Civil War in Libya. Oil speculators crowding into the market. For nearly a week running, network TV news has led with the story of rising gas prices and the "threat to the economy". Really? The Federal Reserve core inflation excludes food and energy, on the basis that rapid increases may moderate and in any event (barring revolutionaries gaining foothold in Saudi Arabia) it takes time for price spikes-- especially those triggered by speculation-- to noticeably impact long-term commodity prices. The price of gas goes from $3.14 to $3.55, and suddenly we are atwitter about tapping the national oil reserve?
In the week before TV news began to focus on gas prices, the Administration announced the jobless rate fell to 8.9 percent. The emerging story line is that rising fuel prices are threatening the economic "recovery". That's not why the seams are coming apart.
A 2008 report by the US DOE notes that petroleum accounts for only 37 percent of total energy consumption. Libya accounts for about 2 percent of global oil supply. The narrative that strikes me as more resonant is that US industrial, financial and housing policies, virtually without criticism by the fourth estate, created a perfect storm from the mid 1990's to mid 2000's, allowing speculative bubbles in the stock market and real estate development to inflate an appearance of economic prosperity while Wall Street and the entire Growth Machine looted the banks until the whole scheme came crashing down like the Hindenberg.
There has been no accountability, and maybe that is what is unsettling TV viewers. To watch poor Arabs taking up arms against rich dictators armed to the teeth fuels some agitation on our part that is yet unrecognized. Americans' obsessive "right to bear arms" looks like thin gruel in news clips of machine guns in the hands of disorganized Libyan rebels firing into the blue sky. After this exercise, maybe the National Rifle Association needs to lobby for citizens' right to bear surface-to-air-missiles, not just guns. While gas prices lead the news, what goes unreported is how the snake oil salesmen are flourishing in the United States.
In the 19th century, as the Robber Barons were consolidating political and economic power around the railroads, the salesmen held forth medicines to cure intestinal worms in bottles filled with alcohol clear as rain. Their prescriptions are in the same vein as our own, newer ones; "the ownership society" or Tea Party'ers attacking "job killing environmental regulations" like the witches of Eastwick. No one has gone to jail, not Angelo Mozilo of Countrywide, the giant mortgage company that made the highest virtue of signing to a home mortgage anyone who could fog a mirror. In Florida, in Miami-Dade county and the state capitol, Tallahassee, the Angelo Mozilo School of Thievery and Disguise is well attended. The GOP elites are busy in legislative Hogwarts assembling the most radical policies to consolidate power since the 1880's.
The polluters are on the warpath to eliminate already miserable protections of public health and the environment. But we don't get that news: how they thump their Bibles, wear their American Flag pins on their lapels and sculpt their hair to look like marble busts in the rotunda. On 60 Minutes last Sunday, the lead story was the massive increase in public school students who are homeless. In one Florida county, the number of homeless students appearing in public schools is increasing from 15 to 30 students per day! Our response? Cut their funding. They don't have any? Cut it more!
60 Minutes noted that many Americans are opening their homes to shelter these victims of the "free" market. But for the most part, the mainstream media is staying far, far away from reporting the new callous America. It gravitates instead toward gas prices. The unrest in Libya pushed the unrest in Wisconsin and in the states, where local government officials are proving incapable of coping with municipal debt loads, off the front page and the news cycle, but for how long? How long before our own evangelicals answer the questions, where does the Bible make a fetish of small, limited government or tax cuts favoring the money changers?
Monday, March 07, 2011
Underhanded move by (SUPPORTERS/(NOT/MAYBE NOT) Natacha Seijas supporters, David Southwell and David Bennett? By Geniusofdespair
(I am not able to ascertain support so I am going with all three). Miami Lakes CPA David Southwell, organizer of Christian Financial Fellowship Intl, just opened a Corporation with David Bennett called, of all things, Miami Voice. they must be doing it to steal the thunder from the PAC Miami Voice because Lord knows, there is absolutely no funding benefit. I've seen their campaign reports.
CPA Southwell says the corporation he registered "will promote betterment of Miami Lakes and work with other not for profits to gain grants and other funds to improve the community." Good luck with the funds from non-profits. Has anyone reading this blog post ever tried to get a nickel out of a non-profit?
Asked about this move by Southwell and Bennett, Vanessa Brito, Miami Voice PAC Chairman said:
"I'm not sure what their plans are, but I presume they will misuse the name of the PAC I represent."
Below: Photo of David Bennett talking to Stephen Cody, Natacha Seijas' attorney, on February 7th.
Vote NO on SB606: phone calls needed to Senate Ag Committee NOW ... by gimleteye
If you want to understand just how polluted Florida politics are today, understand this: at the same time the jackasses are lobbying to kill of the federal government's ability to control water pollution in Florida (Marco Rubio), the Florida legislature is moving a bill through whose effect will be to kill off local rules and regulations. What the big polluters-- like Big Sugar-- want, is simple: to determine the point of maximum leverage in government to evade pollution rules. In this case, it is the state legislature but in others, like growth management, it will be where the worst damage is done: local county commissions. Here's how friendly the legislature has been to polluters: when in 2002 Big Sugar decided it had the power to re-write the federal settlement agreement governing its pollution of the Everglades, it hired more lobbyists than Florida senators to paper its trail. Of course, a federal judge rebuked the state, in one of the harshest rulings in US jurisprudence history, but not before the politicians had gotten off scott-free. A decade has passed, and the injury has still not been fixed. Today anything that can be tagged a "job killer" is being used to destroy environmental protection rules. It is a horror show in Tallahassee including the most radical extremist governor in state history.
The group United Waterfowlers is not so blatant. After all, a bunch of hunters and fishermen probably voted for the jackasses. So they take a more benign tone: "For the Angler and Hunter, each trip out to a favorite river or wetland is a lesson in ecology..." This is a fact, and it is why I became involved in environmental issues in Florida almost 40 years ago. Read the entire text of its message, explaining why you should pick up the phone and call this morning: if you care about your water, read the following and make your calls!
The Florida Senate Ag Committee meets TODAY on SB606
Please Contact by noon Monday, March 7, 2011
The Senate Ag committee needs to hear from Sportsmen... It's a simple message... Vote NO on SB606
SB606 would eliminate local government's ability to create ordinaces to address local impaired water issues regarding use of lawn fertilizer. This is NOT an Agricultural issue Local rule is a founding principal Vote NO on SB606
Senate Agriculture Committee phones, emails:
Chair: Senator Gary Sipin (D), 850-487-5190 siplin.gary.web@flsenate.gov,
Vice Chair: Senator Larcenia Bullard (D)850-487-5127 bullard.larcenia.web@flsenate.gov,
Senator J.D. Alexander, 850-487-5044 alexander.jd.web@flsenate.gov,
Senator Rene Garcia (R), 850-487-5106, garcia.rene.web@flsenate.gov,
Senator Alan Hays (R), 850-487-5014 hays.alan.web@flsenate.gov,
Senator Bill Montford (D), 850-487-5004 montford.bill.web@flsenate.gov:
Nutrient pollution threatens our surface waters and our groundwater. Wetlands filter nutrients from stormwater. But our remaining wetlands are being taxed with removing more nutrients than they can handle and many of these wetlands are in sad shape.
The FDACS TURF FERTILIZER RULE is too WEAK and FDEP BMPS fall short where impaired waters are present.
TURF FERTILIZER IS NOT AN AG ISSUE. Lobbyists want to make it an agriculture issue...ask yourself why?
25% of fertilizer sold in Florida is non-ag. Most of that is Turf ferilizer. Turf fertilizer is still a HUGE issue.
And because stormwater run-off in many areas flows directly into rivers and lakes, the fertilizer we use on our lawns ends up in our lakes, streams and marshes.
Delicate and vital Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV), among the natural food sources for waterfowl, is disappearing due to turbid, nutrient laden water, lack of dissolved oxygen, and the lack of light for photosynthesis. Excess nutrients spur invasive plant and algal growth in surface water. These invasive plants and algae become dominant in our marshes, choking out native vegetation and often times result in reduced dissolved oxygen levels in the water. Rotting of excess vegetation and algae use up oxygen in the water and create "dead zones". The algae cloud the water and also create biomass (muck) which coats sandy lakebeds and marsh bottoms that game fish need to spawn. Additionally, important food sources in the food web which ducks and other birds and fish rely on are disappearing along with the SAV. Macroinvertibrates and other small organisms, fresh water shrimp, other small crustaceans, mollusks and bait fish need the natural SAV for survival. SAV provides food and a relatively safe habitat for these small creatures to flourish and grow. When SAV is lost to invasive growth, many of these small organisms are lost as well. Waterfowl need carbohydrates and protein for their migration. Lack of food plants and these organisms in their diet stresses the birds, and adversely affects migration. Ducks spend more time searching for food and less time courting and pairing. Similar stresses occur in snipe and non-game birds. Diversity in fish communities, bait fish and game fish are lost as these food sources disappear.
The presence of excess nutrients from runoff constitutes one of the most significant wetland habitat issues we have specific to water quality in Florida.
Local rule is one of the founding principles of our nation. It was meant to address these very things where local insight is needed, or where the state or the Federal government lack insight or refuse to address problems like this, the issue can be (and should be) addressed locally.
The FDACS TURF FERTILIZER RULE is too WEAK and FDEP BMPS fall short where impaired waters are present.
This is where local governments MUST step in and write ordinances to address local issues with their impaired waters.
So on the one hand you have entities of the state wanting to tell local governments what they can and can't do while sueing the EPA for sticking their nose into state business.
SB606/HB457 gives the appearance that some lawmakers (and IFAS) would rather protect the interests of the lawn turf fertilizer industry at the expense of the tourism industry in Florida and at the expense of clean water
Many of the jobs being protected by this bill are out of state jobs
The Fishing/Hunting/Outdoor tourism industry in Florida is 100% pure Florida jobs
You voted NO last year...why change?
Vote NO on SB606/HB457 for Florida Clean Water and Jobs
The relative Scale:
Leaching Sources of Nitrogen and Nitrates
Inputs of nitrogen to the Wekiva Basin and nitrate loadings to the River - WSA phase II study (MACTEC phase II WSA final report, March 2010)
This chart shows the relative results of the WSA phase II study. Leaching of nutrients from residential fertilizers (15%) vs. Septic tanks (26%). Septic tank loading (OSTDS) equaled loading from Agriculture fertilizer (26%) in an area with significant agricultural land use.
There are other studies that indicate leachate of nutrients from septic tanks and run-off of stormwater along the Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon are entering those water bodies as well, altering algal communities and killing native submerged grasses important to fish and migrating ducks.
BTW, this was "Phase II" because the up-roar over the "Phase I" numbers was significant. Both SJRWMD and IFAS had input to the Phase II study.
Seen at Early Voting in Hialeah Sunday. By Geniusofdespair
Natacha Seijas's Chief of Staff Terry Murphy (the short one) and her number one consultant, Jose Luis Castillo, confer at the Hialeah JFK Library during early voting. What do you think they are saying? Jose: "I think she is going to lose Bro." Terry: "Yeah, and if the bitch goes down, I lose my job."
This Jose guy is always lurking in the background whenever anything concerns Natacha. I guess he will just switch over to his new number one gal Lynda Bell.
And then, in stark contrast, Miami Voice volunteers were seen celebrating with voters a few cars down from the somber duo.
Sunday, March 06, 2011
Poll says Seijas and Alvarez will go down in flames. By Geniusofdespair
The Miami Herald's top story is the Bendixen Poll which finds 66% of those polled thinks Norman Braman is a principled activist and 67% said they would vote yes to recall Mayor Alvarez and 60% said they would recall Vile Natacha Seijas. I thought it funny that 21% thought her combative and rude. Curiously Whites prefer her over Hispanics. For Alvarez, he had more support among Whites and Blacks than with Hispanics. Blacks were the most undecided among the three racial groups. The poll said 31% were undecided at this late date. But, that is only 1/3 of 23% of 400 people polled and there is a 4.9% margin of error.
There are 24 pages of poll data on Natacha and 31 pages on Alvarez in the Miami Herald PDF, you get much more information online than in the paper Herald.
On Democrats supporting Seijas in larger numbers...lets look at the poll. 400 people were polled in District 13. of that about 100 were Democrats. The poll said about 47% support recall, 28% are against and 25% are undecided among Democrats. That is about 28 people polled that support her. I would suppose many of these people are in unions. Among Republicans her support is at 21%. Blacks were 7% of the poll in Natacha's district, or about 28 people polled so they were pretty much left out of the data analysis for Natacha.
Kendrick Meek: DC lobbyist, but for whom? by gimleteye
Long before last November's election, a rumor circulated that Kendrick Meek's decision to remain in a doomed US Senate race was not based on a promise by Democrats to support a Clinton supporter so much as consideration of future employment as a lobbyist in DC. Lately, a rumor along that line emerged, although a search of database registrations for Meek does not turn up on the excellent website, Opensecrets or Congress databases. The Carrie Meek Group does turn up interestingly as formerly a lobbyist for another lobbyist, Alcade and Faye (one of the three Miami-Dade lobbyists in DC). Similarly Meek is rumored to be lobbying for another lobbyist; leaving us to question who employs Meek and who are his clients, and whether either tie back to an election that delivered Marco Rubio with ease to the national stage. The former congressman voted for lobbying reform and disclosure of bundled donations in 2007.
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Tea Party: do you even know what you stand for? by gimleteye
It is now established that the Tea Party represents the extreme, radical wing of the Republican Party supported by big corporate polluters. I'm guessing that many well-meaning individuals disgusted with BOTH political parties initially drove the idea of a new party forward but now are lost as Cairo revolutionaries. That the Tea Party was co-opted was apparent as soon as mainstream Republicans like Dick Armey from Texas muscled in on the action. What to do, now?
Florida Governor Rick Scott appealed yesterday for Tea Party support of his agenda in the state capitol, Tallahassee, where his own party is firmly in control and Democrats are an irrelevant minority. Although the Republican leadership in the legislature is the most conservative in 100 years, it's not enough for Scott who seems to have no understanding of public policy other than what he can put together from his private jet window.
Since most Republicans in Florida, as elsewhere in the Southeast, are Christians: I have a question. Nowhere in the Bible or any other Christian doctrine does it say that limited, small government is a cornerstone virtue. This conflation of limited, small government with Christianity-- now being used as a ice pick to destroy the protections of people by government, wholesale-- is puzzling. Since when is it Christian to embrace politics that harm the poor, the incapable, or the defenseless like God's entire creation? Since when is it Christian to allow the thieves to thump the Bible as their authority? In their insistence on the curative power of "free markets" they are more like 19th century salesmen of medicines for intestinal worms, holding up jars of liquid clear as rain water to prove the efficacy of their snake oil. In fact, these political usurpers believe in free markets so long as they are "free" for them. The faithful have an obligation; not to blindly follow false prophets but to object and to put action to those objections.
Next week, US Senator Marco Rubio will be offering a companion amendment to the Continuing Resolution to fund the government, to that proposed by Congressman Rooney: to prohibit the US EPA from mandating protections of Florida waters from pollution. In 20 years, the state of Florida has failed to act on pollution standards for nutrients in state waters because of the influence of polluters. The amount of death and destruction this is causing to the environment and to people, including property values at our coastlines and on our estuaries and rivers-- is staggering. Since when does the Tea Party stand for environmental destruction represented by Rubio and Scott, both? Since when is the Tea Party committed to following the lead of Rubio and Scott's main supporters from the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the jackasses at Associated Industries?
You can't reach any other conclusion that their end goal is to speed the destruction of God's creation. That's hardly Christian and it is something to think about, at Sunday prayers.
Florida Governor Rick Scott appealed yesterday for Tea Party support of his agenda in the state capitol, Tallahassee, where his own party is firmly in control and Democrats are an irrelevant minority. Although the Republican leadership in the legislature is the most conservative in 100 years, it's not enough for Scott who seems to have no understanding of public policy other than what he can put together from his private jet window.
Since most Republicans in Florida, as elsewhere in the Southeast, are Christians: I have a question. Nowhere in the Bible or any other Christian doctrine does it say that limited, small government is a cornerstone virtue. This conflation of limited, small government with Christianity-- now being used as a ice pick to destroy the protections of people by government, wholesale-- is puzzling. Since when is it Christian to embrace politics that harm the poor, the incapable, or the defenseless like God's entire creation? Since when is it Christian to allow the thieves to thump the Bible as their authority? In their insistence on the curative power of "free markets" they are more like 19th century salesmen of medicines for intestinal worms, holding up jars of liquid clear as rain water to prove the efficacy of their snake oil. In fact, these political usurpers believe in free markets so long as they are "free" for them. The faithful have an obligation; not to blindly follow false prophets but to object and to put action to those objections.
