Beach Peanuts

While Most Talked, He Took Action Against Oil Drilling

(Note: In May of 2010, not long after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, I met and interviewed the founder of Hands Across The Sand, Dave Rauschkolb, in Seaside, FL. I wrote about Rauschkolb and the story behind what inspired his organization on my original blog site. This weekend begins Hands Across The Sand's fourth year holding what are now global events in protest of offshore oil drilling, (Locate a local event near you here.) and in honor of that I'm re-posting my original piece on Rauschkolb below.)

Dave Rauschkolb, Founder of “Hands Across The Sand”

(Photo: Martha Jackovics)

May 21, 2010

It’s been over a month since the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion, which killed 11, injured many others and caused the still gushing oil “spill” that threatens to devastate wildlife, along with the fishing and tourism industry in Florida.

Aside from a lot of political posturing in the past over the issue of oil drilling in the Gulf Of Mexico, not much was done about it beyond talk.

What did it take to get people’s attention? Probably the fact that most recent evidence places the oil plumes in the “loop current” in the Gulf, which will eventually carry the oil into the Florida Keys and then on around South Florida, into the Atlantic where most say it will likely land on beaches in Palm Beach County first.

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to head up to the Florida Panhandle where I met people who live and work where, at the time, most thought the oil was headed next. I talked to people whose entire livelihoods were, and still are at stake.

One of those people I met was a man who didn’t just talk about it. He actually did something about it, and he did it long before the BP disaster unfolded.

Last summer, the Florida House passed bill #1219 which lifted the ban on near shore oil drilling in the Gulf Of Mexico, which allowed drilling to take place as close as ten miles off the coast of Florida. The bill first came to the attention of restaurant owner Dave Rauschkolb in Seaside, FL during a meet and greet at his restaurant with Florida House candidate David Pleat. Rauschkolb said that Pleat explained in layman’s terms what actually was proposed in the bill.

“What they were really asking for was carte blanche to give them a free ticket to drill anywhere they wanted three to ten miles off shore and that would also give the county jurisdiction from the waterline to three miles. The county said they could run pipelines wherever they wanted” Rauschkolb explains. “I was knocked back on my heels.”

At the end of Pleat’s explanation Rauschkolb “got this flash of an idea” that went beyond merely writing to legislators in opposition.

“Earlier I had said “we need to draw a line in the sand over this” and that kept running through my head. I looked at my wife and I said “I know what we can do.” I got this simple idea to have Floridians go to the beaches, join hands and create human lines in the sand to protest this legislation and try to convince legislators to drop this proposal.”

Rauschkolb’s ”flash of an idea” became a now familiar environmental awareness movement in Florida called “Hands Across The Sand.”

Hands Across the Sand is a movement made of people of all walks of life and crosses political affiliations. This movement is not about politics; it is about protection of our shoreline, our waterways, our tourism, our coastal military missions and our valuable properties. Let us share our knowledge, energies and passion for protecting all of the above from the devastating effects of oil drilling.

The idea was simple: Go to an event beach at the appointed time for one hour, rain or shine, join hands for ten minutes forming a “line in the sand” against oil drilling in coastal waters, and leave only footprints behind.

Rauschkolb went to work on the idea and designed a website, a 30 second radio commercial and a newspaper ad. The website was subsequently contributed by CYber SYtes in Panama City Beach, and posters were designed by local artists as well as T-Shirts that were given away free of charge.

Before long e-mails started to come in, and in just two months Rauschkolb says “we had 80 beaches organized from Jacksonville Beach to Miami and from Key West up to Pensacola.” Thousands of Floridians joined hands at he first “Hands Across The Sand” event that took place on February 13, 2010. “The largest group was in the Tampa, St. Petersburg Beach area with around 3,000 people. In Seaside, where Rauschkolb owns and operates his restaurant“Bud & Alley’s” there were 500.

Talking to Rauschkolb just over two weeks after the BP oil spill, he speaks about his frustration over President Obama’s stand on oil drilling. “ I knew the moment (Obama) said the word “Oil” in his State Of the Union address that he was throwing a bone to the Republicans. I counted how many times he said “clean energy,” 12 or 15 times. He mentioned oil once.” A strong signal in Rauschkolb’s mind that “this is something that is not near and dear to his heart.”

“To me after this spill, it’s going to be awfully difficult for those pro-drilling politicians in Florida to wash oil from their hands and I can’t imagine that (Florida Republicans) Dean Cannon and Mike Haridopolos will continue this folly and bring this legislation back to Floridians in the next session after the election. So I’m imploring them to stop it and stop it now. I’m hoping in the near future they will come out and say they’re dropping the legislation for good.”

“So many politicians like Sarah Palin and John Boehner are just drilling themselves a hole into oblivion in my opinion and I hope they stay down there. They can live with the oil as far as I’m concerned. I’ve lived here since 1970 and it’s one of the most beautiful places that I’ve ever been. I’ve made my life here, I’ve raised my family here and this is a very special place.  It’s the natural beauty of this place and the fact that 30% of our seafood comes from the Gulf.”

Rauschkolb becomes emotional at the thought of what could become of the community where he’s made his home for 24 years.

“Florida beaches are America’s beaches and they should hold them dear. I’m sorry, but drilling should not be occurring in the Gulf of Mexico, period. The Gulf should be a national park. It’s an abomination that our seafood industry is going to be destroyed for a very long time, and that entire coastal economies and ecosystems are about to be devastated. No one industry should have that kind power because of their mistakes.”

“Perhaps destiny will determine through this accident which way our country goes.”

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Chapter Two? Greer Still Plans To Expose RPOF's "Dirty Laundry" In An Upcoming Book

Rubio, Greer, and Cannon: Three's Company?

