Corrine Brown Has Her Day In Court

I have a friend, shocking as it may seem, who once told me that politicians should be limited to two terms, one in office and one in jail.  I could not agree more, especially so, as it pertains to my former opponent, Corrine Brown. 

Ms Brown has been charged with 22 counts attributed to fraud, obstruction and filing false tax returns.   We all await the results of the jury deliberations.  Regardless of the verdict, the case illustrates two sad facts, which are:

1. It is hard to break free from crime and 
2. We should expect more from our elected officials, not less as referenced by the aforementioned joke.

In reference to the former stated fact, Ms. Brown, grew up in area known in Jacksonville, FL as the “Northside”, which is an euphemism, code, whatever you want to call it, to paint a  picture that depicts the lives of the residents living in this geographic area as challenging due to a myriad of causes.  The main cause and effect is poverty followed by low literacy rates and higher crime rates that further perpetuates the situation.  Arguably, residents of this community know at least one and possibly many fellow residents that have been affected by crime, whether as a victim or as perpetrator. As a side note, I met many on the campaign trail eight years ago. Regardless, I believe this knowledge of crime and its effects within this community leads to understanding, which leads to tacit acceptance of (& a blind eye to) criminal behavior that I further believe begins in childhood.  Ms. Brown through hard work seemed to have broken free from this cycle of crime, but sadly, she fell back in, which proves the old adage, “you can take a [girl] out of the country, but you cannot take the country out of the [girl].”

In reference to the latter stated fact, I recently saw results of a Gallup survey that showed that the majority of people believe that politicians are corrupt.  Using the same logic in my former argument, if people believe that politicians are corrupt then I contend that these same people expect this behavior whether they acknowledge it or not, which I further contend is tacit acceptance and therefore, it becomes reality as exemplified by the situation in which Corrine Brown finds herself.  I find that unacceptable and so should everyone else.  Moreover, I believe our elected officials should be held accountable for their behavior to at least the same level as ordinary citizens because they are role models. Without the rule of law, anarchy can occur, which is not good for anybody.

Our legacy is what we leave behind when we die is it not? Should we not seek to improve the lives of future generations so that our spirit continues long after we are gone?  Should not every successive generation be the greatest generation? It comes down to what we value is it not?  I value a lot of things such as truth and honest, but germane to this situation, I value the rule of law when someone fails to be honest and commits a crime, how about you?  Hopefully, the jury will see the facts as I see them to convict Corrine Brown on some if not all counts.

Grasping at Straws

I have been remiss in not commenting in this forum the legal battles surrounding the most recent decennial redistricting, which remain ongoing after four plus years. On December 6, 2011 I was quoted by the Tampa Bay Times as saying “I would say [the Senate redistricting committee] did not listen to the voters and I’m quite displeased. If anything, [US Congressional District 5, formerly 3] looks more gerrymandered than before.” 

Arguably, the League of Women Voters (LoWV) has taken the lead to hold the Senate redistricting committee accountable.  As a result of the LoWV’s tireless efforts, the FL Supreme Court recently stated the maps most be withdrawn to follow the letter of law as it pertains to the Fair District Amendments that were overwhelmingly passed by Florida voters in 2010. Why the FL Supreme Court did not make this ruling the first time is unknown to me, but now that the maps are being redrawn once again to meet the law, Corrine Brown, not surprisingly, disapproves. Last week she filed a Federal lawsuit claiming that the potentially new district violates the 1965 Voting Rights Act; however, today she withdrew from the lawsuit, but I suspect she may eventually rejoin the lawsuit or file a new once once the new maps are approved.

What Ms. Brown ignores or just does not know is that voters in her district (at least per my analysis in 2012 of Duval County voting records) voted in favor and essentially in-line with all other voters for the Fair District Amendments; there was only a 15 bps (0.0015) difference. In others words, her constituents do not want gerrymandering either.

If she focused on the issues pertinent to voters then she would have nothing to worry about because I think the election of Barack Obama to two terms indicates that most people look past one’s skin color (even if Barack Obama may openly disagree) to focus on their qualifications and ability to resolve issues using critical thinking skills. Ms. Brown has been very fortunate the past two decades for not having more competition, but I believe that may change once the district she represents is redrawn.

No Go For Glo

No surprise, Corrine Brown soundly wins another term in Congress. As I expected she handily beat Glo Smith, her Republican challenger. Ms. Brown received 66% of the vote while Mrs. Smith received the remainder.  

