POLL: What are The Biggest Issues?

[tufsu1]

apparently the biggest issue is "getting our fiscal house in order" 

[chipwich]

The biggest single problem facing our country is the coming currency crisis.  

We are in a slow moving train wreck, stuck between continued quantitative easing (money printing) that can keep our economy moving and further erode the value of $USD and creating yet higher inflation, or stopping the printing presses and thus withdrawing any liquidity in the market, leading to severe deflation and in the same time making our current national debt insurmountable.

The dollar is sinking (not always a bad thing), but as it does that so too are treasury notes.  This will lead to much higher real prices and even higher interest rates if left unchecked.

The mayoral candidates need to address transportation issues as to address the future higher fuel prices that Jacksonville citizens have little control over.  Our sprawled environment cannot handle a currency crisis.

[Garden guy]

apparently the biggest issue is "getting our fiscal house in order" 

This should have been thought about when George Bush gave the millionaire a break and then the continuing break.....the wealthy have strangled us....look at how many millionaires were created under the last republican run....

[fieldafm]

This should have been thought about when George Bush gave the millionaire a break and then the continuing break.....the wealthy have strangled us....look at how many millionaires were created under the last republican run....

GG I thought we had a breakthrough yesterday with your passion about river access.

But, c'mon man... what does THAT statement have anything to do with Jacksonville moving forward as a city?

[Garden guy]

This should have been thought about when George Bush gave the millionaire a break and then the continuing break.....the wealthy have strangled us....look at how many millionaires were created under the last republican run....

GG I thought we had a breakthrough yesterday with your passion about river access.

But, c'mon man... what does THAT statement have anything to do with Jacksonville moving forward as a city?

Umm...we had our fiscal house in order before George Bush came into office and spent it all on tax breaks and bull shit...and now they want to blame everyone else but themselves...so i do find it apropriate seeing that this city screams we are broke all the time but we have money to build a huge new courthouse thats way over this citys head and the monies waisted into the hands of the connected and wealthy mimics exactly what happend under Bush's administation.

[fieldafm]

George Bush had just as much effect on Jacksonville's pension issues(which coupled with decreased property values bringing far less property tax revenue into the system has got the city in its currrent financial mess) as Mother Theresa, Wilt Chamberlin AND the sacred Obama.

[fieldafm]

BTW, I voted for the port.

Only b/c it is so critical that the port catches up to speed with the Panama Canal opening up in 2014.  It's literally a once in a lifetime opportunity.

[Garden guy]

Many say sprawl but this city is full of rich people who want to do nothing but build endless malls and more houses and more shopping this and that....the wealthy republicans of this area want nothing but sprawl..they say it with thier dollars and votes..

[tufsu1]

This should have been thought about when George Bush gave the millionaire a break and then the continuing break.....the wealthy have strangled us....look at how many millionaires were created under the last republican run....

GG I thought we had a breakthrough yesterday with your passion about river access.

But, c'mon man... what does THAT statement have anything to do with Jacksonville moving forward as a city?

GG...I was making fun of Rick Mullaney

[Noone]

So is that representative of JSO or an extreme example.  I am OK with the city trying to negotiate in good faith.  I just think were pension reform and assume these villians have to be reformed.  Let's just not try to cloud what we are doing.  We need to be honest when we can not live up to the deals we have made.

Pension Reform- It didn't happen. 2005-1007
Code of Ethics that was in our Charter in 1968 and removed in 1972 is in the process of being restored.
Representative or extreme example leave that one for the taxpayers of Duval County that will be paying this debt obligation for the rest of his life at taxpayer expense.

Will the Jacksonville city council sponsor a resolution honoring the 22 years of service and the fact that there is an option that you can make your own decision on this taxpayer debt obligation.

Does anyone think that there was never a dime of a federal, state, or local grant money involved in this non profit?

Our city is broke. And it has been the legislative actions over administrations with support from all parties that have these deals so special for all the honest as well as dishonest ones. 

[NotNow]

Noone, you misunderstand the Police/Fire Pension.  The city has no obligation to retired members.

[uptowngirl]

Sprawl- just think about it

If we did not have so much sprawl:

The town town center would be at the Ship Yards

Transit would not need to encompass all of NF

There would be resources and funds to improve neighborhoods, nit just keep the spread out neighborhood limping along. There would also be more diversity in our neighborhood schools which would create improvement and competition.

Crime happens everywhere,but density brings more eyes, and a less spreadout police force

All of the above =money saved.

Sprawl is the root of all evils. It is wasteful, expensive, hardly sustainable, the collapse of a lot of bedroom communities around the country  paint the picture. Sprawl should be stopped!

[Noone]

Noone, you misunderstand the Police/Fire Pension.  The city has no obligation to retired members.

Well help me understand. The recent front page story of the 22 year veteran accused of stealing $50,000 from the non profit.

[I-10east]

I don't understand how do sprawl automatically equates to taking away business from DT (esp. places like SJTC). Stopping sprawl in Jax (or any other growing metropolis) is like putting your finger in a broken dam hoping to stop water flow. So basically the people who wanna stop sprawl wants to halt our metro area's population, so just keep it at 1.3 million(or whatever it is). One really (DT) doesn't have anything to do with the other (suburban sprawl). ATL has a pretty damn successful DT, and it also has tons & tons sprawl. I don't understand the "balance scale mentality" that people have concerning sprawl "Okay we are unfortunately at 98 percent sprawl, and we only have a mere 2 percent left for DT". Why can't both prosper? Whether you like it or not, as long as Jax is growing, more sprawl is incumbent. BTW, I picked economic crisis.  

[CS Foltz]

Stopping sprawl goes without saying, but I did not see too many references regarding funding! I don't know about anyone else, but if we don't stop spending without some kind of oversight, anything else will be a moot point. We can not spend more than we take in, plain and simple! So having "Ethical behavior" with our elected officials, along with a long range point of view (Plan, Vision and the means to Fund it!) The days of just having the City write a check that the taxpayers make good should be over! Two years of property tax increases with property values descending is not the answer.........revenue neutral my left ham hock!