MC Coolidge's Reality Online

Political Stuff (the kind that gets me banned)

In Sarasota Local Matters Matter

September 2nd, 2010

Are you all aware of a local community radio show called Local Matters? It runs on Thursday evenings from 6-7 pm, WSLR 96.5 LPFM, with live broadcasting on the Internet, as well.

Tonight, the program’s host, Joe Hendricks, is interviewing Democratic State Attorney General candidate Dan Gelber, who will share his views on the state challenging the federal health care bill, his thoughts on an Arizona-style immigration bill and tell us what separates him from Republican candidate Pam Bondi.

During the second half of show Democratic County Commission candidate Mark Hawkins who is challenging incumbent Republican County Commissioner Nora Patterson will be talking about job creation and the use of local labor, the county’s role in economic development, the county budget, the spring baseball fiasco and more.

Hendricks is doing very interesting stuff on his Local Matters program — lots of local folks talking about local matters that matter. I think his show takes calls as well from the listening audience — check it out and call in with your questions for these political folks to the studio line at 941.355.4540.

I voted no on Tuesday — against giving our local government leaders the right and power to decide whether some new or growing businesses will be eligible for property tax exemptions for as long as the next decade. Proponents of the Economic Development Ad Valorem Exemptions call these tax breaks “incentives.” I just call them kick-backs. Read more »

I’m voting no tomorrow, August 24 — against giving our local government leaders the right and power to decide which businesses will be eligible for property tax exemptions for as long as the next decade. They’re calling the tax exemptions “incentives” to attract businesses, ostensibly to create jobs.

I’ve never believed in paying somebody off, bribing somebody, or giving something to someone to encourage them to do business with me personally, and I don’t believe in doing it as a city or as a county. Really, bottom line, if it wouldn’t be okay behavior for you personally, or for yourself professionally, then why is this kind of behavior okay when a government does it? Read more »

New local radio host, Sherman L. Baldwin, has invited me to return to his program today — Talk Sarasota — 1280 AM on the radio dial (WTMY), or streaming to your computer at www.talksarasota.com (though I have noticed the streaming seems spotty). sheldon

Callers are welcome — and I hope people call in! The show runs from 3 to 6 pm, but I’ll only be on from 5:05 to roughly 6 pm — that’s today — the studio line is 954.1280. Read more »

New local radio host, Sherman L. Baldwin, has invited me to come on his program today for my fifteen minutes (literally) of fame. He hosts a program called Talk Sarasota — 1280 AM on the radio dial (WTMY), or streaming to your computer at www.talksarasota.com (though I have noticed the streaming seems spotty). Callers are welcome — and I hope people call in! The show runs from 3 to 6 pm, but I’ll only be on from 415 to 430 — that’s today — the studio line is 954.1280. Read more »

So tonight I moseyed on down to Bentley’s Resort Hotel in Osprey to see what kind of crowd Nancy Feehan — candidate for State House Representative District 70 nancy-feehan

would draw out on a rainy Wednesday in the dead dog days of late July.

It was a stellar turnout. Estimate of over a hundred people — including VIPers Sarasota Mayor Kelly Kirshner, dscn2348-2 Read more »

Aw, Obama go-on-a

July 28th, 2010

So President Obama is coming to Florida.

I wish he wouldn’t.

Look, I’ve lost jobs over my writings about Obama when he was running for president. I’ve supported the guy from the git-go. But now, I just want him to go. I mean, go — as in not come to Florida on a two-day mini-break in August in the first place.

I don’t want him to come because it’s just insultingly clear that he’s only coming because so many people bitched and moaned about him going up to Maine, etc. Read more »

Want to join me at a campaign kick-off party for Nancy Feehan, District 70 next week?

Many of my readers both of this blog and from the days of my Reality Chick column with the Pelican Press live in South Sarasota, Venice, Nokomis, and Osprey – Florida State House District 70. The District includes most of the southern half of Sarasota County, from Clark Road and State Road 72 at the north and South Venice and part of Englewood at the south. It extends from Siesta Key and part of Manasota Key on the west to the Myakka River.

Nancy Feehan is running for State House Representative for the District — against Republican Doug Holder. And I’m betting on Feehan to take the race. nancy-feehan Read more »

Looks like Republican Doug Holder will have some competition in November. Savvy politico Nancy Feehan has thrown her hat into the ring, officially filing today for the race for State Representative, District 70.

From the cheap seats, it’s looking like a no-brainer for voters south of Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota, stretching all the way down to the Charlotte County line. Holder voted last year for legislation that would allow oil drilling as close as three miles to the area’s beaches – I think it includes Siesta Key, Casey Key and others.

Bad enough that he voted for near-shore drilling, but what really got me was that (according to the Sarasota Herald Tribune) Holder said he only voted that way because he knew the legislation wouldn’t pass but he wanted to “open the discussion.” To me that’s pretty astounding – voting for something you don’t believe in because you’re pretty sure it won’t pass? That’s the kind of clarity, consistency, and protection I want in a State Rep for sure. NOT.

Feehan lives in Osprey, and if elected, would be representing more coastline in Sarasota County than anyone else in the House. I’ll have to find out where she stands on the issue. Stay tuned.

As most of you know, Governor Crist received some amendments along with the health care bill he received on June 7th. The amendments have people referring to the bill as the “Abortion Bill” and essentially would require that women who want an abortion during their first trimester of pregnancy be required to pay for, have, and look at — or hear a real-time description of –a live ultrasound image of the embryo or fetus inside her womb, before having an abortion.

But what hasn’t been reported in most mainstream media is that an amendment to those amendments was received late last night in the Guv’s office. Thus this breaking (balls) news:

The revised amendments, require — essentially — that all men — seconds before they put their penis inside any women’s vagina (doesn’t count if it’s a man they’re schtupping or if it’s oral sex, for um, obvious reasons you should have learned about in grade school) be required to view pictures of used baby diapers, as well as happy smiling babies, listen to soundtracks of screaming, as well as cooing, babies, and sign a contract stating that they will a) pay for the pregnancy tests if the women freaks out because her period is late while offering calm reassurance that it will most assuredly be negative because he was, um “really careful”; b) pay for the ultrasound if the woman they’re knocking boots with gets knocked up; c) pay for the abortion if there is one; and d) pay 50% of all costs incurred in bearing, birthing, taking sick days or maternity leave not paid for by employers (because most of them don’t anymore), as well as pay for child care for working mothers, and half of all costs of raising the kid up through and including four years of college.

Sources in Tallahassee (I drove up there when I heard of this new development so I could get a first-hand report on the situation) told me that the bill is now being referred to as the Stop Look Listen & Sign Before You Fornicate Bill, though others, for simplicity’s sake, are just calling it the Pre-Sex Bill.

Over coffee this morning, most experts around the capitol were saying there’s little chance that Crist will oppose the bill now that it carries this new, clarifying language — since everyone knows men already desperately desire to be more fully informed in the moments just before they get their rocks off and have been searching for years for ways in which they could more wholly participate, emotionally and financially, in every precious post-coital moment that follows — from the seconds-later “Baby, you were great” whispers to the weeks later “Crap, my period’s late” screams.

In an unexpected and somewhat odd turn of events, John Edwards reportedly has already called Crist, urging the Florida governor to ink his approval on the new bill good and fast, saying “I wish this kind of legislation had been in effect when I was running for President — it would have been a game-changer!”

House Republicans held a press conference this morning stating their unified objection to the revised bill saying it “just isn’t fair!” Many said that such stringent requirements would unnecessarily cause men to have to make informed decisions before “dipping their swords” (I’m quoting here) and, as one House Republican said, “What good would that do any of us?”

Others pointed out that the Think Before You Sink bill (as some of the randier Republicans were calling it) would be unconscionably emotionally unfair to men, not to mention potentially create a severe financial hardship for them in both short and long term.

One Republican lawmaker speaking only on the condition of anonymity because as he said, “I wouldn’t want people to think I could have this problem,” pointed out that forcing men to see pictures of babies, even happy ones, “or God forbid, dirty diapers”, could also have the emotionally devastating effect of causing men to “lose their woodies” at the very moments when they need them most.

Crist has until June 22 to weigh the pros and cons of all the amendments included in the health care bill and in a leaked memo he indicated that he plans to give the issue his full attention in between his appointments at the tanning salon.

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