After threatening to expose the Republican Party of Florida's possible part in his undoing at trial, those anticipating a media circus out of fear or entertainment depending on who the observer was, were likely thrilled/disappointed when former RPOF Chairman Jim Greer instead pled guilty without saying a word. His promise of a "Shakespearean tragedy in which everyone dies in the end'' did not come to pass. Greer kissed his wife, was handcuffed, and after sentencing, led off to prison for 15 months. Followed by what was likely a collective sigh of relief from the RPOF, they happily went back to pretending Greer was just an anomaly, and returned to their favorite pastime, both hating and fearing Charlie Crist.

Finger pointing: It's what they do.

If you were disappointed when those ugly truths didn't surface, both old rumored ones and new alike, fear not! There's still hope that it will all come out in the end. Jim Greer was recently interviewed by Mike Deeson at WTSP, where he said not in so many words "Not so fast there, boys."

Those present and former Republicans, from Charlie Crist, to Dean Cannon, right on down to the way back machine with Marco Rubio and his magic RPOF credit card, may be worrying just a little bit longer. Jim Greer, it seems, plans to pass some of his time in the big house brushing up on his writing skills penning a book tentatively entitled "Dirty Laundry." (Never mind that Don Henley may call to ask for his song title back. I guess "borrowing" things from others is a hard habit to break for Republicans.)

But that's not all Greer had to say.

From the Deeson interview:

Greer maintains his innocence, saying then-Governor Charlie Crist was aware of the fact Greer was paying himself a commission for raising money for the party. In fact, Greer and three others close to Crist have given sworn testimony that the former governor not only knew, but directed Greer to do it. Crist maintains he did not, and had the case gone to trial the jury would have had to decide who was telling the truth.

Greer admits,"People will always say, 'If you are so innocent, why didn't you go to trial?' And I understand that."

There are some reports that Greer took a payoff to keep quiet. There's even an allegation that the Republican National Committee may have written him a check. Greer says about those reports, "I've read 'em. It's just not true."

But Greer says what is true is that friends have helped him with some attorney fees and restitution payment, but he was given no money or promised anything from anyone to plead guilty.

Greer also told Deeson that others in the party did even more than he did, naming examples by former House Speakers Ray Sansom and Dean Cannon, and now Senator Marco Rubio:

"They were allowed to quietly write checks back to the party," Greer says. He also says a friend told him he was being used by the Florida GOP as a scapegoat.

He says his friend told him, "They have cleansed their sins with your blood, Jim, and that is certainly not anything in relationship to Jesus, but it is certainly an appropriate statement."

He also spoke of the real reason for his guilty plea:

Greer claims he accepted the plea deal for a much more basic reason: fear. He was facing six charges. He says prosecutors told him that if he was convicted on just one, they would ask for nine years in prison.

When Greer made that guilty plea, the Florida GOP issued a statement, saying: 

“The truth is now known that Jim Greer broke the law,” stole from the party and donors, “and then said and did everything he could to cover up and distract attention from his crimes.”

Those same Republicans who were quick to point fingers and issue statements when Greer was first charged, only to clam up and keep their heads down once he started talking not only about their involvement in this, but also on their role in voter suppression and the real motives behind it, are now back to playing the innocent victims, once again perched on their self-professed moral high ground. 

Perhaps that "Dirty Laundry" Greer claims he'll air will bring them back down from the clouds just in time for the 2014 elections.

(Photos: Florida House, State Of Florida)

No Questions! Florida GOP Rebuffs Review Of Stand Your Ground Law

In the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting in Sanford, Florida House Democrats, Minority Leader Perry Thurston and Rep. Geraldine Thompson are asking Republican House Speaker Dean Cannon to call for a special session in order to review the Stand Your Ground law.

So what does Cannon, an endorsee of the National Rifle Association, have to say of the special session request?

Cannon's office said he disagrees with those requests because still too many unanswered questions about the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

"Speaker Cannon feels that legislative action is premature at this point given the ongoing investigations as well as the upcoming convening of the Seminole County Grand Jury," spokeswoman Katie Betta said via email. "Speaker Cannon will be closely monitoring the situation and any new developments that may arise in the case. He will also make recommendations to Governor Scott regarding appointments to the Task Force on Citizen Safety and Protection which will review the 'Stand Your Ground' law following the investigation by the special prosecutor."

In other words, hey, what's the rush?

Apparently when an unarmed African American child is shot to death by a neighborhood watch "captain" who followed and pursued him against the advice of law enforcement merely because that "captain" found him "suspicious," foot dragging is the norm.

In Florida, it seems that police and elected officials who are supposed to protect the lives and interests of their citizens see their jobs differently than everyone else? It's been a month and there's so arrest. It took 22 days for Gov. Rick Scott to take any action and he's given his special prosecutor an entire year to complete her investigation.

Now Dean Cannon "disagrees" with this request for a review because there are "too many unanswered questions?" Let me be of some assistance to Speaker Cannon: A "review" is the action of asking those questions. Really. But don't just take my word for it, here's what the dictionary says:

"Verb, examine or assess (something) formally with the possibility or intention of instituting change if necessary."

Pretty hard to get the answers if you refuse to even address the questions there, Mr. Speaker. Sure, there's "supposedly" an investigation being conducted, or so we're told, but that's a woefully bad excuse to just say hurry up and wait.

The Stand Your Ground law has somewhat materialized into some of the biggest fears of those who opposed it back in 2005, that the law would become a "shoot now, ask questions later" justification for violence. The number of cases where "stand your ground" self-defense was invoked has risen since Jeb Bush signed the law:

The controversial law that police have cited in their decision not to charge the man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin has been invoked at least 130 times statewide since 2005.

A Tampa Bay Times survey, compiled from 31 Florida newspapers and public records, shows that the number of cases in which "stand your ground" has been invoked has climbed dramatically in the past year and a half. The analysis shows that police and prosecutors continue to apply the law unevenly.

