Florida Election Night 2012 – What you should look for

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Posted on November 5, 2012 by Jamie Miller from Battleground Group:

Some people have asked me “what should I look for in Florida election night?” Here are my thoughts – I’ve grouped the Florida counties below in three categories – Strong Obama, Strong Romney and true swing counties. Every campaign has a path to victory mostly in these counties. These counties will indicate early if Florida is trending toward a 5-point win for Romney like 2004 for Bush or a 2.8 % win for Obama like 2008.

It does not appear that there is major intensity for Obama like 2008, but Romney is not an incumbent President like Bush in 2004.

Strong Obama counties –

Miami/Dade, Palm Beach, Broward, Volusia and Alachua (Obama is going to win more counties than this, but these five are the counties where they can build bigger “swing” and will be a likely indicator of what Romney has to overcome to carry Florida. If Romney only loses these counties by less than 400,000 votes, he should have a very good night, but if Obama is able to push his margins in these five counties up to 500,000, he could be on a path to a victorious night.

Miami-Dade – In 2000 and 2004, Bush mitigated his losses here by less than 50,000 votes. In 2008, Obama won by nearly 140,000 votes. One would think Obama needs a margin of at least 100,000 if he is going to carry the state.

Palm Beach – The margins in 2000/2004 was 115,000 votes but in 2008 Democrats carried the county by an additional 20,000 votes for a 135,000 margin.

Broward – This is the big prize for democrats. Again 2000 and 2004 had almost identical margins of victory for Democrats with wins of 209,000 votes before Obama won the county by 254,000 in 2008. If Obama approaches a win margin of 250,000 it could be a long night for Romney.

Alachua – Home of the University Florida and the Florida Gators. This is a strong county for democrats that historically favors them by 14,000, but in 2008 Obama carried the county by an additional 13,000 for a 27,000 vote win.

Volusia – This is the home of Daytona Beach. This county often votes Republican in gubernatorial elections but normally supports the democrat in Presidential years. This county is an outlier in the fact that it is one of the few democrat-leaning counties where Bush lost the county in ‘04 by just 3,500 votes. GW and McCain lost this county in ’00 and ’08 by similar 14,000 votes. If Romney loses Volusia by less than 10,000 votes, it could be a good night for him. More than 10,000 would show stronger than expected support for the President.

Strong Romney counties –

Southwest Florida counties (Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee and Collier); Brevard County on the Spacecoast; Northeast Florida’s Duval; three counties in central Florida Marion, Polk, and Sumter; and Northwest Florida’s GOP strongholds of Okaloosa and Escambia.

Many of these counties mimicked each other in 2000 and 2008. So it could be these counties are a greater indicator of Romney’s strength and determine if the “GOP motivation” advantage is real. Obama did well in and really mitigated his losses in these counties in 2008.

Duval is the home of the city of Jacksonville and normally goes big for Republicans. George W. won here by 44k votes in 2000 and more than 60k votes in 2004. Obama didn’t win here but he lost by just 7,900 votes. Duval is historically one of the first large counties to announce vote tallies and should be a good indicator of whether Romney will do well in Florida. It is one area of the state that Romney did not do as well in the primary, however.

Brevard is one of Florida’s hardest hit counties by the great recession. It is one of the counties that Republicans can run up a large margin in just one area. GW won by 18k and 43k in ’00 and ’04. McCain split the difference and won by nearly 30k votes. So, it is more of an indicator of how well Romney is doing and not necessarily how bad Obama may be doing in the state. Romney needs to win here by 40-50k votes.

Southwest Florida – These five counties provided G. W Bush with margins of about 90,000 votes in 2000 and 136,000 votes in 2004. Romney really needs to be above a 100k vote margin in these five counties if he’s going to win the state. Obama lost this area of the state by just 74k votes.

Polk, Marion and Sumter counties are indicative of where rural counties are going to go. Polk is the one “non-swing, GOP, I-4 corridor” county. Republicans won here by 15k votes in 2000 and 2008. In 2004, Bush was able to push his margin here to nearly 38k. A 15k-vote win here for Romney probably shows a very close race like 2000 or a GOP loss like 2008. Marion County is a GOP county but is an indicator of how well a Republican is going to do in the state. GW won this county by just 10k in 2000 and 24k in 2004. McCain did well in this county in 2008, however winning by nearly 19k votes. So Marion is more an indicator of how seniors are voting and not necessarily an indicator of an Obama loss. Sumter is a former rural county that now is home to The Villages retirement community. GOP wins have grown every election cycle and I don’t think that will change. GW won here in 2000 by 2,400 and in 2004 he won by 8,200. Like Marion, Sumter County performed well for McCain. He won here by 13,200 votes. Anything less than that would spell real trouble for Romney.

Northwest Florida – The polls stay open here in the Central Time Zone until 8 p.m. (EST) and two of the larger counties where a Republican can build margins are Escambia and Okaloosa. If Okaloosa trends toward a 50,000+ win like Bush in ’04 and Escambia trends toward Bush’s 45,000 vote victory in ’04, it would be good news for Romney. The total of the 10 counties in the Central Time Zone needs to approach 180,000 margin for a big victory on election night.

That brings us to the major swing counties in the state. I include Orange (Orlando) and St. Lucie in this group even though Obama is going to win both of these counties. The others to watch in this category are Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco.

Orange County is the first county in the history of the state to switch from Democrat to Republican and now back to Democrats. GW lost here by 5k vote in ’00 and just 800 in ’04. But, Obama won huge here in 2008, by more than 85,000 votes. Obama likely wins big here again, but if it is “only” by 50k, it could be an indicator that Obama didn’t motivate his voters like he did in 2008. It is possible for Obama to win here by 100k votes and lose Florida, but it would surely be an indicator of a much closer race than most final polls indicate.

