On November 6, 2012 Floridians will be asked to vote on eleven amendments to the state constitution. Of these amendments Amendment 8 has become the flash point with groups favoring and opposing passage digging in their heels. The war on words has become a full-fledged battle for the hearts and minds of voters.
The proposed ballot question reads:
Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution providing that no individual or entity may be denied, on the basis of religious identity or belief, governmental benefits, funding, or other support, except as required by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, and deleting the prohibition against using revenues from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution.
The proposed measure would amend Section 3 of Article I of the Florida Constitution to read:
There shall be no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting or penalizing the free exercise thereof. Religious freedom shall not justify practices inconsistent with public morals, peace, or safety. No individual or entity may be discriminated against or barred from receiving funding on the basis of religious identity or belief. No revenue of the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution.
Vote No on 8 states, “Amendment 8, the so-called ‘Religious Freedom’ Amendment, isn’t about Religious Freedom at all. Amendment 8 actually allows the government to give our tax dollars to any group claiming to be a religious organization.”
Say Yes on 8 states, “Amendment 8 preserves time-honored partnerships between government and social service organizations. Amendment 8 ensures continued delivery of social services by faith-based organizations, lowering government costs for taxpayers. Amendment 8 eliminates discrimination against churches and religious institutions that provide social services.”
Amendment 8, if passed, would take the Blaine Amendment out of the Florida Constitution. The Blaine Amendment refers to constitutional provisions that exist in 38 of the 50 state constitutions in the United States, which forbid direct government aid to educational institutions that have any religious affiliation. The Blaine Amendment was originally aimed at Catholics, most notably the Irish, who had immigrated to the U.S. and started their own parochial schools.
In 2002, the United States Supreme Court in the Zelman v. Simmons-Harris decision partially vitiated these Blaine amendments when it ruled that vouchers were constitutional if state funds followed a child to a privately chosen school, even if it were religious. For a voucher program to be constitutional it must meet all of the following criteria: the program must have a valid secular purpose; aid must go to parents and not to the schools; a broad class of beneficiaries must be covered; the program must be neutral with respect to religion; and there must be adequate nonreligious options.
Billy Atwell in an editorial for the Diocese of Venice in Florida states, “Some support the work of faith-based institutions, but disagree with these institutions accepting government money. They fear faith-based groups would become beholden to the mighty arm of government. Shouldn’t these groups be allowed to serve those in need and do what they do well? It is one thing to say faith-based groups shouldn’t accept government dollars—it is entirely different to outlaw their eligibility for these funds. The current law also flies in the face of religious freedom. Singling out capable social service providers simply because they are faith-based is fiscally unsound and, without a doubt, discrimination.”
While the arguments used by each group focus on religious freedom the real issue is control of taxpayer dollars for K-12 education.
For many it boils down to money, particularly money for K-12 schooling flowing into charter or private faith-based schools. Proponents argue that parents should decide where their child goes to school and the money allocated by the state should follow the child. That is not the case in Florida. Public education fits the definition of a monopoly. This amendment would free parents from being forced into a particular public school. School choice would be empowered if Amendment 8 passes by giving the funding for the child directly to the parent.
Florida Representative Stephen Precourt, a spokesman for the Say Yes on 8 campaigns, stated, “They shouldn’t be telling a group that just because you’re faith-based organization you shouldn’t be participating in the market! Education is a marketplace.”
The ballot question boils down to: Should public funding for education follow the child?
Tampa, FL – The Education Coalition announces a 9/11 Remembrance in Tampa. Randy McDaniel with the Coalition says: “This gathering in Tampa is both a commemoration of the attack on America by Islamic Jihadists and a protest against terror organization.”
McDaniel explains, “CAIR/HAMAS is a terrorist organization and it’s Tampa spokesman, Hassan Shibly has been permitted to speak in Tampa schools. We believe that this is offensive to the memory of 3000 innocent Americans killed by Islamic terrorists on 9/11/2001, and it is offensive that Hassan Shibly, a representative of CAIR is allowed to address our children. The Hillsborough School Board has enabled Shibly to speak in the Steinbrenner School and they have refused to reverse course.
“We have assembled great speakers and patriots to speak out against CAIR/HAMAS in our schools and against the goal of Radical Islam to impose Sharia Law in America,” notes McDaniel.
A list of speakers and the program agenda follows:
ITINERARY (NOTE: Buses for travel can be arranged from select cities):
11:30 am: Attend the annual 9/11 Prayer Vigil with Jesten Peters at Joe Chillura Park across the street from the Hillsborough County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa Florida.
1:00 pm: Meet & Assemble at Joe Chillura Park, march (2 blocks) to the School Board for Rally & Press Conference at the Hillsborough County School Board, 901 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa Florida. Rally open to all who oppose CAIR in the Classroom. Respectfully request that you join us & share this information with all like minded PATRIOTS in your sphere of influence… this is a statewide request.
2:00 pm: Press Conference in front of Hillsborough County School Board. Contact Terry Kemple tkemple@integrity.com or Randy McDaniels actjacksonville@gmail.com if your organization would like to participate in the press conference.
3:00 pm: Comments for formal policy to ban CAIR in front of board members. In event our item is removed from the agenda, comments will be at 5:00 pm by select representatives of the Education Coalition. All others can break for dinner and travel to church at this time for briefing and screening of “Losing our Sons” at The River Church.
5:45 pm: Doors open at the River Church for briefing Nationally Recognized Speakers listed above and others to be named later. The River Church is located at 3738 River International Drive, Tampa Florida, 33610.
6:30 – 9:00 pm: 9/11 ceremony, Security Briefing and screening of “Losing our Sons”.
Government is famous for wasting time and money all at the expense of taxpayers. The greatest waste has been attributed to the “green movement” and its efforts to save the planet by controlling human activities, such as emissions of CO2. This political and uniquely unscientific movement has led the Florida legislature to create comprehensive planning legislation, implement caps on carbon emissions and most recently create an Energy Economic Zone (EEZ) pilot project.
Sarasota County has established by ordinance an Energy Economic Zone. The first public hearings on the EEZ pilot project in Sarasota County are being held in September. Citizens and business will learn what the EEZ is all about. But what is end purpose of an EEZ? What will be accomplished by establishing an EEZ in Sarasota County?
My answer: The greatest expansion of local government power over your and my pursuit of happiness.
1. Any governmental expansion of power always meets with stiff public resistance and the EEZ is meeting stiff resistance. The EEZ has been denounced with bi-partisan support in Sarasota County. Neighborhood associations, anti-growth proponents and Democrats are standing shoulder to shoulder with TEA Party groups, 912 Project members and the Republican Party of Sarasota Executive Committee to denounce this project and its attempt to control the lives of citizens.
2. Economic zones do not work. County Commissioner Nora Patterson in an e-mail to an opponent of the EEZ states, “Our existing enterprise zone [in Newtown] is truly a depressed area and I can tell you in advance that the overall situation has not improved, in fact quite the opposite given the economic downturn.” So Commissioners know that enterprise zones do not work from the Newtown failure. Why throw good money after bad? Because it feels good to do so. The EEZ is being driven by ideology, not by any proven method to create jobs or expand the economy in Florida.
3. One of the purposes of the EEZ is to create energy efficiencies and thereby reduce energy usage. This is a FALSE premise as greater efficiency leads inextricably to greater energy usage. This phenomenon is called the “rebound effect”. Increasing the efficiency of lighting encourages us to illuminate more. This means that we need more energy, not less to meet future demand, expected to increase by 30% over the next decade. The EEZ concept is a fallacy, even if the five sitting County Commissioners believe in this fallacy, it is still a fallacy.
4. The incentives provided in the ordinance as currently written are not defined. This makes the ordinance open to broad interpretation by staff in its implementation. We have experienced what happens when bureaucrats are given the leeway to implement policy in Florida. This has happened with numeric water standards being imposed on the state by the Environmental Protection Agency. Placing Draconian standards on water quality to save us from ourselves. Standards that cannot be met!
5. The incentives are front loaded without regard to clearly defined end results. Under the current proposed ordinance businesses would be awarded incentive grants in addition to tax abatements for job creation. The business would promise to create new “green jobs”. This is a failed model, see reason #2 above. You and I do not pay a business until the job is done. In this case County government is so trusting that they will pay upfront for a promise of future job creation. The County has tried this recently with Sanborn studios. Sanborn Studios closed its Lakewood Ranch facility in December 2011 after just one year in operation. The company that promised to produce Hollywood movies, TV shows and create more than 100 jobs in Sarasota got a $650,000 grant from Sarasota County. It is good to learn from experience right?
6. The EEZ is “crony capitalism” writ large. Crony capitalism is a term describing an economy in which success in business depends on close relationships between business people and government officials. It may be exhibited by favoritism in the distribution of legal permits, government grants, special tax breaks, and so forth. The proposed ordinance establishing an EEZ is the ultimate example of crony capitalism. Government picks the winners and losers, not the free markets. This always leads to corruption and political favoritism.
7. Government does not create jobs! The great myth is that government can via incentives create something from nothing. Jobs are created only when a business cannot meet the market demand for its products or services. That is an economic fact. What can government do to help create a market for a product or service? Nothing, absolutely nothing. What government can do best is to do the least. That is to say government is best that governs least. Protecting property rights is the role of government.
8. All of the County Commissioners are Republicans dedicated to limited government and the U.S. Constitution. The Republican Party of Sarasota Executive Committee passed a resolution condemning “local ‘sustainable development’ policies such as Smart Growth, Wildlands Project, Resilient Cities, Regional Visioning Projects, and other ‘Green’ or ‘Alternative’ projects.” The EEZ falls squarely into all of these categories! A copy of the full resolution was presented to each Commissioner.
9. The County’s attempt to establish an EEZ has led to at least one law suit. According to Kathy Attunes, “The EEZ and attached Enterprise Zone incentives are separate statutes. It can be argued that the Enterprise Zone statutes exist independently of the EEZ statute (377.809), and these state Enterprise Zone statutes apply independent of any local eligibility requirements and a $300,000 cap. The EEZ green standards and $300,000 cap are not outlined in the Enterprise Zone statutes; the statutes do not mirror each other. We are concerned that the EEZ statute and linked Enterprise Zone incentives are in conflict, which potentially sets the County up for litigation brought by businesses who have met Enterprise Zone criteria but not County EEZ standards. We do not want the BCC to proceed with a program that opens the door to a flood of untargeted Enterprise Zone tax breaks, and the possibility of having local control negated by state statute.” I agree more litigation will follow.
10. Finally, this is just bad public policy and a waste of taxpayer money.
There are many other reasons why the EEZ is bad policy for Sarasota County but in the interest of brevity I have listed only my top ten.
I do not need nor want government telling me how to save energy. I am perfectly able doing that on my own. If I wish to waste energy then I will pay an economic price for that behavior. That is how personal freedom and free markets work. Government forcing choices upon me is morally wrong. The EEZ is morally wrong!
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/danger-sign-e1386786365929.jpg312398Dr. Rich Swierhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngDr. Rich Swier2012-09-09 07:45:542013-12-11 13:26:32Danger: Energy Economic Zone Ahead
Jobs are top of mind during the 2012 election cycle. Elected officials from President Obama on down are touting their pro-economic growth records and job creation skills. Sarasota County is no exception. It is appropriate to review their on going efforts to “create jobs” in Sarasota County, FL.
