Final on Larry Byrnes

In what several of our Club members feel is yet another example of the Republican controlled dirty politics in Florida, Larry Byrnes's suit to have his name listed on the 14th Congressional District ballot for the August primary ended in failure.

You may remember that despite having gathered the 5,400 signatures necessary to have his name listed, the Florida Division of Elections in Tallahassee issued unclear instructions regarding additional requirements, including a loyalty oath, which is clearly a flag-waving reminder of the right wing Republican party of the 60's and beyond.

The judge's decision in his case which was handed down on June 11 smacks of earlier Republican efforts to manipulate the law, including the judiciary, for its own purposes. Larry Byrnes was undoubtedly the stronger candidate of the Democratic Party to oppose Connie Mack III, who is a tool of the developers and other wealthy constituents of our congressional district. Rather than lose an election, the easiest course of action is to deny the stronger candidate the right to run.

We have learned that since this decision was announced Larry has suffered a heart attack and is hospitalized. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope that next time around he will be available to run for this office which has been occupied for too long by a Republican.

The Three J's: Jane, James, and Joe

No, they're not a rap trio! We hit it big at our May 24 meeting with three guest speakers. Jane Kuckel, who is running for re-election to the Lee County School Board in District 3 , is the only Democrat currently on the Board. Jane gave some eye opening statistics about the school system in the County, which contains 12 high schools. There are currently eighty thousand students and the budget for running the schools is over $1.7 billion, which makes the system the largest employer in the County. We are ranked 46th nationally in budget, not in achievement, as is widely believed. There is a 40% mobility of student population meaning that out of 10 who begin school here only 6 will remain to graduate. Sadly the other 4 are more than likely to end up in the prison system or on the welfare rolls. She prefers that voting for the School Board be based on a mix of single district votes and at-large votes.

James Middlebrooks (yes, people, it ends with an "s") who has a long history of involvement in education, is seeking to become the second Democrat to be seated on the School Board. Our biggest problem now are the low teacher salaries in the County, he says. $36,800 is the beginning salary for a teacher and even after receiving a masters degree and ten years of experience the salary rises to only $45,000. Is there any wonder that we have a 50% turnover among our teacher population? As an at-large member of the School Board he promises to investigate problems that exist throughout the system, not just in his District 2.

Joe Rinella, Attorney, was our third speaker. He is running as an uncontested Democrat for House District 74 in the Florida House in Tallahassee. He claims that there are thousands of RINOS (Republicans in name only) who have chosen to register and vote as Republicans because there are rarely qualified Democrats running for office. But now even they are so disgusted with the Republican leadership in Tallahassee that they are more than ready to vote Democratic. He said also that our state policies favor only two classes of people: developers and tourism operators. He will be running against a Republican who is a builder and also a state representative. Enough said?

Though she is not a guest speaker, Sallie Soule, is head of our Club's Charter Revision Committee. She reported on their attendance at a recent hearing in Cape Coral at which the Committee advocated single member district voting as the only way to get Democrats elected to the County Commission and the County School Board. It was a nice tie-in to the remarks of our earlier speakers and ended our meeting as we take a two-month hiatus, certainly not from pursuing our Democratic agenda individually but from our monthly meetings together.

Update on Larry Byrnes

In a report to his supporters today Larry announced that the judge who is handling his suit against the Florida Division of Elections has agreed to expedite his case. He will make his decision on June 11 as to whether or not Larry's name will appear on the ballot as a Democrat on the Primary Ballot in August and the National Ballot in November. Stay tuned!

Blocking Larry Byrnes

How come the specter of Kathryn Harris raises its Republican head as every Florida election approaches? Now it's Larry Byrnes, seeking to unseat Connie Mack III in Florida's 14th Congressional District, who has borne the brunt of Tallahassee's trickery. Mr. Byrnes submitted over 5,400 petition signatures to qualify for placement of his name on the August Primary and November General Election ballots as a Democratic candidate for election to the U.S. Congress'a Congressional District. On April 15, 2008 he received a letter from the Florida Division of Elections indicating that the signatures were certified, but it did not provide any additional forms or state any additional qualification requirements in that letter.

