Use the best option

Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, FL)

A democratic republic should not be tightfisted with the cost of doing the people' business.

Therefore, the Times-Union has consistently resisted calls to combine local and state elections. Local elections need their own space even if there is an additional cost.

And informing the people of government business -- their business -- needs to be done in the most effective way possible.

In contrast, there are regular calls from Tallahassee to remove public notices from newspapers place them on governmental websites. The reason is saving money.

There is strong evidence that newspapers remain the best way to inform the public of important governmental business.

Polling results

A scientific poll by Mason Dixon Polling & Research shows that 83 percent of Floridians say that state and local governments should be required to publish notices in newspapers.

Also, over two-thirds of Floridians, 68 percent, are unlikely to seek out public notices if they are posted on a government website, not in a newspaper' print version or website.

Potential for abuse

Local governments have the well deserved reputation for trying to skirt the state's tradition of open government. Making government responsible for informing the public opens up the potential for abuse, such as changing the timing. Also, a newspaper is more likely to catch a mistake.

Everyone doesn't have internet

About 1 million Floridians do not have internet access, according to Nielsen Scarborough report.

Many minority members and the elderly are among these people.

Newspapers can be easily shared. And newspapers also have websites, which provides the public several options for receiving public notices.

Legal reasons

Newspapers provide written proof of publication and a paper trail. Government-run websites don't provide this.

Newspapers are considered the first rough draft of history.

Real world reasons

These issues aren't as academic as they might sound.

What if your property taxes are going up 50 percent next year?

What if your children have been moved to a new school next year?

Readers are used to finding this information in a newspaper.

As for governmental websites, it'a rare one that is easy to access.

Full disclosure

Of course, newspapers gain revenue from public notices. So while there is a financial interest there, it does not outweigh the efficiency that newspapers produce.

And newspaper regularly provide many public services to the people that are not reimbursed. For instance, when the police ask newspapers to issue alerts on public safety, we respond.

But profit is the least of the reasons that public notices belong in newspapers.

Government is often inefficient or politically motivated when it comes to the people' business.

Simply examine what the people want. The polling is clear: Use newspapers for public notices.

Medicaid: Providing health insurance

Americans want health insurance that is accessible and affordable.

We shouldn't have to go bankrupt when a medical emergency occurs.

For low-income people, Medicaid has been a life-saver. But Medicaid doesn't cover all low-income people, such as childless adults.

Florida's political leaders have stubbornly refused to accept federal funding to accept Medicaid, even though the disasters predicted for have not come true.

Other conservative states with Republican leaders, such as Vice President Mike Pence's Indiana, have found ways to expand Medicaid.

Now Politico reports that the Trump administration is finalizing a plan to convert a portion of Medicaid funding to block grants, which would provide the ultimate in flexibility for states.

Under the current structure, the federal government simply matches state spending, which could encourage wasteful spending in some states.

Block grants could be one way to cap Medicaid spending, but then Florida already has converted Medicaid in most cases into a managed care program.

And block grants would be another way for Florida to expand Medicaid and remove yet another excuse among those who continue to demonize health coverage for poor people.

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Visit The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville, Fla.) at www.jacksonville.com

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