We've Got A Short-Term Memory Problem!

I've been a proud participant in all 3 of the "Hands Across The Sand" demonstrations because I'm a strong opponent of drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, and especially anywhere near Florida's fragile coastline. I've also attended all of the Press Conferences for all 3 of these events.

I noticed a marked difference in yesterday's "Hands Across The Sand" protest from the one that occurred just one short year ago.

Last June when hundreds of people joined hands on St. Petersburg Beach to protest drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, the Deepwater Horizon was gushing millions of gallons of "sweet crude" into the Gulf. At any time during the day or night, you could turn on a TV and see the oil uncontrollably gushing onto the ocean floor. This disaster was front and center every day for 4 months.

A year ago at the Press Conference, we heard the manager of the Tradewinds Hotel tell us of the huge loss in business that his hotel had suffered as a result of the perception that oil was on the beaches all over Florida, and not just in the Panhandle. I made a mental note of the numbers of hotel guests around the pools and on the beach and it was remarkably low for the summer season.

A year ago I noticed that there were many more Politicians in attendance at the Press Conference at the Tradewinds Hotel in St. Petersburg than there were in attendance yesterday. Last year, they all wanted to speak out against that gusher that we saw on our TV every day. A year ago, there were also a greater number of media representatives in attendance at the Press Conference.

Yesterday, the Tradewinds Hotel was extremely crowded. I noticed a huge difference in the activity level at the hotel compared to last June. The pools were packed, the rental concessions of surfboards and other water toys were doing a brisk business, and the beach was packed with swimmers and walkers. Walking through the hotel this year, I saw several signs for Convention Groups who were staying at the Hotel.

Those convention groups weren't there last year, and the pools and the beach weren't packed last year, either--even though there wasn't a drop of oil on St. Petersburg Beach.

Simply the perception that there might be an oil problem was enough to keep those groups and tourists away.

So, what has happened in the past year to make offshore drilling safer? Nothing--absolutely nothing.

We just don't talk about it daily. We don't have 24/7 live footage of the gusher on our TV's. We've moved on to the Casey Anthony trial.

What has happened in the past year to make the tourists come back? Probably a combination of advertising that "the coast is clear," and no media coverage of the oil slicks in the Gulf (which are still rising up from the ocean floor and are being spotted out off of the coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida--but they aren't reporting it on the news often, or at all.

But, the single biggest factor is that we don't have a leaking well that is in the news daily.

As Americans, we don't seem to pay much attention to History any more. Out of sight, out of mind....Thus, we can expect to be doomed repeat the same mistakes.

I awoke yesterday to new headlines in the paper that Sen. Mike Haridopolos and Gov. Rick Scott want to bring oil drilling back for approval in State waters (inside of 9 miles from the Coast). Really!

Florida has 825 miles of sandy beaches and 8,500 miles of tidally influenced coastline. More than 950,000 Floridians make their living from jobs relating to tourism and our coastal waters. In 2008, visitors spent $65.2 billion dollars and Florida collected $3.9 billion dollars in total tourism tax revenues. As we saw from the disaster a year ago, we have a large marine fisheries business, restaurants, and hotels that depend upon clean water. What part of those facts and figures don't Mike Haridopolos and Rick Scott understand?

Why would we ever want to risk all of that revenue and all of those jobs—both are irreplaceable—now and forever! Certainly, one year isn't long enough to forget how badly our economy was affected by this disaster?

Don't tell me that we need to drill in the Gulf "to reduce our dependency on foreign oil," or "for our National Security"--unless you are going to "nationalize" those wells and make them owned by the U.S. Government (say, for example to supply the strategic government reserve of oil). But, that will never happen because these well they want to drill won't be owned or controlled by the U.S. Government, but instead will be owned by an international oil company which has a singular goal--to sell the oil to whomever will pay the highest price for it.

