Mrs. McCoy the Librarian

This past Tuesday, Mrs. McCoy took time to speak with us about public records and some of the resources we have available at USF.

Something I didn't realize was that while we don't have access to school records or medical records, and usually social security numbers either, journalist do have ways of getting hold of social security numbers for reporting purposes. This is because Florida records law is the most open in the United States.

Another way of accessing information is thru the appraisal office at www.hcpfla.org. You could put in any name and instantly find all the properties someone may own, the value of their home, and any attempts they have made to sell or buy property in the past. I thought this was amazing that such information is made available to anyone and everyone. Myfloridacounty.com is another helpful site in finding records here in Florida.

Mrs. McCoy was very informative about the value of taking advantage of the opportunities we are given at USF to do research on people, whether they be private or public figures.

Guest Speaker Tim Nickens

Today we had a guest speaker, Tim Nickens, who is the editorial page editor for the St. Petersburg Times and trustee of the First Amendment Foundation.

I learned a lot more in this lecture than I would have expected. What kept my mind from drifting off was the truly beneficial information he shared. When I realized this wasn't just random information, but info that could help ME personally, I somehow found interest.

I have known from past government courses that we as a people are entitled to access to a lot of government documents, but what I learned today was the redaction process. It is almost a loop whole for government agencies to get out of providing documents requested by public citizens. With the outrageous fees they may charge, sometimes even companies consider this effort not worthwhile.

Redaction is when you request a public document that includes private information, social security numbers, school records, or anything of the sort. The agency can then charge you for their time spent to take out all of the private information in the document you requested. The prices range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, which is insane.

And if you are denied access to that record all together, court is always an option, but of course, it even more costly and time consuming.

I also found the idea of being cheated by public officials interesting. The many loop holes they seem to find in an effort to avoid the public's attendance at "public" meetings or from having any knowledge of the whereabouts of taxpayer's dollars is mind blowing. Texting is a form of communication that has sent this secrecy to a whole new level.

While public meetings are to be held where the are accessible to the general public, officials have now found blackberries to be the new way of meeting, whether it be phone conversation, pin communication, or texting.

It's amazing the depth of corruption (still not as serious as other countries, but nonetheless still present) we experience in the USA and how oblivious Americans are to it all. This is exactly why I look forward to gaining knowledge that will open my eyes in the classes to come.

A Cordial Hello!

Welcome to my Blog! Here I will complete class assignments and share my opinion on the latest in all issues pertaining to political affairs.
As a student interested in all things fashion and entertainment, this will be more than everything political, but everything political through the eyes of someone new to the idea of "following the news."

As someone who usually only follows the sales signs in Macy's, this will be an interesting blog full of opinion as well as a learning process.

Thank you for joining me and this will be quite a ride through the attainment progression of a student.


Best,

Melissa Howell