On May 1, 2008, the day before the end of the qualifying period, Byrnes noticed on the Division website that he was still not on the ballot, despite the fact that he qualified by petitions. He phoned the Division and was told that he needed to submit a loyalty oath form from the Division's website, sign it, and have it notarized. He did these things and sent it by overnight courier to the Division.

On May 2, 2008 at 4:50 p.m. Byrnes was notified that the loyalty oath form he submitted was the one for write-in candidates, not for partisan candidates. Therefore, stated the Division, despite submitting 5,400 signatures, Byrnes would not appear on the ballot, either in the August 26 Democratic Primary or the November 4 General Election. Although Byrnes informed them that the choice of form was his error and offered to send the correct form immediately, the Division of Elections rejected his attempt and stated that there was no recourse or appeal.

The Byrnes Campaign has filed suit against the Florida Division of Elections to have his name listed on the ballots of both elections charging that it is using a technicality to thwart the will of the people. Further developments on this issue will be reported here as they occur.

What is your opinion? Is Tallahassee worried about the tide of change that is sweeping the country, where Democratic congressional candidates have defied the odds and won recent elections, so worried, in fact, that they will use any means to bar qualified Democratic candidates from appearing on election ballots? It looks like that to me.

DCSP DIRECTORY CHANGES

We told you that changes to our recently published Directory will be made on our blog as often as necessary, but usually once a month. So here is the first installment and I hope you note these changes in your own copy of the Directory, so that we can keep closer tabs on each other.

Other Leaders Add VAN Database Harriet Reece, 489-1637, Junonia,
harriet4700@embarqmail.com

Ways and Means Delete Harriet Reece

Democratic Court Reps Change Eagles Preserve Eliot Sugarman from Elliot Sugarman

Shell Point Democrats Delete Christy, Ian Michael
Change Fritz, Lucille M. to Larsen Pavilion
Delete Graham, Linda
Change Kaufman, Kurt Dunn to Larsen Pavilion
Delete Lewin, Evelyn L. (Deceased)
Delete Lewis, Verna Aline
Change Maass, Sarajane to 10406 Rosemont Ct.
Change Nelson, Lucille to 8420 Arbor Ct.
Change Richardson, Jean M. to 8313 Arbor Ct.
Delete Stinson, Dana
Delete Temm, Angela M.
Change Vassamillet, Edie & Larry larrynedie@gmail.com

Smart Growth & Developers

Wayne Daltry, Director of Lee County's Smart Growth program, was the featured speaker at our April 26 meeting, but if you thought instead that you were watching a hilarious episode of Saturday Night Live you are not alone. This guy belongs on TV or at least on radio. A native of Lee County, he ran through a laugh-inducing history of the county beginning in the early 1950s when it was still part of the Old South though not the romantic South that we may think of as depicted in Gone With the Wind, but instead the un-romantic South as depicted in Tobacco Road. A time of rural poverty, poor health care, and social injustice did change with the coming of World War II, though Lee County was the least advanced of all the surrounding counties, which meant a little farming, gladiolus fields, and a few tourists. Gradually the officials saw what was occurring around them and decided to try to emulate these nearby efforts to change the county environment. People did arrive from the north, chiefly due to the TV ads by the performer Arthur Godfrey who urged northerners to come on down, buy a parcel of swamp land called a homesite, and stop shoveling snow every winter. They did come down in droves and the county grew 150% by 1960, though services to the population lagged. For instance, 70% of high school students did not graduate. So it dawned on the officials that more services were necessary, more teachers, firemen, police, but how to afford them? The only idea they could think of was to sell even more swamp land to the Yankees. And they did! And still do! The county now is home to 1.5 million people and services still lag.


Smart Growth has as its mission to deal with (a) climate change which requires that homes not be built on the shore line or hurricane surge line, (b) energy and the rising cost of fuel and electricity, (c) national and international debt since debt load forces cuts in dealing with issues like services, (d) globalization which in its good aspect has prevented another major war and created a middle class worldwide, and finally (e) the baby boom from the end of World War II to now. Smart Growth seeks to sustain our sense of community. It requires the efforts of all its citizens. Chief among these efforts is to encourage elected officials, to show them how proud we are of our community and how proud we are of their cooperation. Why? Because now the only people our elected officials see on a daily basis are developers!

Lee County Planner to Speak

The Director of Lee County Smart Growth, Wayne Daltry, will be the featured speaker at our April meeting of the Club. Mr. Daltry has been Director since 2002 and prior to his appointment he was Executive Director of the Regional Planning Council for 20 years. He was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners in 2004, the highest national honor for a planner.

The Smart Growth mission is to shape the future growth of Lee County through a proactive, inclusive community effort that continuously improves the quality of life by reaching a harmonious balance between economic development, environmental sustainability, and community livability to provide a legacy for future generations.

If you are driving to Shell Point drive west on Summerlin Road toward Sanibel. After passing the intersection of Summerlin and McGregor Blvd. stay in the right lane and exit at the next traffic light (Shell Point Boulevard). Proceed past the Comfort Inn and Suites and Golf Course entrances and turn right at the Woodlands guard station. Tell the guard that you are going to a meeting in the Grand Cypress Room in the Commons. He will direct you where to park.

Ruth's List

No, I did not make a mistake and this is not Craig's sister's list, but uniquely and solely Ruth's List which is an organization of Democratic women who seek to elect in Florida a group of progressive, pro-choice women for public office. The above pictures were taken by Helen Moe, our volunteer photographer, at the first Fort Myers meeting of the group at the Palm Dinner Theater on April 3. From the looks of the food on the tables this couldn't possibly have been a dinner meeting unless everyone was on a diet. In the bottom photo are Sallie Soule, Director of our Club, seated on the left with founding President of our Club Betty Bainbridge. The center photo shows former President Mandy Johnson on the left and current President Joan Walton looking rather addlepated. In the top photo is a sign nailed to a black door which reminds me of the sign one might have seen during Prohibition Days when you knocked three times and announced "Joe sent me", but in this case, "Ruth sent me".

Is Big Brother Watching You?

Other than seeing your face on the bulletin board at your Post Office, how do you know whether or not the government is watching your activities? You don't! But you can find out. Have you ever participated in an anti-war protest or a civil rights march, or God forbid, booed Bush at a Republican rally or maybe you know someone the FBI has been trailing and trailing you is a step in their procedure? The Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act both allow U.S. citizens to request any information that certain government agencies may have on file about you. It's simple. Just visit the following site: www.getmyfbifile.com and use it to generate a letter requesting your file. While you're at it you might want to send letters to the CIA and any other agencies you might suspect have been or still are following your footsteps. Good luck!

SPRING FLING ART AUCTION

All Over But the Crying

TODAY'S GUESSING GAME

O.K., who are these people? Where are they going and why? When was this photo taken? The amount of the prize-winning answer will depend on how many correct answers are received. All entries most be posted on this site by April 1, 2008.

Is Paris Hilton a Democrat?

A day or two ago I was in a doctor's office shuffling through a stack of old magazines while I waited for my appointment. I wasn't interested in reading Paris Hilton's latest misadventures or going to hunt tigers in the forests of Bangladesh, so I laid the magazine down just as I caught sight of a Newsweek dated March 10, 2008. What a find! There in a feature titled Periscope is the most comprehensive yet concise statement on the promises being made by Obama, Clinton, and McCain on their favorite programs and estimates of the cost of each program on a first term, four-year basis.

Obama's health care plan would allow individuals and small companies to buy benefits similar to the ones that members of Congress get. He would mandate coverage for children, and families that could not afford rates would be eligible for subsidies. He would also expand Medicaid and SCHIP programs. He promises to fund this program by allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire, boosting taxes on high earners, redeploy funding from Iraq to domestic woes and possibly lift the cap on payroll taxes. Cost: $240 billion.

Clinton's health program is similar except hers is universal health care coverage for everyone using tax credits to limit premiums to a fixed percentage of family income and expanding rolls of Medicaid and the SCHIP children's coverage. She would also allow the Bush tax cuts to expire in 2010 and end the loophole which benefits hedge-fund managers. Cost: $400 billion.

