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COL Gene

Join Date 09/2004

WHO DO OUR LEGISLATORS WORK FOR?

That is the title of the editorial in my local paper today. The issue is the refusal of the GOP controlled Florida House, Senate and Governor to deal with exploding Real Estate taxes and insurance rates. As much as 80% of Floridians are is real trouble because of local property taxes and skyrocketing insurance rates. This is not a small problem that impacts the ability of Florida residents to buy a new car or move into a bigger home. These are problems that impact their ability to live. The problem is so significant that our Governor was forced to call the legislature into Special Session.

Bottom line is that Florida does not have a tax structure at the State level that produces the revenue needed. Their solution is to cut the state budget which makes the problem for the local government and the high real estate tax rates WORSE. The issue is that the spending at the local level is to build roads, schools, water, sewer, police and fire infrastructure. With the ever increasing number of both permanent residents and winter visitors the need for that spending can not be reduced and in fact must be increased. The GOP controlled legislature and the GOP Governor refuse to levy the taxes at the state level to provide relief to what is a crises for as much as 80% of Floridians. Only the wealthy can afford the higher local taxes and increased insurance rates. Thus the editorial question—WHO DO LEGISLATOR’S WORK FOR? Clearly they are not working for the 80%. They protect the huge wealth of the 20% who continue living in nothing less then their gated mansions with their huge yachts and top of the line cars.

We see the same thing at the national level in America. As much as 75% of Americans want the policies changed on things such as Iraq, Trade, Immigration, Social Security and Medicare solutions, Health Care and Education for our children. NOT ONE of these issues is being addresses the way the VAST MAJORITY want. Thus the same question of Washington - WHO DO CONGRESS and the PRESIDENT WORK FOR? It is clear not for about ¾ of the people in America. The Federal Government, like the government in Florida do the bidding of minority and protect the wealthy.

George W. Bush goes all over the world telling everyone how a democracy is the Right of every country. I would like him and any one of his supporters to explain then WHY are we not following what the vast majority WANT in the world’s largest and oldest democracy?

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One spelling, one grammar error in your title. How did you manage to write a book that was readable?

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Reply By: Gideon MacLeish Posted: Saturday, October 20, 2007
One spelling, one grammar error in your title. How did you manage to write a book that was readable?

I had better proof reading. I corrected the Title to read as published in the paper. If you look at the posts on this Blog site you will see errors in many of them! If you read most newspapers and books you will likewise see numerous errors in both spelling and syntax! You would do a lot better addressing the issues I raise rather then the typo's and syntax errors!

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You would do a lot better addressing the issues I raise rather then the typo's and syntax errors!

I have. I'm tired of being called an idiot because I dare challenge you. So 90% of the time, it's not worth it.

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Reply By: Gideon MacLeish Posted: Saturday, October 20, 2007
“You would do a lot better addressing the issues I raise rather then the typo's and syntax errors!

I have. I'm tired of being called an idiot because I dare challenge you. So 90% of the time, it's not worth it.”

If your so called Challenges addressed the issues I raise, answering you would make sense. All you and many others do is defend the record of this President and the negative impact on our country. You are attempting to defend a man who has done more harm to our country then any other president in history. I have clearly documented the impact of GWB in my book from sources that any rational person can not refute. Like Bush, most of his supporters see the world as they want it to be not like it is. The vast majority in our country are NOT better off since Bush became president and the way Bush has delta with foreign policy has increased the danger from future attacks by the radical elements in this world. He took a dangerous situation and made it far worse and in so doing has caused the death of over 3,800 of our military, caused over 27,000 to be injured and spent what could be as much as $2 Trillion dollars on a war that was not justified and has made our country less secure. No other President has done anything close to the level of harm Bush had done and history will provide a damming view of the impact GWB has had on America!

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i thought you were all about taxes and taxes and oh more taxes.

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All you and many others do is defend the record of this President and the negative impact on our country

That is the biggest load of crap I've ever heard in my life, Col! I am not in any way a fan of Bush, as anyone who has read me with any regularity knows. I am simply tired of your singlemindedness.