Next week, US Senator Marco Rubio will be offering a companion amendment to the Continuing Resolution to fund the government, to that proposed by Congressman Rooney: to prohibit the US EPA from mandating protections of Florida waters from pollution. In 20 years, the state of Florida has failed to act on pollution standards for nutrients in state waters because of the influence of polluters. The amount of death and destruction this is causing to the environment and to people, including property values at our coastlines and on our estuaries and rivers-- is staggering. Since when does the Tea Party stand for environmental destruction represented by Rubio and Scott, both? Since when is the Tea Party committed to following the lead of Rubio and Scott's main supporters from the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the jackasses at Associated Industries?
You can't reach any other conclusion that their end goal is to speed the destruction of God's creation. That's hardly Christian and it is something to think about, at Sunday prayers.
Coral Gables Gets a Push Poll. By Geniusofdespair
My spouse says I am a hater...I guess I am. I add to my hate list: Push Polls. For those of you who don't know what one is, according to the Mystery Pollster:
"The important thing to remember is that a "push poll" is not a poll at all. It's a fraud, an attempt to disseminate information under the guise of a legitimate survey. The proof is in the intent of the person doing it."
Someone in the Coral Gables District 4 Commission Race just put out a push poll, apparently after Gonzalo Sanabria (who can blame them) and Brad Rosenblatt. Take a look at an in depth description of this Coral Gables push poll over at the Discourse Blog. Nasty stuff going on in Coral Gables. I thought rich people behaved better (LOL).
"The important thing to remember is that a "push poll" is not a poll at all. It's a fraud, an attempt to disseminate information under the guise of a legitimate survey. The proof is in the intent of the person doing it."
Someone in the Coral Gables District 4 Commission Race just put out a push poll, apparently after Gonzalo Sanabria (who can blame them) and Brad Rosenblatt. Take a look at an in depth description of this Coral Gables push poll over at the Discourse Blog. Nasty stuff going on in Coral Gables. I thought rich people behaved better (LOL).
Carfax...who thought up that name? By geniusofdespair
You might think some auto guy thought it up but the name Carfax was actually thought up by Bram Stoker in about 1897. Carfax was the name of Dracula's residence in England.
Friday, March 04, 2011
The Movie Beastly Gets 3 Stars in The Miami Herald. By Geniusofdespair
The Miami Herald gave Beastly 3 stars. I saw the movie at its Florida opening on Monday. It is a chick flick with a positive message to teens and was fun to watch - I also go with 3 stars. My almost 11 year old niece, who accompanied me, left the theater smiling and eager to read her autographed book. She said she loved the movie and couldn't wait to tell her friends about it.
We all know by now that our own Miami-Dade fellow resident Alex Flinn wrote the book on which the movie was based. I wish Alex continued success with her writing.
President Obama with Jeb! in Miami: who is schooling, who? by gimleteye
Politico reports this morning, "Jeb Bush to take Obama to school". Regular readers of EOM have a pretty good idea what that means: "mean" as in angry, petulant, and overdosed with certainty. That's Jeb! to a T.
Nationally, Jeb! is competing with Newt Gingrich for the grand old man of the Republican party. They are planning on the electorate's ultra-short memory span to propel them past their legacies of public policy errors. Gingrich, with his new found religion and values, is destined for a fast fade. It is not just age. It is history, which he teaches.
Jeb!, on the other hand, benefits from the full support of the Karl Rove/Grover Norquist School of Thieves. History is not fact, it is what you make it to be. If not for the miserable record of George W. Bush in the White House, he would have a shot at the presidency. As it is, Jeb! has successfully dodged his history in Florida, including the mess he made of public education and the mean politics of Florida's charter schools, through which politically influential entrepreneurs are institutionalizing conservative ideology in formative education of the next generations.
Politico is right, that Obama's appearance alongside Jeb! in Miami today is meant to appeal to independents and moderates. Who can be against removing bad principals and moving bad teachers out of the rank and file in public schools? The dilemma, here, is not so much for Obama-- so far, if he can raise the money he looks good in 2012-- as it is for the unions. Protecting the worst parts of a bad, broken public education system does not serve the unions' interests. So long as the unions are unclear about their responsibility to help fix what's broken, they are leaving President Obama out on a limb.
And it wouldn't be Obama sawing off the limb that holds him, up. It wouldn't necessary be Jeb!, either. But the interests behind Jeb!? Their chain saws are already revv'ing. Can you hear them in Miami? (Click, 'read more' for the Politico article)
Jeb Bush to take Obama to school
By: Abby Phillip
March 4, 2011 04:44 AM EST
Just the other day, President Barack Obama bestowed a Medal of Freedom on former President George H.W. Bush. But it’s not every day that he spends time with a member of the Bush family whose national political career could still be ahead of him.
On Friday, however, the president will tour a Miami high school with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a rare moment of bipartisan collaboration on an education reform agenda that, at least in vague terms, the two can agree on.
There’s an upside for both.
For Obama, his 2012 reelection platform will be shaped by how his reform agenda is received in swing states like Florida. And while Bush’s political ambitions remain largely unknown, an education-focused event keeps him squarely on message, if his long-term goal is using his signature issue to broaden his appeal beyond the Florida border.
“When Bush was governor he stood out as far as the reforms he put forth and still advocates for,” a Florida Republican official said.
Friday’s event is more of what Bush has done since leaving office in 2007, advocating for education reform across the country. And it provides almost no new clues about what he plans to do in the future.
As governor, Bush pushed an aggressive, and polarizing, education reform agenda that focused on testing, charter schools, merit-based pay and school vouchers. But since the state legislative battles that raged throughout his terms have died down, he has enjoyed a reputation of having been one of the nation’s strongest education governors.
“Because of high expectations for students, hard-edge policies that focus schools on learning and an array of choices for families, the Sunshine State is leading the nation in rising student achievement,” Bush said in a statement this week, adding that he looked forward to sharing the state’s “model for student success” with Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
In theory, Obama’s education reform agenda makes room for many of the same ideas.
His Race to the Top program, which requires states to produce aggressive education reform plans in order to compete for billions in federal money, has pushed states to eliminate charter-school caps, open their educational charters to merit-based-pay systems, and raise student performance standards.
But as evidence of how tricky an issue education can be for a Democratic president, Obama has also actively disavowed support for school vouchers as a “solution” to the country’s education problems and has worked hard to persuade skeptical teachers unions to support merit-based pay and the lifting of charter-school caps.
By courting Bush, Obama is aligning himself with a politician who has no regard for constituencies such as teachers, but whose overt opposition in 2012 could damage Obama’s own hard-earned credibility on education reform.
From the perspective of some of Florida’s traditional Democratic constituencies, Bush’s education reform agenda leaves a lot to be desired. Four years after Bush left office, critics see a legacy of tension with teachers unions, underfunded schools and just moderate gains in student performance.
“I think [Bush] has a very positive persona when it comes to public education outside of Florida, but the experiment has been a failed experiment in Florida,” said Dan Smith, a political science professor at the University of Florida.
Miami Central Senior High School, where Obama and Bush will visit, is a school the Obama administration believes exemplifies the success of the “turnaround model” for failing schools. Bush selected the school as an example of a school that has made gains through reform.
But its approach will also be an integral part of how Obama seeks to “fix” the No Child Left Behind education reform bill that Bush’s older brother, President George W. Bush, championed.
Changing No Child Left Behind will be Obama’s next major foray into education reform, an issue on which Republicans historically have maintained a strategic advantage.
If the White House pushes Congress to take up overhauling that bill this year, as Obama says he plans to do, that debate could define Obama’s reelection platform on education.
Obama’s connection with Bush can be seen as an effort to win over independents and moderate Republicans — in the same vein as December’s tax-cut compromise — even as he soothes anxieties in his own party. Obama’s speech in Florida on Friday will very likely be geared toward striking that same balance.
“I don’t think the president standing with Jeb Bush is an endorsement of everything Jeb Bush has done as governor,” said Steve Shale, the 2008 Obama campaign’s Florida director. “The president is pointing out that there are things that were done in Florida that we can all learn from.”
