Open Thread: It’s Your Nickel
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posted by Blog Master @ 8:51 PM
162 Comments:
Voice of Reason says.......
Talking about political (in)correctness, I read Mayor Randy Ewers talking about the sensitivity training day that he went through (and maybe all City employees went through to). He thought that it was a good idea for all of us to explore other people's "cultures." He brought up the same thing that we hear every time.....if I have to hear one more time that George Washington Carver made 235 things out of peanut oil I'm going to puke in my soup.
This country needs to talk a lot more about George Washington before we talk about George Washington Carver. Shame on Randy Ewers for such lame pandering - guys like him are a problem.
VoR
Pandering will get you a 70% popularity rating.
You may not get anything important accomplished, but everyone will really love you. We are starting to see it every day in the running of our State.
You can get a degree at UF in African-American Culture (or some similar title). Imagine the outcry if a degree in Caucasian-American Culture were to be proposed. I think we need more understanding of the fundamentals of what made our Country great and where we are going astray from what was intended. Some basic American History might have more importance than cultural diversity.
Yep, I have a question.
What is Sheriff Dean up to? The rest of Marion County government is trying to control spending and Dean is out there spending like a drunken sailor! Doesn’t sound right or fair to me.
Voice of Reason says.....
Yes, Gator 4 Life, Florida colleges have a hiring freeze on professors and are asking for a tuition hike. They could get rid of 20 to 30 "programs" and shift that money into engineering or medicine or something like that. Those programs are what give real advances and provide our country with a competitive advantage.
Programs like African-American studies are just a jobs program for minorities. I was listening to NPR and an "professor" of African American studies was complaining that tourists at Virgina plantation historical sights bypass the slave huts on their way to the plantation owner's house. That is the product of their "study" I guess.
As our country become less and less internationally competitive and we are required to spend more and more to defend against radical Muslims, I think that those "programs" will face pressure to reduce budgets and start to disappear. Of course, they will then claim racism.
Total crap.
VoR
In an increasingly global economy and a world made smaller by technology that can enable non-nation state actors to threaten our security, understanding “other people’s cultures” is critical for American success.
On a domestic basis, I doubt you would find much argument in any consumer products company of size marketing to American consumers against the importance of understanding the cultural differences between white Americans of European ancestry and African Americans, Asian Americans, or Hispanic Americans. Arguments for cultural assimilation aside, these companies have to deal with the reality of a fragmented marketplace.
Universities have historically offered plenty of degree programs focused on the white European cultural heritage of most white Americans. The fact they don’t call them Caucasian-American programs doesn’t change the emphasis.
We also have a Caucasian-American county commission. The fact we don’t officially call it that doesn’t make it any less so. To a large extent, county commissioners ignore black voters during elections, do not receive votes from black voters, hold meetings that are not attended by black citizens, and do not appoint blacks to advisory boards (many blacks are so far removed from the county commission, they don’t even apply).
On the sheriff's budget. He's gonna win this one. The Governor will support him. The Commission should give up on trying to get a budget reduction.
People can learn all they want about cultural diversity. Don't use my taxpayer dollars to do it. If companies want to study it to make money that's also fine. Let Mr. Creekbaum and the rest of his liberal friends pay for diversity study out of their large private estates.
Anonymous at 11:15 p.m. --
Which part of this would you cut:
--State average of 4.63 crimes per 1,000 people, Marion County has 2.34 crimes per 1000.
--Alachua County has 4.48 crimes per 1,000, Ocala 7.72 per 1,000 and Marion County 2.34 cimes per 1,000.
--The state crime clearance rate is 22%. The MCSO crime clearance rate is 54.3 percent.
--State average has 1.65 patrol deputies per 1,000 population, Alachua County2.17 per 1,000; Lake County 1.2 deputies per 1,000 and Marion Coutny has one deputy per 1,000 population.
--Leon County spends $72 per day per inmate in jail, Alachua spends $59.00; Brevard $49.00 per day, Marion County costs $35.96 per 1,000 to keep a prisoner in jail.
--The Marion County Inmate Work Farm last year produced at whole sale cost $438,000 worth of food for the inmates.
--The cost per meal in the jail was 40 cents per meal in october, 42 cents in November, 38 cents in February, 32 cents in June.
--The County Commission's HR consultants found Marion County Sheriff's Office salaries are 9.6% below market at the lower salary level; 7.3 percent below in the mid salary level and 5.1% below market at the higher salary level.
--They recommended a six% increase to stay competitive, the Sheriff recommended 3.1%.
--The MCSO Budget has increased on average baout 6% in the past nine years while the population has
So, Mr. Anonymous, exactly where would you have the Sheriff cut? Do we cut the patrol deputies and end up with the same crime rate as we have in the city of Ocala? Would you open the jail door and turn out people that Judges felt required jail time? Should we cut manpower and have the crime rate increase to the state average?
Maybe we should run the patrol cars to 200,000 miles instead of 130,000 to 150,000 and pay the additional maintenance on the cars.
Let's have a specific recommendation. I'll take it to the Sheriff for you and let him consider it.
One more thing. The Sheriff is the only county department that can prove his budgetary process and document it. That is what has come out of the Sterling management evaluation process.
You should review the process and the budget and then apply it to almost any other county department. If I was a county commissioner, I would mandate the Sterling Management Evaluation process for EVERY county department. Frankly, we would end up with some new managers!
Come up with your specific recommendation. It may be worth it. --pwf
Ever wonder why PWF loves the sheriff?
Last election cycle the sheriff paid PWF $94,560.14 for signs. This was 54% of the total funds that the sheriff collected for his campaign.
Information gleaned from the supervisor of elections.
How much money did PWF contribute to his friends campaign? NONE
If I was being paid that much I would blindly support him too.
By the way PWF, you may want to check the validity of those crime stats, it is easy to have a low crime rate when you don't report crime properly. I would be careful in supporting him.
Also take some time to educate yourself on how the crime rates are figured. They do not calculate those crime rates based on the actual service population, they are only calculated on the amount of residential population.
How many supervisors does Ed need two dozen senior staff?
Seems too much
3 new deputy sheriffs
Or...
3 new county road workers
Or...
3 new county code enforcement officers
Or...
3 new librarians
I’ll go with the new deputies any day of the week. Better yet, eliminate the ass’t. county administrator and that would probably pay for any of the 4 above options!
Voice of Reason says......
The reason that it appeared that universities and schools focused on European Caucasian culture is because that is the history of our country and civilization. While the religious history originated in the Middle-East and moved to Europe, virtually every significant scientific, social, economic, and political advance came through a discrete western and European cultural lineage.
The new programs in Universities do not assist in understanding other cultures. They are there solely to provide jobs for minorities so that the universities can claim that they are achieving some level of "diversity." If businesses believe that they need to understand some foreign culture, they will and do spend what it takes to get that business.
America has entire government agencies devoted to understanding other cultures (i.e. the CIA, State Department, etc.) The study that those agencies do is critical but it has nothing to do with University cultural studies programs. Students of cultural studies programs could not pass the state department exam and would not be considered (without political pressure) for those critical programs. Those programs hire computer, engineering, language, and accounting type majors. Those agencies care about how Al-Kida (sic) thinks and not how an average tourist at a Virgina thinks.
As to our local government, if it is all Caucasian, there is nothing wrong with that. There is no shame in that. Blacks have every opportunity to work hard to get on the Commission. You get onto those boards through hard work, serious community involvement, organization of a campaign, and results..... not through empty race rhetoric and rabble-rousing. (At least so far . . . . from the looks of guys like Creekbaum, maybe that is changing.)
VoR
All right !We now have a charge that the sheriff is falsifying the crime rate by not reporting crime properly.
Either prove it on this forum or shut up.
Clayton Ellsworth
The underreporting will be proved in the appropriate forum at the appropriate time.
This is the last place anything needs to be proved.
If you don't believe things like this happen, research the Sheriff in Broward County, they did the same thing.
PWF,
How much did that sterling thing cost the taxpayers? You said you were going to let us know. Don't forget to calculate the staff time waisted on it also.
Anonymous said:
"The underreporting will be proved in the appropriate forum at the appropriate time."
What this means is: I'm going to run against Sheriff Dean and have no facts to beat him, so I will make up anything.
Anonymous, prepare to get your a.. beat!
Anonymous :
What a crock . What a cheap shot. You have got nothing and you know it. If you think this is the basis for you or anybody else to run against Sherif Dean, good luck. You will be running against one of best Sherifs in the state.
Clayton Ellsworth
Dissapointing Clayton.
You pride yourself on ZBB and are always quick with stats and opinions. Now someone has stats and opinions on the Sheriff and your feathers get ruffled.
Thought you were a little bit better than that.
No cheapshot. Be patient you Ed supporters will be surprized at what is really happening. He will get beat this time.
You certainly are entitled to your opinion. It's the innuindo, and thats what it is, without offering any documentation, that I object to.
I did a very thorough search with several search engines. There is no public record of any body questioning the Broward County crime statistics. Did find out how they instituted a program that effectively lowered the crime rate.Sure you have the right county or reliable sources ?