McCain has not announced any health care programs and now proposes extending the rate reductions on income, capital gains, dividends and estates that are due to expire in 2010. His largest expense is defense spending. It's unclear how he will make up the lost revenue while boosting defense spending and reining in the deficit. It costs some $12 billion per month for combat operations now and he has pledged to maintain U.S. presence in Iraq for 100 years if necessary. The price tag for staying in Iraq at current troop levels through 2012 is $550 billion.

I'll save their programs on education, energy, and border security for another time since I know you're dying to find out more about Paris. I confess that I did sneek a peek at the article on her and found out that she is living in a mansion in Beverly Hills with a Russian oligarch who has more rubles than all the czars put together. In case you wondered, the dictionary defines an oligarchy as a government in which a small group exercises control , especially for corrupt and selfish purposes. Sound familiar? She's bound to be a Republican!

No Voting Redo

At the regular monthly meeting of our Club Board of Directors on Friday, March 7, a spirited discussion was introduced by our President, Joan Walton, regarding our position on the primary voting which took place on January 29 in violation of the Democratic National Committee order that we not move our voting date forward and if we did commit this violation our Florida delegates would not be seated at the national convention in August. None of the Democratic candidates appeared in the state to campaign and the winner was Clinton.

The Democratic National Committee has now proposed that we redo the primary election process, but it will not fund the expense involved. The Democratic State Committee also will not provide funds for a new election saying that it still believes the DNC will eventually seat our delegates as well as those of Michigan, our violation partner. So we are at an impasse on this issue. The Board, after several motions and withdrawals and amendments, voted to NOT redo the election and to accept the rulings of the Democratic National Committee. Presumably our Club opinion will be announced at the monthly meeting of the county Democratic leaders (DEC) where another round of motions will occur and be voted upon. If this does occur, the decision will appear in this Club blog.

Two Speakers, One Goal

It is rare to hear two thought provoking talks by eminently qualified men in the space of five days, but that did occur at Shell Point this past week. Clarke Dahlgren, our local AARP representative whose talk was announced here two weeks ago, was the more practical, here's-how-we'll-get-it-done speaker as he detailed the Divided We Fail program www.dividedwefail.com sponsored by AARP. The second man, Dr. James W. Skillen, President of The Center for Public Justice www.cpjustice.org in Washington, D.C. gave a more philosophical and historical talk to explain the background of our political parties as they interpret the role of Church and State. His talk, Christianity and Democracy: an Oxymoron? explored the ramifications, past and present, of religion and politics. Both men, however, unwittingly came to the same conclusion: broad based bipartisan solutions to the problems facing the American people can only be achieved through cooperation among groups with different viewpoints.

Mr. Dahlgren was concerned with health care and long-term financial security which are what AARP sees as the most pressing issues facing our nation at home. Financial security is being jeopardized by the many people who must rely solely on Social Security as their only source of funds. However, he does not see an immediate threat in the bankruptcy of this system. We currently have $150 billion more coming into Social Security than we are paying out in benefits. This will not continue as 77 million people are added to the rolls and are living longer. At this rate by 2020 solvency of Social Security will tip over into insolvency. The interest earned on the Social Security Trust Fund will help it survive, but beginning in 2030-40 there will be less cash coming in than going out. Special interests and obdurate political thinking have resulted in minimal congressional discussion of the Social Security issue. Even the term Universal Health Care has been labeled socialized medicine by some groups in order to stymie discussion. For this reason AARP does not use the term, preferring to call it Single Payer Plan Health Care. The Divided We Fail program is an attempt to ask people to share their ideas, experiences, and concerns regarding health care and long-term financial security by putting a personal face on these challenges in order to demonstrate the urgency of these issues to government officials and challenging them to take action.

