On Thursday, the final day of the Republican National Convention, three of the speakers were from Florida. Florida looms large in November and the party that takes the state will take the White House. The three speakers were: candidate for the U.S. Senate Connie Mack, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Senator Marco Rubio. Senator Rubio was given the honor of introducing Mitt Romney.
Here is the video and transcript of each speech.
Representative Connie Mack, candidate for U.S. Senate:
[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/6uN_VRVutEY”]
TRANSCRIPT
Once again, it’s morning in America.
There are new leaders on the horizon – Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan – America’s comeback team.
Growing up, I had a plaque on my wall that read:
“Life’s battles don’t always go to the fastest or the strongest, sooner or later those who win are those who think they can.”
We’ve always been a people with big dreams and limitless potential.
After all, this is America.
Our success is built on our values and our principles, but so many of them are under attack. Our commitment to freedom and liberty, and to everything that makes our country great, seems to embarrass the blame-America-first crowd.
They penalize individual achievement while praising the power of government. But they have not, cannot and will not destroy our spirit.
We are proud to be Americans. We are proud of our nation, of our heritage and of our success.
And it is our commitment to the American story. It’s our athletes in London who brought home more medals than any other country. It’s our best and brightest who landed an extraordinary rover on Mars.
It’s the Nobel Prize winners, scientists, writers and artists, second-to-none, who inspire us all.
These are the achievements that are brought about by a free society that honors individual effort.
We owe it to those who have given so much to regain our strength, and remain one of the strongest forces for freedom the world has ever seen.
Our allies deserve our unwavering support and our enemies need to know, we stand to defend freedom at all costs.
America was built on the belief in free enterprise, hard work, passion and faith.
We have the awesome responsibility to make that dream a reality.
That dream is not an impossible dream. It’s the American dream. It’s sure, it’s strong and it’s steady.
Mitt Romney’s plans to restore America’s promise and purpose will be realized and the American dream will once again be available to all her children.
We are a nation of dreamers – Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, the Wright brothers. Dreamers like Neil Armstrong who sought new lands and took giant leaps into American exceptionalism. And dreamers like my friend, Kiko Villiaon.
You know the story of the others; now let me tell you the story of Kiko.
In 1960, Kiko fled Castro’s Cuba. He came to New York. He became a taxi driver. He worked hard and saved his money. He became a citizen. He moved to Florida. He started a business building boats. He raised a family. He put his children through school. He sold his business. Now he worries about what opportunities lie ahead for his children and their children.
Kiko has lived the American dream, as have so many others. That’s what this election is all about – making the American dream a reality again.
It’s not about the past. It’s not about what was done wrong. It’s not about blaming America. It’s quite the opposite.
Tonight we embark on a renewal of the American dream.
Tonight we honor those who have come before us and done so much. Many even giving their lives.
And tonight we honor our children and their children to ensure their dreams – whether it’s playing under the lights, or starting a business, or being a doctor or a nurse, or a soldier or a sailor, or even a president or a vice president – dreams can become realities.
After all, this is America. And it’s morning once again.
Thank you, God bless the United States of America.
Former Governor Jeb Bush:
[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/kTJiKAmkBzo”]
TRANSCRIPT
“Welcome to Florida! Bienvenido a Florida!
This election is about the future of this nation. We can shape that future with what we do here, with what we do November 6.
We can restore America’s greatness.
That starts with a strong economy, a smart energy policy, lower deficits, and a president who puts America’s workers and job-creators first.
But to have a great future – a secure future – a future that is equal to our potential as a nation, we need to do something else.
We must make sure that our children and grandchildren are ready for the world we are shaping today.
It starts in our homes, in our communities, and especially in our schools.
As a candidate and Governor, I visited over 400 schools. I saw children read their first sentences. Solve their first long-division problems. Explore the miracles of chemistry and physics.
That’s the essence of education – students getting a chance at a future.
There are many reasons to believe America’s future is bright, but also reasons to worry.
Of 34 advanced nations in the world, American students rank 17th in science, 25th in math.
Only one-fourth of high school graduates are ready for their next steps.
China and India produce eight times more engineering students each year than the United States.
There is a moral cost to our failing schools.
We say that every child in America has an equal opportunity. Tell that to a kid in whose classroom learning isn’t respected.
Tell that to a parent stuck in a school where there is no leadership. Tell that to a young, talented teacher who just got laid off because she didn’t have tenure.
The sad truth is that equality of opportunity doesn’t exist in many of our schools. We give some kids a chance, but not all.
That failure is the great moral and economic issue of our time. And it’s hurting all of America.
I believe we can meet this challenge.
We need to set high standards for students and teachers and provide students and their parents the choices they deserve.
The first step is a simple one.
We must stop pre-judging children based on their race, ethnicity or household income.
We must stop excusing failure in our schools and start rewarding improvement and success.
We must have high academic standards that are benchmarked to the best in the world.
All kids can learn. Governor Romney believes it, and the data proves it. While he was governor, Massachusetts raised standards and today their students lead the nation in academic performance.
Here in Florida in 1999, we were at the bottom of the nation in education.
For the last decade, this state has been on a path of reform. Under the leadership of Governor Rick Scott and local leaders, our focus every day is whether students are learning. That’s it.
Today, more students are reading on grade level, passing rigorous college prep courses and graduating from high school.
And perhaps most exciting, those traditionally left behind are showing the greatest gains.
Among African-American students, Florida is ranked fourth in the nation for academic improvement.
Among low-income students, we’re ranked third for our gains.
Among students with disabilities, we’re ranked first.
And among Latino students, the gains were so big, they required a new metric. Right now, Florida’s fourth grade Hispanic students read as well or better than the average of all students in 21 states and the District of Columbia.
These kids were once written off. But today thanks to teachers like Sean Duffy we’re changing that.
We need more great teachers like you. Teachers who don’t give up on a kid, who recognize that every child can learn, and don’t waste a precious year of a student’s life.
If you’re a great teacher and your students are mastering their subjects, no matter your age or years of experience, you should have a job.
Education is hard work, but if you follow some core principles, and you challenge the status quo, you get great results.
So here’s another thing we can do: Let’s give every parent in America a choice about where their child attends school.
Everywhere in our lives, we get the chance to choose.
Go down any supermarket aisle – you’ll find an incredible selection of milk.
You can get whole milk, 2% milk, low-fat milk or skim milk. Organic milk, and milk with extra Vitamin D.
There’s flavored milk— chocolate, strawberry or vanilla – and it doesn’t even taste like milk.
They even make milk for people who can’t drink milk.
Shouldn’t parents have that kind of choice in schools?
Governor Romney gets it. He believes parents – regardless of zip code or income – should be able to send their child to the school that fits them best.
That has set him against some entrenched interests.
There are many people who say they support strong schools but draw the line at school choice.
“Sorry, kid. Giving you equal opportunity would be too risky. And it will upset powerful political forces that we need to win elections.”
I have a simple message for these masters of delay and deferral: Choose. You can either help the politically powerful unions. Or you can help the kids.
Now, I know it’s hard to take on the unions. They fund campaigns. They’re well-organized. Election day? They’ll show up.
Meanwhile, the kids aren’t old enough to vote.
But you and I know who deserves a choice. Governor Romney knows it, too.
Let me introduce you to Frantz Placide. Because we gave him a choice, he got a great education.
I grew up in the inner city of Miami. In a place where your zip code determined your chances of success, my only option was an unproductive and failing school.
I knew that could lead to an unproductive and failing future. Thanks to Governor Bush’s school choice program, I got the chance to choose a better school.
Making my education my priority, I enrolled at one of the toughest private schools in Miami – Archbishop Curley Notre Dame.
I’m sure like a lot of us, it was my mother, Carlette, who really pushed for a choice in my education.
I’m glad she did. Her devotion to my future has given me a chance to succeed.
I’ve graduated from Wagner College, and am looking forward to a life of learning, and serving my community.
Who knows what the future would have held, if there hadn’t been a choice in my education?
But I do know the numbers for failure, and I probably wouldn’t have had a very good chance.
Governor Bush’s school choice program gave me the chance to achieve academic success, in the school that was the best fit for me.
