Friday, September 10, 2010

Amendment 4: Scoundrels against it stoop to new low. By Geniusofdespair

This video was released by those in favor of Amendment 4 (like me):



On the other side, Amendment 4 killers have no shame, they are deathly afraid that Amendment 4 will pass. This is the latest tactic by the sneaks bent on dis-information. It is submitted by Lesly Blackner, Mother of Hometown Democracy's Amendment 4 to show you what we are up against:

"It is bad enough that major Florida employers are squandering millions of dollars to oppose giving voters a seat at the table, money that could instead go into growing their businesses and hiring new employees. Now, they have devised a plan to have those same employers lean on their workers to join their pro-overbuilding campaign and even provide lists of employees names to the anti-Amendment 4 campaign team.

"This is a recipe for coercion in the workplace. It is a full-court press that no Florida worker trying to keep his or her job will be able to resist and make a fully informed decision. Such politicking activity would be against the law in public agencies. It is merely unethical and disappointing in the private sector. We hope that employees who feel wrongly pressured by this plan will report any wrongdoing to our website, www.floridahometowndemocracy.com."
Blacker said further:


The Industry Mobilization Plan supplies a sample CEO letter that boldfaces the boss's "personal" request. What worker could turn this down? Here is an excerpt from that sample letter:

I’d like to personally ask you to take a moment to visit www.noamendment4.com and fill out the Industry Advocate form. Your information will be kept private and used only to educate you, your friends, family members and colleagues on Amendment 4.

The outrageous plan goes further, even asking employers to mail in "detailed" lists of employees to the opposition campaign, as shows in this e-mail to business leaders from Florida Chamber exec Adam Babington:

1. Encourage your employees and colleagues to register as an "Advocate" in opposition to Amendment 4. A high level of participation is critical in defeating Amendment 4 which will hurt Florida's working families. Visit www.noamendment4.com to register.

2. Even easier, provide the "Vote No on 4" campaign with a detailed list of your interested employees, organization members, friends and family. [highlighting added] This data will be handled with the greatest sensitivity and confidentiality and will not be shared with others. It will be used only to communicate the messages of "Vote No on 4."

Have these people no sense of honor or intergrity? And, people wonder why I hate the Chamber of Commerce. Vote Yes on Amendment 4 readers. Tell your friends.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think by now the people who work for these monsters know how the shenanigans between their bosses and public officials have screwed up our quality of life. They are suffering to and it's only going to get worse. These companies will redirect their efforts and find plenty of work and money to be made renovating, redeveloping and maintaining what we already have. Nobody is going to lose their job because we can't drain the swamp.

Anonymous said...

This ad is an insult to every honest politician in office. It doesn't convince to vote yes on amendment 4.

Anonymous said...

There aren't enough honest politicians to insult. They wouldn't vote for Amendment 4 anyway,so why not insult them? The honest ones have the stock answer: Vote good people in office. With Districts we can't. So suck it up.

Anonymous said...

I didn't think there was such a thing as an honest politician these days.

Anonymous said...

OK, it's martini time. Turning off the tube.

Anonymous said...

If our elected officials will not listen to the citizens when we appear directly before them, then its time to go around them...Amendment#4 does just that.

Lois & Clark
Redland

Anonymous said...

We know public input on land use change request do not work with our current system. Once a developer has made it this far it's usually in the bag for them and a hearing is just a matter of formality. When is the last time you have seen someone get up and speak out about an issue and the whole thing get kaboshed, it will never happen. With Amendment 4 if enough of us feel a land use plan should not happen then it won't. What a concept. How could one support anything but a YES vote on amendment 4 unless your a politician, have hopes of being one someday or have a lot of construction equipment to pay for.

Anonymous said...

No matter what kind of pressure they apply, once you go in the voting booth, no one will know exactly how you voted. Results are reported in the aggregate. That is the beauty of secret ballot voting.

CATO said...

Since we are a representative democracy those we elect are a mirror reflection of our collective selves.
With absentee ballots and money flying around what makes any of you tree huggers think the results will be different if amendment 4 passed?
The methods may change but the results will not.
Though I may not like some of the things the people my neighbors have elected have done, I fear more what my neighbors would do left to their own devices, meaning I am not enamored with the pure democracy concept of amendment 4.

Geniusofdespair said...

Warning Cato-- I don't like the term tree hugger

Geniusofdespair said...

Cato--look at it this way-- the development was already approved by the government. Amendment 4 adds another hurdle: the public vote. So exactly what do you have to lose? If the public bends to developers-- you don't lose because it was already lost. If the public is smart you win. Where is the problem?

Alex Larson said...

Whenever anyone talks against Amendment 4 I simply point out it's easier to bribe 7 county comissioners than it is to bribe 70,000 voters.

Anonymous said...

CATO obviously has something to lose if Amendment 4 passes.

Anonymous said...

I am voting for 4, but I also am concerned about the next level of greed and how developers will get around this issue. I think we need to get very good at getting out the vote on a regular basis.