Hernando County Song

If you missed the opening Karaoke contest between the county commissions at the Hernando County Fair, Commissioner Stabins that took the prize with a tune he penned for the occasion. Commissioner Rocco gets an honorable mention for her rendition of Dolly Pardon, dressed in full make-up and costume. Commissioner Kingsley participated even though he didn't sing, unlike Commissioners Russell and Rowden who were "no shows" for this light hearted event to kick off the Fair.

Here is the tune composed by Jeff Stabins' Hernando County version of "I've Been Everywhere.

"I was toting my pack along the dusty Weeki Wachee road
When along came a semi with a high canvas covered load"
If you're going to Weeki Wachee, Mack, with me you can ride"
And so I climbed into the cab and then I settled down inside
He asked me if I'd ever seen so much limerock and sand
And I said, "Listen, Hutch! I've traveled every road in this here land!

"I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the sandhills bare, man
I've breathed that Osowa air, man
Hernando County Fair, man
I've been everywhere

I've been to:

Istachatta
Aripeka
Every place that's in between a'

Brooksville
Spring Hill
Rerdell and Chassahowitzka

Brookridge
High Point
Hammock that is Ann'teliga

Ridge Manor
Rich Loam
Bayport and Chicochatta

Glen Lakes
Garden Grove
Timber Pines and Pineola

Silverthorn
Silver Ridge
Silver Hills, not Silver dolla'

(Repeat Refrain)

I've been to:

Spring Lake
Hunter's Lake
Bystre Lake and Neff Lake

Citrus Lake
Mountain Lake
Long Lake, Lower Lake

Oak Lake
Gold Lake
How 'bout Squirrel Prairie Lake?

Mud Lake
Nicks Lake
Tooke Lake, Sparkman Lake

Irwin Lake
Silver Lake
Stafford Lake and Tank Lake

McKeethan
LakeOriole
LakeBagwell Lake, for Pete's sake

(Repeat refrain)

I've been to:

Nobleton
Wiscon
Talisman, East Linden

Springwod
Tanglewood
Rainbow Woods, Dogwood

Sherman Hills
Seven Hills
Hernando Beach, Southern Hills

Masaryktown
Oak Sound
Cloverleaf and Downtown

Royal Highlands
Royal Hills
Royal Oaks, Pine Island

River Country
River Heights
River Run and Hexam Heights

(Repeat refrain)

I've been to:

Lake Lindsey
Lake Village
Lake View, Lakeside Village

Lake in the Woods
Barony Woods
Amber Woods, Amidon Woods

Hill 'n Dale
Croom Rital
Withlacoochee State Trail

Woodland Waters
Rolling Acres
Highland Acres, Happy Acres

Brooksville
Spring Hill
Rerdell and Chassahowitzka

Istachatta
Aripeka
Every place that's in between 'a

(Repeat refrain, then pass out)

Hinders women's rights

Except for the rarest cases, Rep. Ron Schultz disagrees that a sonogram is medically necessary to perform an abortion. In the Hernando Today, Rep. Schultz said, "I don't believe that government should ever mandate a medical procedure. Medical procedures should be done for medical reasons."

Medical procedures should only be done for medical reasons, not for political reasons, as in the case of Florida House that voted 75-40 on Wednesday for approval to require women to have sonograms before undergoing abortions. This bill was meant to intimidate women and could potentially cause great harm to those unable to pay for mandated sonograms.

Rep. Schulz indicated that this is a measure by anti-abortion lawmakers to add an obstacle to prevent women from having this procedure. Senator Fasano criticized Rep. Schultz' vote and said show me where in the bill it hinders women's right to an abortion.

Here's a few examples, Senator Fasano. What happens in a circumstance in which a woman cannot pay for a sonogram because she is uninsured or does not have the necessary funds? Are these 75 lawmakers in the Florida House going to pay for the long term medical needs of this woman. In the event of rape or incest by a family member who is going to pay for this procedure, Senator Fasano? Are these 75 lawmakers going to pay for the long-term related costs to raise an unwanted child to adulthood?

This bill mandates medical care without a medical license. Too bad the Florida Legislature cannot be held responsible for malpractice claims. These 75 Republican lawmakers just don't get it. Rep. Ron Schultz(R) should be commended for his vote on this legislation...

Truth in advertising

"Candidate admits mistake" or so says the subtitle for the article about Jaz Zydenbos' campaign finance reporting to the Supervisor of Elections office. Apparently, Mr. Zydenbos did not report expenditures for some professional-looking campaign flyers that he distributed at Christmas party during the last quarter reporting period which was required by the SOE's office.

Mr. Zydenbos stated in the newspaper article that he believed the flyers were for in-kind contributions and not hard cash donations. He went on to say that he was not aware of the requirement to include in-kind contributions on campaign finance reports and pushed the blame on novice of his campaign treasurer.

Commissioner David Russell said he didn't believe this would justify a state investigation because candidates sometime forget about campaign expenditures. "These things happen and that why candidates have to ability to file amended returns should an oversight occur", stated David Russell. This is a very logical explanation from Mr. Russell but the circumstances of Mr. Zybendos reporting does not seem to fit into this parameter.

Why did these campaign flyers of Mr. Zybendos's have a disclosure statement saying this political advertising paid for and approved by Jaz Zybendos, candidate for Hernando County Commission, district 1 when he stated in the Hernando Today that these flyer's were in-kind contributions, not produced by cash donations or hard money. If these flyers were, indeed, in-kind contributions then his flyer disclosure statement would have to reflect that verbiage to be correct for the filing requirements at the SOE's office.

Somehow Mr. Zybendos' truth-in-advertising got lost in his explanation...

***Yesterday, I contacted the SOE's office in regards to the questions on Mr. Zybendos' filing requirements which were raised in the Hernando Today. This is the response, in part, that I recieved by email from the SOE's office concerning my questions:

This morning Mr. Zydenbos filed an amendment to his Q4 report (cover period October 1, 2007 - December 31, 2007). This report does show an in-kind contribution for post cards.

I have left a message for Mr. Zydenbos to call me regarding the article Mike Bates (Hernando Today) wrote, however, I have not heard back from him yet. I did speak to his treasurer (Teri Lyons). She said he will provide a written statement to the SOE office explaining why the "original" flyers had the incorrect disclaimer (as reported by the Hernando Today). The statement will also explain that the "second run/re-run" of the flyer has been "corrected" to show the right disclaimer.

Core supporters

The article titled, "Veteran rally goes on" in this morning's edition of the Hernando Today forgot to include the most pertinent piece of information. This article should have revealed that only 3 to 4 individuals attended to support Mr. John Russell's dog and pony show that had attempted to defame Congresswoman Ginny Brown Waite's record on veterans issues. The only veteran that did speak on the courthouse steps certainly did not present a representative opinion of veterans issues for our community. In fact, the gentleman that spoke had traveled to our community from Lakeland.

Congresswoman Ginny Brown Waite had a few core supporters standing on the courthouse steps beside her husband, Harvey. The positive influence of these supporters seemed to put a damper on Mr. Russell's event. What was most troubling about this political rally was the lack of any visible support from the local Republican Executive Committee. Since this was advertised as a political rally in the media, one would logically assume that the chairwoman and state committeeman of the local republican party would be on hand but they were no where to be seen at this event.

Only entity

I have only one question after reading the headline story in this morning's Hernando Today titled, "Veterans called to rally at Brown-Waite's office." Just who gave Chief Turner the authority to waive insurance and bonding requirements for John Russell's political rally? The only entity that has the authority to waive these requirements is the Brooksville City Council...