Clayton Ellsworth
Sheriff Ken Jenne, google that name, happened in 2005.
http://sheriff.org/about_bso/admin/sheriff/monthly.cfm?nYear=2005&nMonth=3&sspecial=N
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n052/a10.html
http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2006/05/even_help_team_cant_save_ken_j.php
Don't know what search engine you use but this sure didn't take long to find. Your failure to find this stuff might be indicative of your inability to find stuff wrong with Ed
Anon at 10:25.
It is no secret (because we reported accurate expenses and income) that I bought all of the signs and materials and all of the ads and all of the printed materials and the postage and mailers for the Sheriff in the last election and the one before that. He paid for them. One person handling all of it or a half dozen handling it costs the same thing.
You can attack me all you want. Understand that professionals have done that before, so whatever you can hand out, I can take.
And I have heard the crap about misreporting, underreporting, over reporting for the last two elections. False then. False now.
The fact is this Sheriff is honest to a fault and you can not find any statistic that is not accurate. You and Paul can try all you like but it simply is not there and that will be proven in the campaign.
So take all the pot shots you like. Why not discuss actual facts facts and leave the politics to the electorate? That is what a blog is for, not to slander others --pwf
anon at 11:04.
The cost for the Sterling process was approx $40.000.
The immediate savings more than out weighed the cost. But the real savings will come as the managers manage the department in the next few years.
Ask the department managers who went through the experience. They will tell you, as they have told me, they are better managers, therefore, they do a better job for me.
Skoff at the institution of good management processes into the MSCO all you want, they work. You should be pleased that effective principles are being used, not skoffing at them.
The best money that could be spent by Marion County this year would be for ehte county commission to roder the Sterling process be instituted in every county department. --pwf
what specifically are the immediate savings?
PWF,
Who is Paul?
Wow, $94 thousand, I would defend him to the death, but my credibility would be nil....
Much like PWF
"what specifically are the immediate savings? "
Establishment of priorities and accountability based on performance, among many others.
Go to www.marionso.com, click on the budget presentation, and judge for yourself.
As for the criticism that 18-20 deputies were there, had they not been there and a question was asked about their depoartment and the Sheriff had not known the answer, he would have been critiiczed about that. Look at how many people show up for tiny departments to make sure all of the questions get answered. But then, this is just politics. --pwf
You know who you are Paul. --pwf
Anonymous :
I must apologize. I inadvertatly blogged Brevard County.
I found Broward County and Sheriff Ken Jenne very easily. The guy looks like a real dirt bag. Will probaly be indicted for all kinds of crap. May strike a plea bargain.
That having been said. I never said that figures can't be manipulated.They are all the time.
You have suggested that Sheriff Dean is doing just that. Yet you offer no proof. Just that you will someday in the future.
I will await your proof. I might add I'm not holding my breath
I stand by my cheap shot remark.
Clayton Ellsworth
Actually Ken Jenne is a good guy, a former state repreentative who has stood strong in many instances in the legislature.
What I read is that he had some people who were trying to make themselves look good, a couple of the good guys went to the states attorney and turned them in. Jenne brought in Jim Smith, a former attorney general, he cleaned it up, and he took the hit, since the buck stops with him.
But it is nothing but a cheap shot to allege without any foundation that something is awry here. This is not a political issue. If there is something wrong going on, let's have the evidence and let's clean it up. I have participated in bring down several public officials involved in wrong doing, but this isn't going to be one of them. Guaranteed! -- pwf
Gun Nutt says...
Voice of reason is right on target about diversity. In fact, for some more ammunition on the topic one can look to Zimbabwe. A couple of years ago, Mugabe, the President of Zimbabwe, in the name of "diversity" took the farms away from all the white farmers and gave them to people who had no idea how to farm simply because of the color of their skin. The productivity of the farms dropped instantly. This economic crisis gave Mugabe a perfect excuse to enact more of his communist crud (in the form of price controls). Now the shelves are bare. Anytime you sacrifice excellence in favor of diversity, you get disaster!
Also note that the diversity program was a precursor to communist policies being enacted. Wonder what will happen once America fully embraces "diversity" and abndons the pursuit of excellence?
The federal government has long drawn on university area studies programs, which include cultural studies, for employees and consultants. When I had reason to look into this in the early 1990’s, the federal government had just begun additional funding for area studies programs as a national security initiative. It is simply not the case that State and CIA only hire people with technical or business education.
As a Marion County native, I will say the notion that black citizens in Marion County have an equal opportunity to compete as candidates in a meritocratic process for county commission membership or other local elective office is quite a fantasy. Anyone who believes such a thing needs to meet one of my neighbors, who told me a few years ago he was purchasing a second house in our neighborhood to prevent blacks from moving in. We can also look up the member of a local tree trimming crew I saw a couple of years ago sporting a tattoo with the words “White Power” and a skull. You can also drive out to Hog Valley where a friend of mine saw the Confederate battle flag and a Nazi swastika flying side by side on a residence.
There’s a reason why the former head of the Ku Klux Klan in Florida was living in Marion County a few years ago rather than in one of the other 66 Florida counties, and it’s not because of the horse farms. Not every county has a dominant political party whose executive committee has to tell a member to quit bringing hate literature to the meetings, material authored by the former head of the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia who was a protégé of neo-Nazi and convicted black church bomber J.B. Stoner.
A few years ago, I looked at the racial composition of the electorate in precincts East of the Ocklawaha River and North of State Road 40. There is a lot of racial segregation across Marion County, but at the time of my analysis, this rural Northeastern area contained the whitest precincts in the county. It contained over 4,000 registered voters; only about 20 were black. Our Library Director Julie Sieg’s family has lived in the Conner area on the Ocklawaha River in the northeast part of the county for generations. According to Julie, there’s an unwritten rule in the area that blacks are not to be on the northeast side of the Sharpe’s Ferry Bridge after dark.
A few years ago, a Sears repairman working at my neighbor’s house told us one of his black coworkers refuses to go on service calls in the rural northeast part of the county out of fear for his personal safety. The notion that this black man could run for public office in Marion County in a color-blind process is laughable. A significant number of white voters in Marion County are not going to vote for a black candidate no matter what the candidate’s party or qualifications or how hard the candidate works.
When the City of Ocala was hiring Susan Miller as city manager, but before she arrived, Gerald Ergle told me one of the city employees complained to him about the City hiring a woman. Gerald told me he told the guy, “Yeah, and she’s black.” Gerald said that because he knew the guy he was talking to was racist in addition to being sexist. And, yeah, that guy could benefit from some training to help him with his problems with women and blacks and others and that doesn’t have anything to do with communist agricultural programs in Zimbabwe.
Gun Nutt says...
Obviously I can't respond to any of Creekbaums anecdotal evidence since I don't know any of the people involved and I wasn't there for any of the so-called racist incidents. Convenient that he chose such examples, ones which we can't check the accuracy of. Anyway, what I can say with 100% confidence is that if you believe a person should be hired or promoted simply because of their race (whether that race is white, black, or other) then you are a racist. This is exactly what diversity programs do. They are inherently racist.
By the way, to help Creekbaum understand what trigered me to use Zimbabwe as an example, I'll say two things. First, the Zimbabwe example is a real life one, which anyone can check, that displays what happens when you award things based on race (like diversity programs do) rather than based on merit. Secondly, I wanted to give Creekbaum hope and remind him that there are places where there are many black leaders already in place and already running things. Creekbaum, you should shoot on over there and check out Zimbabwe. You may feel more comfortable there than in Marion County.
Hey PWF,
What is going to be your stance when Ed finds out that you overcharged him and that he is going to be able to get the same amount of signs and advertising for about half of what you charged him.
Still going to be his bitch, or are you going to start selling yuor crap to his oppenent and then start believing what is being said about Ed.
I'll be the same things were said about cheapshots until those two Broward Deputies went to the State Attorney. Does anybody know what happened to those two deputies that did the right thing...that's right, they got fired by Jenne for telling the truth.
History will repeat itself here in good ol Marion County
took your advice PWF and looked at the presentation on Ed's website.
Pure propaganda. I am more interested in the stuff that isbehind the numbers. he can ask for all he wants and justify it as public safety, but what does he actually spend money on? check the expenditures and you will find nillions of dollars waisted on ridiculus projects that are in place solely to make Ed look good.
He is touted as such agood strategic planner. Find in last years plan the Sterling Process and the budget request for the funding to go through the process, not there. This was a program that was found mid year and Ed thought that it wold be great, so find the money was the instruction.
Most of their exces funding that goes for these stupid programs comes from excess salary money. Ed ususally has twenty or more openings at any given time. Where do you think the money for those positions goes when they are not being paid out. Ed hords the money and then gives out promotions or starts some stupid program aimed at getting him reelected. ANyone remember the Smoke Alarm debacle? Bagpipe Band Blunder, all the new cars thataer given to old people on SR200 and in the villages to drive around their neighborhoods while the deputies drive cars that have 170,000 miles on them.
I live in the county and Ed never gave my homeowners association a car to drive around int he neighborhood, oh my neighborhood's average age is 34, maybe we'll get our cars in 30 years.
So PWF, Ask your girlfriend Ed to give you the expediture reports for what was actually bought and track where the money comes from to make those purchases.
More on the top heavy administration and inflated salaries in those positions later.
Question:
"what specifically are the immediate savings? "
PWF answer
"Establishment of priorities and accountability based on performance, among many others. "
Once again how much money did that save in immediatly trying to recoop the 40 thousand.
That sounds more like the normal budget process or at best Claytons ZBB process, which you don't need an award to do.
What a crock of crap you are spewing PWF
If I want to see products of a race-based affirmative action program, I’ll save the transatlantic air fare and go to a county commission meeting. If I want to see the programmatic results of voters not hiring based on merit, I’ll just call up some information on county roads or utilities.
One of the funniest things on the Politically Homeless blog is when people running around with bags (or hoods) over their heads question the credibility of others. Whenever I see this, it takes me several minutes to stop laughing before I can type.
I think allegations of faulty reporting of Marion County crime statistics are best dealt with now when people have time to digest the information. If the reporting is faulty, it would seem in the public interest to know that now rather than have to wait and then sort through it in the heat of an election. If someone doesn’t want to use this forum, others, including the Star-Banner, are available right now.
I keep an open mind on these things, but I recall being told by some local government employees during an election some years ago that they had a photo of an incumbent elected public official receiving oral sex from a woman in a bathroom at a bar near the National Forest. Funny how there was all this talk of the photo during the election but it was never produced.
Gun Nutt says...
Much like Mr. Creekbaum, I too find this website to be humorous and entertaining. It is also a great place to discuss ideas and have real debate.
Ignoring Creekbaums comment about hoods and such, I will try to again take aim at the idea that diversity programs are inherently racist. Keep in mind when I say "diversity programs" I'm talking about programs which seek to hire people simply based on race. I'm not talkng about when a business or government hires a darker skinned person because he or she is the best qualified. When that happens it's fine with me. On the other hand, when hiring decisions are based on race (like they are with these diversity programs) that is not fine with me.
Anonymous at 12:42 am: You are so talented at spewing bs, you would not understand savings if you saw it. The purpose of the Sterling Management Evaluation is and was not an award. It is a system of management techniques that gives standards to determine if management is good or can be improved and where.
Since I have studied it somewhat, I can see where there have been and where there are in the future savings. By implementing the accountability standards, managers can tell if their people are doing well. The Sheriff can then determine if his managers are doing well.
I offer you the opportunity to find out for your self since you are on a "I am full of crap senerio" which you can not defend. If you are truly interested, let's go spend some time and see what, when and where. Of course, you have not got the willingness to do that.
The Sheriff will be willing to show you exactly where the standards enabled him to prepare a budget to fulfill the needs as he sees them of Marion County law enforcement -- the job he, not you and not me, was twice elected to do. I am willing to make the contact for you. Until you are willing to look and stop the childish insults, forget it. --pwf
On the issue of diversity: Nothing is going to happen to improve the progress of local blacks until they realize they need a consolidated leadership and critical mass of activists. Currently, they don’t have either. Much the same situation as the local Democrats.
I believe the local Hispanic community will become a much more politically forceful group than the African-American community over the next 5-10 years.
In case you haven’t noticed…..
We added a link on the blog to the “Opinions Section” (daily editorial and reader opinion letters) of the Star-Banner. As a good friend once told us, this is probably the most interesting and useful section of the entire newspaper.
You can now start your day with “Politically Homeless”, and then click on the Star-Banner link to check out an additional source of public opinion.
Censorship is the sign of a weak, insecure government. If you want to know who a government fears, just take a look at who it is trying to censor. Having dealt with the county’s library censorship efforts closely for six years, I have no doubt that the demographic most feared by the men who have run our county government for years is not blacks or Hispanics. They are most fearful of women. Big time.
I'd agree. The statement applies to more than just politics.
PWF is talking about Paul Truesdale. He is planning on running against Dean in the next election.
Blogmaster,
I can’t believe you have defaced the home page of your blog by placing a link to the Star Blunder!
What were you thinking?
Last year, a female supporter of Barbara Fitos asked me to talk to a potential Fitos contributor, who is a male former local elected public official. As related to me by this Fitos supporter, the supporter and the potential contributor and his wife had discussed a possible contribution to Fitos. During this conversation, the potential contributor, who was hesitant to contribute, stated he did not believe that women could understand things like sewer and water systems that county commissioners need to understand.
I was being asked to contact this potential contributor because I’m male and acquainted with him. However, I called him up and quickly realized the guy is such a sexist that talking to him was a waste of time. During our brief conversation, he dismissively referred to Fitos, a bank vice-president in her mid-50’s at the time, as a “nice girl.”
Now, when I went through Georgia Tech’s undergraduate mechanical engineering program, it was ranked among the top ten in the country. My best friend in college, who was male, received an award as the most outstanding senior in the program. His closest competitor for the award was a female. This was 25 years ago and Tech, which is known for its premier engineering programs, including civil engineering and everything else related to water and sewer systems, had been integrated gender-wise about 25 years before that. If my recollection is correct, one of the early female engineering graduates from the 1950’s has had a successful engineering career and died.
I’ll add that my family is proud of the fact that my great uncle’s wife made partner in a Wall Street law firm in the 1940’s. She may have been the first ever. I don’t know.
And here we are in Marion County in 2007 with male voters operating on prehistoric gender stereotypes. When the modern world reaches the county government, it’s going to be quite a shock. I’ll bet some of those boys down at the McPherson Complex are doing all they can to keep control of their on-board water systems.
"The notion that this black man could run for public office in Marion County in a color-blind process is laughable. A significant number of white voters in Marion County are not going to vote for a black candidate no matter what the candidate’s party or qualifications or how hard the candidate works."
More than 25 years ago, I was h eavily involved in the campaign of James c. (Jim) Cunningham, a black funeral home operator, against Johnny Wickham, a successful white businessman, and as I recall six or seven others, including some top names in the city.
Jim and Johnny were in the runoff. Jim walked Southeast Ocala without incidebnt and was very well received, and he carried about 98 percent of West Ocala and about 70 percent of the Southeast Ocala Woodfields area. As I recall, the only precinct Mr. Cunningham lost was the Oakcrest school area.
When Jim died of a heart attack on Christmas day into his third term, I was equally involved in the campaign of Dr. Lorenzo Edwards, a black minister and he too carried southeast and east Ocala. I don't recall where his low spots were, but he had a black oppopnent and Dr Edwards got more than 90 percent of the black vote.
When Dr. edwards decided not to seek reelection, Mary Sue Rich was elected broadly across Ocala to succeed him. She too is black.
In a well managed campaign, with a qualified candidate, Marion County will vote for a black candidate. Blacks have not been successful in school board races for a good reason: they have not been well funded, and have not been well managed. Frank Washington with another $10,000 for advertising would have been elected, in my opinion, five or six years ago when Kurt Kelly was elected. Kelly was sure scared. (I was not involved with either, so don't try to position me where I was not. I was very busy with other races.) -- owf
This comment has been removed by the author.
The political situation in Marion County is not about race or gender.
The problem is a SEVERE SHORTAGE of intelligent, common-sense based, good communicators to serve as elected officials. Give the voters more of them and all this conversation about diversity will become a non-issue.
I remember many years ago (in the 80's) wanting to take very close friends of ours to a going away dinner at the Elks. We were told, because they were "black" they were not "allowed" into the Elks. Nothing has changed in Marion County; we were just at the Elks and some members who were visting from another Elks club (yes they were black) were sitting at the the end of the bar and only a few people welcomed them while the rest of the old Ocala group gossiped all night long about them. Our neighbors are "old Ocala" and still refer to their "help" as thier "boy". Disgusting. There is no diversity in Ocala and never will be as long as generations continue to teach their children hatred. It is a learned process; you are not born to hate; it is taught.
Brian - Sometimes I agree with your statments; sometimes I don't but I will tell you this, the KKK is alive and well in Marion County and you would be surprised at those who wear the "cloak". Hell no, I will not post my name. I don't want any cross burning on my lawn!
Terrific :
At last, some meaningful dialogue.
Thank you Brian, Lost Our Way, PWF,
anonymous.
You have to understand where you have been to understand where you want to go.
As I said on the last thread, Marion County is still very backward , in many ways.
Clayton Ellsworth
Gun Nutt says...
I'm not trying to start a fire fight or anything I'm just really wondering something. I know that a lot of folks are fully loaded with complaints about Marion county politics. I wonder what other factors there are in your decisions to stay in Marion county. I also wonder if any of you have checked out other counties to see if any of them suit you any better?
Lost our way has it right. Divertsity will not be an issue with intelligent, articulate candidates who will spend the time to understand the issues, and then can raise an ever growing amount fo money to get that message out.
Unfortunately, there has generally been a shortage of that type of candidate, and hence the demagogue can attract that aprt of the "base".
Also unfortunately, we are so strung out at both ends of the spectrum that we have a far right wing, some of whom are still in the 1850's, a few on the far left wing, a substantial number who will vote for good candidates regardless of party, and a majority who haven't a clue. Then one day they wake up and find we have no roads, a big pile of trash, skyrocketing utility costs, and all the other problems and a property tax bill they can not pay and wonder why. "They" are the answer to their problems. -- pwf
I read some words using the typical "New York Times" slurs in the Star Banner this morning wbout the use of a write in to close a primary.
I invite anyone interested to read the background material when the constitution was veing revised and when it incldued this ratehr stupid provision.
It was included NOT because some God fearing Republicans wanted to prevent the stanic party of Democrats from being able to vote in an open primary. It was included by worried partisan Republicans who wanted to control politics.
