Brevard came through -- Tony Sasso has taken the seat formerly held by Bob Allen. Another win for our side. Now I will say that Sasso is a bit too conservative for me on some issues, notably guns, but he's still and improvement over Allen or his potential Republican Replacement Sean Campbell. Of course my desk chair might've been a better legislator than Allen or Campbell, but that's a different blog post. The goal as progressives is more Democrats, then better Democrats. This is a step in the right direction.
And for those that continually bash Karen Thurman and the state party, this is more evidence that you're wrong in at least some of that criticism. The goal of the FDP chair is to help more Democrats win seats in the legislature and Congress. This is the ninth seat Democrats have picked up in the House in the last two years. The biggest two-year gain by Democrats in the history of the state of Florida. That's success by any definition. This is also the second special election win in two years after many years of losing every special election. Again, that's success.
This might not be the end of Campbell, though, as he was already filed for the 2008 election before the special election came up. Will he keep on campaigning?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Campbell Hates Taxes, Honesty...Republicans?
House District 32 Special Election Candidate Sean Campbell has been going on and on about his "top priority" -- property taxes. And he warns that his opponent, Tony Sasso, will raise taxes if elected. This ignores, of course, the fact that Sasso actually voted repeatedly to cut taxes as Cocoa Beach City Commissioner. While Sasso did vote to increase tax revenue, what this really means is that he voted to support real estate improvements and new growth, things that generate additional tax revenue while maintaining or even cutting tax rates.
So, while Campbell is dishonest in going after Sasso, he is on target in attacking people who say they favor lower taxes but actually vote to increase taxes. It's good to see that he's takign on the Republicans in the legislature, who love to talk about cutting taxes, but actually have done quite a bit to increase them. Like last year when they required local governments to increase their share of education funding -- something they could only do by raising taxes.
But lets not just talk about this in generalities, lets get some numbers, using the Republican way of looking at this, tax "revenue" increases:
*Will Weatherford (R-Land O' Lakes) - Voted to increase property tax revenues more than $550 million
*Dean Cannon (R-Winter Park) - Voted to increase annual property tax revenues more than $1.5 billion, for a total of nearly $3 billion
*Ray Sansom (R-Gulf Breeze) - Voted to increase annual property tax revenues by $2.7 billion for a total of nearly $7 billion
*Marco Rubio (R-Miami) - Voted to increase annual property tax revenues by $3.8 billion for a total of more than $40 billion
*Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) - Voted to increase tax revenues so many times that its hard to keep track, but the total is certainly more than Rubio's
This is the problem with so much of the Republican rhetoric, they create dishonest standards by which to judge their opponents, and don't apply these same standards to themselves.
So, while Campbell is dishonest in going after Sasso, he is on target in attacking people who say they favor lower taxes but actually vote to increase taxes. It's good to see that he's takign on the Republicans in the legislature, who love to talk about cutting taxes, but actually have done quite a bit to increase them. Like last year when they required local governments to increase their share of education funding -- something they could only do by raising taxes.
But lets not just talk about this in generalities, lets get some numbers, using the Republican way of looking at this, tax "revenue" increases:
*Will Weatherford (R-Land O' Lakes) - Voted to increase property tax revenues more than $550 million
*Dean Cannon (R-Winter Park) - Voted to increase annual property tax revenues more than $1.5 billion, for a total of nearly $3 billion
*Ray Sansom (R-Gulf Breeze) - Voted to increase annual property tax revenues by $2.7 billion for a total of nearly $7 billion
*Marco Rubio (R-Miami) - Voted to increase annual property tax revenues by $3.8 billion for a total of more than $40 billion
*Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) - Voted to increase tax revenues so many times that its hard to keep track, but the total is certainly more than Rubio's
This is the problem with so much of the Republican rhetoric, they create dishonest standards by which to judge their opponents, and don't apply these same standards to themselves.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Campbell Hates the Law, Loves Hypocrisy
Sean Campbell isn't a member of the Florida House, but he wants to be. He's so willing to be a member of the House in the upcoming special election for Florida House District 32 that he's willing to break the law. He's following in the fine tradition of the former holder of the seat, Bob Allen, who left the seat after being convicted of soliciting an undercover male police officer for sex in a public restaurant. No, Campbell hasn't gone that far, but he has, it appears, broken the law:
He recently sent a mailer out to Republican voters and gave them free postage to mail in their vote by mail ballots. Sounds pretty nice of Campbell, right? It is. Except for the part about it being illegal.
The state election code reads, in part, "no person shall directly or indirectly give or promise anything of value to another intending thereby to buy that person's or another's vote" [FS 104.061 (2)]. Postage isn't a lot, but it certainly is something of value promised to the voters if they mail in their ballots. Campbell is paying for votes.
The irony of Campbell breaking the election law is that he accused his primary opponent of the same thing just a few weeks ago. Typical Republican adherence to the law -- it's okay for me, but not for you.
Charlie Crist apparently approved of the illegal mailout, since a letter from him came with it.
This is not the kind of person I want moving up here to join me in Tallahahssee. Please keep him. Send me Tony Sasso instead. You can contribute to his campaign here.
He recently sent a mailer out to Republican voters and gave them free postage to mail in their vote by mail ballots. Sounds pretty nice of Campbell, right? It is. Except for the part about it being illegal.
The state election code reads, in part, "no person shall directly or indirectly give or promise anything of value to another intending thereby to buy that person's or another's vote" [FS 104.061 (2)]. Postage isn't a lot, but it certainly is something of value promised to the voters if they mail in their ballots. Campbell is paying for votes.
The irony of Campbell breaking the election law is that he accused his primary opponent of the same thing just a few weeks ago. Typical Republican adherence to the law -- it's okay for me, but not for you.
Charlie Crist apparently approved of the illegal mailout, since a letter from him came with it.
This is not the kind of person I want moving up here to join me in Tallahahssee. Please keep him. Send me Tony Sasso instead. You can contribute to his campaign here.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Rubio Hates Government, Floridians, Believes Everything In the World Is A Tax
Marco Rubio is talking crazy talk again:
One out of three ain't bad. Education is one of the keys to improving Florida. You can't, of course, do that if you cut revenue and cut government, since education is government paid for by taxes. Then he lets his tax cut tourette's get the best of him again:
The logic in that statement is like saying "imprisonment is a tax on felons." Seriously, if you play loose with logic and language, you can paint anything as a tax. That doesn't make it a good argument or a legitimate way to approach government and politics. This conservative approach to government and taxation is what has Florida and the U.S. in such bad economic and social position in the first place, we need to fight this kind of nonsense at all turns.
House Speaker Marco Rubio said the key to "making Florida as attractive as it once was" is to build a world class education system, reduce state and local government regulation and "bring state government back to its proper size."
One out of three ain't bad. Education is one of the keys to improving Florida. You can't, of course, do that if you cut revenue and cut government, since education is government paid for by taxes. Then he lets his tax cut tourette's get the best of him again:
regulatory compliance is a tax
The logic in that statement is like saying "imprisonment is a tax on felons." Seriously, if you play loose with logic and language, you can paint anything as a tax. That doesn't make it a good argument or a legitimate way to approach government and politics. This conservative approach to government and taxation is what has Florida and the U.S. in such bad economic and social position in the first place, we need to fight this kind of nonsense at all turns.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Rubio, Rivera Hate Florida, America, Laws
Naked Politics:
It's bad enough to be campaigning for Huckabee, he who wants women to submit to their husbands and wants to "reclaim America for Crist," and to break the law to do it. But don't you think, maybe, that Florida has some problems of its own to deal with? Like a huge budget problem, a flailing economy, property tax inequalities, a failing education system, etc. You'd think that since these guys were elected to serve Florida that, maybe, they'd serve Florida? It'd be different if they were campaigning here, where they could pull double duty. But, no, pandering to the fundamentalist right from other states is more important than serving your constituents.
I wonder who is more focused on their post-Florida House career than on doing their job?
Huckabee backers House Speaker Marco Rubio and Rep. David Rivera spent the day in the Granite State, calling voters and in Rivera's case, receiving a chiding from a police officer.
"I came all the way from Florida to give you this orange," Rivera said, plunging into traffic at a Concord intersection near Huckabee's campaign headquarters. "I'm hoping you'll remember on Tuesday to vote for Gov. Huckabee."
The Concord police officer who cruised by was not amused and admonished Rivera to stick to the sidewalk, where a crush of Huckabee supporters waved signs.
It's bad enough to be campaigning for Huckabee, he who wants women to submit to their husbands and wants to "reclaim America for Crist," and to break the law to do it. But don't you think, maybe, that Florida has some problems of its own to deal with? Like a huge budget problem, a flailing economy, property tax inequalities, a failing education system, etc. You'd think that since these guys were elected to serve Florida that, maybe, they'd serve Florida? It'd be different if they were campaigning here, where they could pull double duty. But, no, pandering to the fundamentalist right from other states is more important than serving your constituents.
I wonder who is more focused on their post-Florida House career than on doing their job?
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Republicans Hate Florida, Poor People, the Future
Orlando Sentinel:
So tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, tax increases for poor people and horrible fiscal stewardship that sets up the state to either destroy education and other services in the future, that's Republican economics for you. Shifting taxes from the rich to the poor is not only un-American, it's bad policy. What happens when the economy stalls and the middle and lower classes can't afford to buy big-ticket items? Oh yeah, you lose billions in revenue and everything gets worse.
Indeed, during the past nine years, lawmakers haven't raised a single tax and have approved a cumulative total of $20 billion in tax cuts, mostly benefiting corporations and wealthy Floridians.
In the process, they've made Florida even more reliant on the sales tax. Collections now total almost $20 billion -- or 75 percent of the state's recurring annual revenue.
So tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, tax increases for poor people and horrible fiscal stewardship that sets up the state to either destroy education and other services in the future, that's Republican economics for you. Shifting taxes from the rich to the poor is not only un-American, it's bad policy. What happens when the economy stalls and the middle and lower classes can't afford to buy big-ticket items? Oh yeah, you lose billions in revenue and everything gets worse.
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