But what's the rush, right?

How many more statistics are enough for someone, ANYONE, to ask the "unanswered" questions?

After a month, from one official after another, it seems the only answer in Florida at the moment is a horrifying and unspoken one: A child's life is apparently expendable.

Court Rejects Legislator's Appeal To Fair Districts Amendment

As one election battle raged last week in Florida, the people of the state won another in the war on voters "declared" by the Republican party back in 2010. An appeal against the Fair Districts Amendment was rejected:

A three-judge federal appeals court panel in Miami has unanimously rejected an appeal by two Florida congressional members and state House Speaker Dean Cannon that asserted the 2010 Fair Districts anti-gerrymandering reforms were unconstitutional.

The 3-0 decision likely puts to rest the 14-month legal fight that U.S. Reps. Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, and Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, and Cannon have waged since voters passed Amendments 5 and 6 -- called the Fair Districts reforms -- in November 2010. Those amendments required lawmakers to draw legislative and congressional districts that are more compact and protect minority-access without intentionally helping political parties or incumbents.

All three Fair Districts critics were involved in efforts to try and keep the amendments off the 2010 ballot and defeat them at the polls.

The day after the amendments passed, Brown and Diaz-Balart sued to block the congressional amendment, arguing it was improperly enacted by voters instead of lawmakers and intruded upon the power of Congress to regulate elections. Cannon later directed the House to join in the lawsuit, arguing the case involved an important principle for the Legislature that needed to be resolved.

The federal Elections Clause gives the Legislature the power to re-draw congressional lines, and lawyers for the House and congressional members have argued that power was curtailed by the reforms.

But in a strongly worded 32-page opinion upholding the lower-court ruling last summer, a panel of the Eleventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected their argument.

The challenge to the voters wishes has not only been costly to those same voters (or as much that has been disclosed by Cannon), but set off a number of ugly political maneuvers in Tallahassee on everything from manipulating redistricting software, to public hearings where lawmakers were "seen but not heard", and led to a proposal of the largest overreach of all: Allowing Gov. Rick Scott the sole authority to pick judges for the Florida Supreme Court.

Scott recently said he was still open to that idea. Go figure:

Gov. Rick Scott recently said he hopes the proposal comes back. "When you're elected governor," he declared in a recent interview with WFLA radio in Tallahassee, "people expect you to not have a limit on who you can appoint."

With all due respect to the governor, the jury is no longer out on the subject of giving him yet more power. That's the last thing people want, but he knows that.

If Rick Scott and the Republicans in the legislature didn't know that, we wouldn't be having a dispute over fair districts, now would we?

Rick Scott Thinks Floridians Want Him To Have More Power

Like? Not So Much

Hey, remember last year's legislative session when this happened?

Republicans in the Florida House Civil Justice Committee recently passed three bills that would give Gov. Rick Scott the sole power to appoint appeals court and Supreme Court justices by restructuring the Florida court system, in the name of "accountability."

Oh, the memories!

Yes, that was the year when the Florida legislature wanted to focus on "accountability" by making sure their Governor hand-picked the judges. Who could blame them with a track record like this:

The Republicans want the body to "focus on accountability." There's that word again. "Accountability" has quite the ring of hypocrisy to it coming from the Republican party in Florida who has a rather large group of members who have either been in jail and on trial, faced ethics violations, as in current Senate President Mike Haridopolos, or are under investigation  for various financial disclosure problems like current U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. David Rivera, just to name a few. As for Rubio and Rivera, in their cases being under investigation merely boosted their credibility with the Thug Republican Party and vaulted them into higher office. The Republican Party Of Florida's idea of holding themselves accountable is merely investigating themselves for a short period of time, and then unanimously finding themselves completely innocent of any wrongdoing whatsoever.

If you missed the story the first time around, well, SPOILER ALERT:

Florida Governor Rick Scott thought that having the ability to hand-pick judges himself was just a great idea! He tried to contain his glee, apparently, with this casual statement of "surprise:"

"I heard about that this morning. I understand that the real value of that is we could accelerate some of the cases and things like that. So I'm going to look at it."

Gov. Scott understands "the value" all right. So much so that he voiced the opinion recently that he hopes they will revisit the idea this year:

Gov. Rick Scott recently said he hopes the proposal comes back. "When you're elected governor," he declared in a recent interview with WFLA radio in Tallahassee, "people expect you to not have a limit on who you can appoint."

Whoa! Settle down down there, 26 percent! Yes, people in Florida expect a lot from a Governor, but that's not it. Trust me. The last thing people want you to have is more power. Sure people live in and come to Florida for the climate, but they don't want scorched earth.

It's apparent that Scott was, and remains clueless in the governing department. After all, calling yourself a "jobs governor" means more than Tweeting a "Help Wanted" ad. Pretending to "reach out" to the public means more than just asking for suggestions on how to "sell the state" to others on your Facebook page. Although the one that suggests Scott resign is promising, but that one now appears to have "gone missing." If indeed Scott's staff took a page from another famous do-nothing Governor by editing his Facebook comments, they took the wrong page. She actually quit.

But let's go back to that comment from Gov. Overreach, shall we?

"When you're elected governor, people expect you to not have a limit on who you can appoint."

Wrong. Here's something people DO expect Gov. Scott:

They expect things like fair elections, just for starters, but you know that, because that's where the whole idea of making you the guy who appoints the judges started in the first place, remember?

Sure you do!

Funny how Rick Scott just made the assumption that the people of Florida expect him to have limitless power to appoint judges without first consulting them on Facebook?

Scott Says ACA Is "Not The Law Of The Land" And "He Won't Allow Florida To Implement It"

Rick The Dictator: Neither Laws, Nor The Constitution Apply To Him?