Dr. Skillen began his presentation by stating that the basic tenet as stipulated in our Constitution separating religion and politics has eroded and they are melding together now. This has many reasons, not the least of which is what he calls the rise of "secular religions" like Communism and other political systems which have arisen and threaten the existence of Christianity as it has existed for many centuries. In the East emperors declared themselves divine and thus ruled their subjects by a combination of religio-politics. Later, in the West, Roman Catholicism declared itself to be the vicar of the church and exerted its influence the same way. Centuries later when our Federal Constitution was enacted it did not establish a national religion but among our states there was no such restriction. So the Puritans of New England did establish a harsh government in which Calvinist teachings were the law. In certain areas this puritanical doctrine still persists which may be reflected in the immigration debate which we are engaged in today. In the 1840s and 50s the immigration of Roman Catholics into the U.S. in various national waves from Europe encountered enmity from Christian Protestants who had preceded them as immigrants. Now an immigration from Mexico and Central America, primarily Catholic, is encountering the same enmity from a mix of previous immigrants. Both the right and the left argue and debate this "special identity" of Americans even though our open society allows religious freedom.

Skillen then examined the Biblical tradition of the Chosen People and the Messiah who should pick up the sword and spread the prophecy of the New Jerusalem. Among Calvinists and other groups, settlements claiming to be fulfilling the phophecy were established in Scotland and South Africa, each claiming to be the fulfillment of that phophecy. Also related is the settling of Israel although in that case their claim to property is based on the return to previously occupied land. These various people were called zealots but with no special privleges. In every case God was the final authority which is the root of an open society. What is the task of government? In the political field everyone should be treated the same. What is Christianity? If you are a Christian you should not have any special privleges. A democracy as practised in ancient Greece was not an open society even though Greece is called the cradle of democracy. It was Rome which developed the first practising democracy as we define the term, the reason the Roman Empire flourished and spread so rapidly.

In a Q & A session which followed, Skillen claimed that in the U.S. state identities have disappeared which is very different from what existed in our country from its founding to the pre-World War II era. Everyone is now just an American, but many also claim that the federal government is in the way, the reason some want to cut back federal programs. The one program which is always spared is military spending which allows the U.S., in conjunction with the 140 countries with which we have military ties, to promote democracy in a messianic way reminiscent of the Roman Empire. Our foreign policy promotes democracy worldwide but with the caveat that the U.S. must always be in the leadership role. As a consequence we now live in a prepared-for-war state of mind constantly and Bush defends this role in the guise of spreading democracy and fighting terrorism abroad rather than on U.S. soil.

In answer to a final question the speaker said that our two evangelical presidents (Carter and Bush) were not successful because being evangelical does not guarantee success. Running as a solo never works in government. Consensus is necessary for a working democracy. The larger public good and respect for law are also necessary for an open society, which is a true democracy. One election does not create a democracy as has been proved in Iraq. In closing Skillen appealed to voters to think of which candidate would promote public justice for all as they choose who should be elected.

And The Primary Winner Is............

Florida's Primary Election Results, January 29, 2008
Let's start at the top with the state figures and work our way down to the precinct level. If you are overwhelmed by big digit numbers stick with us unless you are a natural-born statistician or a billionaire used to balancing your checkbook. I've dealt only with the two major Democratic presidential contenders still active in order not to drown you in a sea of statistics. Therefore totals do not add up to 100% due to small numbers of votes garnered by other candidates who have withdrawn or because some voters chose to vote only on the constitutional amendment on the ballot. Source: Florida Dept. of State. Division of Elections.

State

Total registered voters of all parties: 10,208,431. Of this total Democrats are 41%, Republicans 37%, Independents 19%, Other 3%. The total turnout for all parties was 4,259,848 or 41.8%. The Democratic turnout was 1,708,489 of which Clinton received 870,303 votes or 49.8% and Obama 575,794 or 32.9%.

Lee County

Total registered voters of all parties: 263,968 with a total turnout for this election of 151,320 or 57.4%, which is the highest percentage of any Florida county. Democratic registration was 76,250 and the individual totals and percentages are as follows: Clinton 33,541, 55.8%, and Obama 15,673, 26.1%.