If you can guarantee me that the oil drilled in the Gulf will be sold solely in the U.S. and not sold on the world market for a higher price, and if you can convince me that the industry has instituted real safety measures instead of relying upon the same old technology that has been used for the last 30 years with a lousy safety record--then I might listen. Until then, we will only get the shaft in this whole scenario.

All we will get will be the mess. We'll have to clean up the mess. We'll have to suffer the losses of income and tax revenues while the oil companies simply sell their oil to the highest bidder. Sounds fair.

It's time to pass a Florida Constitutional Amendment to prohibit drilling off the coast. Our short term memory problem demands nothing less....

We Are All Environmentalists, Now!

Just a few months ago, as "Democracy" was awakening in Egypt, it was common to hear many Americans proclaim--"We're All Egyptians, Now" to express solidarity with their cause.

If you live in Florida, we need a similar clarion call: "We're All Environmentalists, Now!"

Every day, I pick up the newspaper and read about the continuing onslaught in Tallahassee. Every day there is a slew of radical bills aimed at doing away with regulations that affect planning for growth and protection of our waters (both fresh water for drinking, and our bays and the Gulf). There is actually a bill (HB 991) that says it's ok to allow groundwater pollution to remain underneath a property owner's land, so long as it is contained at the boundaries.

Hmmm.... has anyone in Tallahassee ever studied anything about the Floridan Acquifer and how it works? Here's a hint, it's not a series of underground pipes with shut-off valves coinciding with private property boundary lines. But, alas, now we won't have to clean that up anymore? (So much for clean drinking water...)



Welcome to Florida, the Carcinogenic State....


Articles in the newspapers talk about how “environmentalists” are opposing these bills, as if only people who are members of organized environmental groups, such as the Sierra Club or Audubon Society should care about what poisoning is going on around us.

In case you haven't noticed, any opposition by "environmentalists" is being steamrolled in Tallahassee (and soon will be followed by dredging, filling and paving).

The question is, as Floridians aren’t we really all environmentalists? Don’t we all share a basic human need for clean water to drink and bathe in? Don’t we have a common paramount interest in ensuring that we have enough clean water to drink? Don’t we all want clean bays and a clean Gulf so we can take a swim or eat seafood without fear?

Frankly, having enough mercury in my body so that I can take my own temperature without a thermometer, is not a personal goal of mine.

“Environmentalists” are nothing more than concerned citizens who are paying attention to protecting those things. The bills being passed in Tallahassee are going to make it impossible for anyone to object to things that get in the way of development, regardless of its effects on our state waters (and without regard to any kind of a comprehensive state plan).

History is repeating itself. We did this before in the 60's and 70's in Florida, and it took decades to fix those problems. But, the current "leadership" in Tallahassee isn't too keen on learning from our history.



So, when will you awake your inner environmentalist?

Think about it often--like whenever you take a shower, or turn on your faucet, or take a drink of water.



Then call and write to all of your "Representatives" in Tallahassee and say, Enough!



Tell them: "Stop poisioning me and stop destroying my State!"



After all, isn't this something we can all get behind?



Aren't these bi-partisan values?

Return To Sender!

The 2011 Florida Legislature will go down in history as the most radical ever. They are ramming through every legislative agenda item that has been on the GOP wish list, without any serious debate.

We are told that these things are needed to improve the economy. (Although I’m not sure how limiting the right to register voters or to allow people more time to early vote helps the economy, and I’m not sure how 18 bills targeting women and their reproductive rights are beneficial to the economy, and I’m not sure how deregulating the insurance industry and allowing insurance rates to skyrocket will help the economy, and I'm not sure how cutting public school funding by more than 1 Billion Dollars helps the economy, etc. etc.)

But, most of all, I wonder what we are going to do if all of these changes don’t “fix Florida?”

Can we put the toothpaste back in the tube (or, lest we forget, put the gushing oil back in the ground)? Can we require that all of these new radical bills have a “trigger” attached to them that will make them “sunset” in two years if they don’t work to fix the economy?

Of course not--elections have consequences. They’ve had consequences in Florida for 15 years.

