Closing 2010 in FL

Well my friends.... it's time to say sionarah to 2010.   None too soon?  Yeah, me too. 

The mid term elections were not at all kind to Florida.  We have a new Governor who comes to us as the largest fraud indictment and prosecution in the history of Medicare.  His proposals are already despair invitation.  We gained Marc Rubio for a state Senator.  My district has to weather whatever nastiness new Rep. Alan West manages to make happen... every one of these mentions will not just ignore our direst needs for environmental protection and assisting the poor... they have proclaimed their vows to work against any kind of resolution to these blights'.  Corporate America won the state of Florida in the mid term elections of 2010 and as far as I can tell, it's the largest hit global climate change re: issues local, took.  Consider the healthy new infusion the mega big banks just took with a renewed 'rocket docket' for foreclosures in Tallahassee... with a proven corrupted Governor coming to take up a four year run...fresh from the uproar of trying to pay off his employed election staffers with bogus gift cards.  Geeze.  

We've just endured the hottest (by temperature) year on record in the 130 years since these records began being kept with accuracy.  

While Haiti, our neighbor!, started out the year with a nation destroying earthquake, the rest of the year witnessed unprecedented humanitarian disasters throughout Asia.  

The worlds' gravest 'hot zone' traveled from the LA Cali coast deep into the heart of Russia.  Fires there were due to its hottest summer on record and massive drought. The crop failures and human hardship and death that resulted are, unfortunately, a sign of things to come if we don’t clean up our act fast.

Heart broken, I have to acknowledge that the Climate Change AND the Clean Energy bills have both been overwhelmed into a death FIRSTLY because of the inaction and weakness of Obama's leadership on this front and the partnership of Republican obstructionism.  Fuckers, both.   It's shameful that intelligent people are sucked up by corporate Earth.  But the evidence is compelling our awareness to grasp that this President is a corporate hack.  The Rethugs even opposed their own strategies for combating climate change.... I mean the American political reality has gone mad!

We witnessed an event of unprecedented environmental disaster man made with the Gulf / BP Oil Spill.  Six months of highest attention via the media, the resulting calamities to man and his nature while the lame, lack of cause, lack of action White House further screwed the pooch as it drew out.... resulting in the destruction of bathos in the Gulf of Mexico.  There is no diminishing this.  It's dire.  And equally ignored.  While the Obama White House has filed suit again BP, FINALLY, the damage is done and it will, if it follows past experience, hang fire til perdition boils up.   This President has failed as an environmental leader... probably the most vital leadership we really do require at this time. 

Climate Science Finds a Ton More Evidence that We’re Screwing Ourselves (or, more accurately, our children and grandchildren), Even Worse than Previously Thought

From the finding that global warming can be blamed for a 40% decline in the ocean’s phytoplankton to the finding that future temperatures could exceed human livability to the finding that sea levels could rise 3 times faster than the IPCC has estimated to the possible creation of astounding, decades-long droughts to the fact that soils are emitting more CO2 as the world warms to the possibility that we are causing the largest mass extinction in the fossil record and currently have put about 1/5 of all animal species at risk of extinction to the fact that we could increase temperatures 13-18°F over most of the U.S. and 27°F in the Arctic in the next 50 years, the top climate science stories of the year are not uplifting.   Lovely, eh?

(from Planetsave:)

And here’s one stimulated by Joe Mohr’s answer to my question “what are the top environmental stories of the year so far” in the middle of the year. Joe said:

Same as it is every year; the creation of cheap useless crap. Our economy (based on chrematistics) creates phony needs for useless junk. We then deal with the environmental outfall of producing, transporting, consuming, and wasting said junk. The whole process is a toxic mess that poisons our air, water, and soil. Until we can really discern between needs and wants with our own critical minds, this environmental, economic, and social disaster will perpetuate.

I would add onto this our irresponsible addiction to and daily dependence on automobiles, coal, and a meat-based diet. These are the drivers of the environmental problems that damage our health, quality of life, and future livability on our planet.

