If the Hometown Democracy Petition was adopted and in effect today, this is how it would play out:
After Tuesday's County Commission meeting on everything the dysfunctional County Commission voted to transmit, including that stupid Lowe's store: The entire County would vote on it. That way one neighborhood cannot hold us hostage on regional issues. Water supply, sprawl, filling in wetlands, etc. hurts the entire county. The bribe of a charter school would ring hollow to residents in Overtown or Coral Gables. The voters there would vote on the merits of the application not the perks promised to local residents.
The Florida Hometown Democracy amendment should go on the ballot and only you can put it there and the deadline is fast approaching. They now have 600,000 signatures but they need more to get it on the ballot. Download the petition (link is on the right of this page). Get your friends, co-workers, and neighbors to sign it. Make them fill it out in front of you and YOU send it in or else they will toss it. I got six signed yesterday and I sent them in. I got some signed in my Doctor's waiting room: Be creative. Let us know your stories for gathering signatures. Mensa and "S", I want your story...
P.S. If you don't have a printer send me an email and I will send you a petition.
Look what the opposition is doing -- it is criminal:
Judge's decision deals a blow to Hometown Democracy
By ALEX LEARY, Tampa Bay Times Staff Writer
Published November 28, 2007
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TALLAHASSEE - Hometown Democracy, the petition drive aiming to slow growth in Florida, lost a court battle Tuesday that could seriously hurt its ability to collect enough signatures for the ballot.
A circuit judge in Tallahassee upheld a new law that gives voters 150 days to revoke their signatures from the petition - a tool opponents are eagerly employing. Lawmakers, urged by business interests, said the change was to protect people who feel pressure to sign petitions.
Lawyers for Hometown Democracy argued that the Legislature violated the state Constitution by passing a law that negates the rights of citizens to petition the government.
But Judge Charles A. Francis concluded: "The revocation provisions do not place any additional requirement or burden on the elector who intends to sign a petition, or to vote on the initiative once it is placed on the ballot. The revocation provisions do in fact grant the elector more power over his signature and decision to support the placement of an initiative on the ballot."
Lesley Blackner, a Palm Beach lawyer and one of the Hometown Democracy leaders, called the decision a nightmare, and said it will be appealed.
If put on the ballot and then approved by 60 percent of voters, Hometown Democracy would slow growth by requiring voter approval for comprehensive-plan changes. - snip -
Here is what Carl Hiaasen said about FHD and the Letter sent by John Thrasher trying to get you to revoke your Florida Hometown Democracy Petition signature:
"Thrasher's deceptive and slimy letter is proof of the panic that has set in among those who've made a fortune raping the state and are afraid of losing their sweet ride.
The lobbyist ominously warns that, if the Hometown Democracy amendment passes, ''special interests'' will triumph and ''Big Developers'' will wreck Florida's ``scenic beauty.''
Like it's not happening now?
Special interests already manipulate many county and city commissions -- not to mention the Legislature -- while Florida's green space continues to disappear under bulldozers at the rate of hundreds of acres per day.
What Thrasher neglects to reveal in his fright mailing is that big developers and landholders are the ones most frantically opposed to the Hometown Democracy movement, and that he himself represents some of the biggest, including the St. Joe Co., which is currently selling off the Panhandle."
SO WARN YOUR FRIENDS THAT SIGN THAT THIS MIGHT HAPPEN TO THEM!
11 comments:
The opposition assumes the public needs protecting...they are right we need to be protected from the likes of Thrasher, the St. Joe lobbyist signing the letters to get people to retract their signature.
I've sent the petition to relatives and friends living in other Florida counties, asking them to sign them and try to obtain more signatures among their neighbors and friends.
The Florida legislature showed their disdain against Floridians by adopting a law that would allow voters to withdraw their signature from a petition they already signed. Either they believe Florida voters are all stupid, or is this another way to buy votes? Our politicos have discovered that a doughnut, pastelito or any other food distributed to seniors and others, is a sure vote in their favor.
Joe Martinez has been distributing food baskets among his low-income constituents since mid-2007. Did he find the light, or is he trying to win votes?
votes!! that is interesting...thanks.
The give-a-ways and food is a consistent way to "buy" adoration from the community folks. In some ways, it if is free and it makes your life a bit better, then why not take what is offered.
However, the issue is, does the acceptance of free stuff (gifts), make the recipient more likely to think gentle thoughts about the political giver? And of course, if it does make the people like the Joe's of world, does that make them get off their tushies and vote?
By the way, mayors do the same thing. They do the freebie thing, too. Alvarez just did a food basket give-out in south Dade somewhere.
Just think about it, why were all the politicians tripping over themselves to pass out ice and water after the hurricanes? Did we really need it? Or was that a way to make the voting population feel loved and cared for by their elected officials?
Hmmm.
So let me see if I understand, people in the Gables or Pinecrest are going to be in a better position to determine the best use of the property in West Kendall why? Please, lets get serious. There is a reason that we have a representative form of Democracy, and not a direct Democracy. First off, you would kill all development (good and bad) through this "hometown" democracy initiative. You would make it way too expensive for developers to justify anything but the biggest and most intense development. You would kill the Florida economy, which, like it or not, has more to do with real estate than tourism these days. Really, the knee jerk reactionaries need to focus on the real problem instead of creating more problems for all of us..
Vote the Bad Commissioners out!!!
There is a reason that we have a representative form of Democracy, and not a direct Democracy.
I don't feel that we are doing so well with 13 representatives. So, can you help us out here, and get us some regional representative government in the county?
i am going to delete your stupid comments if you keep saying vote out the bad commissioners. there are districts. We cannot. So stop saying it.
Anon 4. People don't have to get off their tushies to go out to vote. Our politicians already found a way to force us to vote -first the freebie immediately followed by an absentee ballot for the recipient to sign. Haven't you noticed most elections and proposals are now being won with absentee ballots?
Genius, honestly, I thought this was a forum for free flow of ideas. Now you want to Natasha (censor) someone for saying that we should vote bad commissioners out because it is "stupid?" I don't get it. It is not stupid. The electorate of the county have the absolute power to vote out the bad commissioners (even in a district race, that's why they hold elections).
I said it was stupid to keep saying we should vote bad commissioners out when we are unable to because of districts. It is like telling someone with no money to send their children to private schools. when you can't do something you can't do it. so telling us to walk into a brick wall over and over and over, is defeating. Think differently is what i am saying because that won't work. The commissioners have their votes locked up. Trust me i worked on three campaigns last go round. Without about 3/4 of a million you will not unseat a commissioner...even a bad one.
I totally disagree with you. I have worked on my fair share of campaigns as well, and I can tell you that money does not always win, as long as you have a good candidate. See what Marc Sarnoff did against a heavily funded Linda Haskins? It can happen, and each district can vote its bad Commissioner out. We just need a good alternative, and a strong grass roots effort!
By we, what do you mean? We that live in a district with a good Commissioner already, or we, the entire electorate located within the County? Of course we (the entire electorate in the County) can vote bad commissioners out. I know you are frustrated, trust me, so am I. But, we should take Sarnoff's achievement seriously. He won, against an incumbent (abiet, she herself was nominated by Mayor Manny and his gang), took a huge fundraising gap, and beat the pants out of that back-stabbing Haskins!!!! If that doesn't give you hope, I don't know what will.
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