Not for 4!

Anti-growth extremists are a group of people who are sure to get a right-minded person’s blood boiling. They wish to pass Amendment 4 on the Florida state ballot next November. Amendment 4, also called the Hometown Democracy Amendment, “Establishes that before a local government may adopt a new comprehensive land use plan, or amend a comprehensive land use plan, the proposed plan or amendment shall be subject to vote of the electors of the local government by referendum, following preparation by the local planning agency, consideration by the governing body and notice. Provides definitions.”
Hometown Democracy sounds great, but If Amendment 4 passes it will undermine the current American political process, cluttering up the electoral process and confusing the average voter.

While most people think of the current American political structure as a democracy, it’s a representative republic. We elect representatives at all levels of government to vote on our behalf. Sure, from time to time we decide on matters ourselves such as amendments to ballots and other items required by law, but with the passing of Amendment 4 it will throw us to a complete democracy. Floridians will then be forced to vote on every change before their local municipality.

We currently elect county commissioners to make these decisions on our behalf. If we do not like what they have voted for, we vote them out, simple. If the Hometown Democracy Amendment becomes law, the great people of Florida will be forced to read over a massive and complex ballot instead of having their county commissioner’s deal with issues they were voted in to handle.

For example, in Carabelle, a small Franklin County town, would have seen 617 separate ballot questions on just one ballot alone. The average voter is already overburdened with the process of reading every Amendment to the Florida state ballot. Can you imagine reading over 617 separate issues? It would take up so many pages and so much time from the Supervisor of Elections office to print up each ballot packet at a great cost to the taxpayers.

Using my county (Manatee) as an example, at time of print there were 201,538 registered voters. By law, the Supervisor of Elections must have a ballot ready to go for every registered voter. That cost is overwhelming. I called the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections to inquire how much a ballot costs. The 2008 General Election ballot which was a mere 18 inch long piece of paper was $.25 per ballot. This does not include shipping. One can only infer if Amendment 4 passes and 617 separate ballot questions are on the ballot, the costs would be staggering. This amendment could possibly cripple growth in our state.

Looking at simple economics, if no building occurs and businesses can’t grow, then there will be no job growth. In these current economic times, having no job growth is simply not the way to get out of the mess we’re in. We need to be able to provide the opportunity for businesses to create jobs.

Amendment 4 is bad for business and bad for you. You want a simple voting process with a ballot that is not so cumbersome, right? We want and need to create jobs. We don’t need Amendment 4.

The post is those of the authors opinion and not necessarily those of the RPOF.

And The Award for Most Disappointing Person of 2009 Goes To…

…Barack Obama.  We, as Republicans and conservatives, knew what was coming. But what about the millions of independent and moderate voters who were swept into the polls by Obama’s soaring rhetoric about renewed bipartisanship and a greater sense of personal responsibility?

When they voted for Barack Obama, the American people weren’t voting for a stimulus package piled full of pork barrel spending. They certainly weren’t voting for the federal government to attempt to take over nearly 20% of the economy in healthcare reform.

The past year has been tough for Republicans. With our huge deficits in the House and the Senate we are not in a position to govern. As we enter the election year, we have an opportunity to change our position in Washington. President Obama will not be on the ballot, but the election will be a referendum on his leadership (or lack thereof) and the disastrous legislation Congress has rammed down the throats of the American people.

Do you agree? Who do you think is the most disappointing person of 2009?

Senator LeMieux’s Proposal

The end of November saw the introduction of a 2,074 page health care reform bill that will provide discounted medical insurance for those Floridians who don’t yet have it and cannot afford it.  While this seems to solve the problem Americans are facing, Florida’s Senator LeMieux is not satisfied with the way the bill proposes to resolve this issue.  The bill will use cuts in Medicare funding as well as an increase in taxes, to fund this additional discount insurance.  As if the issue of health care isn’t a topic of heated debate as it is, the bill also includes funding for abortions, which Senator LeMieux disagrees with.  In attempts to curb health care fraud, which could significantly reduce up to a quarter trillion dollars each year in wasted funding, the Senator is attempting to pass legislation that would use a system similar to the credit card sector to investigate questionable claims.