Pork barrel

Our local county commissioners should be livid over the article in this morning's Metro Section of the St. Petersburg Times. Livid because their feet are currently being held to fire to cut spending by over $9.2 million dollars and the state Legislature is oblivious to the budget shortfalls.

Steve Bousquet, Tallahassee Bureau Chief for the Times wrote an in-depth article on the Florida House leader's plan to allow the use of emergency funds before a deficit is declared at the state level. This hard hitting article detailed a plan being hatched by House Speaker Marco Rubio to give Governor Crist and the Legislative Budget Commission the ability to spend money in the Budget Stabilization Fund and the Lawton Chiles Endowment if the state's checkbook dips below $200 million.

The lawmakers stressed this amendment is crucial for us to have in our state budget. The main reason for the change is because our lawmakers would not have to return to Tallahassee for any cost cutting special sessions in an election year. It seems our lawmakers want an easy button to clear the way for their earmarks and pet projects to impress their electorate.

One item that should really impress all conservatives is the proposed $2 million regional hurricane shelter in Hudson set aside by Senator Mike Fasano. If you're not impressed with this proposed earmark then you will not be impressed with Senator Fasano who has proposed this facility be named after him. Conservatives everywhere are beginning to wonder if Mr. Fasano is related to Senator Byrd of West Virginia, the true king of pork barrel projects.

Apparently the good times will continue to roll for our Florida Legislature because they have discovered an innovative way to put their hand into the "reserve cookie jar" to pander to the public...

Bigger picture...

"Homeowner bailout serves the greater good" or so read the Hernando Times editorial column yesterday. Is flood prone property a problem for all of us? Yes, but FEMA money should not be used to buy up swamp land. Period.

It should be noted that those of us who do not agree with these buyouts of swamp land by FEMA, through our local Emergency Management, have considered the "bigger picture." The government should not be buying swamp land, swamp land that we, as county residents, will have to maintain into its perpetuity. FEMA should be requiring homeowners to bring their flooded residences up to current national flood standards with the first claim, even if it means elevating (the structure) to prevent further flooding of the structure. If the homeowner refuses to comply with federal flood standards then their flood insurance should become null and void. Period.

Local repairs

Over the last several weeks, CSX Railroad has been replacing railroad ties through out downtown Brooksville. The traffic has been re-routed in the downtown district to accommodate CSX Railroad's maintenance project. Hernando County Department of Public Works and the city of Brooksville's DPW are replacing the asphalt and road base at the rail crossings. CSX Railroad takes the position that the roads were built over their tracks so it is the responsibility of Hernando County government and the city of Brooksville to make the road repairs. The taxpayers are ultimately held responsible for these costs for the numerous man-hours and materials used at the road crossings, such as those repairs at Main Street, Martin Luther King Blvd and Jefferson Street, repairs that should be the responsibility of CSX Railroad.

Not only are the taxpayers being held responsible for these local repairs at rail crossings but now the Florida Senate is preparing to give approximately $650 million to CSX Railroad, a for-profit company, in a year with state and local budget shortfalls. After reading Senator Paula Dockery's newsletter, it is apparent that no legislative committee has reviewed the details of this appropriation, nor has there been any legislative oversight in this deal between Florida Department of Transportation and CSX. This deal is getting its political muscle from Orlando legislators, according to Senator Dockery who is fighting this appropriation. This $650 million appropriation to CSX is an addition to yearly operating and maintenance dollars for the railroad from the state coffers.

Senator Paula Dockery has sponsored SB 2512. This bill will ensure legislative oversight for transportation projects of FDOT over $75 million. Senator Dockery needs to be commended for her effort of oversight of this CSX Railroad project along, and the overall oversight of our tax dollars being spent in FDOT. Local government needs to stand behind Senator Dockery and request that some of this FDOT revenue to replenish their budgets for the cost of the repairs at the CSX rail crossings.

Hosed

"Flooding washes away debt" was the title of the article that ran Sunday in the Hernando Times. The title should have read "Taxpayers get hosed in deal with Emergency Management". Hernando County Emergency Management director, Tom Leto purchased a property in foreclosure, located at 5291 Tropical Point in Hernando Beach, from John Parrott for approximately $214,000 more than the market value. Mr. Leto's stated his reason for buying this, and other repetitive-loss properties by saying, "We must do our part to mitigate the risk". Mr. Leto went on to say in this article that Hernando County citizens receive a bonus for buying up this swamp land with bonus points awarded by FEMA for our flood rating.

Where did FEMA get this money to buy private property and take it off the tax rolls? Our wallets, of course. Has anyone checked the substantial rate increases in their flood insurance premiums this year? My flood insurance has gone up 185% over last year's rate, without even filing a claim.

Mr. Leto stated the deal was fair amount for John Parrott, according to the rules of the grant, but said "we didn't want him to leave with money in his pocket." Maybe Mr. Leto should leave real estate transactions to the professionals because he didn't leave any money in our wallets either...

Spring

Please embrace this wonderful weather we are having and enjoy your day. Here is traditional Japanese Haiku verse I have written to welcome the first day of spring:

Small delicate buds
Burst of color explosion
Life peeks through the snow

Welcome

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the new county administrator, David Hamilton to Hernando County. Hopefully, his tenure as our administrator will be long and prosperous for not only him but the citizens of Hernando County.

Welcome, Mr. Hamilton, and good luck in the coming weeks and months as you begin to tackle the necessary budget reductions that face Hernando County government.

Few more notches

After last year's record tax reductions by Hernando County Commissioners, they are still faced with additional, necessary reductions of over $9 million in their budget this year. Even though the "ax the tax' crowd has advocated slashing government services to the bone it will take careful budgetary reductions to meet this goal. The citizens and businesses of Hernando County have pulled in the belt a few more notches and it is good to see that several of our commissioners are being just as fiscally prudent with our local tax dollars.

Several weeks ago Commissioner David Russell discussed the numerous paid holidays for county employees as a method of reduction. He related his experience as a local business owner with the commission discussion, stating private business could not afford 12 paid holidays a year, nor could they afford pay increases with the down turn in the economy.

Yesterday, Commissioner Stabins said the plan to strengthen the Withlacoochee Regional Water Supply Authority made him sick to his stomach. David Russell jumped on board to say they want streamlined government services and do not want to grow the bureaucracy.

It is great to see these commissioners saw the redundancy in government services for this plan. Sometimes less is more when it comes to the fiduciary responsibility of our county government leaders. Kudos to David Russell and Jeff Stabins for standing up for the conservative principals of smaller government.

Shabby accounting...

Give away the fairgrounds? Not so fast, other commissioners say, or so goes the headline in this morning's Hernando Times. It seems that Commissioner Russell had urged his fellow commissioners to give the buildings and land at the fairgrounds site to the Hernando County Fair Association to remedy lease problems, disputes and squabbles of the past. Giving away taxpayers land has become a simple solution for Commissioner Russell. Common sense should dictate that before any discussion take place for the disposal of county properties, a complete commercial appraisal should be completed to determine the fair market value of this 35+ acres of prime real estate at the fairgrounds.

Does anyone recall the 10 acres of prime real estate in downtown Brooksville that was sold to a developer by the Hernando County government last year? It was the old hospital site on Ponce de Leon which sold for $1.2 million. This transaction occurred after Commissioner Russell urged his fellow commissioners that this was the best cure for the problems at the old hospital site. This site was sold without a commercial appraisal so no one will ever know if this was a "good deal" for county taxpayers.