It's no secret that Gov. Rick Scott isn't a fan of affordable health care for not just Floridians, but for all Americans. He's spent a great deal of his life, and his millions to prove it. Despite the fact that he ran the company that went down in the record books for Medicare fraud, he hasn't stopped fighting  for the health care industry and against Americans getting a fair shot at it. 

Now that the Affordable Care Act is the law, Scott's latest move in that fight is this: he has no plans to implement it in Florida. Why? Because as far as he's concerned, the Affordable Care Act "isn't the law of the land." Scott says so. He's proven time and time again that laws and the constitution mean one thing to him, and yet another to the rest of the country. Just look at his record.

From the Palm Beach Post:

"It's not the law of the land," said Scott, an attorney and co-founder of the Columbia/HCA hospital chain. "I don't believe it will ever be the law of the land."

Scott's statements, made in West Palm Beach during a Palm Beach Post editorial board meeting on Nov. 17, have caused a stir. While they may resonate with an estimated 47 percent of the U.S. population who tell pollsters the law should be repealed, they put him at odds with the U.S. Constitution, argued Timothy Jost, a law professor at Washington and Lee University.

"If this is his position, then he is violating his oath of office, and that is a serious thing that I think the voters of Florida ought to be concerned about," said Jost, co-author of a widely used health law textbook. "His position is ridiculous and he should (and probably does) know better."

The health law does not force states to do anything but "get out of the way and let the federal government enforce and implement the law," Jost said.

Scott has told state agency heads to return planning grants they received before he became governor, and that they should not apply for tens of millions more.

And so Florida is not preparing to open an insurance exchange in 2014 for individuals and small businesses. He has refused more than $37 million that would have helped pay to keep disabled seniors in their homes and out of nursing homes by paying for support services.

And he has turned away money for monitoring insurance companies.

Furthermore, it's not just Gov. Scott taking that "I will ignore the law" stance.

House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, feels that given the legal and political challenges, there's too much uncertainty to invest precious state resources into implementing the new law now. He's especially concerned that the health law will double the number of Floridians on Medicaid, said Cannon's spokesman, Ryan Duffy.

Florida's insurance commissioner, Kevin McCarty, maintains that his agency cannot enforce any part of the federal law unless the Florida Legislature passes what's called "enabling legislation," because the federal government delegates the power to regulate insurers to the states.

And so Florida consumers can't turn to McCarty's office if their insurer refuses to insure a child under age 19 who has a pre-existing medical condition.

Nor can they turn to him if their insurer says coverage denials cannot be appealed.

Likewise, consumers can't expect help from McCarty's office if their insurance company spends less than 80 percent of their premium on benefits, as opposed to overhead, salaries and administrative costs.

So apparently to Rick Scott and the legislature, even though the Affordable Care Act is a law, they feel that it's not a law they have to enforce because it will soon go before the U.S. Supreme Court in which there are possible conflicts of interests among a few of its justices who may be inclined to rule the law unconstitutional?

It's either that, or it's just that they feel if they dont like a law, they can just ignore it, or they simply won't follow a law because the President who signed it into law happens to be black, and therefore the law doesn't count?

Regrdless of their reasoning, the Affordable Care Act is a law, and Floridians should be able to benefit from it. If Rick Scott and his minions  plan to stand between citizens and what should be their right by law, perhaps they should go and govern in a country that isn't founded on Democracy.

Rick Scott, GOP: Party Over The Needs Of Floridians, No Matter What

What have the Republican Party Of Florida and Rick Scott done for you, or rather, what have they done TO you lately? Let's take a look at the latest, shall we?

First, from the Governor who claims he's dedicated to health care, there's this:

Gov. Rick Scott and the Republican-led Legislature have rejected or declined to pursue more than $106 million in federal grant money and returned $4.5 million for programs linked to federal health care initiatives, including cancer prevention, leading critics to say Scott is putting his conservative agenda ahead of residents' needs.

Why reject the funds? Well, simply because it's "ObamaCare!" Never mind that it involves what for some could be a life or death issue, sorry! Scott and his merry band of brown-nosing legislators couldn't give a hoot. If people have to die, so be it. As God is their witness, they will never take health care funds on your behalf if they come from a Democratic President who happens to be black. You lose.

Actually though, they do make one exception:

Scott ordered state agencies to reject any money tied to President Barack Obama's health care plan, which Florida is challenging in court. But Scott kept more than $13 million for a four-year abstinence education grant and for another program coordinating background checks for long-term care workers.

Cancer prevention? Sorry, no. But abstinence education? Ka-ching! We'll take it, as we're the Party who live in a fantasy world with the likes of Sarah Palin, who believe that abstinence education is the only way to go, in spite of the fact that not only Palin, but two of her children (so far) could have been poster children who illustrate the exact opposite.

Also among the funds rejected:

The Legislature also rejected $11.1 million that would have been paid out over four years to educate teens about pregnancy and HIV rates.

One man's "education" is another man's "magical thinking." Pregnancy and HIV education? No. Saving lives and educating well, anyone, cannot trump Party ideology. Ever. Do today's Republicans look educated to you? Of course not. Why would you expect anything more?

You. Lose.

Next up, we also have the guy in charge who claims he's the "Jobs Governor." Apparently voters who went with Scott misunderstood what that meant. No doubt they now realize that what the man who would be king meant was they gave him a job, and now that he has it, he will proceed to take theirs away. (Not to mention their unemployment benefits, but that's an entire blog post for another day.)

If you were among the millions who watched Predient Obama's jobs speech the other night and cheered at the thought of him steering more jobs your way, too bad. I guess this could almost be High-Speed Rail Part II:

Gov. Rick Scott and top Florida Republicans are sending early signals they could reject the billions in federal aid that could flow to the state under President Barack Obama's jobs proposal.

Florida has a 10.7 percent unemployment rate that is higher than the national average. But Scott and GOP legislative leaders said the plan outlined by President Obama was too similar to the nearly $800 billion stimulus package that was approved by Congress back in 2009.

"It sounds like President Obama still doesn't get it," House Speaker Dean Cannon said Friday. "The answer to the current economic problems is not spending more money."

President Obama doesn't get it? Again, magical thinking: 1. Simple math: 0. You lose again, Florida! If by some miracle the GOP in Congress can't block the jobs proposal, then by golly Florida Republicans and Pink Slip Rick will be there for backup.

Jobs? From President Obama? The Republicans laugh in the face of reality. They won't rest until everyone, save those in Tallahassee and Scott, are out of a job. They're on a mission!

One more thing to note here. Scott always uses this similar talking point to fall back on when asked an actual question about his reasoning for just about everything: "JOB KILLER!"

Not one to disappoint, he used the same one here for rejecting the health care funds:

"Things that are simply implementing the Affordable Health Care Act, or Obamacare, I'm not going to support because I believe this: It's the biggest job killer in our state, we can't afford it and it's going to be bad for patients," Scott said.

Really? Show us just one job that the Affordable Health Care Act has killed, Gov. Scott. Just one.

"If you look at the things that we are supporting, it's the things that implement what we are already trying to do in health care."

What, pray tell, does this statement even mean? Does he mean abstinence education and mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients? 

What he's "trying to do in health care" is prevent people from getting it.

As it goes with the national Republican-Tea Party, so goes Florida. Party ideology is the only thing that matters. The well being and lives of America's citizens? Not so much. Unless you happen to be in the top tier income-wise. This is a Government For The Top 2%. The rest of us can just fend for ourselves.

What can Florida expect with federal disaster assistance in the event of a catastrophic hurricane? Would Scott reject those funds as well in favor of just "praying away the damage" and follow the lead of his man crush Rick Perry, who suggested his citizens just pray for rain? That certainly went well....

Let's hope we never have to find out.

Tea Party Followers, You've Been Had

If there are still true believers in the so called Tea Party movement who haven't recognized it for the re-branded Republican party corporate funded scam that it is, this message is for you.

It's also a wake up call to the fact that in spite of what you've been told, and what you may believe, President Obama has been fighting for you all along, and still is. The Tea Party/Republicans? They're not. Never have. Never will. 

You've been had.

Like many others, this blogger has tried to tell you this before and I've been called a liar and much worse for doing so. If you're one of those who still thinks that after you read this, you're welcome to your opinion. It won't bother me in the least.

Facts are facts. Just because you may refuse to believe them doesn't make you immune to them. The Republican/Tea Party have been scamming you all along and in the coming days, if America is pushed off the cliff into default by this Republican manufactured "crisis" you'll be riding into the abyss along with the rest of us. Your so called "leaders" have no interest in saving you from the disaster they've created, and they won't.

In spite of what they tell you, they also have no interest in Democracy.

Let me give you just the latest examples of reality from the Tea Party world.

Rick Scott, John Mica

I'll start with your "leaders" in Florida. You've likely gotten the message from your Tea Party "Hero" Governor Rick Scott already. He made his bold statement against the "establishment" when he said F--- you to high-speed rail. You rallied around him in support for that move in spite of the fact that it actually resulted in F--- all of us. It cost many of your own a chance at a job and a step in the direction of boosting our economy in Florida. But then he turned around and sold you out not long after when he said yes to SunRail. Why did he do that? Well, because Republican John Mica, another big timer you supported put the pressure on the governor because SunRail helps his district. Your Tea Party organizers on the ground who enabled the Republicans made lots of noise and claimed they would go after Scott and Mica for selling out to that rail project unlike the first. How's that working out?

Crickets.

Mike Haridopolos, Dean Cannon

How about yesterday, when John Boehner buckled under yet again to his Tea Party members and passed a bill in order to hold the nation's economy for ransom, a bill that he knew had no chance of going anywhere in the first place? Zero? Governor Scott, along with stooges Mike Haridopolos and Dean Cannon jumped at the chance to kiss up to you by crafting a message in support of the Boehner non-starter bill, saying they "looked forward to Florida leading the way towards ratification of a federal balanced budget amendment.” As they wrote it they no doubt knew that the bill had less than a snowball's chance in Tea Bagger hell of passing. No worries though, they could safely go on the record for your benefit, no skin off their noses. Why else would Cannon and Haridopolos suddenly be so tight with the man they've been running from in recent months when his poll numbers were in the tank? To illustrate an empty united front to help the Republican Tea Party scam stay afloat. That's why. They want to keep you on a sinking ship. If you're still not convinced, grab a life preserver anyway just in case, and keep reading.

The crown jewel: Allen West 

Many of you have seen Allen West as a rebel for the average Tea Party Joe. You're in a very small minority who fails to recognize the crown jewel of crazy when you see it. However, your numbers just went down in the last couple days when he too sold you out by showing his true colors. You sent him to Washington because he told you he was an outsider who would never become a part of the "established Republican party." Remember? Well, file that memory away in your scrapbook, because it took him only a few short months before his status as a sellout became visible to true believers. When John Boehner bent over backwards to try and win Tea Party members over with his vast collection of rewritten bills, your hero Allen West folded into the party line when others didn't. He even offered to "drive the GOP clown car off the cliff." But alas, when reality kicked in and Boehner turned the bill back into the Republican version as it used to be, Allen West was still happily on board. West knows only the established Republican bread gets buttered in Washington even if his Tea Bag cohorts don't get it yet. He wants that butter so bad he'll churn it himself if he has to, but he doesn't want you to know.