In fact, when I first told members of the local REC what was on the ballot, my old friend, the late Harvey Klein, partriac of the modern local GOP was surprised that such a open primary would be included in the constitutional vote.
The last minute move to close the primaries came not because of some religious reason. It was pure politics. And we sure can not claim the GOP is the party of low taxes, small governmetn etc. It's not the party I signed up for in 1960. --pwf
I’ve already researched the matter. Below in quotes is what I posted to another thread days ago. As it indicates, write-ins were not even discussed by the CRC on the record, so any claim that anyone had the intention to permit write-ins to do what Stacy does are claims about a hidden agenda and difficult to prove. I haven’t seen evidence to back her claim. The language to conditionally open primaries that is now in the constitution (See proposal No. 128 at http://www.law.fsu.edu/crc/proposals/ind_proposals.html) was offered by CRC Commissioner Barbara Williams Ford-Coates, a Democrat who was and remains the tax collector in Sarasota County. No one has demonstrated to me that she or any of the other commissioners who voted for the proposal were motivated by partisan politics. This proposal narrowly passed on the CRC on a 15-14 vote. I haven’t researched how that vote breaks down. The CRC members are listed at http://www.law.fsu.edu/crc/members.html with links to their bios.
“I spoke Monday to Jonathan Fox, who is a staff member for the Florida Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections. He was the analyst on the report from which I’ve drawn history on write-ins closing state legislative races.”
”As part of his research, Fox reviewed meeting tapes of the Constitutional Revision Commission (CRC) related to amendment of the Florida Constitution in 1998 to conditionally open primaries. I asked Fox if my understanding was correct that the purpose of the amendment was to increase voter participation in jurisdictions in which there is an imbalance between the major parties. He said that was a fair characterization of the CRC’s discussions.”
”Fox said the CRC’s discussion was all about Republicans and Democrats. As stated in his report, they did not even mention write-ins. Having listened to what the CRC was trying to accomplish, he attributes the fact that write-ins can legally close primaries to sloppy drafting of the amendment. As I have said all along, Stacy is exploiting a loophole to frustrate the intent of the amendment.”
Since the language in the constitution does not explicitly address the effect of a write-in, it is probably worth mentioning that the interpretation that a write-in filing for the general closes the primary came in an opinion from the Division of Elections in the Department of State in 2000 when Republican Katherine Harris headed the Department of State (See DE 00-06 – Open Primary Elections at http://election.dos.state.fl.us/opinions/new/2000/de0006.pdf).
The leadership of the local Democrat Party should give Nancy Stacy hugs and kisses and a dozen red roses!
Her letter of the week in today’s Star Banner has sure given them political fodder for several really good mailers to Dems, Independents, and less radical Republicans. They can sock her letter away in the opposition research file for now, and dust it off for 2008. If Kurt Kelly doesn’t take some action to disassociate himself from this loony tune Republican, you can paint a big bulls eye on his picture at the top of Stacy’s “prize” political letter (that might be a good mailer). The two Baxley’s have already been Xed out. Kelly may be next to get the X.
The big question: will the Democrats seize the opportunity? I bet they won’t let this one slip by, thanks to Nancy.
I doubt Paul will be able to run a winning campaign against Sheriff Dean. Don’t think he could drum enough broad based financial support. He’d be running on a hope and a prayer. Of course many candidates do that. If he can finance his own campaign (which will require big money), then he might have a bit of a chance.
I’ll bet the Star-Banner’s editorial page editors were drooling when her letter came in and they were loading it up to feature as the letter of the week with a big picture of Kelly to go with the letter. Her letter is an act of political moronism. Nancy Stacy is doing for Kurt Kelly what Pat Strait did for Randy Harris.
If my memory is correct, i remember Nancy posting on the blog that she was even worse than Patricia.
Whoa to Kurtie!
Freedom of speech is so great. It helps us to define the intelligent and the ignorant. I'll leave it to you to decide which fits Ms. Stacy's expression of her Constitutional right.
As pwf points out, three black citizens have served successively over a period of 32 years and counting on the Ocala City Council. Pwf did not mention that a black woman recently served on the Dunnellon City Council. Perhaps I could have been clearer in my wording, but I would have thought these facts and the geography discussed in my earlier post would have made clear that I was discussing the futility of a black candidate running for office elected on a countywide basis in Marion County, not in municipal elections covering small areas within the county.
When he was elected in a runoff with John Wickham in 1975 after they emerged from a field of ten candidates, Jim Cunningham became the first black elected to the Ocala City Council since Reconstruction days, but pwf significantly misrepresents Cunningham’s victory.
Pwf says his recollection is that Cunningham carried every precinct in Ocala except the Oakcrest school area. Not true by a bunch. As the Star-Banner reported on its front page on November 19, 1975, the day after the runoff, Cunningham won with 54 percent of the vote city-wide while winning only 4 of 10 precincts. As the Star-Banner reported, “Both candidates played down the issue of race in the weeks of campaigning preceding the balloting, but Cunningham managed to corner about 92 percent of the vote in three of the city’s west side precincts, a wide enough margin to overcome the lead Wickham held in six others.” As the Star-Banner noted in a subsequent editorial, black registered voters far outnumbered white registered voters in those precincts in which Cunningham won lopsided victories. Cunningham got 53 percent of the vote in the fourth precinct that he won.
The Star-Banner further reported, “Wickham got a majority in precincts 1A, City Auditorium; 1C, First Christian Church in southeast Ocala; 1D, Ft. King Middle School; 1E, the Ocala Golf Course; 1F, the Agricultural Center; and 1H, the Knights of Columbus Hall in northeast Ocala.”
Pwf also says Cunningham took 70 percent of the vote in the “Southeast Ocala Woodfields area.” That was precinct 1C, First Christian Church in southeast Ocala, which Cunningham lost. It was Wickham who won that precinct with 72 percent, his biggest margin of victory at the precinct level.
Cunningham won that race by attracting nearly all the votes of black voters and losing among white voters but getting enough of them to give him a modest majority overall. I estimate that Cunningham got about half his votes in his 1975 win from black voters. No one is going to get elected on a countywide basis by getting half their votes from blacks, who currently account for only 9 percent of the countywide electorate.
Pwf also says that Mary Sue Rich was elected broadly across Ocala to succeed Lorenzo Edwards who had succeeded Cunningham. Edwards was first elected in 1986 after Cunningham’s premature death in late 1985. Pwf tells us Rich is black, but neglects to mention that her opponent in the 1995 race in which she was first elected, Michael Frazier, is also black. I’m sure I’m not the only person who is not shocked a black candidate wins when all the candidates are black. This happened because Rich was elected from a predominantly black district to a seat with a district residency requirement.
Again, I don’t see this as very informative about countywide elections because, given the actual and likely districting and demographics, I’m not expecting to see a countywide race in which all the candidates are black.
As a further caution against trying to use Ocala as an indicator of what would happen in a countywide race, I note that Teri Carey beat Randy Harris in Ocala in 1998, but lost the countywide race. Also, the sales tax last year lost badly countywide but did pass in only three precincts in the county in which at least ten votes were cast. In those three precincts, 99 percent of the registered voters live within the Ocala city limits.
At a candidate forum I attended on the west side of Ocala in 2002, a black woman asking a question said she didn’t think the county commission was aware that Ocala is in Marion County. Yep, that’s about it. It’s not far on a map, but in many ways it’s a long way from Ocala City Hall to the county commission auditorium in the McPherson Complex.
I yeild to someone who drew on the Banner archives rather than memory. I know Jim and Juanita were well received when they went door to door, the first (and maybe the last) time any black candidate walked a east Ocala precinct.
My point is today, race is not at all the issue it once was. Candidates who are well qualified are generally well received. But they must be well funded also. It is no longer a time when a county commissioner can get elected with 500 business cards and a small ad in the Banner that then cost $50.00.
The political consultants in Washington and Tallahassee will tell you it takes duplicate mailings (many cards to the same household) to attract attention: look at Kelly, Charlie Dean Dennis Baxley et al) and that doesn't guarantee success, i.e. Richard Corcoran who after billboards, several mailings and two weeks of constant TV withdrew because his consultant said it wouldn't happen.
Each mailing will cost from $6,000 to $20,000 depending on how many precincts you want. A spot on Oprah (where the viewers are) costs mucho dollars, and to reach areas served by Brighthouse you have to buy the network which includes areas outside Ocala at a wasted expense. Saturation on Cox is getting more expensive. It takes large dollars to get a message out and win.
Particularly with the influx of voters on SR 200 and south on 441 etc, Ocala and the area east of 441 no longer control elections. The Villages of Marion (a very small area on a map) has almost as many voters today as did the city of Ocala in the 50's and 60's.
But Ocala is not left by the wayside. All funds from the state are distributed on a population formula. Ocala does not get what it once did, but we in Ocala do not have the population percentage we once had. But I think we get a fair shake. If you want to talk to people who feel forsaken, talk to Dunnellon.
--pwf
Politico you should also thank the S-B for its objective job of permitting Nancy Stacy to show many people what an egotistical and narrow minded person she is. After reading her self centered letter, I’m ashamed to admit I’m a Republican.
At least we all now know who the three Godly Republican men in the county are!
It’s too bad the two Baxley’s and K. Kelly have to hide behind a woman’s skirt and let her do their political dirty work. Truly disgusting and equally disappointing.
