News 16 March 2009

**Special 2009 Session Primer**
To watch the Florida Legislature in action, one would think that the 2008 elections never happened. On November 4, 2008, voters across the country and here in Florida sent a blazingly clear message… that they were tired of the failed economic policies of the past decade. http://www.flaflcio.org/page_files/11_February_09.pdf

Posey: Future presidential candidates should show their birth certificates; won’t say whether he believes Obama is a US citizen by Mark Matthews
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, R-Indialantic, has stirred up the hornet’s nest by filing legislation that would make it mandatory for future presidential candidates to include copies of their birth certificate when filing to run for the White House. http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2009/03/posey-future-presidential-candidates-should-show-their-birth-certificates-wont-say-whether-he-believ.html

Getting lost in Amazon? Obama banters with Lula Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Foreign leaders hoping to have good chemistry with U.S. President Barack Obama may want to take a lesson from Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE52D23N20090314?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

The Culture Warriors Get Laid Off
SOMEDAY we’ll learn the whole story of why George W. Bush brushed off that intelligence briefing of Aug. 6, 2001, “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/opinion/15rich.html?th&emc=th

Harnessing the Sun, With Help From Cities
PALM DESERT, Calif. — Rick Clark’s garage is loaded with fast toys for playing in the sun. He has a buggy for racing on sand dunes, two sleek power boats for pulling water skiers, and a new favorite: 48 solar panels that send his energy meter whirring backward. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/science/earth/15solar.html?th&emc=th

Administration Is Open to Taxing Health Benefits
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is signaling to Congress that the president could support taxing some employee health benefits, as several influential and many economists favor, to help pay for overhauling the health care system
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/us/politics/15health.html?th&emc=th

A.I.G. Planning Huge Bonuses After $170 Billion Bailout
WASHINGTON — The American International Group, which has received more than $170 billion in taxpayer bailout money from the Treasury and Federal Reserve, plans to pay about $165 million in bonuses by Sunday to executives in the same business unit that brought the company to the brink of collapse last year. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/business/15AIG.html?th&emc=th

Posey to president hopefuls: Prove it
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Bill Posey has introduced a bill that would amend election laws by requiring White House candidates to show a birth certificate to run for president.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090314/NEWS01/903140315/1086/