Democratic State Representative Mary Brundenburg claims that though taxes will increase, total cost to middle class families will decrease, so I ask, how can a tax increase and projected rises in health care costs to those who already have insurance lead to a lower total cost to citizens?  Could Senator LeMieux’s bill proposal save money to be re-alotted to discount health care, thus reducing the need to raise taxes and cut Medicare in order to resolve the health care controversy America is currently facing?

‘Tis the Reason for the Season

It is that time of year again. Christmas decorations are everywhere, the weather cools some, and when we our make our purchases at the check out line, we have to stop and contemplate whether we say “Merry Christmas” or the less offensive (sometimes more offensive) “Happy Holidays.”

In the early 90s, the era of political correctness was born.  We now use gender neutral terms like “server,” instead of “waitress.”  We are also more cautious as to how we refer to people, such as “visually impaired,” instead of blind. 

Should we worry about offending someone by saying, “Merry Christmas”?  Have we gone too far as a society to be PC?  Does being PC even matter in this day and age?  Where should the line of being politically correct be drawn?

The Future of Rail in Florida

A divisive bill,  touted “the future of Florida transportation,” is coming up for a vote in the Florida Senate. Senate Republican leaders believe they have the votes needed to pass the legislation. On Monday, the bill passed the Florida House of Representatives with a 84-25 vote.

The proposed legislation would impact the future of SunRail – a $1.2 billion commuter rail project in Central Florida. Supporters of the Central Florida SunRail hope the new transportation system would ease the congestion along Interstate 4 and eventually grow to link with high speed rail tracks linking Tampa, Orlando, and Miami potentially.  The legislation could also impact  Tri-Rail, a commuter rail in South Florida running between Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. This project could receive an additional $15 million from a transportation trust fund on top of the $27 million they are currently receiving.  Furthermore, federal transportation officials have suggested that approving the bill would strengthen the Florida’s application for a $2.5 million grant to build a high speed commuter rail.

What do you think, should the Florida Legislature vote to further the future of rail in the Sunshine State? Would you use a commuter rail?

Terrorists Coming to America?

These prisoners from Guantanamo Bay who are not American citizens are getting the rights all of us Americans have, the rights our forefathers fought and died for, shed blood for and the Obama administration is just going to hand these rights over to people who we are at war with. How convenient for the announcement to be made by Attorney General Eric Holder that this was going to happen right after the president left the country for a tour of Asia. To think there would be no backlash from the American people is complete arrogance by this administration.

We really need to ask why Obama and Holder are doing this. Maybe they believe it scores kudos with leaders of other nations to show how fair we can be. It really does not make any sense to me. A military tribunal is a fair trial and he would have been quietly convicted and sentenced.

The biggest tragedy of this whole ordeal is the victims’ families of September 11th. My heart goes out to them because they will become victims all over again as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed grandstands, insults the American people, our country and our way of life. It is so very sad to think that hurting these innocent people all over again for no valid reason other than a weak political one. The average American can see right through this charade and playing games with people’s hearts will be a losing proposition for the Obama Administration as it will not outweigh the anger and sadness it will cause all of us.

Things could have been simple, military tribunal no pain brought on us and justice would have been carried out on these war criminals. While nothing can bring back our lost loved ones, we could have had the feeling of retribution knowing Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was going down facing the firing squad with a blindfold on and a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Honestly can anyone out there tell me the real reasons for bringing terrorists on our soil like this?

White House Gate Crashers

At President Obama’s first White House State Dinner honoring the Prime Minister of India’s visit to the United States, there were two attendees who seemed to have invited themselves to the dinner party: Tareq and Michaele Salahi, two D.C. socialites.  The Salahis have been seen around Washington, D.C. at many social engagements and high profile events rubbing elbows with the elite of D.C.  With their social prowess, the Salahis are also rumored to be contenders for Bravo TVs “Real Housewives of D.C.” series.  How did this couple manage to go under the Secret Service’s radar and have access to President Obama, Vice-President Biden, the Prime Minister of India, and the other honored guests?

This very question is under investigation by the House Homeland Security Committee chaired by Bennie Thompson (D-Miss).  In a hearing today held by the committee, Secret Service Director Mike Sullivan was on hand to answer questions regarding the protocol of that evening and he stated, “I fully acknowledge that the proper procedures were not followed. This flaw has not changed our agency’s standard, which is to be right 100 percent of the time.”  The White House blocked calling Secretary of the Social Office Desiree Rogers to the committee citing the Separation of Powers Doctrine.  In previous events, there has been a staffer from the Social Office there to assist as an official greeter and name checker, but at this particular event, no staffer was present.  Previously, Cathy Hargraves served as the person in charge of supervising the guest lists at State Dinners, but was told by Desiree Rogers her position was no longer needed, since the White House does not plan on holding any lavish expensive dinners.

Where did the White House and/or Secret Service go wrong?  How could The White House, a building that is supposed to be near impossible to enter unauthorized, be breached by a pair of socialites?

Jobs Saved or Created …. In Fake Congressional Districts

President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus plan was touted as the life saver our economy needed, and there was such urgency to pass this bill to help create and save the jobs of hard working Americans. Well the stimulus plan definitely worked in Arizona’s 15th Congressional District 15 where federal taxpayers spent $761,420 in stimulus funding and 30 jobs were reportedly created. One problem with Arizona’s CD 15 – it doesn’t exist. Arizona has only eight Congressional Districts.

Arizona’s fake congressional district wasn’t an isolated incident. There are reports from multiple non-existent congressional districts all over the United States and US Territories. The Associated Press and 11 newspapers (Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Boston Globe, Sacramento Bee, USA Today, Las Vegas Sun, Detroit Free Press, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, and Atlanta Journal-Constitution) reported more than 10 percent of jobs claimed to be “created or saved” are doubtful or imaginary.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 3.3 million jobs have been lost since the stimulus bill passed. A review of the reported job creation on the Web site www.recovery.gov by the Associated Press noted that reported vs. actual job numbers were inflated by as much as 10 times the actual amount. One example – the Federal Communications Commission reported 4,231 jobs. The actual number is 1,000 jobs. In the State of Florida, the Child Care Association in Brevard County reports $98,669 spent to create 129 jobs, but in reality gave a cost-of-living-adjustment to 129 of their current employees.

How could such a landmark bill with lots of press receive such little oversight and care?

The Irony is Thick

President Obama is on a seven day tour of China; one of his stops included a town hall style event with 400 students held in Shanghai, China.  While President Obama was in Shanghai, Beijing television broadcasted a program about Obama’s declining popularity at home in the United States.  Why would Chinese television run negative programs about a visiting President?

Additionally, since most Chinese citizens were unable to attend the town hall event, they were told they could access the town hall from the White House’s website, but they were greeted with connection problems due to the Chinese internet firewall.  It was reported that only around 7,000 people in China managed to access the video (according to ConnectSolutions, the firm that helped the State Department organize the webcast).  A multitude of those who tried reported connection problems with the website, not being able to load audio and/or sound of the event.

Here’s the irony: unlike Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush, during their visits their remarks were broadcast live with more access than President’s Obama hour long question and answer town hall.  Also, Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush were vocal about criticizing China for detaining dissidents and suppressing freedom of religion in Tibet, while President Obama has avoided any potential controversial statements against China.

A “Lion of the People”? Really?

Recently a friend of mine sent me a link to something called the “People’s Campaign”. It led me to a Democratic Florida State Representative candidate from District 83, Gary J. Lew, whose name apparently means “lion” and is calling himself “a lion of the people”. I have to ask the man who reminds me of Saturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers, really? Really?

Jordan Raynor asked on Twitter today “What’s the #1 mistake you see politicians making online?”. I would answer besides not using social networks to reach out to constituents, that having incomplete websites or vague stands on the issues can be just as harmful, which is true in this case. His bio is nonexistent, which suggests he hasn’t done anything. It makes it tough to believe that Mr. Lew “will lead the crusade against corruption here in Florida”. How do you intend to go about this if elected? No specifics whatsoever.

“Gary demands Universal Heath Care once and for all.” What does this even mean, “once and for all”? He wants “stricter” environmental regulations but no explanation of what that means. He does leave a quote, however: “There can never be justice in a society where both our elderly and youth are exposed to dangerous pollutants.” -Gary J. Lew

I would hope that this would be an example to Republican candidates in 2010 of what not to do. It’s pretty simple. Make sure potential voters know where you actually stand on the issues, and don’t give yourself a pompous title like “Lion of the People”, no matter how clever you think it is.

GOP and Tea Parties

I was born and raised 30 minutes from the location of the first tea party. The one that happened back in 1776 that is. We all know the history, fed up with taxes being shoved down their throats a group of true Patriots dumped barrels of tea in Boston Harbor in protest. The water is still murky brown from that…but I digress.

Back in February a small group of people across the country got together in the same spirit to protest the stimulus package, big government and the ballooning deficit. . This idea caught on and April 15th numerous protests all over the country were held protesting tax rate hikes and future taxes that could be levied.

Numerous candidates from the GOP showed up at the April 15th rally’s to show their support for a smaller for fiscally conservative government and share their ideas on how the party should move in the future. It was great; most American’s agreed that something needed to change.

Then the protests continued, City and County commission meetings were protested regardless of which party held the majority. Marches and protests were staged again and again. Even the major news networks stopped covering them.

In August, the Tea Party registered and became an official political party in Florida and the chairman Fredric O’Neal has stated that the Tea Party Candidates will run against both Democratic and Republican candidates.

How does that help? Who does that help? The original Tea Party in Boston was backed up with action. People didn’t riot and storm the capital building; they formed a government for the people and tried to diplomatically resolve the issues they had.

So where do we go from here? Another party is registered with a lot of Republican ideas and values. Are we going to meet them head on with clearly presented ideas and solutions, or revert to their protesting and be the party of people red faced on street corners?

I hope for the latter.

American Prestige in an Obama Society

America. Years ago, the name itself evoked a certain prestige. Internationally the United States of America was known as the place of dreams. Where anyone, no matter your station in life, could succeed. The years have gone by, we face a crumbled economy, and our image is truly a gilded one that has quickly tarnished. Shockingly, although our country seems to be in shambles, our president seems to be enjoying the Midas touch. Every place Mr. Obama goes to, he is welcomed with opened arms, and cheers. Barack Obama is the new “United States of America” in terms of prestige. We are led by a president who apologizes for this great country instead of standing beside it. We are led by a president who does everything but keep the peace, yet he wins a Noble Peace Prize. We are led by a president who wants to diminish what has made this country so great, the right to be free. Yet still, he is exalted as the saving grace of this country.

Many believe that international image does not affect us here, “in the states.” I have to disagree, and only because of our current administration. The Obama administration has already put so much emphasis on image (during the campaign his “rock star” image catapulted him to victory), that we cannot escape it. In order for Mr. Obama to be with the “in crowd” internationally, he has to put down the country because this country is seen as the problem. While he panders to international leaders, he tarnishes the image of America a little bit each time.

My question to all of you in blogsville, how can we the people build up our image on the home front and internationally, while our president flies here and there accepting awards he is not qualified for, lobbying for his own corrupt city, and ignoring the truly troubling issues unfolding within America? In an age where it seems that, tea parties occur here more often than in Buckingham Palace, are protests the answer? Or should we focus on what is the best way to make change, elect viable Republicans to elected office?

Veterans Day

Today is Veterans Day.  We need to all thank our veterans for having in their heart to fight for our freedoms every day on the battle field.

Take a moment and reflect on the fact that our freedom and our way of life came at the cost of the blood of our fellow Americans willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for us.

I keep my Grandfathers folded funeral flag on my dresser as a reminder to me every day when I wake up there are Veterans sacrificing for our way of life.