Guess what? In January 2009, Bush goes home to Crawford. But the mess our country's in won't be fixed when that happens, because there are a whole lot of people besides Bush in our government, in BOTH parties, that have created this mess. It was here LONG before Bush arrived, and it will be here LONG after, unless we do some MAJOR house cleaning.

Take the S-Chip bill. First you demand that people making less than $30,000/year are dying on the streets in our country, now you want to extend taxpayer funded medical benefits to families making THREE TIMES the poverty level. People making over $50,000 a year were certainly NOT the naked, the thirsty, or the hungry Christ was addressing!

Our legislators need to stop playing politics with people's lives, Col, and START making REAL change; the kind that isn't made through theft of others' personal assets.

I'm tired of your name calling, tired of your personal attacks, and tired of your rambling piles of crap that you pass off as research, Col!

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Daiwa

Join Date 07/2001

+351

George W. Bush goes all over the world telling everyone how a democracy is the Right of every country. I would like him and any one of his supporters to explain then WHY are we not following what the vast majority WANT in the world’s largest and oldest democracy?

Because, numbnuts, we live in a democratic republic, not a pure democracy. You know perfectly well that the term "democracy" is routinely used to describe the US form of government, technically inaccurate as it may be, as well as the various forms of government of all the other western democracies, none of which have a pure democracy.

Our founding fathers, clearly a helluva lot brighter than you, understood the risk of allowing simple majority rule, which appears to be your definition of democracy, and wrote the Constitution in such a way as to insulate the republic from mob rule based on the current direction of the wind.

I can only thank my lucky stars they had the wisdom you so patently lack.

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He took a dangerous situation and made it far worse and in so doing has caused the death of over 3,800 of our military, caused over 27,000 to be injured and spent what could be as much as $2 Trillion dollars on a war that was not justified and has made our country less secure. No other President has done anything close to the level of harm Bush had done and history will provide a damming view of the impact GWB has had on America!

See, this is more of your red herring BULLSHIT! I do NOT support the military spending, but I want our soldiers home ALIVE, not dead, and the best way to do that is to give them the resource they need to do the job. I opposed Iraq before we went in, you and your sheep didn't step up to the plate until we were already engaged. And you WEREN'T there to protest the first Gulf War, which made this most recent round all but inevitable.

Oh and your "we give millione to corporate farms, we should give billions for free health care to the middle class" position is ALSO BULLSHIT, COL. I do not now support, nor have I ever supported, corporate farming subsidies or corporate welfare. But you can't read in context, so I would not expect you to know that.

Now go take care of your disabled son and stop demanding the taxpayers pay his bills!

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Because, numbnuts, we live in a democratic republic, not a pure democracy. You know perfectly well that the term "democracy" is routinely used to describe the US form of government, technically inaccurate as it may be, as well as the various forms of government of all the other western democracies, none of which have a pure democracy.

I am well aware we have a Republic. That does not mean that the will of the vast majority should be ignored by the people we elect. That is the issue-- WHO the HELL is Bush or the GOP leadership to tell 300 million Americans what then want. I hope the control in 2008 enables the changes that the cast majority wants. I am tired of the we need Conservative this or that. That would be fine if the MAQJORITY of Americans were conservatives and wanted for our country what the conservatives want. Such is NOT the case. This country is nether Conservative of liberal and it is time the President and Congress as well as state governments begin to understand that point. The Total Republican voters are about 23% and not all Republicans are co0nservatives. That means that the Conservatives most likely make up less then 20% of the registered voters.

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Reply By: Gideon MacLeish

"Now go take care of your disabled son and stop demanding the taxpayers pay his bills!"

Gideom - You are an ASS -- MY SON DIED IN APRIL!

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No more of an ass than you, Col. You have treated everyone on here like shit for daring to disagree with you, and I, for one, am beyond sick of it. You talk about what a great Christian you are and how the rest of us suck and you treat us like garbage. SO if I hit a raw nerve, I honestly don't give a rat's ass.