© 2011 Capitol News Company, LLC
Nationally, Jeb! is competing with Newt Gingrich for the grand old man of the Republican party. They are planning on the electorate's ultra-short memory span to propel them past their legacies of public policy errors. Gingrich, with his new found religion and values, is destined for a fast fade. It is not just age. It is history, which he teaches.
Jeb!, on the other hand, benefits from the full support of the Karl Rove/Grover Norquist School of Thieves. History is not fact, it is what you make it to be. If not for the miserable record of George W. Bush in the White House, he would have a shot at the presidency. As it is, Jeb! has successfully dodged his history in Florida, including the mess he made of public education and the mean politics of Florida's charter schools, through which politically influential entrepreneurs are institutionalizing conservative ideology in formative education of the next generations.
Politico is right, that Obama's appearance alongside Jeb! in Miami today is meant to appeal to independents and moderates. Who can be against removing bad principals and moving bad teachers out of the rank and file in public schools? The dilemma, here, is not so much for Obama-- so far, if he can raise the money he looks good in 2012-- as it is for the unions. Protecting the worst parts of a bad, broken public education system does not serve the unions' interests. So long as the unions are unclear about their responsibility to help fix what's broken, they are leaving President Obama out on a limb.
And it wouldn't be Obama sawing off the limb that holds him, up. It wouldn't necessary be Jeb!, either. But the interests behind Jeb!? Their chain saws are already revv'ing. Can you hear them in Miami? (Click, 'read more' for the Politico article)
Jeb Bush to take Obama to school
By: Abby Phillip
March 4, 2011 04:44 AM EST
Just the other day, President Barack Obama bestowed a Medal of Freedom on former President George H.W. Bush. But it’s not every day that he spends time with a member of the Bush family whose national political career could still be ahead of him.
On Friday, however, the president will tour a Miami high school with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a rare moment of bipartisan collaboration on an education reform agenda that, at least in vague terms, the two can agree on.
There’s an upside for both.
For Obama, his 2012 reelection platform will be shaped by how his reform agenda is received in swing states like Florida. And while Bush’s political ambitions remain largely unknown, an education-focused event keeps him squarely on message, if his long-term goal is using his signature issue to broaden his appeal beyond the Florida border.
“When Bush was governor he stood out as far as the reforms he put forth and still advocates for,” a Florida Republican official said.
Friday’s event is more of what Bush has done since leaving office in 2007, advocating for education reform across the country. And it provides almost no new clues about what he plans to do in the future.
As governor, Bush pushed an aggressive, and polarizing, education reform agenda that focused on testing, charter schools, merit-based pay and school vouchers. But since the state legislative battles that raged throughout his terms have died down, he has enjoyed a reputation of having been one of the nation’s strongest education governors.
“Because of high expectations for students, hard-edge policies that focus schools on learning and an array of choices for families, the Sunshine State is leading the nation in rising student achievement,” Bush said in a statement this week, adding that he looked forward to sharing the state’s “model for student success” with Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
In theory, Obama’s education reform agenda makes room for many of the same ideas.
His Race to the Top program, which requires states to produce aggressive education reform plans in order to compete for billions in federal money, has pushed states to eliminate charter-school caps, open their educational charters to merit-based-pay systems, and raise student performance standards.
But as evidence of how tricky an issue education can be for a Democratic president, Obama has also actively disavowed support for school vouchers as a “solution” to the country’s education problems and has worked hard to persuade skeptical teachers unions to support merit-based pay and the lifting of charter-school caps.
By courting Bush, Obama is aligning himself with a politician who has no regard for constituencies such as teachers, but whose overt opposition in 2012 could damage Obama’s own hard-earned credibility on education reform.
From the perspective of some of Florida’s traditional Democratic constituencies, Bush’s education reform agenda leaves a lot to be desired. Four years after Bush left office, critics see a legacy of tension with teachers unions, underfunded schools and just moderate gains in student performance.
“I think [Bush] has a very positive persona when it comes to public education outside of Florida, but the experiment has been a failed experiment in Florida,” said Dan Smith, a political science professor at the University of Florida.
Miami Central Senior High School, where Obama and Bush will visit, is a school the Obama administration believes exemplifies the success of the “turnaround model” for failing schools. Bush selected the school as an example of a school that has made gains through reform.
But its approach will also be an integral part of how Obama seeks to “fix” the No Child Left Behind education reform bill that Bush’s older brother, President George W. Bush, championed.
Changing No Child Left Behind will be Obama’s next major foray into education reform, an issue on which Republicans historically have maintained a strategic advantage.
If the White House pushes Congress to take up overhauling that bill this year, as Obama says he plans to do, that debate could define Obama’s reelection platform on education.
Obama’s connection with Bush can be seen as an effort to win over independents and moderate Republicans — in the same vein as December’s tax-cut compromise — even as he soothes anxieties in his own party. Obama’s speech in Florida on Friday will very likely be geared toward striking that same balance.
“I don’t think the president standing with Jeb Bush is an endorsement of everything Jeb Bush has done as governor,” said Steve Shale, the 2008 Obama campaign’s Florida director. “The president is pointing out that there are things that were done in Florida that we can all learn from.”
© 2011 Capitol News Company, LLC
County Commission Has That 'Let Them Eat Cake' Mentality.
The people were mad as hell because the County Commission raised their taxes. So what does the County Commission do to top that, they have a $200 million dollar bond issue. What are they nuts? The three running for Mayor - Joe Martinez, Carlos Gimenez and Rebeca Sosa voted against it. The rest of them, they have lost touch with reality and the people they serve. Thank you for your sanity Joe, Carlos and Rebeca.
Maybe this time Marty Margulies will fund a recall of the remaining commissioners over the bond issue. This is such a bad idea I am aghast that the County Commissioners could be this stupid. Maybe I should be beating up on me for always being surprised when something idiotic happens in County government. Shouldn't I be expecting it by now? The Miami Herald said:
"Commissioner Javier Souto, for instance, fought hard to include funding for an equestrian center at Tropical Park. His argument: The project at the regional park will help economic development and bring 'countywide benefits'."
You couldn't be more wrong Javier. We don't need your friggin' equestrian center. We would get countywide benefits if you would just stop wasting our money on "projects". I'm sorry, this vote just has to get my boondoggle rating because it is a boondoggle in the making.
Maybe this time Marty Margulies will fund a recall of the remaining commissioners over the bond issue. This is such a bad idea I am aghast that the County Commissioners could be this stupid. Maybe I should be beating up on me for always being surprised when something idiotic happens in County government. Shouldn't I be expecting it by now? The Miami Herald said:
"Commissioner Javier Souto, for instance, fought hard to include funding for an equestrian center at Tropical Park. His argument: The project at the regional park will help economic development and bring 'countywide benefits'."
You couldn't be more wrong Javier. We don't need your friggin' equestrian center. We would get countywide benefits if you would just stop wasting our money on "projects". I'm sorry, this vote just has to get my boondoggle rating because it is a boondoggle in the making.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Miami Voice's Vanessa Brito Joins the Barriero-Seijas Tiff. By Geniusofdespair
Natacha Seijas was booed by about 30 people on line to vote at JFK Library in Hialeah yesterday. So much for Hialeah loving her. She got back in her car and left. About 600 people voted yesterday there. As far as the tiff goes between Bruno and Natacha, she said on radio that in County Commissioner Bruno Barreiro's district petition gatherers were harassed and she did not do that in her district. Miami Voice begs to differ with Natacha and wanted to set the record straight. Vanessa Brito said the petition gatherers were harassed mostly in Natacha Seijas' district to the point that they were thrown out of a voting precinct. Brito said there was minimal harassment in Barreiro's district and that Natacha's attack on him was without merit.
Here is the Letter from Miami Voice: (For context, see post below - letter from Bruno Barreiro to Natacha Seijas)
Commissioner Barreiro,
I hope this message finds you well and in good health. After Commissioner Seijas' comments on Actualidad 1020am yesterday morning, I feel compelled to reach out to you. Commissioner Seijas' comments were unwarranted and completely out of context. While Miami Voice PAC launched a petition drive to recall five Miami-Dade County Commissioners, you among them, we maintain utmost respect for public service.
For clarification purposes, we agree and are aware that your commission office did not interfere with the petition gathering process. In fact, we recall your comments to the Clerk of the Court stating you would not fight any decision made by his office - same steps we took once the certification for your recall failed by 34 signatures. The only comments made by Miami Voice regarding intimidation and interference with the process was directed at County building administrators in Little Havana condominiums.
