Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By B.C. Manion

A children’s outreach group is staging will raise money so it can help more kids who often fall through the cracks.

The Children’s Outreach Program Effort, which is affiliated with the Wesley Chapel Seventh-Day Adventist Church, has amassed an eclectic collection of items to sell at its auction on Nov. 6.

There’s a boat, a Jacuzzi, quilts and antique picture frames and furniture.

There’s wedgewood, carnival glass and crystal. There’s a rug shampooer, a Singer sewing machine, golf clubs, lamps, collectibles, appliances, jewelry, coins, watches and tools.

One gentleman cleared out his tool business and donated a lot of items to the auction, said Janet Chubinsky, director of the volunteer children’s outreach group.

The church, at the edge of Zephyrhills, helps children in need throughout East Pasco County.

“We’ve got 1,000 sockets,” she said, she’s hoping those and other tools will attract people with a mechanical bent.

There are gift certificates, as well — to local restaurants, golf courses and salons. Those can be a good bargain, Chubinsky noted.

The church, at the edge of Zephyrhills, helps children in need throughout East Pasco County. This is the first year its COPE outreach program is having an auction, but if things go well, it will become an annual event, Chubinsky said.

The group provides new shoes, new clothing, medicine, food, toys and support services to children in need. Group members also make pajama bottoms, which are donated to hospitals, to help provide comfort and dignity to children.

The program often helps the children “who fall through the cracks,” said Chubinsky, who organized similar auctions when she lived in Tennessee.

One child the group is helping is an infant that requires special formula because her mother used drugs during her pregnancy.

Two others are children of a single mom who can’t afford to buy new clothing for her son or diapers for her baby, Chubinsky said.

The group, which began serving East Pasco children in May 2010, is helping about 25 kids now. Its goal is to double that number, Chubinsky said.

The organization aims to supply each child it helps with at least three changes of clothing and one new pair of shoes. In addition to the clothing, the organization provides toiletries and hygiene items as needed, offer a Bible and will provide a blanket and stuffed toy when necessary. The group also provides school supplies, when resources permit.

In addition to raising money that will be spent directly on children, the group is also hoping to use some of the proceeds to help purchase a building. The program has outgrown the trailer it has been using and needs to find a building to provide office space and storage, Chubinsky said.

The auction is being conducted by Evan Minck, a professional auctioneer who has donated his services. There will likely be some very good bargains, Chubinsky said.

“Our auctioneer said that everything will go. Some of the box lots, we might only get a dollar or three dollars, but they will go. We don’t want anything left out there,” Chubinsky said.

And, besides bidding on items, patrons can grab a bite to eat.

Hot dogs, nachos and cheese, soft drinks and baked goods also will be available for purchase, Chubinsky said.

Chubinsky said the organization hopes to raise at least $6,000 from the event.

The group is still accepting donated items to sell, and Chubinsky is grateful for the community’s generosity to date.

“God has blessed us,” she said. “We’re 100 percent volunteers, so all of the money goes to the children.”

 

Charity Auction to benefit the Children’s Outreach Program Effort

When: Sunday, Nov. 6; Preview begins at 11 a.m.; auction starts at 1 p.m. and continues everything is sold.

Where: Wesley Chapel Seventh Day Adventist Church, 33520 SR 54 in Zephyrhills

Hot dogs, nachos and cheese, soda and baked goods also will be available for purchase.

 

COPE seeks to help children in need

Here are some ways you can help

–Donate food, new shoes, clothing, material and elastic for pajama bottoms, thread, ribbon, new toys, games, cash.

–Become a volunteer

–Provide dental and medical services

–Provide a space which the program can use for an office and for storage.

For more information, call Janet Chubinsky at (352) 668-4397 or Naomi Philipp at (13) 395-6084

By B.C. Manion

When it comes to political races, this one is much friendlier than most.

While the rhetoric heats up at the national level, the candidates for the 2012 Honorary Mayor of Land O’ Lakes have mutual respect for each other and share essentially the same goals.

Debbie Hawley and Rene Van Hout are taking part in a tradition that combines fun and raising funds.

Both women speak highly of each other.

Both of them want the community to have fun, while helping them to raise money for their favorite charities and for the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce.

They also want to help raise the chamber’s profile, they said.

These are not your typical opponents.

“We go to each other’s events,” Van Hout said.

“That’s because it’s not political,” Hawley said.

The honorary mayoral competition dates back for decades, said Kathy Dunkley, executive director of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce. She’s not sure of precisely when the contest began, but she believes its roots go back to the 1960s or even earlier.

The contest is a big fundraiser for the chamber. Ninety percent of what each candidate raises goes to the chamber and the other 10 percent goes to the charity or charities they designate.

The winner of this year’s competition will be announced at the chamber’s holiday party, which is being held from 5-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at the Plantation Palms Golf Club.

The candidates use a variety of fundraising techniques including everything from a barbecue to a wine tasting, a jewelry party to an open mic night, a bunco game to chance drawings.

The candidates do all of this and more to generate a buzz for their cause.

Earlier this month, Hawley had a family barbecue and ski show at Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que in Land O’ Lakes.

The event included water skiing demonstrations, live entertainment, a silent auction and a dunk tank featuring Robin Hawley, the mayoral candidate’s husband.

“I got to throw the first ball,” the candidate said, adding that her husband wound up in the tank a lot. Both Debbie and Robin are dentists with Hawley & Hawley Dental Associates.

Hawley has identified Pediatric Cancer Foundation as her charity.

Van Hout, who is raising money for Oasis Pregnancy Care Center and the Heritage Park Foundation, said the idea is for people to have fun.

Along those lines, she doesn’t even refer to herself as a candidate.

“I call myself the ‘Wanna-Be,’” said Van Hout of LOL Transport & Moving.

She even had a sash proclaiming that status — made by Edna Dunston of Sophisticated Tailoring for Women.

The honorary mayor’s duties include attending ribbon cuttings, grand openings and special events.

Van Hout said she already does those things.

She’s even created a tradition of using the ribbon from ribbon cuttings to make a sash, which is signed by those attending. That gives the ribbon special meaning, she said. It’s not just a piece of fabric.

Upcoming fundraisers

Rene Van Hout

— Tuesday, Oct. 18, 5-7 p.m.: Meet and greet and also 7-9 p.m., open mic night: Organic Life Coffeehouse and Bakery, 1900 Oak Grove Blvd., Lutz.

–Monday, Oct. 24, 4-8 p.m.: Eat in or take out dinner at Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que, 3116 US 41, Land O’ Lakes.

— Wednesday, Nov. 9, 7-9 p.m.: Bunco Fun Night, Organic Life Coffeehouse and Bakery, 1900 Oak Grove Blvd., Lutz. Cost $10 at the door.

— Monday, Nov. 21, 6-8 p.m.: Wilderness Beef O’ Brady’s Fun Night, Wilderness Lakes Plaza, 7040 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. Entertainment by Culprit and members of the Land O’ Lakes High Gator Band. Silent auction. Chinese auction. Sell your scrap gold.

Debbie Hawley

— Upcoming events are in the planning stages. Please check Hawley & Hawley Dental Associates’ Facebook page to find out more.

By Kyle LoJacono

 Garrett Linquist spent his college years helping the Saint Leo University men’s lacrosse team reach new heights and is now helping students and athletes do the same.

Linquist spent the last two school years teaching gifted social studies at John Long Middle in Wesley Chapel after being a part of two Deep South Conference championships from 2005-09 with the Lions.

“I was one of those kids who enjoyed going to school and learning,” Linquist said. “I was always really interested in history and government. I enjoyed most of my teachers, and I model some of my teaching after them. What I love about it is you get to help the outcome of a kid’s life. You get to talk about a subject you like. It’s just a lot of fun to see kids grow.”

Linquist joined John Long’s staff for the 2010-11 school year after completing his internship with the school.

Linquist also gets to teach the game he loves as an assistant on the Wiregrass Ranch boys lacrosse team and with the Tampa Tribe club, a part of the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association. He also is an assistant on the John Long football team.

“You can teach life lessons to these kids,” Linquist said. “I feel like I’m the person I am today because of my coaches, whether it was in football or lacrosse. They all taught me something, and I want to have that impact on kids’ lives.”

Saint Leo men’s lacrosse coach Brad Jorgensen, who started the Lions program, said he is not shocked where Linquist has ended up.

“He was always the person to do anything to help the whole team and would always help other players with their technique,” Jorgensen said. “When I heard he became a teacher and a coach it didn’t surprise me at all, because that’s right in line with the kind of person he is.”

Linquist said of Jorgensen, “He’s one of those guys who is real down to earth and tells you like it is. He really inspired me, and I model my coaching style after what he did. He loves to win and he really cares about the sport.”

Linquist was born in Chicago, but grew up in Lake Mary, northeast of Orlando. He started playing lacrosse as a freshman in high school.

“It was something new, and it was very physical,” said Linquist, who also golfed and played football in high school. “It takes a lot of conditioning because it’s a fast-paced game. I liked hockey when I was a kid, and I’m still a big Chicago Blackhawks fan. Lacrosse is a lot like hockey, so it kind of grew on me.”

When Linquist was looking for a college, Saint Leo was not the first program that came to his mind.

“I didn’t know much about Saint Leo, but my coach in high school (Frank Lanuto) mentioned it to me,” Linquist said. “It was just starting its lacrosse program, so I wanted to check it out. I liked the feel and the area there. It was a little hard my first year because all my friends were going to FSU, UCF or UF and were excited about the big school, but that wears off after the first year.”

Linquist, a defender, was one of the first players to attend the school for the sport. Jorgensen even described him as “one of the founding fathers of our lacrosse team. He was on our very first team.”

Linquist said one of the most important things he learned while in college was about uniting for a common goal.

“You had all these kids from the Northeast, the Midwest, the West coast and the Southeast all coming together and becoming one team,” Linquist said. “It was like a brotherhood, and I still see a lot of them all the time. I’ll never forget those guys.”

Linquist took a medical redshirt during his sophomore season because of a chest injury, but the extra year allowed him to double major in education and history.

“Sometime in high school I knew I wanted to be a social studies teacher and coach lacrosse,” Linquist said. “Saint Leo has a great education program and it just fit me, because it let me get my degree and play lacrosse at the same time. It was one of the best decisions of my life.”

By B.C. Manion

Banks aren’t the only ones left holding the bag when homeowners foreclose on their houses. Homeowners associations feel the brunt, too.

“It’s an issue that every community in Pasco County has to deal with,” said Jim Flateau, president of the Pasco Alliance of Community Associations.

When homeowners foreclose on their properties and stop paying their homeowner association fees, everyone living in that community pays the price, Flateau said.

“When somebody doesn’t pay, that puts more heat on the others,” he said.

Abandoned properties also drive down values in neighborhoods.

When a prospective buyer drives into a neighborhood to look at home, and the house next door has 3-foot weeds, the potential sale is lost, Flateau said.

The general quality of the neighborhood is affected, too, when homeowner associations are unable to collect fees that are typically used for the upkeep of common areas, he added.

Issues such as those prompted the biggest turnout in recent months at the Pasco Alliance of Community Association’s meeting last week at the Land O’ Lakes Community.

More than 50 people representing homeowner associations, condominium associations and neighborhoods showed up to listen to a presentation by Steve Mezer, an attorney with Bush/Ross, who specializes in legal issues pertaining to homeowner and condominium associations.

Mezer is well aware of the problems the associations are facing.

“Some of you have foreclosures with weeds up to there. The houses, with squatters in them. The houses where people who are living in them are not paying you, and they’re not paying them. You’ve got all of these combinations.

“I’m not sure which is worse – you’ve got the squatter, the person living there for free, or the totally abandoned homes, with the weeds up to there. Which would you prefer to have? None of those are good scenarios for you,” Mezer said.

He alerted those at the meeting: “You may get marketed by all kinds of people. Attorneys. People who want to buy your liens, attorneys who want to buy your liens. Companies that want to buy your liens and buy your bad debt.

“The arrangements that these people want to make, first of all, I’m not sure that they’re legal, but secondly, anything that they can do with that bad debt claim, you can do, too.

If there’s a property that is delinquent in homeowner association fees, a lien can be attached to the property and the association can foreclose on the property, Mezer said.

One popular strategy is for the homeowners’ association to place a lien on the property, foreclose on it and rent it until it loses the title when the mortgage foreclosure case is completed, Mezer said.

Typically, if a mortgage foreclosure case has been dismissed, it will take at least a year before a new case would be heard – making it safe for the homeowners association to rent out the home for a year.

On average, foreclosure cases are taking two years or more, he said.

The up side is that the homeowners association can make sure its fees are paid out of the rental income and can make sure the property meets its deed restrictions, he said.

On the down side, many homes that are in foreclosure have been stripped – making it a costly proposition to get them ready to rent.

“Candidly, most of my boards don’t want to get into the rental business. If the market were better, we would have been talking about sales. But that’s really not a reality for most of you,” Mezer said

When a house has been abandoned, it is not a good idea for a member of a homeowner association to go in to inspect its general condition, Mezer said.

“I would probably not go in, if I could avoid going in there because the claims they’re going to make against you for not securing the property. Something is missing or damaged. When the copper turns up missing, ‘I saw the guy out there. He was in there the other day with his truck and the copper ends up missing,’” Mezer added.

In some cases, it may be best to approach the homeowner who is in foreclosure, but has not moved out to see if they want to stay in the house and rent it.

“I prefer you talk over the phone and don’t go knocking on the door, if somebody owes you money. You never know what’s on the other side of that door,” Mezer said.

A representative of the homeowners’ association can tell the owner: “We’re going to go ahead and take title of your home. If you want to stay there and rent it back from us, you can do that. You can stay there, but you have to pay us. If you don’t pay us, we will evict you,” Mezer said.

By Kyle LoJacono

 

When the Wesley Chapel football team started practice in August it had a numbers problem.

The Wildcats had plenty of players tryout for the squad. In fact, it had 100 — 20 more than the number of helmets they had.

“We have to replace 20 helmets next year and we only have 80,” said Wesley Chapel football coach Ben Alford. “We had 100 kids out for football this year, and I hate to turn away kids because we don’t have equipment. Football is something that I believe helps all young men, regardless of skill level, become better young men. I would love to be able to keep all kids rather than cut them off the team.”

The story was similar with shoulder pads and other equipment, so Heritage Ford in Wesley Chapel is bringing the Drive One 4UR School program to help raise money for the team.

“We know funding for school programs is hard to come by, and we want to do our part to help make sure these programs remain available,” said Jennifer Cofini, community relations manager at Heritage Ford. “We’re excited to raise money for Wesley Chapel High School.”

The dealership will donate $20 to the Wildcats football program for everyone who test-drives a new Ford vehicle, up to $6,000 total. It will give an additional $20 for every new Focus driven, up to another $2,000.

Jarrett Ford in Dade City has a similar event each year to support Zephyrhills and Pasco high schools. Alford was thrilled to hear the event was coming to Wesley Chapel.

“I thought it was great,” Alford said. “It is a great opportunity for us to create new relationships within the Wesley Chapel community.”

Heritage will have personnel available to answer any questions about the vehicles.

“Whether you are looking to test out our larger vehicles, like the Explorer or F-150, or more interested in a smaller sedan, like the Focus, we will be able to put you behind the wheel of your favorite Ford vehicle,” said Rich Dearborn, Heritage Ford general manager.

The event is at Wesley Chapel High, 30651 Wells Road, on Thursday, Oct. 20 from 3-8 p.m. The date coincides with the squad’s home game against Hudson, where the players will be raising awareness about breast cancer. There will also be Halloween entertainment for children at 6 p.m.

“We are trying to turn the program around, and we really need the community’s support to do that,” Alford said. “On Oct. 20 you can come out to Wesley Chapel High School and test drive a Ford, trick or treat around the track and also be able to support breast cancer awareness. This will be a big night for us. I am donating half of my concession stand proceeds to the American Cancer Society. So I encourage all to come out and enjoy the night.”

Drive One 4UR School event

Where: Wesley Chapel High, 30651 Wells Road

When: Thursday, Oct. 20

The event coincides with the Wesley Chapel football game against Hudson. Heritage Ford will donate $20 for everyone who test drives a new Ford vehicle.

By Kyle LoJacono

 The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) completed railroad repairs in Lutz that forced two of the three northbound lanes of US 41 to close for five days last week.

