Opinions and Letters

Americans for Prosperity Applauds U.S. Representative C.W. Bill Young

SO FAR 411 REPRESENTATIVES HAVE SIGNED A PLEDGE TO THE KOCH BROTHERS TO NOT PASS ANY BILL, LAW OR LEGISLATION THAT WOULD ADDRESS GLOBAL WARMING OR CLIMATE CHANGE. HERE ARE YOUR KOCH PUPPETS: http://www.noclimatetax.com/pledge-signatories/

Includes Senator Rubio and our local District 13 Congressman:

Americans for Prosperity Applauds U.S. Representative C.W. Bill Young

-Signs No Climate Tax Pledge-

WASHINGTON-The free-market grassroots group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) today applauded U.S. Representative C.W. Bill Young (10th District) for signing the group’s “No Climate Tax Pledge.” By doing so, Young joins over 100 lawmakers on the federal, state and local levels pledging to “oppose legislation relating to climate change that includes a net increase in government revenue.”

“The one thing elected officials should be able to agree on is that global warming shouldn’t be used as an excuse to hike taxes on citizens and businesses,” said AFP Policy Director Phil Kerpen. “We encourage all of Florida’s elected officials and candidates for elected office to sign the pledge.”

President Obama has made no secret of his intent to advance the cap-and-trade legislation, which would amount to the largest tax increase in American history. One version of the scheme, introduced last year by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and John Warner (R-VA), is scored by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office as a net revenue increase of $1.2 trillion within just the first 7 years the bill is in effect.

“Using the guise of climate change to transfer dollars from hard-working citizens to bureaucratic big government is unacceptable,” said Kerpen. “Regardless of their stance on global warming, this should be common ground for all of our elected officials at all levels of government.”

The pledge is available online at www.NoClimateTax.com. AFP does not endorse candidates.

All elected officials and candidates are encouraged to sign the pledge and go on the record in opposition to using the climate change issue to increase taxes and grow the size of government.

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is the nation’s premier grassroots organization committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

****actually a front for the Kock brothers***

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Bill Nelson - Legislative Update - July 2, 2013

 Immigration Reform Clears Senate

On June 27, Senator Nelson voted with the majority of the Senate to pass S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, with a vote of 68 to 32.  This legislation will reform the nation’s broken immigration system by securing our borders, keeping families together, requiring all employers to verify work eligibility, and providing businesses access to the workforce they need while protecting American workers. This legislation also creates a pathway for undocumented aliens to earn legal status if they pay fines, learn English, pass a background check, and go to the back of the line. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that this legislation would generate over $130 billion in revenue over the next 10 years. The House must now take up the issue and pass legislation to secure our borders and bring people out of the shadows so that America can continue to thrive and grow our economy.

 S.1238:  Keep Student Loans Affordable Act of 2013

 Senator Nelson is a cosponsor of S. 1238, which would extend the 3.4 percent interest rate on subsidized Stafford loans for one year, in an effort to help alleviate the debt burden on students.  Because there has not been any congressional action, the interest rate doubled to 6.8 percent on July 1, 2013, which means students will pay about $1,000 more over the life of their Stafford loans.  This would impact almost a half million students in Florida and more than 7 million students across the nation.

 Controlling Algal Blooms and Hypoxia

Last week, Senator Nelson and a bipartisan group of senators filed legislation that would continue to fund and aid research into the cause of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and ways to prevent them.  The Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and program has served as the federal government’s research and response framework for harmful algal blooms for over a decade.  According to a recent National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration report, U.S. seafood and tourism industries suffer annual losses of $82 million due to economic impacts of HABs.

 Veterans Conservation Corps

Senator Nelson introduced S.1262, The Veterans Conservation Corps of 2013.  Modeled on the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, the Veterans Conservation Corps would put veterans back to work restoring and protecting America’s public land and waters. The corps will provide transitional assistance to separating service members and allow them to gain employment in jobs designed to leverage the skills developed in the military.  Not only would this bill help with transition and employment, but the Veterans Conservation Corps would help address the federal maintenance backlog. The bill would provide funds for communities to hire veterans as first responders, firefighters, law enforcement officers, and for disaster relief.

 Gold Medal for the Borinqueneers

Senator Nelson joined Senators Blumenthal, Chambliss, Warren, Rubio, Menendez, Schumer, and Casey to file legislation to honor the 65^th Infantry Regiment, also known as the “Borinqueneers,” with the Congressional Gold Medal. The Borinqueneers were a segregated Puerto Rican Army unit which served the U.S. with great distinction during World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.