I have another topic. Is governor Charlie Crist trying to turn Florida into another California? We left California to come here because of lower taxes, lower prices on homes, lower cost of living and a more conservative style of government. Now it looks like what we left in California is about to repeat itself right here in Florida.
pwf said...
"I yeild to someone who drew on the Banner archives rather than memory."
There goes that selective Puffer memory again. When the Puff gets caught "winging it" he falls back on that bad memory of his.
Hey Puffer, another example of your "lets not let the facts get in the way of a good story"
Besides harassing Puffer, have you ever post anything useful to the blog? Maybe you should add your name so we can keep track.
Gun Nutt says...
I certainly hope Crist doesn't turn Florida into another California. In fact, I wish there were more differences in the laws of the different states. I think without this type of "legal diversity" you defeat the purpose of even having states. But alas, as the entertainment and news media have become almost exclusely nationwide in scope, we are losing the regional and state-to-state differences that were part of the genius of this nation.
I watched Crist and Gov. Schwarzenegger on the Early Show. Interesting how Charlie really keeps his eye on Arnold. Makes one wonder!
Voice of Reason says......
Affirmative Action, quotas and "diversity" efforts have incited white people to resist blacks more than they did in the recent past. It is a matter of having to fight for fairness - every intelligent white person looks upon blacks and other minorities with suspicion because those classes have been so mollycoddled by the government(mostly from liberals in the North).
The Civil War was about the North enslaving the South financially (through unscrupulous banking practices). I only buy items made in the South and I encourage others to do the same - it is the only way to break free from the economic and political banking interests in the "North." I also only use stores and businesses who have no "diversity" policy. I'm not going to sell my own *#^^@ out like the Indians did for Manhattan.
"Diversity" is simply a marketing scheme. In the 60's and 70's, rainforest destruction continued on a large scale. The destruction not only reduced beautiful rainforests but began to erode the very important BIODIVERSITY of the rainforests. Stooges in cultural studies programs heard of this in their Biology .00101 class and usurped the "diversity" term. They argued that cultural diversity was as vital as biodiversity. We heard crap like, "Our diversity is our strength." "Diversity" became a sales moniker and it worked great. A lot of untalented, unqualified, and unmotivated goldbrickers are now reaping big benefits from Diversity programs.
Thankfully, the Democrats who have been so successful at "plantationizing" minorities have come up with a new scheme to shift attention from Diversity: Global Warming. Now Democrats have a new way to be in charge without being saddled with diversity baggage. People like Gore will need to install "experts" into the newly created global warming positions - he will then explain the "inconvenient truth" that there are no minorities who are experts in global warming at this time but that qualified minorities will be instilled as soon as they ripen into experts. Therefore, Gore's experts will do an end-around on the whole diversity fraud but still look like they care about minorities.
I hate to give them credit but I thank the Democrats for this great idea.
VoR
The Democrats have been taking advantage of minorities for years. The Republicans here in Marion County are just continuing a trend started by the Dems. If anyone is going to do anything about diversity, it will be the Republicans not the Democrats. I give Ron Crawford (R) credit for recognizing the opportunity for the governor to make a minority appointment to the school board. The only problem, there are no qualified minorities in the group the gov. has to pick from.
Governors Charlie and Arnold are just covering their butts in case the Democrats take over Washington D.C. in 2008. Something I picked up from another Political Blog, may be a good opinion of what is happening:
“Here’s the scoop the GOP is facing a HUGE defeat in 08. Crist and Arnold are just trying to stake out a moderate centrist position so their political careers don’t follow Bush and the National GOP into the toilet. Crist and the Lt Gov are attorneys and have some respect for the law….something the National party lacks.”
CC would have to get a California agenda through a Florida Legislature, one not at all like the one in California. CC can’t do everything by way of executive orders.
Some of the local horse farms are known for taking advantage of the Hispanics, many of them probably illegal immigrants. Do a check of the political affiliation of the farm owners and see how many of them support Democrats. Think liberal on immigration has anything to do with it?
Voice of Reason says.........
As far as the Sheriff thing goes, my question is: If the Sheriff's Office recruits and hires managers at these good salaries, why does the Sheriff's Office then have to go spend all that additional money to train those same managers how to manage?
You would think that the managers have degrees in management and experience in management. Why all this additional management training?
The Sheriff's Office could save money by hiring ex-Whopper Floppers and training them to manage. Or, the Sheriff's Office could save money by hiring managers who don't need additional management training to manage. If Burger King paid good salaries to people who held themselves out as trained, educated and experienced Whopper Floppers, you can be danged-sure that Burger King wouldn't waste any money on management consultants.
I've never heard of so much training. Maybe Sheriff Dean is buddies with the management consultants? Enough of the training and awards.
VoR
When bloggers write about whites participating in actual or future minority progress in Marion County, I assume they are not talking about the white member of the Republican Executive Committee of Marion County (REC) who, when he ran for state office in the 1990’s against a black woman, told a friend of mine that he was running because he “couldn’t stand to see a nigger run unopposed.” I also assume these bloggers are not talking about the white former member of the REC who told me a couple of years ago she had been treated “like no white person should be treated.”
Another former member of the REC, Nancy Stacy, who is white, recently filed a sham write-in candidacy that blocked 92 percent of black registered voters in state house District 24 from voting on June 5. Stacy wrote on the blog the primary radio station she listens to is WOCA, and she wrote positively about John Lund, a member of the REC who hosts a talk show on WOCA. Here are a couple of things Lund, who is white, has had to say on-the-air related to race, something that seems to be on his mind quite a lot:
May 23, 2002:
CALLER: I think this is the sewer of Florida right here. I’m sorry to say that, but…
JOHN LUND: No. I came from a… a much bigger city than this with a big minority population … and …and the situation was much, much worse there.
April 15, 2004:
JOHN LUND: Uh, one other thing, on I-75 at CR-184, the south end of the strip there on 75, uh, the last place to get off for Marion County, I guess is, uh, Don, uh, Don Garlits has, uh, has his drag museum there. Uh, they just sold a piece of property. They’re going to put a new Sleep Inn there. Uh, a new motel.
SIDEKICK TIM: Really?
JOHN LUND: Yeah. It’ll create twenty full-time local jobs. So, let’s see. We’ll have a manager. You’ll have a day manager, a night manager, and a late night/early morning manager. That’s four… that’s four jobs that will probably pay close to decent [sic], and then we’ll have another group there for sixteen minority women to clean the rooms and, uh, and spruce things up. Do we really need that? Is that what we really want? I mean, we can’t do away with it, but, I’m just saying, is there any reason to be in that kind of business when we should be being [sic] in something that really makes some money?
Sounds to me like this REC member has things divvied up so the whites are in management and the blacks and Hispanics clean the toilets. I think county commissioner or school board member or other countywide elective office would be more of a management job than a toilet cleaning job, wouldn’t it?
As most know, Lund is the head cheerleader in Marion County for REC Chairman, Randy Harris, who has appeared on Lund’s program many times as both guest and host. As Lund told us with all the signs, Harris is on his side.
think lund quit rec about time i quit. sounds like you are a bit racist urself, quoting everybody and trying to make a case for it against some other bloke. ur library fuss was about as bad as chuck pardees and all u do is pick a fight with others. get a life.
Rather than blame everyone else, especially selected Republicans he has problems with, I suggest Mr. Creekbaum join the NAACP and become an activist in promoting diversity. That would be a much better solution than his constant long-winded philosophical discussions about diversity. Actually do something for a change rather than writing about it and blaming others. Creekbaum is beginning to sound more and more like a Washington D.C. Democrat, all talk and no action!
Voice of Reason says........
I can't see Creekbaum defending areas in large Florida cities populated by minorities: places like Overtown and Liberty City in Miami, Pine Hills and Paramore in Orlando, Jacksonville's western downtown, you name it. Are those places not a million-times more horrible than Marion County?
I just wonder how long guys like Creekbaum can keep blaming white males for all of the world's social problems and making excuses for the minorities? He's really behind the eight ball because even minorities are admitting that it is their own fault. Even THEY are out of excuses.
VoR
If there is anyone interested I have started a group to support Ron Paul (R):
http://ronpaul.meetup.com/550/
And speaking of Washington D. C. Democrats. Here is what the leadership of the Democrats predicted would happen when the Dems took control of the Congress—which is now!
You aren't going to believe this! Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to put a Windfall Tax on all stock market profits (including Retirement funds, 401K's and Mutual Funds). Alas, it is true, all to help the 12 Million Illegal Immigrants and other unemployed Minorities!
Boy, are we in trouble... This woman is frightening. Take special note of the last paragraph. Is she really this whacked out?
Nancy Pelosi condemned the new record highs of the stock market as "just another example of Bush policies helping the rich get richer". "First Bush cut taxes for the rich and the economy has rebounded with new record low unemployment rates, which only means wealthy employers are getting even wealthier at the expense of the underpaid working class".
She went on to say "Despite the billions of dollars being spent in Iraq our economy is still strong and government tax revenues are at all time highs. What this really means is that business is exploiting the war effort and working Americans, just to put money in their own pockets".
When questioned about recent stock market highs she responded "Only the rich benefit from these record highs. Working Americans, welfare recipients, the unemployed and minorities are not sharing in these obscene record highs". "There is no question these windfall profits and income created by the Bush administration need to be taxed at 100% rate and those dollars redistributed to the poor and working class". "Profits from the stock market do not reward the hard work of our working class who, by their hard work, are responsible for generating these corporate profits that create stock market profits for the rich. We in congress will need to address this issue to either tax these profits or to control the stock market to prevent this unearned income to flow to the rich. "
When asked about the fact that over 80% of all Americans have investments in mutual funds, retirement funds, 401K's, and the stock market she replied "That may be true, but probably only 5% account for 90% of all these investment dollars. That's just more "trickle down" economics claiming that if a corporation is successful that everyone from the CEO to the floor sweeper benefit from higher wages and job security which is ridiculous". "How much of this 'trickle down' ever get to the unemployed and minorities in our county? None, and that's the tragedy of these stock market highs."
"We Democrats are going to address this issue after the election when we take control of the Congress. We will return to the 60% to 80% tax rates on the rich, and we will be able to take at least 30% of all current lower Federal Income Tax payers off the roles and increase government income substantially. We need to work toward the goal of equalizing income in our country and at the same time limiting the amount the rich can invest."
When asked how these new tax dollars would be spent, she replied: "We need to raise the standard of living of our poor, unemployed and minorities. For example, we have an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in our country who need our help along with millions of unemployed minorities. Stock market windfall profits taxes could go a long ways to guarantee these people the standard of living they would like to have as "Americans"."
Voice of Reason says.........
As a courtesy to all of the bloggers, I would like to ask that people don't cut and paste articles on this blog (like it appears the last writer did.) I'm not PWF or a blogmaster but I would just ask as fellow blogger.
VoR
voice of reason: I found it an interesting post, even if a bit long. Points out that each political party has its “Nutty Nancy”. However, the one in Washington can be a lot more harmful than an insignificant wacko here in Ocala.
Pelosi’s idea could be bad news for all of us who are getting ready for retirement and it’s not a good way to pay for immigration and minority programs.
Voice of Reason says.......
Yes, it has good points but I just wish that writer would write a Reader's Digest version in his or her own words. No big deal - I would just hate to start seeing huge cut and paste sections.
VoR
Voice of Reason says......
Nobody should be surprised but that is shocking that Pelosi would openly admit that she want to take money from Americans and give it to the illegal invaders. That's really outrageous.
VoR
Agree about the long postings. Add a link instead of posting is better. Although every now and then I see a good quote or article referenced from somewhere else.
Gun Nutt says..
So, Pelosi wants to take our money and give it to illegal immigrants and minorities. They always justify that crap by telling us that if we don't have these government programs aimed at giving money to minorities, then crime will increase.
In other words, you either give money to minorities or one of them will break into your house and take your money. I prefer to let them try to break in and take it. At least that way I can legally deal with them my way!
Voice of Reason says......
Looks like Gunn Nutt pays his taxes in lead!
VoR
There may be a good reason why the above anonymous post by “Hold on to your wallet” contains substantial embedded text of comments attributed to Nancy Pelosi rather than a hyperlink to the original source. The “Pelosi” comments in the post may be fiction.
I found the post suspicious, so I Googled a phrase from it. The first Google hit was to http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/pelosi.asp, a website called “Snopes.com – Rumor Has It” that deals with urban legends and that asserts Pelosi never made the remarks.
I don’t have time to research this further. If someone does, I’m sure they will let us know, but, though I share the concern of some bloggers concerning the hostility some Democrats can exhibit to the free market system, I am unwilling to treat the above comments as Pelosi’s based on what I’ve seen so far.
Voice of Reason says.......
Yeah...it probably is a fake. She might be crappy for the country but she doesn't seem that politically stupid. Her husband wouldn't let her say something that politically stupid.
On another note - it looks like the Star Blunder has a story about a compromise between the Sheriff's Office and the County Commission. I'll have to read it.
I was listening to Michael Savage on SKY and I heard parts of a news flash about some local mayor cutting some local budget by 40 PERCENT! Did anyone else hear that? His name might even be Dean (no kidding). The Mayor was saying that that employees will have to find ways to save money in each department.
VoR
Yo Christopher---
Do you really think your guy Ron Paul has any chance?
I mentioned his name today and none of the 3 people knew anything about him. He's got a real name recognition problem to overcome!
That Pelosi comment section reminds me of all the folklore and junk people spread about Randy Harris. Pelosi and Harris are controversial types and people will make up stuff just to try to get at them. I wouldn't be surprised if one or two of those who write comments on here haven't gone after Harris with some wild ass comments.
Let's take a minute to reflect here...
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
The above inscription is on the inside plaque of the Statue of Liberty.
Beyond that, how much "real" liberty is going on in Marion County? Is the Statue of Liberty even an accurate description of the current state of affairs in the US anymore? I mean the Administration isn't even calling it America anymore - it's now "The Homeland"? Kinda reminds me of what I read about the German Bund in 1940. How damaging to true democracy was the suspending of "habeus corpus"? Did anyone even notice? Who was harmed? Who besides me cares? Harris, Kelly, McCain, Guilliani??? Please. Weren't they the musicians on the HMS Titanic ?
Good-by GOP and thank you Nancy Stacy for the most excellent cannon fodder this coming election. Don't think for a second we haven't saved every blood-thirsty, arrogant, egotistical, and racist word you've ever written. For a God fearing person you've forgotten the most important rule of all: do unto others as they would do unto you. Although you're GOP, in practice, it's not as hard as it seems. Even you could be saved.
Mark my words: There shall never again be an unopposed GOP candidate in Marion County. It happenned this time in SD24 due to administrative error. Nothing more. It won't happen again.
Thank you for letting me leave the previous comment, it was just something that I needed to get off my chest. Notwithstanding, I will say that I am a firm believer of serious dialogue between both/all political parties. I mean, as we debate, even at this low level, our soldiers are dying. It's a fact. Which way does the dialogue need to divert to save our Marines and Soldiers and solve this terrible situation. How much would it cost to get out? How much would it cost to stay? (Obviously, in both strategic interests and treasure). If it was your son or daughter would the price matter? Does the country realize that the children born this week are the ones paying back this excursion and at the same time will come to the realization that there is no social security reserved for them? There should be some shame to us attached to that but with men and women in the field my only shame is that as a 51 year old man they won't accept me (although I did apply at the US State Dept). I can't go and help directly but I can here at home. That help is to work with the DEC and throw out every single politician who voted to mis-guidingly give GWB the authority of King of America. It was a mistake that cannot be taken back but they must be held accountable for.
Voice of Reason says.......
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme
A poem by Voice of Reason
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme . . .
Give another Happy Meal to fat little Timmie
Don't make his lazy butt paint the City Auditorium
Give him Cokes in the school Cafetorium
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme . . .
Give a school board seat to a minority
Give midnight shuffleboard to retired folks on Top of the World
Give homosexual library books to the boys and girls
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme . . .
Give the Sheriff an award
Give the illegal aliens amnesty
Give Guantanamo Bay combatants liberty
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme . . .
Give to my campaign
Give me yet another tour
Give me an inauguration party while the kids are off to war
Gimme, Gimme, Gimme . . .
VoR
Copyright Voice of Reason 2007
This comment has been removed by the author.
Someone said he thought John Lund had left the Republican Executive Committee of Marion County. John Lund and his wife Barbara were members for a number of years, but the organization’s filing with the Supervisor of Elections, which carries a date of June 20, 2007, does not list them as members. In fact, it does not list anyone as a member in the precinct in which Supervisor of Election records show the Lunds residing.
Of course, the Supervisor of Elections can’t tell us the status of the hotline between Randy Harris, the Chairman of the Republican Executive Committee of Marion County and Lund, the man who has publicly stereotyped minorities as the cleaners of toilets. When I checked after the 2002 primary, there were more than 90 telephone calls to Lund’s residence in a 70-day period from the cell phone provided to Harris at taxpayer expense. This was during the period that Lund headed an organization making expenditures outside the Harris campaign account that were obviously designed to aid Harris’ re-election and that Harris publicly claimed to know nothing about.
What do John Lunds personal phone calls have to do with anything?
Glad to see Sheriff Dean and the County Commission have reached an agreement on the Sheriff’s department budget. They are to be saluted for working this out. It’s much better to settle a “family dispute” here in the county rather than having the Governor arbitrate it.
To Anon 9:46...
Good comments..but seeing how the R's are lining up right now it's a wide open race. Really wide open.
Let's say Ron Paul makes a good showing in the primaries. The party will have to recognize the fact that we need to shed the Bush/Giuliani/Rove/Cheney mentality.
Right now NO Republican can beat either Obama or HIllary. No way!!
The only way they could even put up a decent challenge would to have Paul on the ticket. Think about it. The middle rules. The political middle will not vote for any of the Republican front runners.
This comment has been removed by the author.
brian creekbaum said...
Both major political parties hold primaries that tend to produce nominees more extreme than the middle prefers.
Look at the Democrats. The election is well over a year away and already two candidates I was interested in learning more about as an independent voter, former Virginia governor Mark Warner and former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack, are already long gone from the Democratic primary process because they don’t excite the ideologues active in the primary process.
After the Republicans find and nominate a candidate acceptable to the people who equate scientists with Satan, independents like me will pick the next president by deciding which clothespin we want to put on our noses.
I don’t know about any personal John Lund phone calls referred to by someone above. I only know about the calls on the cell phone provided to then Commissioner Harris for county business that were made to Lund’s residence. I don’t know what business Harris was conducting during all these calls, the frequency of which spiked dramatically upward a few days after Lund registered with the State of Florida the corporate vehicle he used to support Harris’ candidacy in 2002. This is the corporate vehicle that ran the ads Harris said he knew nothing about.
Maybe Harris was discussing library board appointments with Lund. Because of his closeness to the current head of the Republican Executive Committee of Marion County then serving on the county commission, Lund was frequently referred to as the Sixth Commissioner and pwf did publicly state on-the-record to the county commission that Lund, who has publicly stereotyped minorities as the cleaners of toilets, had enormous influence on library board appointments. Right after Lund got involved, the four Republicans on the county commission at the time voted Pat Strait and Eddie MacCausland on to our library board. It sure is good to know local Republicans haven’t been running an affirmative action program for unqualified white people!
Way to go GOP!
ronpaul may get as many votes as thorrow got in either of his two countyw0de races, maybe as many as nancee stacee got. go-ron-go
whatcha beef with lund.hes got no listeners harris is gone and ur still mouthin off.
"Leading the state in raising student perfomance???"
Compared with the other School districts Marion County was tied for 20th place out of the 67 other school districts for the 2005-2006 school year.
Now Marion County is in 37th place out of 67 school districts for the 2006-2007 school year.
Same measurement as all of the other districts yet we fall 17 places.
Why?
A Democrat....Chuckle, chuckle!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsp86yh7-BE
Voice of Reason says.......
I see these commercials where some guy from the Plains of Nimrod is telling us that he's excited about growing crops and turning them into biofuels. That's just a huge crock. It takes too much energy to make the fuel worth the trouble. Nuclear energy is perfect but there are so many thick-headed cretins out there who will show up with their magic-markered signs at any forum where nuclear power is even suggested.
Only bioFOOLS think that biofuels are the answer.
VoR
Careful now V of R, you are disagreeing with Florida's very popular Governor!!! The same one who has brought us NO property insurance or property tax relief that amounts to anything.
Voice of Reason says.......
It's sad that a place like France depends much more upon nuclear energy than we do. What's the deal with Crist - did he put the quietus on a proposed nuclear plant? I know that he was against the coal-fired permit but I didn't hear about opposition to a new nuclear plant.
VoR
Gun Nutt says...
I know Brian's favorite topic is white racism (which he is now calling white affirmative action) I, on the other hand, call it imaginative action since I think much of it is imagined by Brian.
Anyway, I'm sure it does happen sometimes but it is rare and is not officially sanctioned by the government(unlike affirmative action to benefit blacks which is officially sanctioned).
That being said, I do not want unqualified white people in positions of power either but it doesn't bother me as much as when it happens the other way around.
It's just simple self preservation. Anyone or any group who loses their sense of self preservation is doomed. I'm not sure if Brian is white or black. If he is black then I understand his obsession with white racism and I assume he can understand why black racism (affirmative action) bothers me more. If he is white then I hope his self preservation instinct will awaken soon.
These Lund and Harris phone calls. Was there anything illegal about them or did they violate any election laws? I don't remember ever seeing any charges against either of them. Could have missed it though. What's the story here? I don't see any if they weren't charged with something. It's not illegal to talk on the phone--is it?
As the Chairman of the Republican Executive Committee of Marion County and a potential candidate for public office, Randy Harris is not “gone.”
John Lund has never had an audience, which is one reason why I’ve refused his two attempts to get me on his show. I’ve always told people I’m interested in Lund because you can learn a lot about Harris by the people he attracts and who know him well. Harris’ political marriage to Lund tells us a lot about Harris, which is probably why I heard a caller after the election last year who sounded sympathetic to Harris tell Lund he thought Harris’ association with Lund and WOCA had hurt him.
I’m not going to discuss legalities on the blog, but legalities aside, I think we all know circumstances exist in political campaigns in which a candidate wants to distance himself from an activity. We just saw this in the District 24 race. I saw a lot of talk on this blog about whether Kurt Kelly put Nancy Stacy up to what she did even though if he had it wouldn’t have been illegal, and I saw her expend enormous effort to convince people he didn’t put her up to it.
I was at the Republican Club meeting (my recollection is it was Oak Run) in 2002 when Randy Harris and Rock Gibboney debated and Harris was questioned about the ads Lund’s organization was running. To listen to Harris’ response in denying he had anything to do with the ads, you would think he hardly knew Lund. For political reasons, Harris surely wanted to avoid any blowback from the ads run out of the organization Lund was heading.
I was raised to believe that honesty is important. I think we also have a few politicians around here who hold themselves out as promoters of morality and as people who live by a popular book that says it’s wrong to lie. I’m always amused in our local political culture of supposedly highly moral politicians when someone tries to suggest all you need to know in evaluating them is whether they committed a criminal act.
Voice of Reason says.......
Creekbaum probably has a point.
Lund could have been acting as an unofficial "527 group" for Harris. If Lund was promoting Harris or downplaying his opponents. With that many calls though, you wonder if Lund was some type of sign boy or other type of volunteer?
As a side note, Creekbaum is starting to sound like Gunn Nutt with his, "Harris surely wanted to avoid any BLOWBACK from...." Isn't blowback a gun term? Watch out Creekbaum, maybe Gunn Nutt is finally starting to make sense to you.
VoR
Creekbaum is right, politicians do tell lies! Dennis Baxley can be included in that group.
Campaign finance records show that Dennis Baxley was among the contributors who gave money to groups that helped launch attacks against Charlie Dean right before their June 5 GOP primary. Dean won the primary and then won the state Senate seat vacated by Nancy Argenziano.
Baxley told at least two news organizations that he knew little about the groups, Alliance for A Strong Florida or Floridians for Traditional Values, and he told The St. Petersburg Times that he was "thankful'' for their help.
Floridians for Traditional Values it turns out got $28,000 from Alliance for A Strong Florida. That group, which waited until July to file any campaign reports, reported getting contributions of $54,750. Most of the money came from Ocala based businesses. Baxley himself gave $300 to the Alliance. The Florida Academy of Physician Assistants gave $5,000 to the Alliance while the Florida Rental Dealers Association contributed $2,500.
We have a link ("Florida Political News") on our home page to a very good Florida political news website called the Sayfie Review.
This political news service has now expanded to providing national political news in much the same format as the Florida political news. If you are interested in adding the national site to your favorites list, copy and paste this link:
http://www.sayfienews.com/
Voice of Reason says . . . .
I guess that the Florida blog that you are talking about is:
http://www.sayfiereview.com/
I saw on that website that Crist was going to Brasil to learn more about ethanol. He would do better to just drink some ethanol and lay on the nude beach and catch some more Sun.
The only reason that America is still number 1 is that the rest of the world is even stupider than we are. With as many nimrods that we have over here (especially in government) we should be trailing somebody but the rest of the world is just really stupid.
Probably Norway is one country that is better - they have more per capita millionaires than us, have a govt. surplus of $30,000 each person, actually tap and sell their oil and use good alternative energy sources and they completely keep out most immigration.
VoR
Crist is becoming a joke. I wasted my vote. I should have just gone ahead and voted for the Democrat. That's what we got for the next 3+ years.
For those who believe libraries are passe, here is some information about the use by children and students this summer:
"...June through last Friday, the library system's nine branches combined had hosted 234 events that drew 8,816 people. Last summer during June and July, they featured 107 programs for a total of 4,320 attendees. In other words, the number of events increased 119 percent, while the number of people who visited the libraries for the festivities jumped 104 percent."
And since Nancy Stacy no longer is among the blog posters, someone with her emial address might pass this information along to her. Call John Lund at the same time. His eight callers will be interested.
pwf
Saw Cory Pool was appointed by the Governor to the CFCC District Board of Trustees. At 32 that must be a new record. Wonder if Kyle is sweating at all?
It will take more than just serving on the CFCC Trustees to beat Kyle. Politics is more than getting your ticket punched on a few local volunteer groups.
Kyle won't need to sweat. However, Cory better devote some sweat to the Trustee position or he may go the way of the guy he replaced.
pwf said...
For those who believe libraries are passe, here is some information about the use by children and students this summer: … Call John Lund at the same time. His eight callers will be interested.
pwf
Posted by the great Puffer in Open Thread: It’s Your Nickel
8:58 AM, July 23, 2007
Posted again by Puffer in Presidential Politics: Who’s Your Early Choice?
8:59 AM, July 23, 2007
I guess the spin master wanted to make sure his words were heard.
PWF=Posted With Frequency
At least it keeps you busy doing nothing, which you are good at.
I can't think of much that anonymous stands for except coward. Enjoy yourself. --pwf
One grey night it happened, the candidates came no more
And puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar.
Who the heck are Cory Pool and Kyle?
To Anon. 6:25 - Kyle is Kyle Kay (Ocala National Bank family owned business) and Cory Pool...don't have a clue.
Cory Pool is a vice president at Jenkins Auto. Kind of like some of these bank vice presidents, big title not much pay.
Kyle Kay is a pretty smart banker, and has done an outstanding job on city council, standing up for what he believes in rather than what is politically correct or expedient. He may well find politics takes too much out of you time wise and will spend his time in his vocation and with his family rather than with an avocation that is very expensive time and busienss wise.
Cory Pool is a very bright light on the up and coming political scene. Ran a credible race for school board at 18, has been very involved behind the scenes politically, and extremely successful in the auto business. I suspect he makes more as a Jenkins VP than most anyone posting on this blog, especially the ones who hide behind anonymous. --pwf
PWF,
You spend a great deal of time trashing people who post anonymously.
Answer this question as honest as you can:
Have you ever posted as anon or under any other name, such as recdropout?
We're going to see how much character you have with your response.
Since I have never been a member of the Marion County (or any other county) Republican Executive Committee (or any other committee with initials of REC) would be kind of hard for me to sign off that way. Besides, how long does it take to type one line in a message saying "....anonymously."--pwf
So was that a yes or no. You didn't answer the question.
Puffer posting anonymously?
Puffer?
PWF?
Paul Ferguson?
He is THE original anonymous poster. Or should I say poser?
Remember though tuff guy Puffer has been challenged by PROFESSIONALS so all of us here on the blog are just chumps.
Sounds like old Fergie has gotten you in an uproar!
If you have issues with the man, pick up your phone and call his office. He's listed and I'm sure he'd talk to you. He did with me when I had an issue about something he said on here.
Problem is people like you have NO GUTS to confront him directly. Probably because he is right more than he's wrong and you can't stand it.
Get a life, beyond trying (unsuccessfully) to do a hit job on PWF!! It's getting very old.
What hit job. I asked a simple question due to his obvious issue with people who post anonymously, to see if he was going to be honest about his anonymous postings.
He chose not to answer.
Do what politico suggested. Call PWF and ask him directly. Why ask via the blog? Let PWF know who he is dealing with. Or are you afraid to? You seem so confident in your blog in name calling.
Chances are, you are PWF trying to get me to back off.
Don't forget, PWF is the one who trashes the people who post anon. I am just trying to show that ol puffer is also one who posts anon.
I think hypocracy is the best way to describe what he preaches.
I am not the one who holds some problem with people not wanting to post their name. Puff says he has a problem, yet I believe he does the same thing.
I asked a simple question. Yes or no will suffice, if he choses not to answer, then as far as I am concerned, not that it matters, that is the answer.
Just another reason to take what the guys says with a grain of salt.
What name was called? The question was "PWF have you ever posted anon on this blog?"
It was asked simply because PWF trashes the ones who chose to post that way.
I would like to hear his answer also. Not that I expect him to be truthful.
Bravo to the person who asked the question, never really thought about people who are all high and mighty and post with their names also posting under other names or nameless. Guess I don't think that way.
Who gives a hoot about PWFs blog posting practices!
How about you 2-3 Anonymous folks above telling us which candidate you like for Prez and why. That would be more interesting than an inquisition of PF.
I can only assume its one of the Democrats or one of those liberal Republicans.
For the record, I have never posted as recdropout. After years of signing daily newspaper columns, I hardly need to hide.
if you want, as someone suggested, I am happy to talk with you as I am always happy to talk to anyone. Give me a call. If I am not there, I will return your call.
You know so much about me (not hardly) but you obviously know my phone number at the shop. I have several people from the blog call me, and even visit with me when they agree or disagree with my postings.
And, I am not sure what trashing consists of, but I hardly think suggesting more credibility when you post with a real name rather than the cowardly idea of posting as anon. That is not trashing. It is an accepted fact.
And you are correct: I have had professionals after me from time to time, so your efforts are not a point of concern for me.
But let's stop the boring posting battle between you and me. This is supposed to be a place for ideas, not a name calling billboard.
Give me a call and let's talk. --pwf
Presidential choices:
Personally, I like Fred Thompson, starting when he was going after my President. He was smart, articulate and talented then, and is more so today.
Guliani has shown great ability under the 9-11 stress, and proved he could take one of the world's largest hell holes (New York) and clean it up.
Romney is the best looking, was electable in a Democratic state, and did a prettu good job as Governor.
Any of them would be a far better choice thna either Obama or Hillary, but I fear the country may be sick of what the press has presented as what has been happening in Iraq, and may be swayed by a massive press campaign for Hillary or Obama.
Fifteen months is a very long time, and if we get some coverage in Iraq and if we get some action on immigration, the GOP may have a shot. --pwf
Yes or no PWF
I'll type slower this time PWF. Have you ever posted on here as anon?
I don't need a long dissertation, yes or no will suffice, or just say that you don't want to answer.
No need to call you just want to know if you post as anon and then call others cowards for doing the same.
by the way, I don't know you...
Why don't you get to know PWF before questioning his integrity? I thought he already answered your question.
Your question was answered. Personally, I am glad you do not know me. But you can find me any time you want to talk. No one I know -- and many I have not known -- has ever had a problem finding me. --pwf
Get ready for a big announcement soon about a new leader of the Marion REC. Very likely will be a good change that will unite and strengthen the local Rs going into the 2008 elections.
As long as we’re making predictions, I’ll make one. As recently reported by the Star-Banner, Marion County’s anti-panhandling ordinance passed unanimously last year by the Board of County Commissioners is the subject of a federal lawsuit alleging violation of the First Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment. The ordinance was drafted at the request of then County Commissioner Randy Harris. I predict the ordinance will not survive in its current form if it survives at all.
rep4us says the new GOP chairman, Roy Abshire, will unite Republicans for 2008. He is a great choice for chairman, and is the one person who might rebuild nthe party. I am not sure he has the time, however. There is less than one year before the primaries, and the REC membership is below the level it was when Roy was elected to the county commission as the first GOP elected official in the county almost 30 years ago.
He faces a huge job, but he is the one who can do it, if anyone can. --pwf
The change from Randy Harris to Roy Abshier is just what the doctor ordered to strengthen and unite the local Republican Party! It couldn’t come at a better time going into the 2008 elections. I would wager that many local Republicans who have been sitting on the sideline with Harris in charge, will become much more active under Abshier. A change that is not good for the local Democrats. Just what they need, a revitalized local Republican Party.
Anyone notice Warren Buffett and Rupert Murdoch pay less in taxes than the secretaries they employ?? WHAT???
Pink50
They may have a national wind at their back again next year, but I think the Democrats will have a tough time in Marion County for a long time to come. I do question, though, how much effect either of the local party executive committees has on local elections. They may be a barometer of local activity, but I question how much what they do really effects the outcome of local elections. Most of the candidates seem to operate largely apart from these executive committees.
Most rank and file voters would be hard pressed to tell you who their local officials were much less who is in a party executive committee or even that there is such a thing.
From an article in the Boston Globe on August 5:
Diversity doesn’t necessarily build stronger communities. The higher a community’s ethnic and religious diversity, the fewer people vote and the less they volunteer, the less they give to charity and work on community projects.
The findings come from Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam, who gathered the raw data from 41 U.S. communities in 2000, but only published a scholarly analysis in June of this year. He spent the intervening years making sure his findings haven’t been statistically skewed by features common to neighborhoods with high levels of diversity, such as greater size, higher crime rates, and greater mobility among residents.
My opinion, we spend entirely too much time on promoting the agenda of diversity.
From elsewhere in the same Boston Globe article:
“So how to explain New York, London, Rio de Janiero, Los Angeles -- the great melting-pot cities that drive the world's creative and financial economies?”
“The image of civic lassitude dragging down more diverse communities is at odds with the vigor often associated with urban centers, where ethnic diversity is greatest. It turns out there is a flip side to the discomfort diversity can cause. If ethnic diversity, at least in the short run, is a liability for social connectedness, a parallel line of emerging research suggests it can be a big asset when it comes to driving productivity and innovation.”
The article also states Putnam believes “that increasing diversity in America is not only inevitable, but ultimately valuable and enriching.”
The change in the head of the REC is good if they start helping Republican candidates with their and campaigns and getting them elected and not spend so much trying to determine which Republican's are the most Godly.
What does the selection of Mr. Roy Abshiers to Chair the Republican Executive Committee mean to the citizens of Marion County ?
I can't help but relate this to myself . If asked to serve again by my hometown Democratic party, what would I, an aging warrier from the past, bring to the table ? What I was able to do back then with strong organizational support that we had created, could not be done today for the simple reason, the electorate is different, times have changed, campaigns are not won on the positive substance but on fake image building combined with negative campaigning.
How is Mr. Abshier going to make a positive difference.
Clayton Ellsworth
Clayton,
The difference is the Reps. are willing to give an old political warrior a chance to turn things around and the Dems. are not.
News from Dunnellon :
After being closed Sunday and Monday as well as opening at 9 AM Monday[reduced hours ] Dunnellon citizens were greeted with a waiting line almost to RT 41 and a 20 minute wait to dump their garbage in sweltering weather. Tempers were flaring . If this continues it will be neccessary to have law enforcement on site to keep the peace.
Such insanity then top that with a tax increase, small, but more insanity.
Commissioners and General Howard, get real. Your actions are humiliating and a crass desregard for the health, safety and welfare of rural citizrens.
Clayton Ellsworth
I think the first offense for dumping is a warning. So Clayton, you old time democrat warrior, let the county commission and the general know just how you feel. Have everyone dump 4 days worth of trash at the commission. UPS packages filled with garbage individually addressed would also be effective. Come on it would be just like the old days.
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