Absentee Ballots still being counted in some Florida counties

Florida is the only state not yet called. Team Romney has already conceded Florida's 29 electoral votes. 

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The Onion's Swing State Analysis: Florida

The Onion profiles key battleground state Florida, known for being a state that can go either way. For instance, in 2000, the state famously voted for Republican George W. Bush; however, in 2000, the state voted for Democrat Al Gore.

Florida has been described as the oldest living cemetery in the United States. 

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The last feeble gasp of the confederacy

Who is the real loser? That would be the people who live in these states.One in four Texans has no health insurance. This is the worst in the nation!

source: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2011/aug/15/paul-krugman/one-four-texans-lack-health-insurance/

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SurveyUSA Election Poll: Obama up by 5 points in FL

In an election for President of the United States in the pivotal state of Florida today, 07/20/12, three months till early voting begins, Barack Obama defeats Mitt Romney 48% to 43%, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted exclusively for WFLA-TV in Tampa. 


In one school of thought, Mitt Romney cannot capture the White House without Florida's 29 electoral votes.

See SurveyUSA Election Poll #19398:

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NewsDaily: Florida voting rules discriminate,DOJ says

NewsDaily (2012-06-23) -- New rules in Florida that cut back on early voting hours unfairly burden the state's minorities, U.S. Justice Department lawyers argued on Thursday.


Some Democratic observers have suggested The GOP congress is angry at Attorney General Eric Holder for going after 30 states that are tinkering with voting rights to suppress minority voting. Holder has been successful so far in reigning in voter suppression. 

See NewsDaily: Florida voting rules discriminate, Justice Dept says

art: http://leftwingnutjob.net

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West Wing Week, Roll Tide, 4/20/12

A quick look at everything that happened this week on WhiteHouse.gov:

Summit of the Americas: Over the weekend, the President was in Cartagena, Colombia for the sixth annual Summit of the Americas – a gathering of more than 30 leaders from North, South, and Central America. While there, he participated in a panel discussion with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos and announced that the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement will enter into force on May 15, 2012. “[This] agreement is a win for both our countries,” the President said while speaking to Colombian President Santos.

Increasing Oversight to Eliminate Manipulation: Speaking from the Rose Garden on Tuesday, President Obama announced a new series of steps to strengthen oversight of the energy markets while asking lawmakers to pass legislation aimed at curbing illegal behavior and holding the people who manipulate markets accountable.

Visit from NASCAR Champ: President Obama congratulated Tony Stewart on winning his third Sprint Cup Championship as he welcomed the NASCAR champ and his fellow drivers to the White House at an event on the South Lawn. He recognized NASCAR’s dedication to supporting our troops through their partnership with Joining Forces.

Roll Tide: On Thursday, President Obama welcomed the University of Alabama’s football team – the Crimson Tide – to the White House to honor their fourteenth national championship and their exceptional 2011-2012 season. After a F4 tornado devastated Tuscaloosa a year ago, killing 248 people including six students from the University, the team’s victory was especially meaningful. The President praised the players, explaining that, “[T]he Tide showed us what it takes to win as a team, but they also showed what it means to be a part of a larger community: to look out for one another, to help.”

Talking Jobs Training in Ohio: On Wednesday, the President traveled to Lorain Community College in Elyria, Ohio, where he discussed the Administration’s jobs training initiatives and efforts to connect unemployed Americans with the skills training needed to find jobs in high-demand, high-growth industries, and participated in a roundtable with unemployed workers who are students in a job training program there.


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FlackCheck.org: An Alert To Broadcast Stations in Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Missouri and Montana

Published on Mar 29, 2012 by FlackCheck

http://www.flackcheck.org - FlackCheck.org points out that TV stations are airing a misleading attack ad and reminds these stations that they can refuse third party ads or insist on the accuracy of those they air. If you would like to email the stations in your area to encourage them to insist on the accuracy of the ads they choose to air, click here: http://services.flackcheck.org/contact-stations/

License: Standard YouTube License

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Trayvon Martin was off of the plantation, wasn't he?

Uploaded by telegraphtv on Mar 23, 2012

US President Barack Obama says police must thoroughly investigate the controversial shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida. Obama says the incident made him think of his own daughters.

