Watch Out for Charlie Crist

At the risk of being too political, there is something that is really bugging me lately.

For those of you reading this that live in Florida, you'll figure this all out quickly.  For those in other states, you may not care.  But you should still read this because I guarantee that your state is going to make stupid choices like this soon.  As you probably know, a state takes in various taxes from its citizens.  This helps to fund the budget for the state.  Now, for larger states (like Florida), the budget is bigger than most countries.  That is what happens when so many people move to your state like flies on a fresh carcass.  

So, the state has various taxes - property, sales, vehicle.  Most states have a state income tax.  Florida does not, so that means that it has to rely even more on taxes to fill its coffers.  So, if you were to remove or cut a particular tax, that would cut a large amount of money out of the budget.  What is the next step?  Things that the budget funds get cut.  And I'm sure that there are tons of personal ego projects that the legislature and governor have crammed into the budget.  So what actually gets cut is important stuff.  This is how it happens in our personal budgets, right?  If you stop getting income, you have to cut expenses.

Well, at the primary election, we in Florida also had to vote on Amendment One.  It was personally proposed and shepherded by our Governor Charlie Crist.  Up until this point, property tax in Florida was handled thusly:

• When you bought a house, your house was appraised and you were levied a tax depending on area of town, price of house, etc.  Let's just say this figure was $3600 a year - which is a common figure in the Orlando area.
  
• Next year, your tax was only legally allowed to go up 3%.  That is the most if could ever go up.  So your tax would be $3708.  This happens each year.  $3819.  $3933.  And so on.
• However, when you moved, your new home was subject to the current tax rates.  
• This caused problems for especially the elderly, who would live in a home for 30 years and still be paying taxes based on when that law first was passed.  Then they would get a smaller place and pay twice in taxes.

Crist's proposal was that you would now be able to take your 3% with you.  So your new home would only be able to have your tax raise 3% - even if the house value was higher than what you were in.

Sounds great, right?  If you are a homeowner you would love this.  You would pretty much lock in your tax rates on the first home you bought.  (Of course, with property values nosediving, it doesn't sound so great now.)  However, as the vote neared, I began to notice something as I thought on this issue.  Just about every public service group (Police, firefighters, teachers) were fighting the issue.  Why?  Well, think about it.  When that Amendment passed, the legislature would find itself with a shortage.  And we all know the first thing they are going after.

Crist was confronted with this and waved his arms and squawked, "No no no people.  I will not let a single public service get hurt by this."  The media helped Crist by trying to paint this as a home owner vs home renter issue - which never made any sense.  I voted No for several reasons.

• I don't believe that legislative issues like this should be run through making Amedments.  It is a fact that in Florida it is easier to pass an Amendment than a bill.  So this was a way to circumvent the legislature - who already had shot this proposal down.
• If this passed, the state would know that they would only have one shot to nail a homeowner with a high tax rate - on their first home.  How much you want to bet that tax rates are going to skyrocket on new homes?  That $3600 will be $6000 before you know it.  (Doesn't sound like much?  That adds $200 a month to your mortgage!)
• I knew that the services would get whacked.  I've watched politics enough to know they are ALWAYS the first thing that gets hurt - regardless of Crist's thoughts.

Turns out I was part of the 29% minority as the Amendment sailed through.  So what happened?  The legislature is working on the budget right now.  And they immediately told every state-funded service to slash their budgets.  The biggest hit?  Schools.  Orange County Schools were told to cut $70 MILLION out of their budget!  (jaw drops)  So, the people of the state took this into their own hands and just shot their kids in the foot.  The new teacher hires in the state have been cut in half.  And road repair, emergency services, etc etc all took hits too.

Way to go Governor Crist!  Of course, people are starting to get angry.  Florida is the worst hit by the subprime fiasco, with Orlando in the top 10 cities in America for foreclosures.  (I heard it was #1 at one point.)  And now these people realize that schools just got decimated by the budget cuts.  Crist's popularity is the lowest since he took office.  And his solution to all of this?  You ready?  No seriously, this is how proposal.  He wants to legalize gambling.  Not just lottery, which we have had for 20 years.  He wants to legalize full-scale gambling.  Awesome.  Yes, my friends, this is the man who was personally hand-picked to replace Jeb Bush (who was a GREAT governor - I don't care what his last name was).  Charlie Crist, defender of the conservative moral right.  

Oh it gets better.  You want to know who is high up on the short list for Republican Vice President list?  That's right.  Charlie Crist.  So those of you out of state just went back and re-read this post?  Charlie Crist is being considered for the Vice Presidential nomination.  That kills me.  In 15 months he has lost 20 percentage points of favor in the third most populous state in the country.  He personally damaged the already struggling education system.  And he mortgages the state's future for the present (on second thought, he sounds like he is perfect for the national stage).  

I will say this right here.  If John McCain picks Charlie Crist, it will have made me 95% sure that I will NOT vote for the GOP ticket.  Unless the Democrats pick a convicted felon.  Actually, I would not at all be surprised that after the completely unexciting Republican offering, and the sure-to-be-contentious Democratic convention, there will be a third party candidate show up and really mess up the whole process.  Seriously.  You watch.  Once the conventions are over, someone will step up and really throw a monkey wrench into everything.  

***This post was not sponsored by the Republican Party, Democratic Party, Green Party, or Bachelor party.  I am David Staples, and I approved this message.

There's Something Wrong Here

A couple of housekeeping elements:

• I forgot one major movie in my last post.  I have never seen The Passion of the Christ.  I have never had the desire.  I didn't need to see something horrific to get saved.  I don't want to watch it now.  It was a good movie with some great ramifications.  But I wasn't there.
• I had to delete the Mike Huckabee panel, since he dropped out of the race yesterday.  I was proud to back a good man like that.  And I hope that he has a long and illustrious career.  He really showed that there are a lot of people in his party that are not happy.  I hope that didn't fall on deaf ears.

That actually leads me into my post.  I am reading a really good book right now - The Appeal by John Grisham.  It is not ruining anything to outline the plot.  A major chemical company loses a lawsuit and a huge financial award for causing illness through negligence.  They don't want to pay it, largely due to the flood that it would cause.  So they appeal the ruling, and then try to rig the outcome by backing a sympathetic judge in Supreme Court elections.

Then last night I started watching Oscar nominee Michael Clayton.  It is about a law firm that is representing a chemical company that is being sued for negligence which causes illness.  (Popular storyline I guess.)  The thing about both of the stories that bothered me is the role big business plays.  They cut corners, save dollars, hurt people, and then try to outlast the injured parties with repeated appeals.  These companies have lawyers and millions of dollars to use in the battle.  Most people don't have that to fight back.

This is hardly new territory.  Grisham himself visited here with The Rainmaker (which was made into a far inferior movie with Matt Damon and Claire Danes.)  There have been examples for years - from the S&L collapses in the 1980s to Enron and its ilk to the recent sub-prime mortgage fiasco.  Big companies run over the little people, leave a swatch of destruction, and then hurt the little people again when their scheme goes belly up.

So what really bothered me was in the Grisham book, where they were finding this new judge.  He was a devout Christian, and he was paraded in front of Pro Family Groups, Christian Groups, Prayer Groups -- along with Pro Gun Groups, Big Business Guys, Tort Reform Supporters.  And that is where it hit me.  If you are a Conservative Christian, chances are you vote Republican.  And you get tossed in with those other groups.  Basically, you have to support those other causes if you are taking a stand on "moral issues" because there is nowhere else to go.  So, because of that, it is assumed that the following are true (using the vernacular used to describe me by the "other side").

• I am pro-gun
• I am pro-war
• I am pro-big business
• I am anti-lawyer
• I am pro-pharma
• I am pro-insurance company
• I am anti-gay
• I am anti-abortion
• I am pro-death penalty
• I am anti-poor
• I am anti-minority

The thing is, when I look at that list, some of those apply.  But a lot of them don't.  I am not pro-war.  I never backed it in the first place.  I just think we have to have an intelligent strategy over there (immediate and total withdrawal is not intelligent).  I hate insurance companies.  I hate pharmaceutical companies.  I hate big business.  And I'm not even a gun fan.  (Can't think of a reason why I should be a gun owner.)  I don't hate minorities or poor people.  But I do support some facets of moral issues.  So that lands me in with these groups.  It is said that politics make strange bedfellows.  But this is ridiculous.

There is not really an option, it would appear.  If you vote one way, you are accused of supporting a complete breakdown of morals in America.  If you vote the other, you are accused of supporting evil corporations and hating poor people.  Honestly, it seems like that it doesn't even make sense how the parties picked their platforms.  

I remember reading an interview with Bono from U2 in Rolling Stone a few years back.  He commented on how ironic it was that so many Christians were Republicans.  He said that many things the Democratic party stood for (helping poor, helping victims) actually were closer to what Jesus taught.  But he pointed out that Democrats rarely even went after those Christian groups because of the big issues (abortion, gay marriage).  It really makes it difficult to vote responsibly.  How can you support one person - when they stand for some things you agree with and for others you don't?  It almost comes down to which issues are the MOST important.

That is one of the reasons we backed Huckabee.  He was called a compassionate conservative - where he actually had some mercy in some of his positions.  Of course, this got him absolutely destroyed by the Republican establishment.  They called him a closet liberal and swore to never support him.  I am very frustrated right now.  I have no idea what to do with my political stance any more.  I cannot in good conscience continue to support candidates just because my party tells me to.  Look at the Republican party the last few years - all the scandals and problems.  It was just like when American backed all those dictators in the 1950s and 1960s to keep the Soviets out.  Instead, twenty and thirty years later, the US is trying to get rid of those dictators because they are killing people and blowing up OUR stuff.