Possibly the county commissioners should use their time more productively by reviewing another long term lease on county property. The combined county lease for Brooksville Regional Hospital, Spring Hill Regional Hospital and Pinebrook Medical Center has a "not to exceed" clause of approximately $980,000 year which includes a maximum of $500k for any increases in property taxes over a 40 year period. It is a little difficult to understand why this lease wouldn't be considered "shabby accounting" from the taxpayer's perspective when Oak Hill Hospital paid in an excess of $1.1 million in Ad Valorem taxes for their single site in 2007. Maybe the county commissioners should give this property back to Brooksville Regional's parent company HMA so this corporation will pay its fair share of Ad Valorem to the county coffers...

Doo Wop fun

Tommy Mara & Legends of Doo Wop will appear at the Palace Grand on April 27, 2008 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. for an event to raise money for the Hernando County Fine Arts Council. All proceeds from this fundraiser will be earmarked for their monthly Bandshell Bash concerts in downtown Brooksville which are always free to the public. The Hernando County Fine Arts is selling advanced tickets for this event, plus advertising space, to raise funds. Tickets can be purchased in advanced by contacting the fundraising committee (below). Businesses are encouraged to support the arts in our community by advertising at this event. Political candidate advertising will also be welcomed for this fundraiser. For more details, please contact:

Hernando County Fine Arts Council
Mary Jane Russell, Executive Director
352-754-4788

Committee Members:
Gloria Olson – 352-592-1013
Susan Rupe – 352-585-3741

Meet & greet...

John Druzbick, candidate for Hernando County Commission, district 3, will be hosting a fun, meet and greet at Weeki Wachee Springs on Saturday, April 5th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. John's event will provide free admission, free food and free entertainment. What more could you ask for? The price is right for an evening to get to know John Druzbick and to hear about his proposed goals for our county. Please RSVP to 597-1443 or contact John through his website which is located at http://www.druzbick08.com/

Fresh, new face

Late yesterday afternoon, I received a visit at my office from Billy Healis. Mr. Healis is a fresh, new face in the district 5, county commission race, competing as a republican. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by Mr. Healis. He seemed to take the campaign challenge facing him into stride as he answered several of my pertinent questions.

Mr. Healis grew up in Hernando County and currently works as the Community Involvement Coordinator & Training Manager for Wal Mart Distribution on Kettering Road. When I asked why he chose to run for county commission, he said he wanted the best for Hernando County citizens, mentioning the future for his children and others in our community. Mr. Healis said that he was married with two small children.

Mr. Healis stated that his schedule is very flexible at Wal Mart Distribution which would leave plenty of time to run his campaign. He also indicated that if he is successful in his bid for county commission, he will continue his employment at Wal Mart Distribution. This should not be a problem since the county commission position is considered to be part time, even though many past, and present, commissioners have used it for their full time employment.

I'm looking forward to seeing Mr. Healis in the coming months as he develops his campaign messages. It would be a refreshing change to see a republican voted into the district 5, county commission seat after many years of dominance by democrats. Historically speaking, a republican has not been elected in district 5 since 1988. Maybe this year we will see Billy Healis as the republican nominee of choice to give the democrats a run for their money!

Encore...

The Hernando County Republican Executive Committee held their 38th Annual Lincoln Day Dinner at the Palace Grand last night. A good size crowd was in attendance for this event even though it was not a record turn out when comparing it to those held in past years. Bob Haa, radio commentator for WWJB, was the Master of Ceremony for the event, with the keynote speaker being Congressman Adam Putman from Polk County.

Jim Greer, chairman for the RPOF, was on hand to give a pep talk to the attendees on standing behind our republican nominee for president, John McCain. Yes, this is the same Jim Greer, that wrote conservative movement off as dead several weeks ago by using the term "stale air" for those that criticized our governor for his endorsement of the McCain campaign before our primary election.

Congressman Putman gave a dynamic speech focusing on the gridlock in Congress that has been created by Nancy Peloisi, the Speaker of the House. Rep. Putman discussed the economy along with the need for responsible health care. Congressman Putman's motivational speech brought the crowd to their feet at the conclusion with a standing ovation. Almost like a rock star, he came back for an encore with some additional words of encouragement as the crowd jumped to their feet again in loud applause.

Dinner was finally served after the completion of the invited speakers around 8:15 p.m. The food was excellent but lukewarm at best because it had sat in warming trays throughout the speeches. The low temperature and late hour of the dinner service was due to the agenda schedule of the HCREC, not the staff of Palace Grand.

Many candidates were attendance for this big night, with each being introduced by the master of ceremonies at the beginning of the event. Sheriff Nugent, and his lovely wife Wendy, were in attendance, as well Commissioner Jeff Stabins and Alvin Mazourek, Hernando County Property Appraiser. Some new names in the candidate line-up included Mr. Healis for county commission, district 5 and his opponent Michael J. Robinson. County commission candidate, John Druzbick was making the rounds last night with information on a free event he will be having in early April at Weeki Wachee.

State Committeewoman Gail Samples was presented a beautiful plaque for her dedication and hard work on the absentee committee. This award was made even more special by the surprise attendance of all three of Gail's sons for the presentation.

The final item on the agenda was the Free Enterprise Award which was given to Snow and Bell Insurance. Gene Bell was on hand with many of his family members to accept this award. Many people were already drifting out of the hall when this award was presented since it was the last item on the agenda. Maybe next year the order of the agenda will be revised by the HCREC board of directors after more thought is given to the sequence of events at last night's dinner.

It was nice to see some old friends in attendance last night and savor the memories we have all hold as republicans in Hernando County.

Yes or no...

The November General Election Ballot will include a referendum question titled the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment. Voting yes on this amendment, per the exact ballot language, would protect marriage as the legal union of only one man and one woman, as husband and wife, and provide that no other legal union is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized. In plain language, this amendment provides for the marriage of only one man to marry one woman while prohibiting legal unions. In short, this Florida Marriage Protection Amendment would strictly prohibit the legal unions between consenting individuals if they are not classified as one man and one woman, thus eliminating any homosexual unions.

The Florida Family Action Committee's founder, John Stemberger acted as the chairperson of the political action committee Florida4marriage.org to push this amendment onto the 2008 General Election Ballot. In the three year process, the total donations to this PAC totaled $440,107. The largest contributor to this initiative was the Republican Party of Florida, with their donations in the amount of $300,000. The Florida Baptist Convention donated $30,000, with the Florida Catholic Conference giving $45,500 to push this issue. It should be noted that Dr. James Dobson's group, the Focus on Family from Colorado Springs contributed $13,500 to this cause while the Florida Family Action Committee gave $14,308. There was about $62,000 in smaller contributions to this PAC.

The large donors for the Florida Marriage Protection amendment should give everyone a clear picture of the overtone of this amendment, with the numerous religious organizations on board, with the Republican Party of Florida who is the largest contributor.

Before voting on this ballot initiative, please ask yourself the following questions. If you are married, or have a significant other of the opposite sex, have you ever felt threatened by someone in a homosexual relationship? If so, there is a term for your fear. It is called homophobia which is the fear of, or contempt for, lesbians and gay men. This prejudice is considered bigotry in today's standards when describing someone who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own. In other words, its bigotry.

Does our Florida Constitution really need this amendment or is it just another far, right wing proposal to control our lives? To protect all the citizens of this state, civil unions should be considered into the equation, in addition to the protection of marriage clause being proposed on this upcoming amendment.

Political stunt...

