President Obama has placed a moratorium on new oil drill leases and politicians in coastal states are questioning the validity of sinking oil drilling platforms off their shores.
And although the impact of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is yet to be realized, one thing is certain; memory of the incident will eventually fade among the bulk of the nation’s residents not living in coastal counties.
And, it is unlikely the current crisis will end future debate about oil drilling off Florida’s shores.
As yet, there is no viable alternative to the combustion engine and the demand for oil among developing nations will only increase.
As land-based oil pockets play out, political pressure will mount to tap ocean reserves.
Eventually, gasoline prices will top anything we have experienced to date and the hue and cry among residents in non-coastal states for new drilling will drown out opposition from those living along the coast.
It is likely oil exploration in the Gulf will resume, and Florida waters will be once again targeted by large oil companies.
Hopefully, the spill will, at a minimum, lead to stricter prevention measures to protect against future oil spills.
Now is the time to pressure politicians for those prevention measures; for more state control over emergency response; and for a better contingency plan for cleanup efforts.

A new law that went into effect Jan. 1 makes it more difficult for Florida drivers to renew their driver’s license or obtain a new one.
Last week, we highlighted the hoops many Crestview residents have had to jump through to comply with the law.
Now you will need proof of Social Security, two items mailed to your home address and a passport or original birth certificate – a hospital copy won’t suffice.
Those who have married or divorced will have to provide those documents as well. Since implementation, the refusal rate for those attempting to new or obtain a driver’s license in Florida has hovered at about 80 percent.
Most Florida residents are not even aware of the changes despite a massive advertising campaign by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
Tracking down the required documents can be onerous and even impossible in some cases. People born before the advent of the computer can only hope a certified copy of their original birth certificate is still on file in their home state’s archives.
At issue is the Federal Real ID Act of 2005, passed by Congress in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Proponents contend the law is an essential tool in the war on terror and point to a 911/Commission report that revealed all but one of the terrorists had obtained a state issued driver’s license.
I don’t think anyone will argue that protecting its citizens is a top priority of the federal government. The problem is that this is another one of those feel-good laws Congress members like to pass that have no real merit.
The law does nothing to prevent terrorists from entering the country and it’s unlikely the lack of driver’s license will stop a terrorist intent on blowing something up from driving illegally. Besides, anyone can take a cab.
Furthermore, already overworked department of motor vehicle employees are now tasked with duties that should rest solely with immigration officials.
To make matters worse, the directive is an unfunded mandate and Florida drivers are now faced with significant fee increases to pay for the Real ID system.
Rightly so, most states have strongly opposed the law and complain that it is ineffective and too costly to implement.
We wish officials in Florida had not been so quick to jump on the bandwagon.
Florida is only one of a few states to comply with the Dec. 31, 2009 deadline to implement the Real ID system.
Forty six states have failed to do so, prompting the Department of Homeland Security to extend the deadlines.
The law is meaningless when a terrorist can cross the state line to obtain a driver’s license.
The only real impact is on law-abiding residents, many of who are making multiple trips to their local motor vehicle offices in an attempt to comply with the law.
As one astute reader pointed out:
“These new regulations put unnecessary financial burdens on poor people; make citizens go through unnecessary efforts to find or replace missing documents that irrelevant to operating a vehicle; do nothing to make us any safer from terrorists; force public servants to perform duties unrelated to their department and expertise; and are a waste of time and money.”

Help wanted.
Must work long hours for little pay.
Be prepared to sit through lengthy meetings on complicated, and at times contentious or boring, issues.
Must be thick-skinned and able to deal with angry people.
The City of Crestview is seeking a full-time city council member to be paid low part-time wages of $5,040 a year.
OK. This isn’t an actual job ad but the position and pay are real. Last week, Crestview City Council member Chip Wells tendered his resignation. His last day in office will be Feb. 28.
The four remaining members of the council will soon be tasked with appointing someone to fill the District 1 seat representing East Crestview until Wells’ term expires in 2013 and a new member is duly elected.
The work is hard and constituents expect a lot from elected officials. Although the job is considered part-time work, in reality, it is not. Residents want their phone calls returned, day or night, and their issues addressed — now.
In the case of the city council, there are twice monthly regular meetings, workshops and special meetings. There are ribbon cuttings, socials and fundraisers, and heaven help the elected official who misses an event.
Then there is the paperwork. Just one information packet for a city council meeting on issues coming before its members is often the size of a Sears catalog.
Never mind the grueling election cycle itself, the work alone is enough to chase most people off.
Throw in the paltry pay of $5,040 a year and you disqualify a majority of the population. It’s not a salary anyone can live on, which knocks out most average working people who might otherwise run.
To sit on the council, you would either need a second job or be retired or independently wealthy. Not that there is anything wrong with any of those things, it just drastically narrows the field of those who might throw their hat into the ring.
In a perfect world, the job would pay what it is worth. Raising elected officials’ salaries is a thorny issue however, and one that those seeking another term in office are reluctant to broach.
If the pay were better, maybe then, more people who say they would like change, might actually seek the office and push for change.

