Comment on Capitol Ideas column: Let’s put heightened political interest to good use close to home

Q: Ira, three weeks ago Nikola Jovic scored the winning basket in Minnesota and was mobbed by teammates. I would think that was the high point of his career. And now he doesn’t get on the court. – Evan. A: This is similar to the answer I offer to the question below.

The Trump administration’s plan to force federal employees back into the office full-time has ignited intense debate, with concerns mounting about inefficiency and waste. Vivek Ramaswamy, co-head of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), outlined the strategy during an interview with Tucker Carlson. He described it as a way to shrink the federal workforce by rescinding remote-work privileges, expecting approximately 25% of employees to resign voluntarily.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that Donald Trump is going to do irreparable damage to our government institutions. By selecting nominees who are completely unqualified for their positions, he underscores his intent to destroy our democracy. Pete Hegseth, the nominee for defense secretary, has zero experience running any kind of institution, let alone one as massive as the DOD — not to mention his opposition to women serving in combat. Next is Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence.

As the president of the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, I know how much Florida’s small businesses contribute to our local economies. They are the coffee shops, souvenir shops, restaurants, boutiques and service providers that make our communities unique and vibrant. They are innovators, job creators and drivers of economic growth.

General Daily Insight for December 01, 2024 Today arrives with a flair for the exotic. The skies play host to a special New Moon in Sagittarius at 1:21 am EST, which will give us all an extra jolt of energy to chase after exciting openings. The Moon will go on to form a tense square to Saturn before opposing Jupiter, so we may feel blocked one moment, then like we’re getting a million green lights the next.

TALLAHASSEE — A wild and unpredictable close to college football’s regular season didn’t reach Florida’s state capital, where the heavily favored Gators left nothing to chance against Florida State. A workmanlike 31-11 win Saturday night over the Seminoles continued UF’s recent run of big wins and ended a two-game losing streak against FSU. On a day featuring Michigan’s stunning win at Ohio State, Miami’s loss at Syracuse and South Carolina’s win at Clemson, Florida (7-5) dominated its hapless archrival FSU (2-10) to secure the Gators first winning season since 2020. Florida head coach Billy Napier looks on prior to the Gators’ win at Florida State Nov.