After reading the lead story in this morning's Hernando Times, "Democrats sense an opening" by John Frank, this phrase immediately came to mind. "I told you so". This entire episode has been an media-driven story to fuel the democrats liberal agenda. Does any remember the editorial last month condemning Congresswoman Ginny Brown Waite for her press release? I do. In fact, in a previous post of mine, I wrote: "This is selective nitpicking of our republican congresswoman. If a democrat had made a similar statement in a press release it would have flown under the radar without even a whisper from the media".

Mr. Frank's story referencing last week's political demonstration was accurately described in his second paragraph and would have been believable if it had not been for the last sentence (in that paragraph). Words like fiery crowd, megaphone, political signs were all accurate but where were the myriad of American flags? The headline photographs last week had the protesters proudly parading with Puerto Rican banners, flags and political signs, not a myriad of American flags that were few and far between with these protesters.

Another point that should be emphasized in Mr. Frank's article was that Jay Rowden was standing on the steps of the courthouse. Mr. Rowden was apparently in attendance at this rally with Orange County Democrat Executive Chairman, Bill Robinson his democrat counter-part from across the state. In my post last week "Partisan stunt costs Hernando County," I called for the reimbursement of taxpayer money for this political stunt. I stand behind my call for reimbursement of this political rally to Hernando County taxpayers.

It needs to be noted that Jay Rowden is the husband of Hernando County Commissioner Diane Rowden. Commissioner Rowden is directly responsible for the financial oversight of taxpayer money along with her fellow commissioners. It will be interesting to see if she stands up at tomorrow's commission meeting to insist that Democrat Executive Committee's from Hernando and Orange Counties be held responsible for the costs incurred to the taxpayers for last week's political rally.

Prayers

This morning, I learned from Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite, via a personal email, that her husband Harvey is critically ill with cancer and will require on-going treatment. In a press release from her office several minutes ago, Ginny thanked everyone for their kind words and prayers while asking for some privacy while they deal with Harvey's medical issues in the coming days.

My thoughts are with Harvey and Ginny during this most difficult time in their life. I will keep Harvey in my prayers for a speedy recovery. Please do the same...

Partisan stunt costs Hernando County

As a Brooksville business owner, I find today's action by a handful of out-of-county, partisan protesters from Orlando an insult to me, as a taxpayer who pays city and county taxes. Our city and county leaders need to immediately send an invoice for cost of the safety personnel on hand for this partisan stunt by the chairman of the Orange County Democrat Executive Committee, Bill Robinson. The city of Brooksville and Hernando County government are struggling to cover our needs, with a limited budgets, in this repressed economy. As a taxpayer, I wholeheartedly agree with Congresswoman Brown-Waite's call for the reimbursement for theses cost but I will go one step farther by saying the local DEC should cover these incurred costs if our out of town guests fail to meet their obligations to our county. Below is Rep. Brown-Waite press release concerning reimbursement:

REP. BROWN-WAITE CALLS ON ORANGE COUNTY DEMOCRAT LEADERS TO REIMBURSE HERNANDO COUNTY FOR WASTING THEIR TIME AND LIMITED RESOURCES

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Representative Ginny Brown-Waite (FL-05) today called on Orange County Democrat Party leaders to reimburse Hernando County for the cost of mobilizing their police force, of cordoning off a significant downtown area, and disrupting County and City government business. Protest leaders originally notified the Fire Department that 1,000-plus people would attend. Yesterday they “confirmed” with the City that 417 protesters would be arriving in multiple coach style buses outside the County Courthouse. As of 12:45 pm today, approximately 35 people had arrived, joining 15 or so people who drove themselves, wasting the time and resources of County, City and State law enforcement. All told, Brooksville City Police, Florida Highway Patrol, Hernando County Sheriff’s Department and Fire Department put in countless wasted hours preparing for today’s disruptions.

“Just this morning our hometown newspaper ran a story about the County Commission laying off dozens of county workers, with the prospect of more layoffs in the future,” said Rep. Brown-Waite. “Given the anemic turnout at my office today, I can come to no other conclusion than Orange County Democrat leaders were misleading Hernando County law enforcement about the size of their “protest” in efforts to generate press coverage of what now appears to be nothing more than a Democrat political rally on government property today. Perhaps someone in the State legislature can look for ways to protect municipalities from similar partisan groups like this one from raiding county coffers in the future.

“I also read published reports that visitors from Melbourne and Orlando were charged $15 to ride the lone bus to my office. If they claim to have had 400-plus people pay the money, and then showed up with only one busload of about 30 people, they should have thousands of dollars lying around unused to reimburse the various police and fire departments for their time and energy. Otherwise this “protest” is nothing more than a long distance Party fundraiser for Orange County Democrats.

“If Bill Robinson and his fellow event organizers are at all concerned about the fiscal welfare of the County and local law enforcement, they will immediately contact the Hernando County Sheriff’s and Fire Department, the City Police and the Florida Highway Patrol to reimburse them for the cost of supplying extra officers at their protest today. If Mr. Robinson does not make the law enforcement officials whole again, I would urge Hernando County Democratic Party Chairman Jay Rowden to speak up and tell our out of district friends to stop wasting precious County resources.”

Reponse from GBW to protesters

Below is a press release from the office of Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite in response to today's politically motivated protest in downtown Brooksville which was organized by the Orange County Democrat Executive Committee:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Charlie Keller
February 28, 2008

REP. BROWN-WAITE DEFENDS FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

Congresswoman Invites All 5th District Constituents to Meet With Staff and Share Their Views

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Representative Ginny Brown-Waite (FL-05) today released the following statement regarding the protests outside her Brooksville district office.

“I send a warm welcome to all the protesters on their visit to Hernando County,” said Rep. Brown-Waite. “I think it is wonderful that some Floridians have come so far to see our City of Brooksville. I hope that during their day in Hernando County the protesters can find the time to spend some of their anticipated tax rebate checks with local businesses. And, if the group needs to cool off, I recommend that they head down the road to Weeki Wachee for a fun afternoon at our water park.

“It is disappointing that the Orlando partisan race hustlers who traveled to Hernando County today have chosen to continue the politics of division. Tax policy should not be something that divides America along racial or party lines. When you have protesters like the ones here today, however, factual issues are obscured and the focus shifts to name-calling and angry partisan rhetoric. I was embarrassed to read in the newspaper today that Orange County Democratic Party Chairman Bill Robinson is apparently so misinformed about how Florida residents want seniors’ Social Security taxes to be used that he feels it is ok to take retirement incomes from my senior constituents and give it away to those who don’t pay federal income taxes. If that is truly how he feels, I am happy to have that debate, any time, any where. Rather than discussing whether people who don’t pay federal taxes should get a check from my constituents, however, Democrats have once again chosen race-based hysteria.

“I would also like to point out that the use of the word foreign to describe the tax status of people living in the American possessions was entirely accurate. According to the Internal Revenue Code, section 7701(a) 9 defines the "United States," for tax purposes, to include only the fifty states and the District of Columbia. Further, section 901(a) provides a foreign tax credit; section 901(b) defines it to include taxes paid to the possessions (which include Puerto Rico). Finally, sections 7701(a) 4 and 5 define "domestic" and "foreign" corporations as corporations chartered in the United States or abroad, respectively.