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FL Democratic Chairman Rod Smith on MSNBC

Uploaded by fladems on Jan 30, 2012

Visit www.FlaDems.com to learn more. 

The results are still out, but the verdict is in -- Republicans' race to the bottom makes President Obama today's winner.

License:

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Destination casinos area bad bet for Florida

Uploaded by BadBetforFlorida on Jan 9, 2012

Florida lawmakers are considering a misguided plan pushed by out-of-state and foreign casino operators to open the state to Las Vegas-style mega-casinos. This ad shows why destination casinos are a bad bet for Florida.

License:Standard YouTube License

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Daytona Beach News Journal: Teacher faces huge fines for registering students to vote

NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- The teacher who heads up New Smyrna Beach High School's student government association could face thousands of dollars in fines. Her transgression? Helping students register to vote.

Prepping 17-year-olds for the privileges and responsibilities of voting in a democracy is nothing new for civics teachers, but when Jill Cicciarelli organized a drive at the start of the school year to get students pre-registered, she ran afoul of Florida's new and controversial election law.

Among other things, the new rules require that third parties who sign up new voters register with the state and that they submit applications within 48 hours. The law also reduces the time for early voting from 14 days to eight and requires voters who want to give a new address at the polls to use a provisional ballot.

Republican lawmakers who backed the rules said they were necessary to reduce voter fraud. Critics -- including U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who testified before a congressional committee -- said the law would suppress voter participation.

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit to block implementation of the law. The most controversial elements are under review in federal court before they can be implemented in five counties.

Fear of violating the new rules prompted the League of Women Voters to suspend voter registration efforts in Florida. Local political activists in both parties have been similarly stymied, Volusia County Supervisor of Elections Ann McFall said.

"It's bizarre," McFall said of the law. "I haven't found one person who likes this law."

When McFall heard the story of the New Smyrna Beach teacher at a staff meeting this month -- and realized her office would have to report the incident to the state as a potential violation -- she had a sick feeling in her stomach.

"This isn't someone who was going to commit fraud," McFall said. "She was doing a good thing. New Smyrna Beach High School was doing a good thing."

But Cicciarelli hadn't registered with the state before beginning the registration drive. And she didn't submit the forms to the elections office on time.

In the absence of willful fraud or someone's voting rights being denied, it seems unlikely she would face a fine. Since the law took effect in July, the state Division of Elections has issued only warnings. No incident has been turned over to the attorney general's office for enforcement, said Chris Cate, a spokesman with the secretary of state's office.

"We'll review it, go over the facts and decide whether to forward it," Cate said.

Cicciarelli, who grew up in Port Orange and has been teaching at the school about six years, remembers when she first registered in 1994 while a student at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Volunteers staffing a table for the League of Women Voters helped her navigate a process that seemed a little intimidating to a teen-ager who'd never voted.

"It was such a big thrill to register," she recalled, one that she looks to pass along to the students at her school.

"I just want them to be participating in our democracy," she said. "The more participation we have, the stronger our democracy will be."

Next year Cicciarelli said she would invite a representative from the elections office to give students an opportunity to register. Shannon Miller, a 17-year-old senior who serves as co-president of the student government association along with classmate Crystal Merrick, said she was glad she had the chance to register at school. She wonders how many of her peers will participate if the process is too formalized.

"It may discourage some students (from registering) if it's more difficult," she said. "We're more apt to get involved, but (some students) won't go to the trouble if they think it's hard."

Cicciarelli was on maternity leave in the spring when the Republican-led Legislature adopted the new rules, largely on party lines. Supporters said it was necessary to prevent voter fraud, though elections supervisors like McFall said they haven't had a problem.

"I don't see it," she said in a telephone interview last week from her office in DeLand. "I truly don't see it."

But supporters of the law view it as an attempt to be proactive at a time when elections are becoming so contentious that the potential for fraud is always a threat.

"There are reasons for the law," said state Rep. Dorothy Hukill, a Republican from Port Orange who voted for it. "Part of the reason is to protect people like (the students), so they know they're being registered properly."

It's still easy to register to vote, Hukill added, even if it means third-party groups that want to hold registration drives might have to do some more homework in advance.

"It does point out the need for more public education," Hukill added. "I applaud the poor teacher's efforts to get her students involved. She just didn't know. It just goes to show if you're going to do something, make sure you know what the law says about it."