83rd Precinct

Here we are at our own precinct where total registered voter population was 1,853. Of this total there were 1,520 ballots cast, a hefty 82%. The Democratic portion of this registered number was 341. I told you that the figures might blow your mind, but this isn't one of them. But hold on, 279 of these Democrats actually did vote, a whopping 81%. The Democratic totals by candidate are Clinton 130, 46%, and Obama 111, 39%. If nothing else these figures show us that though our percentage of total registered voters is very small, we are not discouraged and will continue to put our candidates at the front of the line for consideration by all voters.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

The constitutional amendment on property tax and assessment which needed 60% approval rating to pass did achieve that figure and may have been the impetus to the high voter turnout in Lee County and our precinct, but certainly did not jolt the total YES numbers upward to the same degree statewide. In the state the figures were 64% Yes and 36% No. In the 83rd Precinct the figures were 1,133 YES votes, 79.7% and 288 NO votes, 20.2%.

So where do these candidate figures leave us? Will our delegates be seated at the Democratic Convention in August? Stay tuned!

Divided We Fail

The recently launched AARP program titled "Divided We Fail" will be presented by the Lee County AARP co-ordinator Clarke Dahlgren at the February meeting of our Club. This program is a nonpartisan effort along with AARP's partners in business and labor to improve health care coverage, quality, and cost. It is also a campaign to force the candidates for public office at all levels to address the related issues of health and economic security, and to get their promises that after the election they will work in a bipartisan manner to enact meaningful reforms. The goal of the Divided We Fail program is to insure every American access to and coverage for guaranteed, affordable, quality care. That is a heady order they have cut out for themselves; can they make it?

I notice that nowhere in its publicity for the program does AARP mention the word "government". Do they support a universal health care program without government participation? Is such an arrangement remotely workable? Judging from the ads for supplemental Medicare insurance which appear in its glossy magazine, it does make one wonder where the organization stands on this issue. In fact, ads from all sorts of medically related companies seem to constitute their main source of media revenue. Do they not wish to antagonize these advertisers who may direct their ads elsewhere?

How powerful a lobby is AARP? I have not researched their Washington activities in any meaningful way, but I do not remember hearing or reading of their influence involving any congressional bills benefiting our senior population in this or any earlier sessions. If you know of any cooperative efforts by AARP, let us know by posting a comment to this article.

There are lots of questions to be answered by the speaker at our February meeting on Saturday, February 23 at 10:00 a.m. in the Grand Cypress Room at the Woodlands at Shell Point. If you are driving to Shell Point drive west on Summerlin Road toward Sanibel. After passing the intersection of Summerlin and McGregor Blvd. stay in the right lane and exit at the next traffic light (Shell Point Blvd.). Proceed past the Comfort Inn and Suites and Golf Course entrances and turn right at the Woodlands guard station. Tell the guard that you are going to a meeting in the Grand Cypress Room in the Commons. He will direct you where to park.

Byrnes & Neeld Revisited

Actually they visited and we are revisiting them on our blog. On January 26 both of these potential candidates for Congress in our 14th congressional district were at Shell Point to air their views to our Club members. Maybe we are naive but some of us were amazed at the difference between their in-person presentations and the written presentations which both men had published on their web sites. Whereas their web sites were relatively flat and uninspiring, they both gave talks that were outstanding attention-getters.

Larry Byrnes began with what is now a familiar mantra: change. He obviously advocates it and proposes that he be the catalyst to activate it so that our district represents the views of all the people and not just the special interests represented by Connie Mack IV. He enumerated Florida's ranking among other states in a variety of important issues like education and health care and Florida is at or near the bottom in a majority of them. Health care for poor children is at the top of his priorities as are a comprehensive health plan for all and lower drug prices. The proper rule of law has been usurped by the Bush administration and the quality of life in our country is disintegrating. He would approve an immediate end to the war in Iraq and apply the principles of the Hamilton-Baker Plan to stabilize the country. A solid "green" economy is the only way that we can save the planet and we must push industry to adopt it as quickly as it can. He also would advocate tax cuts for the working poor and middle class and not for the Bush preferred group: the rich.

