This morning's Florida Times-Union contains an editorial about a survey. If you want to know more about the survey itself, check that out. But the findings, well, they were fairly interesting ...

- Quality of life is declining, say 43 percent of those surveyed, a 7 percent increase over those who responded that way last year. Also, 37 percent of those surveyed expect Florida to become a worse place to live in the next year compared to 24 percent who think it will get better.

I'm with the 43 percent, and think there's a probable decline ahead. Some of that decline, however, can be mitigated by some common sense (instead of developer-, special interest- and lobbyist-driven manipulations) in managing growth. It is a statewide problem, not just Clay County's, but Clay County is where we can force our government to change its approach.

- Fifty-five percent reported no change in crime where they live over the last year, while 36 percent said it increased.

In the past year or so in my neighborhood (Oakwood, right across the street from the YMCA on Moody,) an octogenarian gentleman two doors away awoke from a nap to discover two strange men who'd broken in, a car was stolen, and there was an apparent arson. And I do have a new mailbox since a mobile baseball player hit a home run with my old one just before Christmas. So my neighborhood isn't bad. The mall where I shop, however, is a different story.

- Twenty percent - or one in five - said they are seriously considering leaving the state.

Adios. Hope your life somewhere else satisfies your priorities. Me? I've got family, friends and retirement plans all well-rooted right here in Clay County. And, oh yeah, I've got a couple of snowy winters in Indiana and a couple more in Georgia I don't intend to repeat for anything other than recreation or emergency. The problems I see in Florida can be fixed.

- By a margin of almost 3-1, those surveyed said the state's quality of life over the last five years has gotten worse than gotten better.

Apparently, one in four respondents to the survey was a developer.

- Property taxes zoomed from the fifth most important statewide issue to first in one year. Education/public schools, insurance rates, health care and growth management followed in that order.

I might not put it in that particular order, but that top 5 list ain't bad.

- Sixty-eight percent said they opposed higher population densities; 23 percent said they supported them.

This is a topic that needs to be tackled on its own, not just in a blog here on MCS, but in this year's local political campaigns and quickly after Clay County's new seven-member Board of County Commissioners is seated after the elections.

- Fifty-two percent said they did not feel their local government is effectively managing growth.

That's a statewide number. It would have been higher but no one from Clay County was asked, because they were all stuck on Blanding or 17.

- Fifty-two percent said state and local authorities are not prepared to deal with a terrorist attack on a city or town.

We are. Remember the deputy on the clock tower during the new court house dedication?

- Floridians rate state universities and colleges more favorably than their local school districts, with 71 percent considering those higher education institutions as "excellent or good" compared to 49 percent viewing their local school districts in that way.

The 49 percent who think schools are "excellent or good" are parents of the students who read at grade level.

- Fifty-two percent opposed the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

That percentage would have doubled if they'd only polled teachers in the classroom. (Yeah, I know that's 104 percent. It's a math joke.) FCAT really stands for Forget Children and Teachers.

- Sixty-five percent are concerned about the safety of children in school.

At least one Clay County school's children are safe from T-shirts emblazoned with "Fleming Island Penitentiary."

- Fifty-one percent consider illegal immigration to be a serious problem, with another 25 percent calling it a somewhat serious problem.

And the remaining 24 percent (see, I can do math) are all illegal aliens.

- Fifty-three percent of Floridians visited, called, faxed or e-mailed something to a public official, half signed a petition and 42 percent attended a public meeting.

Those numbers are both encouraging and disappointing. Frankly, they're higher than I would have expected, but still short of what it takes to counteract the special interest and lobbyist influence on government. I fully believe each citizen has a right to choose whether or not they want to participate and try to effect change in their own local government. Those who choose not to need not be judged and condemned.

Michael S. Mann

michaelsmann@comcast.net