FDOT public information officer Kris Carson said the right two lanes were closed in the area around Debuel Road in order to repair the track where it crosses US 41. All three northbound lanes reopened on Oct. 15.

“It was routine repairs that are needed every few years,” Carson said. “Everything went as planned, and there should be no more delays.”

Carson said the tracks need repair because of strain from vehicles that drive across the tracks. For more information on FDOT projects, visit www.dot.state.fl.us.

By B.C. Manion

 

Volunteers are still needed to help with the Land O’ Lakes 2011 Swamp Fest, a community event hosted by the Land O’ Lakes High School Booster Club.

“We’re very, very dependent on volunteers,” said Doug Hutchinson, who is co-chairing the event with Mike Conner.

The festival is slated for Nov. 4-6 at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

The event aims to bring the community together and serve as a fundraiser for many different causes at the same time, Hutchinson said.

Various venues are selling wristbands in advance of the event, Hutchinson said.

Buying early is a good deal, he said, noting the wristbands are $12 in advance and $20 during the event.

The midway is being handled by W.G. Wade Shows. It will feature 22 rides, 14 or 15 games and seven or eight food vendors, Hutchinson said.

The Central Pasco Optimist Club will be selling boiled peanuts and corn on the cob and Dipping Dots will be selling ice cream, Hutchinson added.

Some businesses and some nonprofit organizations also will have booths at the event, the organizer said.

“We tried to make it a true community fair,” Hutchinson said.

Swamp Fest began as a fundraiser at Land O’ Lakes High, home of the Gators and that’s what inspired the festival’s name, Hutchinson said.

Besides rides, games and food, the event also features live performances.

The entertainment tent will feature bands on Friday night and music all day on Saturday.

On Sunday, performances by youth dance and drama groups will be featured.

“That’s a big day for all those kids,” Hutchinson said. “The kiddie rides will get a good work out that day,” he added.

There is no admission charge, but parking is $5 a car.

This year, as part of the event, the organizers are conducting a survey to solicit ideas to improve the festival. The event has several sponsors, including The Laker.

Anyone who would like to volunteer at the event should call Hutchinson at (813) 293-3684.

LOL SwampFest

When: Friday, Nov. 4: 4-11 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 5: 10 a.m.-11 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 6: Noon-6 p.m.

Where: Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

What: Rides, games, entertainment, food, business and community organization booths

For more information, visit http://www.lolswampfest.com

Ticket outlets

— Connerton, Denham Oaks and Lake Myrtle elementary schools

— Pineview and Rushe middle schools

–Land O’ Lakes High

–Kids Stuff Daycare

–Song and Dance Academy

–Beef O’Brady’s in Wilderness, Sunlake and Village Lakes

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

Pasco tax collector Mike Olson has run unopposed by Republican competition for the county post the last 16 years, but Ed Blommel is ending that streak.

Blommel, 62, has lived in Pasco his entire life. He has worked 40 years with Tampa Electric Company (TECO), spending the last 17 as the regional manager for before retiring in 2009.

Blommel said his plan to run for the position has nothing to do with Mike Olson being the only Democrat in an elected office in Pasco. Instead, he said it is time for “a new set of eyes and ears” running the post.

“It’s time for someone to have a fresh look at the services and how they are provided,” Blommel said. “Bring new ideas and to add enhancements to the services that are now being provided. It’s time to bring business leadership from the private industry to build on county services. It’s time to focus more on services than on government. ”

Blommel is a graduate of Pasco High, as well as Pasco-Hernando Community College and the University of South Florida. He is also a member of the Dade City Rotary Club and the Dade City and Wesley Chapel chambers of commerce, while volunteering with the United Way, Habitat for Humanity, Pasco Economic Development Council and Pasco Public Education Foundation to name a few.

Blommel was most recently appointed to the Pasco County Housing Authority’s board of directors by Gov. Rick Scott.

“I have a passion for people and a strong desire to serve them,” Blommel said. “If you look at my past history over the last 17 years, it demonstrates both my willingness and my ability to provide service and leadership to Pasco County.”

If elected, Blommel said he has no plans for sweeping changes with the office, but favors “tweaking” it mainly with technology upgrades to improve customer service.

“If you look throughout the county, the tax office serves the most people of any office or department in Pasco,” Blommel said.

Olson, 66, has been the county tax collector since 1981. He said 99 percent of the more than 100,000 customer comments his office has received during his tenure state the service offered as good or excellent.

Olson said he has been on the forefront of upgrading technology with the office, including adding a new cashier system and software to make processing quicker.

“I know what our customers think,” Olson said. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I don’t think the people would keep electing me if I didn’t listen to them.”

The tax collector’s office processes property tax payments, provides businesses with tax receipts, sells hunting and fishing licenses and handles new driver licenses and vehicle tag registrations within the county.

 

Williams files for school board

Bryan Williams has filed to run for the Pasco School District board’s District 2 seat, according to records with the county’s supervisor of elections office. The spot represents most of the central portions of the county, including Land O’ Lakes. The seat is currently occupied by Joanne Hurley.

 

By B.C. Manion

There was a feeling of pent-up excitement in Kelly Keene’s fifth-grade classroom last week as the children awaited the arrival of Vice President Joe Biden.

It was a big moment, not only for these children, but for Pasco County Public Schools, as well.

Biden is the highest-ranking government official ever to visit the school district, and that created a buzz all over the campus at Oakstead Elementary in Land O’ Lakes.

When the vice president arrived, it didn’t take long for him to establish a comfort zone with the kids.

He moved easily through the classroom.

He sat at a small desk to field some questions. He walked around the classroom to answer others. He leaned over to get closer to the kids.

He touched a student’s hair. Squeezed a child’s shoulder. Looked directly at the youngsters, as they posed their questions.

When Biden felt a little too warm, he politely asked the kids if it would be all right with them, if he took off his jacket.

The children had plenty of questions for the vice president. And, they obviously relished their time with him, as they snapped photographs to preserve the moment.

This is one of those days — the students said after Biden’s departure — that they never expect to forget.

Here’s a look at some of the things the kids wanted to know, and excerpts of the vice president’s answers.

Q. Do you like what you do?

A. I do like what I do. My daddy used to say, “It’s a lucky person who gets up every morning with both feet on the floor, who knows what they’re about to do – knows what their job is – and is happy with that and thinks it makes a difference.”

I like what I’m doing because I hope it makes a difference. I get to do things that help people.

Q. Were you excited to become vice president?

The answer is yes.

When the president first came to me and said, “Joe, I’d like you to be my vice president, I said, ‘No, I don’t want to do that. I will be happy to help you anyway that I can, but I never thought about being vice president.’ I thought it would be better for me to stay where I was, in the Senate.

“He said, ‘Think about it. Talk to your wife.’

“I talked to my wife. She said, ‘You should be vice president.’

Q. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

A. If I get a chance to do anything in the world, I like to spend the time with my kids. My kids have become my best friends.

Q. What is it like being vice president?

A. Well, it’s kind of cool. You get to meet a lot of people. I used to do a lot of things with foreign leaders, you know, what they call heads of state. I’d go and visit Prime Minister (Vladimir) Putin in Russia and Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu of Israel. I spent a lot of time in Afghanistan and China and Iraq and all around the world.

In my career as a senator, I spent a lot of time dealing with war and peace and terrorism and all of those kinds of things.

Just since I’ve been vice president, they just told me the other day how many miles I’ve traveled in Air Force 2. I’ve traveled over 445,000 miles just since I’ve been vice president.

Q. What is the best part of your job?

A. The best part of my job, I guess, is that I get to go home every night and have dinner with my wife.

When I was a senator for 36 years, I used to commute every day on Amtrak, on a train. Every single day, I’d get up every morning, and I’d get a 7:30 train and I’d go for an hour and a half, and I’d arrive in Washington at 9 o’clock and I’d leave Washington somewhere between the 6 and 7 o’clock train, so I’d get home as early as 7:30, or usually, 8:30 or 9 o’clock every single day.

Now, we live in Washington, D.C.

Q. Do you work directly for the president?

A. I do. Let me tell you what my normal day is. What I do is every day when the president and I are both in Washington, every day I start off with a meeting in the morning with the president. It has a fancy name, it’s called PDB, presidential daily briefing.

What that means is that our experts on terrorism and on things relating to our security, we meet every day in the Oval Office.

They tell us what happened over night.

And then there’s a second meeting. We talk about the economy.

Every day, I’m sitting next to the president on average 5 to 6 hours a day, when he’s in Washington and when I’m in Washington.

Q. Does the Secret Service follow you everywhere?

A. Yes. They follow me everywhere and they do that for my protection.

By the way, there are almost as many women who take care of me in the Secret Service. They can shoot just as straight as a guy.

They are always with me, and they make my life a lot easier.

Q. How often do you get to visit schools?

These days, I don’t get to schools as much as when I was a senator.

I made sure … to visit every single solitary high school in my state once a year and I went to a lot of grade schools.

I did that for two reasons. First of all, you guys are smarter than you think you are and you guys ask the best questions. And, sometimes, when you ask questions, I can figure out what your parents are thinking, too.

Lots of times, you sit at the dinner table and you hear your mommy and daddy talking about stuff, and you kind of wonder about that.

Q. Do you like sports?

A. My dream was that I thought I could be a flanker back for the New York Giants. I was a pretty good football player in high school. Not as good in college. I love football.

I also was pretty good in baseball. I always liked basketball, but my mom wouldn’t let me play three seasons, so I had to choose.

By B.C. Manion

 

It was no accident that Vice President Joe Biden chose to drop by Oakstead Elementary School last week in a pitch to sell President Obama’s American Jobs Act.

Oakstead is the largest elementary school in Pasco County, a school district that’s been rocked in recent years by steep budget cuts — including a $54 million shortfall this year that resulted in 513 fewer jobs.

Biden visited Kelly Keene’s fifth-grade class in a portable classroom building before holding his afternoon news conference in the school’s media center.

Keene’s class has 25 children. That’s six more students than she taught last year, and three more than the state’s 22-student class size cap.

Oakstead, which has more than 1,000 students, lost eight teaching positions because of budget cuts. Built just six years ago, the school was constructed for 700 pupils. It must use 22 portable classrooms to accommodate the overflow.

At the Oct. 4 news conference, Biden said the proposed American Jobs Act would jumpstart the economy.

In part, the measure calls for preventing up to 280,000 teacher layoffs, while keeping cops and firefighters on the job; modernizing at least 35,000 public schools; providing tax cuts to small businesses; and building or repairing roads, rails, airports and waterways.

The measure was expected to go to a vote before the Senate as early as Tuesday, Oct. 11.

During his remarks, Biden cited a newly released report revealing that 300,000 teachers across the nation have lost their jobs since 2008.

“That’s bad for the teachers, in terms of being able to make a living, but it’s devastating for our children,” Biden said. “This is an emergency.”

Oakstead is a “Grade A” school, the vice president said, but he noted, “there are a lot of schools around the country that aren’t Grade A.”

During the past 12 months, budget cuts across the nation have resulted in 200,000 fewer teachers, 10,000 fewer firefighters and 18,000 fewer police officers, Biden said.

Besides reducing public services, those reductions play out in very practical ways across the economy, the vice president said.

“It means fewer haircuts, fewer trips to the restaurant, fewer times you can take your kids to the movies, fewer times you can gas your automobile up — and fewer, and fewer and fewer,” Biden said.

When cuts are made to education, they have long-term consequences, added Biden, whose wife taught in public schools for years and now teaches at Northern Virginia Community College.

“All of this matters. It matters in terms of our long-term national security. It matters in terms of how many children we’re going to have college-ready 12 years from now. It simply matters,” Biden said.  “We’re competing in a much more competitive world.”

The jobs act would create opportunity at a time when the nation desperately needs it, Biden said.

“People ask me, ‘Can we afford it?’ My response is, ‘Can we afford not to do this?’” Biden said.

During his remarks, the vice president thanked parents and teachers and Principal Tammy Kimpland for all that they do to help children learn. And, after the news conference, he worked the crowd – shaking hands and posing for photographs, while patriotic music played.

Outside, Nina Gregory, a teacher who serves special education students and their parents, said she was glad she was able to attend the event.

“I loved it. It’s been so tough for teachers and parents, as well,” Gregory said.

“It really was inspiring. I think that we needed to hear the validation that teachers are important. I loved the way that he emphasized parent involvement.

“It’s a tough time, but there’s hope. We have to keep on trucking and things will happen,” she said.