Juneteenth Resolution

Senator Nelson is a cosponsor of Senate Resolution 175, which recognizes June 19, 1865 when Union forces entered Galveston, Texas and freed the last slaves in the Union. This resolution acknowledges the historical significance of June 19, supports the celebration on Juneteenth Independence Day, and recognizes the observance of the end of slavery as part of the heritage and history of the United States. The resolution was adopted by the Senate on June 19, 2013.

 

Meeting with Cuban dissidents

Senator Nelson met with two prominent democracy activists from Cuba, Guillermo "Coco" Farinas and Elizardo Sanchez.  Both dissidents received passports under Cuba’s relaxed foreign travel policy, enacted in January 2013.  Senator Nelson said after the meeting that he would consider a visit to Cuba: "If I were to go to Cuba, I would want to see U.S. contractor Alan Gross and do what I can to get him home.  It would be on a humanitarian mission to visit with pro-democracy groups and opposition figures."

 Addressing Anti-competitive Policies in India

Senator Nelson signed a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, urging him to discuss India’s anti-competitive policies during his upcoming visit to the country. India has implemented new trade rules that ignore U.S. patents and require some intellectual property to be home-grown in order to access the country’s growing market of consumers. Such regulations deeply impact U.S. exports of information technology, clean energy equipment, and life-saving medications. The letter asks Secretary Kerry, who is visiting the country this week, to seek a level playing field for American businesses, farmers, and workers seeking to sell goods in India.

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"The Borinqueneers": Award them the gold

Florida Democratic Party News Clips - June 27, 2013

Very busy week!!

REACTIONS FROM AROUND FL TO THE END OF DOMA AND PROP 8

What people are saying about the Supreme Court rulings on gay marriage [Tampa Bay Times] "President Barack Obama: "I applaud the Supreme Court's decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act. This was discrimination enshrined in law...U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson: "The Supreme Court said the Constitution prohibits discrimination of lawfully wedded same-sex couples.
I support this decision."...U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor: "Florida leaders should embrace this decision and address the outdated and discriminatory Article I; Section 27 of the Florida Constitution that bars many Florida married couples from equal rights and treatment even after the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling today...U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings: "As we celebrate today's news, I am reminded of the extraordinary progress that we have made in recent years to advance LGBT equality in this country...U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch: "As we applaud this historic victory for civil rights, we must also remember that the struggle for marriage equality continues...State Rep. Darryl Rouson: "This is a significant day for our nation. My hope is that one day Florida will join those states in recognizing the equality of all people to marry...State Rep. Janet Cruz: "I am thrilled that the Court's actions recognize that all Americans are equal and that any adult regardless of whom they love has a right to be married...State Rep. Linda Stewart: "Any legislation that alienates a single class of people because of whom they are or who they love has no place in a country in which its founding promise has always been equality before the law...State Rep. Joe Saunders: "These rulings ... prove the country is moving everyday toward full marriage equality and basic fairness for LGBT Americans...State Rep. Kionne McGhee: "Today's overturning of the Defense of Marriage Act is a sweeping affirmation of same-sex marriage that deserves applause...State Rep. Alan Williams: "The ruling is a victory for Civil Rights...Allison Tant: "As Democrats, we are committed to full equality for every American. Today, the Supreme Court moved us further toward that goal.

 SCOTT, RUBIO DECRY CIVIL RIGHTS VICTORY OF GLBT AMERICANS

Scott says he and state law support "traditional marriage" [Orlando Sentinel] "Gov. Rick Scott had a brief press availability this afternoon, primarily to allow him to react to theU.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down a key portion of the Defense of Marriage Actthat defines marriage as between a man and a woman...Asked his owned views, Scott noted that he was married at 19. 'I believe in traditional marriage,' he said."

 Marco Rubio: Supreme Court mistaken on same-sex marriage [Sun Sentinel] "Marriage is best defined as “the union between one man and one woman,” U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio asserted on Wednesday, while accusing the Supreme Court of over-stepping its role by striking down the Defense of Marriage Act. 

Critics Still Wrong on What’s Driving Deficits in Coming Years

Good article in the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: 

Economic Downturn, Financial Rescues, and Bush-Era Policies Drive the Numbers

By Kathy Ruffing and James R. Horney

The events and policies that have pushed deficits to these high levels in the near term, however, were largely outside the new Administration’s control. If not for the tax cuts enacted during the presidency of George W. Bush that Congress did not pay for, the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that were initiated during that period, and the effects of the worst economic slump since the Great Depression (including the cost of steps necessary to combat it), we would not be facing these huge deficits in the near term.

This non-partisan organization focuses on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families/individuals.  Their analysis shows that the budget deficit will continue to grow if the Bush tax cuts remain.  They don't distinguish the different aspects of the tax-cuts; i.e., "high income", which Obama & Democrats want to let expire, and "middle/low income", which they plan to renew.

The graph to the right illustrates the impact of the various programs on the growth of the deficit into 2019.  It is quite unfortunate that none of the high profile Republican politician and pundits, or conservative media (CNN or FOX) bother to read anything that doesn't come out of their own think-tanks.  

Without the economic downturn and the fiscal policies of the previous Administration, the budget would be roughly in balance over the next decade. That would have put the nation on a much sounder footing to address the demographic challenges and the cost pressures in health care that darken the long-run fiscal outlook.[7]

One and the Same: Great new DNC web ad.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse: "America . . must never be on it's knees before Corporate Power!" (C-SPAN video)

This is a very powerful speech.  This sums up the damage done by decades of deregulation and worshiping at the altar of greed and profit.  I have always been impressed by Sen. Whitehouse, but this..... wow.   This says it all. 

Mr. President, we have watched with horror the unfolding disaster in the Gulf. We have seen precious lives lost; hard-earned livelihoods hammered; treasured ways of life imperiled. We have seen the largest deployment of resources ever against an environmental disaster. We have seen astonishing corporate negligence. But we have seen something else too-something that ought to be a lasting lesson from this catastrophe: we have seen the revolting specter of an agency of government subservient to - captive to - the industry it is supposed to regulate. ... ...What lesson of history, if left unlearned after this disaster, are we condemned to repeat? I hope that the lesson we learn is this one: that we can never, never, never again let agencies of the government of the United States of America fall so far under the influence of the corporations they are supposed to regulate.... ...This American government of ours should never, never be on its knees before corporate power, no matter how strong. It should never be in the thrall of corporate wealth no matter how vast. This American government of ours should never give the American citizen reason to question whose interests are being served. Never.... ...We must act in defense of the integrity of this great government of ours, which has brought such light to the world, such freedom and equality to our country. We cannot allow this government - that is a model around the world, that inspires people to risk their lives and fortunes to come to our shores - we cannot allow any element of this government to become the tool of corporate power, the avenue of corporate influence, the puppet of corporate tentacles.

Please make the time to watch the entire video (click below).   The transcript is also <<here>> with commentary added by MinistryOfTruth.

SENATE RACE NOT FOR SALE

Florida Democrats need to send a loud and clear message to Jeff Greene that our Senate seat is not up for sale to the highest bidder. He made his billions in the housing market collapse - the Wall Street Journal calls him "the meltdown mogul" -  by betting on the implosion of subprime mortgages.  Florida is still reeling. 

He has only been a registered Florida voter since March 2008. (Does carpetbagger ring any bells/) He ran for Congress in California as a Republican. He blows off the fact that boxer - and convicted rapist -  Mike Tyson was the best man at his $1 million wedding and that the notorious madam Heidi Fleiss lived with him after she got out of jail.  About the latter, Greene reportedly said, "They will attack me for my friends and my past. Some of it's true, but none of it matters."

Let's let Greene know that it matters to us by gearing up our support for Kendrick Meek.

Meek - currently a south Florida congressman, a former state trooper and now seeking the nomination to run against Crist/Rubio/Scott - has the backing of the state Democratic Party.  According to spokesman Eric Jotkoff, "We, along with Democrats across the state and President Obama, continue enthusiastically suppording Kendrick Meek because he is the hands-on leader who has been fighting to bring good jobs to our state and works every day to get things done for the people of Florida."

The Largo/Mid-Pinellas Democratic Club has collected petitions to get Meek on the ballot and several members have had or will be having house parties to generate grassroots support.  (Upcoming at Wanda Schwerer's home in Belleair Beach on May 27 and Lois Fries 's in Largo on June 8.) 

Kathleen Jamison, Club Member