“Taken together, these sections of Internal Revenue Code make it clear that people and corporations located in possessions of the United States are considered foreign for tax purposes. In my original statement, and in following statements, I have been consistent that we need to debate who should receive a tax rebate in times of budget deficits and a slowing economy. The facts, no matter how loudly anyone shouts otherwise, remain the facts. The American citizens who live and work in Puerto Rico do not pay federal income taxes to the United States Treasury. My constituents do not believe that Puerto Rico residents should receive tax rebate checks. That debate is moot, however, since the economic stimulus package has been signed into law. Puerto Rico citizens, just like Americans living in the fifty states, the District of Columbia and the other possessions, will receive checks courtesy of the federal taxpayer.

“I hope in the future that we can have a fact-based discussion and avoid further protests like the one we see today, but I doubt that the press that has fanned these flames is up to the heavy lifting to accomplish that simple request.”

Knowingly hiring illegal aliens

The state of Arizona has a newly created law that prohibits the business community from knowingly hiring illegal aliens. If businesses do hire illegal aliens in Arizona, they face losing their business license for 10 days on the first offense, with a revocation of their licenses on a second offense. It also requires businesses to use an otherwise voluntary federal database to verify the employment eligibility of new workers. This law was challenged by many business groups along with the Arizona Chamber of Commerce to argue the Arizona law unconstitutionally infringes on federal immigration powers. The law was upheld in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week.

National television news reports indicated last week that wage levels have already begun to increase in Arizona and their unemployment rate is beginning to decline because illegal's are beginning to flee their state. This Arizona law is intended to weaken the economic incentive for illegal aliens.

Now that this Arizona law has passed muster with the federal courts, our Florida Legislature should strongly consider the same type of statute for our state. A proposed statute could easily be incorporated into regulations for the Florida Department of State/Division of Corporations.

Florida would see immediate relief for our sagging economy, with a law similar that of Arizona. It would put our wage level back on track for legal residents in our state; it would also give assistance to the struggling healthcare industry that is required to treat these illegal aliens, without asking any questions. The cost of healthcare, and associated health insurance, would see a substantial decrease to the cost of consumers if this burden was lifted from having to treat illegal aliens. The deficiencies in our public school system would also immediately benefits from this type of legislation.

These are only several areas of Florida’s economy that would be immediately affected by legislation, like the Arizona law, but the possibilities are endless. Our state needs a jumpstart in our economy now and enacting legislation such as this is a good place to start in Florida’s Legislative agenda for 2008.

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Minor changes have been made to update my blog site. More changes or additions may be on the way. Please stay tuned...

Pen to hand

Yesterday, I was privileged to attend the invitation-only event at Weeki Wachee to witness the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Weeki Wachee officials enter into an agreement to make Weeki Wachee Springs a state park. I sat in front of Commissioners Rowden and Rocco in the Mermaid Theater to watch history being made as Mayor Robyn Anderson took pen to hand and signed the park over to the state of Florida's park system. This signing was a happy ending to a long, hard fought battle to keep this 60 year old roadside attraction alive.

This five year struggle took on the life of a David and Goliath drama. Robyn Anderson and her dedicated staff worked against insurmountable odds to bring Weeki Wachee back to life in the hearts and minds of all of us that call Hernando County home. Some thought Robyn was nuts to fight, the fight, but yesterday paid off big for all of us because she never lost sight of the end goal which was the preservation of Weeki Wachee Springs.

Yesterday, Weeki Wachee's marketing director, John Athanason gave a very inspiring introduction of his friend, Robyn Anderson during the opening remarks. The old saying "behind every man" takes on a new twist with Robyn and John. Robyn took it on the chin many times over the last few years and John was there for her. John remained as a trusted employee and friend to prop her up for each round in this epic battle to preserve Weeki Wachee Springs. They worked day and night, with other trusted employees, who enlisted the add of the public and business community to bring this attraction back to life.

Good luck to everyone at Weeki WacheeSprings. In closing, I just want to say I'm very proud to call Robyn Anderson my friend!

Pssst

Pssst, Mr. McCain! The line "no new taxes" didn't work for Bush Sr. so what makes you think this worn out line will work for your campaign? It makes a good sound bite, Mr. McCain, but weren't you one of the few republican votes against G.W. Bush's tax cuts? Bush, Sr. lost all credibility with the public for violating his campaign promise so what makes you think you can do any better with your record?

Good faith

Last week the Board of County Commissioners voted to approve the final contract for David Hamilton as our new administrator. After all the speculation that Commissioners Rowden and Rocco would vote against this new administrator, it actually surprised everyone when the vote was split 3-2. The surprise came when Commissioners Russell and Rocco voted against choosing Mr. Hamilton as our next administrator, not Commissioner Rowden. Diane Rowden actually complimented Hamilton for doing his homework on the county and said she thought he would do a fine job.

During the contract dicussions, Mr. Hamilton's salary was scrutinized carefully by Commissioner Rocco. She said she wanted to see him prove himself on the job before he got an automatic pay raise. She also was critical about the benefits package being offered to Mr. Hamilton. It was a pleasant surprise to hear that David Hamilton requested the automatic pay increase clause be taken out of the contract, stating that he would prefer to wait until the appropriate time when all employee raises were discussed by the commissioners.

The final contract for David Hamilton was approved 4-1 with Commissioner Rocco voting nay. This nay vote was a little confusing to some in the public, especially after Mr. Hamilton acted in good faith with his contract negotiation.

True gentleman

I was saddened to hear that Chief J.J. Morrison handed in his resignation yesterday to the Spring Hill Fire Commissioners. I suppose that this was his only option after the Spring Hill Fire Commissioners refused to renew his contract several weeks ago because of his prolonged health issues. While there is no one to blame for this resignation, it should be noted that it only brings a sense of saddness to the community.

J.J. Morrison served the community of Spring Hill Fire District for 22 years, with honor, as a firefighter before being promoted to chief in 2002. As chief, J.J. Morrison always represented Spring Hill residents with the genteel manners of a true gentleman. Thanks, J.J. for your dedication to this county. We will miss you!

Free vehicle

The article "County bosses turn raises over the charities", in the Hernando Today underlined three of our county commissioners for their charitable giving in our community. The article featured a photo of Commissioner Rowden loading her vehicle with electric blankets for the elderly in our community while listing the non-profits of choice for Commissioner Stabins' and Kingsley's donations. Commissioner Russell stated in the article that he and his wife regularly give to charity and would continue to do so in the future. The most honest comment in the entire article was that of Commissioner Rocco who said, "I don't think anyone should be put into the position to say they have to donate a percentage (of their wages)".

It should be noted that the community-at-large gives thousands of dollars in charitable donations every year but rarely seeks acknowledgement for their generosity in the local media. When an occassional person from the community is highlighted for their generosity in the local media, they are very humbled by the attention showered on them.

It makes one wonder why this puff-piece glorifying the generosity of some county commissioners was in this morning's paper at all since it only equated to a free vehicle for them to pander to the public with our tax dollars...

Free media

There has been a lot of speculation behind Mike Huckabee's real motive for sticking it out in a primary run where there seems to be no hope of becoming a winner. Maybe he is trying to sell more copies of his book, titled, Character Is the Issue: How People With Integrity Can Revolutionize America? Think of it this way, he is out on the campaign trail everyday, fresh in the mind of the public. Once he throws in the towel on his campaign, he would not have easy access to the media, that is, free media to promote himself or his book. At this point, what better way than to have a national book tour than under the guise of a campaign for Mike Huckabee?

Even though he was not my choice in the Primary Election, Mr. Huckabee should be commended for one simple reason. Mike Huckabee is not a quitter, causing disappoint to those who have voted for him, or will vote for him in the upcoming contests, like Rudy Guiliani and Mitt Romney. In the hearts and minds of the republicans out their watching this primary election unfold, integrity of the individual does count...

A good beat

Dick Clark always had a "rate the record" for his Bandstand show. If this show was still on, the younger kids would probably rate Jeff Webb's rap tune "keepin' free speech real" as having a good beat but you can't dance to it. I'm sure they would all agree though the contents of Mr. Webb's lyrics were based on sound content and should be shouted from the roof tops.

No one should agree with the arrest and over night conviction of Christopher Holder for singing rap music in public while listening to his Ipod. Yes, he was crude and insensitive to the needs of a young mother's children in ear shot but who will be next on the hit list to have their free speech curbed by some one that is offended in public? Will it be the self-proclaimed preachers on the street corner or the anti-war protesters voicing their opinions? Free speech is based on the very foundation of this country.

The only judge and jury to carry out a sentence on this young man should have been his own mother using a bar of soap to clean up the filthy language, not a deputy who took it upon himself to determine what free speech would be allowed in public. As for Jeff Webb's clever column to get his point across to the public on the preservation of free speech, I say well done! Please, Jeff, don't quit your day job cause I don't think the young rap market is ready for you yet.

Pig in lipstick...

This morning on Fox News Sunday, President Bush indicated he would jump on the campaign trail for John McCain. The President attempted to sell the American public that McCain is a true conservative who deserves support from the entire republican party base for his quest to become the next commander-in-chief. This morning the Buzz on Florida Politics carried a short clip indicating that former Governor Jeb Bush sent a check to presumptive GOP nominee, John McCain, and stated this is a clear message to skeptical republicans.

The audible groans from the audience were clear when Mitt Romney bowed out of the race at the annual CPAC convention last week, paving a smooth path for a John McCain nomination of the republican party or will it? Did anyone happen to notice Mike Huckabee won 2 of the 3 states yesterday, not their presumptive front-runner John McCain? Cartoons and quotes have attempted to drive a stake into the heart of conservatism last week. Liberal media pundits are giddy with the notion the conservative movement in this country is dead upon arrival but the November General Election will be the only true indicator.

You can dress up a pig for a party social by putting lipstick on it but at the end of the party all you have is the same old pig. This analogy is similiar to that of John McCain with the republican big wigs now attempting to paint him as a true conservative. At the end of the campaign trail, the republican party will still have a quasi-democrat as their nominee...

GBW press release

This morning, I received this press release from Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite's office concerning their use of the word "foreign" instead of the word "territory" for citizens living in Puerto Rico. After all the comments, pro and con, this response by Congresswoman Brown-Waite should fully explain her point of view:

Congresswoman Fights with Facts, Not Angry Slurs and Name-Calling

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Representative Ginny Brown-Waite (FL-05) today released the following statement about the media generated controversy surrounding her opposition to sending federal income tax rebate checks to territorial citizens that do not pay federal income taxes.

“When I was elected to Congress, I was elected to represent the 5th District, the interests of Florida, and to be a fiscal conservative. The important issue here is whether or not people who do not pay federal income taxes should get tax rebate checks as part of the economic stimulus package. Those who are personally attacking me are just seeking to mask the fact that territorial residents will be getting rebate checks from federal income taxes they never paid.

“I read the statements from Central Florida Democrat Party leaders today and am deeply disappointed that they engaged in the kind of race baiting politics we have come to expect from their Party. Apparently when fiscal conservatives have facts on their side, like I do here, the only way to defeat them is to attack us personally. Whether it is Bill Clinton in South Carolina, Hillary Clinton in California or frequent Democratic congressional candidate Charlie Stuart in Central Florida today, we are seeing Democrats sink to new levels in desperation to capture Latino votes in Florida. Orlando area Democrat leaders have taken a detailed policy discussion and turned it into a personal attack. Perhaps they realized that they cannot win on the issues, so they have resorted to name calling and demagoguery.

“The facts are that I have already issued a clarification that using the word territorial would have been a better choice of words; case closed. But the original issue of my press release stands unchallenged. Is it fair or fiscally responsible to give tax rebate checks to folks who have not paid into the federal income tax system? My 5th District residents, and most Americans, would answer no.

“Some might ask where the idea for this enormous federal income tax transfer originated. One of the Democrat leaders in the House, Rep. Jose Serrano of New York, issued a press release claiming credit for inserting this mammoth earmark into an economic stimulus bill. Rep. Serrano’s earmark is the type of backroom deal that the American public has rejected time and again. They want legislation to be debated out in the open, not tucked in at the last minute with little or no discussion. This is yet another example of Democrat leadership failing to live up to their promises of being an ethical and open Congress.

“By attacking me personally, instead of debating the issue of taxation and rebates, I believe some individuals are trying to shift media focus away from the billion dollar earmark that Rep. Serrano has inserted in the legislation. By calling me names they hope to draw attention away from what amounts to an enormous transfer payment to the government of Puerto Rico, not to its residents; this is a direct transfer payment to territorial governments disguised as tax rebates.

“Furthermore, instead of taking real action to strengthen the economy, the Democrats proposed a package that would give tax “rebates” to folks who have not paid into the federal income tax system. It is not a rebate if people have not paid taxes in the first place.

“My constituents overwhelmingly want a fiscally conservative economic growth package that makes the tax cuts permanent, cuts the corporate tax rate, currently the highest in the world, and includes a stimulus for our seniors and veterans. Anything else is a job half done.”

Resign to run

The Buzz on Florida Politics in yesterday's metro section of the St. Petersburg Times stated Governor Charlie Crist will appear with John McCain at a fundraiser tonight in New York City. Mr. Crist will also accompany McCain to Connecticut, Missouri and Arizona on Super Tuesday. It sure looks like Charlie is interviewing for the vice presidential spot on the republican ticket with McCain.

If Super Tuesday puts McCain as the front-runner for the delegate count nationwide then an announcement of his running mate will surely be made soon by his campaign. It looks like Crist appears to be on the short list of vice presidential picks for the McCain team.

Florida has a resign to run law for all elected officials. This statute would require Charlie Crist to resign his position as the governor of Florida if he accepts an offer for a McCain-Crist ticket. That would mean we would be voting for a new governor in November since Charlie Crist has served less than two years in office and a new election would be required to fill his position.

I just found out from a a very reliable source that the Resign to Run law for state officials running for federal offices was abolished last year. Apparently this was done to assist Charlie Justice to run against Bill Young (Pinellas County) or for Crist to run as VP. This certainly answers the questions many of us had about Governor Crist riding shotgun with John McCain on his campaign trail just prior to Super Tuesday!

Nitpicking...

Yesterday, the Hernando Times ran an editorial opinion titled, "Wrongheaded remark warrants swift apology" which was in reference to Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite's office issuing a written statement referring to Puerto Rico and Guam as foreign citizens. This editorial has called for an apology and immediate clarification of her office's statement. The statement was made in reference President Bush's economic stimulus package that tax dollars for the people of Puerto Rico, Guam and Samoa that do not pay federal income taxes.

In the editorial, it stated that Charlie Keller had admitted the use of the term "foreign citizens" was inaccurate but also stated that he thought it was nitpicking by those who questioned it. I agree with Mr. Keller. This is selective nitpicking of our republican congresswoman. If a democrat had made a similiar statement in a press release it would have flown under the radar without even a whisper from the media.