Miami Voice does not believe that your vote to approve the Mayor's budget was the correct one. However, we do not believe that truth must be misconstrued as a political or campaign tactic. At this juncture, I believe we ALL have a responsibility to reform the way our county government functions. In seeking the recall of Commissioner Seijas, we are further disappointed by her comments yesterday - more than that, though, we are shocked.
We are also surprised by your response to Commissioner Seijas' accusations yesterday. Finally, one of the 13 has stood up against the disrespect and misuse of power outside Chambers. The political landscape is changing and while we wish your budget vote would have been different last September, we hope that your stance yesterday is just one of many to come.
Sincerely,
Vanessa Brito, Chairman
Here is the Letter from Miami Voice: (For context, see post below - letter from Bruno Barreiro to Natacha Seijas)
Commissioner Barreiro,
I hope this message finds you well and in good health. After Commissioner Seijas' comments on Actualidad 1020am yesterday morning, I feel compelled to reach out to you. Commissioner Seijas' comments were unwarranted and completely out of context. While Miami Voice PAC launched a petition drive to recall five Miami-Dade County Commissioners, you among them, we maintain utmost respect for public service.
For clarification purposes, we agree and are aware that your commission office did not interfere with the petition gathering process. In fact, we recall your comments to the Clerk of the Court stating you would not fight any decision made by his office - same steps we took once the certification for your recall failed by 34 signatures. The only comments made by Miami Voice regarding intimidation and interference with the process was directed at County building administrators in Little Havana condominiums.
Miami Voice does not believe that your vote to approve the Mayor's budget was the correct one. However, we do not believe that truth must be misconstrued as a political or campaign tactic. At this juncture, I believe we ALL have a responsibility to reform the way our county government functions. In seeking the recall of Commissioner Seijas, we are further disappointed by her comments yesterday - more than that, though, we are shocked.
We are also surprised by your response to Commissioner Seijas' accusations yesterday. Finally, one of the 13 has stood up against the disrespect and misuse of power outside Chambers. The political landscape is changing and while we wish your budget vote would have been different last September, we hope that your stance yesterday is just one of many to come.
Sincerely,
Vanessa Brito, Chairman
Natacha Seijas Burning Bridges. By Geniusofdespair
Angered by fellow Miami Dade County Commissioner Bruno Barreiro escaping the recall, Vile Natacha Seijas lashed out at him on Spanish language radio saying he and his family harassed petition gatherers but she did not (LIE). He wrote Seijas this letter above in reply. Do you think the last line is a slap at her, it could be read that way. What does she deserve for her work?
Unfortunately I don't understand Spanish so I don't know what she said and I could not figure out how to get the radio upload on this blog post. But suffice it to say, she will be without friends by the time this recall is over.
Destroy Florida, an explosive new C-4 ... by gimleteye
C4 is a type of plastic explosive. It is also the IRS designation of certain political action committees that are now springing to life since the Bush Supreme Court gave "personhood" to corporations, unleashing an avalanche of special interest, corporate money against the public. "Destroy Florida" goes by another name, "Free Market Florida". It is the new political action committee launched by the same idiots who brought down Florida Hometown Democracy.
The Florida Independent reports, "Free Market Florida prepares to do battle with environmentalists". Their nominal target is the US EPA and the federal agencies intent to protect Florida's water from pollution unleashed by Big Sugar and unscrupulous county commissioners like Natacha Seijas, who allowed growth to run rampant as kudzu.
The real target is Florida Senator Bill Nelson. "The new group’s address is listed as 610 South Blvd., Tampa, the home of dozens of political committees that operate in Florida and nationwide. A letter on Free Market Florida’s home page from Florida Chamber of Commerce CEO Mark Wilson says the group will help the business community take on “aggressive anti-free market groups”.
Wilson and his buddies, like Florida jackass-in-chief Barney Bishop of Associated Industries, are trying to pressure Senator Nelson to stand up with them, in their effort to kill off the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Emboldened by last November's results, they are intent on destroying what is left of government's capacity to help people. Everything to them that does not have a dollar sign attached is a "job killer". But look at the job they did on Florida during the housing boom: flooding the state with rampant overdevelopment. They called it, then, "what the market wants" and it was a bad dream built on the foundations of fraud.
Well these fraudsters are back, at it. With the Supreme Court in their pockets, independent political committees outspent progressives 10-1 in November 2010. In 2012, you are not going to believe how much money they will throw at the destruction of the public interest. The cynics like those behind Free Market Florida might as well be using the real C4 explosives: they are blowing up this nation's future, wrapped in an American flag and ugly, unrecognizable versions of Christianity. Does Senator Bill Nelson have the guts to stand up to the destroyers, neatly coiffed, suited, and wing-tipped? We'll see, soon enough. (click, 'read more', for the Florida Independent article)
Free Market Florida prepares to do battle with environmentalists
By Travis Pillow | 03.01.11 | 2:08 pm
4 Comments
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A new group claiming that California-style regulation and litigation are crippling Florida’s economy has launched to “take the fight to” environmental groups and other “special interests.”
Officially announced today, Free Market Florida describes itself as “a project of Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy, Inc., a 501(c)(4) organization.”
A political committee, also called Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy, last year ran the campaign against Amendment 4 — aka “Hometown Democracy” — and disbanded in January. A 501(c)(4) is a nonprofit organization that is allowed to lobby and run campaign ads without disclosing its donors. The new group’s address is listed as 610 South Blvd., Tampa, the home of dozens of political committees that operate in Florida and nationwide.
A letter on Free Market Florida’s home page from Florida Chamber of Commerce CEO Mark Wilson says the group will help the business community take on “aggressive anti-free market groups”:
Those who oppose economic development and job creation will say or do anything and, until now, Florida’s business community has had to “gear up” for the multiple battles special interests wage. Now, with FreeMarketFlorida.org, the business community has a permanent effort, complimentary to that of the Florida Chamber and others, which will meet the opposition whenever and wherever they choose to engage. #
Now is the time to take the fight to them.
Apparently that involves fighting EPA water quality regulations — known as numeric nutrient criteria, which the agency created for Florida after a lawsuit brought by environmental groups — and challenging the Department of Community Affairs, which the group describes as “Soviet-style” central planners whose activities should be left to local governments. #
Gov. Rick Scott and committees in both houses of the state legislature are already working on plans to scale back the department’s functions.
The Florida Independent reports, "Free Market Florida prepares to do battle with environmentalists". Their nominal target is the US EPA and the federal agencies intent to protect Florida's water from pollution unleashed by Big Sugar and unscrupulous county commissioners like Natacha Seijas, who allowed growth to run rampant as kudzu.
The real target is Florida Senator Bill Nelson. "The new group’s address is listed as 610 South Blvd., Tampa, the home of dozens of political committees that operate in Florida and nationwide. A letter on Free Market Florida’s home page from Florida Chamber of Commerce CEO Mark Wilson says the group will help the business community take on “aggressive anti-free market groups”.
Wilson and his buddies, like Florida jackass-in-chief Barney Bishop of Associated Industries, are trying to pressure Senator Nelson to stand up with them, in their effort to kill off the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Emboldened by last November's results, they are intent on destroying what is left of government's capacity to help people. Everything to them that does not have a dollar sign attached is a "job killer". But look at the job they did on Florida during the housing boom: flooding the state with rampant overdevelopment. They called it, then, "what the market wants" and it was a bad dream built on the foundations of fraud.
Well these fraudsters are back, at it. With the Supreme Court in their pockets, independent political committees outspent progressives 10-1 in November 2010. In 2012, you are not going to believe how much money they will throw at the destruction of the public interest. The cynics like those behind Free Market Florida might as well be using the real C4 explosives: they are blowing up this nation's future, wrapped in an American flag and ugly, unrecognizable versions of Christianity. Does Senator Bill Nelson have the guts to stand up to the destroyers, neatly coiffed, suited, and wing-tipped? We'll see, soon enough. (click, 'read more', for the Florida Independent article)
Free Market Florida prepares to do battle with environmentalists
By Travis Pillow | 03.01.11 | 2:08 pm
4 Comments
Share
5
A new group claiming that California-style regulation and litigation are crippling Florida’s economy has launched to “take the fight to” environmental groups and other “special interests.”
Officially announced today, Free Market Florida describes itself as “a project of Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy, Inc., a 501(c)(4) organization.”
A political committee, also called Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy, last year ran the campaign against Amendment 4 — aka “Hometown Democracy” — and disbanded in January. A 501(c)(4) is a nonprofit organization that is allowed to lobby and run campaign ads without disclosing its donors. The new group’s address is listed as 610 South Blvd., Tampa, the home of dozens of political committees that operate in Florida and nationwide.
A letter on Free Market Florida’s home page from Florida Chamber of Commerce CEO Mark Wilson says the group will help the business community take on “aggressive anti-free market groups”:
Those who oppose economic development and job creation will say or do anything and, until now, Florida’s business community has had to “gear up” for the multiple battles special interests wage. Now, with FreeMarketFlorida.org, the business community has a permanent effort, complimentary to that of the Florida Chamber and others, which will meet the opposition whenever and wherever they choose to engage. #
Now is the time to take the fight to them.
Apparently that involves fighting EPA water quality regulations — known as numeric nutrient criteria, which the agency created for Florida after a lawsuit brought by environmental groups — and challenging the Department of Community Affairs, which the group describes as “Soviet-style” central planners whose activities should be left to local governments. #
Gov. Rick Scott and committees in both houses of the state legislature are already working on plans to scale back the department’s functions.
Miami Dade County only at Number 3? Guest Blog by Youbetcha'
Miami-Dade County has collected another high ranking statistic! According to Florida's CFO Jeff Atwater, "Miami-Dade County now ranks number three in the country in staged auto accidents”. I am not surprised, Miami–Dade residents are always trying to out-do other folks. However, with all these arrests yesterday of crooked insurance people, it makes one wonder what business in this town is safe from being overrun with lawbreakers?
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle said on Channel 7: "You know, a lot of the drug dealers of the 80s and 90s find this as a much safer way to make money."
I am just wondering if she got a look at the arrestees…. Some of them look young enough to have been in elementary school in the 80’s, not running a drug business.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle said on Channel 7: "You know, a lot of the drug dealers of the 80s and 90s find this as a much safer way to make money."
I am just wondering if she got a look at the arrestees…. Some of them look young enough to have been in elementary school in the 80’s, not running a drug business.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Natacha Watch: Early Voting. By Geniusofdespair
One of our readers spotted Natacha Seijas at an early voting location in Hialeah.
Obama in Miami: into the den of thieves ... by gimleteye
A blogger writes: "... at this point in time, when teachers in Wisconsin and elsewhere feel besieged, I’m wondering why Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan are flying to Florida to be with Republicans who have been part of the attack force. Why, when teachers are fighting for union rights, does the president decide to spend time with anti-teachers union school reformers?" Click, 'read more'
Posted at 5:00 AM ET, 03/ 2/2011
Obama's mistimed Miami school visit -- with Jeb Bush
By Valerie Strauss
At a time when Wisconsin teachers are protesting to keep their collective bargaining rights, President Obama is traveling to Florida to share a stage with former governor Jeb Bush, the king of corporate-driven, standardized test-obsessed school reform that devalues teachers and their unions .
What a tag team.
Obama is scheduled to speak to the students and faculty of Miami Central Senior High about the importance of out-educating the competition to secure America’s future. (That’s highly unlikely, with states cutting billions of dollars out of school budgets and with a reform agenda that is focused on expanding charter schools, assessing teachers based on students’ standardized test scores and the like, but never mind.)
Obama is appearing in Florida as state legislators move toward passing legislation (Senate Bill 736 , HB 7019) that:
* Ties at least half of a teacher’s salary to how well his/her students perform on standardized tests
* Prevents consideration of many advanced degrees and special training to be considered in determining a teacher’s salary
* Eliminates tenure for teachers hired after the summer of 2014
* Requires the creation of new standardized assessments for all courses, though it doesn’t suggest where the money will come from to pay.
Similar legislation passed last year but was vetoed by then-Gov. Charlie Crist. The new governor, Rick Scott, not only supports the legislation but had dangled the idea of taking apart the way public education is financed in Florida and handing money over to all parents in a new “voucher” system that would have made it virtually impossible to maintain local public schools. Scott has put that idea aside for now.
Obama has gone out of his way to be bipartisan in the education reform arena, which would be good if the Republicans were right about reform, but they aren’t either. Rather than eliminate the most egregious parts of No Child Left Behind, the signature education initiative of Jeb Bush’s brother, former president George W. Bush, Obama is building on some of them, making them even worse.
For example, instead of using standardized test scores to evaluate only schools and students, they now will be linked to how much a teacher is paid (even though we all know that a teacher isn’t solely responsible for how well a kid does on a test). It’s a bad idea, not championed by assessment experts and not borne out by research, but it’s the reform idea du jour, backed by Gates Foundation money and Obama’s policy agenda.
Breaking bread with Jeb Bush on school reform should be a questionable proposition for a president from a party that has traditionally championed public education (which is not to say it doesn’t need reform) and teachers unions (which is not to say that they should not reform).
Florida is increasingly being looked to as a national model of education reform, and we have Jeb Bush to thank for that. The state began to overhaul its public education system after Jeb Bush became governor in 1999, and it has been a leader in reforms centered around standardized tests, the expansion of charter schools, virtual education and merit pay. He long tried to reduce the power of teachers unions -- being very vocal about his aims -- and last year campaigned for legislation that would eliminate teacher tenure.
Under Bush, the state did make progress early on by focusing on reading and creating a statewide reading research center while hiring reading coaches.
The biggest improvement in Florida’s scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the nation’s report card, were in elementary reading, which suggests that this focus worked. The achievement gap for different demographic groups between 1998 and 2009 also shrunk for fourth- and eighth-grade reading between students who were in the federal lunch program (low-income families qualify) and those who do not qualify, according to a post by Florida educator Sherman Dorn .
But the achievement gap didn’t budge for 8th-grade writing or for math in any grade. Here’s the main point: Bush doesn’t talk about his reading initiative when he talks about his success, instead crediting his standardized testing regime.
The scheduled Obama-Jeb Bush fest is symbolic of how far afield Democrats have gone with school reform.
Obama last month expressed support for the Wisconsin teachers, who have been protesting to keep the collective bargaining rights (and that of other public employees) that the governor, Scott Walker, is intent on taking away. Wisconsin teachers already made concessions on monetary issues.
Obama said: "Some of what I’ve heard coming out of Wisconsin, where you’re just making it harder for public employees to collectively bargain, generally seems like more of an assault on unions. And I think it’s very important for us to understand that public employees, they’re our neighbors, they’re our friends. These are folks who are teachers and they’re firefighters and they’re social workers and they’re police officers.”
So, at this point in time, when teachers in Wisconsin and elsewhere feel besieged, I’m wondering why Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan are flying to Florida to be with Republicans who have been part of the attack force. Why, when teachers are fighting for union rights, does the president decide to spend time with anti-teachers union school reformers?
Follow my blog every day by bookmarking washingtonpost.com/answersheet. Bookmark it!
By Valerie Strauss | March 2, 2011; 5:00 AM ET
Posted at 5:00 AM ET, 03/ 2/2011
Obama's mistimed Miami school visit -- with Jeb Bush
By Valerie Strauss
At a time when Wisconsin teachers are protesting
What a tag team.
Obama is scheduled to speak to the students and faculty of Miami Central Senior High about the importance of out-educating the competition to secure America’s future. (That’s highly unlikely, with states cutting billions of dollars out of school budgets and with a reform agenda that is focused on expanding charter schools, assessing teachers based on students’ standardized test scores and the like, but never mind.)
Obama is appearing in Florida as state legislators move toward passing legislation
* Ties at least half of a teacher’s salary to how well his/her students perform on standardized tests
* Prevents consideration of many advanced degrees and special training to be considered in determining a teacher’s salary
* Eliminates tenure for teachers hired after the summer of 2014
* Requires the creation of new standardized assessments for all courses, though it doesn’t suggest where the money will come from to pay.
Similar legislation passed last year but was vetoed by then-Gov. Charlie Crist. The new governor, Rick Scott, not only supports the legislation but had dangled the idea of taking apart the way public education is financed in Florida and handing money over to all parents in a new “voucher” system that would have made it virtually impossible to maintain local public schools. Scott has put that idea aside for now.
Obama has gone out of his way to be bipartisan in the education reform arena, which would be good if the Republicans were right about reform, but they aren’t either. Rather than eliminate the most egregious parts of No Child Left Behind, the signature education initiative of Jeb Bush’s brother, former president George W. Bush, Obama is building on some of them, making them even worse.
For example, instead of using standardized test scores to evaluate only schools and students, they now will be linked to how much a teacher is paid (even though we all know that a teacher isn’t solely responsible for how well a kid does on a test). It’s a bad idea, not championed by assessment experts and not borne out by research, but it’s the reform idea du jour, backed by Gates Foundation money and Obama’s policy agenda.
Breaking bread with Jeb Bush
Florida is increasingly being looked to as a national model of education reform, and we have Jeb Bush to thank for that. The state began to overhaul its public education system after Jeb Bush became governor in 1999, and it has been a leader in reforms centered around standardized tests, the expansion of charter schools, virtual education and merit pay. He long tried
Under Bush, the state did make progress early on by focusing on reading and creating a statewide reading research center while hiring reading coaches.
The biggest improvement in Florida’s scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the nation’s report card, were in elementary reading, which suggests that this focus worked. The achievement gap for different demographic groups between 1998 and 2009 also shrunk for fourth- and eighth-grade reading between students who were in the federal lunch program (low-income families qualify) and those who do not qualify, according to a post by Florida educator Sherman Dorn
But the achievement gap didn’t budge for 8th-grade writing or for math in any grade. Here’s the main point: Bush doesn’t talk about his reading initiative when he talks about his success, instead crediting his standardized testing regime.
The scheduled Obama-Jeb Bush fest is symbolic of how far afield Democrats have gone with school reform.
Obama last month expressed support
Obama said: "Some of what I’ve heard coming out of Wisconsin, where you’re just making it harder for public employees to collectively bargain, generally seems like more of an assault on unions. And I think it’s very important for us to understand that public employees, they’re our neighbors, they’re our friends. These are folks who are teachers and they’re firefighters and they’re social workers and they’re police officers.”
So, at this point in time, when teachers in Wisconsin and elsewhere feel besieged, I’m wondering why Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan are flying to Florida to be with Republicans who have been part of the attack force. Why, when teachers are fighting for union rights, does the president decide to spend time with anti-teachers union school reformers?
Follow my blog every day by bookmarking washingtonpost.com/answersheet.
By Valerie Strauss | March 2, 2011; 5:00 AM ET
Frank Rich to leave The New York Times: a view from the samizdat ... by gimleteye
I wasn't always a fan of Frank Rich. When he was the New York Times main theater critic and I was aiming to write for the theater, Rich's blistering reviews had all the subtlety of a natural gas explosion. We moved on but never far from view.In this fucked up world, Frank Rich's editorials in the Times-- sometimes three times as long as standard opinion pieces-- stood out as a beacon of clarity if not hope. News that Rich is leaving the Sunday Times is deeply troubling. I can live with the mystery why Rich is leaving one of the most important posts in journalism to a monthly column at New York Magazine. I can't live without a muscular New York Times. Without Frank Rich or someone as keenly observant, the Times is a weaker newspaper.
For more than 30 years, Rich lent the Times uncompromising luminosity on American politics. He was one of our most clear-headed observers of the radical right and its horrid results. As a cultural and political commentator, Rich has the great talent to weave facts in the narrative to which they belong, exposing fabrication, lies and decoding the world we live in. If there is another voice at the Times who can do Rich's work, as well, it would be good to know.
I dislike writing of Rich, in an elegiac way. We are the same generation. Again, it is the Times that worries. Like all major newspapers, the Times is suffering. Last night, I offered a friend a view: that a cultured society would not throw the newspaper business to the Internet wolves, leaving us all to Google News and pathetic advertising vehicles like Fox and ignoramuses masquerading as men and women of sober wisdom. But we are not a cultured society. We are a society made up mostly of idiots, with an even higher percentage in our legislatures and Congress: the underlying fact that pushed Frank Rich to one of the loftiest perches in American journalism.
Norman Braman's OTHER PAC Report and Mayor Alvarez's PAC Report. By Geniusofdespair
Yesterday I reported that Norman Braman put $300,000 into his PAC "Yes to Recall". Well his PAC, "People Who Want Honest Government" collected $258,500 since January 1st, most of it was from Norman Braman. absentee ballot maven David Custin is making a fortune on the recall. This PAC has collected three quarters of a million dollars since October.
It costs a lot of money to do a petition drive and mount a campaign for an election. The Hometown Democracy Group did a great job with the petition drive but they didn't have the money to mount the statewide campaign during the election. Too bad they didn't have a Norman Braman.
Citizens for Truth, Mayor Alvarez's PAC also raised a lot of dough this reporting period, $46,050. Some donors were: Dade County Fire Fighters Local 1403 gave $10,000, Clilnton, Boggio, Inc. (developers) gave $10,000, FPL gave $5,000 and Schuff Steel Co. out of Phoenix, Arizona gave $5,000 (why?).
Much of the Mayor's PAC money went out to people under the purpose of "Clerical". There were about 200 "Clerical" disbursements. Here is the meaning of clerical:
"Of or relating to clerks or office workers or their work."
I am sorry Mr. Mayor, that is not an okay 'purpose' in my book. Are they doing telephone banking? GOTV? Absentee ballot collection? Examining petitions? What the hell are all these people doing? Your use of "Clerical" is a cop-out. It makes it look like you have something to hide. I will be glad when this election is over.
It costs a lot of money to do a petition drive and mount a campaign for an election. The Hometown Democracy Group did a great job with the petition drive but they didn't have the money to mount the statewide campaign during the election. Too bad they didn't have a Norman Braman.
Citizens for Truth, Mayor Alvarez's PAC also raised a lot of dough this reporting period, $46,050. Some donors were: Dade County Fire Fighters Local 1403 gave $10,000, Clilnton, Boggio, Inc. (developers) gave $10,000, FPL gave $5,000 and Schuff Steel Co. out of Phoenix, Arizona gave $5,000 (why?).Much of the Mayor's PAC money went out to people under the purpose of "Clerical". There were about 200 "Clerical" disbursements. Here is the meaning of clerical:
"Of or relating to clerks or office workers or their work."
I am sorry Mr. Mayor, that is not an okay 'purpose' in my book. Are they doing telephone banking? GOTV? Absentee ballot collection? Examining petitions? What the hell are all these people doing? Your use of "Clerical" is a cop-out. It makes it look like you have something to hide. I will be glad when this election is over.
My life as a communist ... by Bill McKibben
Good for Bill McKibben going after Glenn Beck and the Chamber of Commerce. This OPED is reprinted from The Washington Post.
My life as a communist
By Bill McKibben
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
My life as a communist actually began without me knowing it, on Friday evening, when Glenn Beck spent his program explaining about a "communistic" conspiracy that included 10 groups in America. One was 350.org, a global campaign to fight climate change that I helped found three years ago. He even put our logo up on his whiteboard - and next to it a hammer and sickle.
Since I don't actually watch Mr. Beck, I didn't know about it until e-mails began to arrive, informing me that indeed I was a communist. My first reaction was: I'm not a communist. I'm a Methodist.
But then I reconsidered. What exactly was I doing when those e-mails arrived? I was downloading an iPad app, At Bat 11, which lets me (for only $14.99) hear the broadcast of any baseball game anywhere in the country. Since I live in New England, I use it to track our beloved Boston squad, whose moniker I had never before deeply contemplated. Now - well, enough said.
And the next morning, on my first full day as a communist? I spent most of it outdoors, at the annual New England festival for young cross-country ski racers. More than 500 kids from across the region were competing, and I was standing on the toughest hill cheering. And here's the thing - at least with the first- and second-graders, I was cheering for everyone equally. Not only that, but did you know where this particular type of skiing was invented? Norway.
Some people laugh at Mr. Beck - earlier in the same week, for instance, he'd ventured the opinion that "Reformed Judaism" was pretty much the same as Islamic extremism. Not 100 percent correct, but the next day he apologized, and explained the research technique that that had led to the slight miss: "I had, was having a conversation with a few friends the night before - one of them, I trust on things like this, and I'm not even sure if I misunderstood him, or misheard him, or what." In my case, though, the evidence seemed fairly damning.
Especially because, earlier in the week, I'd written a widely circulated essay that attacked the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which on its own Web site says that as "the voice of business, the Chamber's core purpose is to fight for free enterprise." And yet I scourged them - because they've spent the past few years opposing any action on climate change. Indeed, they submitted a petition to the Environmental Protection Agency arguing that it should avoid regulating carbon emissions because, in the event of global warming, "populations can acclimatize to warmer climates via a range of behavioral, physiological, and technological adaptations."
To me that sounds absurd. Instead of the 16 companies that provided more than half the chamber's budget adapting their business models to a world of safe renewable energy, they wished all people everywhere and forever to change their physiologies. But now I see that my protests can be read as a gesture of support for human solidarity, with all that implies.
I should have known better than to go after the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. After all, Mr. Beck just last year held a telethon on its behalf, encouraging listeners to send the chamber checks, and ponying up $10,000 of his own $32 million in earnings. "They are us," he'd explained - and indeed, an executive of the chamber called in to thank him.
The Chamber of Commerce spends more money than anyone else lobbying Congress. They dropped hundreds of thousands on the last state elections in Wisconsin, all of it for the side now standing up for union-busting, I mean human freedom. Opposing them - well, clearly I'm hammer-and-sickle all the way.
I turned 50 last fall - that's half a century not understanding who I really was. There's something liberating about finding out. After all, it was Marx who said that above 350 parts per million carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, we can't have a planet "similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted." No, wait, those were NASA scientists. The same people who faked the moon landing. This is a complicated world; I'm going back to the baseball game.
Bill McKibben is Schumann Distinguished Scholar in environmental studies at Middlebury College and a co-founder of 350.org.
My life as a communist
By Bill McKibben
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
My life as a communist actually began without me knowing it, on Friday evening, when Glenn Beck spent his program explaining about a "communistic" conspiracy that included 10 groups in America. One was 350.org, a global campaign to fight climate change that I helped found three years ago. He even put our logo up on his whiteboard - and next to it a hammer and sickle.
Since I don't actually watch Mr. Beck, I didn't know about it until e-mails began to arrive, informing me that indeed I was a communist. My first reaction was: I'm not a communist. I'm a Methodist.
But then I reconsidered. What exactly was I doing when those e-mails arrived? I was downloading an iPad app, At Bat 11, which lets me (for only $14.99) hear the broadcast of any baseball game anywhere in the country. Since I live in New England, I use it to track our beloved Boston squad, whose moniker I had never before deeply contemplated. Now - well, enough said.
And the next morning, on my first full day as a communist? I spent most of it outdoors, at the annual New England festival for young cross-country ski racers. More than 500 kids from across the region were competing, and I was standing on the toughest hill cheering. And here's the thing - at least with the first- and second-graders, I was cheering for everyone equally. Not only that, but did you know where this particular type of skiing was invented? Norway.
Some people laugh at Mr. Beck - earlier in the same week, for instance, he'd ventured the opinion that "Reformed Judaism" was pretty much the same as Islamic extremism. Not 100 percent correct, but the next day he apologized, and explained the research technique that that had led to the slight miss: "I had, was having a conversation with a few friends the night before - one of them, I trust on things like this, and I'm not even sure if I misunderstood him, or misheard him, or what." In my case, though, the evidence seemed fairly damning.
Especially because, earlier in the week, I'd written a widely circulated essay that attacked the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which on its own Web site says that as "the voice of business, the Chamber's core purpose is to fight for free enterprise." And yet I scourged them - because they've spent the past few years opposing any action on climate change. Indeed, they submitted a petition to the Environmental Protection Agency arguing that it should avoid regulating carbon emissions because, in the event of global warming, "populations can acclimatize to warmer climates via a range of behavioral, physiological, and technological adaptations."
To me that sounds absurd. Instead of the 16 companies that provided more than half the chamber's budget adapting their business models to a world of safe renewable energy, they wished all people everywhere and forever to change their physiologies. But now I see that my protests can be read as a gesture of support for human solidarity, with all that implies.
I should have known better than to go after the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. After all, Mr. Beck just last year held a telethon on its behalf, encouraging listeners to send the chamber checks, and ponying up $10,000 of his own $32 million in earnings. "They are us," he'd explained - and indeed, an executive of the chamber called in to thank him.
The Chamber of Commerce spends more money than anyone else lobbying Congress. They dropped hundreds of thousands on the last state elections in Wisconsin, all of it for the side now standing up for union-busting, I mean human freedom. Opposing them - well, clearly I'm hammer-and-sickle all the way.
I turned 50 last fall - that's half a century not understanding who I really was. There's something liberating about finding out. After all, it was Marx who said that above 350 parts per million carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, we can't have a planet "similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted." No, wait, those were NASA scientists. The same people who faked the moon landing. This is a complicated world; I'm going back to the baseball game.
Bill McKibben is Schumann Distinguished Scholar in environmental studies at Middlebury College and a co-founder of 350.org.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
A New PAC: I like it! By Geniusofdespair
The Political Action Committee "1896 PAC" has been recently formed. Its purpose is:
Comprehensive Charter Reform in Miami Dade County.
The PAC intends to do a citizen petition initiative. Great idea, I hope you two (Lawrence Percival and Michale Rosenberg) can collect a lot of money.
Comprehensive Charter Reform in Miami Dade County.
The PAC intends to do a citizen petition initiative. Great idea, I hope you two (Lawrence Percival and Michale Rosenberg) can collect a lot of money.
Braman's Pac: Yes to Recall. By Geniusofdespair
Norman Braman put $300,000 of his own money into his PAC, "Yes to Recall." He has already spent $259,189 on media buys on TV and radio.
Citizens for Truth and Miami Voice have not reported yet.
Citizens for Truth and Miami Voice have not reported yet.
The Case For High Speed Rail Funds. Guest Blog by Miami Urbanist
I just wanted to vent to you regarding Gov. Rick Scott’s turning down the high speed rail funds. This decision is actually not the fiscally conservative one. Rather, it will guarantee that we remain on the treadmill of endless highway expansion (and financial hemorrhage) that has characterized the State’s transportation policy of the last fifty years. Also, because it will not reduce the federal deficit at all, but rather go to another state, we are in fact socializing another state’s infrastructure. It is on the backs of Floridians whether we build it or not. At least the acceptance of the funds would have allowed the money to be spent in Florida since it represents, proportionally, taxes already paid by Floridians returned to Florida by the Fed. Additionally, we know that the deal removed risk of overruns to the State.
And then we have fuel to think about. As gas shoots beyond 4 dollars/gallon and likely in the next few decades toward 10 dollars per gallon as we get deeper into the global oil depletion phase, those ridership studies done in 2010, 2011 will probably be deemed obsolete. Ridership numbers on all non-automobile transportation modes is likely to soar.
Finally, profitability is a non-issue. Though we believe that the final network system would be convenient and profitable (even if it were true that the first leg would not be), the profit motive does not apply to infrastructure. No essential service (highways, armed forces, court system, etc.) is expected to be profitable. How does it make sense to expect Tri-Rail, Metro-Rail, Sun-Rail, and High Speed Rail to generate profit? Somebody please explain this ideological inconsistency to me.
Charlie Sheen: new spokesman for the GOP ... by gimleteye
Charlie Sheen earned a few million per episode for a popular TV show. The free market can't do better than that. If your private life is unhinged from your public persona, so what? Reality is how you perceive it to be, and if you say a thing often enough, then you make it true. In his unhinged certainty, framed by "winning" conviction, Sheen echoes the manic, hostile GOP untethered from its own moorings. The GOP rants about caring and compassion, but it needs a lot of makeup and punch lines to maintain pretenses. The cancelled sitcom our nation is experiencing-- with the Republcian fraudsters of Wall Street unpenalized and still standing in place--, has its own odd symmetry with Charlie Sheen. When Charlie assures a national TV audience that he cares deeply about his children being raised by two girlfriends-- beautiful models or porn stars, who knows-- he echoes The Family in Washington, sheltering Republican Senators tolerated for straying outside marriage vows in DC because they believe themselves to be a higher order of Christian.
In our fascination with Charlie Sheen, we can feel the tremors of the Tea Party; angry about everything and only a little aware. The Karl Roves, the Dick Armeys, the Tom DeLays and the Ralph Reeds all have deployed populist formats to keep the nation in barcaloungers and numb, in front of our TV sets. They are certain, we cling meekly. They are winners, we cheer. Who needs Keifer Sutherland and "24" to rally the Republican troops around paranoia, when there is Charlie Sheen? All government is evil. All government needs to be shrunk to fit in the size of a bathtub where it can be drowned. That's not Grover Norquist or Jeb! Bush. It is Charlie Sheen.
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