Robert Neeld then spoke and presented some provocative ideas. First, he claims that the media is electing our president by its coverage of the early primaries which do not represent a balanced cross section of the U.S. Instead he proposes that the country be divided into four sections, each of which would take turns on a revolving four year basis for holding primary elections. That method would avoid a distorted picture being presented to the remainder of the country as occurs now when small, sparsely populated states like Iowa and New Hampshire hold their primaries in the media spotlight. He would also end the war in Iraq immediately. The deficit being accrued from continuing this war is killing not only our sons and daughters but also all of us economically. The estate tax should not be eliminated but a two million dollar tax-free allowance should be adopted after which a tax would be levied. By far the most provocative proposal involved univeral health coverage as an outgrowth of the present Medicare plan. Under such a plan eligibility for Medicare would be lowered in steps at the same time that eligibility would begin with birth and be raised in steps. A fuller discussion of this plan has been prepared by our Club member, Jack Dreyer, and it appears in the health care blog conducted by another Club member, Dr. Richard Curtin. To read his blog go to http://rrchealth.blogspot.com/

The primary election in which both these candidates will participate is not until August 26, so they both have plenty of time to put their views and proposals to prospective voters on their web sites with the same style and elan they showed in talking to our Club members.

Is Florida Rudy Country?

His signs claim so, but January 29 will decide. As I sat waiting for Giuliani to appear wrapped in our flag, I had the distinct feeling that there was a scarlet D on my forehead, much the same feeling that Hester Prynne must have had with her scarlet A in the novel, but hers was real, mine imagined. How many other Democrats were pretending to be Republicans (non-closet variety) in the Shell Point Church auditorium on January 14? What a crowd! Would that a Democratic primary candidate should appear here as well and attract even a quarter of the number of warm bodies surrounding me. Frankly, judging from the number of vehicles ravaging our lawns I'd say that Rudy's audience was a combination of our own residents, Naples plutocrats, and Fort Myers laborers in their work clothes.

When the audience's collective clock showed that he was already 40 minutes late he suddenly emerged from the stage wings with his legendary toothy smile aglow. He was late someone suggested because his presidential motorcade was stuck in traffic. I offered the comment that presidential motorcades do not get stuck in traffic, only we do. Perhaps Rudy is a dreamer and foresees a presidency in his future. One thing we do not need is a second delusional president. The crowd certainly did not erupt with applause, but it was polite. Let's say it sounded like several subway trains pulling into the Times Square station simultaneously, our own friendly way of letting him know that we knew of his New York City background. Had we forgotten, he would have reminded us (and he did) in a split second of how he saved New York during 9/11. This was his lead-in to a report he heard on the radio while stuck in traffic from Naples about a luxury hotel bombing in Kabul, something that would never occur when he becomes president. He reminded us of the first of his Twelve Commitments (read: Commandments) which is that "I will keep America on offense in the Terrorists' War on Us". Did his grammar advisor mean to say U.S.? Rudy does not resort to implications; instead he flat out claims that Democrats would allow this to happen.

Number four in his commitments is to cut taxes and reform the tax code. This is nothing new for a Republican, but his claim that if a Democrat is elected he or she will raise taxes 20 to 30% is a claim clearly his own. Filling out your income tax form will no longer be a chore either; in his new simplified Tax Code everyone will fill out one page only. Using the "Change" mantra which many politicians are chanting these days, he did make a rather amusing remark, claiming that the only change the Democrats are interested in is removing the change from your pocket. He ended this portion of his program by announcing that while mayor of New York he made 23 tax cuts. To insure that all the money you saved by utilizing his cuts stayed in the family there would be no inheritance tax at all. Big applause!

In the closing Q & A session he would end illegal immigration and expand legal immigration. Definitions of these two concepts were lacking, but he did say that all of his grandparents were immigrants who could not read and write English, but they learned these necessary skills by using their children's school books. This was a perfect lead-in to education while he feels is entirely a choice to be made by parents and not government. He also holds the state of Texas up as a model for settling lawsuits; I half expected him to recommend the death penalty for anyone who files suit. No, he would place a quarter million cap on any financial awards made in any lawsuit including those brought against doctors, who are leaving many states and migrating to Texas, where presumably they are manning the ramparts against the hordes of invading migrants in the Second Battle of the Alamo.