For the students involved in the voter registration drive, the incident has proven an unsolicited lesson in real-life civics, New Smyrna Beach High Principal Jim Tager said.

"You're talking about a high-energy teacher who cares about her kids, cares about her community and cares about her country," he said. "We want to do things by the rules. We just didn't know about these. In the end, I think this has become a good real-life lesson."

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/southeast-volusia/2011/10/23/new-florida-election-law-stirs-up-controversy.html

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All Hat No Cattle: Florida government gets more pathetic every day

A Florida legislator wants to bring back the banned activity of “dwarf tossing.”

Dwarf tossing? I’m so glad the Republicans are continuing with the important business of the state. 

No doubt Gov. Rick Scott will sign this business friendly bill that will provide jobs to dwarfs.  Perhaps it will even help the intellectual dwarfs that belong to the GOP like the Tea Baggers.  

source: Dwarf-Tossing, Long Banned, May Return In Florida

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High speed rail: Good enough for China, but not for Florida

The Federal government tried to help Florida with a high speed rail line, but Governor Rick Scott turned the money down destroying more than 100,000 jobs.

Scott thinks Florida will become a shipping hub for larger new container ships that transit the Panama Canal.

The harbor in Miami would have to be dredged to make Miami attractive for these ships. Meanwhile the Chinese are talking with Columbia about making a rail link there that would bypass the Panama canal altogether.

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Gov. Rick Scott's Weekly Radio Address – Friday, May 20, 2011

This month Florida’s business environment was ranked third in the nation by Chief Executive Magazine. That is three places higher than the 6th place ranking we received last year. 

While third is pretty good, Texas was ranked at the top – for the 7th year in a row. I congratulated Texas Governor Perry for his state’s admirable achievement. 

In the spirit of good-natured competition, I also warned him that 7 years at the top is long enough, and Florida is pushing to be no. 1 in job creation.

I am 100 percent confident we can achieve this goal. I am confident because Florida is the best place to live. People from all over the world visit Florida and dream of living here year round.

In addition, Florida is a great place to do business, and we are working to make it even better.

Since the legislative session ended, I’ve been reviewing the full impact of every bill and every line of the budget. 

All of them must make Florida a better place to live and play – and a better place to start, grow or move a business.

The budget meets my 3 core principles of cutting the size and cost of government, and passing the savings on to taxpayers and businesses in the form of tax cuts.

I can tell you, though, that there will be additional savings.

In these tough economic times, we must ensure every hard-earned tax dollar is used wisely and in a way that will get Florida back to work. In this way, we will make Florida the no. 1 place for business.

Where is the US or Florida State Constitution does it say the function of government is to create a permissive business environment. Aren't governors supposed to attend the needs of the citizenry,not special interests? 

That's clearly not the case if you are Pink Slip Rick!

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Koch Industries subverts Florida State University

In exchange for accepting $1.5 million from billionaire Charles Koch, one of the notorious right-wing Koch Brothers, Florida State University gave Koch the unprecedented right to reject some professor candidates for the school’s economics department. So far 60 per cent of the applicants have been rejected.

Allowing one of Florida’s great public universities to be used as a front for the Koch's corporate propaganda machine is unacceptable.


The Koch's move to control a part of FSU's economics department is bigger than FSU. For years, right wing billionaires like the Kochs have funded scores of front groups and think tanks to advance their radical agenda.

Now they want to use the cover of a public university in an attempt to give their failed ideas more credibility with the public. They can't win the battle of ideas in a fair fight, so they're suppressing academic freedom to get their way.

Florida State’s preposterous arrangement with Charles Koch opens the door to a slippery slope of pay-to-play control over our universities and should not go unchallenged.

Florid Progess Petition To FSU President Eric Barron

See FSU petition link

President Barron:

We, the undersigned, call on you to cancel the pay-to-play contract Florida State University signed with Charles Koch's foundation that has brought shame and controversy to one of Florida's proudest institutions. To sell off the hiring decisions of the university's economics department to a radical ideologue is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

As Floridians, we understand the impact of the legislature's devastating cuts to public education and we will be there with you to fight arm-in-arm against those cuts. But allowing one of Florida's most prestigious academic institutions to be bought off and used as an incubator for extremist propaganda is not the solution.

This public university is ours, President Barron, not Charles Koch's. And we will fight for it.