Hillsborough – Florida’s latest bell-weather county. This county, the home of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, voted in favor of Bush in ’00 and ’04 by 11k and 31k respectively. But, this county swung to Obama by more than 36,000 votes in ’08. No one is going to win by just the margin in this county, but it would likely be an indicator of how well each campaign’s television ads were received during the campaign.

Pinellas County is home to some of the nicest beaches in the state, but is also a “lean-Democrat” County. Bush won Pinellas in ’04 by just 226 votes. If Romney wins here, it is an indicator that he won Florida big. An Obama win here of 25,000 votes, might be an indicator of a long night for both campaigns.

Pasco County north of Tampa is also a county that democrats can win, but can provide large margins for Republicans. GW lost this county in ’00 by about 1,000 votes but won here four years later by more than 18k votes. This county is an indicator of where “swing” voters are going with their votes. These are also economic voters and Obama lost here in ’08 by about 8,000 votes.

That brings us to St. Lucie County which is nestled between Democrat strongholds in SE FL and the GOP stronghold on the Space Coast. Prior to 2000, St. Lucie was Florida’s bell-weather county, but it has trended toward democrats in the past three elections. GW lost here twice both times by less than 7,000 votes. Obama beat McCain here by almost twice that margin, nearly 15,000 votes. If Obama approaches that type of margin, he may be in the midst of an upset in the state.

So, who wins Florida?

We will know in just a few hours, but in short, it’s the candidate who motivates his base, mitigates his losses in his weaker areas of the state, and who is able to keep from being blown out in the I-4 corridor. My prediction? I think Romney wins Florida big, by 5-6 points. If it turns out to be a bigger margin than that, we could have an upset in the U.S. Senate race, but I think Romney would have to win really big in Florida, by 8 points, to provide coattails for Congressman Mack.

Jamie Miller from Battleground Group

ABOUT JAMIE MILLER

Jamie Miller is a political consultant specializing in political campaign management, strategic planning, public relations, grassroots motivation, and crisis communications. He has been involved with running and managing political campaigns since 1994. Learn more at Battleground Group.

Early Voting Violations Reported in North Miami

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Citizen journalist Stephanie Kienzle states, “The Florida Statutes are very clear about voting laws. The enforcement of those laws? Not so clear. At least not in early voting in North Miami.”

What has Kienzle concerned are illegal activities at North Miami Public Library. The Polling Place Procedures Manual published by the Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, Florida Statutes 101.051 and 102.031 is explicit in exactly who is and who is not allowed in the polling room. The procedures outline who may help a voter needing assistance, as well as solicitation restrictions. “From what I’m being told by sources in periodic updates, these Florida Statutes have been and are continuing to be violated at the North Miami Public Library polling place,” reports Kienzle.

Florida New Majority Logo

Kienzle states, “There are two people illegally inside the North Miami Public Library polling place wearing tee shirts with the name Florida New Majority (FNM). FNM is a Florida non-profit corporation registered as Florida New Majority, Inc., with a the registered trademark of “Florida New Majority, ‘and claiming its mission is “promoting public awareness in the field of social welfare’.”

According to its trademark application, Florida New Majority is a “501 (c)(4) organization that organizes, educates, and mobilizes communities in Florida to win equity and fairness throughout the state. Unlike a 501(c)(3), an organization designated as a 501(c)(4) can be as political as it wants to be, “provided election activity is not the primary function.” However, NFM’s website is clearly partisan with columns and links to anti-Romney websites, columns and videos.

In June Media Trackers reported, “Florida New Majority, a Florida activist group teaming up with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in attempt to sway the November elections, envisions a race-conscious world dominated by public sector employee unions, Media Trackers Florida has learned … FNM announced a campaign earlier this month to give ‘undocumented’ immigrants access to taxpayer-funded college assistance programs. FNM has already launched the program in Miami-Dade County and is currently expanding its campaign to other parts of the state.”

Alex coming in early to help volunteer! Tampa New Majority

Florida New Majority’s Facebook page has numerous photos of SEIU Chapter 1199 members, pro-Obama rallies, Al Sharpton and links to anti-Romney websites. Tampa FNM Facebook page features volunteers wearing SEIU – Obama t-shirts as they work. FNM may be the reincarnation of ACORN?

Representatives of FNM are asking early voters while they are standing in line if they need assistance, which is illegal. Some FNM workers are reportedly walking into the voting booth with early voters and telling them which punch numbers to mark on their ballots. Both of these activities are illegal under Florida statues.

According to the Florida Statutes, if a voter needs assistance, “he or she may receive help from either two election officials or another person of his or her own choosing other than the voter’s employer, an agent of the voter’s employer, or an officer or agent of the voter’s union.” If members of Florida New Majority are trolling the polling room looking for voters to “help,” this is a direct violation of the law!

Reports note none of the Dade County Supervisor of Elections representatives at the North Miami polling place made any effort to question or stop FNM’s activities.

According to Kienzle, “If a voter requires assistance to use the equipment, ‘two poll workers of different party affiliations’ are allowed to show the voter how to use the machines, but then ‘must leave the voting booth so the voter can vote in secrecy’.”

According to Kienzle’s sources, not only are the Florida New Majority members staying in the voting booth with voters, allegedly ‘translating’ for them, but they are also telling them which punch numbers to bubble in. “Obviously, the ‘secrecy’ of the voting booth has been violated,” writes Kienzle.

A call into the Miami/Dade Supervisor of Elections office has not been returned. Stay tuned for updates.

White House: Cut Military Retiree Benefits

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Rick Maze, staff writer for the Air Force Times, reports, “A new report by a liberal-leaning think tank recommends a dramatic overhaul of military pay, retirement and health care benefits as part of a $1 trillion cut in defense spending over 10 years.”