Wanting to leave the audience with the message that is his number one commitment, he closed with Terrorism which he counts as his strong suit. Admittedly, he knows his facts on this one, reciting every attack on U.S. property overseas before 9/11. It seemed as though he was undercutting the importance of 9/11 at the same time that he was claiming to be the savior of New York when that event occurred. Strange logic, strange man!

Byrnes vs. Neeld:Your Choice

Though Larry Byrnes and Robert Neeld are not running in the Democratic primary on January 29 their chance to compete will occur on August 26 with the winner ready to compete again in the November 4 general election against Republican Connie Mack IV as our representative in the 14th Congressional District. Both gentlemen will be featured at the Club's general meeting on January 26 in the Grand Cypress Room in the Woodlands. Mack has been entrenched in this post for years and has served the wishes of the area's developers and not the general populace. Trading on the popularity of his ancestry (witness the IV after his name), Mack has also been rumored to be living in California, though he maintains a home in Naples and has three offices in this area.

Larry Byrnes, who lives in Fort Myers, has for 44 years been an educator, including the first Dean of the College of Education at Florida Gulf Coast University where he is now a professor. I can find no record that he has ever run for or been elected to public office. His website http://www.byrnesforcongress.com/ is not very informative frankly. It features the usual electioneering platitudes: no mom and apple pie, but everything else. Pictures of his family abound. In all fairness he emphasizes education, which is his specialty, health care, the environment, and re-deploying troops from Iraq, all good things to be in favor of. His ads usually show him in running gear and ask you to join him, either a mildly clever attempt to let you know that he is running for office and needs your vote or else to show voters that he is in great physical shape and will not drop dead and leave voters to go through a special election if he cannot complete his term or, even worse, give our Republican governor the chance to appoint an interim Republican to replace him. . Take your pick. With seven months till the primary election for local offices we hope that he will revise his website and add some substantive opinions to it.

Robert Neeld, a resident of Cape Coral where he operates an accounting business, is evidently unmarried since there are no smiling family pictures on his website. Perhaps he is married and realizes the irrelevance of such pictures to his qualifications for office. If so, someone needs to tell him that pictures of him refereeing sports events are just as irrelevant. He has run for public office in the past and has been defeated. His website includes the same generalities as Byrnes' but does include his opinions on some issues that are controversial, issues that Byrnes avoids. You can read it at http://www.neeldforcongress.com/ Besides emphasis on health care, the environment, and education, he specifically advocates the right of citizens to bear arms, quoting Amendment II Bill of Rights amendments to the Constitution, which does make one wonder if he is anti-gun control. Nowhere is there any mention of re-deploying our troops from Iraq; strange, since it is an important issue with voters. He opposes the Family Marriage Amendment and the Right to Life Amendment and feels that the Patriot Act has gone too far in expanding the government's power on matters of domestic surveillance. Robert, you also have seven months to tell us even more about the issues that concern Democrats.

Read the websites of these two candidates and plan to attend the January 26 meeting with your questions for them. If you are driving to Shell Point drive west on Summerlin Road toward Sanibel. After passing the intersection of Summerlin and McGregor Boulevard stay in the right lane and exit at the next traffic light (Shell Point Boulevard). Proceed past the Comfort Inn and Suites and Golf Course entrances and turn right at the Woodlands guard station. Tell the guard that you are going to a meeting in the Grand Cypress Room in the Commons. He will direct you where to park.

New Health Care Blog

Health care is high on the list of issues which concern American voters. And well it should be considering the disastrous state of the American health care system. No one takes this more seriously than Richard Curtin, who is a retired surgeon and a Shell Point resident. As he states in his blog, health insurance in our mostly private market-based system is lacking for millions of Americans and millions of others are under-insured. The U.S. health care costs are double those of many other leading industrial nations though the results are appreciably lower. But why not let Richard speak for himself! To access his blog go to http://rrchealth.blogspot.com/