In April 2009 Sarasota County released its Five-Year Economic Development Strategic Plan. The Five-Year Plan states, “Community and business leaders have made it clear that a shotgun approach will no longer work. This proposed plan is based on five guiding principles: Promote the growth/health of existing businesses; Create an environment that promotes homegrown businesses and innovation; Diversify the economy through platforms that build on our unique assets; Make strategic plays in emerging markets; Leverage resources and investments to grow capacity to pursue economic opportunities.”
The plan may be characterized as the County Commission’s “jobs bill”. The strategic plan, now in its third year, recognized that the recession had hit Sarasota.
Based upon the strategic plan, the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners on September 15, 2010 passed Resolution 2010-199. It created a goal to “promote economic activity in the County by providing economic incentives that will encourage diverse new businesses to relocate to Sarasota County and current businesses to expand.” One of the things created was an “economic development fund” and an incentives or awards program. One of the purposes is to attract new or help expanding companies that “provide an above-average wage to its employees”.
The resolution goes into great detail to lay out a series of “Economic Development Factors” that “shall be applied when the Board makes its determination on ad valorem tax exemptions to a requesting business”. But what about guidelines for the “economic development fund”? This question is germane as the fund has already given out $4,482,303 with an additional $5,527,797 in awards remaining to be paid. The $10 million for this “fund” came from the sale of foreclosed properties and collection of unpaid County property taxes. Click here to view the 2012 Economic Development report to the County (slides 65-68).
Jeff Maultsby, Manager of Business and Economic Development, Steve Botelho and Lisa Damschroder from the Office of Financial Planning and Joan McGill, Vice President of Business Development at the Economic Development Corporation, said there is no system in place to select the best candidates to meet the goals established by the County Commission. As of now there is no way to accurately determine any return on investment to the County from these awards (staff indicated the purchase of a software program may to help address this).
Here is an analysis of the County economic development efforts to date:
Of the $4.48 million awarded, PGT received $600,00 and Tervis Tumbler $450,00 (two awards) given since 2010, for a combined total payout of $1,050,000 (23% of all awards to date). These two companies actually added the following: PGT – 432 jobs, Tervis Tumbler – 413 jobs. PGT and Tervis Tumbler added 845 or 80.6% of 1,048 jobs created to date under this awards program.
This would seem like a big win for the County until one drills down a little deeper.
As Resolution 2010-199 states the County Commission wants to attract and expand businesses with an “above-average wage”. The average wage for all industries in Sarasota County according to the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research is $38,660.
According to County staff the actual average wages are: PGT $24,335 (initially projected average wage of $29,500), Tervis Tumbler $26,572 (initially projected average wage of $31,500). Both companies fell well short of the existing County average wage of $38,660: PGT 38% lower and Tervis Tumbler 31% lower. If the County wanted above-average wages they did not get them with these two companies. Even the “projected average wages” for each company were below the County average wage.
If the goal is above-average wages then why give money to any company projecting below-average wages?
Would these jobs have been created without the County awards? According to PGT President Rodney Hershberger the company was planning to close its plant in North Carolina in the 2006-2007 time frame due to the housing slump. The greatest concern was a lack of land and buildings. In the middle of 2010 PGT began looking at options to move the equipment and employees to Florida, with Sarasota, Jacksonville and Miami as possible sites. PGT primarily serves customers in Florida with impact (hurricane) windows and the North Carolina plant was half impact and half non-impact windows. The plant would be closed and operations moved closer to its Florida market. The intent was to move employees to Florida. However, due to deep family roots at the NC plant only 30 employees actually relocated to Sarasota County. Sarasota was always the top choice because this is where PGT was founded and its the central home location, which best serves its impact windows market. Rodney said of the newly hired employees about 70% live in Sarasota, 10% in Manatee County and 20% in Charlotte County. According to Tim Graham, VP of Human Resources for Tervis Tumbler, “Through the assistance provided to Tervis by the EDC grant we were able to substantially increase our production capacity and employment at Tervis.” PGT used its award to off set the cost of moving equipment. Tervis used its two awards to off set impact fees.
Why did Sarasota County taxpayers invest over $1 million in two well established local companies?
Let’s take a look at the remaining 203 jobs “created” to date. Forty-one had an average wage below the County average. The remaining 162 jobs had an average wage of $52,496 or 36% higher than the County average. This average wage increase was offset by the 886 below-average wage jobs.
There remain award commitments of over $5.5 million for the creation of a “projected” 1260 jobs. Will these create more above-average wage jobs? According to the County spreadsheet the companies yet to produce jobs have a “projected average wage” of $50,232. The “actual average wage” of jobs created by these companies to date is $43,368 or 14% lower than the currently projected wages. Another issue is most of the money given to date was given up front before any jobs were created. The current contracts give companies anywhere from 1 to 6 years to actually create the jobs. It should be noted that only recently do the contracts with the County state that the awards will not be made until after the jobs are created. I believed they learned a harsh lesson from $650,000 awarded to Sandborn Studios on September 2, 2010 with no jobs created to date.
Finally, there are nine awards listed on the Economic Development Incentives spreadsheet to either other governments (e.g. City of North Port Economic Development Study, City of Sarasota Newtown Business Assistance Program) or non-profit agencies (e.g. SCOPE – Institute for the Ages, Rev 3 Triathlon). How does a triathlon attract companies offering above-average jobs you may ask? The monies allocated to these governmental and non-profit entities total $3.84 million or 70% of all remaining awards. This allocation of funding is interesting for two reasons 1) there is no system to measure jobs created by inter-governmental transfers and 2) there is already in place a competitive system to allocate funds to non-profit organizations run by the same office that runs this business incentive awards program. This system has been totally bypassed using these “business” awards to non-profits. The awards may violate the intent if not the verbiage of the County Resolution 2010-199 “to relocate and expand existing businesses”. I did not know the County wanted more non-profits who don’t pay taxes to the County!
The Sarasota County Commission took money owed to taxpayers and redistributed it to a stimulus program that: lacked strict/measurable criteria for awarding the money, created jobs that by enlarge offer below-average wages and has no accurate way to measure any return on the taxpayers investment to the County.
The Sarasota County Commission on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 voted unanimously to repeal and replace Resoluton 2010-199 related to economic incentives provided for businesses that relocate to the county.
David E. Merrill, Sarasota business owner and former Mayor of the City of Sarasota, in a September 8, 2012 email to the County Commissioners stated, “So that you don’t look as foolish as Charlie Christ and the city and county commissioners in St. Lucie, I urge you to stop giving ‘corporate welfare’ checks to companies in the name of economic development, and, instead, focus on building a really great community through wise urban design and a focus on aesthetics and quality-of-life issues. Let the bankers and investors fund private businesses, not our governments.”
Government does not create jobs, profits do. The more products produced the more profit generated. As demand rises, profits rise and more workers are needed to provide the product or service offered. Without profit there can be no job growth. Government must take profits from one company and redistribute it to another to meet government’s goals.
00Dr. Rich Swierhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngDr. Rich Swier2012-09-09 05:43:312012-09-09 05:43:31Sarasota County’s 2009 Jobs Plan – An Analysis
Jeffrey S. Solochek, staff writer for the Tampa Bay Times, reports, “Florida’s next education commissioner needs to have room to do the job without political interference, state Board of Education members said Friday as they set requirements for the vacancy.”
But do the Commissioners really want to stop political interference?
The Florida Board of Education (BOE) is itself political. Outgoing Chairwoman Kathleen M. Shanahan has held federal and state public policy positions of chief of staff for Florida Governor Jeb Bush, chief of staff to Vice President-elect Dick Cheney, deputy secretary of the California Trade and Commerce Agency, special assistant to then Vice President George Bush, and staff assistant on President Reagan’s National Security Council.
Vice Chairman Roberto Martinez, a lawyer, served as Chairman of the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission; Special Counsel to Attorney General Charlie Crist; and as Chairman of the District Board of Trustees of Miami Dade College; Chair of Attorney-Elect Charlie Crist’s transition; General Counsel to Governor Jeb Bush during the gubernatorial transition.
Solochek quotes Martinez as saying, “The person has to be able to deal with the political process. But I think all of us … need to understand we need to give that person a lot of autonomy so they can function professionally with minimal interference from the political folks.”
On September 7, 2012 the State Board of Education moved forward with the search for the next Commissioner of Education approving the candidate profile developed by Ray and Associates. The search firm is conducting a nationwide search for Florida’s chief education officer who will be responsible for all aspects of the state’s Pre-K-20 education system. The deadline for applications is Sept. 27, 2012.
The Florida Legislature and Board of Education have come under fire from citizens with two actions that have disenfranchised students, parents and citizens.
The first action was removing citizen participation in the selection of text books used in Florida’s public schools. More recently the BOE unanimously voted to lower school passing scores after 2011 FCAT scores plummeted. This lowering of school passing scores occurred after political pressure from teachers unions, the superintendents association and school boards across Florida.
The Florida based Textbook Action Team (TAT) in May, 2011 became outraged with a provision in SB 2120 lines 118-120, which was passed by the Republican led legislature. The provision cuts out lay people from the State Instructional Materials Committee.
“Today all of Florida’s public school textbooks will be selected by bureaucrats, not citizens and parents” notes Sheri Krass, State Chairperson for TAT. Krass stated in a letter to Governor Scott, “Now, in a boldfaced attempt to avoid having to seat some of these individuals on the Committee, your State Legislature has passed SB 2120 which employs ‘three state or national experts in the content areas submitted for adoption’ to review the instructional materials and evaluate the content for alignment with the applicable Next Generation Sunshine State Standards. This move allows them to continue to deprive our students of the quality education they deserve.”
The second action was lowing the passing scores of public schools statewide.Cara Fitzpatrick, Shelly Rossetter and Jefferry S. Solochek of the Tampa Bay Timesin their article “After FCAT scores plunge, state quickly lowers the passing grade” reported, “After conceding that poor communication with teachers could have contributed to the unprecedented plunge in Florida students’ writing scores this year, the state Board of Education voted Tuesday to lower the passing mark for the test.”
Teachers and administrators have known about the new testing standards for over a year. Teachers and school administrations actually write the Sunshine State Standards, the test questions and administer the tests. Many parents and citizens do not accept the premise that there was a communication gap. The new standards require that a student use proper sentence structure, punctuation and spelling. Each of these are fundamental to learning how to write.
All members of the Florida Board of Education are political appointees. How can politics be taken out of the classroom and replaced by empowered parents, students and citizens?
How do you take politics out of education? Perhaps this video from the Reason Foundation titled “The Machine” will help explain:
00Dr. Rich Swierhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngDr. Rich Swier2012-09-08 09:11:552012-09-08 09:11:55Do We Really Want a Strong Commissioner of Education?
Palm Beach County Democratic Chairman Mark Alan Siegel issued an apology over inflammatory comments made yesterday during an interview at the Democratic National Convention.
In response to being asked if he is a fan of Christianity, as shown in the video below, Siegel said;
“I’m Jewish, I’m not a fan of any other religion than Judaism….The Christians just want us to be there so we can all be slaughtered and converted and bring on the second coming of Jesus Christ.”
Siegel’s statement released today, no doubt coming after someone had a ‘Come to Jesus’ moment with him – pardon the pun;
“I apologize to all Democrats and Floridians for my ill chosen words last night. After watching the interview I realize that what I said did not accurately make the point I was trying to establish. More importantly I apologize to all Christians, Jews and other people of faith for any embarrassment or anger my remarks may have caused. Throughout my life I have practiced religious tolerance among all people of faith. I am sincerely sorry for any remarks I made that may have diminished that record. I alone am responsible for my remarks and I pray that they are not taken as the position of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party.”
Watch the video of Siegel making his statement at the DNC:
UPDATE: Palm Beach County Democratic Chairman Mark Alan Siegel has resigned.
As President Obama prepares to take the stage tonight and accept his party’s nomination for re-election there is an ongoing discussion about the state of the economy. The great question is: Are we as a nation better off today than four years ago?
Media Matters states, “In their attempts to grapple with the question of whether Americans are better off, cable news outlets have regularly failed to provide important context about the dire state of the economy in late 2008, when millions of jobs were lost.” Investors Business Daily reports, “Obama’s argument is simple: The economy was headed for a second Great Depression when he took office — hemorrhaging GDP and jobs. His stimulus, the auto bailouts and so on, prevented that, and the economy has since been slowly digging out of the massive ditch into which President Bush drove it. Thus, Obama says, he deserves an ‘incomplete’ grade.”
Media Matters focuses on statements from five economists reflecting upon September 2008 and the financial crisis. Diana Henriques, who covered finance for The New York Times, states, “September 2008 was one of the scariest months I have ever experienced as a business reporter. We had seen Bear Stearns nearly fail, we had seen Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac taken under receivership.”
IBD takes a comparative approach, looking at key indicators then and now. IBD uses the following examples to answer the question:
• Median incomes: These have fallen 7.3% since Obama took office, which translates into an average of $4,000. Since the so-called recovery started, median incomes continued to fall, dropping $2,544, or 4.8%.
• Long-term unemployed: More than three years into Obama’s recovery, 811,000 more still fall into this category than when the recession ended.
• Poverty: The poverty rate climbed to 15.1% in 2010, up from 14.3% in 2009, and economists think it may have hit 15.7% last year, highest since the 1960s.
• Food stamps: There are 11.8 million more people on food stamps since Obama’s recovery started.
• Disability: More than 1 million workers have been added to Social Security’s disability program in the last three years.
• Gas prices: A gallon of gas cost $1.89 when Obama was sworn in. By June 2009, the price was $2.70. Today, it’s $3.84.
• Misery Index: When Obama took office, the combination of unemployment and inflation stood at 7.83. Today it’s 9.71.
• Union membership: Even unions are worse off under Obama, with membership dropping half a million between 2009 and 2011.
• Debt: Everyone is far worse off if you just look at the national debt. It has climbed more than $5 trillion under Obama, crossing $16 trillion for the first time on Tuesday and driving the U.S. credit rating down.
Media Matters states, “Other veteran financial scribes point to the overall economic picture today as compared to 2008, while also noting that the positive direction of the economy is important, too. Their comments are supported by a number of key indicators: The economy has grown for twelve consecutive quarters; private sector employment has grown for 29 consecutive months, adding millions of jobs; and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has nearly doubled from its low point in March 2009.”
Media Matters quotes Kevin Hall, McClatchy’s national economics correspondent, as saying, “If you go back and look at the charts — you can pull up the GDP chart, we are growing 2 to 2.2 percent — you would say it is clearly yes, compared to a 3.7 percent contraction in the third quarter of 2008, followed by an 8.9 percent contraction in the fourth quarter of 2008.”
The real indicator of if we are doing better will not be determined by economists or statistics. It will be determined at kitchen tables across America. What each family, individual and business owner feels and experiences will determine the truth about are we better off. This will translate into motivation to vote for or against a particular candidate.
Bottom line: Are YOU better off today than 4 years ago?
Watchdog Wire interviews three citizens who are doing extraordinary things. Each heads their respective organization and tells the truth about the issue that is top of mind with them and their organization. Each organization is non-profit and issue oriented.
LISTEN TO THE EXCLUSIVE WATCHDOG WIRE INTERVIEWS WITH INGOGLIA, KRUMHOLZ AND DANNENFELSER.
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Our guests appear on the Podcast at the time noted below:
11:00 to 11:20 Blaise Ingoglia, www.GovernmentGoneWild.org. Blase speaks to government spending that is out of control and discusses his latest video “One Nation, Under Water”.
11:20 – 11:40 Sheila Krumholz, www.OpenSecrets.org. Sheila describes the influence of money on elections and how both political parties have focused on fundraising as the way to get elected, perhaps to the detriment of the election process.
11:40 to Noon Marjorie Dannenfelser, www.SBA-List.org. Marjorie describes the differences between the Democrat and Republican political platforms on the issue of the sanctity of life. She explains the history of the Susan B. Anthony List and its impact on statewide and Congressional elections.
Each guest provides special insights into why this election is so very important to them and their organization.
UPDATE:
This is a video released by SBA-List.org addressing what Marjorie discussed during her interview with Watchdog Wire – Florida:
Florida’s Restore Justice campaign released a 2012 Merit Retention Report Card over the weekend, blasting out an email to supporters statewide containing its research into the records of Supreme Court Justices Pariente, Quince and Lewis in preparation for the merit retention vote this November. The group’s website headline reads “Case Closed” and allows viewers to download the culmination of its research.
“Our voter guide is the product of nearly two years of research into their decisions, dialogue with legal experts and insiders and discussion among concerned voters,” said Jesse Phillips, President of Restore Justice. “We are very excited that for the first time in the history of the state of Florida, citizens will have a real source of information about the rulings the Supreme Court has made on issues important to families and tax payers.”
Following the release of the report, the Restore Justice 2012 campaign will be traveling throughout Florida on what it calls a Score Card Tour. Phillips, along with other grassroots leaders will be speaking to concerned citizens before they decide whether to retain the three embattled Justices for another 6-year term.
Criticized as a reactionary single-issue opposition campaign, Restore Justice is concerned about far more than the Court’s decision to strike the Health Care Freedom Act from the 2010 ballot. The report issues poor grades for each of the three Justices on several issues, including homeowner’s rights, health care, right to vote, education, criminal justice and frivolous lawsuits.
“We’ve been told we should not vote against a Justice just because we disagree with one bad decision,” Phillips said. “But what about ten? At some point they need to be held accountable.”
During September, the campaign will be distributing the scorecard to voters in Brevard, three stops in Broward, Clermont, Jacksonville, Naples, Pinellas, Tampa and The Villages. More stops are scheduled.
Multiple stories are breaking as the Democrat National Convention begins. The most prominent are those dealing with the state of Israel. There is growing evidence that Iran will obtain a nuclear weapon, that sanctions are not having their intended effect and diplomacy has not led to compromise.
Shimon Shiffer of Ynet Newsreports, “The United States has indirectly informed Iran, via two European nations, that it would not back an Israeli strike against the country’s nuclear facilities, as long as Tehran refrains from attacking American interests in the Persian Gulf, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Monday.”
Shiffer notes, “In return, Washington reportedly expects Iran to steer clear of strategic American assets in the Persian Gulf, such as military bases and aircraft carriers.”
“Israeli officials reported an unprecedented low in the two nations’ defense ties, which stems from the Obama administration’s desire to warn Israel against mounting an uncoordinated attack on Iran … According to the New York Times, Washington has also sent Iran a back-channel deal suggesting they curb their nuclear ambitions, but Tehran rejected the deal, saying no agreement is possible sans lifting all West-imposed sanctions,” reports Shiffer.
JTA in a separate article states, “Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of U.S. armed forces, said he does not wish to be “complicit” in a unilateral Israeli strike on Iran.” Dictionary.com defines complicit as, “Involved with others in reprehensible or illegal activity.” Dempsey implies that Israel by striking Iran is doing so illegally and the action is reprehensible.
Dempsey said Thursday that such an attack would “clearly delay but probably not destroy Iran’s nuclear program,” the London Guardian reported. He added, “I don’t want to be complicit if they choose to do it.” Dempsey has also directed that DOD material “offensive to Islam” would be purged from all military training resources.
The United States continues its efforts to shore up the new Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt.
Steven Lee Myers of the New York Times reports, “Nearly 16 months after first pledging to help Egypt’s failing economy, the Obama administration is nearing an agreement with the country’s new government to relieve $1 billion of its debt as part of an American and international assistance package intended to bolster its transition to democracy, administration officials said.”
The loan forgiveness comes while there are increased ground and rocket attacks by HAMAS, an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, from Gaza and by Egyptians from the Sinai.
The Associated Pressreports, “Explosions rocked the southern Israeli city of Eilat late Wednesday [August 15, 2012], and the military said it suspected that rockets were fired from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. No casualties or damage were reported.”
“Eilat is a Red Sea resort next to Sinai, scene of many militant attacks in recent months. On Aug. 5, Sinai militants killed 16 Egyptian soldiers where the borders of Egypt, Israel and Gaza converge. Then they stole Egyptian army vehicles and crashed into Israel, where Israeli forces stopped them with gunfire,” notes the AP article.
Eilat has been the target of previous rocket attacks, apparently from Sinai. Israel has expressed concern about extremist Islamists and Palestinian militants from Gaza operating there.
Clare M. Lopez, a former CIA Operations Officer and Middle East expert, notes, “Israel can be in no doubt that it is being abandoned in its hour of supreme need by its sometime champion, the former defender of the free world—a United States of America now willingly implementing policies that embolden and empower the forces of Islamic jihad and shariah, whether Sunni or Shi’a, which are dedicated to the destruction of us all.”
The United States policy in the Middle East is to boycott, divest and sanction Israel.
Clint Eastwood added his name to those of Mark Twain, Will Rogers and Bob Hope, great American political satirists. The “empty chair” political parody performed by Clint Eastwood at the RNC has gone viral.
Multiple Facebook sites have sprung up calling for pictures of empty chairs to be posted showing dissatisfaction with the current administration. The sites are asking others to join and upload pictures of empty chairs. The empty chair has become iconic, representing the absence of the President on issues of importance to ordinary Americans.
Timothy Dalrymple on Patheos Blog notes, “The liberal elites who are denigrating Clint Eastwood’s speech at the Republican National Convention last night are only hurting themselves. Swing-state independents and undecideds like Clint Eastwood a lot more than they like liberal elites. They will only harden in their support for Clint’s folksy commonsense the more it’s contrasted with the cheap and scornful hyper-partisanship of the Daily Kos and HuffPo crowd.”
Dalrymple states, “I thought the premise was brilliant. Clint seemed a little nervous, a little out of his element, but that only made him more relatable, more like the kind of guy you’d have a beer with. (Seriously, who wouldn’t want to have a beer with Clint Eastwood?) But the premise was perfect.”
THIS EVENT STARTS ON >>> Monday, Sept. 3rd, continuing through election day, Tuesday, Nov. 6th, 2012.
Eastwood Obama!!!
America pays homage to Clint Eastwood’s famous interview of the “Empty Chair”(The empty chair signifies an absentee leader)! Clean off your empty chairs in your garage, and prepare to display them on your front lawns with a “Reserved for President Obama” sign… you can type them out or just write it on a piece of paper, poster board, piece of cardboard etc!!!
God Bless America….and ALL our EMPTY CHAIRS!!!
Please upload your pictures of your empty chairs and your signs to our Event Wall!!! Those of you on Twitter, please share our page with all your peeps! Thank you, EVERYBODY!
~ Chris & Adam ~ 😉
PS – Unfortunately, Facebook does not utilize a “Share” button on Event pages. If you want to share a picture, you need to download it to your computer, then share it! It’s a Facebook default thing! Ugh!!! 🙁
This is very simple. Obama will be accepting his nomination at the DNC during this time. Put an empty chair in front of your home to tell others what you think about the job he has done over the past 3-1/2 years. Take a photo and post it on my page at www.facebook.com/s.j.hUSAk. Please share!!! This is not an endorsement of any candidate, just a way to send a message that we are not happy with how Obama has performed as President.
00Dr. Rich Swierhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngDr. Rich Swier2012-09-03 08:02:242012-09-03 08:02:24National Empty Chair Events Now on Facebook
Neil Munro of the Daily Callerreports, “President Barack Obama was greeted with fleeting applause and extended periods of silence as he offered profuse praise to soldiers and their families during an Aug. 31 speech in Fort Bliss, Texas.”
“His praise for the soldiers — and for his own national-security policies — won cheers from only a small proportion of the soldiers and families in the cavernous aircraft-hangar,” notes Munro.
Florida has 21 military installations including having the Headquarters of the US Central Command in Tampa. Florida is home to over 1.6 million veterans.
Retired Special Forces soldiers, including Navy SEALs, former Iraq War veterans and families who have lost loved ones are now coming out and speaking out. What they are saying does not help the Commander-in-Chief. A growing number of former combat warriors are writing books, starting websites, producing TV ads and posting videos on YouTube all questioning three issues: What happened in the killing of bin Laden; the rules of engagement in Afghanistan and the looming cuts to the Department of Defense, known as “sequestration”.
According to a study done by George Mason University, Florida will lose over 79,400 defense and defense related jobs if the $1.2 trillion in mandatory cuts occur in 2013. Yeshwanth Kandimalla from The Chronicle, reports, “President Barack Obama has noted that he will veto any attempt to reverse the 2013 sequester.”
Michelle Tan, of the Army Times, in an August 13, 2012 column titled “Crisis of Confidence” writes, “Only 26 percent of active Army leaders from sergeant to colonel said they believe the Army is headed in the right direction to prepare for the challenges of the next 10 years.” Tan’s column analyzes the findings of the 2011-12 Center for Army Leadership Annual Survey of Army Leadership released July 30, 2012.
“Citing the Army’s plans to shrink the force and political correctness among the key reasons, this marks an all-time low, down from 33 percent in 2010 and 38 percent in 2006,” notes Tan.
According to Tan, the report lists the following key reasons leaders believe the Army is not headed in the right direction:
An inability to retain quality leaders.
A lack of discipline or the belief that the Army is too soft.
Ineffective leaders at senior levels.
Senior leaders’ tendency to focus on the wrong priorities.
Promotions or advancements for junior leaders are happening too soon.
Insufficient resources, funding or technology.
In addition Tan reports, “24 percent of respondents said the Army’s plans to shrink the force will ‘significantly impact’ the services ability to respond to future conflicts.” The survey showed one in five leaders as “toxic”, which is described in the report as “leaders who promote themselves at the expense of their subordinates”.
00Dr. Rich Swierhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngDr. Rich Swier2012-09-02 11:53:072012-09-02 11:53:07Soldiers Turning Against President Obama?
Hundreds of thousands of Florida homeowners are receiving notices from their insurance carriers stating, “You are paying more for your policy due to an emergency assessment from Florida Citizens.”
Florida Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is the state-run insurer that provides insurance to individuals who are unable to secure coverage through other insurance carriers. Those covered are often in high-risk or coastal areas. The emergency assessment is “necessary to enable Florida Citizens to pay claims they received from past hurricane seasons.” The emergency assessment is for the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (FHCF). The rate increase was passed in July, 2012. According to SunSentinel.com, “Personal residential policies would receive a 10.2 percent statewide average increase, including 10.5 percent for homeowners and 9.7 percent for renters.”
For one homeowner who contacted Watchdog Wire – Florida the emergency assessment on their $160,000 home was $200 per month or $2,400 a year.
Florida has many senior citizens who live on fixed incomes, have seen their investments dwindle and property values drop. A rate increase of this magnitude is problematic for many others who have homes in Florida but live in other states.
To make matters worse it appears that senior officials at Florida Citizens have been spending lavishly while passing on the costs to Florida homeowners. The Florida Citizens website states, “We will demonstrate steadfast adherence to our values and ethical code of conduct.” However, after combing through hundreds of expense reports from the last three years, a team of writers from the Tampa Bay Timesand Miami Herald found executives at the state-run insurance company were living the high life on the company’s dime.
According to investigative reporters Susan Taylor Martin, Jeff Harrington and Toluse Olorunnipa from the Times/Herald, “Chief financial officer Sharon Binnun spent at least $70,000 on travel from January 2011 to June 2012. During trips to Manhattan, Binnun stayed at hotels that cost up to $500 per night. In an April business trip to Bermuda, she upgraded to ‘gold’ status at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, bringing the cost of her room to $633 per night.”
“Former Citizens president Scott Wallace, general counsel Dan Sumner and board chairman Carlos Lacasa indulged in meals that often cost three times the limit put on rank-and-file staff. Wallace flew first-class to London for a meeting with insurers. Travel costs for Citizens — a government corporation run by a board appointed by Gov. Rick Scott and other state leaders — are projected to more than double this year, from $1.5 million to $3.4 million,” note Martin, Harrington and Olorunnipa.
Florida Senator Mike Fasano is having none of these shenanigans. He has sent a letter to Governor Scott and the cabinet asking for an investigation of Florida Citizens. The Tampa Bay Times reports, “Citizens’ top executives and board members have been shameless in the way they lavishly spend tax dollars on travel and related expenses,” Fasano, R-New Port Richey, said in a statement. “While crying poor mouth they stay in posh hotels, eat expensive meals, and engage in international travel. While so many of their customers are struggling to cut their personal budgets so they can pay their ever increasing premiums, Citizens’ higher-ups are living high on the hog on the public dime.”
This prompted a letter from Barry Gilway, the new President/CEO and Executive Director of Florida Citizens, stating, “As a government entity operating in an international industry, Citizens walks a fine line between fiscal stringency and the need to conduct business internationally on behalf of all Floridians. We also recognize that there is always is room for improvement and that we have a duty to achieve efficiencies in everything we do, whether in Tallahassee or London.”
The next Cabinet meeting chaired by Governor Scott is scheduled for September 18, 2012. Some have questioned the fiscal soundness of Florida Citizens should a major hurricane hit the state.
According to a SurveyUSA poll of the state of Florida conducted for WFLA-TV in Tampa, two-thirds of those who watched Thursday night’s speeches at the Republican National Convention already had decided who they would vote for before anyone opened their mouth, but among the small but important group of persuadable speech watchers, there is 2:1 movement towards Romney.
1,211 adults were interviewed statewide on August 31, 201212, after Romney, Florida’s Marco Rubio and Clint Eastwood spoke to the convention on Thursday, August 30th. Of the adults, 1,100 were registered to vote in Florida. Of the registered voters, 754 heard the convention speeches. Of the convention speech watchers:
* 66% did not change their mind.
* 16% switched from “undecided” to Romney.
* 6% switched from Obama to Romney.
* Adding those 2 together, that’s 22% who switched TO Romney.
* 10% switched from “undecided” to Obama.
* 2% switched from Romney to Obama.
* Adding those 2 together, that’s 12% who switched TO Obama.
* Comparing the 2 aggregate numbers: 22% switched TO Romney, 12% switched TO Obama.
Caution: As expected, those who watched the speeches at the Republican National Convention were disproportionately Republican. This poll does not attempt to measure how all likely voters in the state of Florida would vote if filling out a ballot today. It attempts to measure early movement among speech-watchers only.
Reaction to individual speeches broke along party lines:
* 79% of Republicans, compared to 35% of Democrats, said Romney’s speech helped his chances to be elected.
* 12% of Republicans, compared to 45% of Democrats, said Eastwood’s speech hurt Romney’s changes to be elected.
There is a chasm between the Republican Party and Democrat Party on the issue of shariah law, the laws of Islam. The laws of Islam are contained in The Reliance of the Traveller: A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law. Reliance of the Traveller is the definitive manual of fiqh rulings based on Shafi”i School of jurisprudence.
According to Breeanne Howe (Diary) in her column “Radical Islam Joins the DNC” for RedState.com, “The DNC will host Jumah prayers at the DNC and it is expected that 20,000 Muslims will participate. Jumah (Arabic: صلاة الجمعة ṣalāt al-jumuʿah) or “Friday prayer” is a congregational prayer (salah) that Muslims hold every Friday, just after noon in the place of dhuhr. Muslims pray ordinarily five times each day according to the sun’s sky path regardless of clock time.” No such event was held at the RNC.
According to Howe, “Starting at the end of this month the Democratic National Convention will open with a focus on Islam … ‘Jumah at the DNC’ begins August 29 and will start with a Friday afternoon jummah prayer followed by other unnamed programs and events, leading up to the Islamic Regal Banquet. The following day will be an all day Islamic Cultural and Fun Fest which will include discussions on the topics of ‘Islamaphobia, Anti-Shariah, Middle Eastern Crisis, Patriot Act, National Defense Authorization Act and more.’ The purpose, according to BIMA [Bureau of Indigenous Muslim Affairs], is to attract national and international attention to the plight of American Muslims and to hold political parties accountable for issues that affect them.”
“However, not all Muslims feel that BIMA represents them and M. Zuhdi Jasser M.D., Founder and President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, has expressed serious concerns,” notes Howe.
Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser
Dr. Jasser states, “It is troubling that the Democratic National Convention has decided to promote and lend its name and national political platform to the organizers of the ‘Jummah at the DNC’. The leaders of this event Jibril Hough and Imam Siraj Wahhaj as advertised are no moderates. They are radicals. These individuals embrace Islamist supremacy and have demonstrated support for radical ideologies.”
“A quick Google search by the DNC would have shown them that Hough and Wahhaj are leaders in the separatist American Islamist movement. While they may be able to get a few thousand Muslims to attend the event, they are NOT going to be mainstream Muslims,” notes Dr. Jasser.
On the same day as the Jummah prayers Mirwais Harooni for Reuters reports, “An adolescent boy and a young girl have been beheaded in two separate incidents in Afghanistan, local officials and police said on Friday, in the latest brazen attacks that have raised fresh questions about a splintering Taliban.”
According to Harooni:
A 12-year-old boy was kidnapped and killed in southern Kandahar province on Wednesday, his severed head placed near his body to send a warning to police, said provincial governor spokesman Jawid Faisal.
The brother of the boy, neither of whom were named by officials, was a member of the Afghan Local Police (ALP), a U.S.-trained militia charged with making Afghans in Taliban strongholds, like Kandahar, feel more secure, Faisal said.
“It’s a Taliban warning to the ALP and to others who support the government,” Faisal said of the killing, which happened in Kandahar’s Panjwai district.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf denied the group was involved.
Separately, a 6-year-old girl was beheaded in eastern Kapisa province on Thursday, said provincial police chief Abdul Hamed.
The murders follow the shooting or beheading of 17 young revelers attending a party in southern Helmand province this week, which officials said was the work of the Taliban, a charge the group also denied….
“What we’re seeing could be a new tactic by the Taliban to behead civilians to intimidate the population,” said Faisal.
It is ironic and iconic that Muslims in Afghanistan who are strictly following shariah law are beheading a little six year old girl at the same time the DNC opens with Jumah.
00Dr. Rich Swierhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngDr. Rich Swier2012-09-01 10:07:562012-09-01 10:07:56The Fruits of Islam and Jumah At The DNC
The Battle Over Florida’s Amendment 8 Begins
/in Budget and Finance, Education, Hot Topics/by Dr. Rich SwierOn November 6, 2012 Floridians will be asked to vote on eleven amendments to the state constitution. Of these amendments Amendment 8 has become the flash point with groups favoring and opposing passage digging in their heels. The war on words has become a full-fledged battle for the hearts and minds of voters.
The proposed ballot question reads:
Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution providing that no individual or entity may be denied, on the basis of religious identity or belief, governmental benefits, funding, or other support, except as required by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, and deleting the prohibition against using revenues from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution.
The proposed measure would amend Section 3 of Article I of the Florida Constitution to read:
There shall be no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting or penalizing the free exercise thereof. Religious freedom shall not justify practices inconsistent with public morals, peace, or safety. No individual or entity may be discriminated against or barred from receiving funding on the basis of religious identity or belief.
No revenue of the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution.Two groups launched websites explaining Amendment 8: Say Yes on 8 and Vote No on 8.
Vote No on 8 states, “Amendment 8, the so-called ‘Religious Freedom’ Amendment, isn’t about Religious Freedom at all. Amendment 8 actually allows the government to give our tax dollars to any group claiming to be a religious organization.”
Say Yes on 8 states, “Amendment 8 preserves time-honored partnerships between government and social service organizations. Amendment 8 ensures continued delivery of social services by faith-based organizations, lowering government costs for taxpayers. Amendment 8 eliminates discrimination against churches and religious institutions that provide social services.”
Amendment 8, if passed, would take the Blaine Amendment out of the Florida Constitution. The Blaine Amendment refers to constitutional provisions that exist in 38 of the 50 state constitutions in the United States, which forbid direct government aid to educational institutions that have any religious affiliation. The Blaine Amendment was originally aimed at Catholics, most notably the Irish, who had immigrated to the U.S. and started their own parochial schools.
In 2002, the United States Supreme Court in the Zelman v. Simmons-Harris decision partially vitiated these Blaine amendments when it ruled that vouchers were constitutional if state funds followed a child to a privately chosen school, even if it were religious. For a voucher program to be constitutional it must meet all of the following criteria: the program must have a valid secular purpose; aid must go to parents and not to the schools; a broad class of beneficiaries must be covered; the program must be neutral with respect to religion; and there must be adequate nonreligious options.
Billy Atwell in an editorial for the Diocese of Venice in Florida states, “Some support the work of faith-based institutions, but disagree with these institutions accepting government money. They fear faith-based groups would become beholden to the mighty arm of government. Shouldn’t these groups be allowed to serve those in need and do what they do well? It is one thing to say faith-based groups shouldn’t accept government dollars—it is entirely different to outlaw their eligibility for these funds. The current law also flies in the face of religious freedom. Singling out capable social service providers simply because they are faith-based is fiscally unsound and, without a doubt, discrimination.”
While the arguments used by each group focus on religious freedom the real issue is control of taxpayer dollars for K-12 education.
For many it boils down to money, particularly money for K-12 schooling flowing into charter or private faith-based schools. Proponents argue that parents should decide where their child goes to school and the money allocated by the state should follow the child. That is not the case in Florida. Public education fits the definition of a monopoly. This amendment would free parents from being forced into a particular public school. School choice would be empowered if Amendment 8 passes by giving the funding for the child directly to the parent.
Florida Representative Stephen Precourt, a spokesman for the Say Yes on 8 campaigns, stated, “They shouldn’t be telling a group that just because you’re faith-based organization you shouldn’t be participating in the market! Education is a marketplace.”
The ballot question boils down to: Should public funding for education follow the child?
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Tampa 9/11 Commemoration and Rally
/in National Security/by Dr. Rich SwierTampa, FL – The Education Coalition announces a 9/11 Remembrance in Tampa. Randy McDaniel with the Coalition says: “This gathering in Tampa is both a commemoration of the attack on America by Islamic Jihadists and a protest against terror organization.”
McDaniel explains, “CAIR/HAMAS is a terrorist organization and it’s Tampa spokesman, Hassan Shibly has been permitted to speak in Tampa schools. We believe that this is offensive to the memory of 3000 innocent Americans killed by Islamic terrorists on 9/11/2001, and it is offensive that Hassan Shibly, a representative of CAIR is allowed to address our children. The Hillsborough School Board has enabled Shibly to speak in the Steinbrenner School and they have refused to reverse course.
“We have assembled great speakers and patriots to speak out against CAIR/HAMAS in our schools and against the goal of Radical Islam to impose Sharia Law in America,” notes McDaniel.
A list of speakers and the program agenda follows:
ITINERARY (NOTE: Buses for travel can be arranged from select cities):
11:30 am: Attend the annual 9/11 Prayer Vigil with Jesten Peters at Joe Chillura Park across the street from the Hillsborough County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa Florida.
1:00 pm: Meet & Assemble at Joe Chillura Park, march (2 blocks) to the School Board for Rally & Press Conference at the Hillsborough County School Board, 901 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa Florida. Rally open to all who oppose CAIR in the Classroom. Respectfully request that you join us & share this information with all like minded PATRIOTS in your sphere of influence… this is a statewide request.
2:00 pm: Press Conference in front of Hillsborough County School Board. Contact Terry Kemple tkemple@integrity.com or Randy McDaniels actjacksonville@gmail.com if your organization would like to participate in the press conference.
3:00 pm: Comments for formal policy to ban CAIR in front of board members. In event our item is removed from the agenda, comments will be at 5:00 pm by select representatives of the Education Coalition. All others can break for dinner and travel to church at this time for briefing and screening of “Losing our Sons” at The River Church.
5:45 pm: Doors open at the River Church for briefing Nationally Recognized Speakers listed above and others to be named later. The River Church is located at 3738 River International Drive, Tampa Florida, 33610.
6:30 – 9:00 pm: 9/11 ceremony, Security Briefing and screening of “Losing our Sons”.
Danger: Energy Economic Zone Ahead
/in Energy, Environment, Featured, Opinion/by Dr. Rich SwierGovernment is famous for wasting time and money all at the expense of taxpayers. The greatest waste has been attributed to the “green movement” and its efforts to save the planet by controlling human activities, such as emissions of CO2. This political and uniquely unscientific movement has led the Florida legislature to create comprehensive planning legislation, implement caps on carbon emissions and most recently create an Energy Economic Zone (EEZ) pilot project.
Sarasota County has established by ordinance an Energy Economic Zone. The first public hearings on the EEZ pilot project in Sarasota County are being held in September. Citizens and business will learn what the EEZ is all about. But what is end purpose of an EEZ? What will be accomplished by establishing an EEZ in Sarasota County?
My answer: The greatest expansion of local government power over your and my pursuit of happiness.
Here are ten reasons why I believe the Sarasota County EEZ will fail:
1. Any governmental expansion of power always meets with stiff public resistance and the EEZ is meeting stiff resistance. The EEZ has been denounced with bi-partisan support in Sarasota County. Neighborhood associations, anti-growth proponents and Democrats are standing shoulder to shoulder with TEA Party groups, 912 Project members and the Republican Party of Sarasota Executive Committee to denounce this project and its attempt to control the lives of citizens.
2. Economic zones do not work. County Commissioner Nora Patterson in an e-mail to an opponent of the EEZ states, “Our existing enterprise zone [in Newtown] is truly a depressed area and I can tell you in advance that the overall situation has not improved, in fact quite the opposite given the economic downturn.” So Commissioners know that enterprise zones do not work from the Newtown failure. Why throw good money after bad? Because it feels good to do so. The EEZ is being driven by ideology, not by any proven method to create jobs or expand the economy in Florida.
3. One of the purposes of the EEZ is to create energy efficiencies and thereby reduce energy usage. This is a FALSE premise as greater efficiency leads inextricably to greater energy usage. This phenomenon is called the “rebound effect”. Increasing the efficiency of lighting encourages us to illuminate more. This means that we need more energy, not less to meet future demand, expected to increase by 30% over the next decade. The EEZ concept is a fallacy, even if the five sitting County Commissioners believe in this fallacy, it is still a fallacy.
4. The incentives provided in the ordinance as currently written are not defined. This makes the ordinance open to broad interpretation by staff in its implementation. We have experienced what happens when bureaucrats are given the leeway to implement policy in Florida. This has happened with numeric water standards being imposed on the state by the Environmental Protection Agency. Placing Draconian standards on water quality to save us from ourselves. Standards that cannot be met!
5. The incentives are front loaded without regard to clearly defined end results. Under the current proposed ordinance businesses would be awarded incentive grants in addition to tax abatements for job creation. The business would promise to create new “green jobs”. This is a failed model, see reason #2 above. You and I do not pay a business until the job is done. In this case County government is so trusting that they will pay upfront for a promise of future job creation. The County has tried this recently with Sanborn studios. Sanborn Studios closed its Lakewood Ranch facility in December 2011 after just one year in operation. The company that promised to produce Hollywood movies, TV shows and create more than 100 jobs in Sarasota got a $650,000 grant from Sarasota County. It is good to learn from experience right?
6. The EEZ is “crony capitalism” writ large. Crony capitalism is a term describing an economy in which success in business depends on close relationships between business people and government officials. It may be exhibited by favoritism in the distribution of legal permits, government grants, special tax breaks, and so forth. The proposed ordinance establishing an EEZ is the ultimate example of crony capitalism. Government picks the winners and losers, not the free markets. This always leads to corruption and political favoritism.
7. Government does not create jobs! The great myth is that government can via incentives create something from nothing. Jobs are created only when a business cannot meet the market demand for its products or services. That is an economic fact. What can government do to help create a market for a product or service? Nothing, absolutely nothing. What government can do best is to do the least. That is to say government is best that governs least. Protecting property rights is the role of government.
8. All of the County Commissioners are Republicans dedicated to limited government and the U.S. Constitution. The Republican Party of Sarasota Executive Committee passed a resolution condemning “local ‘sustainable development’ policies such as Smart Growth, Wildlands Project, Resilient Cities, Regional Visioning Projects, and other ‘Green’ or ‘Alternative’ projects.” The EEZ falls squarely into all of these categories! A copy of the full resolution was presented to each Commissioner.
9. The County’s attempt to establish an EEZ has led to at least one law suit. According to Kathy Attunes, “The EEZ and attached Enterprise Zone incentives are separate statutes. It can be argued that the Enterprise Zone statutes exist independently of the EEZ statute (377.809), and these state Enterprise Zone statutes apply independent of any local eligibility requirements and a $300,000 cap. The EEZ green standards and $300,000 cap are not outlined in the Enterprise Zone statutes; the statutes do not mirror each other. We are concerned that the EEZ statute and linked Enterprise Zone incentives are in conflict, which potentially sets the County up for litigation brought by businesses who have met Enterprise Zone criteria but not County EEZ standards. We do not want the BCC to proceed with a program that opens the door to a flood of untargeted Enterprise Zone tax breaks, and the possibility of having local control negated by state statute.” I agree more litigation will follow.
10. Finally, this is just bad public policy and a waste of taxpayer money.
There are many other reasons why the EEZ is bad policy for Sarasota County but in the interest of brevity I have listed only my top ten.
I do not need nor want government telling me how to save energy. I am perfectly able doing that on my own. If I wish to waste energy then I will pay an economic price for that behavior. That is how personal freedom and free markets work. Government forcing choices upon me is morally wrong. The EEZ is morally wrong!
Sarasota County’s 2009 Jobs Plan – An Analysis
/in Economy, Must Read, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by Dr. Rich SwierJobs are top of mind during the 2012 election cycle. Elected officials from President Obama on down are touting their pro-economic growth records and job creation skills. Sarasota County is no exception. It is appropriate to review their on going efforts to “create jobs” in Sarasota County, FL.
In April 2009 Sarasota County released its Five-Year Economic Development Strategic Plan. The Five-Year Plan states, “Community and business leaders have made it clear that a shotgun approach will no longer work. This proposed plan is based on five guiding principles: Promote the growth/health of existing businesses; Create an environment that promotes homegrown businesses and innovation; Diversify the economy through platforms that build on our unique assets; Make strategic plays in emerging markets; Leverage resources and investments to grow capacity to pursue economic opportunities.”
The plan may be characterized as the County Commission’s “jobs bill”. The strategic plan, now in its third year, recognized that the recession had hit Sarasota.
Based upon the strategic plan, the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners on September 15, 2010 passed Resolution 2010-199. It created a goal to “promote economic activity in the County by providing economic incentives that will encourage diverse new businesses to relocate to Sarasota County and current businesses to expand.” One of the things created was an “economic development fund” and an incentives or awards program. One of the purposes is to attract new or help expanding companies that “provide an above-average wage to its employees”.
The resolution goes into great detail to lay out a series of “Economic Development Factors” that “shall be applied when the Board makes its determination on ad valorem tax exemptions to a requesting business”. But what about guidelines for the “economic development fund”? This question is germane as the fund has already given out $4,482,303 with an additional $5,527,797 in awards remaining to be paid. The $10 million for this “fund” came from the sale of foreclosed properties and collection of unpaid County property taxes. Click here to view the 2012 Economic Development report to the County (slides 65-68).
Jeff Maultsby, Manager of Business and Economic Development, Steve Botelho and Lisa Damschroder from the Office of Financial Planning and Joan McGill, Vice President of Business Development at the Economic Development Corporation, said there is no system in place to select the best candidates to meet the goals established by the County Commission. As of now there is no way to accurately determine any return on investment to the County from these awards (staff indicated the purchase of a software program may to help address this).
Here is an analysis of the County economic development efforts to date:
Of the $4.48 million awarded, PGT received $600,00 and Tervis Tumbler $450,00 (two awards) given since 2010, for a combined total payout of $1,050,000 (23% of all awards to date). These two companies actually added the following: PGT – 432 jobs, Tervis Tumbler – 413 jobs. PGT and Tervis Tumbler added 845 or 80.6% of 1,048 jobs created to date under this awards program.
This would seem like a big win for the County until one drills down a little deeper.
As Resolution 2010-199 states the County Commission wants to attract and expand businesses with an “above-average wage”. The average wage for all industries in Sarasota County according to the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research is $38,660.
According to County staff the actual average wages are: PGT $24,335 (initially projected average wage of $29,500), Tervis Tumbler $26,572 (initially projected average wage of $31,500). Both companies fell well short of the existing County average wage of $38,660: PGT 38% lower and Tervis Tumbler 31% lower. If the County wanted above-average wages they did not get them with these two companies. Even the “projected average wages” for each company were below the County average wage.
If the goal is above-average wages then why give money to any company projecting below-average wages?
Would these jobs have been created without the County awards? According to PGT President Rodney Hershberger the company was planning to close its plant in North Carolina in the 2006-2007 time frame due to the housing slump. The greatest concern was a lack of land and buildings. In the middle of 2010 PGT began looking at options to move the equipment and employees to Florida, with Sarasota, Jacksonville and Miami as possible sites. PGT primarily serves customers in Florida with impact (hurricane) windows and the North Carolina plant was half impact and half non-impact windows. The plant would be closed and operations moved closer to its Florida market. The intent was to move employees to Florida. However, due to deep family roots at the NC plant only 30 employees actually relocated to Sarasota County. Sarasota was always the top choice because this is where PGT was founded and its the central home location, which best serves its impact windows market. Rodney said of the newly hired employees about 70% live in Sarasota, 10% in Manatee County and 20% in Charlotte County. According to Tim Graham, VP of Human Resources for Tervis Tumbler, “Through the assistance provided to Tervis by the EDC grant we were able to substantially increase our production capacity and employment at Tervis.” PGT used its award to off set the cost of moving equipment. Tervis used its two awards to off set impact fees.
Why did Sarasota County taxpayers invest over $1 million in two well established local companies?
Let’s take a look at the remaining 203 jobs “created” to date. Forty-one had an average wage below the County average. The remaining 162 jobs had an average wage of $52,496 or 36% higher than the County average. This average wage increase was offset by the 886 below-average wage jobs.
There remain award commitments of over $5.5 million for the creation of a “projected” 1260 jobs. Will these create more above-average wage jobs? According to the County spreadsheet the companies yet to produce jobs have a “projected average wage” of $50,232. The “actual average wage” of jobs created by these companies to date is $43,368 or 14% lower than the currently projected wages. Another issue is most of the money given to date was given up front before any jobs were created. The current contracts give companies anywhere from 1 to 6 years to actually create the jobs. It should be noted that only recently do the contracts with the County state that the awards will not be made until after the jobs are created. I believed they learned a harsh lesson from $650,000 awarded to Sandborn Studios on September 2, 2010 with no jobs created to date.
Finally, there are nine awards listed on the Economic Development Incentives spreadsheet to either other governments (e.g. City of North Port Economic Development Study, City of Sarasota Newtown Business Assistance Program) or non-profit agencies (e.g. SCOPE – Institute for the Ages, Rev 3 Triathlon). How does a triathlon attract companies offering above-average jobs you may ask? The monies allocated to these governmental and non-profit entities total $3.84 million or 70% of all remaining awards. This allocation of funding is interesting for two reasons 1) there is no system to measure jobs created by inter-governmental transfers and 2) there is already in place a competitive system to allocate funds to non-profit organizations run by the same office that runs this business incentive awards program. This system has been totally bypassed using these “business” awards to non-profits. The awards may violate the intent if not the verbiage of the County Resolution 2010-199 “to relocate and expand existing businesses”. I did not know the County wanted more non-profits who don’t pay taxes to the County!
The Sarasota County Commission took money owed to taxpayers and redistributed it to a stimulus program that: lacked strict/measurable criteria for awarding the money, created jobs that by enlarge offer below-average wages and has no accurate way to measure any return on the taxpayers investment to the County.
The Sarasota County Commission on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 voted unanimously to repeal and replace Resoluton 2010-199 related to economic incentives provided for businesses that relocate to the county.
David E. Merrill, Sarasota business owner and former Mayor of the City of Sarasota, in a September 8, 2012 email to the County Commissioners stated, “So that you don’t look as foolish as Charlie Christ and the city and county commissioners in St. Lucie, I urge you to stop giving ‘corporate welfare’ checks to companies in the name of economic development, and, instead, focus on building a really great community through wise urban design and a focus on aesthetics and quality-of-life issues. Let the bankers and investors fund private businesses, not our governments.”
Government does not create jobs, profits do. The more products produced the more profit generated. As demand rises, profits rise and more workers are needed to provide the product or service offered. Without profit there can be no job growth. Government must take profits from one company and redistribute it to another to meet government’s goals.
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Do We Really Want a Strong Commissioner of Education?
/in Education, Must Read, Politics/by Dr. Rich SwierJeffrey S. Solochek, staff writer for the Tampa Bay Times, reports, “Florida’s next education commissioner needs to have room to do the job without political interference, state Board of Education members said Friday as they set requirements for the vacancy.”
But do the Commissioners really want to stop political interference?
The Florida Board of Education (BOE) is itself political. Outgoing Chairwoman Kathleen M. Shanahan has held federal and state public policy positions of chief of staff for Florida Governor Jeb Bush, chief of staff to Vice President-elect Dick Cheney, deputy secretary of the California Trade and Commerce Agency, special assistant to then Vice President George Bush, and staff assistant on President Reagan’s National Security Council.
Vice Chairman Roberto Martinez, a lawyer, served as Chairman of the Florida Federal Judicial Nominating Commission; Special Counsel to Attorney General Charlie Crist; and as Chairman of the District Board of Trustees of Miami Dade College; Chair of Attorney-Elect Charlie Crist’s transition; General Counsel to Governor Jeb Bush during the gubernatorial transition.
Solochek quotes Martinez as saying, “The person has to be able to deal with the political process. But I think all of us … need to understand we need to give that person a lot of autonomy so they can function professionally with minimal interference from the political folks.”
On September 7, 2012 the State Board of Education moved forward with the search for the next Commissioner of Education approving the candidate profile developed by Ray and Associates. The search firm is conducting a nationwide search for Florida’s chief education officer who will be responsible for all aspects of the state’s Pre-K-20 education system. The deadline for applications is Sept. 27, 2012.
The Florida Legislature and Board of Education have come under fire from citizens with two actions that have disenfranchised students, parents and citizens.
The first action was removing citizen participation in the selection of text books used in Florida’s public schools. More recently the BOE unanimously voted to lower school passing scores after 2011 FCAT scores plummeted. This lowering of school passing scores occurred after political pressure from teachers unions, the superintendents association and school boards across Florida.
The Florida based Textbook Action Team (TAT) in May, 2011 became outraged with a provision in SB 2120 lines 118-120, which was passed by the Republican led legislature. The provision cuts out lay people from the State Instructional Materials Committee.
“Today all of Florida’s public school textbooks will be selected by bureaucrats, not citizens and parents” notes Sheri Krass, State Chairperson for TAT. Krass stated in a letter to Governor Scott, “Now, in a boldfaced attempt to avoid having to seat some of these individuals on the Committee, your State Legislature has passed SB 2120 which employs ‘three state or national experts in the content areas submitted for adoption’ to review the instructional materials and evaluate the content for alignment with the applicable Next Generation Sunshine State Standards. This move allows them to continue to deprive our students of the quality education they deserve.”
The second action was lowing the passing scores of public schools statewide.Cara Fitzpatrick, Shelly Rossetter and Jefferry S. Solochek of the Tampa Bay Times in their article “After FCAT scores plunge, state quickly lowers the passing grade” reported, “After conceding that poor communication with teachers could have contributed to the unprecedented plunge in Florida students’ writing scores this year, the state Board of Education voted Tuesday to lower the passing mark for the test.”
Teachers and administrators have known about the new testing standards for over a year. Teachers and school administrations actually write the Sunshine State Standards, the test questions and administer the tests. Many parents and citizens do not accept the premise that there was a communication gap. The new standards require that a student use proper sentence structure, punctuation and spelling. Each of these are fundamental to learning how to write.
All members of the Florida Board of Education are political appointees. How can politics be taken out of the classroom and replaced by empowered parents, students and citizens?
How do you take politics out of education? Perhaps this video from the Reason Foundation titled “The Machine” will help explain:
Palm Beach County Democrat Chair Attacks Christians
/in Culture War, Featured, Politics/by Dr. Rich SwierCourtesy of Tom Tillison of Florida Political Press:
Palm Beach County Democratic Chairman Mark Alan Siegel issued an apology over inflammatory comments made yesterday during an interview at the Democratic National Convention.
In response to being asked if he is a fan of Christianity, as shown in the video below, Siegel said;
“I’m Jewish, I’m not a fan of any other religion than Judaism….The Christians just want us to be there so we can all be slaughtered and converted and bring on the second coming of Jesus Christ.”
Siegel’s statement released today, no doubt coming after someone had a ‘Come to Jesus’ moment with him – pardon the pun;
“I apologize to all Democrats and Floridians for my ill chosen words last night. After watching the interview I realize that what I said did not accurately make the point I was trying to establish. More importantly I apologize to all Christians, Jews and other people of faith for any embarrassment or anger my remarks may have caused. Throughout my life I have practiced religious tolerance among all people of faith. I am sincerely sorry for any remarks I made that may have diminished that record. I alone am responsible for my remarks and I pray that they are not taken as the position of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party.”
Watch the video of Siegel making his statement at the DNC:
UPDATE: Palm Beach County Democratic Chairman Mark Alan Siegel has resigned.
Media Matters vs. Investors Business Daily
/in Economy, Featured/by Dr. Rich SwierAs President Obama prepares to take the stage tonight and accept his party’s nomination for re-election there is an ongoing discussion about the state of the economy. The great question is: Are we as a nation better off today than four years ago?
Media Matters and Investors Business Daily (IBD) have both tried to answer this question. Each came to a different conclusion.
Media Matters states, “In their attempts to grapple with the question of whether Americans are better off, cable news outlets have regularly failed to provide important context about the dire state of the economy in late 2008, when millions of jobs were lost.” Investors Business Daily reports, “Obama’s argument is simple: The economy was headed for a second Great Depression when he took office — hemorrhaging GDP and jobs. His stimulus, the auto bailouts and so on, prevented that, and the economy has since been slowly digging out of the massive ditch into which President Bush drove it. Thus, Obama says, he deserves an ‘incomplete’ grade.”
Media Matters focuses on statements from five economists reflecting upon September 2008 and the financial crisis. Diana Henriques, who covered finance for The New York Times, states, “September 2008 was one of the scariest months I have ever experienced as a business reporter. We had seen Bear Stearns nearly fail, we had seen Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac taken under receivership.”
IBD takes a comparative approach, looking at key indicators then and now. IBD uses the following examples to answer the question:
• Median incomes: These have fallen 7.3% since Obama took office, which translates into an average of $4,000. Since the so-called recovery started, median incomes continued to fall, dropping $2,544, or 4.8%.
• Long-term unemployed: More than three years into Obama’s recovery, 811,000 more still fall into this category than when the recession ended.
• Poverty: The poverty rate climbed to 15.1% in 2010, up from 14.3% in 2009, and economists think it may have hit 15.7% last year, highest since the 1960s.
• Food stamps: There are 11.8 million more people on food stamps since Obama’s recovery started.
• Disability: More than 1 million workers have been added to Social Security’s disability program in the last three years.
• Gas prices: A gallon of gas cost $1.89 when Obama was sworn in. By June 2009, the price was $2.70. Today, it’s $3.84.
• Misery Index: When Obama took office, the combination of unemployment and inflation stood at 7.83. Today it’s 9.71.
• Union membership: Even unions are worse off under Obama, with membership dropping half a million between 2009 and 2011.
• Debt: Everyone is far worse off if you just look at the national debt. It has climbed more than $5 trillion under Obama, crossing $16 trillion for the first time on Tuesday and driving the U.S. credit rating down.
Media Matters states, “Other veteran financial scribes point to the overall economic picture today as compared to 2008, while also noting that the positive direction of the economy is important, too. Their comments are supported by a number of key indicators: The economy has grown for twelve consecutive quarters; private sector employment has grown for 29 consecutive months, adding millions of jobs; and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has nearly doubled from its low point in March 2009.”
Media Matters quotes Kevin Hall, McClatchy’s national economics correspondent, as saying, “If you go back and look at the charts — you can pull up the GDP chart, we are growing 2 to 2.2 percent — you would say it is clearly yes, compared to a 3.7 percent contraction in the third quarter of 2008, followed by an 8.9 percent contraction in the fourth quarter of 2008.”
The real indicator of if we are doing better will not be determined by economists or statistics. It will be determined at kitchen tables across America. What each family, individual and business owner feels and experiences will determine the truth about are we better off. This will translate into motivation to vote for or against a particular candidate.
Bottom line: Are YOU better off today than 4 years ago?
RELATED COLUMN: The Five ‘Reasons’ to Re-elect Obama By Larry Elder
Watchdog Wire Interviews Blaise Ingoglia, Sheila Krumholz and Marjorie Dannenfelser
/in Culture War, Hot Topics, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by Dr. Rich SwierWatchdog Wire interviews three citizens who are doing extraordinary things. Each heads their respective organization and tells the truth about the issue that is top of mind with them and their organization. Each organization is non-profit and issue oriented.
LISTEN TO THE EXCLUSIVE WATCHDOG WIRE INTERVIEWS WITH INGOGLIA, KRUMHOLZ AND DANNENFELSER.
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Our guests appear on the Podcast at the time noted below:
11:00 to 11:20 Blaise Ingoglia, www.GovernmentGoneWild.org. Blase speaks to government spending that is out of control and discusses his latest video “One Nation, Under Water”.
11:20 – 11:40 Sheila Krumholz, www.OpenSecrets.org. Sheila describes the influence of money on elections and how both political parties have focused on fundraising as the way to get elected, perhaps to the detriment of the election process.
11:40 to Noon Marjorie Dannenfelser, www.SBA-List.org. Marjorie describes the differences between the Democrat and Republican political platforms on the issue of the sanctity of life. She explains the history of the Susan B. Anthony List and its impact on statewide and Congressional elections.
Each guest provides special insights into why this election is so very important to them and their organization.
UPDATE:
This is a video released by SBA-List.org addressing what Marjorie discussed during her interview with Watchdog Wire – Florida:
Restore Justice Releases Florida Supreme Court Report Card
/in Featured, Politics/by Dr. Rich SwierFlorida’s Restore Justice campaign released a 2012 Merit Retention Report Card over the weekend, blasting out an email to supporters statewide containing its research into the records of Supreme Court Justices Pariente, Quince and Lewis in preparation for the merit retention vote this November. The group’s website headline reads “Case Closed” and allows viewers to download the culmination of its research.
“Our voter guide is the product of nearly two years of research into their decisions, dialogue with legal experts and insiders and discussion among concerned voters,” said Jesse Phillips, President of Restore Justice. “We are very excited that for the first time in the history of the state of Florida, citizens will have a real source of information about the rulings the Supreme Court has made on issues important to families and tax payers.”
Criticized as a reactionary single-issue opposition campaign, Restore Justice is concerned about far more than the Court’s decision to strike the Health Care Freedom Act from the 2010 ballot. The report issues poor grades for each of the three Justices on several issues, including homeowner’s rights, health care, right to vote, education, criminal justice and frivolous lawsuits.
“We’ve been told we should not vote against a Justice just because we disagree with one bad decision,” Phillips said. “But what about ten? At some point they need to be held accountable.”
During September, the campaign will be distributing the scorecard to voters in Brevard, three stops in Broward, Clermont, Jacksonville, Naples, Pinellas, Tampa and The Villages. More stops are scheduled.
Location information about the campaign may be found at http://www.RestoreJustice2012.com/events.
U.S. Officially Boycotts, Divests and Sanctions Israel
/in Must Read, National Security/by Dr. Rich SwierMultiple stories are breaking as the Democrat National Convention begins. The most prominent are those dealing with the state of Israel. There is growing evidence that Iran will obtain a nuclear weapon, that sanctions are not having their intended effect and diplomacy has not led to compromise.
Shiffer notes, “In return, Washington reportedly expects Iran to steer clear of strategic American assets in the Persian Gulf, such as military bases and aircraft carriers.”
“Israeli officials reported an unprecedented low in the two nations’ defense ties, which stems from the Obama administration’s desire to warn Israel against mounting an uncoordinated attack on Iran … According to the New York Times, Washington has also sent Iran a back-channel deal suggesting they curb their nuclear ambitions, but Tehran rejected the deal, saying no agreement is possible sans lifting all West-imposed sanctions,” reports Shiffer.
JTA in a separate article states, “Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of U.S. armed forces, said he does not wish to be “complicit” in a unilateral Israeli strike on Iran.” Dictionary.com defines complicit as, “Involved with others in reprehensible or illegal activity.” Dempsey implies that Israel by striking Iran is doing so illegally and the action is reprehensible.
Dempsey said Thursday that such an attack would “clearly delay but probably not destroy Iran’s nuclear program,” the London Guardian reported. He added, “I don’t want to be complicit if they choose to do it.” Dempsey has also directed that DOD material “offensive to Islam” would be purged from all military training resources.
The United States continues its efforts to shore up the new Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt.
Steven Lee Myers of the New York Times reports, “Nearly 16 months after first pledging to help Egypt’s failing economy, the Obama administration is nearing an agreement with the country’s new government to relieve $1 billion of its debt as part of an American and international assistance package intended to bolster its transition to democracy, administration officials said.”
The loan forgiveness comes while there are increased ground and rocket attacks by HAMAS, an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, from Gaza and by Egyptians from the Sinai.
The Associated Press reports, “Explosions rocked the southern Israeli city of Eilat late Wednesday [August 15, 2012], and the military said it suspected that rockets were fired from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. No casualties or damage were reported.”
“Eilat is a Red Sea resort next to Sinai, scene of many militant attacks in recent months. On Aug. 5, Sinai militants killed 16 Egyptian soldiers where the borders of Egypt, Israel and Gaza converge. Then they stole Egyptian army vehicles and crashed into Israel, where Israeli forces stopped them with gunfire,” notes the AP article.
Eilat has been the target of previous rocket attacks, apparently from Sinai. Israel has expressed concern about extremist Islamists and Palestinian militants from Gaza operating there.
Clare M. Lopez, a former CIA Operations Officer and Middle East expert, notes, “Israel can be in no doubt that it is being abandoned in its hour of supreme need by its sometime champion, the former defender of the free world—a United States of America now willingly implementing policies that embolden and empower the forces of Islamic jihad and shariah, whether Sunni or Shi’a, which are dedicated to the destruction of us all.”
The United States policy in the Middle East is to boycott, divest and sanction Israel.
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US CIA chief Petraeus is sent to cool Israeli ire – DEBKA File
National Empty Chair Events Now on Facebook
/in Featured, News, Politics/by Dr. Rich SwierMultiple Facebook sites have sprung up calling for pictures of empty chairs to be posted showing dissatisfaction with the current administration. The sites are asking others to join and upload pictures of empty chairs. The empty chair has become iconic, representing the absence of the President on issues of importance to ordinary Americans.
Timothy Dalrymple on Patheos Blog notes, “The liberal elites who are denigrating Clint Eastwood’s speech at the Republican National Convention last night are only hurting themselves. Swing-state independents and undecideds like Clint Eastwood a lot more than they like liberal elites. They will only harden in their support for Clint’s folksy commonsense the more it’s contrasted with the cheap and scornful hyper-partisanship of the Daily Kos and HuffPo crowd.”
Dalrymple states, “I thought the premise was brilliant. Clint seemed a little nervous, a little out of his element, but that only made him more relatable, more like the kind of guy you’d have a beer with. (Seriously, who wouldn’t want to have a beer with Clint Eastwood?) But the premise was perfect.”
According to a Survey USA poll of Florida voters Clint appears to be resonating with independents. A comment on the Invisible Obama Facebook site calls this the “Eastwooding of Obama”.
Here are two examples of Empty Chair Events now on Facebook.
“The National Empty Chair Event” (Eastwooding Obama) Public Event created by Adam C. Miller and Chris L. Lotto states:
THIS EVENT STARTS ON >>> Monday, Sept. 3rd, continuing through election day, Tuesday, Nov. 6th, 2012.
Eastwood Obama!!!
America pays homage to Clint Eastwood’s famous interview of the “Empty Chair”(The empty chair signifies an absentee leader)! Clean off your empty chairs in your garage, and prepare to display them on your front lawns with a “Reserved for President Obama” sign… you can type them out or just write it on a piece of paper, poster board, piece of cardboard etc!!!
God Bless America….and ALL our EMPTY CHAIRS!!!
Please upload your pictures of your empty chairs and your signs to our Event Wall!!! Those of you on Twitter, please share our page with all your peeps! Thank you, EVERYBODY!
~ Chris & Adam ~ 😉
PS – Unfortunately, Facebook does not utilize a “Share” button on Event pages. If you want to share a picture, you need to download it to your computer, then share it! It’s a Facebook default thing! Ugh!!! 🙁
‘Like’ & ‘Share’ our FB page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Invisible-Obama/426024957432724
Special announcement from Chuck Norris: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xq_SUD9Um0&feature=share
My deepest thanks go to my co-host, Adam C. Miller, who actually took his time to create this Event page! 😉 Great job, Adam!!!