Florida has been under GOP control for 15 years. The current “broken” state of our state government is the GOP’s responsibility. And now they are telling me and you that these radical changes are needed to fix our State (i.e., clean up the mess that they created). Really.... you can't make this up.

Thankfully, all of the members of the Legislature will have to run for election in 2012 because of Redistricting. Here’s a thought. When you see an (R) after a State Legislature candidate’s name on the ballot, remember that it stands for “Return to Sender.”

Remind all of your friends, neighbors and co-workers that it's time to send the GOP legislators back to the private sector before it’s too late to fix Florida.

Make Social Security Solvent--Just Don't Kill Grandma!

All we seem to hear lately is that "unless we raise the retirement age, Social Security will be bankrupt..." And those advancing that position make it seem as though this is going to occur next week.

It's not. Not even close.

First of all, let's define what "Social Security" includes. One type pays "DI," which is Disability Insurance. The second type, which affects more people, is retirement benefits-- "OASI" or Old Age Survivors Insurance

Both of these Social Security programs are extremely solvent today, although the DI program will run out of money in 2018.

The Old Age Survivors Insurance program (i.e., grandma's monthly Social Security Check) is guaranteed to be paid, even with all of the Baby Boomers coming into the system, until 2040-- at its current funding levels-- without raising the retirement age, and without raising additional taxes. http://www.ssa.gov/oact/trsum/index.html

Why the perceived panic? Could it be because people will ask fewer questions if they think there is an immediate crisis? Remember the TARP bailout? It was done virtually overnight with few questions asked because we were told the world was on the brink of a financial collapse.

Hey, it worked for TARP, why not try it for Social Security?

Why are the only solutions discussed in the media the ones that involve either a delay in paying benefits or a reduction in the amount of benefits? Why are those things the only components of solvency that are ever discussed?

In my view, it is because the people who hate social programs want to see them end, and just don't want to admit it for political purposes. So, they talk about how we can't afford them and negatively label them as "entitlements."

These are social programs, folks. They were passed at a time in our nation's history when the elderly were the poorest among our citizens. Perhaps then, there was more respect for our elders, or more respect for our fellow citizens. Ask yourself---Is it a good societal goal, to make the elderly the poorest among us?

I think we need to look at the substance of these social programs. When you get right down to it, isn't Social Security really "money paid to my grandmother after she was a contributing member of society, so that she can live the remainder of her days with some quality of life and dignity?"

Yes, I admit it. I am a "socialist." I have compassion for other people. I believe in the value of Social Security. If we really want to be "the greatest nation on earth, then there are some things that we simply must do, out of human decency, for other people who live with us and contribute to our country throughout their lives.

Social Security is a valued part of our society--or at least it used to be, before we all became so damn greedy.

So, here's my solution to make the Social Security "flush" forever. It's simple, really. Just get rid of the artificially set cap on the Social Security tax.

Right now, there is deducted from an employee's earned income, a tax equal to 6.2% of his or her earnings up to $106,800. Employers have to match that 6.2% tax payment, up to that cap of $106,800.

Above $106,800, there is zero Social Security tax collected on anyone's income.

So, if, for example, New York Yankees' third baseman Alex Rodriguez makes $32 Million dollars per year, he pays the same amount into Social Security as someone in the Yankees' front office who makes $106,800.

Sen. Mitch McConnell might argue that Alex "already pays enough in taxes" and shouldn't have to pay any more into the Social Security system.

I say that Alex is able to make his salary as a result of all of the fans who pay to see him play, or who buy products advertised on television so that the Yankees' are able to demand a huge TV contract with which to pay Alex's enormous salary.

Isn't Alex just a beneficiary of that "socialistic" ticket purchasing system where we all pull together to raise money for Alex. Shouldn't he "give something back" to the throngs who have put him in this position to earn so much? (And, really, how much money can Alex spend on himself, anyway?) Let's get real. Real compassionate.