These results line up with what my research predicted four years ago. As I noted then and still believe today, approximately 20% of the voters were undecided, but these voters lived in the inner city. I found that these voters want someone they can trust to help them improve their lives. While Ms. Brown is not the best, she is someone they know.

I still believe Ms. Brown is beatable, even in one of the most Gerrymander districts in the nation today.  Sadly no one has taken me up on my offer to help.

Glo May Not Go

On August 26 Florida held its primary elections. Glo Smith, who seeks to represent me and others in Florida's Fifth Congressional District, won the Republican primary with 10,968 votes (or 63% of total).  The Democratic incumbent, Corrine Brown, did not have an opponent.

Even though Mrs. Glo Smith won, sadly I believe she is a no go to the U.S. House of Representatives come next January for the following reasons:

1. The turn out this year was less than when Mr. Yost won the Republican primary four years ago, which does not bode well and documented here;
2. Similar to Mr. Yost, Mrs. Smith does not address the core issues in the district and when she does her views are not that substantive to arouse the swing vote, which I address here; and
3. Lastly, I do not think she has worked hard, which she needs to do to unseat Ms. Brown.

In reference to the last point, I reached out months ago to share my thoughts and offered assistance based on my experience.  Mrs. Smith never returned my call.  She may not have valued my thoughts, but why not at least engage me to ask for a donation or even to volunteer?  A campaign can never have too much money nor too many volunteers based on my limited experience.  I expect this oversight on her part to doom her. Lastly, I think voters (on both sides of the aisle) will view her as they viewed Jennifer Carroll when she ran against Corrine Brown.

Human Nature Necessitates Term Limits

A friend of mine recently brought to my attention a news article that highlights Citizen's Alliance for Pennsylvania (CAP) reasons, efforts and challenges as it seeks to instate term limits in Pennsylvania. The names, dates and places mentioned in the article could easily be changed to describe our Federal government.

While I find the article very informative, it fails to mention what I consider the raison d’être, which I believe is human nature. As I have previously pointed out, all humans (me, you, everyone) are inherently greedy, impatient and lazy.  These traits have led to marvelous technological advancements that have improved our standard living; however, these traits have led to the outcomes as highlighted in the above-mentioned article. 

More specifically, most of us (me included) are to blame for the current state of affairs in Washington, D.C.  Most of us have been lazy and typically voted (if we voted at all) the party line that seems the most appealing. Instead of participating in our government, we sought to improve our standard of living whether through possessions and/or activities (stemming from our own specific greed).  I suspect our blind trust (knowingly or unknowingly) of others attributed to some of this behavior.

While I encourage trust, we have to be careful because politicians are human, too. Most politicians seek reelection (greedy – even if for altruistic reasons). However, as I previously pointed out from my walks in Florida Congressional District 5 (formerly 3) it is difficult to build a grassroots base from which to seek public office; it is much easier (lazy and impatient) to seek donations from those that are well heeled.

As P.J. O’Rourke once stated, “when buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators.” We need not look far; looking at Corrine Brown’s financial supporters, one will notice bipartisan support from those well-heeled individuals in the transportation and rail industries. To be fair to Ms. Brown, she is not alone.  All of our elected officials are guilty, more so for those longer in office.  This support comes with a quid quo pro as exemplified most recently by the Farm Bill that passed in the Senate.

To rectify this situation, we must first take responsibility (to ensure our freedom) by first acknowledging our own shortcomings, which we can use to motivate ourselves and others to act.  I believe (& it seems that I am not alone per the article) that term limits is the main solution.  Surely, there are other solutions, but I believe term-limits will have the most impact because:

·      Subjecting members of Congress to term limits will lead to more qualified people seeking office;

·      Special interest will see their influence diluted because they will not know whom to back; and

·      As result, candidates will need to reach out to you the voter allowing you more influence.

I suspect the framers of our Constitution did not consider term limits due to:

·      Serving one’s country was just that, a service, not a career (due in part to our ancestors’ reliance on agriculture at the time) and

·      The life expectancy rates 200 years ago were near half the rates today.

As a final note (or nail in the coffin), if what is good for the goose should be good for the gander then Congress should pass an amendment to the Constitution limiting their terms since Congress deemed it necessary to pass an amendment limiting the President to two terms.  Sadly, Congress currently controls the process, but if we act together then we can control the process. 

I envision one day a several million (maybe tens of million) American march on Washington, D.C. to force through Congress a bill that will eventually lead to such an amendment. This day would be preceded by: 

·      The overwhelming (as in table pounding) support of all Presidential candidates, which is all she or he can do for a bill passed by Congress that seeks to amend our Constitution and

·      The wide spread acknowledgement of our efforts in the media, such as our ‘Bill Drafting’ parties/events where we (the people) create the bill that will be submitted and passed by the necessary majority with which to send to the States for ratification.

New District, But Same Representative

Obviously, I have not been walking and talking in now what is officially known as District 5, formerly District 3.  The district numbering recently changed following the realignment that occurs every decade after the national census. Florida received two additional seats based on the census, which necessitated among others reasons the realignment.

Fortunately or unfortunately depending upon one’s view, I still have Corrine Brown as my representative.  It seems she has a lock on another two years.  One day I hope to change that, but making ends meet in a tough economic climate is….well, tough and has led me to focus my efforts and priorities on keeping my head afloat.

I know one way to remove her from office, which would be if we had term limits. I have faith and confidence that day is fast approaching.

Corrine Brown Outraged, I'm Outraged

Ms. Brown was recently quoted saying, "I am simply outraged by Florida Governor Scott's decision to reject $2.5 billion in federal funding for high speed rail…”

I am simply outraged, too! I am not outraged with Governor Scott's decision; I am outraged with Ms. Brown’s priorities.

As I pointed out in my October 5, 2009 post entitled, How Does SunRail Benefit The People?, Ms. Brown should focus her time and efforts on:

1. Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education;
2. Healthy Families and Communities; and
3. Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness.

I believe her efforts in those areas would help bring greater long-term benefit to her constituents, which the majority live in poverty.

As I pointed out in my April 23, 2010 post entitled, Saving Lives vs. Rail Transportation, Ms. Brown has invested 10,000 plus hours on transportation matters. Arguably, with Governor Scott's decision some of those hours have been wasted at the expense of children that will grow up in poverty and will probably stay in poverty the rest of their lives because they fail to receive the necessary skill sets to survive in the 21^st century.

I will say again, I am OUTRAGED! I am outraged with Ms Brown's priorities.

Sacred Cows Stand in Our Way; A Call To Action

Earlier this week our President released his budget for FY 2012 that begins October 1, 2011, which brought forth both praise and condemnation. Regardless, the budgetary process tells us a lot about ourselves (the voters), our elected official, and our electoral process.

Our FY11 budget states that we foremost want to provide for the elderly and the poor in the form of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid followed by protecting our borders and arguably those of our closest allies. However, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Defense and other mandatory expenditures consume more than 80% of our budget. To put in another perspective, these social and military obligations (aka sacred cows) more than exceed all tax receipts with which to fund the budget.

Therefore, if we want a balanced budget without touching these programs and/or raising taxes we most stop allocating approximately $1,000,000,000,000 (that is $1 trillion not the $60 billion everyone is making such a big deal about that the House wants to cut) to the non-mandatory programs in the following departments:

1. Health and Human Services,
2. Transportation,
3. Veteran Affairs,
4. State,
5. HUD,
6. Education,
7. Homeland Security,
8. Energy,
9. Agriculture,
10. Justice,
11. NASA,
12. Labor,
13. Treasury,
14. Interior,
15. EPA,
16. National Science Foundation,
17. Corps of Engineers,
18. Small Business Administration and
19. Other agencies.

Furthermore, if we want to start paying down the debt after cutting all these other programs we will need to raise taxes and/or reduce spending on these sacred cows.

Additionally, the outlays for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid exceed the tax receipts specific to these programs by approximately $625,000,000,000 or approximately $2,000 per person for 2011 (therefore, a four person household is theoretically responsible for paying an additional $8,000 or $667 per month just for these programs before contributing to roads, education, housing, etc........................I bet you, that after deductions you paid Uncle Sam not much more than that in 2010 Federal taxes). This data point alone should tells us that our elected officials have very little financial common sense and that we are not much better off if we keep electing them.

I think we should cut out the non-sense and swallow the bitter pill, while it is still small, that nothing is sacred. I thought the deficit task force produced a great road-map; as anecdotal evidence, the recommendations arguably displeased both parties. However, our elected officials are doing what they do best; they have pretty much ignored the plan to protect their backers/supporters at the expense of the rest of the nation, kind of like what I found locally.

You and I may not agree where the budget cuts should occur, but hopefully you agree that cuts must be made. Regrettably, I believe taxes will need to be raised, too; I do not know any other way to pay down our debt (which amounts to approximately $50,000 per person or $200,000 per a four person household probably residing in a home at less than that value) absent monetizing it (which would probably wipe out the value in our savings via inflation).

I encourage you to call your representative in Washington; I believe it is in your best interest because if they are not hearing from you then they are hearing from lobbyists funded by special interests. You may find your representative's contact information here. Please call today. You may not reach anyone, but your representative does track the calls received.

I called my representative, Corrine Brown. It took less than a minute from looking up the number via the link above to providing the above mentioned information to the individual receiving calls.

Ms. Brown's staff person was polite, but the individual's hasty exit to end the call tells me that Ms. Brown does not care about our budget crisis. More specifically, the staff person could have responded to my concern by stating the actions Ms. Brown is taking to reign in our spending. Absent this dialog, I am left to believe Ms. Brown's interests lie elsewhere - please read the my other posts if you are a first time reader.

Given Ms. Brown's staff person's response, I decided to call Ander Crenshaw's (FL-4) office, which also took less than a minute. His staff person seemed more interested in hearing me out, but also seemed just as clueless. However, I believe the individual would pass along my concerns, which is much more than I can say about Ms. Brown's office.

If you do not want to call, you could copy pertinent parts of this post or even the URL for this post and paste it in an email to your representative. Your representative's email can be found here.

If you do not want to do that, how about you share the information with your friends and family? I figure if enough people know, then our elected officials will eventually receive word.

Political Rhetoric

Little over three weeks ago a crazed gunman shot US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8) in the head. Some early reports speculated that the shooting was politically motivated, which led others to comment, one being Corrine Brown. Ms. Brown stated, “certainly, one of the greatest components of American democracy is to be able to resolve conflict through compromise and dialogue, not senseless violence.”

I agree with Ms. Brown in principle.

While we might debate to the degree, if any, whether the shooting was politically motivated or not, but I believe Ms. Brown's statement is apropos. I think the current state of our 'political rhetoric' needs improvement as evidenced by the increasing polarization that has occurred in Congress between the two political parties over the past two decades.

I think Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s maxim “don’t raise your voice, improve your argument”, which he attributed to his mother, points to the difficulty. Improving one's argument requires a lot of work. It requires active listening, knowledge of facts with which to support one's position and the skill to know how to position one's counter arguments. It is not easy, which I think helps explain:

1. Why people resort to using aggressive language, behavior and or force to achieve one's desires and
2. Why politicians revert to negative ads.

The use of rhetoric is not new; it is one of the original seven liberal arts (the others are grammar, logic, arithmetic, astronomy, music and geometry). I think if we were to embrace the true concept of rhetoric, we would accomplish more because we would be actively engaged in solving problem(s) and not trying for one-upmanship.

Self-Preservation At the Expense of Others and Our Nation

The courtship of Ms. Brown by some of her campaign contributors highlights a significant challenge we face as a nation as we:

1. Seek to reign in government spending and
2. Reduce our national debt.

I believe we will not be able to do either, when people knowingly or unknowingly hold self-preservation at the expense of others as their key principle.

I do not know of any other reason that would explain why staunch Republican businessmen and women would donate money to Corrine Brown, whose voting record casts her as a strong liberal and the antithesis to Republican interests. I say “staunch” because a large number of these Republican donors have a history of donating solely to Republican causes with the exception of donating to her. (Please go to this website. Search for those donors that are in the transportation and construction industries then type their name in this website to see a list of those to whom they donated.) I also believe that a “true” (which I think would be the same as “staunch”, but then again…) Republican believes in personal responsibility and small government (which means no handouts).

I have yet to meet a true Republican, white, black, green, yellow any color you choose, that respects Corrine Brown and I would think these donors would be no different. If these donors publicly supported her, I would have no beef. However, I have yet to hear any of these donors get up in front of an REC meeting to state their support for Ms. Brown and why others (Republican or not) should do the same. I bet you, none will.

I would support Ms. Brown, regardless of her political affiliation, if she pounded the table on issues important to her voters and our nation, such as:

1. We need to improve our education system so we can help our youth (& our future) survive in an increasingly competitive world;
2. Our workforce needs constant re-training to stay competitive;
3. We have become a nation of overweight and obese people, which makes it harder for us to compete and more importantly, will over burden an underfunded government medical system (aka Medicaid and Medicare);
4. We need to save more and rely less on our government; and
5. So on.
   

Instead I hear Ms. Brown pound the table on issues that pertain to her self-preservation, such as:

1. “Fair-districting” is unfair to her and
2. Political columnists do not have the 1st amendment right to freely state their opinion.
   

She is also very proud of her ability to raid the cookie jar to “deliver” handouts. These handouts increase our tax burden and led to a cycle of dependency, just like crack and meth. Some of these handouts amount to social welfare, but most amount to corporate welfare (i.e. earmarks), which it seems to me these executives so desperately seek for self (& wealth) preservation.

Fixing our nation will require us to replace our bad habits with good habits. It starts with us “just say[ing] no” to quote Nancy Reagan. I encourage these well-healed executives to help lead the way by example.

I walked the walks throughout the District to put a better representative in Washington and I will continue to walk the walk; I expect others that talk to talk to do the same. Conversely, if at anytime you believe that I have strayed, I expect you to hold me accountable as well.

One Is Known By The Company They Keep

Last week I met with some friends at Nikki’s Place, an Orlando soul food restaurant located in the district and pictured to the right. The friends were those that I made over the past year when I was on the campaign trail.

This is the second time I have eaten at Nikki’s. Each time the food has been, in a word: delicious. It seems I am not alone in my opinion. Nikki’s place has been nominated as one of the best soul food restaurants in Central Florida.

As I was paying my bill at the table, I was told of this distinction and asked to place my vote in favor of the restaurant online at www.gospelnow.net. This was unexpected and reminded me of a local incident about another firm giving away 'free meals.' It slipped out and I responded by asking our server with an innocent smile on my face if I would receive a coupon for a free meal for my vote.

While everyone at the table chuckled, my humorous jab at Corrine Brown’s recent gaffe bewildered our server. It seems she was unaware of Ms. Brown’s attempt to ** cough ** encourage people to vote. If she had then she had not consider it remarkable enough to give it a second thought.

Based on my observations and comments made by my friends, most in the community are unaware of Ms. Brown’s seemingly ethics violation and if they are, they are unaware that giving a paid inducement to vote is illegal.

One of my friends expressed a concern that when the news did become more widespread that it would give the black community 'bad press'. I understand and respect his fear because he is a proud man and rightly proud of his heritage. I responded to him that I thought the community could protect its pride by calling out Ms. Brown for her actions and deriding her for shedding negative light on the community. I believe if the community were to do that then it would most likely avoid a “black-eye” and possibly receive profound respect by the general population at large.

Post Toasties

No surprise. Corrine Brown soundly wins another term in Congress.

As we expected (please see my response to Bo’s comment pertaining to my ‘Yost Is Toast’ blog post) she handily beat Mike Yost. Ms. Brown received 61% of the vote. Mr. Yost received 36% of the vote and the remaining crumbs went to Terry Martin-Black.

These results line up with what our research predicted. As we noted 20% of the voters were undecided, but these voters lived in the inner city. These voters believe (correctly) Corrine Brown has accomplished little and more importantly feel she is an ineffective representative of the African-American community.

However, these voters chose her over Mr. Yost primarily because of Yost is of the 'wrong' party affiliation and that he did little to court their vote. I think the axiom, tried and true: "rather do business with the devil you know", holds true here.

Even though Ms. Brown won this election, her actions leading up to the election may put her in hot water. It seems she offered free meals for early voters. If this seeming ethics violation does not sink her career then we think the release of the Census results, and the decennial redistricting that follows, along with two amendments requiring the Florida Legislature to draw district boundaries without regard for partisanship that were approved by voters yesterday will go a long distance down the path of ending her vacation in Washington DC.

Yost Is Toast

Yesterday Florida held its primary elections. In the Primary election, Mike Yost, who thinks he should be representing Florida's Third Congressional District, won the Republican primary with 8,758 votes (or 45.8% of total). The Democratic incumbent, Corrine Brown won the Democratic primary with 34,292 votes (or 80% of total) over her opposition candidate. Even though Mr. Yost won here, sadly I think he should realize that he is toast.

The results indicate that Corrine Brown should easily win the general election in November. She received more votes than the total number votes cast for all Republican candidates plus her lone Democratic opponent, 34,292 versus 27,720 or 55% versus 45%.

Based on my research in the district, the swing vote is with those in the inner city, an area Mr. Yost seems afraid to tread. Case in point, just look at Mike's website. Even looking closely, it is very hard to find pictures of the faces of people that make up the core of the district. Additionally, he does little to address the specific core issues in the district, such as extremely high unemployment (3x the figure he uses), crime, broken families, etc., which may be a sign of the 'anti-incumbent' times. As I walked and talked in the pre-primary explorations I found that these local concerns are the issues that resonate in the swing voters. I say the following sadly for Mr. Yost (because he has worked hard), I believe he will end up like all the other Corrine Brown opponents, a Loser with a capital L.

Human Nature Led To The Oil Spill In The Gulf

It has now been three plus months since BP’s Macondo oil well began spilling oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill has had little immediate effect on the people living in Florida’s 3^rd Congressional District (FLCD-3); however, I believe the spill highlights the challenge we face in solving any problem, whether it is inner city poverty, unemployment or a disaster such as the oil spill. The challenge is us, more specifically, human nature.

In the case of the oil spill, BP is responsible, but so is the US federal government. The common element between these two entities is humans. Humans by nature want more of something (it) than less (i.e. greed), want it now versus later (i.e. impatient), and want it by incurring the least labor/cost (i.e. lazy). This type of human behavior has led to the invention of the remote TV control, the dishwasher, the washing machine, etc… This type of behavior has also led to the Macondo oil well spill.

BP wanted the well producing oil ASAP (i.e. greed & impatient). The company pursued actions that contained costs (i.e. greed & lazy) and allowed the company to proceed expeditiously, actions that in hindsight are now considered by all to be irresponsible. Obviously, BP forgot or just did not know my mother’s axiom, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Similarly, our federal government acted irresponsibly; the people running Minerals Management Service trusted the industry they were tasked to monitor instead of incurring the cost of time and labor to ensure proper oversight (i.e. lazy).

Government is not the solution. Neither is private enterprise. We, as individuals, are the solution. However, as individuals we can not solve large problems on our own, we need each other. As such, we should seek interdependence, but to achieve interdependence we should first seek independence. We must take responsibility for our own actions because once we do that, we can then hold others accountable for their actions and respect others who hold us accountable for own actions. Whether in private enterprise or government, I believe we will be able to achieve more when we all think of the consequences of our actions (i.e. cause and effect).

The question you may be asking is how does this all relate to FLCD-3? In the case of FLCD-3, the people need a hand-up, not a handout. Private enterprise will not do it because there is little money (i.e. greed) to be made in giving a hand-up; however, it is easier (i.e. lazy) for government to give a hand-out then designing/creating programs that help people stand on their own two feet.

It is in Corrine Brown’s best interest to "deliver" handouts to her constituents by taking other people's money (arguably those that live outside the district because they make more money than those in the district) via federal taxes because it keeps her in power (i.e. greed). I just wonder when her constituents will wise up to the difference between a handout and a hand-up and say enough is enough and seek more out of life (i.e. greed).

I suspect her constituents could care less where the money for the handouts comes from even though they should. I contend her constituents should care because I suspect it will become increasingly hard to take other people's money to continue these handouts. Once the handouts start to diminish, life will become harder. To paraphrase Margaret Thatcher, the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money.

I contend those with the money should also care. I believe it is in their best interest to ensure that folks in communities such as those like FLCD-3 receive hand-ups not handouts. Both cost money (via government taxes of middle and upper class Americans), but hand-ups will eventually produce dividends and will help reduce the demand on the middle and upper class to pay for future government programs. In other words, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Saving Lives vs. Rail Transportation

What is more important, saving lives or advocating railroad transportation? I asked myself that question after reading Teen pleads guilty in pizza murder in the Metro section of the April 23^rd, 2010 print edition of the Florida Times Union.

Obviously, saving lives is more important. However, for Corrine Brown I believe advocating railroad transportation is more important (Ms. Brown chairs the Railroad subcommittee of the Transportation committee; the only other committee she sits on is Veteran Affairs).

Without even asking Ms. Brown, I know she would whole-heartily disagree. Who would not? Is it not human nature to have some natural instinct to care for others? However, realities of our own individual lives may leads us to take action(s) in the near-term that conflicts with this natural instinct.

In the case of Ms. Brown and the Democratic Leadership, it made perfect sense to place her on the Transportation Committee when she was elected in 1992 for 2 reasons:

1. There are railroads, airports, ports and waterways in her district; and

2. She and the Democratic Party would more likely receive donation from companies and individuals in these sectors than they would in say….early childhood development, lifelong learning, and communities.

I do not fault the individuals and companies that have donated to Corrine Brown. I would expect them to. I am all for railroad transportation, but what I do expect is for my representative, Ms Brown, to focus on representing more of the district than a select few for her and her political party’s financial well being (I say political party because the Republican Party is just as guilty). If she truly cared about the district then she would have found a way to be on a committee that would have a greater positive impact on the citizens of Florida’s 3^rd Congressional District (CD-3).

The following table shows all the committees our representatives could sit on (can click on chart to enlarge).

Based on what you may know of CD-3, which do you think would be appropriate? When I surveyed voters in the district, an overwhelming majority selected Education and Labor first. Transportation was typically fourth on the list after Financial Services and Small Business.

If I have not helped you convince yourself, please look at the subcommittees for Education and Labor and Transportation shown below and think about which would have the most impact on the people in CD-3 (can click on chart to enlarge).

Back to the above mentioned news article. The story is similar to most news articles pertaining to CD-3, young black person commits a crime ….. Sometimes, news outlets report about community representatives (ministers, social workers, community activists, etc..) that speak out against the police for either going over the line or not doing enough to prevent such a crime. I could lead into personal responsibility, family unity, etc…being most important in preventing crimes, but the purpose of this bog entry is show that Ms. Brown could have done more. I could go as far as to say that she has blood on her hands. However, she is like most of our elected officials in Washington. She is concerned more about donations and running for office than doing what is right.

For the past 18 years she has spent approximately 10,000 hours (or 5 years if one assumes a full-time career) on transportation matters. Just think, if she spent that same amount of time on the Education and Labor committee then is possible that one life in the district could have been saved? I definitely think so and it is just example on why we need term limits. She and the Democratic Party are obviously not going to change. She is too well entrenched. Term limits would force her out and give us the opportunity to have better representation.

Term Limits = Voices Heard

Have you ever thought about the one thing that we can do today to help solve a large percentage of the problems associated with our Congress? I have, a lot. I conclude it is quite simple. We vote for candidates that support term limits. To better understand my thesis, I will explain the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ below.

The ‘Why’

The key benefit of term limits is that more candidates will run, which means that there will be a greater chance that our voices will be heard in Washington.

When was the last time that Corrine Brown went door to door as aggressively as I did? The answer was back in the 1990s. She now spends her time supporting special interest (her donors: individuals & PACs) possibly at places like football games. More specifically, she primarily supports railroads.

Should she not support early childhood development, lifelong learning, and communities? Yes, but there is no money in these areas, but there is money in railroads.

She has used the community’s goodwill to her and to her financial supporters best interest. No serious contender has run against her in a decade because the powers-to-be in the community (i.e. ministers, community activists, etc…) have not held her accountable, which is a crying shame.

However, Corrine Brown is not much different than most other representatives. Our representatives bow to these well-funded interests because they need the donations to stay in office. It is a win/win/lose situation. The candidate wins, the special interest wins (see below) because they know it is hard to vote out an incumbent absent a scandal and the community loses (District 3 still has high poverty, high unemployment, high crime, etc.).

Special Interest Wins

If not convinced, please think about this. Why do young, healthy people that choose to be uninsured now have to pay for insurance? Short answer, the well-funded interest (in this case, the insurance industry) paid-off your representative (through campaign donations) to make it happen in the recently passed healthcare bill. As a result of this bill, government will grow, which means we will pay higher taxes. One of those taxes will be hidden in the cost medical devices, which will be passed on to all consumers through insurance premiums.

If not railroads or healthcare, it will be something else in favor of well-funded interests until we receive term limits.

I know I have not connected the dots as well as I could, so I reserve the right to keep coming back to this point.

The ‘How’

Support is action, not talk. Once in office, our representative’s top priority should be term limits, similar to our current President’s making healthcare his top priority.

We know it will be a top priority when our elected officials do whatever they can to create a bill, vote on the bill and pass the bill to add an amendment to our Constitution whereby members of Congress can serve only ‘x’ number of terms. We will know it is a top priority when:

1. We see them on C-SPAN at 10:30 PM EST speaking on the floor with the same fervor that current members spoke about healthcare the past six months;

2. The Speaker of the House stands on the steps of the Capital and makes a proclamation that the bill is great for America similar to what the current Speaker did in support of healthcare; and

3. Other similar visible acts.

If we do not see such actions then we know it is not a top priority and we must act accordingly. We most vote for the best challenger that indicates that they will help create and vote for such a bill. If they fail to do so after being elected then we must act again. We vote for the best challenger (I do not care if the challenger is not as smart, not as nice, etc..All I care about is putting term limits in place). We keep doing this until our members of Congress are subject to term limits. It is that simple.

Last Thought

The Founders of our nation did not have to contend with term limits because life expectancy 200+ years took care of that.

How Does SunRail Benefit The People?

In Orlando today, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, U.S. Congresswoman Corrine Brown and U.S. Congressman John Mica hosted US Department of Transportation Secretary Ray H. LaHood for a briefing session on the status of high-speed rail in Florida. More specifically, Secretary LaHood was there to put pressure on Florida to fund the SunRail project (a central Florida commuter rail system) so it has a greater chance to win federal funding for a high-speed rail system.

Even though I advocate rail transportation, the thing that bothers me about SunRail and the initial leg of the proposed high-speed rail in Florida is that it provides very, very little benefit to those in Florida Congressional District 3 (CD-3). All this show and tell as seen in this photo makes me wonder whom my Congresswoman is really representing? I do not think it is the citizens of CD-3.

If she were truly representing us in Washington, she would be focusing all her hard work and dedication on those things that would provide a greater impact to our community such as:
1. Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education,
2. Healthy Families and Communities, and
3. Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness.

Blind Leading the Blind

Monday August 24, Clay County Democratic Executive Committee hosted a town hall meeting with Florida Congressional District 3 (CD-3) Representative, Congresswoman Brown. As expected, discussion centered on healthcare reform. Even though the meeting was open to the public, approximately only 100 people were in attendance. The small crowd and Ms. Brown can be seen in the photo below.


The low turnout either indicates that people have little interest in what is occurring in Washington (which is not a positive sign) or that the meeting notice was not as well publicized as initially thought. Fortunately, the meeting was civil and there were few disruptions.

To my dismay, Ms. Brown demonstrated that she has very little understanding of economics and current events based on the following anecdotal evidence:

1. She mentioned that she was saddened that Florida had some of the highest unemployment and foreclosure rates in the country and verbally indicated she did not know why. I would expect my representative to know that Florida’s economy in based in part on tourism and when that dries up due to a sour economy, people lose jobs and when people are unemployed an extended period of time, they are more at risk of losing their home to foreclosure.

2. When she took an informal poll asking the attendees what they wanted in a healthcare bill, one commented that Medicare should be expanded to all, which drew praise from the crowd. I was hoping that someone would ask the hard follow up question about Medicare's funding status (I would have, but only Democrats were allowed to ask questions). I expected Congresswoman Brown to educate the attendees that the Medicare program is at risk of going insolvent, but she did not and I wonder why. I suspect she does not know because she did share negative news about other programs earlier in the meeting. As such, I believe this is a classic case of the blind leading the blind, which is extremely troubling for us long term. I do not expect citizens to know the details of federal government programs, but I think it is imperative that our elected representatives do.

I am not against government providing a healthcare solution or any solution for that matter if it works, but I have yet to see a successful government program implemented on a large scale over an extended period of time. However, I commend our current President for wanting to tackle the situation. We need more of these types of discussions because I believe they serve to educate the populace. With a more informed populace, we should be able to, as a society, make better decisions. Some of those decisions would include prioritizing our spending and saying no to the lower priority items.

What I find interesting with the current discussion on healthcare is that I have yet to hear much talk about fixing Medicare and its cousin, Social Security, which I think is important before expanding government healthcare to all. Both of these social programs will be stressed (even without adding the additional stress of a nationalized healthcare system) in the next two decades due to baby boomers at a time when we will be:

1. Trying to handle one of the largest debt loads the nation has ever faced; and

2. Trying to maintain our supremacy as an economic powerhouse when an ever-strengthening China will surely challenge us.

I understand the need to make healthcare affordable for all, especially for the working class and the uninsurable. If our leadership is blind, as my current representation appears to be, I suggest we go slowly. Conversely, if we want to go fast as our President seems to indicate then I suggest CD-3 needs new representation that has a better problem solving skills and a better understanding of economics.