INVITE YOUR FRIENDS
National Obama Is An Empty Chair Event Public Event is hosted by SJ Husak At Large. SJ’s Facebook page states:
This is very simple. Obama will be accepting his nomination at the DNC during this time. Put an empty chair in front of your home to tell others what you think about the job he has done over the past 3-1/2 years. Take a photo and post it on my page at www.facebook.com/s.j.hUSAk. Please share!!! This is not an endorsement of any candidate, just a way to send a message that we are not happy with how Obama has performed as President.
Soldiers Turning Against President Obama?
/in Featured, National Security/by Dr. Rich SwierNeil Munro of the Daily Caller reports, “President Barack Obama was greeted with fleeting applause and extended periods of silence as he offered profuse praise to soldiers and their families during an Aug. 31 speech in Fort Bliss, Texas.”
“His praise for the soldiers — and for his own national-security policies — won cheers from only a small proportion of the soldiers and families in the cavernous aircraft-hangar,” notes Munro.
Florida has 21 military installations including having the Headquarters of the US Central Command in Tampa. Florida is home to over 1.6 million veterans.
Retired Special Forces soldiers, including Navy SEALs, former Iraq War veterans and families who have lost loved ones are now coming out and speaking out. What they are saying does not help the Commander-in-Chief. A growing number of former combat warriors are writing books, starting websites, producing TV ads and posting videos on YouTube all questioning three issues: What happened in the killing of bin Laden; the rules of engagement in Afghanistan and the looming cuts to the Department of Defense, known as “sequestration”.
According to a study done by George Mason University, Florida will lose over 79,400 defense and defense related jobs if the $1.2 trillion in mandatory cuts occur in 2013. Yeshwanth Kandimalla from The Chronicle, reports, “President Barack Obama has noted that he will veto any attempt to reverse the 2013 sequester.”
Michelle Tan, of the Army Times, in an August 13, 2012 column titled “Crisis of Confidence” writes, “Only 26 percent of active Army leaders from sergeant to colonel said they believe the Army is headed in the right direction to prepare for the challenges of the next 10 years.” Tan’s column analyzes the findings of the 2011-12 Center for Army Leadership Annual Survey of Army Leadership released July 30, 2012.
“Citing the Army’s plans to shrink the force and political correctness among the key reasons, this marks an all-time low, down from 33 percent in 2010 and 38 percent in 2006,” notes Tan.
According to Tan, the report lists the following key reasons leaders believe the Army is not headed in the right direction:
In addition Tan reports, “24 percent of respondents said the Army’s plans to shrink the force will ‘significantly impact’ the services ability to respond to future conflicts.” The survey showed one in five leaders as “toxic”, which is described in the report as “leaders who promote themselves at the expense of their subordinates”.
Citizens Insurance Under-fire for Rate Increase
/in Featured, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by Dr. Rich SwierHundreds of thousands of Florida homeowners are receiving notices from their insurance carriers stating, “You are paying more for your policy due to an emergency assessment from Florida Citizens.”
Florida Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is the state-run insurer that provides insurance to individuals who are unable to secure coverage through other insurance carriers. Those covered are often in high-risk or coastal areas. The emergency assessment is “necessary to enable Florida Citizens to pay claims they received from past hurricane seasons.” The emergency assessment is for the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund (FHCF). The rate increase was passed in July, 2012. According to SunSentinel.com, “Personal residential policies would receive a 10.2 percent statewide average increase, including 10.5 percent for homeowners and 9.7 percent for renters.”
For one homeowner who contacted Watchdog Wire – Florida the emergency assessment on their $160,000 home was $200 per month or $2,400 a year.
Florida has many senior citizens who live on fixed incomes, have seen their investments dwindle and property values drop. A rate increase of this magnitude is problematic for many others who have homes in Florida but live in other states.
To make matters worse it appears that senior officials at Florida Citizens have been spending lavishly while passing on the costs to Florida homeowners. The Florida Citizens website states, “We will demonstrate steadfast adherence to our values and ethical code of conduct.” However, after combing through hundreds of expense reports from the last three years, a team of writers from the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald found executives at the state-run insurance company were living the high life on the company’s dime.
According to investigative reporters Susan Taylor Martin, Jeff Harrington and Toluse Olorunnipa from the Times/Herald, “Chief financial officer Sharon Binnun spent at least $70,000 on travel from January 2011 to June 2012. During trips to Manhattan, Binnun stayed at hotels that cost up to $500 per night. In an April business trip to Bermuda, she upgraded to ‘gold’ status at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, bringing the cost of her room to $633 per night.”
“Former Citizens president Scott Wallace, general counsel Dan Sumner and board chairman Carlos Lacasa indulged in meals that often cost three times the limit put on rank-and-file staff. Wallace flew first-class to London for a meeting with insurers. Travel costs for Citizens — a government corporation run by a board appointed by Gov. Rick Scott and other state leaders — are projected to more than double this year, from $1.5 million to $3.4 million,” note Martin, Harrington and Olorunnipa.
Florida Senator Mike Fasano is having none of these shenanigans. He has sent a letter to Governor Scott and the cabinet asking for an investigation of Florida Citizens. The Tampa Bay Times reports, “Citizens’ top executives and board members have been shameless in the way they lavishly spend tax dollars on travel and related expenses,” Fasano, R-New Port Richey, said in a statement. “While crying poor mouth they stay in posh hotels, eat expensive meals, and engage in international travel. While so many of their customers are struggling to cut their personal budgets so they can pay their ever increasing premiums, Citizens’ higher-ups are living high on the hog on the public dime.”
This prompted a letter from Barry Gilway, the new President/CEO and Executive Director of Florida Citizens, stating, “As a government entity operating in an international industry, Citizens walks a fine line between fiscal stringency and the need to conduct business internationally on behalf of all Floridians. We also recognize that there is always is room for improvement and that we have a duty to achieve efficiencies in everything we do, whether in Tallahassee or London.”
The next Cabinet meeting chaired by Governor Scott is scheduled for September 18, 2012. Some have questioned the fiscal soundness of Florida Citizens should a major hurricane hit the state.
The Clint Eastwood Effect on Florida
/in Must Read, News, Politics/by Dr. Rich SwierAccording to a SurveyUSA poll of the state of Florida conducted for WFLA-TV in Tampa, two-thirds of those who watched Thursday night’s speeches at the Republican National Convention already had decided who they would vote for before anyone opened their mouth, but among the small but important group of persuadable speech watchers, there is 2:1 movement towards Romney.
VIDEO: Clint Eastwood “Empty Chair Parody” at the RNC
1,211 adults were interviewed statewide on August 31, 201212, after Romney, Florida’s Marco Rubio and Clint Eastwood spoke to the convention on Thursday, August 30th. Of the adults, 1,100 were registered to vote in Florida. Of the registered voters, 754 heard the convention speeches. Of the convention speech watchers:
* 66% did not change their mind.
* 16% switched from “undecided” to Romney.
* 6% switched from Obama to Romney.
* Adding those 2 together, that’s 22% who switched TO Romney.
* 10% switched from “undecided” to Obama.
* 2% switched from Romney to Obama.
* Adding those 2 together, that’s 12% who switched TO Obama.
* Comparing the 2 aggregate numbers: 22% switched TO Romney, 12% switched TO Obama.
Caution: As expected, those who watched the speeches at the Republican National Convention were disproportionately Republican. This poll does not attempt to measure how all likely voters in the state of Florida would vote if filling out a ballot today. It attempts to measure early movement among speech-watchers only.
Reaction to individual speeches broke along party lines:
* 79% of Republicans, compared to 35% of Democrats, said Romney’s speech helped his chances to be elected.
* 12% of Republicans, compared to 45% of Democrats, said Eastwood’s speech hurt Romney’s changes to be elected.
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The Fruits of Islam and Jumah At The DNC
/in Hot Topics, News, Politics/by Dr. Rich SwierAccording to Breeanne Howe (Diary) in her column “Radical Islam Joins the DNC” for RedState.com, “The DNC will host Jumah prayers at the DNC and it is expected that 20,000 Muslims will participate. Jumah (Arabic: صلاة الجمعة ṣalāt al-jumuʿah) or “Friday prayer” is a congregational prayer (salah) that Muslims hold every Friday, just after noon in the place of dhuhr. Muslims pray ordinarily five times each day according to the sun’s sky path regardless of clock time.” No such event was held at the RNC.
Contrary to the Democrat National Convention, the Republican National Convention adopted an amendment in the spirit of American Laws for American Courts (ALAC) legislation to their platform that would forbid the use of shariah laws in all U.S. Courts.
According to Howe, “Starting at the end of this month the Democratic National Convention will open with a focus on Islam … ‘Jumah at the DNC’ begins August 29 and will start with a Friday afternoon jummah prayer followed by other unnamed programs and events, leading up to the Islamic Regal Banquet. The following day will be an all day Islamic Cultural and Fun Fest which will include discussions on the topics of ‘Islamaphobia, Anti-Shariah, Middle Eastern Crisis, Patriot Act, National Defense Authorization Act and more.’ The purpose, according to BIMA [Bureau of Indigenous Muslim Affairs], is to attract national and international attention to the plight of American Muslims and to hold political parties accountable for issues that affect them.”
“However, not all Muslims feel that BIMA represents them and M. Zuhdi Jasser M.D., Founder and President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, has expressed serious concerns,” notes Howe.
Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser
Dr. Jasser states, “It is troubling that the Democratic National Convention has decided to promote and lend its name and national political platform to the organizers of the ‘Jummah at the DNC’. The leaders of this event Jibril Hough and Imam Siraj Wahhaj as advertised are no moderates. They are radicals. These individuals embrace Islamist supremacy and have demonstrated support for radical ideologies.”
“A quick Google search by the DNC would have shown them that Hough and Wahhaj are leaders in the separatist American Islamist movement. While they may be able to get a few thousand Muslims to attend the event, they are NOT going to be mainstream Muslims,” notes Dr. Jasser.
On the same day as the Jummah prayers Mirwais Harooni for Reuters reports, “An adolescent boy and a young girl have been beheaded in two separate incidents in Afghanistan, local officials and police said on Friday, in the latest brazen attacks that have raised fresh questions about a splintering Taliban.”
According to Harooni:
A 12-year-old boy was kidnapped and killed in southern Kandahar province on Wednesday, his severed head placed near his body to send a warning to police, said provincial governor spokesman Jawid Faisal.
The brother of the boy, neither of whom were named by officials, was a member of the Afghan Local Police (ALP), a U.S.-trained militia charged with making Afghans in Taliban strongholds, like Kandahar, feel more secure, Faisal said.
“It’s a Taliban warning to the ALP and to others who support the government,” Faisal said of the killing, which happened in Kandahar’s Panjwai district.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf denied the group was involved.
Separately, a 6-year-old girl was beheaded in eastern Kapisa province on Thursday, said provincial police chief Abdul Hamed.
The murders follow the shooting or beheading of 17 young revelers attending a party in southern Helmand province this week, which officials said was the work of the Taliban, a charge the group also denied….
“What we’re seeing could be a new tactic by the Taliban to behead civilians to intimidate the population,” said Faisal.
It is ironic and iconic that Muslims in Afghanistan who are strictly following shariah law are beheading a little six year old girl at the same time the DNC opens with Jumah.
VIDEO: RNC adds American Laws fro American Courts to its platform