Rightardia suspect governor Rick Scott is involved with the attempt to corporatize a public university. 

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Freaking News: Florida Sign?

I think this sign probably means "Crocodile Rock." Of course, in Florida there are a lot more gators than crocs. Most of the gators can be found in Gainesville, home of the University of Florida.

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Another bad law from Tallahassee

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Floridians Deserve The Right To Recall state officials like Pink Slip Rick

FL State Rep. Rick Kriseman

Florida law currently allows for the recall of local elected officials, but there is no provision to allow for the recall of state officials, unlike 18 other states. Engaged citizens deserve the tools to hold their public servants accountable without having to wait for the next election!

That's why I introduced legislation to create a citizen recall process in Florida. And to show the widespread support our bill has, I created this petition to be delivered to the Florida State House, the Florida State Senate, and Governor Rick Scott. The petition simply says:

"Create a citizens' recall process for state elected officials in Florida by passing Rep. Rick Kriseman's House Joint Resolution 785 and House Bill 787."

Will you sign the petition? Click here to add your name, and then pass it along to your friends:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=207728&source=mo&id=26953-17976729-3dCXBYx&t=2

Thanks!

–Representative Rick Kriseman
 
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More of crazy Rick Scott's ideas

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida is the fourth most populous state in the nation but is ranked 11th in regard to the number of Fortune 500 companies.

Fortune Magazine reports that Florida hosts 16 Fortune 500 companies, ranking it 11th in the nation.

Representative Darren Soto (D-Orlando) says the shortfall in top corporate performers in Florida is due to Florida’s failure to invest in its universities, workforce training, transportation and public works projects. Soto stated:

Florida’s inadequate share of Fortune 500 companies proves that our state needs to make the investments that will attract top corporations to our state,” said Representative Soto. These findings contradict the jobs mantra touted by Governor Rick Scott and the Republican Legislature in the 2011 budget that less regulation and lower taxes are the key to our prosperity.


Representative Darren Soto will detail in House floor debate on the state budget the monumental failure of what he calls the

fire-sale/bribery approach of hacking long-term education and infrastructure investment to cobble economic incentives together which are failing to attract and maintain businesses in Florida.

The video  of Mark Wilson, the Florida Chamber of Commerce president, and Rick Scott, suggests it is easy to fix the Florida economy. 

If so, why hasn't his happened since we have are now in the 13th year of a Republican governor? Scott compares the Florida economy to Panama, a third world country, "where it is easy to do business." 


Scott wants to make Miami a shipping hub for South and Central America to handle the new Panama Canal container ships while the Chinese are taking to Columbia about about a deep port rail link that will bypass the Panama Canal.


This rail link to be built 220 km extend from the Pacific coast of Cartagena around a new city. Imports of Chinese goods will be assembled there, and then exported to the Americas. On return, the ships will purchase raw materials in Colombia to ship to China.

Juan Santos. the president of Columbia,  said about the 13,000 to 14,000 ships pass through the Panama Canal each year  and their transport accounted for 5 per cent of total world trade.

Through the construction of the railway linking the Pacific and Atlantic ports, Santos stated  that the Panama Canal transport pressure can be split . . . (and) the traffic will be more convenient for Columbia.


Scott has been cutting financial aid to Florida Bright Futures and other Florida scholarship programs. He is also scaling back fainacial aid to graduate students. This will not produce more of the educated articulate workers that Fortune 500 companies need. 

Scott thinks compensating the best teachers with an incentive program will fix  education, but this is a simple minded approach. It will produce a more competitive environment is school and there will be less cooperation among teachers. 

Charter schools are fine, but only 20 per cent of them outperform public schools. Many under perform and need to be closed, something the state has not done so far. 

Florida teachers can also move to Georgia and make another $6,000 per year. Scott is making a huge mistake if he starts to play handball with teachers.
Also, according to the state Department of Education, Florida has a critical teacher shortage in the following areas in 2010/11: 

• middle and high school level mathematics
• middle and high school level science
• middle and high school level English/language arts
• reading
• all exceptional student education programs
• English for speakers of other languages (ESOL)
• foreign languages; and
• technology education/industrial arts
  

The following is a link to the news research on the topic: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2010/states/CA.html
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New Florida Democratic web site

The URL is http://www.fladems.com.

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