Because many Mainers are unfamiliar with the background of the question, there is confusion over what a yes or no vote means.

The question reads:

Do you want to reject the section of Chapter 399 of the Public Laws of 2011 that requires new voters to register to vote at least two business days prior to an election?

A ‘yes’ vote means repealing a law requiring voters to register before they go to the polls. It means people could register and vote all in one trip to the polls.

A ‘no’ vote means that the voter wishes to uphold the bill and wants to require Maine voters to register to vote before they go to the polls on election day.

Clearly, the wording of the question is confusing, especially if you don’t know what Chapter 399 of the Public Laws of 2011 is. In June of this year, Governor Paul LePage signed An Act to Preserve the Integrity of the Voter Registration and Election Process. This updated Maine’s registration law so that mail registration must be mailed 21 business days before the election and in person registration must be done at least 3 business days before the election. Mainers who were angry with this change of policy enacted a petition that gained enough signatures to force Question 1 onto the state ballot.

Now that it is there, the pressure to influence voters is high. Groups who want same day voter registration to continue are campaigning on the usual line- If same day voter registration is vetoed, people won’t vote, especially the lower classes. They have also been pressuring students to vote yes on Question 1, claiming that it helps ensure their voice be heard.

Opponents to same day voter registration are crying foul- their argument is the same for those who advocate the mandatory use of voter ID- reducing the risk of fraud. Obviously, same day voter registration eliminates verification of identity before voting, making it much easier for illegal immigrants to vote and much easier for people to assume identities that are not theirs.

This question is certainly the most contested question in the state and reflects a growing national conflict over voter security. In a day and age where identity theft is easy and at many polling places, identity verification is lax, many are calling for the use of voter ID. This has the possibility of taking on many forms-a drivers license, student ID, insurance card, etc. But opponents to such measures claim that this would lead to racial discrimination and would stop minorities and the low class from voting. Many scoff at this idea since required voter ID would mean all voters, regardless of race, would have to prove their identity.

The results of this ballot question will be interesting, as it may set a precedent for the issue of voter identification and registration on a national issue. Do voters believe the charges that same day voter registration leads to fraud? Or do they believe instead that same day voter registration is a great benefit to those without means to get around or have busy schedules and fraud is not important? Whatever the outcome, this is an important vote to watch as the national election, and questions of required voter ID come to a climax.

On Nov. 8th the voters of Ohio will go to the polling stations to vote on an attempt by Big Labor Unions to repeal the democratically passed Senate Bill 05, which was  signed into law by Governor Kasich back in March, 2011. ( Known on ballot as ** Issue 2**)

Before the ink was even dry after the signing of SB 5 into law, big labor was on the march, creating another community organizing group to demand the law’s repeal, this one with the catch-phrase title, We Are Ohio. I guess the 85% of the working folks in the State of Ohio that chose not to belong to big Labor Unions are now being told they are no longer Ohioans. If big labor Unions are Ohio, just what are the other 85% of the Ohio public supposed to be? Michiganders? Doesn’t their vote count too? Is this what the democracy looks like that Unions so love to chant about at these protest rallies that are designed to…..ignore the majority of the voting public and the laws that their elected officials pass? Democrats and their Union bed-pals are desperate to hold onto power in 2012 and that is exactly what this ballot initiative is all about.

I invite everyone to check out the above-linked We Are Ohio page. They put out what appears to be a white paper in a fact-checking form, yet their “facts” leave a lot to be desired. We will just visit one blaring piece of misinformation that proves that We Are Ohio is nothing more than a left-wing-big-Union-promoting-propaganda media outlet designed to fool the good people of  Ohio into repealing SB 5. ( Issue 2 on the ballot) Here is what the Union power-brokers would like you to believe: ( from the Union propaganda page, We Are Ohio)

MYTH: Public employees are overpaid, and their salaries need to be brought in line with the private sector.
TRUTH: A recent Rutgers University study found Ohio public employees earn 6 percent less on a yearly basis than their peers in the private sector. They earn 3.5% less on an hourly basis. The average OAPSE (Ohio Association of Public School Employee) makes $24,000 a year and retires with an average pension of $900 a month. Public employees do not pay into or receive Social Security.  ( emphasis mine)

In a scathing rebuttal to the ludicrous claims that Ohio teachers earn less than the private sector and “retire with an average pension of $900.00 a month, we see a retired Ohio teacher explain how the Union gimmickry is being used to against the Ohio taxpayers in a Columbus Dispatch editorial:

We had an administrator who retired at $80,000 a year, was rehired at the same salary he had just left behind, and then got another $40,000 a year from the State Teachers Retirement System, making him $120,000 a year. ( emphasis mine)

For the mathematically-challenged propagandists over at We Are Ohio, that equates to a pension of $10,000.00 a month, a far cry from the $900 that We Are Ohio wants you to believe. The retired teacher went even further in showing why he thinks this is bad for the taxpayers of Ohio:

So, when he was rehired, 85 percent of his $80,000 was paid by the taxpayers of Ohio. In this one simple action by the local school board, every taxpayer in our state was held liable for his salary.
Members of the public should have some say in the matter, since it’s their money.

I believe Ohio Senate Bill 5 would put the power of spending their hard-earned dollars back in the hands of the taxpayers, just where it should be. Submitted by, DAVID A. KUNKLER

Unlike the Wisconsin Union recall effort, conservatives are not taking this fight lying down and created a group titled Building a Better Ohio. On that website we see several examples like that of the retired teacher above that debunk the propaganda of We Are Ohio. Here is another well-explained example of just how disgusting the misinformation being put out by We Are Ohio truly is, from an editorial in the Canton Repository titled, SB5 Needed to Fix Bizarre Compensation:

Now let’s look at the “average Stark County resident;” bear in mind that public-sector employees are included in this average. If an average resident earns $25,285 and benefits provided by the employer cost $13,660, the total cost to employ the “average” county resident is $38,945, but compare that to a (Union) teacher in the Jackson Local Schools who has a base salary of $65,031 plus $23,895 paid by the “employer” (taxpayer), or $88,926 for a year of their “labor,” which is about nine months. (emphasis mine)

There we have it. An average Stark County Ohio resident’s total compensation, including wages and benefits is right at $39 grand a year, while a union teacher in the very same county ‘s package totals a whopping $89 grand a year for a difference of $50 grand a year. This is why responsible State legislators across America are scrambling to install some sort of fiscal sanity back into their budgets and curtailing big labor Union costs by passing laws such as Ohio’s SB 05. Now Unions are on the March to deny the working folks the right to say how there tax dollars will be spent once again.

Let’s hope Ohioans will vote YES ON ISSUE 2 on Nov. 8th. This will affect States across America if the good people of Ohio do not step up and vote yes, and conservatives across America should try to help out by making donations to help Building a Better Ohio    to help fight back against the big labor Union misinformation campaign now know as We Are Ohio.