Quasi-democrat

Confetti's strewn on the floor. Empty strings with deflated balloons. Campaign banners hanging limply from the walls. All that's left of the state of Florida's Presidential Primary is to clean up the mess. The janitors have the easy job of tidying up campaign halls, with the clutter left behind by the entourage of republican candidates but who is going to clean up the turmoil left behind with Governor Crist's 11th hour endorsement of John McCain?

Political pundits have been spouting the demise of the conservatives in the republican party all day with the win of McCain last night. They are conveniently ignoring the hard, cold numbers of the Florida campaigns. Yes, McCain won but his margin of victory was slim, at best. Looking at it realistically, 64% of republicans that voted in yesterday's Primary did not agree with McCain's brand of politics.

It is apparent that the republican guru's at the top of the food chain have forgotten the message the voters sent them in 2006 which gave the majority control over to democrats in Congress. Republicans are still smarting from the pain of holding our noses in 1996 after Bob Dole's failed bid for president. What's next? Asking republicans to vote for a quasi-democrat under the guise of the republican banner?

The one bright spot in yesterday's election was the passage of amendment 1 that will help jump start our sagging economy.

Precinct 1

This morning when I drove up to my precinct to vote I became concerned because my elderly neighbor was not sitting outside. Much to my relief, he was attempting to stay warm just inside the door. This neighbor has been a poll worker since before I began voting in Precinct 1 in 1992. His name is Orville "Buck' Sharp and is lovingly called the mayor of Nobleton. After giving Buck a big hug we chatted briefly about his well being. Although Buck is close to 90 years old, he still works at our polling place from sun up to sundown, along with many more of my elderly neighbors. Else Howell was there this morning checking identification of the voters along with my neighbor Maxine Milliken. As much I consider voting my civic duty being a pleasure, I find just as much joy going to the polls to visit with my neighbors who have volunteered at our precinct for more years than I have lived in Hernando County. My thanks go out to these kind souls that give their time to our community!

.

Please vote "Yes" on Amendment 1

on January 29, 2008

Election results tomorrow

I received this press release from Hernando County Community Relations Coordinator, Brenda Frazier concerning tomorrow's Presidential Preference Primary Election:

PRESS RELEASE
Monday, January 28, 2008
Local Election Results

The local government channel, Bright House Channel 622, will show Hernando County's results in tomorrow's Presidential Preference Primary Election, including Amendment 1, as soon as the tabulation has been completed. According to the Supervisor of Elections Office, the results should be finalized by 9:00 p.m. The results will also be posted on the Elections website: www.hernandovotes.com.

Quid Pro Quo

Endorsements, endorsements, endorsements, etc. Has everyone heard enough about the Presidential Preference Primary slated to take place tomorrow? My email box has been full everyday with campaign literature. My phone has been ringing off the hook with that last minute candidate promotions. Radio stations have been blaring last minute campaign ads to get the attention of the voters. Every TV station has inundated our brains with mindless drivel about the candidates. Every candidate is the best thing since sliced bread was invented if you believe the ads.

I thought I had heard it all until Saturday night. Fox News interrupted their regular broadcasting to show Governor Charlie Crist endorse John McCain at the Pinellas County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner. That's when I snapped and started to scream at the television. What does Charlie Crist think he's doing endorsing a candidate before our Florida Presidential Preference Primary Election? It doesn't matter which candidate the Governor endorsed, its the fact that he endorsed a candidate at all before the Primary. This endorsement sure looks like quid pro quo. "I endorse you and you pick me for the vice president on your ticket". This type of "back door politics" is what has been wrong with the republican party for years. They just don't get it...

Weeki Wachee

I received this press release from Weeki Wachee Springs earlier this afternoon and thought you might be interested in the progress of their negotiations with Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Weeki Wachee Springs and the State Reach Agreement


WEEKI WACHEE, FL- Yesterday, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Division of Recreation and Parks hosted officials from Weeki Wachee Springs, L.L.C. At the conclusion of the meeting, an agreement was signed by both parties, bringing Weeki Wachee Springs one step closer to becoming a state park. The agreement is now pending approval of the agreement by the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

“We are pleased with yesterday’s meeting and we remain optimistic about the future of Weeki Wachee Springs. We look forward to continuing our work with all partners to preserve this cultural icon as part of Florida’s award-winning state park system.” ~ Sarah Williams, DEP.

For more information, please contact Weeki Wachee Springs Public Relations Director John Athanason at (352) 427-3299 and DEP Press Secretary Sarah Williams at (850) 245-2112.

Picky...

Let's see if we all understand this morning's lead story in the Hernando Today. The article relates to the choice of the new county administrator and the headline reads, 'County bosses plan to be picky'. Commissioner Rocco was quoted as saying, "You don't want to jump and make a hasty choice." Commissioner Rowden agreed with Ms. Rocco.

The Hernando County Commissioners voted last October to have a six-person committee of local business executives and a Pasco County government official review candidates for the open position of county administrator. This committee was tasked with reviewing all the candidate applications and to submit a short list for the county commission review. After wading through almost 40 applications, this appointed committee offered the names of David Hamilton, Tom Marko and Kathy Rice for the administrator's position.

These three candidates were brought to Hernando County at taxpayer expense for personal interviews with the county commissioners today. Mr. Hamilton was flown in from Minnesota. Ms. Rice came in from Arizona. Mr. Marko is here from south Florida. If Commissioner Rocco and Rowden were incapable of making a decision after four months into the search, is it unreasonable to ask just how long they intent to take picking a new administrator?

Leadership quality for elected officials depends primarily on their character and integrity. Leadership means being able to make sound decisions, without arbitrary changing their minds, otherwise they lose the trust of their constituents that voted into office in the first place. All your constituents want you to do is make a firm decision and not waffle on every item that crosses your desk...

Poll

Tampa Bay Business Journal has been running a Presidential Preference Poll this week. Here are the results:

Hillary Rodham Clinton
14%

John Edwards
5%

Rudy Giuliani
18%

Mike Gravel
0%

Mike Huckabee
6%

Duncan Hunter
0%

Dennis Kucinich
0%

John McCain
16%

Barack Obama
17%

Ron Paul
3%

Mitt Romney
11%

Fred Thompson
6%

Other
1%

Belly up to the bar...

Isn't it time our county commissioners belly up to the bar, so to speak, and start making some decisions on their own? After spending over $100,ooo of our taxpayers money on an outside consultant for a countywide fire master plan, the Hernando County Commissioners have now decided to appoint another volunteer board. Why? Is it too much to ask for our county commissioners to make some executive decisions on their own without calling for another study, committee, commission, consultant, whatever? Appointing new committees has become synonymous with waffling on issues for the commissioners. Apparently their wasn't enough discussion from the public yesterday to officially throw this master plan report in the trash so they appointed another committee to talk the issue to death.

Does anyone remember the citizens appointed by the county commissioners to Committee of 25 to review capital improvements and a workable Facilities Master Plan? These dedicated individuals spent months to compile data for long term plans, including the outcome of the old Brooksville Regional Hospital. The county commissioners completely ignored this report and sold the old hospital for $1.2 million. We are now being told a private-public partnership would be the answer for the judicial space crunch by Interim County Administrator, Larry Jennings. David Russell was quoted as saying he wants to see the facility built downtown to keep the county government services in one area. Too bad he, and the other commissioners, didn't think of the 10+ acres of prime real estate they sold in Brooksville which just happened to be the old hospital.

Is it too much to ask of our local elected officials to make some sound decisions in the name of the public they represent instead of worrying their political backsides on every issue that comes down the pike?

Public apologies...

Kudos to Interim Hernando County Administrator, Larry Jennings for the suspension of the Human Resource Director Barbara Dupree. His actions in this matter have served to reinforce his superior management ability for Hernando County government. This long running cat fight between Ms. Dupree and County Commissioner Diane Rowden has been a public embarrassment to the county. Public apologies should be forthcoming from both women to mark an end to this tacky behavior the public has witnessed for several years.

Alt. Minimum Tax

Normally, I do not include an entire press releases from an elected official but I believe this message from the desk of Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite needs to be seen in its entirety by the public. This one-year patch on the Alternative Minimum Tax is welcome relief to the middle class tax payer who is getting caught up in our antiquated tax system.

Stopping Democrat-Led Tax Increases and Fighting to Keep Your Taxes Low

The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) for individuals was originally enacted to ensure that high-income taxpayers pay at least a minimum amount of federal taxes. The AMT functions as a parallel tax system to the regular income tax. Taxpayers calculate their regular income tax and then calculate their AMT. If their AMT liability is larger than their regular income tax liability, then they must pay the AMT. However, the AMT is not indexed for inflation, and this factor, combined with the recent reductions in the regular income tax, has greatly expanded the impact of the AMT. The number of taxpayers subject to the AMT would have increased from 3.5 million in 2006 to 23 million in 2007.

On December 19, 2007, after numerous bi-partisan negotiations, the House passed the final version of a one-year AMT patch. I was proud to support passage of this legislation, which prevents more than 23 million Americans from being hit with this outdated tax provision. You will also be happy to know that Republicans fought to ensure that the Democrat proposed $55.7 billion tax increase did not make it into the final version of the bill, which was signed into law by President Bush on December 26, 2007.

There is no doubt that our current tax code is antiquated, confusing, and cumbersome. Each year, Americans spend too much time navigating this complex labyrinth, with the result often being a tremendous burden on their time and hard-earned money. Some groups estimate that Americans will spend 3.5 billion hours individually, or 26 hours per household, filing their taxes. Additionally, individuals and businesses spend a staggering $250 billion each year to remain in compliance with tax laws. The bottom line is that Americans deserve a more clear and efficient tax system.

Since coming to Congress in 2003, I have made simplification of the tax code one of my highest priorities. Therefore, I applaud the efforts of those like Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and the Cleanse the Code Coalition, toward achieving tax fairness for millions of Americans. Given the divisive nature of tax reform, bipartisan support will be necessary in order to accomplish this goal. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to ensure that this occurs, and you can rest assured that I will keep your concerns in mind.

Welcome relief...

I rubbed my eyes in disbelief as I read the column written by the new editor of the Hernando Today, Chris Wessel, calling for civility while printing hard hitting news articles on December 31, 2007. This first column of Mr. Wessel's outlined a testimonial, of sorts, of the things to come under his command a new editor-in-chief at the Hernando Today.

One can only assume the hiring of Mr. Wessel by Hernando Today's publisher, Duane Chichester, was to change the direction of his paper. Maybe the slumping market share for the Tampa Tribune and the Hernando Today under the direction of their previous editor, Robert Nolte, had a lot to do with the new direction of this newspaper. Maybe it was pressure from the local business community for change after the Hernando Today became in tangled with the Government Gone Wild seminars last summer with Robert Nolte's relentless attack on the county government. No one will know for sure except Mr. Chichester and Mr. Nolte but the change in leadership at the Hernando Today is a welcome relief over the many months of negative, nasty articles which were riddled with half-truths about our county government.

With that, I say welcome, Mr. Chris Wessel, to Hernando County and may your reign at the Hernando Today be a prosperous one...

Yes on 1

Several days ago, I received an email from local realtor and businessman, Gary Schraut asking for my support of the "Yes, on 1" amendment for the property tax reform. This appeared to be a blanket email sent to everyone in Mr. Schraut's address book but the message itself speaks volumes. Here is a short comment from his email, "No matter how much you like another proposal, the soonest anything else can get on the ballot would be Nov. of 2008 taking effect Nov of 2009.......almost 2010!!! Florida cannot wait that long for a "start"! Being an astute businessman, Mr. Schraut has taken the initiative to assist in the passage the property tax reform legislation that will give almost everyone with Homestead Exemption tax relief in this slow economic trend.

It was reported in the "Buzz" of the St. Petersburg Times, the Florida Association of Realtors has donated the largest check, to date, for the "Yes on 1" campaign with their contribution of $1-million dollars. This political committee working for passage of the property tax amendment has collected almost $3-million to promote the passage of the property tax reform on Jan. 29, 2008. If you want more information about this campaign to pass Amendment 1, click on http://yeson1florida.com/

The passage of this amendment would give immediate tax relief and would give Florida businesses a jump start to recovery from this housing slump. Voting yes on this amendment would enable homeowners to keep more of their own money with the proposed $50,000 Homestead Exemption. So what are you waiting for? Pass the message on to everyone to vote yes on Amendment 1 on January 29th!

More in tax dollars

Last week, my son dropped an article on my desk concerning the 3 percent withholding law that requires any government entity with an operational budget of $100 million or more (federal, state or local) to withhold 3 percent from any contracts doing business with that entity. Before you say too bad for Big Business because they should pay, think twice. This 3% will not be absorbed any business entity but will be an added cost of doing business with the government entity. This added cost means it will cost more for the government vendor service which will cost each of you more in tax dollars.

I am certainly glad that my son was astute in bringing this to my attention since it is slated to be implemented in 2011. Many members of Congress have initiated the repeal of this 3% withholding but to date none has been effective in passage to eliminate this 3% withholding law. I emailed Congresswoman Ginny Brown Waite last week concerning this law. My email is below, along with the reply that I just received from the Congresswoman's office:

My email:

Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite:

What is your position on H.R. 1023? This bill would repeal the 3 percent withholding from any contractors doing business with any government agency (federal, state or local) with an operational budget of over $1million or more? If this allowed to go into affect in 2011 it will have devastating affect on our economy. Business will not absorb a 3% loss right off the top, and thus, these fees will be added to the cost of the service to the government entity.

The state of Florida is already charging a 1% transaction fee to all contractors which we have dubbed the "extortion fee" for doing business with the state of Florida. By the way, this 1% is included in the cost of doing business which drives our cost up to the state costing the taxpayers.

Anna Liisa Covell
A.L. Covell Electric, Inc.

Her reply:

Dear Anna:

Thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention. I appreciate the time you took to contact my office on this important issue and welcome the opportunity to respond.

As you know, the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 included a provision that would require government entities, whether federal or local, to withhold three percent of payments to certain vendors with whom they have contracts. In response, Congressman Kendrick Meek (D-FL) introduced H.R. 1023, which would repeal this language. Currently, the House Committee on Ways and Means is reviewing this legislation.

Like you, I worry about government regulations that adversely affect businesses, especially when they take the form of taxes, as is the case here. Should the House of Representatives vote on this measure, I will be sure to support it. In the meantime, rest assured that I will keep your concerns in mind as Congress examines our nation's tax policy.

Throughout my tenure in public service, I have always kept an open door and an open dialogue with my constituents. As Congress addresses the many challenges facing our nation, I hope you will continue to share your thoughts and views with me. Accordingly, I encourage you to visit my Web site at http://brown-waite.house.gov/ to email me and find useful information about our 5th Congressional District.
It is my honor and privilege to serve the people of Florida's 5th Congressional District and my offices and staff are here to provide you with any assistance you may need.

Sincerely,
Ginny Brown-Waite

Member of Congress

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Happy New Year to Everyone!