The GOP did the same thing.  "At least this guy isn't liberal."  Instead, he was a total liar, fraud, skeevy pervert.  That's a LOT better.  What are we supposed to do?  Some of you reading this are getting angry - some because I am questioning the Republicans, some because I am a Republican.  Others of you are in the same boat as I am - really trying to figure it all out.  If I let the Bible be my guide as to how I vote, shouldn't I be against some of the very things my Party supports?  And shouldn't I be for some of the things that my "opposition" supports?  How do you rectify that in the voting booth?  I can't believe this is the way things are supposed to keep going.  I have a lot to think about between now and November.

Why I Voted for Huckabee

So today was Super Tuesday.  Something like sixteen states across our fine land cast their votes in their primaries.  Not down here in Florida.  Noooooo.  We moved our primaries up a week to mess with people's heads.  As a result, the Democrats penalized Florida and won't let their delegates sit at the convention.  (For now)  Probably for the best.  Apparently, hundreds of people called election offices in Florida to find out where to vote (huh?).  This was explained away by some people as saying it was confusion from people in California calling the Orange County, Florida election offices.  Um, the 407 area code didn't tip them off?

Anyway, I know that talking about politics is the sure way to get put on the jerk list - or to get punched in the mouth.  But after hearing so much of this political blather, I felt like someone needed to just come out and say how they felt.  I voted for Mike Huckabee last week.  I have been a big fan of his for many months - technically since before he officially was running.  And I have tried to spread the word.  Even after one of Fox News' "brilliant" talking heads said Huckabee was a non-entity and a dead campaign, I still thought there was something worth backing.  I don't think I have been this actively involved in an election ever.  Why?

I have been reading the Reagan Diaries book for many months - it takes a long time to slot through eight years of info.  One thing about Reagan that I was continually impressed by was his convictions.  I honestly didn't know if we ever would see another politician who combined strong convictions with the fortitude to back that up.  I've seen people have strong convictions (I would argue that W does).  And I have seen people have fortitude and competence.  But they don't seem to intersect that often.  Huckabee has very strong convictions.  They have been tested again and again by the news casters in charge of interviews and debates.  He is even willing to make sure that he keeps his convictions honored even if he looks stupid - like with the whole negative ad business when he killed a negative ad the day it was supposed to run.

But he also has been very competent.  His is the most eloquent and presidential in his debates.  The people of Arkansas LOVE him and think he did a great job (I actually got them from some Arkansas residents).  He seems unflappable.  He may not be the most trained on every single issue, but he is a tremendous leader and speaker.  And that is the kind of person Reagan was - and the kind of person people can get behind.

I have been ridiculed by others (even Republicans) for backing Huckabee because he is "unelectable" or because I am "wasting my vote."  I completely disagree.  First of all, it is a primary.  This is the perfect time to back someone who may not win it all.  How else do you show what you believe?  If Huckabee continues to be a pain to the Republicans with his victories and showings, he can't be ignored.  His approach, stances, policies have to be acknowledged.  Some have said that his presence hurts Romney.  I don't care.  Romney should have worked harder or something.  It is not MY job to help the candidate I don't back.

I like the way he ran his campaign.  I like the fact that he has not had much money, yet still is winning delegates and states.  I like his compassion for people.  I like his approach to taxation.  I like his stance on abortion.  I like his approach on health care.  I like his views on gun control and Iraq and blah blah blah.  Probably most importantly, I like him.  Huckabee is a man of integrity.  He is a GOOD man and a FAIR man.  And I for once wish we could have a President that we were proud of.  I know that as a person who voted for W - twice - there are many times I am embarrassed by things that happen.  And I know that some of the stupid decisions made in the last eight years will cost us for a long time.  

I admire Huckabee - his pluck, his drive, his decency, his faith, his family, his hope, his humor.  He is a not a lifelong politician who has guarded every step and sentence for decades to make sure that he was safe when he ran.  He is a normal guy who saw a broken government and thought he could fix it (Arkansas).  And he is doing the same thing now.  He saw a chance to  make a difference and did.  Go investigate how much money he has and see what he did with it.  At one point during the Florida campaign, Romney had spent $30 million on TV ads in Florida.  Huckabee had spent $7 million on his entire campaign.  Guiliani spent six months trying to win Florida.  Huckabee was there for five days and only lost to Rudy by 23K votes.  People like him.  People relate to him.  

I wish that more people had the guts to actually vote the way they wanted - no matter who it is for.  Stop listening to the news shows and the pundits and the spin doctors.  Find someone you trust and can be proud of and take a freaking stand.  Don't vote just based on who can win.  How else will anything get done?  Back someone who you believe in.  Who cares if they have a chance in the world.  If everyone did that, the parties would have to pay attention.  And in the meantime, your candidate may shock some people.  After all, Huckabee did win five states already tonight, and still could win or come close in a couple others.  So apparently he's not such a pointless vote after all.  Like him or not, I know one thing, you can't ignore him now.  I hope that didn't offend you too bad.