Senator Hatch just announced his latest “ten things” list in an effort to prove to his constituency that he was both hip to the new game and clearly feels their pain.  It’s his “comprehensive, 10-point jobs plan to help strengthen our economy”.  Following is his shallow proposal, in his word, from his website.  In Italics I have stated my own response to his “plan” components.  Please keep in mind that this plan is nothing short of rhetoric emoted to sound relevant.  There is little, if any substance.

FROM: Senator Hatch

Summary of the proposal:

Restore Fiscal Sanity in Washington Great Idea, if it meant what it says.

• Find real savings and spending cuts in the short-term via the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.  Shallow hidden language for “create more bureaucracy.  Congress has long passed the ability to be effective at anything. I would have avoided bureaucratic growth.
• Ensure greater fiscal discipline in the long-term by passing and ratifying a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution.  I would not support a balanced budget Amendment, in any of its current forms.  Congress will ignore it as do they ignore inconvenient constitutional sections now.  This is a waste of time that couldn’t take effect until after the economy has been destroyed.

Expand U.S. Export Markets

• Approve pending trade agreements with Columbia, South Korea, and Panama.  I say let the market manage itself.  Government get out of the way.
  
• Renew Trade Promotion Authority to facilitate new free trade agreements in the future.  I would oppose more regulatory agencies, whose mission will be first to expand.

Reform the U.S. Tax Code

• Simplify the code and lower rates in order to allow American companies to compete with foreign competitors on a level playing field.  I would not have proposed this.  It is simply more broken regulation to fix currently broken regulation.  Turn all taxation collection and monitoring back to the states. Establish a flat tax.

Repeal ObamaCare  Good Idea, why has Senator Hatch waited?

• Eliminate harmful and heavy-handed mandates as well as new taxes to relieve burdens on individuals, employers, and state governments.

Repeal Dodd-Frank

• Eliminate excessive and misguided regulations and mandates to unfreeze credit and allow businesses to expand and create jobs.  Here is my plan: Eliminate excessive and misguided regulations and mandates.

Make Our Regulatory System More Jobs-Friendly

• Require by statute that all federal agencies perform a cost-benefit analysis when drafting new regulations.  Sorry, this misses the mark.  Require by statute that Congress perform a cost-benefit analysis when drafting new regulations and from all federal agencies .
• Pass the REINS Act (S. 299) to give Congress more authority and oversight in the drafting of major regulations.  Congress has oversight responsibility for all federal regulations NOW.  I would insist they use that oversight.

Develop America’s Energy Resources

• End the Obama Administration’s stall tactics on domestic energy projects.  HOW?  You are afraid to encourage the House to Impeach him.
• Pass the 3-D Domestic Jobs, Domestic Energy, and Deficit Reduction Act (S. 706) and the American Energy and Western Jobs Act (S. 1027) to reverse the President’s attacks on domestic energy production.  Once again, Senator Hatch’s response is to create more regulation.  His first response to all issues is more regulation.

Help America Compete

• Modernize and make permanent the research and development tax credit to incentivize more innovation in the U.S. economy.  Oops.  Did he just say that the government should pretend that people’s earnings should somehow be under their own control, rather than one of his regulatory agencies.?  I would have suggested eliminating taxation on production altogether.
• Ensure our trade partners recognize and enforce U.S. intellectual property rights.  Nice theory.  The way to make it work is to close our borders to ALL imports from any country that does not protect American property rights. 

Allow Small Businesses to Create Jobs

• Provide a 20 percent tax deduction for small businesses on their income.  Nope, still missing the mark that inspires production.  Eliminate ALL taxation on income, and apply a flat tax.
• Repeal the three percent withholding requirement for federal contractors. I agree.

Reform America’s Labor Laws and Reign in the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)

• Pass legislation to give more oversight, accountability, and judicial review of the NLRB’s decisions.  Eliminate this irrelevant and irreverent agency altogether.
• Pass the Employee Rights Act (S. 1507) to protect the rights of workers.  No, senator more regulation will not solve this problem.  Simply repeal any federal legislation that does not foster right-to-work opportunities for American workers.
• Repeal the prevailing-wage requirements in the Davis-Bacon Act. Agreed.

As you can see, I am a very reasonable man.  I agreed with the Senator on two of his 19 fine points.  Heck, that is better than a stopped clock, which is right only twice in 24 hours.

To truly get the economy functioning again read my post here on Conservative Daily News.

While GOP establishment operatives across America have expressed a wide variety of complaints about Florida’s decision to hold their Primary on Jan 31st, this Floridian believes this is simply a matter of Florida’s right to decide when to hold their primaries, not the decision of outsiders from other states or establishment GOP operatives who, frankly haven’t been doing so well for America in recent years.It was that kind of elitist mentality that inspired the Tea Party groups across America to take it upon themselves to restore true conservative principles back into American politics, which they did in the historic 2010 elections. Since this whole debate is about Florida’s decision to hold their primary earlier than the GOP establishment would like,  so let’s see what actual Florida politicians had to say were the reasons for the date change shall we? We will leave the national kingmakers of the GOP establishment’s opinions for the end of this article.

 NOTE: This major decision to change Florida’s Primary date in 2012 came about with the creation of a state law that required a committee to be formed that required Governor Rick, House Speaker and Senate President Mike Haridopolos to each nominate 3 choices to serve on the committee,  one of which must be a Democrat, thus the committee had 9 republicans and 3 Democrats on it. The final vote that decided the primary date change was 7 -2, with all Republicans agreeing on the primary date change along with one Democrat.

The committee members are as follows, with who picked the members noted: 

 Florida Governor Rick Scott announced his three choices for Florida’s Presidential Preference Primary Date Selection Committee.
Former Republican Governor Bob Martinez served as Florida’s 40th governor from 1987 to 1991. Before that he served as the mayor of Tampa, the city where he was born.
Former Democrat Senator Al Lawson represented Floridians from 11 panhandle counties from 2001 to 2011 in the state senate, and before that he served nearly two decades in the Florida House of Representatives.
Jenn Ungru, a Republican, is Governor Scott’s deputy chief of staff with oversight responsibilities over the Department of State. She has served in the Scott administration since the inauguration and has more than a decade of campaign and election experience in Florida and nationwide.