That's why he was so quick to attempt to cover himself and his tracks by insulting your intelligence by writing "you" a letter explaining why he did it, invoking his fall back blind excuse of "patriotism" as he always does to get himself out of a bind. No one would dare call out this "steadfast and loyal" veteran! He writes as if all this congressional mumbo jumbo is really above your head, in a "trust me" fashion, claiming "It is now time for the focus to be on the United States Senate to produce a plan to take this country forward." If you've been paying attention to politics in the last few months, you know this actually translates to a "Republican party plan to take over the country" while moving forward as the lot of you remain behind and under that forward bus.

West ends his letter to you, his followers, as any "steadfast and loyal Washigton Republican would" with a rallying cry of patriotism wrapped in a flag: 

My fellow Americans, I ask you: If I had voted “No” on the Budget Control Act, who would I have been voting for?"

Who indeed? If you're curious and want an answer to that question, I would suggest you give him a buzz or send him an email in order to find out. Let me know who that is if you get a response, because the suspense is killing me.

Still convinced the Tea Party is a separate group from the Republican Party? Well, here's one more example to ponder. We'll move beyond just Florida.

Tea Party "Darling" Marco Rubio

Where to begin with this one? If you haven't seen through this Republican robot by now, there may be no hope. Still, I'll give it one more try.

This is the guy who many of you think might make a great President one day, or a great VP a little sooner? Take time to read up on him instead of reading his Tweets and listening to his script on the Sunday morning shows. He's a phony.

Fiscal conservative? Sure, if by fiscal conservative you mean not paying your bills and forcing a foreclosure, for starters. Can't get much more conservative than not paying for something I suppose. But there's plenty of investigations working on his past spending habits. For now let's focus on the fact that he is no more of a math whiz than Rick Scott is. He probably has trouble spelling the word "economy" much less understanding how it works. Sign up for Marco Rubio's world, and you'll be working until you drop dead, and if that doesn't kill you, having no health care will. You see he wants to kill everything from Social Secuirty to Medicare (but only AFTER his Mom has collected hers, of course). While Rubio has tries to paint himself as a Tea Party hero when it suits him, it's apparent he's anything but. He'll knock Allen West off that butter churn in a heartbeat and he's been at the Republican game a lot longer. He'll do anything they tell him to.

But most of all, he's been parroting one of the biggest scams of all: "American Exceptionalism." This is his all time favorite,  all purpose "patriotic" calling card. He's used it a lot, but what exactly does it mean? You could look to Rubio himself fr an answer the next time he reads his script on the air, but if you'de like a glimpse of the future from his world view of "American Exceptionalism," here's just a taste of the reality he has in store if he and the Republican/Tea Party scammers get their way when the country can't pay those bills come next Tuesday, and we all slide into default. 

You don't need to take my word for it. This is how some in other parts of the world see the scam for what it is.

From Think Progress:

But as the U.S. inches closer to defaulting on its debts for the first time in history, criticism of Congress is starting to come from beyond our own borders. From France and Germany to China and India, countries around the world are angry that American politicians play with the possibility of a U.S. default like a yo-yo with little regard for the international economic system that depends on American solvency.

Despite China’s traditional preference of staying out of the domestic affairs of other nations, senior Chinese officials’ frustrations are growing louder and louder. Stephen Roach, the non-executive chairman of Morgan Staley Asia, said senior Chinese officials told him the debt ceiling debate in the U.S. is “truly shocking.” “We understand the politics,” a Chinese official said, “but your government’s continued recklessness is astonishing.” And newspapers around the world are voicing discontent with Congress’s handling of the debt ceiling:

Conservative German Die Welt: “[T]here are few signs of self-doubt or self-awareness in the U.S. … [The Tea Party movement] sees the other side as their enemy. Negotiations with the Democrats, whether it’s about appointing a judge or the insolvency of the United States, are only successful if the enemy is defeated. Compromise, they feel, is a sign of weakness and cowardice.”

The German mass-circulation Bild: “What America is currently exhibiting is the worst kind of absurd theatrics and the whole world is being held hostage… Most importantly, the Republicans have turned a dispute over a technicality into a religious war, which no longer has any relation to a reasonable dispute between the elected government and the opposition.”

French newspaper Le Monde:”The American politicians supposed to lead the most powerful nation in the world are becoming a laughing stock.”

Chinese state-owned newspaper Xinhua: “Given the United States’ status as the world’s largest economy and the issuer of the dominant international reserve currency, such political brinksmanship in Washington is dangerously irresponsible.”

The founding documents of many nations around the world take their inspiration from and quote the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Constitution. But now, foreigners don’t seem to be too inspired watching the intransigent wing of one political party that controls one house of one branch of the federal government hold the entire U.S. hostage. American soft power has taken a self-inflicted hit as a result of the debt ceiling debate.

Even if Congress manages to forge a deal against the wishes of the Tea Party and deliver a bill to President Obama’s desk raising the debt ceiling before default, the damage to our international standing has already been done. Other nations won’t forget how some members of Congress were so careless to allow the international economy fall into another financial disaster in order to score a few political points.

There's your "American Exceptionalism." Does that sound like the future you've dreamed of?

No? Had enough? Because like it or not, believe it or not, this is what President Obama has been up against all this time. He's been fighting against it on your behalf. Now Republicans are fighting amongst themselves, and all the while this scam is trashing our country, our future, and our standing in the world.

It may not be too late. Call your leaders and tell them to get their act together. 

The scam is over.

Are Republicans Manipulating Redistricting Software To Thwart Voters Will?

Florida Republicans have aggressively tried to thwart the will of Florida voters ever since Fair Districts Amendments 5 & 6 were passed. Having failed previous attempts  they're at it again and now it appears they may be manipulating redistricitng software:

Will the GOP leadership now abide by the voter's will and draw legislative districts that comply with the Fair Districts guidelines?

Apparently not, based upon an analysis of the My District Builder software used by the Republican legislative staff assisting to draw Florida's proposed districts. A technical audit performed by the Palm Beach County Democratic Executive Committee found the My District Builder software mysteriously deleted an entire section on compactness and geo spatial analysis. The missing section was designed to calculate ratios of compactness and make an overall scoring of compliance with the redistricting requirements under Amendment 5. The missing geo spatial analysis would give a mathematical rating in determining whether the new districts were drawn not to favor or disfavor incumbents or a political party and be compact, as equal in population as feasible, making use of existing city, county and geographical boundaries.

Palm Beach County DEC Chair Mark Alan Siegel has raised legitimate questions regarding why the speaker's office had ordered the removal of the compactness analysis. Those questions have not been answered. Although contained in the Legislature's initial release of the My District Builder software, the compactness and geo spatial analysis components were deleted by House Redistricting Committee staff soon after they appeared.

At public hearings on redistricting supposedly designed to allow voter input, committee members aren't including maps of any kind, and they have been "instructed" not to make any comments on any details in the process. 

"Public hearings?" Not so much. At this point, one wonders why they'll conduct these meetings at all, and at tax payers expense. Voters want fair districts, yet the Republican legislators won't even allow a fair fight.

By removing the compactness and geospatial analysis from the software, new district lines drawn on party or incumbent lines are not as detectable without the geo spatial analysis numerical rating.

When the joint legislative redistricting public hearings come to your neighborhood this summer, it would be informative to get an answer as to why the geo spatial analysis section was removed by the legislative leadership. Unfortunately, the committee members have already been instructed not to comment on any aspect of the process. To the detriment of the public, the Redistricting Committee members will not bring with them any proposed plans for public comment.

The Legislature's current redistricting software, without the compactness statistical component, flaws the process and stacks the deck in favor of the incumbent Republican leadership. Florida voters will ultimately have to rely upon the state Supreme Court to generate a fair redistricting plan in order to get a fair deal.

If there's anyone out there who doubts the Republicans want to maintain power in Florida and expand that power, these so-called "public hearings" should certainly convince them otherwise. Voters attending these hearings should be allowed to ask questions and get fair answers. It appears trying to do so would be a waste of time, but voters need to be vocal and demand it.

This kind of manipulation is just one tactic at thwarting the will of the voters in our state. The legislature also enacted tougher voter restrictions this past session. Make no mistake, this is intended to act as a vote suppression effort because Republicans are aware of the changing tide in their favorability with voters, and it's not just happening in Florida.

Witness what's been happening in Wisconsin with union busting tactics and now recall elections where "fake" Democrats ran, and lost, against real Republicans, and the fight in Wisconsin isn't over by any means.

Republicans are desperate to keep control, now to the point of causing a financial meltdown not just to the country but worldwide, and why? Because they want to make President Obama a one term President. To do anything less would "harm the Republican brand" to quote Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who also said this:

The time has come for a balanced budget amendment that forces Washington to balance its books. If these debt negotiations have convinced us of anything, it’s that we can’t leave it to politicians in Washington to make the difficult decisions that they need to get our fiscal house in order. The balanced budget amendment will do that for them. Now is the moment. No more games. No more gimmicks. The Constitution must be amended to keep the government in check. We’ve tried persuasion. We’ve tried negotiations. We’re tried elections. Nothing has worked.

That's right, the Senate Minority Leader wants to amend the constitution because elections haven't worked in the Republican's favor. Also, by the way, that constitutional amendment, which includes the ‘cut, cap and balance’ plan would also end Medicare. (Where would they ever get the idea for a plan like this, one might wonder?)

Republicans have no interest in accountability for the damage they have done to this country, and but for themselves and the top 1 or 2% of the richest in America, and their corporate bosses, they have no interest in the consequences for the rest of us. As Mitch McConnell says, it's about the Republican brand. Nothing more.

Republicans in Florida and nationwide want power back and they'll bring the country to the brink if they have to in order to get there. What better place to start than thwarting the will of voters who are both witness and hostage to the revenge of the Republicans they dared not to put in the White House in 2008?

Voter suppression in the states. Start from the bottom up. 

 

Slash And Burn: Rick Scott's Record $615 Million Veto List; Reactions

Rick Scott's veto list sets a record at $615 million, which he unveiled before a crowd of retirees and Tea Party supporters at The Villages in Central Florida.

Taxpayers, however, were blocked from the budget signing even though Scott had claimed he would answer their questions. Even those merely holding Democratic leaning signs were escorted off the property by sheriff's deputies, similar to recent Republican town hall meetings, where asking questions can even get those asking arrested.

The ceremony was more like a Tea Party campaign rally than a budget ceremony. Lots of talking points like Scott's tiring and ironic "Let's Get To Work" slogan, which he asked school children to chant who were gathered as a backdrop for the Governor as he made even more cuts to education.

Scott instead placed the blame for the education cuts on the Florida legislature.

Among the cuts: 

$10 million for the University of South Florida Health School of Pharmacy and $100,000 for the Family Justice Center in Hillsborough County. 

The budget, which takes effect July 1, reduces state spending on K-12 public education by $545 per student, eliminates funding for affordable housing and pays hospitals 12 percent less to care for the poor and disabled. Cuts made across state agencies will eliminate 4,500 state jobs.

Thursday's signing, which Scott streamed live on his campaign website, followed TaxWatch's release on Tuesday of a list of 105 budget "turkeys" to amounting $203 million. The business-backed fiscal watchdog calls for vetoes every year of so-called spending turkeys that lawmakers slip quietly into the budget instead of vetting publicly.

Among this year's turkeys was $500,000 for the Interdisciplinary Center for Neuromusculoskeletal Research at the University of South Florida Medical Research Center in Hillsborough. Scott vetoed that item.

Business tax cuts, $30 million worth, of course stayed in the budget.

The entire veto list from the job-killing budget can be viewed here.

Reactions to the budget:

Senate President Mike Haridopolos:

This year Florida faced the largest budget shortfall in state history. Despite this challenge we passed a balanced budget without raising taxes or fees.

In addition the legislature reformed Medicaid, education and government pensions in order to produce long term stability. Our reform-minded agenda will bring predictability to Florida’s economy and attract new job creators to our state. That’s what this past session was all about – making needed changes to make Florida’s future even brighter.

We respect the constitutional rights of the governor and the Senate will thoughtfully review each of Governor Scott’s vetoes.

House Speaker Dean Cannon:

“The people of Florida sent us to Tallahassee to make hard choices during difficult times. We produced a responsible state budget that prioritizes the critical needs of our state, and I am proud that budget was signed into law.

“However, I feel compelled to respond to the Governor’s suggestion that the sum of his vetoes is available for re-appropriation to K-12 education and that doing so would fund education at or near the same level as last year. The Governor’s vetoes freed up less than $100 million in general revenue. If the Legislature were in session and could re-appropriate these funds, they would increase the FEFP by only 0.6 %, which would move the FEFP reduction from 7.9% to 7.3%.

“What is more surprising is the Governor’s sudden emphasis on K-12 education.  The budget we sent him funds education at a higher level than the Governor recommended just a few months ago, when he proposed a 10% cut to the FEFP. The Governor communicated numerous priorities during session, and we did our best to accommodate him. It would have been helpful if the Governor had shared this new found emphasis with us before the budget was finalized.

“It is the Governor’s constitutional authority to veto line items in the budget, and I respect his decisions. The vetoes of general revenue appropriations will further increase the more than $2 billion the Legislature set aside in our state’s reserves, which will help protect our bond rating and ensure that we have ample reserves in the event of an emergency.”

Democratic House leader Ron Saunders:

“If he means the ‘jobs budget’ is killing jobs, then it’s an accurate title.”

Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich:

“Governor Rick Scott’s signature on this Republican-crafted budget seals the fate of the middle class in Florida.

“Beyond the destructive cuts to our children in pre-K through high school, Florida’s universities and community colleges, hospitals and nursing homes, our police officers, firefighters, and teachers, remains the outrageous claim that this is a ‘jobs budget.’

“Only tea partiers under the control of billionaire right wingers could cheer such propaganda. Only the supporters of voodoo economics could honestly believe that firing 4,500 state workers followed by thousands more public school teachers in a state already drowning in pink slips will somehow create jobs.

“In just five months, Governor Scott has slammed the breaks on just about every meaningful project or program that would have made a difference in the lives of Floridians reeling from dropping home values, skyrocketing gas prices, surging property insurance rates, and fewer and fewer ways to get ahead. Floridians aren’t suffering from a lack of work ethic; they’re suffering from a lack of work.

“A true ‘jobs budget’ would have made the commitment to invest in our children, our community colleges and universities to create a first class public education system that draws investment and brings high paying jobs to Florida. It would have safeguarded transportation trust funds so that our roads and crumbling infrastructure can be repaired and improved, generating those promised jobs we’ve yet to see. It would have recognized the danger of handing off prison security to private companies whose single concern is profit margins. It would have seized the opportunity to put tens of thousands of Floridians to work by building a state of the art high speed rail system instead of tangling with the president. It would have recognized that cutting the pay and eliminating the jobs of the many middle class public servants who serve and protect our state is the real trickle-down effect, spilling over into local communities and businesses with devastating results. And it would have ended the ability of multi-millionaires to shirk their civic responsibilities by closing unfair tax loopholes.

“Unfortunately, none of these critically needed solutions appear in the budget signed today. Governor Scott talks a lot about creating jobs. But jobs are not what he’s delivering.”

And of course, from behind the scenes of Rick Scott's budget and vetoes, which he called "turkeys:"

Florida TaxWatch:

TaxWatch Turkey List Used to Save Taxpayers Millions of Dollars

Florida TaxWatch’s President and CEO Dominic Calabro today released the following statement applauding Florida Governor Rick Scott for vetoing a historic $615 million in spending from the FY2011-12 budget.

“Today Governor Rick Scott made history by vetoing a record $615 million in spending from the FY2011-12 budget, including millions of dollars in cuts recommended in Florida TaxWatch’s 2011 Turkey Watch report.  This was a bold move by a Governor in his first year and sends a powerful message to Floridians that he is serious about cutting spending and encouraging economic growth in our state.  Today is a new day for Florida.”

A complete list of Florida TaxWatch’s budget turkeys vetoed today will be released later this afternoon

David Hart, Executive Vice President of the Florida Chamber of Commerce:

“Governor Rick Scott today made good on his campaign promise to not raise taxes and to reduce the size of government when he signed the 2011-2012 budget into law.

“While other states are raising taxes to balance their budgets, Governor Scott’s no new taxes approach to governing the state of Florida sends a clear message that Florida is open for business.

“Long gone are the days of putting off the tough decisions for another year. Governor Scott has demonstrated true leadership by making our government live within its means.

“The jobs budget that Governor Scott signed today recognizes that Florida has a generational opportunity to completely reset its economy. Free enterprise has created more wealth and private sector jobs than any other economic system in history, and today’s bill signing action is a refreshing sign that Governor Scott is clearly focused on making private sector job growth Florida’s state mantra.

“While we are disappointed in the loss of important trust fund dollars from Florida’s Transportation Trust Fund, we are especially pleased that taxpayers will no longer fully foot the bill for state employee retirement plans.
“On behalf of the Florida Chamber, we commend Governor Scott for taking bold steps to put Floridians back to work through strong efforts targeting education reform, regulatory relief, targeted tax reductions, and restructuring the state’s economic development system.”