collection of often-feuding city states corralled by an arbitrary political boundary. Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, St. Petersburg, [...]

Meet John H. Marks, our first FloridaThinker.
A few years ago, John Marks and his old friend and former college roommate, Craig Detweiler, came together to talk about an issue that had created a chasm between them: their divergent religious beliefs. Their conversations led to a remarkable documentary film, A Purple State of Mind. [...]