Florida is home to 1.6 million veterans and hosts 21 military bases including the headquarters of the U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.

“The Center for American Progress calls for capping pay raises, eliminating military health benefits for many retirees who are covered by an employer-provided plan, and reducing the value of military retired pay as well as making retirees wait until age 60 to start receiving it,” states Maze.

Recommendations are included in Rebalancing Our National Security, which was released October 31, 2012 by the Center for American Progress (CAP) a liberal think tank.

The CAP report also calls for major reductions in defense spending.

Capping pay raises, the report says, could save $16.5 billion over the next five years. Reducing retiree health care benefits, through a combination of restricting care and raising fees, could save $15 billion a year. Reforming military retired pay could save, in the short term, up to $13 billion a year, and over time could save up to $70 billion a year off the current plan.

Maze reports, “In addition to cutting compensation and benefits, the report also recommends cutting the number of active-duty troops permanently based in Europe and Asia, saving $10 billion a year. It recommends withdrawing 33,000 troops from Europe and about 17,000 from Asia.”

In calling for less spending on military pay raises, the report endorses a plan proposed by President Obama’s Defense Department.

Maze states, “Under the Pentagon plan, pay raises beginning in 2015 would be capped at less than the average increase in private sector pay, a move that responds to a belief that military members are being paid more than civilians with comparable jobs and experience. This happened because Congress, over Pentagon objections, has regularly provided the military with raises that were slightly larger than the average private-sector raise to eliminate what had been perceived as a pay gap. The end result, says the report, is that the average service member is receiving $5,400 more in annual compensation than a comparable civilian.”

“Similarly, the report endorses many of the Defense Department’s proposals for cutting health care costs by raising fees, mostly on retirees and their families. But the report goes a step further: “To truly restore the Tricare program to stable financial footing, the Defense Department should enact measures to reduce the over-utilization of medical services and limit double coverage of working-age military retirees,” the report says.

One idea would be to cut Tricare for Life benefits for Medicare-eligible retirees so that the program would not cover the first $500 of costs per year and would cover only 50 percent of the next $5,000.

Finally notes Maze, “The report also recommends modifying military retirement benefits. For anyone currently in the military with fewer than 10 years of service, benefits could be cut: Instead of receiving 50 percent of basic pay after 20 years of service, with immediate benefits, the report says the benefits would be 40 percent of base pay with payments not beginning until age 60. For people not yet in the military, there would be no fixed retired pay in the future, only a pre-tax retirement savings plan based on contributions from the service member.”

VIDEO: Florida Supreme Court Steals Family’s Property

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American’s for Prosperity – Florida released the second video in their You Be the Judge project. It tells the story of the Koontzs, a central Florida family that has been fighting for their property rights for more than 18 years!

In 2011, the Florida Supreme Court invalidated a number of lower court decisions that stated the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) had effectively stolen private property from the Koontz’s.  The family was awarded $367,000 in damages but the Supreme Court overturned that ruling saying that it could cause government regulation to cost too much.

The video focuses on the 2011 case of SJRWMD v Koontz in which the court invalidated a number of lower court decisions that stated the St. Johns River Water Management District had effectively stolen private property from the Koontz’s.

This is another example of the Florida Supreme Courts willingness to base their decision on the potential policy effects rather than on core fundamental rights. The Courts bias for a heavy-handed government won out against the rights of a private citizen.

The judiciary must remain independent and impartial, but in order for that to happen citizens must be knowledgeable about the Courts decisions and voice their concerns when the court oversteps their authority.

The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear the Koontz case. For more information visit www.YouBeTheJudgeFL.com.

RELATED COLUMNS:

US Supreme Court accepts another PLF property rights case!

Commentary: SCOTUS to Hear Appeal of Florida Supreme Court’s Bad Call

Florida Property Owners Hit With Massive Tax Increase

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Florida property owners received their property insurance bills and found the line item “FL HURRICANE CAT FUND PREMIUM RECOUPMENT”.

When Watchdog Wire asked Citizen Insurance: Is this recoupment a tax increase on all homeowners? The reply was, “Yes, all Floridians assume the potential for assessments should Citizens run into a deficit situation.”

Unlike private carriers Citizens is not able to manage risk and reduce policy counts to manage such risk. As an insurer of last resort, created by Florida statute, Citizens must write most risks that apply for coverage.

This “recoupment” is a tax on every Florida property owner.

According to Citizens Insurance, “Citizens may levy an Emergency Assessment when Citizens incurs a deficit in any year and that deficit exceeds the amount to be collected by the Regular Assessment.” See Florida Statue 627.351(6).

That means that assessable policyholders could be assessed a maximum of 30 percent of assessable premium if there is a deficit in each of the 3 Citizens accounts. The Emergency Assessment can be spread over multiple years as was done in 2012.

The total dollar amount for the Citizen “emergency assessment” is $887,502,331 to be collected over a 10 year period. The original assessment was 1.4% but reduced to 1% by the Citizens Board of Governors. The assessment was discussed and approved by the Citizens Board of Governors at a publicly noticed meeting. The assessment was also approved by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.

Citizens is responsible for paying hurricane and other covered claims to its policyholders. If Citizens funds are depleted after a catastrophic event, resulting in a deficit, assessments are levied. This ability to levy assessments provides Citizens with resources to pay claims after an event.