A public-private partnership to clean up an illegal dump in Crestview has resolved a problem seemingly insurmountable in the public sector alone.
We first reported in October 2009 on the miles of debris illegally dumped along Main Drive, a failed subdivision that borders the homes of residents on Haylee Street.
A scant three months later, employees with Emerald Waste Services, Waste Management, Okaloosa County and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office have joined forces to resolve the problem.
Last weekend work began to remove an estimated 350 tons of trash from the illegal dumpsite. The work is expected to be completed next weekend.
The speed with which the a plan was formulated and acted upon would have been impossible had it not been for the generosity of Emerald Waste Services, a private company that approached the county and offered to clean up the illegal dump for free.
Waste Management is waiving its tipping fees to dispose of the trash and the county will install gates at access points to prevent future dumping.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office also plans to pitch in with enforcement efforts.
It is questionable if the cleanup would have happened at all had it not been for Emerald Waste Services CEO and president, Bart Begley, who volunteered his company’s services for the clean up.
Refreshingly, officials with the company said not only did they want to give something back to the community, but admitted they wouldn’t mind the public goodwill and positive publicity associated with their efforts.
They deserve kudos and we don’t mind giving it to them.
After all, this is a problem ongoing for more than 15 years and attempts to fix it in the public arena have proved problematic.
First of all, although Okaloosa County owns the first few hundred feet of Main Drive leading into the subdivision, the remainder of the road and its connecting streets are privately owned.
Burdening taxpayers with the cost to clean up private land would likely have proved to be political suicide for Okaloosa commissioners had they approved such a measure.
Similarly, forcing the property owners to clean the illegal dump would have seemed a bit draconian. After all, they aren’t the ones illegally disposing of construction debris, furniture and household garbage.
With more than five miles of roads along Main Drive and its side streets, catching the dumpers has been nigh impossible.
Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies can’t patrol the isolated roads non-stop and, with three access points, polluters have more than one way in and out of the property.
Law enforcement’s efforts to comb through the debris to find discarded paperwork to identify the wrongdoers has yielded no results.
As sheriff’s environmental officer, David Holt, said, “The people who are perpetual dumpers have gotten smart.”
Now the county and sheriff’s office are looking into the use of surveillance cameras to catch the dumpers, an effort that likely wouldn’t have come to pass if the place wasn’t cleaned in the first place.
We don’t know how much it cost Emerald Waste Services in manpower, gasoline and heavy equipment for the clean up. We do know the estimated cost had it been contracted out is $50,000.
Similarly, Waste Management is waiving an estimated $15,000 in tipping fees at its Baker transfer station to dispose of the trash.
Both companies have earned our thanks and we hope their good deeds are repaid threefold in goodwill.
Just imagine the results if other companies began to emulate their behavior.

Memphis-based Qwest Air Parts plans to lease more than 76,000 square feet at Bob Sikes Airport is good news.
Okaloosa County Commissioners unanimously approved a $15,246-a-year lease for the company at the airport. The company plans to build a 60,000-square-foot parts warehouse and a 32,000-square-foot hangar. The hangar will be a joint effort with the county, with the company contributing up to $300,000 for the project.
Qwest, which specializes in disassembling retired commercial airliners from around the world and reconditioning and selling the parts, plans to start with a staff of five to 10 people in Crestview. It could expand operations here later.
That’s the kind of news we need to hear more often. Unfortunately, Florida has done a poor job of attracting new industry.
You don’t have to look far across the border into Alabama to see how it’s done. Germany-based ThyssenKrupp, a major steel manufacturer, is building a $3.7 billion plant in Mobile, Ala., and the state is growing a niche market in automobile manufacturing.
For too long, Florida has failed to offer the tax incentives and breaks needed to attract big business. It’s a shame states and municipalities have to pay a companies off with what amounts to bribes to garner their business, but that’s often how it’s done.
Hopefully, with the economic meltdown, Florida legislators have discovered truth in the old adage about putting all your eggs in one basket. For too long the state has pushed the tourism industry and beach development as a means to raise capital rather than compete for nuts-and-bolts jobs.
It’s easy to see where that has gotten us. Florida is among the states most hard hit by the downturn in the real estate market.
You don’t have to look far to observe the results.
In 2005, there were 278 foreclosures in Okaloosa County. By the end of November 2009, some 2,205 property owners in Okaloosa County had lost their homes, setting a record we can live without.
It could have been even worse.
The presence of Eglin Air Force Base, Duke Field and Hurlburt Field and an accompanying steady influx of Department of Defense dollars have helped buffer Crestview and Okaloosa County somewhat.
More area restaurants and retail centers might have sunk if it weren’t for the military, whose members help pump up the economy even in bad times.
Next year should be even better for Crestview with the arrival of the 7th Special Forces. Even with the military boost, however, the going continues to be tough both here and elsewhere.
The unemployment rate for the month of December was gloomier than predicted and gasoline prices may soon reach 2008 levels when residents paid $3 a gallon at the pump.
Military spending won’t help laid off workers pay their mortgages or put gasoline in their tanks. We need jobs for that.
Here’s hoping for a bright future for Qwest Air Parts in Crestview and more good news on the horizon.

There is something liberating about starting a new year.
Maybe it has something to do with looking forward to next 12 months rather than back at the ups and downs of the past 365 days.
Sometimes you have to look back, however, in order to make improvements going forward.
I took over as editor of the paper in August 2009. I have made some changes during my nearly five months at the paper and expect to implement even more during the course of this year.
I hope readers have noticed changes to our Web site at www.crestviewbulletin.com. We are now breaking news online and following in print. If there is a fire, wreck or arrest, we post it online right away and run a follow up story in our next print edition.
We’ve also launched Okaloosa County arrest mugs online, which are updated daily, and are posting more photo galleries. We’ve experimented with a few things, such as our “Most Hilarious Videos” contest online and a “Reindeer Scramble” contest in print.
Some things have worked well; some have not.
We still have plenty of work to do. For one thing, quite frankly, our comment section for stories is not very good and I am hoping we can upgrade it.
I have received many complaints from readers trying to post comments on stories only to have their comments rejected. The problem is in the system. You have to type in a verification code in order to post a comment and by the time most people get their comment typed in, the verification code has expired.
You have to refresh the screen and type in a new verification code. Bear with us, we are hoping to get it fixed. Meanwhile, if you experience this problem, here is a tip; copy the comment you’ve already typed before you refresh your screen, then you can just paste it into the new comment section.
Another thing you might have noticed is the addition of more hard news to both our print and online products. This will continue and, hopefully, be improved upon.
At the same time, I would like to see us write more features about those things in North Okaloosa County that make us unique. I also want to beef up our coverage of city and county government issues.
More than anything else, I want to improve the quality of our content. Many of our stories have lacked depth, and in some cases, balance.
The problem is that, like most newspapers these days, we are understaffed.
I can tell you, I am aware of our needs and we will improve. In 2011, we’ll reassess our strengths and weaknesses and set a new bar for the Crestview News Bulletin.

“2010.”
It will take me a month remember to write it on my checks.
There are other changes coming our way in the new year that are more lasting than my memory, however, and will have a greater impact.
So what can we expect in 2010?
Well, it’s election year, of course, and the race is on for a new Florida governor, Okaloosa County sheriff and a spate of other local, state and federal offices.
Get up to speed on the candidates. The winners will be around for a while.
In a related matter, it’s also time for the once-a-decade Census, the official national headcount that determines the number of U.S. House seats apportioned to individual states for the next 10 years. And yes, the outcome does have a bearing on our everyday lives.
Closer to home, work to remove asbestos and lead-based paint from the old Alatex building will begin in January. Hopefully, before the new year is out, the city will know whether or not FAMU plans to live up to its pledge to build a pharmacy school in the historic downtown building.
We should be begin to see a greater influx this year of family members of the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) as well as support personnel in advance of the famed Green Berets’ 2011 relocation to Duke Field south of Crestview.
Also expect some word in the coming year on whether or not an overpass over State Road 85 linking Duke Field and the 7th Special Forces Group will come to fruition.
There’s no question about Twin Creeks Cinema 10 debut on the Crestview entertainment scene in 2010. Work is well underway on the 10-screen movie theater off Richbourg Lane that will feature several digital screens and is scheduled to open in April.
An accompanying retail center is expected to open in early summer.
Event organizers for the April 23, 2010 Relay are gearing up for the event and are hoping to sign up 47 teams to topple 2009’s record. It’s a great cause and we can help make it a great event.
We face some challenges this coming year as well. The budget forecast for the 2010-11 year for Florida schools and municipalities is still bleak and the continuing scarcity of credit will likely prevent any major upward trend in the nation’s economy.
Jobs will still be foremost on many people’s minds and home sales will likely remain weak.
All that said, for the most part, 2010 is a blank slate. Some of what’s coming we can’t control. Much of it will be of our making, however. Here’s hoping we make 2010 a good year.

You don’t have to look any further than Crestview for a first-hand look at the impact of the worst recession since the Great Depression of 1929 to rock industrialized nations across the world.
There is an abundance of laid off and underemployed workers right here in Okaloosa County, many of whom have lost their jobs, their homes and their livelihoods.
Chances are, on your street, there are a glut of foreclosures and empty homes for sale or for rent.
There is also a growing number of hungry people. In October alone, Crestview Sharing & Caring donated food to 941 people, up from 200 last year.
One of them was Foy Smith, 59, a lifelong Crestview resident and Vietnam veteran, who worked all his life as a local auto mechanic, paid his taxes and never asked anyone for a dime.
Last year, Smith was laid off after he was hit with a spate of illnesses that includes heart problems, high blood pressure and COPD. Unemployed now, no one will hire him because of his health problems.
You’d think Smith, who has worked hard, fought for his country and stood up like a man, could get some help. Not so. He’s too young to retire and has been beat up by the morass of dead-end paperwork and denials that is standard fare for those seeking Social Security disability benefits.
With his income limited to the odd job he can pick up, Smith makes do with food handouts from local churches but is more than $1,000 behind on lot rent for a tiny battered travel trailer with no air conditioning parked in a Crestview trailer park.
He’s not alone. A growing number of people are indigent, poverty stricken and living on the cusp of subsistence. Many are like Smith, accustomed to standing on their own two feet and want nothing but work to make them whole.
The work isn’t there though and through no fault of their own, many families are failing, with no resources to fall back on.
In a sense, some of us are victims of our own optimism. Too many of us bought into the notion that, in America, those who will work can work and lived our lives accordingly, from paycheck to paycheck with little thought to seriously saving for a rainy day.
Otheres, however, subsisted on sub-standard wages and couldn’t plan ahead if they wanted to.
Things are different now and we better get used to it. The new reality is a willingness to work no longer guarantees stable employment.
The remaining unknown is not when the recession will subside so much as it is if American workers ever regain their former prosperity.
Corporate streamlining that began out of economic necessity will continue years after the recession ends and the growing influence of new economic superpowers like China and India will likely continue to consume a greater share of industrialized wealth.
Even if Mr. Smith could go to Washington, looking to the U.S. Capitol is pointless. The unholy alliance between K Street, Wall Street, Demublicans and Republocrats will never produce results conducive to bettering the plight of working Americans.
We need to find a way to fix this on our own and help people like Mr. Smith because you can bet your paycheck more of us are going to join him.

Foy Smith is an experience auto and small engine mechanic. If you have work for Mr. Smith or want to help him out, you can call (850) 683-5899.