I took it from there.
Thank you Frantz, it’s been an honor to see you grow up. Your story is driving powerful change across this nation. And some of the biggest reformers are Republicans.
Governor Mitch Daniels in Indiana and Governor Jindal in Louisiana have expanded school choice beyond what we have in Florida.
Governor Martinez in New Mexico is raising expectations – holding schools accountable for students gaining critical reading skills.
Governor LePage in Maine and Deal in Georgia are transforming education by pushing schools to harness the power of technology and digital learning.
Idaho’s Governor Otter and Superintendent Luna are raising up the best teachers and separating out the ineffective ones. That earned some enemies. Some of them slashed the superintendent’s tires. But he didn’t back down.
Governor Walker in Wisconsin led his state to adopt reforms that promote early literacy and require that teacher evaluations incorporate student achievement.
In Nevada, Governor Sandoval pushed for reforms to end the damaging practice of “last in, first out” – where teachers are hired or fired based on their years in the system, not on their impact in the classroom.
Governor Haslam in Tennessee is making sure every classroom has an effective teacher.
Because he is a former governor, Mitt Romney understands that states must lead this national movement. In Massachusetts, Governor Romney narrowed the gap between students of different races, raised testing standards, and put into place a merit scholarship, the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship that gives students four tuition free years, at any Massachusetts public institution of higher learning.
He’s a champion for bringing hope to education.
And he intends to be a champion for equality of opportunity, a president who always puts students first.
So in this election, remember this: Our future as a nation is at stake.
Fact is, this election is not about just one office. It is about one nation. If we want to continue to be the greatest nation on the planet, we must give our kids what we promise them:
An equal opportunity. That starts in the classroom. It starts in our communities. It starts where you live.
And it starts with electing Mitt Romney the next President of the United States.
Thank you. God bless you, God bless our excellent teachers and God bless the United States of America.”
Senator Marco Rubio:
[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/16VbryCejyA”]
TRANSCRIPT
“In 1980, I watched my first Republican convention with my grandfather.
He was born to a farming family in rural Cuba. Childhood polio left him permanently disabled.
Because he couldn’t work the farm, his family sent him to school, and he became the only one in the family who could read.
As a boy, I would sit on our porch and listen to his stories about history, politics and baseball while he puffed on one of his three daily Padron cigars.
I don’t recall everything we talked about, but the one thing I remember, is the one thing he wanted me to never forget. The dreams he had when he was young became impossible to achieve.
But there was no limit to how far I could go, because I was an American.
For those of us who were born and raised in this country, it’s easy to forget how special America is. But my grandfather understood how different America is from the rest of the world, because he knew what life was like outside America.
Tonight, you’ll hear from another man who understands what makes America exceptional.
Mitt Romney knows America’s prosperity didn’t happen because our government simply spent more. It happened because our people used their own money to open a business. And when they succeed, they hire more people, who then invest or spend their money in the economy, helping others start a business and create jobs.
Mitt Romney’s success in business is well known. But he’s more than that.
He’s a devoted husband, father and grandfather. A generous member of his community and church.
Everywhere he’s been, he’s volunteered his time and talent to make things better for those around him.
We are blessed that soon, he will be the president of the United States.
Our problem with President Obama isn’t that he’s a bad person. By all accounts, he too is a good husband, and a good father — and thanks to lots of practice, a pretty good golfer.
Our problem is he’s a bad president.
The new slogan for the president’s campaign is “Forward.”
A government that spends $1 trillion more than it takes in.
An $800 billion stimulus that created more debt than jobs.
A government intervention into health care paid for with higher taxes and cuts to Medicare.
Scores of new rules and regulations.
These ideas don’t move us “Forward,” they take us “Backwards.”
These are tired and old big government ideas. Ideas that people come to America to get away from. Ideas that threaten to make America more like the rest of the world, instead of helping the world become more like America.
Under Barack Obama, the only “Change” is that “Hope” has been hard to find.
Now millions of Americans are insecure about their future. But instead of inspiring us by reminding us of what makes us special, he divides us against each other.
He tells Americans they’re worse off because others are better off. That people got rich by making others poor.
Hope and Change has become Divide and Conquer.
No matter how you feel about President Obama, this election is about your future, not his. And it’s not simply a choice between a Democrat and a Republican.
It’s a choice about what kind of country we want America to be.
As we prepare to make this choice, we should remember what made us special. For most of history almost everyone was poor. Power and wealth belonged to only a few.
Your rights were whatever your rulers allowed you to have. Your future was determined by your past.
If your parents were poor, so would you be. If you were born without opportunities, so were your children.
But America was founded on the principle that every person has God-given rights. That power belongs to the people. That government exists to protect our rights and serve our interests.
That we shouldn’t be trapped in the circumstances of our birth. That we should be free to go as far as our talents and work can take us.
We are special because we’ve been united not by a common race or ethnicity. We’re bound together by common values. That family is the most important institution in society. That almighty God is the source of all we have.
Special, because we’ve never made the mistake of believing that we are so smart that we can rely solely on our leaders or our government.
Our national motto is “In God we Trust,” reminding us that faith in our Creator is the most important American value of all.
And special because we’ve always understood the scriptural admonition that “for everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required.”
We are a blessed people. And we have honored those blessings with the enduring example of an exceptional America.
I know that for so many of you, these last few years have tested your faith in the promise of America.
Maybe you are at an age when you thought you would be entering retirement. But now, because your savings and investments are wiped out, your future is uncertain.
Maybe, after years of hard work, this was the time you expected to be your prime earning years. But instead, you’ve been laid off, and your house is worth less than your mortgage.
Maybe you did everything you were told you needed to do to get ahead. You studied hard and finished school. But now, you owe thousands of dollars in student loans. You can’t find a job in your field. And you’ve moved back in with your parents.
You want to believe we’re still that place where anything is possible. But things just don’t seem to be getting better. And you are starting to wonder if things will ever be the same again.
Yes, we live in a troubled time. But the story of those who came before us reminds us that America has always been about new beginnings.
And Mitt Romney is running for president because he knows that if we are willing to do for our children what our parents did for us, life in America can be better than it has ever been.
My mother was one of seven girls whose parents went to bed hungry so their children wouldn’t. My father lost his mother when he was nine. He left school and went to work for the next 70 years.
They emigrated to America with little more than the hope of a better life.
My dad was a bartender. My mom was a cashier, a maid and a stock clerk at K-Mart. They never made it big. They were never rich. And yet they were successful. Because just a few decades removed from hopelessness, they made possible for us all the things that had been impossible for them.
Many nights I heard my father’s keys jingling at the door as he came home after another 16-hour day. Many mornings, I woke up just as my mother got home from the overnight shift at K-Mart
When you’re young, the meaning of moments like these escapes you. But now, as my own children get older, I understand it better.
My Dad used to tell us: “En este pais, ustedes van a poder lograr todas las cosas que nosotros no pudimos” “In this country, you will be able to accomplish all the things we never could.”
A few years ago during a speech, I noticed a bartender behind a portable bar at the back of the ballroom. I remembered my father who had worked for many years as a banquet bartender.
He was grateful for the work he had, but that’s not the life he wanted for us.
He stood behind a bar in the back of the room all those years, so one day I could stand behind a podium in the front of a room.
That journey, from behind that bar to behind this podium, goes to the essence of the American miracle — that we’re exceptional not because we have more rich people here.
We’re special because dreams that are impossible anywhere else, come true here.
That’s not just my story. That’s your story. That’s our story.
It’s the story of your mother who struggled to give you what she never had.
It’s the story of your father who worked two jobs so doors closed for him would open for you.
The story of that teacher or that coach who taught you the lessons that shaped who you are today.
And it’s the story of a man who was born into an uncertain future in a foreign country. His family came to America to escape revolution.
They struggled through poverty and the great depression. And yet he rose to be an admired businessman, and public servant.
And in November, his son, Mitt Romney, will be elected President of the United States.
We are all just a generation or two removed from someone who made our future the purpose of their lives.
America is the story of everyday people who did extraordinary things. A story woven deep into the fabric of our society.
Their stories may never be famous, but in the lives they lived, you find the living essence of America’s greatness. To make sure America is still a place where tomorrow is always better than yesterday, that is what our politics should be about.
And that is what we are deciding in this election.
Do we want our children to inherit our hopes and dreams, or do we want them to inherit our problems?
Mitt Romney believes that if we succeed in changing the direction of our country, our children and grandchildren will be the most prosperous generation ever, and their achievements will astonish the world.
The story of our time will be written by Americans who haven’t yet been born.
Let’s make sure they write that we did our part. That in the early years of this new century, we lived in an uncertain time. But we did not allow fear to cause us to abandon what made us special.
We chose more freedom instead of more government.
We chose the principles of our founding to solve the challenges of our time.
We chose a special man to lead us in a special time.
We chose Mitt Romney to lead our nation.
And because we did, the American Miracle lived on for another generation to inherit.”
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.
RELATED COLUMNS:
Hill Poll: Voters say second term undeserved, country is worse off
New York Times Proves Clint Eastwood Correct — Obama Is Lousy CEO
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
Mack, Bush and Rubio Speak at RNC (Text and Video)
/in Must Read, Politics/by Dr. Rich SwierOn Thursday, the final day of the Republican National Convention, three of the speakers were from Florida. Florida looms large in November and the party that takes the state will take the White House. The three speakers were: candidate for the U.S. Senate Connie Mack, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Senator Marco Rubio. Senator Rubio was given the honor of introducing Mitt Romney.
Here is the video and transcript of each speech.
Representative Connie Mack, candidate for U.S. Senate:
[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/6uN_VRVutEY”]
TRANSCRIPT
Once again, it’s morning in America.
There are new leaders on the horizon – Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan – America’s comeback team.
Growing up, I had a plaque on my wall that read:
“Life’s battles don’t always go to the fastest or the strongest, sooner or later those who win are those who think they can.”
We’ve always been a people with big dreams and limitless potential.
After all, this is America.
Our success is built on our values and our principles, but so many of them are under attack. Our commitment to freedom and liberty, and to everything that makes our country great, seems to embarrass the blame-America-first crowd.
They penalize individual achievement while praising the power of government. But they have not, cannot and will not destroy our spirit.
We are proud to be Americans. We are proud of our nation, of our heritage and of our success.
And it is our commitment to the American story. It’s our athletes in London who brought home more medals than any other country. It’s our best and brightest who landed an extraordinary rover on Mars.
It’s the Nobel Prize winners, scientists, writers and artists, second-to-none, who inspire us all.
These are the achievements that are brought about by a free society that honors individual effort.
We owe it to those who have given so much to regain our strength, and remain one of the strongest forces for freedom the world has ever seen.
Our allies deserve our unwavering support and our enemies need to know, we stand to defend freedom at all costs.
America was built on the belief in free enterprise, hard work, passion and faith.
We have the awesome responsibility to make that dream a reality.
That dream is not an impossible dream. It’s the American dream. It’s sure, it’s strong and it’s steady.
Mitt Romney’s plans to restore America’s promise and purpose will be realized and the American dream will once again be available to all her children.
We are a nation of dreamers – Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, the Wright brothers. Dreamers like Neil Armstrong who sought new lands and took giant leaps into American exceptionalism. And dreamers like my friend, Kiko Villiaon.
You know the story of the others; now let me tell you the story of Kiko.
In 1960, Kiko fled Castro’s Cuba. He came to New York. He became a taxi driver. He worked hard and saved his money. He became a citizen. He moved to Florida. He started a business building boats. He raised a family. He put his children through school. He sold his business. Now he worries about what opportunities lie ahead for his children and their children.
Kiko has lived the American dream, as have so many others. That’s what this election is all about – making the American dream a reality again.
It’s not about the past. It’s not about what was done wrong. It’s not about blaming America. It’s quite the opposite.
Tonight we embark on a renewal of the American dream.
Tonight we honor those who have come before us and done so much. Many even giving their lives.
And tonight we honor our children and their children to ensure their dreams – whether it’s playing under the lights, or starting a business, or being a doctor or a nurse, or a soldier or a sailor, or even a president or a vice president – dreams can become realities.
After all, this is America. And it’s morning once again.
Thank you, God bless the United States of America.
Former Governor Jeb Bush:
[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/kTJiKAmkBzo”]
TRANSCRIPT
“Welcome to Florida! Bienvenido a Florida!
This election is about the future of this nation. We can shape that future with what we do here, with what we do November 6.
We can restore America’s greatness.
That starts with a strong economy, a smart energy policy, lower deficits, and a president who puts America’s workers and job-creators first.
But to have a great future – a secure future – a future that is equal to our potential as a nation, we need to do something else.
We must make sure that our children and grandchildren are ready for the world we are shaping today.
It starts in our homes, in our communities, and especially in our schools.
As a candidate and Governor, I visited over 400 schools. I saw children read their first sentences. Solve their first long-division problems. Explore the miracles of chemistry and physics.
That’s the essence of education – students getting a chance at a future.
There are many reasons to believe America’s future is bright, but also reasons to worry.
Of 34 advanced nations in the world, American students rank 17th in science, 25th in math.
Only one-fourth of high school graduates are ready for their next steps.
China and India produce eight times more engineering students each year than the United States.
There is a moral cost to our failing schools.
We say that every child in America has an equal opportunity. Tell that to a kid in whose classroom learning isn’t respected.
Tell that to a parent stuck in a school where there is no leadership. Tell that to a young, talented teacher who just got laid off because she didn’t have tenure.
The sad truth is that equality of opportunity doesn’t exist in many of our schools. We give some kids a chance, but not all.
That failure is the great moral and economic issue of our time. And it’s hurting all of America.
I believe we can meet this challenge.
We need to set high standards for students and teachers and provide students and their parents the choices they deserve.
The first step is a simple one.
We must stop pre-judging children based on their race, ethnicity or household income.
We must stop excusing failure in our schools and start rewarding improvement and success.
We must have high academic standards that are benchmarked to the best in the world.
All kids can learn. Governor Romney believes it, and the data proves it. While he was governor, Massachusetts raised standards and today their students lead the nation in academic performance.
Here in Florida in 1999, we were at the bottom of the nation in education.
For the last decade, this state has been on a path of reform. Under the leadership of Governor Rick Scott and local leaders, our focus every day is whether students are learning. That’s it.
Today, more students are reading on grade level, passing rigorous college prep courses and graduating from high school.
And perhaps most exciting, those traditionally left behind are showing the greatest gains.
Among African-American students, Florida is ranked fourth in the nation for academic improvement.
Among low-income students, we’re ranked third for our gains.
Among students with disabilities, we’re ranked first.
And among Latino students, the gains were so big, they required a new metric. Right now, Florida’s fourth grade Hispanic students read as well or better than the average of all students in 21 states and the District of Columbia.
These kids were once written off. But today thanks to teachers like Sean Duffy we’re changing that.
We need more great teachers like you. Teachers who don’t give up on a kid, who recognize that every child can learn, and don’t waste a precious year of a student’s life.
If you’re a great teacher and your students are mastering their subjects, no matter your age or years of experience, you should have a job.
Education is hard work, but if you follow some core principles, and you challenge the status quo, you get great results.
So here’s another thing we can do: Let’s give every parent in America a choice about where their child attends school.
Everywhere in our lives, we get the chance to choose.
Go down any supermarket aisle – you’ll find an incredible selection of milk.
You can get whole milk, 2% milk, low-fat milk or skim milk. Organic milk, and milk with extra Vitamin D.
There’s flavored milk— chocolate, strawberry or vanilla – and it doesn’t even taste like milk.
They even make milk for people who can’t drink milk.
Shouldn’t parents have that kind of choice in schools?
Governor Romney gets it. He believes parents – regardless of zip code or income – should be able to send their child to the school that fits them best.
That has set him against some entrenched interests.
There are many people who say they support strong schools but draw the line at school choice.
“Sorry, kid. Giving you equal opportunity would be too risky. And it will upset powerful political forces that we need to win elections.”
I have a simple message for these masters of delay and deferral: Choose. You can either help the politically powerful unions. Or you can help the kids.
Now, I know it’s hard to take on the unions. They fund campaigns. They’re well-organized. Election day? They’ll show up.
Meanwhile, the kids aren’t old enough to vote.
But you and I know who deserves a choice. Governor Romney knows it, too.
Let me introduce you to Frantz Placide. Because we gave him a choice, he got a great education.
I grew up in the inner city of Miami. In a place where your zip code determined your chances of success, my only option was an unproductive and failing school.
I knew that could lead to an unproductive and failing future. Thanks to Governor Bush’s school choice program, I got the chance to choose a better school.
Making my education my priority, I enrolled at one of the toughest private schools in Miami – Archbishop Curley Notre Dame.
I’m sure like a lot of us, it was my mother, Carlette, who really pushed for a choice in my education.
I’m glad she did. Her devotion to my future has given me a chance to succeed.
I’ve graduated from Wagner College, and am looking forward to a life of learning, and serving my community.
Who knows what the future would have held, if there hadn’t been a choice in my education?
But I do know the numbers for failure, and I probably wouldn’t have had a very good chance.
Governor Bush’s school choice program gave me the chance to achieve academic success, in the school that was the best fit for me.
I took it from there.
Thank you Frantz, it’s been an honor to see you grow up. Your story is driving powerful change across this nation. And some of the biggest reformers are Republicans.
Governor Mitch Daniels in Indiana and Governor Jindal in Louisiana have expanded school choice beyond what we have in Florida.
Governor Martinez in New Mexico is raising expectations – holding schools accountable for students gaining critical reading skills.
Governor LePage in Maine and Deal in Georgia are transforming education by pushing schools to harness the power of technology and digital learning.
Idaho’s Governor Otter and Superintendent Luna are raising up the best teachers and separating out the ineffective ones. That earned some enemies. Some of them slashed the superintendent’s tires. But he didn’t back down.
Governor Walker in Wisconsin led his state to adopt reforms that promote early literacy and require that teacher evaluations incorporate student achievement.
In Nevada, Governor Sandoval pushed for reforms to end the damaging practice of “last in, first out” – where teachers are hired or fired based on their years in the system, not on their impact in the classroom.
Governor Haslam in Tennessee is making sure every classroom has an effective teacher.
Because he is a former governor, Mitt Romney understands that states must lead this national movement. In Massachusetts, Governor Romney narrowed the gap between students of different races, raised testing standards, and put into place a merit scholarship, the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship that gives students four tuition free years, at any Massachusetts public institution of higher learning.
He’s a champion for bringing hope to education.
And he intends to be a champion for equality of opportunity, a president who always puts students first.
So in this election, remember this: Our future as a nation is at stake.
Fact is, this election is not about just one office. It is about one nation. If we want to continue to be the greatest nation on the planet, we must give our kids what we promise them:
An equal opportunity. That starts in the classroom. It starts in our communities. It starts where you live.
And it starts with electing Mitt Romney the next President of the United States.
Thank you. God bless you, God bless our excellent teachers and God bless the United States of America.”
Senator Marco Rubio:
[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/16VbryCejyA”]
TRANSCRIPT
“In 1980, I watched my first Republican convention with my grandfather.
He was born to a farming family in rural Cuba. Childhood polio left him permanently disabled.
Because he couldn’t work the farm, his family sent him to school, and he became the only one in the family who could read.
As a boy, I would sit on our porch and listen to his stories about history, politics and baseball while he puffed on one of his three daily Padron cigars.
I don’t recall everything we talked about, but the one thing I remember, is the one thing he wanted me to never forget. The dreams he had when he was young became impossible to achieve.
But there was no limit to how far I could go, because I was an American.
For those of us who were born and raised in this country, it’s easy to forget how special America is. But my grandfather understood how different America is from the rest of the world, because he knew what life was like outside America.
Tonight, you’ll hear from another man who understands what makes America exceptional.
Mitt Romney knows America’s prosperity didn’t happen because our government simply spent more. It happened because our people used their own money to open a business. And when they succeed, they hire more people, who then invest or spend their money in the economy, helping others start a business and create jobs.
Mitt Romney’s success in business is well known. But he’s more than that.
He’s a devoted husband, father and grandfather. A generous member of his community and church.
Everywhere he’s been, he’s volunteered his time and talent to make things better for those around him.
We are blessed that soon, he will be the president of the United States.
Our problem with President Obama isn’t that he’s a bad person. By all accounts, he too is a good husband, and a good father — and thanks to lots of practice, a pretty good golfer.
Our problem is he’s a bad president.
The new slogan for the president’s campaign is “Forward.”
A government that spends $1 trillion more than it takes in.
An $800 billion stimulus that created more debt than jobs.
A government intervention into health care paid for with higher taxes and cuts to Medicare.
Scores of new rules and regulations.
These ideas don’t move us “Forward,” they take us “Backwards.”
These are tired and old big government ideas. Ideas that people come to America to get away from. Ideas that threaten to make America more like the rest of the world, instead of helping the world become more like America.
Under Barack Obama, the only “Change” is that “Hope” has been hard to find.
Now millions of Americans are insecure about their future. But instead of inspiring us by reminding us of what makes us special, he divides us against each other.
He tells Americans they’re worse off because others are better off. That people got rich by making others poor.
Hope and Change has become Divide and Conquer.
No matter how you feel about President Obama, this election is about your future, not his. And it’s not simply a choice between a Democrat and a Republican.
It’s a choice about what kind of country we want America to be.
As we prepare to make this choice, we should remember what made us special. For most of history almost everyone was poor. Power and wealth belonged to only a few.
Your rights were whatever your rulers allowed you to have. Your future was determined by your past.
If your parents were poor, so would you be. If you were born without opportunities, so were your children.
But America was founded on the principle that every person has God-given rights. That power belongs to the people. That government exists to protect our rights and serve our interests.
That we shouldn’t be trapped in the circumstances of our birth. That we should be free to go as far as our talents and work can take us.
We are special because we’ve been united not by a common race or ethnicity. We’re bound together by common values. That family is the most important institution in society. That almighty God is the source of all we have.
Special, because we’ve never made the mistake of believing that we are so smart that we can rely solely on our leaders or our government.
Our national motto is “In God we Trust,” reminding us that faith in our Creator is the most important American value of all.
And special because we’ve always understood the scriptural admonition that “for everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required.”
We are a blessed people. And we have honored those blessings with the enduring example of an exceptional America.
I know that for so many of you, these last few years have tested your faith in the promise of America.
Maybe you are at an age when you thought you would be entering retirement. But now, because your savings and investments are wiped out, your future is uncertain.
Maybe, after years of hard work, this was the time you expected to be your prime earning years. But instead, you’ve been laid off, and your house is worth less than your mortgage.
Maybe you did everything you were told you needed to do to get ahead. You studied hard and finished school. But now, you owe thousands of dollars in student loans. You can’t find a job in your field. And you’ve moved back in with your parents.
You want to believe we’re still that place where anything is possible. But things just don’t seem to be getting better. And you are starting to wonder if things will ever be the same again.
Yes, we live in a troubled time. But the story of those who came before us reminds us that America has always been about new beginnings.
And Mitt Romney is running for president because he knows that if we are willing to do for our children what our parents did for us, life in America can be better than it has ever been.
My mother was one of seven girls whose parents went to bed hungry so their children wouldn’t. My father lost his mother when he was nine. He left school and went to work for the next 70 years.
They emigrated to America with little more than the hope of a better life.
My dad was a bartender. My mom was a cashier, a maid and a stock clerk at K-Mart. They never made it big. They were never rich. And yet they were successful. Because just a few decades removed from hopelessness, they made possible for us all the things that had been impossible for them.
Many nights I heard my father’s keys jingling at the door as he came home after another 16-hour day. Many mornings, I woke up just as my mother got home from the overnight shift at K-Mart
When you’re young, the meaning of moments like these escapes you. But now, as my own children get older, I understand it better.
My Dad used to tell us: “En este pais, ustedes van a poder lograr todas las cosas que nosotros no pudimos” “In this country, you will be able to accomplish all the things we never could.”
A few years ago during a speech, I noticed a bartender behind a portable bar at the back of the ballroom. I remembered my father who had worked for many years as a banquet bartender.
He was grateful for the work he had, but that’s not the life he wanted for us.
He stood behind a bar in the back of the room all those years, so one day I could stand behind a podium in the front of a room.
That journey, from behind that bar to behind this podium, goes to the essence of the American miracle — that we’re exceptional not because we have more rich people here.
We’re special because dreams that are impossible anywhere else, come true here.
That’s not just my story. That’s your story. That’s our story.
It’s the story of your mother who struggled to give you what she never had.
It’s the story of your father who worked two jobs so doors closed for him would open for you.
The story of that teacher or that coach who taught you the lessons that shaped who you are today.
And it’s the story of a man who was born into an uncertain future in a foreign country. His family came to America to escape revolution.
They struggled through poverty and the great depression. And yet he rose to be an admired businessman, and public servant.
And in November, his son, Mitt Romney, will be elected President of the United States.
We are all just a generation or two removed from someone who made our future the purpose of their lives.
America is the story of everyday people who did extraordinary things. A story woven deep into the fabric of our society.
Their stories may never be famous, but in the lives they lived, you find the living essence of America’s greatness. To make sure America is still a place where tomorrow is always better than yesterday, that is what our politics should be about.
And that is what we are deciding in this election.
Do we want our children to inherit our hopes and dreams, or do we want them to inherit our problems?
Mitt Romney believes that if we succeed in changing the direction of our country, our children and grandchildren will be the most prosperous generation ever, and their achievements will astonish the world.
The story of our time will be written by Americans who haven’t yet been born.
Let’s make sure they write that we did our part. That in the early years of this new century, we lived in an uncertain time. But we did not allow fear to cause us to abandon what made us special.
We chose more freedom instead of more government.
We chose the principles of our founding to solve the challenges of our time.
We chose a special man to lead us in a special time.
We chose Mitt Romney to lead our nation.
And because we did, the American Miracle lived on for another generation to inherit.”
Which Presidential Candidate Sides With You?
/in Must Read, Opinion, Politics/by Dr. Rich SwierCharles Schelle and Mark Maley in their Sarasota Patch column “Online Tool Matches Voters with Ideal Presidential Candidate” note that “Floridians’ presidential preference leans more Libertarian in this online free quiz that takes an in-depth look at your stance on a range of issues, then compares them to candidates’ responses … A new website launched earlier this year to help voters match up with their ideal candidate, and it’s quickly gaining popularity through social media channels. In fact, according to iSideWith.com’s homepage, more than a million people have taken the free quiz to determine their ideal candidate since it launched in March.”
The free quiz may be taken by going to iSideWith.com.
According to Schelle and Maley, “The selection of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan as Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s running mate has put presidential race into overdrive now that we know who all the players are.”
“But do you really know which presidential candidate best matches your stance on those issues? It may surprise you to find out who Floridians’ beliefs support,” note Schelle and Maley.
According to the iSideWith.com’s website Florida goes with Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson on domestic policy, healthcare and immigration issues. Who Florida sides with by party are: 51% are Democrat, 41% Green, 39% Republican and 37% Libertarian. This non-scientific survey shows Florida’s favorites in order: Libertarian Gary Johnson, Democrat Barack Obama, Republican Ron Paul and Republican Mitt Romney. Note that the three conservatives are most in line with how Floridians stand.
The question is will the Libertarian and Ron Paul vote go for Romney in November? Ideology may trump candidate support once inside the voting booth.
CFO Jeff Atwater Endorses Five for Florida Plan
/in Featured, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by Dr. Rich SwierAmericans for Properity – Florida (AFP-FL) announces that Florida CFO Jeff Atwater endorsed Five for Florida plan.
“I am pleased to announce my endorsement of Five for Florida. The most important issue facing the State of Florida currently is creating and maintaining jobs, and the Five for Florida plan will create a better economic environment and spur job creation,” said Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater.
He continued, “Candidates, regardless of party, should be supporting this plan because it speaks to government accountability, transparency and job creation. I am confident that if the policies outlined in Five for Florida are implemented by the Legislature, we will save the taxpayers money while encouraging economic development in our state.”
CFO Atwater joins 90 other Florida elected officials and candidates in endorsing Five for Florida and showing their commitment to a better Florida. Citizens all around the state have been endorsing the plan as well, supporting government transparency, financial accountability, the end of cronyism, increased school choice, and the elimination of barriers to entry for entrepreneurs.
A recent poll shows Florida voters across party lines support the reforms in Five for Florida. A recent poll of “likely” voters showed that there is broad-based support for the reforms in the Five for Florida plan amongst Floridians.
SEE SUMMARY OF THE POLL HERE
The poll shows a majority of Floridians, regardless of party affiliation or cultural background, think that Florida’s government can do better and that the reforms proposed in our Five for Florida plan have broad based public support and should be enacted in the next legislative session.
“Candidate’s who ignore these survey results are doing so at their own peril,” said Slade O’Brien, Execitive Director of Americans for Prosperity in Florida. “They have a choice, they can continue to serve the special interests and those that feed at the public trough or they can side with a public that clearly wants more economic opportunity, transparency, accountability and educational choice,” O’Brien noted.
Evil Comes to Florida
/in Featured, Politics/by Dr. Rich SwierWith the Republican National Convention just one week away and both political parties posturing for the final countdown to November 6, 2012 the heat is rising. Evil has reared its ugly head this past week. From the shooting at the Family Research Council (FRC) to the vandalism of a billboard in Venice, Florida evil is ever present. Floyd Lee Corkins was the shooter at the FRC offices. He was there not as a crazed gunman but as a political opponent of the ideas and ideals of the FRC.
On Friday, August 17, 2012 a billboard was erected by the local Republican party in Venice, Florida with a simple message: “Repeal Obama”. On Sunday, August 19th that sign was discovered vandalized. Many people are fearful, given the events at the Family Research Council, that violence may follow. The target may be just fifty miles North of Venice in Tampa, the city hosting the Republican National Convention.
Barbara Vaughn a citizen of Sarasota County noted in an email, “Whoever the perpetrators are, they’re not just kids up to no good. This was a carefully planned effort requiring tools, equipment and at least 3-4 people. Somebody paid for the tools and equipment and I suspect the vandals were paid to do it.”
Joe Gruters, Chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota, stated, “People can think what they want about what is on the sign but these type of actions have no place in America especially in Sarasota, Florida. Countless Americans have sacrificed their lives to protect our rights including our 1st Amendment right of free speech and I call on democrat leaders and President Obama to condemn this senseless act. I am very disappointed.”
Residents and businesses in Tampa are waiting to see if violence follows vandalism at the Republican National Convention. In 2008 a plot was uncovered to bomb the convention. Several groups led by the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) plan protests. An SDS group calling themselves the Weather Underground conducted terrorist attacks, including the bombing of the Pentagon, during the 1960s. The Occupy movement also plans protests. The Occupy the RNC official website uses warlike phrases and refers to the “Weather Underground”. The question is: Will the protesters become violent or even deadly?
CNN’s Erick Erickson notes in his column “Evil Preaches Tolerance“, “Evil preaches tolerance until it is dominant. Then it tries to silence good. There is nothing new under the sun and what we are seeing here is nothing new, just a change. Tolerance has been redefined to mean accept and it is no longer enough to have values. The values must be the correct values.”
The Republican National Convention will take place in Tampa, Florida from August 27-30, 2012.
RELATED COLUMN:
Hatred’s Strange Bedfellows
Sixty-Five Percent of Floridians Purchased “Red” Books
/in Must Read, Politics/by Dr. Rich SwierAmazon.com released a “Heat Map” showing purchases of political books by state. The map breaks down all purchases into “blue” or “red” book categories. According to the map nation wide 44% of purchases are “Blue” Books and 56% of purchases are “Red” Books. In Florida 65% purchased red books.
Minnesota and Maryland came in even with 50% blue and 50% red. Mississippi has the distinction of having the highest number of red book buyers at 73%. Only four states and the District of Columbia have a majority of blue book buyers. These blue book buyer states are: New York (54%), Massachusetts (58%), Rhode Island (52%) and Vermont (61%). The District of Columbia has the highest number of blue book buyers at 68%. California may be in the political tossup column with 51% buying red books.
Amazon.com website did this because, “[G]iven the high interest we’ve seen in political books during election years, we thought our customers would like to see what general book buying patterns emerge across the country, and how they change over time.”
According to their website here is how Amazon.com created the Heat Map:
Amazon customers, as we know, read widely and often buy books that don’t necessarily fit their own views. Books aren’t votes, and a map of book purchases can reflect curiosity as much as commitment, but we hope our 2012 Election Heat Map will provide one way to follow the changing political conversation across the country during this election season.
How do we calculate the red and blue percentages on our Heat Map?
Our 2012 Election Heat Map colors each state according to the percentage of red and blue book purchases, based on shipping address, that have been made on Amazon.com during the past 30 days. We take the top-selling political books on Amazon.com and categorize them as “red,” “blue,” or neutral. We classify books as red or blue if they have a political leaning made evident in book promotion material and/or customer classification, such as tags. We compute percentages, updated daily, for each state and the US by comparing the 250 best-selling blue books during the time period against the 250 best-selling red books during the same time period, including new book launches. If the same book title has multiple formats (paperback, Kindle books and Audible Audio), each format has a separate sales calculation. The list only includes paid, not free Kindle books. All orders during the period are given equal weighting in the calculation. States with higher percentages of red or blue purchases are colored more darkly, and states with an even 50-50 split are colored neutral.
What is the definition of a “red state” and a “blue state” in the US?
In recent years, thanks to the color-coded maps the networks use on election night, “red state” has come to represent a state favoring the Republican Party, while “blue state” represents one that favors the Democratic Party. We know that states are not all red or all blue, and readers aren’t either. And books are often too complex to fit into such neat categories. But given the high interest we’ve seen in political books during election years, we thought our customers would like to see what general book buying patterns emerge across the country, and how they change over time.
Will the Amazon Heat Map be factored in by pundits and Real Clear Politics? We shall see.
BRICKS, PIPES AND ANARCHIST GRAFFITI FOUND NEAR RNC CONVENTION CENTER
/in Hot Topics, News/by Dr. Rich SwierA National Terror Alert was issued stating, “Federal authorities are urging law enforcement agencies across the country to watch out for signs that extremists might be planning to wreak havoc at the upcoming political conventions — by blocking roads, shutting down transit systems and even employing what were described as acid-filled eggs.”
Tampa Bay Online notes, “The graffiti included the numeral ’99’ and an image of a person wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, similar to those worn by Occupy protesters last year. Fawkes was an Englishman who tried to bomb Parliament in the early 1600s. The masks became symbols for the Occupy protesters after the film ‘V for Vendetta,’ in which an anarchist models himself as a modern Fawkes and rebels against a fascist government.” An attempt to bomb the Republican National Convention was foiled in 2008.
The Occupy The RNC official website states, “Security will be concentrated in the Green Zone which will establish a legalized police state up to a 5 mile radius around downtown Tampa. This leaves the rest of the city and Bay area open and available for decentralized actions. People that require the law enforcement to be everywhere, ensure law enforcement cannot be effective anywhere.” [My emphasis]
Bricks, pipes or acid filled eggs thrown from roof tops could be aimed at either law enforcement providing protection for convention attendees or the attendees and the press. Tampa Chief of Police Jane Castor notes, “Finding those items for us was not a surprise. This is historically how these things proceed before a large political event such as the RNC.” Not very comforting to attendees.
The recent case of vandalism in nearby Sarasota, Florida has locals nervous and on edge. The placement of potential weapons before the security cordon is enforced could be a sign of future violence against police and convention attendees. It is difficult to determine how many caches of potential weapons have been placed already by the anarchists on surrounding roof tops, in alleys and even within local buildings. This discovery bodes ill for a peaceful time next week during the Republican National Convention and at the Democrat National Convention in September.
The Occupy The RNC official website Action page has warlike phrases and quotes from Sun Tsu’s the Art of War. This quote appears: ”Those skilled in war bring the enemy to the field of battle and are not brought there by him.” -Sun Tzu, Art of War.
The Occupy The RNC official logo (below) is dark and foreboding with a raised fist coming out of a dead GOP elephant with red letters announcing a “counter RNC protests”. It reminds one of the “Dark Knight” movie that ended in tragedy. Among the organizations endorsing Occupy the RNC include groups that have caused violence and death both in the United States and overseas such as: CODEPINK, A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition and Occupy Wall Street.
Tampa gird your loins for history tells us that vandalism always precedes violence.
RELATED COLUMN:
Feds warn anarchists could blockade roads, use acid-filled eggs to protest conventions
Former Mayor Responds to Sarasota County School Board Raising Taxes
/in Education, Must Read, Taxes/by Dr. Rich SwierDavid Merrill, businessman and the former Mayor of the City of Sarasota, Florida, sent the below email to all Sarasota County School Board members.
School Board Members,
I urge you to reject the proposed increase in property taxes for schools. You can eliminate the need for the extra taxes by cutting wasteful policies and programs, and you have failed to make the case that the money will actually improve the education of our children.
Instead of looking to more taxes, you can find more than enough savings to eliminate the need for the taxes by replacing your credential-based compensation system for teachers. Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education, and Bill Gates have said we need to find the money to improve our schools by eliminating the waste and inefficiency from the type of compensation system that you use. Yet, other than perhaps for some new-hires, Sarasota’s teachers’ salaries are set from a salary table with two variables: advanced degrees and years of teaching.
In 2010 Arne Duncan said, ”There is little evidence teachers with masters degrees improve student achievement more than other teachers.” Despite this information, Sarasota pays for more advanced and special degrees than any other district in Florida. A full 67% of Sarasota’s teachers have a degree above a bachelor’s degree. While some advanced degrees may be appropriate, does giving two-thirds of the teachers at Phillipi Shores Elementary School higher salaries because they have advanced degrees really do anything to help our children learn the alphabet and the multiplication tables?
When it comes to teacher longevity, Sarasota’s teachers have the 7th highest average longevity out of the state’s 67 school districts. However Harvard Professor Paul E Peterson’s study titled “It’s Easier to Pick a Good Teacher than to Train One: Familiar and New Results on the Correlates on Teacher Effectiveness” reports that there is little increase in a teacher’s effectiveness after the first three years of teaching. But you continue to increase teachers’ salaries based solely upon the number of years that they’ve been teaching, when, instead, we should pay them based on a performance evaluation like other professionals.
Some of you may say that you know these arguments, but politically you can’t cut teachers’ pay. Therefore, in the absence of courage to confront the teachers union, your argument is that you have no choice but to increase taxes. But, based on FCAT and EOC Assessment scores, you can’t show that you have been good stewards of the half-billion dollars you have collected from the referendum-initiated school tax since 2002.
Looking at our FCAT history, Sarasota’s ranking among Florida’s school districts on the high-school Reading FCAT and Math FCAT are lower today than they were a dozen years ago. For the first three years of the high-school Math FCAT back in 2000, 2001, and 2002, Sarasota’s score was either the second or the third highest in the state. Likewise, for the first two years of the high school Reading FCAT in 2000 and 2001, Sarasota’s scores were either second or third in the state. When the school-tax referendum passed in 2002, everyone looked forward to new and innovative educational strategies to build on our excellent school district, but, instead, the school district immediately went into an inexplicable funk, from which you’ve not yet recovered.
(I use the FCAT scores from the highest grade in high school that the test is given because they include the cumulative learning from lower grades, and they are the closest measure of the performance of your finished product, the high school graduate.)
Sarasota’s Ranking on High School FCAT among 67 Districts
Fortunately, we’ve begun to regain some of our former glory. On the recent Algebra EOC Assessment, Sarasota had the second highest score, which may be the beginning of getting back to where we were 11 years ago.
Unfortunately, despite the hundreds of millions of dollars of supplemental taxes that taxpayers have given you since 2002, Sarasota’s high school student’s FCAT scores are still determined more by Sarasota’s favorable demographics than the school district’s extra efforts. As you know, demographic factors such as adult personal income, percentage of free and reduced lunch, adult educational levels, and student racial composition are good predictors of a district’s FCAT scores when considered together. In fact, there is a good argument that our county and city commissioners are more responsible for Sarasota’s FCAT scores than the school board since the commissioners’ policies have had the most influence on our demographics.
If you were to chart these demographic factors for Florida’s school districts, most school districts’ FCAT scores would fall within a narrow band of where one would expect to find them based on their demographics. However, when districts deviate from their demographic prediction, it’s possible that their school district is doing something different from the other districts.
Accordingly, there are three districts on the high school FCATs who have challenged Sarasota’s scores, but who shouldn’t be able to based on their demographics alone. These districts, Sumter, Gilchrist, and Wakulla, all have less attractive demographics for adult income and educational levels compared to Sarasota, and their free and reduced lunch percentages are either similar to or higher than Sarasota’s. Even with these unfavorable demographic characteristics, and along with having less money per student, fewer teachers with advanced degrees, less teacher experience, and lower teacher pay than Sarasota, these lower-income districts have achieved some impressive FCAT scores. They are obviously doing something right given what they have to work with.
If you could show a similar pattern of consistently having higher test scores than our demographics alone would predict, you could make an argument that you are efficiently and effectively using your resources, and that giving you more resources could lead to even higher test scores. However, you can’t make the argument because our high school students don’t consistently outscore the districts with similar or more favorable demographics.
On the 2011 FCAT tests, there were six districts that outscored Sarasota’s combined test scores and who also have demographics at least as favorable as Sarasota’s. (I’ve excluded Gilchrist, which is shown above.) The districts are St. Johns, Okaloosa, Brevard, Seminole, Martin, and Santa Rosa. Each district has its favorable and unfavorable demographic factors, but they would all be considered similar.
Some key characteristics for these districts are shown on the table below.
Although the demographics are similar, as the chart shows, the Sarasota’s median teacher pay is 25% higher than the average of the other districts, and Sarasota takes in 28% more tax revenue per student than the other districts on average, or about $2,500 per student. And, yet, with more lower-paid teachers and far fewer financial resources, these other districts have typically outscored us.
To put a better perspective on the magnitude of this disparity in revenues between districts, Sarasota has about 40,000 students, so a difference of $2,500 per student amounts to $100,000,000. That’s how much Sarasota could save each and every year if we matched the average budget of the other six districts above. Or, said another way, that’s how much money we could save if our school district were as efficient and effective in delivering high-scoring high-school graduates as other top districts – like we used to be a decade ago.
The table below summarizes the calculation for the extra tax burden that Sarasota taxpayers must fund annually above what the other top districts on average must pay.
So, the questions before us are whether or not Sarasota has the potential to be the top school district in Florida, and whether we need to collect an extra $100,000,000 in taxes to do it. And I’ll answer the first question with an unequivocal “Yes!” And I’ll answer the second question with a “Hopefully not”.
The first question is easy to answer because we right there at the cusp a decade ago. Back then, before the extra taxes started gushing in, our high school kids were just shy of having the highest scores on the FCAT. In fact, it was the promise of being the top school district that got the voters to rally behind the property-tax increase in 2002 after having voted down a similar referendum in 2000. Our recent 2nd-place score on the Algebra EOCA shows that we still have the potential, and it’s not unusual in the lower grades for us to have top FCAT scores. By effectively using the financial resources that the public has given you, you can overcome any demographic advantages that even a district like St. Johns enjoys, and our high school students can be the very best in the state.
However, the reason I don’t support a continuation of the extra $100,000,000 in taxes is because the need for it is purely remedial. There are only two reasons that the extra taxes are needed. One possibility is that you have failed to develop a school district that is as efficient and effective the school districts that are currently at the top of the FCAT rankings. The other possibility is that our city and county commissioners have failed to create an economy that provides enough jobs for high income, college educated workers. After all, it’s their children who get the top scores.
But continuing the extra $100,000,000 in taxes drains our economy of productive resources and makes our community-development plans more difficult. Other districts that don’t have to pay it are gaining a competitive advantage over Sarasota. Over a decade, the cumulative impact of draining this much money from our economy is huge.
In less than two years you will have another vote to extend the property tax for schools. (It only provides about half of the extra $100,000,000 in taxes that you collect.) I predict that you will fail unless you do two things. First, you must develop a compensation system that rewards our many excellent teachers and eliminates the bad ones. (Ever read RateMyTeachers.com? We still have bad teachers. My 7th grade son just got one of the worst ones at his school. Why is Ms. Friedland still allowed to teach?) Secondly, you must restore Sarasota’s high-school test scores to their rightful place at the top of all districts. Unlike a decade ago when we were Number 2, with all your extra resources, we need to be Number 1.
Finally, with $100,000,000 more than the average of the other top districts, you don’t need more money. You need a better plan. Arne Duncan has said that schools need to do more with less. I suggest you show your understanding of the new reality by voting down your proposed tax increase.
Best regards,
David Merrill
Arox Land Development, Inc
700 Bell Road
Sarasota, Fl 34240
State Attorney Asked To Investigate Potential Absentee Voting Fraud
/in Featured, Waste, Fraud and Abuse/by Dr. Rich SwierMIAMI, Aug. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Paul Crespo, candidate for the Florida Republican House of Representatives, sent a formal letter to Miami Dade County State Attorney Kathy Fernandez Rundle asking for a full and immediate investigation into irregularities in the recent absentee voting process in House District 105, specifically focused on electoral precincts in the city of Sweetwater.
A copy of this letter was also sent to Broward County State Attorney Michael Satz; Collier County State Attorney, Stephen Russell; Commissioner Gerald Bailey, head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE); John Boynton, Director of the Florida Division of Elections; Joseph Centorino, Executive Director of the Miami Dade Commission on Ethics; and the United States Attorney for Florida’s Southern District, Wifredo Ferrer. This letter provides detailed information pointing to disturbing patterns of irregular absentee voting in this race that could potentially include voter fraud. Based on the raw voting data evaluated by our election consultants and attorneys, we believe we have identified significant statistical and anecdotal evidence of serious irregularities in absentee voting that may have dramatically altered the election results in this race.
According to the Crespo campaign serious irregularities in Sweetwater mirror those recently exposed in the nearby city of Hialeah, which have resulted in various arrests. “The vote percentages for absentee ballots in Miami Dade County in House district 105 are totally out of line with the early and election day voting numbers, and even more out of line with the voting results in Collier and Broward counties,” said Crespo campaign consultant Emiliano Antunez, “We will be investigating these major discrepancies and reporting any evidence we uncover to all relevant state and federal governing law enforcement agencies.” Following the precedent set by the 1997 lawsuit for absentee voter fraud which successfully overturned that year’s City of Miami mayoral election, we are considering taking action against the Carlos Trujillo campaign shortly.
“I am very disturbed by the information I have been shown pointing to potentially serious irregularities in absentee voting performed by my opponent’s campaign,” said former Marine Corps Captain Paul Crespo. “I served 12 years in the US Marines defending our country and our political system. We cannot allow the integrity of our elections to be undermined.”
Link to Paul Crespo Campaign .
Southern Poverty Law Center Hate Map a Licence to Kill?
/in Culture War, Hot Topics/by Dr. Rich SwierThe Southern Poverty Law Center and its Hate Map is being called a “licence to kill” by Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council (FRC).
David Ariosto from CNN notes, “Founded on the heels of America’s civil rights movement, the Southern Poverty Law Center burnished its name with legal wins over white-supremist groups and helped integrate institutions like the Alabama State Police. But it has also stoked anger with the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian policy group that lashed out this week after a 28-year-old gunman stormed their downtown Washington headquarters and opened fire.”
Ariosto quotes Perkins as saying, “Let me be clear that Floyd Corkins was responsible for firing the shot yesterday. But Corkins was given a license to shoot an unarmed man by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center that have been reckless in labeling organizations hate groups because they disagree with them on public policy.”
Ed Vitagliano from One News Now reports:
“As SPLC spokesman Mark Potok explained in a column for the Huffington Post, the hate group watchdog had listed both [American Family Association] AFA and FRC as ‘hate groups’ on its Web site, along with militia groups and white supremacist groups like the KKK.
Just what did AFA and FRC do to warrant such infamy? Potok said it was because the two groups ‘regularly spew vicious lies about the LGBT community.’ Thus, they are hate groups.
What vicious lies are those? The views specifically cited by the SPLC included the belief that children fare better if they have both their biological mother and father in the home, rather than same-sex parents; that environmental factors – such as childhood sexual abuse or deficiencies in relationships with parents – can play a significant role in whether or not someone becomes homosexual; and that hate crime laws may eventually lead to the prosecution of pastors who dare to speak out publicly against homosexuality.
Obviously, the SPLC disagrees with AFA on these matters. Does that automatically make AFA wrong, however? And even if AFA were wrong, does that make AFA a hate group? Is it hateful to be wrong?”
SPLC lists fifty-five groups in Florida. Among them is The United West, an organization of academic activists, which according to its website, “is dedicated to defending and advancing Western Civilization against the kinetic and cultural onslaught of Shariah Islam, so that America remains a land of freedom, justice and opportunity grounded in the principles of our Constitutional Republic…Specifically, TUW educates and activates freedom minded people, wherever they may live, to effectively develop strategies and tactics which propagate the exceptionalism of Western Civilization over the totalitarian choke-hold of shariah Islam.”
Tom Trento, President of TUW, asks, “How did we get on this list? We expose hate and tyranny. It would seem that the SPLC has it backwards, we are the good guys exposing the bad guys. It baffles me that we are on the Hate Map in Florida. We are patriots dedicated to stopping the hateful treatment of women, minorities and oppression of people in shariah Islamic countries like Syria and Iran. We stand against honor killings, forced marriages and attacks against those who leave Islam like Noni Darwish, who is sentenced to death. If that gets us on the Hate Map so be it. We will continue to expose hate and oppression where ever we find it.”
Laird Wilcox calls what the SPLC does “ritual defamation.” Wilcox is the founder of the Wilcox Collection on Contemporary Political Movements at the University of Kansas Kenneth Spencer Research Library. One News Now reports, “Wilcox said that with every new ‘hate group’ the SPLC puts on its list, the power of the SPLC only grows. ‘They have everything to gain: fundraising goes up, they get more media exposure, their credibility increases, and their political usefulness to the far left surges.”
The SPLC does not distinguish between the wheat and the chaff and this can be very dangerous, even deadly.
RELATED COLUMNS:
Southern Poverty Law Center Joining Pro-Hamas, Hezbollah, Groups in Blasting ‘Haters’ – Mostly Jews
Immigration and the SPLC: How the Southern Poverty Law Center Invented a Smear, Served La Raza, Manipulated the Press, and Duped its Donors
Smearing Conservatives, Raking in Cash
RUBIO HAILS SELECTION OF PAUL RYAN
/in Elections, Featured, News/by Dr. Rich SwierWashington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio issued the following statement regarding Governor Mitt Romney’s selection of Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate:
“Throughout his life, Mitt Romney has made great decisions, and choosing Paul Ryan as his running mate is a truly inspired choice. I got to know Paul during my Senate campaign when he endorsed me early on when I was still considered a long shot. Paul Ryan is a courageous reformer who understands our nation’s challenges, has proposed bold policy solutions to solve them, and has shown the courage to stand up to President Obama and other Washington politicians trying to tear him down.
“The Romney-Ryan ticket is going to win in November because it offers the American people visionary leadership to recapture the free enterprise spirit that has empowered countless Americans to build businesses from scratch and live the American dream. I’m excited about the visionary change a Romney-Ryan team will bring to Washington, and I look forward to campaigning with them this fall.”
Term Limits Comes to Duval County
/in Elections, Featured/by Dr. Rich SwierCourtesy of Florida Term Limits Blog:
In May, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that county commission term limits are constitutional and also receded from its 2002 decision in Cook that term limits on constitutional officers are unconstitutional. The message from the court that day couldn’t be clearer: county term limits in Florida are constitutional.
Nonetheless, Duval County Clerk of Courts Jim Fuller didn’t get it. Fuller continued to campaign for his fourth term in office in violation of Duval County term limits law.
Naturally he was sued. And today Judge William Wilkes ruled that Fuller is not above the law. He is ineligible and must drop out of the race.
As a constitutional officer, Fuller’s term limit had been nullified by the Supreme Court’s Cook case in 2002 but this year’s Telli case “reactivated” it, Judge Wilkes ruled. Fuller said he would not appeal the decision.
“I think the court fully and properly applied the decision in the Telli case,” Duval County attorney Michael Wedner told the Florida Times-Union.
Today’s ruling turns the spotlight on Pinellas County, where four county commissioners continue to defy voter-approved county commission term limits.
Voters approved the 8-year limits on the county commission and constitutional officers in 1996 by 72 percent of the vote. As in Duval, the Cook decision temporarily nullified the term limits on constitutional officers.
Pinellas County Commissioners have long and erroneously argued that the Cook decision did apply to county commissioner term limits as well. The commission never tested this novel interpretation in court. But now that the Supreme Court has receded from Cook, that argument is kaput. Their new claim per Pinellas County Attorney Jim Bennett is that May’s Supreme Court decision in Telli does not apply to Pinellas because the court’s ruling only applies “prospectively” not “retroactively.”
Today’s ruling in Jacksonville explicitly tosses that flimsy argument out the window:
Judge Wilkes: “The Florida’s Supreme Court decision in Telli has in effect revived a dormant section [of the charter]. No legislative action must be taken for [the] section … to take effect.”
Three citizens have launched the Save Pinellas lawsuit in Pinellas County to compel the commission and supervisor of elections to comply with the voter-approved law.
Family Group Vows to Remind Voters Of Consequences of 296
/in Culture War, Featured, News/by Dr. Rich SwierJACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA— Florida Family Action has released documentation today gathered from the Duval County Supervisor of Elections office displaying how the citizens of Jacksonville voted on Florida’s Marriage Protection Amendment in 2008. The report is broken out by each Council Member’s district, showing both the precise number and percentage of voter’s voting for marriage and against the creation of new gay rights on this issue.
Not a single district had less than 59% voting in favor of the Defense of Marriage Amendment, which amended the Florida Constitution to include language to prohibit “no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized.”
Percentages range from district to district, all showing a decided majority in favor of maintaining the traditional definition of marriage. Districts 1, 8, 10 and 11 had more than 70% voting in favor of the Amendment, with 78.9% of District 12’s citizens voting Yes.
John Stemberger President of Florida Family Action released the following statement today:
Jacksonville residents will not be fooled about the real intent and purpose of this ordinance. Full legalized gay marriage is the goal of its proponents. 2012-296 is just a stepping stone to that end. In every state where traditional marriage laws were overturned to allow homosexual marriages, whether by judicial decision or state legislature, proponents of gay marriage cited the collective scheme of non discrimination ordinances that created new protected classes like the one proposed in 296. Local ordinances of this nature have been consistently used as legal precedent for introducing gay marriage. Even state constitutional amendments supporting traditional marriage, like California’s recently overturned amendment, are not safe. We pledge to remind the constituents in every Council Member’s district who votes for this bill on August 15 about its true effect. It would be our hope that members of the Council will remember both the commanding vote margin in this research and the recent record lines outside of Chick fil A stores in Jacksonville this past week in support of natural marriage.
This data has been released for the information of the City Council while they are considering Ordinance 2012-296, a bill that would amend several City ordinances to add “sexual orientation, and perhaps gender identity or expression” to the listings of personal conditions or statuses which cannot be discriminated against. The ordinances proposed to be amended include Public Accommodations, Fair Housing, and others.
Voting yes on 296 would be decidedly against the will of the citizens of Jacksonville, who overwhelmingly voted to uphold the traditional definition of marriage when given the chance. The City Council may wish to consider the way their constituents voted when this similar issue was presented directly to them.