Wall Street Journal Reports On Lawton Chiles Foundation Fight

Image by Getty Images via DaylifeThe Wall Street Journal reported today on the state of the fight to save more than $600 million dollars for the Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund.

The family of former Florida Gov. Lawton Chiles has assembled a team of lawyers to try to block state officials from dipping into an endowment named for the late politician to help close a projected $2.3 billion budget deficit.

The state House is expected to unveil a preliminary budget of roughly $66 billion Wednesday that would be balanced partly through spending cuts and borrowing from state trust funds. Those funds could include a loan of as much as $600 million from the Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund, which was established in 1999 by the state legislature with a portion of the landmark tobacco settlement won in 1997 during Mr. Chiles's governorship. The fund's purpose is to support health care for poor children and seniors, smoking-cessation programs and biomedical research.

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Chiles Foundation Races Forward With Help From Apple's iTunes Podcasts

We are roaring ahead, updating our iTunes podcasts. You can click the icon above to get each one syched to your iPhone or iPod.

Enjoy and please rate us on iTunes and leave a comment. Thank you!

-Lawton

Help Save $600 Million For the Children of Florida-It Just Takes 60 Seconds

The Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund has a petition set up. All we need from you is about 60 seconds of your time. You can add your voice today and help us reach the masses.

Just click here!

You can also take action in these ways: (from CivicConcern.org)

Please act quickly, using the links below. The legislature is likely to make decisions on the budget within the next week. Legislators and the governor must hear from concerned citizens as soon as possible.

Sign the Petition

Join other Floridians in demanding that the legislature protect the Chiles Fund and the citizens it serves, and ask that they instead find more far-sighted options to address the budget crisis.

Sign the Petition
Ask Your Friends and Family to Sign Too

Encourage your friends and family to join you in building a better Florida. We can only make a difference if we raise our voices together. Ask your friends and family to sign the petition too.

Email Your Legislators

Use our simple tool to email your legislators and tell them your thoughts on this issue. Your elected officials need to know you're watching their actions in Tallahassee.

Email your legislators.

New Press & Media Coverage of Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund

Florida Courier
Our top 9 issues 2009
http://www.flcourier.com/news/articles/723/1/Our-top-9-issues-2009/Page1.html

The Fort Myers News-Press
Lee County delegation: Scissors will be used to tackle the state's $2.3 billion budget shortfall
http://www.news-press.com/article/20081229/NEWS01/812290346/-1/NEWS0103index.html

Jacksonville Business Journal
Florida health care funding at risk from Legislature
http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2008/12/29/story4.html?b=1230526800^1753133

Lakeland Ledger
The Legder's 2009 Agenda for Progress
http://www.theledger.com/article/20090101/NEWS/901010339/1036?Title=The_Ledger_s_2009_Agenda_for_Progress

The Fort Myers News-Press
Crist studies budget chasm
http://news-press.com/article/20081224/NEWS0120/812240377

Tallahassee Democrat
Gov. Crist: Chiles fund will be repaid fast
http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20081225/CAPITOLNEWS/812250317

The Villages Daily Sun
Crist offers plan to cut state deficit
http://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/articles/2008/12/27/news/news03.txt

Editorials

Palm Beach Post
Don't raid the Chiles fund
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/12/26/a20a_smoke_edit_1226.html

Palm Beach Post
Crist offers half a proposal to escape the budget crisis
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/12/29/a10a_leadedit_budget_1229.html

Tallahassee Democrat
Our opinion: Borrowing is yesterday's solution for budget blues
http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20081228/OPINION01/812280305/1006/OPINION


Letters to the Editor

Orlando Sentinel
Don't forget family
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/orl-le24_408dec24,0,672775.story

Palm Beach Post
Stop-smoking kits sit as tobacco fund shrinks
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/12/27/saturdaywebletters_1227.html

Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Recall why tobacco money is there
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20081227/LETTERS/812270317/2113/BUSINESS?Title=Recall_why_tobacco_money_is_there

Chiles Foundation Reaches 160 Supporters On Facebook!

The Foundation is excited to announce that we have reached 160 supporters on Facebook. Thanks to you for all the people you have told, invited or urged to join. 

How You Can Help Today:

1. Invite 15 people to watch the YouTube video about the Foundation at the link here

-Talk soon,

Lawton

Podcast Roundup: Here's What You May Have Missed This Holiday Season

Image via WikipediaFirst off all, Happy New Year to you-we hope that 2009 will be a banner year for the advancement of Florida health care for children and other needy citizens.






Here is a podcast roundup of what we have been up to at the Foundation:


Lawton Chiles Foundation Reaches 150 People-Podcast Is About A Week Old




Chiles Foundation PDF On State of Florida's Children

Right Click & Save As PDF-Download PDF Here


Chiles Foundation Uses Facebook To Grow Cause

Chiles Foundation Moves To Blogger-New Home For Content

Image by booleansplit via FlickrWe've decided to move from Wordpress to Blogger. Please update your RSS feed to the one on the right. Thank you. More content later today.

If you want, you can get our podcast here: