There will be a GOOOH workshop on Feb. 16th at 7:00 at the Church. These workshops are educational and fun. You will learn about a realistic plan to fire all 435 members of Congress and replace them with freedom loving, small government, non-establishment individuals, dedicated to changing business-as-usual Washington.
Ed Wingerter announced TPS’s first 2012 Candidate Debate to be held on 2/27/12 at our regular meeting. The candidates, Diana Greene, George Tomyn and Wally Wagoner are vying for Superintendent of Schools. The next debate will be County Commission, District 3, on 3/5/12, with other debates to follow. The 2012 elections could not be more important; get your friends and neighbors involved.
Sharyn Ruddick announced that the Chris Blair, candidate for Marion County Sheriff, had just received the endorsement of the Florida Professional Firefighters.
Ed Braddy, Executive Director of American Dream Coalition was our guest speaker. ADC is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization founded in 2002. Ed served as a City Commissioner in Gainesville from 2002-2008 where he is described as “an outsider on the inside” as he vigorously defended property rights, private enterprise and limited government. He is a native Floridian, has been a History instructor and Administrator at the college level and is a member of the REC (Republican Executive Committee) in Alachua County.
Ed gave a comprehensive Power Point presentation demonstrating how local governments around the state and country are dramatically increasing coercive regulatory burdens through their comprehensive planning, tagged as “Smart Growth” or sustainability. These long range plans (as in our local plan, “Ocala 2035 Vision”) promote high-density housing, public transportation and generally restrictive living. Suburban living and automobiles are discouraged. Many cities throughout Florida have adopted these 2035 Vision plans. As more informed Tea Party members, we now recognize these Smart Growth plans as Agenda 21 coming from ICLEI and other NGOs. Agenda 21 is about government control and the loss of individual freedom. Unfortunately, many community planners have
been innocently convinced through these stealth organizations and professional advisors, that they are being visionary and doing the right thing. These command and control policies have failed miserably in Europe and elsewhere, and have proven to be a great deal more expensive. For example, public transportation is unsustainable; it relies on government grants, is highly subsidized and poorly utilized. Governor Scott has been educated on Smart Growth and has repealed it as policy for the state, but local governments do not have to opt out.
The American Dream Coalition is dedicated to educate and connect liberty-loving activists and to support the people’s choice for the American Dream—land use, property rights, affordable homeownership, and the freedom to choose their form of transportation.
A recent meeting with Jenny Beth Martin of Tea Party Patriots resulted in the decision that all conservative groups throughout the nation need to coordinate their efforts and actions more closely, in order to achieve greater visibility and impact moving towards the upcoming election. A rally to repeal the Health Care law is being planned for March 24th in Washington, as groups around the nation will hold local events. There will also be a national Tea Party Rally in Pennsylvania on September 15th before the election.
Bus information for Patriot’s Day in Tallahassee 2/15-2/16, along with information on a 2/18 conference for Florida to nullify the NDAA law, can be found on the Announcement page of this website. Cliff Stearns has moved the date of his Town Meetings from 2/11 to 2/25.
A debate between candidates vying for the position of Superintendent of Schools will be held at the TPS General Meeting, 7:00 Feb. 27th.
A new TPS flier stating “Who We Are” is available for distribution. Unfortunately the Sign Committee has been told by local law enforcement that handing these fliers out to passing vehicles is against the law citing soliciting. In addition, there are now postcards featuring the Don’t Tread on Me Gadsden Flag available at 10 for a dollar…perfect for writing to your representatives and telling them NO to a Constitutional Convention at this time.
Ed reported that due to two additional districts being awarded to Florida, the redistricting maps have been drawn and passed by the Florida legislature. Cliff Stearns has announced he will run for his 13th term in the new District 3, and will most likely run against Gainesville veterinarian, Ted Yoho, Florida Senator Steve Oelrich and Clay County’s James Jett. Don Browning will also be running for the U.S. House in a different district.
Butch thanked everyone for the good turnout at the joint workshop for the city and county utilities. He said that it is good that they are talking to one another and may result in eliminating service redundancy and saving money. He added that since City water rates are less than the County, it may be a good thing if they combine services.
Col. Mike McCalister, candidate for U.S. Senate, was our guest speaker and received a standing ovation after his rapid fire presentation as to why he should receive our vote to replace Sen. Bill Nelson. Mike says he is the best prepared and has the most complete resume for the job. He believes that he can beat Sen. Nelson with the help of veterans and independents, and feels the energy and determination of the tea parties, conservatives, and Christians to fire Obama and his Czars.
Mike comes from a military family and served in the Army Reserves and on Active Duty for a total of 33 years. He has a diverse background that includes the military, business, healthcare, and university instructor teaching professional students about the strategies and policies of the global economy. He believes that the person running for office needs to match the job; and the duties of the Senate are very specific. The Senate confirms top Military Officers, Ambassadors, State Department officials, the President’s Cabinet and Judges. They also approve treaties and “sign” blank checks to foreign countries. Mike pointed out that the United States is a mere 5% of the world economy and the Senate is the last line of defense against the other 95%.
Our country is under attack by everyone on everything...spending and debt, regulations, energy resources, liberal judges, mediocre education, family values, environmentalism, labor unions, illegal immigrants, black markets, radical Islam, cyber espionage, Agenda 21, and unfair treaties. Many bills, like the Patriot Act, SOPA, PIPA and NDAA have the good objective of protecting U.S. citizens, but often have unintentional consequences by increasingly infringing on our rights.
The Government must restore the Constitution as the law of the land, pass a balanced budget amendment, and adopt a tax system like the Fair Tax. We must use all natural resources for energy independence, approve the Keystone Pipeline, and build new nuclear plants and oil refineries. Judges need to be reviewed, and education reform is imperative to survive and compete in the world. For jobs, the playing field must be leveled by reducing corporate taxes, lessening regulations and implementing Tort reform. American companies need to hire American companies, and do what we do best--innovation and entrepreneurship. We must stop other countries from breaching our patents.
On immigration, Mike says no amnesty; this country was bought by American blood. We need contributors, not takers, and everyone needs to speak English.
No foreign aid should be given to any county that does not support us. The United Nations is a big drain on U.S. resources and needs to be given a chance to do for us; to serve our needs. All treaties have to be reviewed to amend or end.
Our military must be returned to the best in the world. It should be used for clear and present danger, using all assets and rules of engagement to dominate and win. We must support Israel; our enemies should fear us and our allies stand by us. There should be complete commitment to our veterans because our military always puts country first.
You can learn more about Col. McCalister by visiting his website: http://www.mikemccalisterforsenate.com/. Be sure to watch the video of his speech given at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans.
TPS General Meeting 1/30/12
Wally Wagoner, candidate for Superintendent of Schools, was scheduled to be our guest, but did not come.
Ed Wilson (1) read a “Letter to the Editor” of the Star-Banner entitled A Tea Party Defense. It was published on 1/26/12 and written by Joseph Paterek. Ed recognized Joe and thanked him for the letter and his efforts. (2) He also announced that the County Commission of Gadsden, NC, has passed a resolution condemning Agenda 21. (3) Ed asked others to join the group that has already made reservations for the trip to Tallahassee on February 15 and 16, for AFP’s Patriot Day. If you decide that you can go, be in touch with Steve Hunter. (4) Everyone was encouraged to write a thank you letter to the Georgia judge, Judge Malihi, for hearing the Obama Ballot Challenge and for having the courage to stand up for the US Constitution. http://www.thenationalpatriot.com/?p=4138 Contact: Valerie Ruff for Judge Malihi, Case Management Assistant: vruff@osah.ga.gov, Tel: (404) 651-7595, Fax: (404) 818-3751.
Butch Verrando spoke of a joint workshop planned on this Tues. 1/31, to discuss combining the Utilities Departments of the city and country. Butch asked for participation, as he warned that he did not think this would be a good idea for the water rates of people living in the county.
Steve Hunter reported, (1) new elections for the Tea Party Network, and that he would be the District 4 representative, replacing Jason Sager. Each district gets one vote for items that need a vote. The Network will be restructuring, with the hope to be able to handle more local and federal issues rather than mostly state, and form a stronger alliance with the national Tea Parties. (2) Steve also noted that Churches are finally waking up and getting involved as they realize Obamacare will not be good for them.
Don Smith reported on the GOooh workshop held on Saturday morning. The participation was disappointing, but because this election will probably be the most important in our lifetime, we will continue to have workshops. People need to understand that the process is our best chance to change Congress and get the elections back into The People’s hands. To understand more, go to http://goooh.com/. We are tired of the “establishment” picking our candidate; i.e., the GOP trying to get Alan West out of Congress as he refuses to not speak his mind and will not “go along to get along”. Be sure to participate in the next workshop…it’s educational and fun.
Assistant Supervisor of Elections, Wesley Wilcox, dropped by to talk of preparations for, and answer questions about, the GOP primary on Tuesday. The current SOE, Dee Brown, is retiring after 33 very successful years, and Wesley will be running for her position. Wesley has been Assistant for over six years. Marion County has never been questioned about an election, and it’s important that the people of the County be confident in the process, and know that their vote is counted. If you are not a registered Republican, you are not eligible to vote in the GOP Primary. When asked his party affiliation, Wesley stated that he is a Republican, but that he is totally non-partisan in training volunteers and conducting elections. Voters must be legal US citizens (Floridians must present a photo ID to vote). Florida has reduced the number of days for early voting; absentee ballots must be requested, but expire after four years and must be renewed. Absentee ballots are sent to overseas voters 45 days in advance. The absentee ballots are validated by specialized staff members that compare the signature on the outside of the returned ballot to the signature on file from registration. No other information is available (i.e., party affiliation or vote cast) during this verification process. If there is a question, the ballot goes to a County Canvassing Board, made up of a Judge, a County Commissioner, and the SOE, who makes the final decision (must be 2 out of 3). The political parties push early voting and absentee ballots because they think participation will be greater. Concerning dual state citizenship, unfortunately there isn’t a national database. But, as to illegals and voter fraud, Florida law requires that the SOE go through a Social Security Administration (SSA) and a Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) check, BEFORE onebecomes a registered voter. After a question from the audience, Wesley explained how each precinct can constantly check the number of ballots handed to voters against the count number on the machines. Also that no ballot cast is ever handled until the polls have closed and the precinct official has physically closed the election on the machine. (As a former poll worker, I can personally attest to the extraordinary lengths this county goes to train their workers and measures taken to ensure a fair election. It’s impressive and thorough.)
Tea Party Solutions 1/23/12
Three New Hampshire State Representatives have charged President Obama with treason and a YouTube link can be found on our website "Announcements" page. Let’s get involved—call your Representative and tell him/her to do their job!Don’t accept the excuse that the “Senate won’t vote for impeachment”; the House is where the Articles of Impeachment must start—get it on record.
The Catholic Church and other clergy have begun fighting back, as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sibelius, announced that ObamaCare mandates that all private health insurance plans will be required to cover all FDA-approved “sterilization procedures” and “contraceptive methods”.This means that every employer in America, including hospitals and universities, will be forced to pay for abortions, birth control and sterilizations, regardless of their religious convictions.
At the weekly telephone conference between the Tea Party Network and the FL Tea Party Network, it was reported that that the extension of unemployment benefits mandated to the States has cost Florida businesses $2B in interest alone.That breaks down to $147 per business, per individual, per month.During the Legislative session at the Capitol, the Tea Party was told it was too late to submit a new bill this year to shut down Agenda 21.Only a Special Committee could do that; so the Caucus asked them to form a Special Committee.
Since Newt Gingrich won TPS’s Presidential Straw Poll by almost 50%, it was decided that those members supporting Gingrich could hold our signs at the early voting polls, and a donation basket was passed to buy “Vote for Newt” signs.Paul Skinner said that he would also obtain signs from the Gingrich campaign.Ed stressed that this is a personal initiative and TPS is not endorsing any candidate.
Norm Cates announced that the Pro Life movement in Marion County will hold an event on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade on the field behind the City Council this Saturday from 12:00 to 2:00.
Mrs. Sharon Jank introduced herself and said that she wanted to thank the Tea Party for its fight against new taxes on Marion County’s property owners in these poor economic times.She stated that she feels people should give because they can, and because they want to give.Mrs. Jank added that she agrees with the County Commission’s resistance to the Board of Trustees for MRMC, in their quest for new taxes to support the hospital.She said that she knows the high salaries, pensions and bonuses paid to the administrative-level employees, and feels that there is no justification for tax increases at this time. County Commissioner Mike Amsden dropped by to give an update on the Commission’s activities and to tell the Tea Party that it serves a vital purpose and that we must continue to stay together and work together.The community has suffered greatly these past three years as businesses and banks have closed, unemployment has skyrocketed, and people have lost their homes.The Commission has worked hard toward fiscal responsibility.They have taken on the budget line by line, removing unnecessary items and reducing non vital services.They have had to eliminate many social services.Major savings have been obtained by challenging everything with priority based budgeting, while allowing law enforcement and fire services to stay the same.They have put projects up for rebid and have tried to keep it pro-Marion County.The Commissioners understand that government grants come with strings that bind, and they look at them cautiously.People may not be happy, but it takes time to change culture.
Some maintenance and Capital Improvements must be addressed, because they are necessary.The Sheriff’s Dept. has been challenged and they have co-operated, but 100 much needed new vehicles have been purchased.
Relationships between the County and City are improving and they are finding resolutions to common interests such as water/sewer without more spending.A joint partnership workshop is being planned for January 31st.
A decision has finally been reached for a long term solution for solid waste disposal.Much time and money have been spent looking at all alternatives.Our landfill is near capacity, and finding a new location has been impossible because no one wants it in their backyard.Currently we do not have the volume to justify the expense of building facilities to burn waste for energy.An excellent rate has been brokered with Sumter County for our waste to be transported and buried there.
Com. Amsden said that the Commission has finished triage and now they must perform surgery.It is going to be painful but we cannot continue to operate as we did during the good times.He said that they are committed to removing barriers that make it difficult for new businesses, and are willing to invest in companies that will create and grow jobs.The incentives and tax base will depend on how much the company is willing to give.In addition, he pointed out that we have regional assets in the doctors and professors in the surrounding Universities.After meeting with a number of these professionals, Com. Amsden is excited about working with them to plant the seeds of ideas and concepts, incubate them, and grow the economy.It could result in millions of dollars.This collaboration will aptly be called the Power Plant.The commission will also be working with the EDC, the Chamber of Commerce and local business leaders who are known job creators, including Doug Cone.They will have a new model to seek economic development.
When asked about the status of Silver Springs, Com. Amsden said that the County cannot invest the estimated $8M to $12M needed to clean up the degradation caused by Palace Entertainment in their neglect of Silver Springs.They never wanted The Springs, but agreed to take it as part of a bigger management package.Com. Amsden said that because the State owns The Springs, they should take it back, make Palace pay for the cleanup, turn it into a State Park for people to enjoy the natural beauty, and form a partnership with the County to manage it.
There was a discussion of Ocala’s plans to become an inland port to coincide with the expansion of the Panama Canal. In conclusion, Com. Amsden is committed to work hard and play by the rules for the citizens of Marion County.He will say what he means and mean what he says. Today is our watch and our responsibility to future generations.We must all reignite our commitment to the American Dream; it may well be our last chance.