China wins the award for considering and implementing the solutions to global warming, pollution and green technology.  They are ahead of every other major industrial nation in working towards manifesting solutions.

I found the video of Gary singing Suicide is Painless, because I can't find anyone who did not have a difficult year.  My pic for most difficult .... Mother Earth.  

This year has watched Corporate America take a foothold, once again, and seems to have a strong ally in the White House.   Corporate Earth is doing it's collective best to destroy our home.  And we allow it by voting for asshatts or not voting at all.  We allow by not getting up and out and making a demonstration against the wrongness of corporate profiteering over the sanctity of our HOME!  So, I picked Gary and his song to drive home an awareness that we a committing species extinction!  Why do so many think that

Suicide Is Painless?  

Let's do better next year? 

Lets get to the rat killin'~!~! LETS VOTE FLORIDA!

I'm sharing my vote with you.  This is FLORIDA 2010, midterm election.  

Lets look at the Proposed Constitutional Amendments:

NO. 1 - Repeal of public campaign financing requirement.

Nope, nope, nope...  I don' think so.  This would repeal a provision in the Constitution that requires public financing of campaigns for statewide candidates who agree to spending limits.

The state voted for an approved public campaign finance amendment in 1998. To reduce costs and make campaigns  affordable for more potential candidates. But, lawmakers have raised spending limits considerably.

If the amendment is approved, fewer candidates might seek office and special interests could have more impact than they have now. Legislature should be focused on reducing spending limits.  I'm voting NO.

NO.2 - Homestead ad valorem tax credit for deployed military personnel.

Hey, dude, it seems right!  But you really have to think this one over for yourself.  This gives military personnel who are under deployment a year prior re: property taxes.  Where ever they go deployed by the government.  You just have to remember this; maybe there already are already too many homestead exemptions available to special categories of residents. Adding more would shift some of the local tax burden from military personnel to teachers, firefighters, police and everyone else. That may seem patriotic, but it’s unfair.  Especially in this economy folks...perhaps our good thoughts should begin in our own kitchen cubbards and bank accounts?   I'm voting NO.  

NO. 4 - Referenda required for adoption and amendment of local government comprehensive land use plans.

Well friends and voters... here's another fine argument for allowing developers, unscrupulous, corrupt and greedy to run amuck .. amuck!  I'm seeing this as an opportunity to make a conscious choice for the Earth Mother and her Florida fractal.  Environmentally speaking, this 'referenda' .... this is YES vote for quality of life and resource preservation in our state.  How many local and state officials have been charged criminally for monetary corruption via land developers?   This amendment is all about restricting and containing the ability of our politicians to push new zoning into place for campaign donations.  You follow ?   I'm voting  YES YES YES~!  

NO. 5 - Standards for legislature to follow in legislative redistricting!

Yeah, baby.   You know what?  No one party or person should have the 'deck' stacked (in favor of them only).  This is a change item!  It requires state legislative districts not be drawn in favor of an incumbent or particular political party or in any kind of denial of racial minorities from an equal opportunity to vote.  We are the new south... right?  Contiguous and general use existent city, county and geographical boundaries... should be fair and reflective.   This amendment stifles gerrymandering district lines to favor incumbents or political persuasions.   Hey!  Our district-ing is a mega mess.  This reduces the quality of our law making choices drastically~!  Lets change this old bullshit.  This belongs in the state Constitiution!  I'm voting YES.  That would be a huge, bigtime, have a drink on me YES YES YES!  

NO. 6 - Standards for legislature to follow in congressional redistricting.

This is a big DITTO to NO. 5 with the distinction of drawing lines for congressional districts rather thank state House and Senate line.  And it distinctly relative to my own district; gerrymandered by Alcee Hastings' that goes from Miramar to Ft. Pierce.   I'm voting a ditto-ed YES YES YES here, just putting an olive in the martini.  

NO. 8 - Revision of the class size requirements for public schools.

In 2002 FL state approved of a class size amendment.  Caps have been gradual.  Here is a proposal for increase of permissible class size in providing for flexibility ... including average numbers of students to teachers.   It permits districts some flexibility on student / teacher ratios.   It's been a $16 billion project for the state.  (doesn't lottery cover this stuff?)  Staying under the current requirements would require billions more in funding that we apparently don't enjoy from lottery sales and have none.  Done none.  And we are undermanned in qualified teachers.   This is an important issue.  Future education is in question .. the quality of it for our children.   This amendment will not negate the previous amendment, it will just allow for shifting during such hellacious economic downturns... or you know .. the current recession so deep deep deep?   It's just a fix for the existing amendment.   It's a YES vote for me.  

Now; there is the question of:

Balancing the Federal Budget (referendum)

My first response to this is bullshit, bullshit, and buckets more bullshit provided by the courtesy of the American Chamber of Commerce.   Just read it!  Here, let me give you hand...

"In order to stop the uncontrolled growth of our national debt and prevent excessive borrowing by the Federal Government, which threatens our economy and national security, should the United States Constitution be amended to require a balanced federal budget without raising taxes?"   When exactly did Mitch McConnell and John Boehner get into Tallahassee?  Fer cripes sakes!  Here's your Rubio crowd waiting in the wings for their marching cue on vote day.   This is more anti progressive, anti liberal, anti Democrat, anti Obama bullshit... approximately 10lbs of it in a 1lb teabag.  You follow?  That's a FUCK NO!~ vote by this kitty cat.   And the local League of Women Voters agree with me.  

Requiring a county code of ETHICS, independent ethics commission and independent inspector general:

Are you effn' kidding me, man?  Ok, they call it "scandal plagued Palm Beach County" and this seems to masthead many counties in the state (or country for that matter), yet I'm thinking this is a twist at Mayor Lois Frankel .... isn't it?  And if you research the whole magilla here you are going to discover 'conservative Republican Rovian agenda laden' folks crawling all over this IG and the office of "inspector general" from Lake Worth Police.  Her name is Sheryl G. Steckler and you really don't have to know that much about her once you research who is the support and overview of the 'office of inspector general' and the "Ethics Commission" (talk about your fundamental ironies!) for PB county.  Do your homework!  Four county commissioners during the past four years resigned from office to face criminal charges for misuse of office and I think this Ethics Commission is more to see that folks are not 'caught up' then it is about preventing unethical fiscal behavior.  All of the board of this Ethics Commission reads as the primary fund raiser list for conservative candidates, especially Republican and if needs be, Tea bagger.   This is a personal vote of NO fucking way. 

Ok ... so who's your buddy?  Who's you pal?   The Candidates and the Offices they are trying to take.  

United States Senator:  I'm voting for Charlie Crist!  

Marco Rubio is an asshatt teabagger.  Not too eloquent, but adequate in explaining 'why'.

Rep. Kendrick Meek, pay to play politician... he refuses to explain himself... so we are left with simple evidence.  No go there. 

Representative for District 23: I've abstained my vote.  None there I feel are good enough including old pal Alcee Hastings.  Bad showing.

Governor and Lt. Gov.:  I'm voting for Gov - Alex Sink!  Well done!!  Lt. Gov - Rod Smith.

Attorney General: Dan Gelber.  The least sketchy of the lot.

CFO: Loranne Ausley.  Least sketchy of the lot.

Commissioner of Agriculture: Thad Hamilton - hands down the most qualified and experienced and less conservative than the rest of the crew here.  

County Court Judge /group 7 - Laurie Cohen because when in doubt, you have to go intellectual over tits and ass.  Honestly, there isn't too much information on Laurie.  But Marni Bryson is a definite fluffanutter.  

Commissioner District #2 - The man is Christopher McVoy.  Committed, sincere and smart. 

There are several Judges / circut, district and supreme to look up and decide on.  Do the homework~! 

The Place to FIND OUT about your FL candidates! (this is a link - hint)