Senate President Mike Haridopolos (R-Merritt Island) announced the appointment of Senators Rene Garcia, Gary Siplin and John Thrasher to the Presidential Preference Primary Committee.
Senator Rene Garcia (R-Hialeah) currently represents Florida Senate District 40, which consists of part of Miami-Dade County.  Garcia first was elected to the Senate in 2010.  Prior to serving in the Florida Senate, Garcia was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2000-2008.
Senator Gary Siplin (D-Orlando) currently represents Florida Senate District 19, which consists of parts of Orange and Osceola Counties.  Siplin was first elected to the Senate in 2002 and was subsequently reelected.  Prior to serving in the Florida Senate, Siplin was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2000-2002.
Senator John Thrasher (R-St. Augustine) currently represents Florida Senate District 8, which consists of parts of Duval, Flagler, Nassau, St. Johns and Volusia Counties.  Thrasher was first elected to the Senate in 2009 and was subsequently reelected.  Prior to serving in the Florida Senate, Thrasher was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1992-2000; he also served as Speaker of the Florida House from 1998-2000.

Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon appointed the following House Members to the Presidential Preference Primary Date Selection Committee:
Representative Carlos Lopez-Cantera
Representative Seth McKeel
Representative Cynthia Stafford

Florida State Senator John Thrasher, was on the committee that made the final decision to set the primary date explained, "This is about getting Floridians involved at the earliest possible time."  

 U.S. Rep. David Rivera of Miami explained, “It is indisputable that what matters most in the early primary season is MOMENTUM, not delegates," in response to those who worry about the GOP rule that says Florida may lose half it’s delegates if they went ahead with setting an early primary date. Mr. Rivera also added, "That is why states like Iowa and New Hampshire, which have minuscule delegates, matter. As in 2008, Florida will provide overwhelming momentum not because of our delegate count, but because Florida’s critical role in the November election.”

Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon explained his support for the decision to set the early primary date as, "I feel the 31st is the right time," adding, "We are the largest swing state in the presidential race and have more votes than the first four primary states combined. We deserve to be a make-or-break state for the nomination." With the majority of national political insiders calling Florida the most important swing state in the upcoming presidential election, Mr. Cannon’s statements there do carry a good amount of weight as far as to why Floridians decided to take a stand against the establishment  GOP rule forbidding early primaries.

Florida RNC co-chair, Sharon Day stated her concerns as, " I don’t know if it changes the dynamics of the presidential race, but it makes it tough on the candidates," adding,  "I get the argument for Florida, but we created these rules for a reason."

I also got in touch with 2012 Florida District 03 Congressional candidate, Mike Yost to inquire about his views on the Florida Primary date change. Mr. Yost stated that while he had some reservations about the early primary date, that he was in total agreement in the fact that it is Florida’s decision to make,and not the GOP establishment’s right to impose upon Florida. Mr. Yost  also conveyed his concern about whether or not Florida will, in fact lose half it’s delegates as the GOP has threatened to do on numerous occasions recently, and if so , just what kind of a message would that send to the rest of the country?  The answer to that question will be revealed within the next week, as we approach the deadline for states announcing their Primary dates. 

Florida is receiving major criticism across the political spectrum for their choice to hold their Primary on Jan 31st, as we see by the following statements,many of it from early primary states who will now have to adjust their calendars because of Florida’s decision:

From South Carolina Party Chairman Chad Connelly we see this:  “Rogue states have once again dictated the presidential nominating calendar,”  adding,  “States who have worked so hard to maintain the nominating calendar should not be penalized and the offenders, including Florida, should lose their entire allocations of delegates at the National Convention.” Rogue states, Mr. Connelly? What is this, South American politics we are referring do here?  Drop the childish rhetoric and let’s all unite and get to work to defeat Barack Obama in 2012 please.

From Iowa GOP Chairman Matt Strawm we see this childish temper tantrum: “The arrogance shown by Florida’s elected leadership is disappointing, but not surprising. Equally troubling is to see this petulant behavior rewarded with our national convention (in Tampa),”  How about the arrogance  the establishment GOP has shown in trying to dictate just what day Florida will hold their presidential primary on here? maybe Mr. Strawm needs to face a real conservative challenger in 2012, unlike when he ran unopposed in the 2010 elections? Mr Strawm praises the Iowa GOP establishment on his very own blog,  while totally ignoring the true conservative grassroots Tea Party movement that rebuked the progressive Democrats and Rino-Republicans in the historic elections of 2010, allowing America a real shot of turning this ship around in 2012. Ignore the Tea party at your own risk, Mr. Strawm, as you sound a lot  like GOP establishment elitism in your above statement. Do you hear this, Tea Party of Iowa? 

The small state of New Hampshire actually has a state law that "requires" the state of New Hampshire to hold it’s primary 7 days before any other state !  Good grief, who in the hell came up with that law? Just because the blue-blooded elitists of what, over a century ago, chose to create a such a ridiculous state law in the first place is supposed to somehow dictate to the state of Florida when they can hold their primary? New Hampshire Republican Chairman Wayne MacDonald explained  that his state will move forward if Florida accelerates the season. State law in the Granite State requires that its primary be held at least seven days before any other primary. "But it really defeats the purpose," MacDonald said. "We were trying to avoid front-loading, but here we go again."  One can certainly understand Mr. MacDonald’s dismay about having to change his state’s primary date now, so here is a simple thought: "Why not instill some common sense and abolish the ludicrous law that says you have to be first in line in the first place? By the way, Iowa usually has their primary ahead of New Hampshire, but as one back-peddling politician stated, "It’s not a primary, it is a caucus."  The fate of the country is at stake and these nuts are playing word games. Lovely.

Of course the leftist-sphere had to put in their two cents:

The leftist rag The L.A.Times puts some ridiculous spin on Florida changing their primary debate in an article that features a giant picture of Hillary Clinton talking to a bunch of people holding Obama and Clinton signs back in 2008 here.  That’s right in an article about GOP primaries, the Liberal establishment running the L.A. Times uses a picture of Hillary Clinton. We must have missed Hillary’s announcement that she will be running for President on the Republican ticket in 2012 there.Of course no conservative-bashing L.A times article would be complete without a few lies and propaganda inserted into it to appease their readers out there in Liberal la-la land:

But Florida, which will play host to the 2012 Republican National Convention, in Tampa, wants to have a more central role in picking the nominee. To achieve that, it would run afoul of the RNC, which will dock it about half of its 116 convention delegates. (emphasis mine) 

So in that statement they falsely state that the RNC will dock Florida half of its delegates, period, yet later on in that very same article, they show how that statement isn’t necessarily true:

 Florida also pulled a similar move in 2008, moving its primary to Jan. 29, and helping to lock up the nomination for Sen. John McCain. Though all the Florida delegates made it to the convention floor in Minneapolis-St. Paul — with about half being characterized as "honored guests" — the RNC seems in no mood to make a deal this time.

How about actually reporting the facts and just the facts, instead of trying to inject your leftist mandate on what the GOP will or will not do regarding Florida’s primary date change decision out there in the 20-billion-dollars-in-the-red-budgetarily-bankrupt state of California ?  We do not need advice or mandates about the Republican Party of America coming  from  the ignorant hope n changers of the left coast. Don’t you have some more illegal alien sanctuary cities to be creating out there in la-la land or something else to keep yourselves busy, like spending time creating laws to ban happy meal toys, while business leave the state in droves due to your decades long march towards creating a Liberal utopia?

 The swing state of Florida with it’s added 2 electoral votes, giving it the same total as New York at 29,  is a very critical vote for the Republican candidate to win. Here is a little-known fact: The last Republican candidate to win the White House while losing the Florida vote was Calvin Cooledge in 1924. Florida’s demographics are such a mixed bag that it always makes it a Nervous Nelly situation across the state and country when vote totals start coming in. In 2010 conservative Rick Scott looked like he would actually lose the election to Liberal Alex Sink in the early going, then it was neck and neck through about 80% of the vote with Scott pulling ahead for good pretty much not until the end. Northern Florida and the panhandle are in the mold of the "Old South" with it’s military bases making for a natural conservative base. Central Florida, also referred to as the I-4 corridor, is a mix of retired Midwestern retirees, young suburban families and Democratic-leaning Hispanics, ( largely non-Cubans)  I live in Central Florida, and in the 2010 elections saw Central Florida shift slightly more towards conservatism, which I expect to see happen again in 2012. As people learn the truth about the hope and change catch-phrase and see how inflation, gas prices and the over-all cost of living increases are hurting Florida’s huge Senior citizen population, while living in a stagnant economy, Liberals posing as Democrats will feel the wrath of the informed voter in 2012 in Florida. So will progressive-voting Republicans,especially here in Central Florida. South Florida, which has a huge population of Cuban-Americans who  mostly shy away from the Socialistic planks of Liberal ideology and vote conservative, as many of them know just what the Cuban Socialism did to their relatives and country under Fidel Castro and Company. South Florida also contains many white retirees from the Northeast who remain active in politics. Democratic strongholds in places like Jacksonville are among the most impoverished areas in all of Florida, and we can expect to see them turning red in 2012 also. With it’s totally diverse population, huge amount of retirees, and the emergence of the Tea party across Florida, the Hurri-Cain  beat out Romney and Perry in the Florida straw poll by a whopping margin. Before that reality happened, most insiders thought Florida would be a Romney nomination win over Rick Perry. Now it remains a complete toss-up once again, yet one can not deny the conservative message Floridians sent to the country with Cain’s win, and now the moving up of the Primary date much to the dismay of the GOP establishment. This will make the GOP candidates scramble for the Florida Primary vote even more intense. 

    Here is a tip for all of the whining and crying establishment GOP operatives and assorted pundits that deem themselves so self-important as to denounce the state of Florida for taking a stand against the GOP’s elitist pattern of dictating to Floridians, and other states across the country as to how and when they will hold their primaries: Get over it, the Florida Republican Presidential primary of 2012 will be held on Jan 31st, period. 

This episode in political corruption reads like a poorly written wanna-be bumbling gangster comedy…. yet it is anything but funny to witness the amount of corruption and cover-up that abounds in this disgraceful event in Florida politics. Jim Greer was the Chairman of the RPOF when he created a fake fundraising company, Victory Strategies LLC, that accepted about $125 grand from the RPOF, which Greer then apparently used for his own personal expenses. And that appears to be merely the start of Mr. Greers problems. Mr. Greer also violated federal campaign finance laws when he worked on ex-Governor Charlie Crist’s 2012 Senate campaign, in which he Florida GOP party resources on that federal campaign. Yes Jim Greer and Charlie Crist were pretty tight political buddies during Greer’s time as the Chairman of the Florida GOP. Crist appointed Greer to head the RPOF on the advice of current Senator George LeMieux whom was his chief of staff at the time. Charlie Crist also appointed George LeMieux to sit in his current U.S. Senate seat after Mel Martinez abruptly resigned. George LeMieux currently thinks the people of Florida will ignore all of his involvement in this scandal among other things, and elect him to the U.S. Senate in 2012, which I happen to have written about here.

I am sending this Open Letter To All Senators, Congressmen and Governors concerning The Broken System of Foster Care.

We MUST be the voice for these voiceless children!

I welcome comments in response to this article. You may also contact me by email: allenah@conservativedailynews.com

We must work together- Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike- for the sake of these children! They are our future!

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

____________________

The purpose of this series:  Who Hears The Voice Of The Children?

An Open Letter To All Senators, Congressmen and Governors

Foster Care: A Broken System- Video

“I am so proud of our dedicated military men and women and our intelligence community for not giving up in our pursuit of justice. I am grateful for their tenacity and their deep sacrifices. President Barack Obama should also be commended for doing the right thing and following through with the promise of justice initially given by President George W. Bush.

“While threats remain, today the world is a safer place.”

APRIL 11, 2011                                                                                                       
 

 GOVERNOR SCOTT GETS $30 MILLION FOR NORTHWEST FLORIDA MARKETING FROM BP

   Tallahassee, Fla. – Governor Rick Scott today announced that the Northwest Florida Tourism Council (NWFTC) will receive a $30-million BP marketing grant to help mitigate impacts to Northwest Florida ’s tourism industry as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.  The grant was a direct result of efforts by Governor Scott, with the help of local leaders, to ensure BP is more deeply invested in the Northwest Florida recovery effort. 

“I’m pleased that BP is doing the right thing, and I’m optimistic that with the assistance of this grant the world will know that Florida’s beaches are as beautiful as ever and open for business,” said Governor Scott. “However, this is just one small step on the road to recovery, and I’m going to continue to hold BP accountable to the Floridians and businesses that lost millions of dollars because of the oil spill.”

 The Governor and the NWFTC signed two separate agreements which direct the $30-million marketing grant directly to the NWFTC coalition, which includes Escambia, Santa Rosa , Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, and Franklin , and establishes a policy for handling the grant.

“On behalf of the tourism council, we want to thank BP for helping to ensure Northwest Florida returns to its previous state and continuing to support this region’s economic recovery. This grant is over and above what is being allocated through the claims process,” said Dawn Moliterno, chairperson for the NWFTC. “We believe this additional marketing push will be just what Northwest Florida needs to create that share of voice to showcase that our beaches are as beautiful as ever.” 

The three-year grant must be used for the purposes of tourism promotion and awareness building. BP will evaluate expenditures and the NWFTC partners have agreed to quarterly updates on tourism program activities and results pursuant to the grant agreement. The detailed reports will measure results against quarterly benchmarks to demonstrate how the funds are being used and the results that were generated. Return on investment will be measured in variety of ways including website metrics and analytics, participation at events, visitation, bed tax collections and economic impact. 

BP America’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization Executive Vice President, Luke Keller said, “BP is very pleased to be working cooperatively with Governor Scott and the state on this road from response to restoration. The agreement we have signed is a further example of BP’s commitment to doing what is in the best interest of the state and the people of  Florida . Today’s announcement brings BP’s commitment to Florida to $82 million for tourism and seafood testing and marketing.”

The NWFTC was created by seven tourism development councils (TDCs) many years ago for the purpose of marketing Northwest Florida through a regional partnership. The seven-county coalition reunited after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in an effort to overcome misperceptions about the status of Florida beaches. The organization, which is a 501C6, will receive the overall marketing grant funds and then distribute to the seven TDCs. The dollars will be allocated to each TDC based on an agreed upon formula—two percent flat plus two percent of annual bed tax collections. The individual grants will allow each organization the flexibility to customize advertising and marketing programs to their customers and markets and address specific needs.

“The Tourism Council has been in conversations with BP since fall of 2010,” said Moliterno. “We owe a great deal to our Governor Rick Scott and his staff who have been working tirelessly with state and local elected officials, our partners and VISIT FLORIDA to rally on behalf of the region, encouraging additional marketing funds be made available prior to our peak summer season.”

   More change you can truly believe in for all Floridians. Thank you Governor Scott.

Again, I consider the outside repulsive foreign leaders economic terrorists. They might not have literal bombs, but they are more than willing to inflict monetary harm on my state. These foreign terrorists say their main agenda is to do whatever it takes to help the “rights” of the working man—NOT! What they are really concerned about is keeping their pockets lined with union dues and the power that enables them to control people’s votes. These foreign intruders are more concerned about feeding their egos and their totalitarian philosophies then they are on really helping workers. Most of these foreign economic thugs are pushing their public union members (my fellow citizens) to wreak economic havoc on my state. (This is why you caring Wisconsin public union employees need to break free from union bonds. As long as they are tied into or yoked to these selfish, self-centered anti-state unions they are not free citizens.) They are owned persons.) Some of these foreign terrorists are here simply for selfish, public prestige reasons. Let us be honest here! How many of you ‘average Joe’ public union employees from Wisconsin really believe Jesse Jackson is here to help you? Jesse is just another type of economic terrorist. He just does it for the attention he gets. As long as his picture is on the local news channels he’s more than willing to bring economic chaos to this state. (Reverend J thinks he’s back in the sixties helping real poor people with real civil right issues.) I do not want Jesse Jackson nor any other outside thug or manipulator coming into my state and trying to tell me that I need to do things their way…or else!

Some of these Wisconsin traitors are now being told by their foreign leaders to bully private business owners — fellow Wisconsinites — into promoting the public unions…or else. Or else what? Who really knows how far these foreign influences are willing to go to use our state traitors to accomplish their goals? I believe these terrorists are willing to use whatever tactics they need to use to economically sabotage my state. It is already obvious that these foreign saboteurs and our own state traitors have no convictions about using dirty judges, union-owned politicians, false political advertisements, and even their own family members to financially ruin my state.

So if for no other reason than eliminating or silencing these foreign bullies — and to silence our own in-state traitors, I am going to make sure I vote April 5th. And not just in April — which is very important — but in every upcoming election. These foreign saboteurs are not going to go down easily. They know they are fighting for their very existence. They know that if they lose this fight their power (i.e., monies, crooked politicians and numbers of followers) will fade away.

What is really sad is that these foreign terrorists know that what Governor Walker is attempting to do is what is best for all Wisconsinites.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker

They know that private, public union and non-union employees will economically benefit from what Governor Walker is trying to do. But these foreign thugs don’t care about that— even though they say they do. The bottom line for these foreign terrorists is that they know that if Wisconsin’s citizens unite, to do what is best for the state; these foreigners will lose their grip on even their own members. That is why these foreign miscreants use lies and half-truths to pit taxpayer against taxpayer. A confused people are a defeated people. When a united majority of Wisconsin’s taxpayers show through their votes that they, too, do not want these despicable foreign elements coming into their state telling them what to do, these foreign thugs will move on to another country/state. They will take their economic terrorist agenda to a different state; a state where the people might not stand up for its law-abiding citizens. A state where her citizens might not have each other’s back. A state where the majority of patriotic tax-payers might not be united for the good of the state. So I’m voting in April because I take this foreign intrusion personal! They are on my turf! They are in my neighborhood! They are pushing their economic agenda on citizens in my state. I want them out — now! I want to eliminate these vermin right now. I want the stench of these foreign terrorists out of my state! And as for the in-house traitors — I say love her or leave her! Stand up for what is good for all Wisconsinites, or move out.

      Chamber President Mark Wilson ordered the extra security measures after learning of the violence that was reported recently in Wisconsin protests. Mr. Wilson has seen similar tactics from Unions and assorted activists before:

“We’ve been picketed by ACORN before,” Wilson noted. “They brought people in on buses and pushed open our front door a few years ago.” He further elaborated  on why he was taking the precautions early,  “If two months from now session comes and goes and we never encounter anything like what is happening in other states and it looks like it was overkill, I’ll take that embarrassment all day long,” Wilson said. “I don’t think you can ever be too prepared.”

     Some people appear to have their head in the sand in ignoring what has happened in Wisconsin lately, with people barging through security, climbing in through windows, making death threats against the Governor, and several protesters having to be  physically removed by police. Some chamber directors and officers went so far as to say they were unaware of the security precautions and one even called it “an over-reaction at a minimum.”  With the threats and increased level of lunacy and disrespect shown in the Wisconsin protests, a person has to be pretty naive to not appreciate the advance preparations being done by Mr. Wilson to protect them.

      The circus atmosphere and disrespect shown in Wisconsin should be a very clear warning to all States to make preparations ahead of time to ensure the safety of all concerned from these disrespectful, ill-mannered protesters. It is an embarrassment I hope to never see allowed to happen here in Florida.

     Elections have consequences. Republicans have won in many states, and Liberals posing as Democrats are using decent people to deny the process of true Democracy that the people voted for. Toss into the mix self-serving Union operatives who have a distinct pattern of thuggery against anyone who opposes their agenda, and we have the perfect storm for protest violence. Be prepared people.

“In 2008, 56 percent of Wisconsin voters supported Barack Obama for president. In 2009, Wisconsin’s Democratic governor and Democratic Legislature passed legislation that raised taxes and fees by about $1.2 billion over three years. State lawmakers approved the bill on the very day it was introduced, with no public hearingRemember that ? ” (emphasis mine)

Fast forward to this past week in the Wisconsin State Assembly, where we saw a totally disgusting display of rudeness by the minority Democrats after the budget bill was passed. The majority of the Democrats were all dressed in red as some kind of intimidation tactic to begin with. Then after the bill was passed, they all started screaming and pointing fingers at Republicans as they filed out of the room. It reminded me of a 3 year old who had been told he had been a  rotten kid all day long and therefore he would not get the ice cream he had asked for. I believe this is unethical conduct for State Legislators, and hope that the disrespectful offenders in this case will all be brought up on  ethics charges.  If that display doesn’t show a lack of proper ethics,I don’t know what does. Put these disrespectful clowns up on stage before the entire Assembly and  play the video for everyone to see. I am very disappointed in the entire State of Wisconsin and  their State Leaders  for allowing this political circus to reach new levels of  ridiculousness in recent days. This has got to be stopped. Make examples of these clowns. Let’s go ahead and put a link of the video of these people in here for all to see. Take a good look at the Wisconsin reps here:

What makes this situation even more disgusting and reprehensible, is the fact exposed in the above quote of how Democrats used their Majority power to pass a tax increase onto the people of Wisconsin of about  $1.2 billion over 3 years back in 2009 with no debate!   They introduced the bill and passed it one the very same day with zero public hearings. A tax increase over a billion dollars was done by the Governor and State Lawmakers with no input from the rest of the Legislators or the people of Wisconsin. The Governor and both houses were under the control of the Democrats at the time. That is hypocrisy to the tenth degree folks. What say the good   folks up there in Wisconsin about that?  Surely the whole state can not be so ignorant as to not call the Liberals on these truths here, can they?

Minority leader Peter Barca proves just how pathetically hypocritical these Democrats are when he stated: ” “The governor and Assembly Republicans are so out of touch that they are willing to resort to these extreme ends to achieve their legislative goals,” Minority Leader Peter Barca said at a news conference.”  Extreme ends Pete? What would you call the episode back in 2009 that we have documented for our readers here? FYI the vote this past week that passed the budget bill was passed at 1 a.m. after 60 hours of solid debate!  Your liberal Democrats and Governor rammed through a billion dollar tax increase after allowing  no debate!

So  here we see a group of extreme hypocrites from the Democratic Party blocking the State Legislature from functioning as the law dictates, while at the same time    rallying  a bunch of  Union cronies with cries of Democracy. Throw in the fact that the majority of the media misfits are strictly on the sides of the Unions here,and we have a hell of a nasty situation.  I  am willing to bet the Wisconsin farm here, that even with all the proof before them, the good people of Wisconsin will take no action against the Democrats, such as recall elections for the Senators illegally hiding to avoid doing their sworn duty. They refuse to open their eyes to the fact that Governor Walker is trying to balance the budget for the sake of all citizens in Wisconsin. We have proven the Democracy Hypocrisy of the Democrats up in Wisconsin right here for all of them to see.  Will they stand behind their duly elected Governor Walker in installing some fiscal sanity for the benefit of everyone, or will they become the next irresponsible State to have to resort to begging for Federal bailouts due to impending bankruptcy?

Sources:
* http://townhall.com/columnists/debrajsaunders/2011/02/27/the_cheesehead_rubicon

Today we are being told that the Union protests will spread across the nation. I believe this could be the start of what Glenn Beck has exposed as self-professed Communist activist Van Jones’  top down, bottom up, inside out theory of radically transforming America. Remember that these people follow the mantra of , “Never let a good crisis go to waste.”   Mr. Jones was injected into our government as the “Green Jobs Czar” by one Barack Hussein Obama as an appointee with the approval of longtime Chicago confidant Valerie Jarrett, who is now in our very own Whitehouse as a senior advisor  to Barack Obama also. Her prior qualifications to be directly involved in our government today? She is a known Chicago slumlord who was once the Chief of Staff for the King of Chicago corruption, Ex-Mayor Richard Daley. His youngest son, Bill Daley is also Obama’s new Chief of staff in our Whitehouse. Mr Jones can be seen in the photo to the left promoting riots in trying to free a convicted cop killer. This man  certainly gives a  new meaning to the term,”community Organizer.” Mr. Jones is calling for nationwide protests against All state governments starting today, in conjunction with Obama’s heavily State government embedded, UNIONS. This is seizing upon the manufactured crisis in Wisconsin and their mantra of not letting a good crisis go to waste.

Lisa Gras, a very dedicated and informative writer, has put together an excellent article on billionaire economic terrorist George Soros  that should be read  by all Americans who are not familiar with the puppet-master, government overthrowing economic terrorist Mr. George Soros.  http://lisagraas.com/2011/02/05/five-revolutions-backed-by-george-soros/ Soros backed the Liberal Democrats back in the 2008 election, pouring millions into the campaigns of  BOTH  Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. One way or the other, Mr. Soros was guaranteeing that he would have a place at the Whitehouse dinner table and he succeeded. Without Whitehouse support, this word re-known economic terrorist would certainly find himself rotting in an American prison today. Soros was found guilty of insider trading after a 14 year investigation in France* and was fined 2.3 million dollars. This is a man who is also famous for breaking the Bank of England , and was  caught by the SEC here in America  in a stock trading scandal back in 1979, and agreed that he wouldn’t do it anymore. No criminal charges were filed there. The laws about insider trading differ greatly from one country to another. Unlike American law, French law does not provide for civil enforcement actions in insider trading cases; they may be pursued here only as criminal matters. Mr Soros is also known as a man without a country today, yet he is now spending most of his time here in the United States.

In the above referenced article by Lisa Gras, that well-researched and very informative article shows us how George Soros has been undermining governments across the globe since 1984, leading right to the doorstep of the recent Middle East upheaval. What does this have to do with  the current Wisconsin protests, Van Jones, Richard Trumka and Barack Hussein Obama and now the Communist Party USA ?  Apparently more than most people currently know in this country today. Every one of the countries that George Soros was involved in written in Lisa’s article have one thing in common:  The overthrowing of governments through George Soros financed quasi-covert political operations. This also always involves the corruption of the Media, as Soros has poured millions of dollars into newspapers, Tv stations, media networks, etc. He recently gave huge amountss of s=csahs to leftist groups, such as MoveOn.org and The Huffington Post. Here you can see how they have signed up today to promote the protests across America. http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=238 This is a bid to protect the progressive movement’s power base for the 2012 elections, folks, nothing more. These puppets could care less about the American people and their quality of life.  Soros also seems to monitor political situations worldwide , and then has shown the uncanny ability to sow the seeds of discontent among the people of those countries at just the right time, resulting in “the fundamental transformation” of those countries and new governments being formed. With our States rights blocking the Federal Government’s intrusions into their own governments, the George Soros funded Liberal agenda can not advance their plans and they know this. Thus they are desperately trying to turn the Wisconsin budget crisis into a national issue. For those of you blindly worshipping Mr. Barack Hussein Obama still today, I shall include a very relative direct quote from Mr. Obama right here and right now:

“We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America

* http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/21/business/soros-is-found-guilty-in-france-on-charges-of-insider-trading.html?pagewanted=1

              2009 – 2010 Campaign Cash- Industries*

         2009- 2010  Top 5 Contributers*

    Those are a lot of  favors owed by Ms. Castor there, and if she thinks she can pay them off with a multi-billion dollar rail plan, no matter the cost to the taxpayers of Florida, she’s got another thing coming. Yes sir, I see a big storm brewing in the near future for the Florida region. Ms. Castor is so sure she will be able to pay off future donors with this Rail plan, that she even held a press conference today. Just like in Wisconsin, Castor’s “press conference” was even attended by nasty Democratic operatives with signs such as “Impeach Scott, and other types of ugliness. Impeach Scott, for doing what we elected him to do? I don’t think so . Grow up people. You are an embarrassment to the  true meaning of a grassroots movement and Democracy. Yes Sir, a big storm is surely brewing in Central Florida. If you want to know what other area politicians are behind this scheme, you don’t have to look far.  Also at this pep rally against the people of Florida , were what they call “candidates.” TBO.com explains it like this:

“Castor and several candidates for the mayor and city council supporting high-speed rail were present. Opponents, in the minority of those attending the rally, mingled among those who favor it.” (emphasis mine)

    Let me get this straight here. TBO.com deems it important enough to point out that the opponents at this unannounced press conference were in the minority. Mr. Ted Jackovics of the Tampa Tribune, shows his lack of any hint of the ability to write  an unbiased report right there, not to mention his lack of journalistic integrity he shows in pushing one agenda or the other here in Tampa, time after time after time. FYI Ted, the only people showing up there were people paid by them to show support for this scheme or the privileged few who were called ahead of time. Otherwise, just how did they happen to show up with those nasty hate-signs? I saw no announcement of this press conference. I for one, am sick of reading this shameful misinformation from our supposed reporters today. Do you think there might have been some opponents to the plan show up, if this had been announced?

      Of course there would have been, we voted no just last year on this scheme, and I would be one of the people telling you where to stuff your fantasy here. I call it a fantasy, because no businessman in his right mind thinks this will not be a big black hole sucking down taxpayers dollars for decades to come. Castor, Bill Nelson, Mayor Iorio and assorted corrupto-crats are trying to convince us otherwise with another phony “plan” announced today. This was at the same press conference where they made very vague statements that do not prove anything to me about how this rail plan is supposed to make money in the end. Of course if you listen to the fantasies of Sen.  Bill Nelson, Rep.Cathy Castor and other assorted Liberal elitists, Obamacare will insure millions of people for free, lower the national debt and give Seniors better healthcare by taking 500 billion dollars of funding away from them. This is a nasty shell game these Florida/Tampa corrupto-crats are playing to try to cement future campaign donations for the 2012 elections and beyond. Yes Siree, there’s a storm brewing down here in Florida.. Here is another tidbit from TBO.com today:

“Our goal over the next day or two will be to put a written proposal in front of Gov. Scott that he can review,” she said. ” •Put the proposal before Scott to assure him that a private company that wins a bid to build and operate the system would be responsible for any possible construction cost overruns, revenue shortfalls, or financial obligations for repayments of federal grants should the project at any point fail; and last but not least is a good one: ‘Private firms have indicated they would make up the difference between the federal grant and the ultimate cost of construction, as well operate the high-speed rail line with revenue that would not involve government subsidies.”

     First of all we demand to know a few particulars here Ms. Castor, like just which ” private firms” are involved here? Exactly who will be in charge of  project oversight after they get their foot in the door for this project?  How many of these jobs will actually be given to Floridians ? How about your vaunted “transparency” the Democrats like to preach about today?  Sure seems to be a lot of secret deals going on here already, and the people of Florida need to demand some answers before this even gets started. How about a scheduled set of meetings from Tampa to Orlando to hear what the real people think about this deal before you submit your “Plan” to Governor Scott? Will it be deemed a criminal offense to give any jobs for this project to the Democrats friends for votes, Illegal Immigrants?  The fact is, that the people have already told you they don’t want this high speed rail. Your initial projected numbers about the financial viability of this project were already proven to be a bunch of hot air. I say once they get their foot in the door with this misguided bait and switch,  that it will be just like Amtrak. Remember Amtrak?  That was private at one time too. Today?  Billions of taxpayer dollars are being stolen to prop up that so-called ”private venture,” that has also been plagued with fraud, corruption, and malfeasance. And Amtrak runs up and down the heavily populated Northeast, unlike sparsely populated Central Florida. 

     My take on this whole scheme? If the people do not speak up, and Governor Scott believes this Amtrak2 plan for Florida, we will be facing a state sales tax within 2 years here in Florida. They may call it something else, but one way or the other these big spending Democrats and their corrupto-crat pals have one agenda today: Tax the working folks as much as they can, any way they can, as has been proven throughout American history. Here is a telling question for all the Democrats and others involved in this rail scheme: ” With Democrats constantly screaming for the rich businessman to pay more in taxes today, just what businessmen are lined up with your plan here? How can these Democrats climb into bed with these evil capitalists that they bash every single day today? Are we supposed to believe that these anonymous business firms here are willing to lose billions of dollars just to snuggle up to this bunch of  Tampa politicians? Oh wait, since Senator Bill Nelson is wheeling and dealing on this deal up in Washington DC, which lobbyists is he in bed with up there, and what have they been promised?  Talk about strange bed-fellows teaming up for the high-speed rail love affair here. Every businessman I have ever met, is in business to make money. Where did you find these people who are supposedly all lined up to be happily taxed more, and are willing to take the heavy losses that are sure to come with this plan?

     We are being told here today folks, that whether we want this high speed rail running through the heart of Florida or not, the corrupto-crats are going to do it anyway. I sure hope Governor Scott doesn’t fall for the Amtrak2 bait and switch of these mathematically challenged politicians from here in Tampa. I am betting that the Businessman we elected as Governor, Rick Scott will see through this gimmickry. As in the picture above, the clouds are rolling in here, over Central Florida. Next up? Governor Scott’s budget cuts. Is that thunder I hear?

   ” We are exploring with the Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, how we could keep this project going forward since the state of Florida will not participate. We have the lawyers researching it,” Nelson told The Palm Beach Post.

Definition of a Tyrant: An absolute ruler, unrestrained by law or constitution. A usurper of  sovereignty. A ruler who exercises absolute power oppressively or brutally. Mr Nelson fits all 3 definitions to a tee here. There is such a thing as a Florida constitution that lays out the duties ands authority of the Florida Governor. In the above statement our Tyrant of the Week, Senator Bill Nelson, somehow thinks he can ignore the governor’s decision and round up a group of lawyers along with transportation secretary RayLaHood to do an “end around” on Governor Scott here.

 Lets look at the background to this whole situation here. In 2000, when the economy was rolling along nicely, several groups of city and state politicians started exploring the possibility of a high speed rail system to go from Tampa, to Orlando Florida. That was 11 years ago and the economy has deteriorated drastically since then. They held a vote and the people of Florida approved moving forward with this rail plan in 2000. Fast forward to 2010, during the mid-term elections  the people of Florida, faced with rising taxes and huge State deficits, voted NO to this rail plan. These same people elected Rick Scott to lead Florida out of the recession as their Governor. Mr. Scott looks over all the bloated revenue projections and possible costs to the Florida tax payers while going over the state budget plan, and decides that this is a disaster waiting to happen. Mr. Scott then announces that the high speed rail plan will be stopped.  Enter Senator Bill Nelson, my Tyrant of the Week with the above statement. The people said no, the Governor says no, yet the Tyrant says he will do it anyway, the rule of law be damned!

   Today Florida has a $3.6 Billion dollar deficit. This isn’t free money from the feds here, if the plan fails Florida taxpayers are on the hook to pay back 3.2 billion dollars. I live near Tampa. I worked in Orlando and traveled between the cities for years. Those saying this rail plan will increase tourism are living in a world of fantasy. Gov. Scott asked if these funds could be used to widen the I-4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando, since congestion is one of the reasons they use when pushing for this plan. The Feds said NO. Why do you think that happened? Another fact is that every rail system in North America operates at a huge loss to the taxpayers. Look at Amtrak for an obvious example. The Washington Times* shows us just what happens when the Federal government gets into the train business.

  “What authorities ultimately unraveled was that two former Amtrak officials, in fiscal 2001, either booked false or incorrect accounting entries in Amtrak’s monthly financial statements or else failed to report the activities.In turn, these same misleading accounting entries helped make Amtrak’s monthly financial results appear closer to budget than they really were. What’s more, the “inappropriate entries” were being made when Amtrak was sending monthly and quarterly financial reports to its own board of directors, the Department of Transportation, the Federal Railroad Administration and others, records show.” (emphasis mine)

  Former congressman Ray LaHood, now the Secretary of Transportation, was also caught securing 60 million tax dollars in earmarks for his district in 2008, with 9 million of that going to campaign donors, as was reported in The Washington Post. Now he is wheeling and dealing in Amtrak. Amtrak received 1.2 billion tax dollars in 2005.  Amtrak  had also submitted a request to congress for an addition 1 billion in funding annually for the next 10 years at one point. Can you say money pit? So now we hear that the Transportation Department, along with our Tyrant of the Week, Senator Bill Nelson are going to illegally bypass the people of Florida and their elected Governor, and shove this high speed rail boondoggle down out throats anyway. That is the action of a tyrant, not a U.S Senator elected to serve the people.

    Here we see The Tyrant of the Week with our new freshman Senator Marco Rubio. This represents the past, as Nelson is up for reelection in 2012, and the future of Florida, in Marco Rubio. Look at that picture. The Tyrant’s sunken eyes, bulging neck vessels, red face and clenched jaw are the exact opposite of Marco Rubio’s calm attentive demeanor. A tyrant is also someone who runs and hides from the very people he was elected to serve. Soon to be ex-Senator, Mr. Nelson excels at this part too.   I have on record over 50 phone calls and many, many emails and letters sent to the Tyrant of the Week without receiving one reply. That right there says all there is to say, about the fact that this Tyrant needs to be fired next year. He could care less what the people want, and refuses to listen to them.  When researching  the Florida high speed rail plan, there is also a quickly seen pattern within the reporting on this issue. The first 47 out of 50 Internet searches were all bashing Rick Scott with lies and misinformation about this situation. The real reasons Gov. Scott stated for his stopping this boondoggle are very rarely reported. The true costs to the taxpayers of Florida are ignored. History proves these projects to never come in under budget, and have proven to lose money for decades, yet the crony-capitalists in bed with the politicians pushing this burden onto the people of Florida are controlling the message. That message is deep in misinformation and based in unrealistic revenue projections. Leading that pack of  liars is our very own Tyrant of the Week, Senator Bill Nelson. My hope and change for 2012 starts with getting this Tyrant out of office,  and electing a true representative of the people. That’s what I call “Winning the Future.”

* http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/may/31/amtrak-misled-congress-on-finances/

Florida’s new Governor, Rick Scott turned down the Feds offer of  $432 million of Obama’s “winning the future” stimulus funds this week, as announced during the unveiling of his state budget proposal. Governor referred to the project as a recipe for disaster, while facing down the Obama administration as being “addicted to spending.” Florida has followed Wisconsin and Ohio Republican Governors in refusing to accept federal funds that would lead to bloated, expensive additions to deficits that are already at historic highs. Governor Scott was elected to get spending under control, and he appears determined to do just that, with the help of a Republican majority in the Florida House and Senate. That luxury also leaves Scott without any wiggle room, or excuses for not making the cuts necessary to repair Florida’s sluggish economy. His common sense approach is quite refreshing in his latest statements on the cancellation of the high speed rail project.

“I was elected to get Floridians back to work and to change the way government does business in our state.” And Governor Scott explained exactly why he turned down the federal funds; “Capital cost overruns that could put Florida taxpayers on the hook for an additional $3 billion,” “overly optimistic” ridership and revenue projections, and $2.4 billion owed to the feds if the project “becomes too costly for taxpayers and is shut down.”

There is that same catch that caused Governor Christie to stop the New Jersey to New York high speed rail project.  The truth is that they failed to do any true Life-Cycle budget and revenue projections for proper cost analysis. Add to that the fact that when it becomes proven to be too expensive to complete, the taxpayers would still be on the hook for $2.4 Billion dollars and this truly had all the makings of a disaster!  Thank you Governor Scott, I sure am glad I voted for you, instead of high-speed-rail-at-any-cost, Democrat  Alex Sink!

Governor Scott is a realist when it comes to Florida’s revenue, and also sums up a fact that the federal Government needs to be reminded of when he said, “Government has no resources of its own. Government can only give to us what it has previously taken from us… Higher taxes and more government spending is a recipe for disaster. Government has become addicted to spending beyond its means and we cannot continue this flawed policy.”  The fact that this was still being pushed onto the backs of Floridians, even though we voted down a tax to help pay for this project just last year, is very indicative on just how out of touch our Governments have become today. What part of  “No high-speed rail”  do you people not understand? Apparently, we still have some further house-cleaning to do in our State legislature in 2012. Those names will be duly noted and published, as we get closer to the 2012 elections. We the people of Florida, and across America are tired of being ignored, and being told that career politicians know better than we do on how to spend OUR tax dollars.