Below is a summary of the assessments and the order in which they are levied:

Policyholder Surcharge

· Citizens policyholders are the first to be assessed if a deficit occurs.
· The policyholder surcharge is levied only on Citizens policyholders and is a one-time surcharge.
· This assessment can be up to 15 percent of premium for each of Citizens’ 3 accounts. The assessment is levied for any account that has a deficit. That means that Citizens policyholders could be assessed a maximum of 45 percent of the policyholder’s premium if there is a deficit in all 3 of Citizens accounts.
· If the Citizens Policyholder Surcharge does not cure a deficit, additional assessments will be levied based on the account type:

o Coastal Account – Regular Assessment
o Commercial Lines Account (CLA) or Personal Lines Account (PLA) – Emergency Assessment

Regular Assessment

· A broad base of licensed Florida property and casualty insurance companies, including property and automobile insurers are assessed if a deficit remains.
· Companies must remit their portion of the Regular Assessment to Citizens within 30 days of a levy. They may recoup the assessment amount by passing it on to their policyholders.
· Insureds who purchase coverage from surplus lines insurers are also subject to the regular assessment.
· If there is a deficit in the Coastal Account, an assessment of up to 2 percent of premium or 2 percent of the deficit in the Coastal Account can be levied against assessable insurers and their policyholders.
· This assessment is a one-time assessment.
· Citizens policyholders are not charged this assessment.
· If the Citizens Policyholder Surcharge and the Regular Assessment do not cure the deficit in the Coastal Account, an Emergency Assessment will be levied.

Emergency Assessment

· A broad range of property and casualty policyholders, including Citizens policyholders, are assessed directly by their insurance companies. Insurers collect from their policyholders and forward to Citizens.
· For each of the 3 Citizens accounts, this assessment may not be more than 10 percent of the policy premium or 10 percent of the remaining deficit, whichever is greater.

According to the September 2012 Citizens Property Insurance Corporation rate hearing, “Citizens lost nearly $1 billion on sinkhole losses occurring in 2007-2011 with a loss ratio for sinkhole business for 2011 of 877%. This created net loss for the PLA for year ended 12/31/11 and resulted in less financial resources to pay for future hurricanes.”

Florida property owners gird your loins – another emergency assessment is on its way and it looks like a huge Sinkhole!

RELATED COLUMNS:

Fired investigators uncovered evidence of misconduct at Citizens’ top levels

Florida Insurance regulators remove 210,000 policies from Citizens, the state’s largest insurer

Citizens’ Insurance Looking To “De-Populate” Roles

RUBIO: STATE DEPARTMENT IMPEDING BENGHAZI INVESTIGATION

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Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), a member of the Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee, and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), a member of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement regarding the State Department’s intention of pursuing an internal investigation of the Benghazi consulate terrorist attack:

“We are concerned by the State Department’s stated desire to conduct its own internal investigation into the Benghazi terrorist attack. While we believe the State Department has many dedicated professionals, the fact that it lacks a full-time inspector general in the first place is an impediment to reaching the full truth.”

“As we warned earlier this year, the president’s failure to fill several inspector general vacancies throughout the administration has now come back to haunt us. These individuals are responsible for getting to the bottom of things when problems arise, yet the president has allowed several of these positions to remain unfilled, including at the State Department. At a time when the American people deserve a thorough investigation into the murder of four Americans during a terrorist attack against our consulate, our investigative capabilities have been exposed for having a critical position vacant since 2008.”

Attempt to add Muslim Holidays in Broward Schools Foiled For Now

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Thirty citizens were present at the November 1, 2012 meeting of the Broward School Board Diversity Committee to speak against adding the Muslim Eid holidays to the school calendar.

According to citizen journalist Danita Kilcullen, “Roland Foulkes, President of the Broward School Board Diversity Committee, made-up all the rules before the meeting, e.g., that there would be two proponents of the proposal and two opponents, 3 minutes each, and the opponents would go first. Opponents fought to speak after the entire proposal was heard and speak in response to the proponents.”

I should be noted that Foulkes earlier this year brought Nazar Hamze to the Broward Republican Executive Committee for membership. That effort was defeated in a vote from the floor.

Kilcullen reports:

“Then a committee member made a motion to give 4 minutes for the proposal to be read, then another asked for 10 minutes. The committee voted to give the bringer-of-the-proposal 10 minutes. The woman who brought the proposal was Gazala Salaam, Communications Relations Director for CAIR Florida.

Just before she spoke, one committee member noted that there are no religious holidays in the Broward County School system. ‘Just ‘days-off.’ Roland forgot all about that and in making his case for Muslim holidays said, ‘The Christians have their religious holidays and Jews have their religious holidays,’ to which an opponent yelled, ‘Your member just told us that there ARE NO religious holidays!’

Gazala reiterated that ‘they are not asking for religious holidays, just equality in an ever-growing Muslim population.’, Gazala painted Muslims out to be victims of prejudice and inequity.”

The primary fight was for equal time as the delivery of the proposal plus the two proponents of the proposal, which would allow opponents sixteen minutes instead of six. The committee finally voted and gave both side sufficient time to speak.

Joe Kaufman

“Joe Kaufman, former candidate for the U.S. Congress, was first to speak. He minced no words about his background, who CAIR is and their proven connections to terror and terror groups. In sixteen minutes the committee heard from six opponents who had prepared speeches, ending with Reverend Dozier who had one minute left to make his point,” reports Kilcullen.

Reports are that emotions were raw and there was yelling and screaming following the pros and cons. Time to end the meeting was extended twice and citizens were there until 9:30 p.m. rather than normal end time of 8:30 p.m.

Kilcullen states, “Most of the committee voted to NOT VOTE on the issue saying that it had been crammed-in and was too important and that more research needed to be done.”

Kilcullen writes, “The race card was played several times. There are two elderly black ladies on the committee who lived through the civil rights era; one of them cried as she related that time, and equated it to the CAIR demand for two holidays on the school calendar. Proponents spoke about past history. Opponents talked about recent history post 9/11/2001.”