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The name calling did not begin with me but with people on this web side that choose to call me names rather then deal with the facts I presented. You like so many other live in denial. Your statement, "Now go take care of your disabled son and stop demanding the taxpayers pay his bills" shows that. The Medical needs of my son were so great no one could have paid the cost he incurred unless they were a multi millionaire. We could not include him on our insurance and he was not able to hold a job that included health benefits. Bush proposed a tax credit to enable people with no health coverage to buy private insurance. He ignored the fact that most people that can not afford to pay for health insurance earn so little they do not pay income taxes and are not eligible for the tax credit he proposed. The estimate at the time Bush made this proposal was that the tax credit would enable 3 of the 47 million without coverage to buy insurance. What about the remaining 44 Million? They were totally IGNORED by Bush which shows he lives in denial as do you and many others on this Blog Site.

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Actually, Col, your experience shows the opposite...why the socialized medicine you DEMAND is flawed.

If your son's care would have taken millions, why was it in our best interests to pay it? I realize your emotions as a parent and won't trash them here. You wanted the best for your son, I have no doubt about that. But for the millions that would have spent on your son, how many could have been fed or clothed with that same money? Doesn't investment in our future make better sense than investment in our present? And assuming you DO belive in God, I'm sure you'd agree your son is in a far better place, regardless of how tragic it is for you.

But you've let your anger control you and blind you to the facts, Col. YES, I'm pissed off that we have spent these billions on bombs in Iraq. But no more pissed off than I was when Clinton did it! The truth is, the selling of our country downriver has been a bipartisan effort and throwing money at the problem by seizing the assets of the rich won't solve it.

You justify your downright meanness by pointing to others, Col. Out of your other face, you tell us we aren't living the lives Jesus would have us lead. Did Jesus tell you to call men all vile sorts of names, Col? If so, I'd like to know the verses you are using to justify this.

I've semi ignored you for a long time now, Col. Of all people on JU, you have been the nastiest to me. But now that you're trying to take on the role of street preacher as well, I'm going to say something!

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WHO the HELL is Bush or the GOP leadership to tell 300 million Americans what then want. I

who are you.

who are the democrats.

the last poll i saw the vast majority of the people want to stay and finish the job as long as it doesn't take more than 2 years. and that was your poll.

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Island Dog

Join Date 06/2003

+1048

The GOP controlled legislature and the GOP Governor refuse to levy the taxes at the state level to provide relief to what is a crises for as much as 80% of Floridians.

I have been ignoring your rants for a while now, but since I live in Florida as well I wanted to address this. First of all, where do you get this 80% of Floridians number?

For you to even seriously suggest that Florida needs a state income tax to provide government assistance for other people is just as ridiculous as all the other arguements you make. Once again your liberal solution to everything is more taxes.

These are problems that impact their ability to live.

Well you can't tell by going into a Target or Best Buy store in Florida.

The estimate at the time Bush made this proposal was that the tax credit would enable 3 of the 47 million without coverage to buy insurance. What about the remaining 44 Million? They were totally IGNORED by Bush which shows he lives in denial as do you and many others on this Blog Site.

Still using that inflated number, huh gene? Some things never change.

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Reply By: Island Dog

“Well you can't tell by going into a Target or Best Buy store in Florida.”

You can tell by falling home values and the growing unemployment rate. You can tell by the number of mortgage defaults and falling restraint sales. You can tell by the falling local tax revenue and the drastic cuts cities and counties are making. You can tell by the almost total lack of building permits!

“I have been ignoring your rants for a while now, but since I live in Florida as well I wanted to address this. First of all, where do you get this 80% of Floridians number?”

From the number of people having problems with their Insurance costs. In fact that number is closer to 100%. I know of NO major insurance company that has not had drastic increases in their premiums. Every non homesteaded house has watched their real estate taxes double and triple since 2002.

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"Still using that inflated number, huh gene? Some things never change."

That is what the Census Bureau has said.

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That is what the Census Bureau has said.

this info is seven years old

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"This info is seven years old”

The 47 million without health insurance was released within the past several months. What the HELL are you talking about? The increase of 2.2 million was since last year.