"Survey on Hillsborough
Commission priorities
draws emotion, 5,700
words"
Wednesday January 25,
2006
Tampa Bay Business
Journal - 2:39 PM EST
Wednesday
The results of the
latest TBBJ Business
Pulse Survey are in
and 86 percent of
those who voted said
the Hillsborough
County Commissioners
are too focused on
moral issues at the
expense of other
priorities. A record
350 responses were
received with 39
votes or 11 percent
saying that
Commissioners are
making the right
choices based on the
needs of their
constituents. Just
one percent were
undecided or said it
was a non-issue.
More striking was
the passion on both
sides of the
question: more than
5,700 words of
comments poured in,
including ones about
the poll itself.
A wide sampling
of comments will
appear in the Jan.
20 edition of the
Tampa Bay Business
Journal.
The majority of
voters cast the
commissioners as
shortsighted and
missing key
priorities such as
transportation,
schools, children
and affordable
housing. While some
in the minority of
voters complained
that the poll
question was framed
in a leading way,
they also said that
legislation has
always been based on
a moral code, and
that the
commissioners are
standing up for
their constituents.
This week's
survey is now up on
the Tampa Bay
Business Journal Web
site. In it, issues
surrounding stem
cell research are
explored.
More than half a
dozen states working
to build a life
science industry
have funded or are
considering funding
stem cell research,
a field that many
scientists say could
lead to treatments
and cures for
diseases such as
cancer, heart
disease, Alzheimer's
and Parkinson's.
Bills pending in the
Florida House and
Senate would provide
$15 million a year
for 10 years in
state money to fund
stem cell research.
The bills would fund
research in both
adult stem cells,
such as those from
umbilical cord blood
or bone marrow, as
well as embryonic
stem cells, but only
those from donated
leftover embryos
from in vitro
fertilization
treatments which
would otherwise be
discarded.
86%