WSVN-TV –

UPDATE:

The following email was received from a member of the Broward County School Board:

Thank you for your email regarding our school calendar.

The proposed change you are commenting on was brought forward by the Chair of the Diversity Committee. Any request to change the school calendar must first go through the Calendar Committee. The 2013-2014 Calendar has already been workshopped and does not include those days.

The District does not provide days off for religious holidays. Days off are scheduled based on statistical data indicating days during which there is a high rate of teacher and student absenteeism.

If you wish to comment further on this topic, go to — www.browardschools.com – click on calendars@browardschools.com. This will give you an opportunity to email directly to our Calendar Committee.

I appreciate, and thank you for your interest in Broward County Public schools.

Robin

Robin Bartleman, School Board Member
Countywide At Large Seat 9
The School Board of Broward County
600 SE Third Ave., 14th Floor
Fort Lauderdale FL 33301

Counter-terrorism Training will Continue in Florida

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Hassan Shibly

Florida’s Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission declined to take action regarding the Council on American Islamic Relation’s (CAIR) effort, led by Hassan Shibly, to stop the FDLE from using counter terrorist training expert, Sam Kharoba. A complaint filed by CAIR with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FLDLE) was referred to the Commission.

CAIR’s Hassan Shibly presented his complaint at the Commission’s November 1, 2012 meeting. The Commission gave Sam Kharoba, founder of the Counter Terrorism Operations Center – CTOC, time to respond.

Kharoba stated, “Hassan Shibly requested permission and was granted the opportunity to address the commission. He itemized 10 issues relating to my training – which is pretty much what we heard in their July letter to Commissioner Bailey. I then requested and was granted permission to address the committee. I emphasized the fact that CAIR hinders law enforcement and detailed their attacks on DOD, DBI, NYPD and other LE agencies. I stressed the fact there are approximately 90,000 LE officers in the state of FL where each works 2000 man hours a year. That equates to 180,000,000 hours of law enforcement services hours a year in FL and pointed out that there are no complaints or cases where Muslim Civil Rights have been violated by LE officers in FL.”

The Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission agenda summarized their position at the end of the agenda item as follows:

The CAIR complaint was provided to the Florida Criminal Justice Training Center Director’s Association and Director Pritt discussed the issue with the membership. The Association has not expressed a need to amend or enhance any of the current training offerings or to address the use of Mr. Kharoba as an instructor, as this is at the discretion of individual agencies and training centers based on vetting requirements previously articulated. If the Commission feels we need to re-address instructor standards or vetting, or to develop additional goals and objectives addressing counter-terrorism and domestic security, we are prepared to support the direction of the Commission.

RECOMMENDATION(S): This agenda item does not require Commission action.

Shibly said. “He (Kharoba) encourages law enforcement officers to view Muslims with distrust. His training materials encourage law enforcement officers to profile and target Muslims.” CAIR’s letter to these officials claims that Kharoba’s training manual says Islam favors war, not peace, and says countries with a 99-percent Muslim population are “ultimate Jihad-manufacturing societies.”

The FBI policy is not to communicate with CAIR in part due to the organization’s ties to and apologetics for terrorists. CAIR is named an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Foundation trial.

BREAKING FROM FOX NEWS: Smoking Gun Benghazi Cable

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Catherine Herridge on Greta van Susteren 10/31/12 discussing classified diplomatic cable (dated 8/16/12, almost a month before Benghazi attack) obtained by Fox News.

“I really believe, having read it, that it is the smoking gun warning here… I can’t think of anything that would be more specific than if these groups had emailed the state department and said, ‘here’s the time, here’s the place, and here’s the method of the attack’… If you couple this with the statements that a videotape was somehow responsible, what you see is that is completely undercut… What I see is a growing body of evidence that the state department has culpability for the death of the Ambassador and those other three Americans.”

James Carafano at The Heritage Foundation asks five fundamental and serious questions about the Benghazi cable that was ignored by the Obama Administration. The cable concluded that the consulate could not withstand a “coordinated attack.” Further, the cable identified terrorist groups that were operating in the area. The existence of this document raises some serious questions:

1. Why was the cable kept secret for so long?
2. How could anyone rule out a terrorist attack?
3. Why didn’t the Administration provide any interim findings of their investigation into the Benghazi attack?
4. Why wasn’t a coordinated rapid response force ready to go?
5. How long do we have to wait to get answers to obvious questions?

RELATED COLUMN:

Benghazi blunder: Obama unworthy commander-in-chief

Broward Schools consider observing Muslim Holidays

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Today, November 1, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. the Broward County Public School Diversity Committee will take up a request for schools to be closed on Eid, a Muslim holiday. The Council on American Islamic Relations -Florida (CAIR) will be at the meeting presenting a proposal for Broward County School System closure on Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha.

The Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report states, “Broward County public schools are being asked to close for two Islamic holidays a year under a controversial proposal before the district’s Diversity Committee. The request, from the Florida chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR, would make Broward the first in Florida and one of only a few districts in the country to add Muslim holidays into its calendar.” [Emphasis mine]

Speakers from both sides of this issue will be present to comment on this request. Pensacola  Florida based ACT for America has sent out an alert asking its members to contact to Broward County School Board. CAIR in an email states, “We ask parents of all Muslim Students attending Broward County Public Schools K-12 to be present at the meeting on Thursday November 1st at 6:30 pm. Your presence at this meeting will show unity and support for the proposal in requesting school closure for these two Muslim holidays. The larger our presence the more impact it will have!”

The fundamental question is: Are Muslims required to celebrate typical American holidays?