Today is Veterans Day.
It is a day of remembrance for the sacrifices made by members of America’s Armed Forces.
Nobody knows their stories like they do themselves.
That’s where the Veterans History Project comes in.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the project preserves the recollections of American war veterans and the civilian workers who supported them.
Audio recordings, video or typewritten accounts of war experiences can be submitted to the project and the information is archived in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
Veterans can interview themselves or have friends of family help them with the project.
It is not just for the living. If you have a first-hand account of a veteran’s war experience on tape or video, that information can be submitted as well.
The project also accepts original collections of diaries, letters, maps, home movies and photographs.
The information is used by researchers and those who visit the Library of Congress.
It is a great way to preserve the history of our American military.
To learn more about the project, go to www.loc.gov/vets.
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For many Crestview residents, Saturday marked the unofficial celebration of the annual commemoration honoring America’s men and women who have served among our nation’s military ranks.
Saturday morning, people gathered across from the Gulf Power building in an empty lot off State Road 85 for Crestview’s first Healing Field.
More than 230 American flags were flown during a ceremony to pay tribute to American military members who have died in Iraq.
Saturday afternoon, residents lined downtown Crestview for the annual Veterans Day parade.
Since America’s first bloody War of Independence erupted in 1775, members of America’s military have served as protectors of our nation’s freedom.
From the Spanish-American War in 1898 to the rugged conflict in Afghanistan today, our military has a long history of proud service.
World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, Desert Storm and Iraq are but a few of the battlefields where America’s U.S. Armed Forces have fought and died.
Some of those wars were just; some debatable. Regardless, the service of America’s warriors was, and is, faultless and worthy of our gratitude and recognition.
.

Michael Stewart is the editor of the News Bulletin. He can be reached at michaels@crestviewbulletin.com.

The Crestview News Bulletin will have already gone to press by the time I get out of the Dorcas Fire District meeting Tuesday night.
I know what to expect going into the meeting, however; more acrimony between differing factions in the volunteer department that serves about 4,000 residents in north Okaloosa County.
I had already been given a heads up to make sure and attend “to get the rest of the story.”
I’ve seen it before as well intentioned folks all around whom, for whatever reasons, are polarized into opposing camps that create rifts among its members.
Those most hurt are those the organization exists to serve. Hopefully, in time, cooler heads will prevail.
Last week, at an emergency meeting, Dorcas Fire District Chairman Eddie Alford resigned amid a heated debate as firefighters questioned his decision to cancel workers compensation insurance.
Alford said he was told by fire department bookkeeper Debi Waldin there was not enough money in the account to pay both bills due and the $2,831 needed to renew the workers compensation insurance.
“She said we could either pay the workman’s comp or pay the light bills,” Alford said. “That was the decision I had to make.”
Firefighters said it would have been better to turn off the lights given they could not make fire runs without workers compensation insurance.
Furthermore, they questioned Alford’s authority to cancel the insurance without first conducting a public meeting and putting the matter to a vote before the full board of commissioners, of which he is a member.
Alford resigned after firefighters at the meeting questioned his loyalty to the firefighters and accused him of violating Florida Sunshine laws.
I suspect the firefighters were correct in that the matter should have been put to a vote before the five-member board of commissioners.
I also suspect, as former commissioner and volunteer fireman Robert “Kit” Callahan pointed out, that the department “has lost a good commissioner” who had the best interest of the department at heart.
On the other hand, firefighters might have been right in asserting Alford could have done a better job in communicating with them on fire department issues.
A bystander at the meeting, a resident with no dog in the fight, rightly pointed out that the communication lines between all members of the department need improvement.
The most sage guidance came from commissioner Leroy White, who urged firefighters and commissioners alike to remember they worked for the public and the public good needs to take priority over personal issues.
“Regardless of how you feel, sometimes you need to keep your mouth shut,” White said after the heated debate that led to Alford’s resignation. “Hold it a little bit until you can get control of yourself. If I get real upset, you’ll see me get up and say, ‘Excuse me.’ I might go out there and kick a tree and kill it but at least I’m not directing a negative comment to another person. You’ve got to control yourself.”
It’s good advice.
The worst counsel came from another former commissioner –not Callahan — who admonished members of the department to try and keep information from the press.
While his sentiment that “airing dirty laundry” made the department look bad is understandable, he took the issue a step further and said members of the community had no need to know what was going on if they didn’t show up at fire department meetings.
Thank goodness he no longer sits on the board.
While there is no reason to suspect anything but good intentions by the former commissioner, that kind of mindset among any official of a public body can lead to nothing but trouble.
No matter how slight the issue or personal the matter, any business of a public body is the business of the taxpayers who foot the bill.
It is far better to expose the warts and squabbles of a taxpayer-funded organization than to attempt to operate in secret.
If the members would try to work together and get along, the public wouldn’t know they weren’t managing to do so.