A weekly look at the Tampa Bay area and national politics from a conservative viewpoint – plus a helping of sports and lifestyle items. Warning: not everything printed here should be taken at face value.

The folly of the $15.00 minimum wage

What good or service is going to increase in price by over 70 percent in the next five years? Hopefully, nothing will jump by that astonishing amount. If something(s) does, it will make the Carter years look like a picnic. But that is what backers of the $15 minimum wage want to do over a five year period. Just take a moment to think about the ramifications of the minimum wage going up 70 percent. The hardest hit industries will be food and hospitality. The ten dollar burger will probably be considered a bargain and hotel room rates, extremely critical to Florida’s economy, could easily jump by 20 percent without even factoring in other economic pressures. But most important will be the inevitable shrinkage of the job market. Some jobs simply aren’t worth $15 an hour. Those jobs will go away or be covered by other employees – increasing the effort they must expend to hold on to their jobs. From an ivory tower, it looks great; from street level where business is really conducted it, stinks.

Great Tampa Bay, politics and stuff:

1. The state of Florida’s stinginess represents a golden marketing opportunity for a Florida based company. The state has cut out free orange juice at the welcome centers in North Florida. For a mere $250,000 (chump change to a major corporation) a company could take over the distribution of the free OJ complete with corporate emblazed cups and displays. Let’s see who jumps at this opportunity.

2. Okay, it’s 2020 and about nine months until we cast ourselves into blackness again with the silly changing of the clock. It’s time to start filling the email boxes of Senators Rubio and Scott along with Reps. Billirakis, Castor and Crist and get Congress off the dime in honoring Florida’s wishes regarding Daylight Savings Time.

3. Last week President Trump issued a statement that compared briefing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y on the Iran drone attacks to giving a heads-up to the Iranians. Yes, the distinguished gentleman from New York does love to hear himself talk.

4. Number of the week: $26,000 and change. The amount we Clearwater taxpayers paid for a survey telling us what we already know – we like Clearwater. Here’s your sign, city officials.

5. Our Facebook friend, Paula Christ Dalton, posted an interesting question not long ago – Do you still talk with your senior prom date? We carry that one step further and ask do you remember who your senior prom date was – or even if you went to the senior prom?

Sports, the media and other stuff:

6. It is no longer chic to be a series on network TV as witnessed by virtually no nominations for network shows at the recent Golden Globe Awards - this despite the fact that only just over 30 percent of viewers watch services like Netflix, Hulu or HBO.

7. Tis the season for Girl Scout Cookies. If you’re trying diligently to keep that New Year’s resolution, there is a program in place where you can buy the cookies and have them donated to our troops or other worthy causes.

8. We know it’s early but the Yanks (3-1) and the Dodgers (6-1) are the Vegas picks for October at this juncture – approximately a month and a few days before pitchers and catchers.

9. Idle question: when will the Buffalo Bills playoff ineptitude end?

10. His annual bets with lumberman and Gator, Carroll Nall, were legendary. Realtor, entrepreneur and ‘Nole through and through, Bobby Byrd passed away on the last day of 2019 at age 79.

Team with the best talent gets the best coach

You almost saw it coming, the Dallas Cowboys the coach-less team with the best, although underperforming, talent reels in the best free agent coach, former Packer head coach and Super Bowl winner Mike McCarthy. There are a few skeptics that argue the game has outgrown McCarthy. Get back to us on that next post season. McCarthy’s hire dashes the hopes of teams like the Browns, Giants and Panthers all of whom had him on their radar. The only other name on everybody’s list is Josh McDaniels whose only head coaching experience was a subpar two year 11-17 stint with the Broncos in 2009-10. He, too, was mentioned in the Dallas search. Inexplicably, the only other name to surface in Dallas was Herm Edwards, a .500 coach, who is winless in seven postseason appearances. Dallas has been watching that movie for the past ten years going 3-9 in playoff games.

UP NEXT: The problem is obvious; Uncle Al; Astro tsunami

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