Muslim American Sheikh Ahmad Musa Jibril in his column Celebrating The Holidays of The Infidels goes into great detail to show how Muslims must not celebrate the holidays of infidels lest they become like them.

Jibril concludes after his lengthy analysis of the Qur’an:

[I]t is clear to anyone who has a heart and understanding that it is prohibited to celebrate the holidays of the kuffar [non-Muslim]. Whether this be by participating with in them in any way, greeting them, mingling with them on their holidays, entering the places where their parties are taking place, or any symbolic move, action or gesture that would appear symbolic or sympathetic for their holiday.

We should not purchase gifts for parents on fathers or mothers day, rather every day of a Muslims life is fathers and mothers days.

We should not celebrate birthdays because those better than us did not do so, and its origin was by the kuffar.

We should not decorate for their holidays as they do on Christmas, nor should we wear like them as they do on Halloween, nor should we eat as they do on Thanksgiving.

We should not eat Turkey and say our intention was otherwise; there are 364 days in the year for you to enjoy your Turkey, to choose that day specifically is symbolically participating in their holidays.

The same applies to those who decorate their homes with Christmas trees or seasonal lights during Christmas season, then claim their intention was otherwise.

If we do not wake up and take a stand, we will wake up one day before a hopeless generation that knows Islam only by its name. This is because celebrating and enjoining in the holidays of the infidels is a cancerous tumor in the core of the Islamic belief that will spread and will not stop until it devastates us and causes us to loose our identity and dignity. Worst of all, it will subject us to the curse and wrath of Allah.

Jibril writes, “[T]he Jews, Christians, and their likes were in the Muslim lands, and that they celebrated their holidays there. Not once was it recorded that the Muslims joined them in their celebrations, or even greeted them for their holidays. Had it not been for a strong command from the prophet (Sallah Allahu Alayhi Wasalam) that we not enjoin them in their holidays, we would have heard many situations in which the prophet (Sallah Allahu Alayhi Wasalam)’s companions and their followers did so.”

Watchdog Wire will report on the outcome of the Broward County Public School Diversity Committee meeting.

Florida Doctor Sends Letter To Employees About Election

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Jeffrey A. Zipper, M.D.

Jeffrey A. Zipper, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of the National Pain Institute located in Delray Beach, Florida sent the below letter to all of his employees.

Dr. Zipper received his medical degree from the University of Miami, School of Medicine in Miami, Florida where he was selected for membership in Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He finished his internship in General Surgery at North Shore University Hospital/Cornell Medical Center and completed a residency program in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at State University Hospital Health Science Center of Brooklyn/Downstate Medical Center where he also served as Chief Resident in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Zipper has been in practice since 1991 and is co-founder of the National Pain Institute.

Dear Employees,

This November 6th you will be asked to cast your vote for President of the United States. Simply put, this is the most important election of our lifetimes. Our economy is on life support. This country is 16 Trillion Dollars in debt and growing. We have been running a 1.3 Trillion Dollar annual budget deficit year over year for the past 4 years! The growth and expansion of our economy has been extremely slow and people are still loosing jobs at a rate of over 300,000/month!! We are broke and indebt as a Nation!

As a small businessman and co-owner of this company; I must tell you, that if our country remains on its present economic course, we are all in deep trouble (rich or poor)! No small businessman will be willing to continue investing their hard earned money in this risky business environment. For me, this election is ALL ABOUT THE ECONOMY. What is good for NPI, is good for you and your families! What is bad for NPI, is bad for you and your families! If NPI and other small business like ours are to survive and thrive into the future; we must begin to feel optimistic again about our country’s economic future. BTW small business employ 75% of all Americans!

We have two choices for President; each of which, I will evaluate as good or bad for NPI, strictly based upon their own stated economic policy’s.

1) Tax Policy

a. President Obama will raise overall taxes on small business from 36% to 46%. In addition, he will raise taxes on capital gains income from 15% to 25%.

i. BAD FOR NPI! WHY? BECAUSE IT WILL RESULT IN LESS MONEY AVAILABLE FOR CONTINUED INVESTMENT & GROWTH IN OUR COMPANY. IT WILL ALSO RESULT IN SIGNIFICANTLY LESS FUNDS FOR EMPLOYEE ADVANCEMENT AND RETENTION. JOBS COULD BE LOST.

b. Governor Romney will reform the tax code in a revenue neutral fashion. He will cut out the tax loopholes enjoyed by actual multimillionaire’s and billionaire’s (not small businessmen)! He will then flatten the highest tax rate to 20% and the lowest rate to 10%. In addition, he will lower Corporate tax rates from 35% to 25% and eliminate capital gains taxes.

i. GOOD FOR NPI! WHY? BECAUSE IT WILL RESULT IN MORE MONEY AVAILABLE FOR CONTINUED INVESTMENT & GROWTH IN OUR COMPANY. IT WILL ALLOW MORE FUNDS FOR EMPLOYEE ADVANCEMENT AND GROWTH OF OUR WORKFORCE. THIS REFORM WILL ALSO LEAD TO RETURN OF CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND MANUFACTURING BUSINESS IN THIS COUNTRY. THIS WILL BE REQUIRED TO GROW OUR WAY OUT OF THIS MESS.

2) Obamacare/Medicare

a. President Obama has signed the Affordable Care Act into law. It cuts 716 Billion dollars from Medicare to fund Obamacare. It also taxes/fines small business $2,000 per employee per year and mandates each citizen to purchase healthcare insurance or pay a mandatory tax!

i. BAD FOR NPI! WHY? RESULTS IN MEDICARE CUTS WHICH MAKES UP 45% OF OUR COMPANY’S REVENUE! SMALL BUSINESS’S MAY CONSIDER TO COMPLETELY DROP HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES AND JUST PAY THE FINE/TAX. WORSE YET, SOME SMALL BUSINESS’S MAY OPT TO PROVIDE SPLIT WORK SHIFTS (PART TIME EMPLOYMENY ONLY) IN ORDER TO AVOID PAYING THE FINE/TAX. THIS WILL RESULT IN MORE WORK WITH LESS RESOURCES FOR LESS MONEY! VERY BAD FOR ALL HEALTHCARE COMPANY’S AND THEIR EMPLOYEES. BTW HEALTHCARE EMPLOYEES MAKE UP 30% OF THE AMERICAN WORKFORCE.

b. Governor Romney will repeal the Affordable Care Act. He will reform Medicare for those under age 55 years old to provide long term sustainability to the program and keep benefits as they are for those over 55 years old. He will slowly raise retirement age and cut future Medicare benefits for wealthy people who are now under 55 years old. He will also allow for the interstate sale of health insurance which will drop rates by 40% overnight! This will make health insurance much more affordable for all.

i. GOOD FOR NPI AND ECONOMY! WHY? BECAUSE IT PREVENTS ALL OF THE ABOVE FROM HAPPENING.

While I believe that President Obama is a very likable, affable person and an excellent orator! I do not believe that he possess the business acumen required, to turn this country’s economy around. For me the choice is clear! I hope you will consider supporting Governor Romney for President.

Regards,

Jeffrey A. Zipper, M.D.
Chief Executive Officer
National Pain Institute
5365 W. Atlantic Ave
Delray Beach, FL. 33484

Florida Has 3,756 Federal Employees Who Make More Than Governor Scott

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Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK)

Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) asked the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to determine how many in state federal employees are making more than their Governor. Florida came in fifth highest with 3, 756 employees. The top five states are: Colorado 10,875, Maryland 7,283, Arizona 4,426, Alabama 4,299, and Florida 3,756. Delaware had the fewest federal employees making more than their governor at 37 employees.

According to CRS calculations 77,057 federal employees earned more in total annual pay as of September 2009 than their respective state governors earned in 2009.

The top three groups of federal employees in Florida making more than Governor Scott are in the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group (1,830), Transportation Group (588) and Legal and Kindred Group (483).

Table 12. Florida: Federal Employees Compensated at a Rate Greater Than the Governor’s Salary, by Occupational Group  shows the following breakdown. NOTE: Florida Governor’s salary is $132,932.

Occupational Group Federal Employees in Occupational Group Making More Than the Governor:

  • Accounting and Budget Group – 64
  • Business and Industry Group – 46
  • Copyright, Patent, and Trademark Group – 2
  • Education Group – 7
  • Engineering and Architecture Group – 272
  • General Administrative, Clerical, and Office Services Group – 223
  • Human Resources Management Group – 7
  • Information Technology Group – 13
  • Information and Arts Group – 2
  • Inspection, Investigation, Enforcement, and Compliance Group – 84
  • Legal and Kindred Group – 483
  • Mathematics and Statistics Group – 10
  • Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group – 1,830
  • Miscellaneous Occupations Group – 16
  • Natural Resources Management and Biological Sciences Group – 40
  • Physical Sciences Group – 57
  • Congressional Research Service – 11
  • Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group – 12
  • Transportation Group – 588

Total 3,756

Sources: Governor’s salary information for 2009 was taken from the Council of State Governments, “State Government Compensation by Branch”. The
distribution of positions by occupational group was calculated by CRS using the Office of Personnel Management’s Central Personnel Data File from September 2009.

Read the report titled “Public Servants or Privileged Class: How State Government Employees Are Paid Better Than Their Private-Sector Counterparts“.

Watch this video from Citizens Against Government Waste:

VIDEO: Florida Hispanics Speak about Economic Freedom

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Americans for Prosperity – Florida is developing creative and interactive ways to express the conservative values of the Hispanic Community are the center stone of our grassroots initiatives. Americans for Prosperity – Florida has produced “Why I believe in Economic Freedom” video series to serve as a platform for Americans who identify as Hispanic or Spanish Speaking to share their thoughts about Economic Freedom principles.

According to Andres Malave, “APF – Florida hopes you will join the conversation about the importance of maintaining a more limited government and our efforts to preserve our Economic Freedom by visiting EmbraceEconomicFreedom.org.”

71 Percent of Florida Young Adults Plan to Vote in Presidential Election

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Generation Opportunity, with over 4 million fans on Facebook and direct grassroots engagement with over a quarter million young Americans, today released additional results from their comprehensive Florida-specific survey of young adults ages 18-29.

The poll found that 71 percent of young Floridians plan to vote in the presidential election, only 34 percent are satisfied with elected officials in Washington, and that 83 percent believe key life decisions have been delayed by the poor national economy.

The poll also found that of the “Get Out the Vote” (GOTV) reminder tools that will have an impact on young voter turnout in Florida, Facebook ranked first at 63 percent and text messages ranked second at 47 percent. Only 14 percent of Florida’s Millennials thought a phone call would be effective – a clear indication that smartphones and other mobile devices have reached a point of heavy market penetration within the demographic. Generation Opportunity has over 160,000 followers across the state of Florida .

In addition to the poll results, Generation Opportunity has launched the Pledge to GO Vote Campaign aimed at further increasing the already growing enthusiasm and interest among young adults to participate in the presidential election. Generation Opportunity is encouraging its supporters, their friends, and all those within their networks to Pledge to GO Vote. Read more about the initiative and sign the pledge here at GenerationOpportunity.org/vote.