After all, shouldn't grandma be able to go to a matinee game when she's 65, without having to skip work or call in sick and tired? And shouldn't grandma have enough disposable income to be able to put some back into commerce to buy a ticket to watch Alex play? Don't you think she's entitled to want that? Isn't that also part of the "American Dream?"

Why the $106,800 cap? It has been raised before. (Ask Congress--they set it.)

There is no cap on Medicare taxes. Congress removed it in 1994.

Don't let raising the retirment age and cutting benefits be the only options that are discussed in this debate. Don't let them rush to make changes.

Don't let Rush or Glen Beck tell you that the answer is to raise the retirement age. Tell them you want them to pay more for the little guy.

Class warfare you say? Nope, I'm just looking out for Grandma.

The sky isn't falling on these programs because, you see, they are self-funded from specific payroll taxes that are paid to a Social Security Trust fund. These funds aren't being used to pay for Wars or tax subsidies to oil companies. We use other tax dollars for those things.

Don't let anyone tell you that we have to change Social Security in a hurry, and don't let them tell you that the only thing that is viable is to make Grandma work until she is older. It simply isn't true or fair.

We are broke as a country--that I do not dispute at all.

But fixing the National Debt problem needs to involve cutting spending on other things and raising revenues--yes, we are going to have to raise taxes. But for me, the answer is not balancing the budget on the back of Grandma.

She's entitled to better treatment than that!

She raised your mother better than that!

Americans Are Content to Stay in Afghanistan Forever

A woman whom I work with has a son who just returned from a one-year tour of duty in Afghanistan, working as a combat medic attached to a Marine unit which has taken lots of casualties during the last year. One week after he returned home, his Wife (who is also a medic) shipped out for her one-year tour in Afghanistan, leaving behind her husband and their 10-year old son. I saw the photograph of that mother and her son during their final embrace before Mom deployed. Mom is dressed in her uniform and their arms are locked, and they are staring into each others eyes filled with uncertainty, concern, and sadness.

With that image fresh in my mind, I decided to spend 3 hours on January 15, 2011, to participate in an anti-war protest in Tampa with approximately 20 people. A group called Veterans For Peace meets monthly to hold signs and to raise awareness of the horrors of War on the corner of the busy intersection of Dale Mabry Highway and Gandy Blvd, not too far from MacDill Air Force Base. This Veterans group and other non-veterans who regularly join them in support of this effort have been meeting monthly for 4 years in this location to urge an end to the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I'm holding a sign that says "Honk To Bring The Troops Home." I'm standing next to an 83-year old Veteran of World War II named Buddy Holle, who tells me that he can't believe that this is the fifth year that he has been coming to this corner monthly to hold signs urging an end to America's participation in two Wars. "I thought we'd have brought them home before now."

Buddy had a son who died in Vietnam. His Veterans For Peace T-shirt has words printed across the back stating how this group of Veterans hates war because they have been there and have seen the brutality and inhumanity of war up close and personally. Buddy wears the anguish and sorrow on his face, while at the same time approaching his protesting with a sense of both duty and honor. He comments that today's group is one of the larger groups that has been out in a few months and he's glad to see some new faces. He doesn't recall that I met him a few months earlier, but then again, I haven't been back month after month like Buddy has.

Buddy tells me about another group that he's involved with that meets every Sunday at the foot of the bridge of the Manatee River in Palmetto. "It's a much larger group, and we meet every week. You should join us. It's a really good group of people." Once a month isn't enough; he needs to do this weekly, despite his age. Buddy's still on a mission.

Because of the sign that I'm holding, I'm getting some enthusiastic honking from cars passing by, punctuated by an occasional blast from a semi truck driver. I'm also getting some smiles, waives, and thumbs-ups, and peace signs from many people in the cars passing by on this particular Saturday afternoon.

I'm also getting the middle-finger salute from some people who find our signs asking to bring the "Troops Home Now" offensive or misguided. One lady muttered words to the effect that we're lucky that "they" haven't come to the US to kill us over here--making it known that she thinks we are weak and foolish.

Others in our group are holding signs pointing out the huge financial costs of endless wars-- "$4,000 Per Second", "War Is Over, We're Broke!", "How's That War Economy Working For You?", "Ike Was Right", "Plenty of Money For War, But None To Feed the Poor", etc. Given the state of our economy, many people passing by in cars react favorably to these particular signs.

One lady brought her two children out to the protest. Daniel, age 10, is chanting "Bring Them Home." His 13 year old sister has friends at school whose fathers are overseas, and knows how hard it is on her friends. I look at them and think that they were newborns and toddlers when the War started in Afghanistan, and wonder if the War will end before they are old enough to enlist.

The organizer of these monthly events, Jay Alexander, walks by and slaps a sticker on my chest with the latest death count as of today's date (per www.icasualties.org.)

As of January 15, 2011, the number of U.S. dead soldiers in Operation Iraqi Freedom is 4,437, and in Afghanistan's Operation Enduring Freedom, the number of U.S. dead soldiers is now 1,457. There have been One Million Civilians killed in these 2 Wars.

In addition to painting dozens of protest signs, including the one that I am holding, Jay Alexander has cut out and painted more that 50 tombstone signs with the names of all 50 States and U.S. Territories on them that he has arranged in a single-file line in a grass median on Dale Mabry Hwy, with large American flags posted at each end of the long row of these simulated tombstones. They are a moving symbol to drive past, and a reminder of those across the country who have died in these Wars.

Surprisingly, I just got a very animated "thumbs down" and some angry unintelligible words from a young boy stopped at the intersection. He appears to be around 12 years old. I am surprised by that visceral reaction from such a young child. Sadly, I comment to the woman standing next to me that he will probably have his chance to go to Afghanistan too, because we will likely still be fully engaged there for long enough for him to come of age so that he can go and fight.

But, it is not the positive signals, nor the negative gestures that I observed that were disconcerting to me. What disturbed me the most about what I observed today is the rampant, widespread APATHY which I observed in the three hours that I spent on that street corner.

There are far too many people who had absolutely no reaction, whatsoever to our presence or to the messages on our signs. I saw hundreds of blank stares and hundreds of people totally absorbed in cell phone conversations, completely unaffected by anything outside of their personal bubble. Welcome to the Apathetic States of America.

By far, I prefer the angry thumbs down from the defiant 12-year old, or the rant from the woman who thought we were weak and foolish, or even the guy who flips a "bird" out the window. Please give some reaction. Please have an opinion. Please don't give me the endless stream of catatonic stares from hundreds of disaffected Americans who passed by seemingly lost and distracted in their own little selfish worlds.

I've often wondered what it will take to get Americans' attention about these Wars. I'm still wondering....

Only, now, I realize that there is probably nothing that will slap us out of this national trance. Nothing that will make us say, Enough Is Enough!

This week, the nation turned its attention on a large scale to the deaths of 6 people in Tuscon and the shooting of a Congresswoman. I was hoping that this attention to senseless death and injury might lead to a renewed discussion about our War policy. Why are we sending our best brave young men and women into harms way without any coherent plan or mission? But, War was not discussed.

Because you see, War has become the norm. Wars no longer last 1, 2 or 4 years. They are endless. Wars are hardly mentioned on television or in newspapers. There is no draft, so only a small segment of our population have to serve. Few of us are directly affected. Stop Loss programs are instituted to require active duty personnel and members of the Reserves to serve multiple tours of combat duty. War will continue, because War is Big Business. Mission accomplished?

No one driving on one of South Tampa's busiest streets wants to think about the War or put down their cell phone to notice, let alone speak out against it.

So, don't expect any change any time soon on the faces of mothers looking into the eyes of their sons whom they won't see again or hug again, for at least another year.

And don't expect any lessons to be learned by the Public from truth-tellers like Veterans For Peace who try to educate civilians about the horrors of War. The vast majority of Americans just can't be bothered to pay attention to this.

Well, at least, not quite yet.

What will you do to change the apathy?