FLORIDA’S YOUNG ADULTS – VOTER ENGAGEMENT

  • 71% of Florida Millennials plan to vote in the election for President this year.
  • Only 34% believe that today’s political leaders reflect the interests of young Americans.
  • Which will be the more important to you in casting your vote for President in 2012?
  • 49% – A candidate’s position on issues and a record in public office;
  • 9% – A candidate’s personal characteristics, like charisma and likeability;
  • 30% – They are of equal importance (accepted only this response);
  • 4% – Neither is important / something else;
  • 8% – Do not know/cannot judge (accepted only this response).
  • 53% agreed they will learn more about the policy positions of the presidential candidates in 2012 than they did in 2008.

FLORIDA’S YOUNG ADULTS – EFFECTIVE GET OUT THE VOTE (GOTV) TOOLS

Which of the following, if any, would make young people more likely to vote? (Accepted multiple responses) (Randomized):

  • 63% – Facebook reminder message;
  • 47% – Text message reminder;
  • 28% – Email reminder;
  • 26% – Public service announcement;
  • 14% – Phone call;
  • 12% – None of the above (accepted only this response);
  • 8% – Do not know/cannot judge (accepted only this response).

From which of the following sources do you get your news? (Accepted multiple responses) (Randomized):

  • 49% – Friends/family;
  • 46% – Facebook;
  • 43% – Online newspapers;
  • 42% – Cable news programs;
  • 40% – Radio;
  • 38% – Network news programs;
  • 27% – Specific websites focusing on topics that interest you;
  • 25% – Print newspapers;
  • 20% – Twitter;
  • 19% – Online magazines;
  • 19% – Comedy news programs (The Daily Show, The Colbert Report);
  • 16% – Blogs;
  • 16% – Print magazines;
  • 2% – Other;
  • 6% – None of the above (accepted only this response).

FLORIDA’S YOUNG ADULTS – ON THE DIRECTION OF THE COUNTRY

  • Only 31% of Florida Millennials agree with the statement “generally speaking, things in the United States are heading in the right direction.”
  • 55% are not confident that America will still be a global leader in five years if the USA continues along the same path as the last few years.

FLORIDA’S YOUNG ADULTS – ON ELECTED OFFICIALS AND NATIONAL PRIORITIES – STUDENT LOANS, ENERGY, HEALTHCARE

  • 64% of Florida Millennials believe the availability of more quality, full-time jobs upon graduation is more important than lower student loan interest rates.
  • 64% say the availability of more quality, full-time jobs with health insurance plans is more important than the ability to stay on their parents’ health insurance plans until they are 26.
  • 60% would increase production of domestic American energy sources like oil, natural gas, and coal if given the opportunity to set America’s fiscal priorities.
  • 74% would decrease federal spending if given the opportunity to set America’s fiscal priorities.
  • 70% prefer reducing federal spending over raising taxes on individuals to balance the budget.

FLORIDA’S YOUNG ADULTS – THE IMPACT OF THE ECONOMY ON FUTURE DREAMS AND CAREERS

  • 74% of Florida Millennials believe that the lack of job opportunities is shrinking the American middle class.
  • Only 26% say that the economic policies coming out of Washington are helping them.
  • 83% had planned to but now might delay or not make at all a major life change or move forward on a major purchase due to the current state of the economy (Accepted multiple responses) (Randomized):
  • 42% – Buy their own place;
  • 31% – Start a family;
  • 30% – Save for retirement;
  • 29% – Go back to school/getting more education or training;
  • 28% – Pay off student loans or other debt;
  • 27% – Change jobs/cities;
  • 20% – Get married;
  • 11% – None of the above (accepted only this response);
  • 6% – Do not know/cannot judge (accepted only this response).

STATEMENT BY PAUL T. CONWAY, PRESIDENT OF GENERATION OPPORTUNITY

“Florida’s young adults know that economic growth and increased opportunity are the only true changes that can reverse high unemployment and the lack of full-time jobs. They know the results of the 2012 presidential election will have profound implications on their ability to realize their career goals and to achieve their dreams. They are tired of a status quote defined by periods of unemployment, underemployment, part-time work, and full-time jobs outside the focus of their skills and educational level,” said Paul T. Conway, President of Generation Opportunity and former Chief of Staff of the United States Department of Labor under Secretary Elaine L. Chao. “Over the course of the next week they will use their social media networks to organize and remind their friends to vote – and they will vote as if their futures depend upon their decision.”

METHODOLOGY

For Generation Opportunity, the polling company, inc./WomanTrend, conducted a statewide online survey of 524 Florida adults ages 18-29 between July 27 – August 13, 2012. Randomly selected online opt-in panel participants were sent an invitation to the survey via email, which included a secure link to the online questionnaire. Quotas were used to ensure the survey was representative of the larger 18-29 year old statewide population with regard to race, region, and gender. The data were NOT weighted. The overall sampling margin of error for the survey is +/-4.4% at a 95% confidence interval, meaning that the data obtained would not differ more than 4.4 percentage points in 95 out of 100 similar samples obtained.

ABOUT GENERATION OPPORTUNITY

Generation Opportunity is the largest non-profit, non-partisan organization in the United States engaging and mobilizing young Americans (ages 18-29) on important economic issues facing the nation. Since its launch in June of 2011, Generation Opportunity has operated on a combined strategy of advanced social media tactics and field tactics to reach young Americans across the country.

Generation Opportunity is actively organizing young adults across America through grassroots tactics, voter registration, and voter turnout efforts in states like Ohio, Virginia, Maine, North Carolina and Florida, engaging over a quarter million young adults. The organization’s social media platforms have amassed a total fan base of more than 4 million. Facebook pages post links to relevant articles and reports from sources ranging from the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO), to The New York Times , The Washington Post, The Brookings Institution, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, and The Heritage Foundation.

UPDATE: A video taken by a student of a young audience in Red Rocks, Colorado: