Pensacola is the Seattle of Florida.
It rains a lot here and Pensacolans drink lots of coffee.
We have a some great fish markets, too!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Ashton Hayward Provides Excellent Constituent Service
Last Wednesday I emailed Mike Wiggins and Ashton Hayward. I asked them what their stances are on Florida's Amendment 4 issue.
Wiggins promises on his website to personally respond in 48 hours. I have yet to hear from him.
Hayward responded the next morning. He is against Amendment 4. I disagree with him on that issue but I heartily commend him for his rapid response.
If I voted today I would vote for Hayward. Even though Diane Mack, who I endorsed in the mayoral primary, is endorsing Wiggins, I am still leaning towards Hayward.
There is still much race left to be run and there are a series of debates coming up which promise to be very interesting.
Friday, October 15 at 7:00 PM First Baptist Church, 500 N Palafox St
Monday, October 18 at 6:00 PM Zion Hope Primitive Baptist Church, 201 W Leonard St
Tuesday, October 19 at 7:00 PM Televised on WSRE (Cox channel 8/Broadcast channel 23)
Tuesday, October 26 at 5:30 PM Pensacola Civic Center, 201 E Gregory St
Wiggins promises on his website to personally respond in 48 hours. I have yet to hear from him.
Hayward responded the next morning. He is against Amendment 4. I disagree with him on that issue but I heartily commend him for his rapid response.
If I voted today I would vote for Hayward. Even though Diane Mack, who I endorsed in the mayoral primary, is endorsing Wiggins, I am still leaning towards Hayward.
There is still much race left to be run and there are a series of debates coming up which promise to be very interesting.
Friday, October 15 at 7:00 PM First Baptist Church, 500 N Palafox St
Monday, October 18 at 6:00 PM Zion Hope Primitive Baptist Church, 201 W Leonard St
Tuesday, October 19 at 7:00 PM Televised on WSRE (Cox channel 8/Broadcast channel 23)
Tuesday, October 26 at 5:30 PM Pensacola Civic Center, 201 E Gregory St
Monday, September 27, 2010
Florida Vote YES on 4
From time to time, during my wanderings around Pensacola, I see little political signs that say something like, "No on 4". I didn't know what it was about so I did some research.
My take on it is that it has to do with requiring a city to get the approval of its citizens before changing land usage rules. I don't know much about the whole municipal land use process but I do know that I think citizens should have as much say as possible in what the government does. It's beyond me why someone could seriously defend disallowing citizens to vote on ANYTHING. The only reasons I can come up with are greed and power-hoarding.
Picture someone looking you in the face and saying, "No, I don't think you should be allowed to vote on that." Seriously? Negative thoughts would bloom in my mind, but I'd remain polite.
Amendment 4 would put people out of work? That's a tired ploy. When in doubt, say that something will kill jobs. Then nobody will like it. It's not based on truth; it's a guess. If what you're saying is true, prove it. ("You'll see when Amendment 4 is passed and people can't get jobs." We'll see.)
I poked around the Web for some reasons as to why I'd want to vote for limiting my say in government and I couldn't find any. Maybe I'm naive. Maybe I'm ignorant of some key facts.
Government exists for the benefit of the masses, not the fortunate few.
To learn more check out:
Florida Hometown Democracy
Florida Comprehensive Land Use Plans, Amendment 4 (2010)
Vote No on 4
My take on it is that it has to do with requiring a city to get the approval of its citizens before changing land usage rules. I don't know much about the whole municipal land use process but I do know that I think citizens should have as much say as possible in what the government does. It's beyond me why someone could seriously defend disallowing citizens to vote on ANYTHING. The only reasons I can come up with are greed and power-hoarding.
Picture someone looking you in the face and saying, "No, I don't think you should be allowed to vote on that." Seriously? Negative thoughts would bloom in my mind, but I'd remain polite.
Amendment 4 would put people out of work? That's a tired ploy. When in doubt, say that something will kill jobs. Then nobody will like it. It's not based on truth; it's a guess. If what you're saying is true, prove it. ("You'll see when Amendment 4 is passed and people can't get jobs." We'll see.)
I poked around the Web for some reasons as to why I'd want to vote for limiting my say in government and I couldn't find any. Maybe I'm naive. Maybe I'm ignorant of some key facts.
Government exists for the benefit of the masses, not the fortunate few.
To learn more check out:
Florida Hometown Democracy
Florida Comprehensive Land Use Plans, Amendment 4 (2010)
Vote No on 4
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
US Citizens Cannot Afford Federal Government
No wonder our country has such massive debt.
[chart courtesy of Cato Institute's Downsizing the Federal Government]
[chart courtesy of Cato Institute's Downsizing the Federal Government]
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Obama Works for the Culprits but It's Not His Fault
Some thoughts generated upon viewing
I thought that when the President had something to say then he commanded all the television stations. Now he's relegated to a business cable channel? I didn't watch any TV last night so I don't know if other channels broadcasted it. If they did, did they have to say that it was "hosted by CNBC"?
If this isn't further proof that Obama is a corporate talking tool then I don't know what is. Did GE/Comcast hire Obama to speak on their behalf? "Appear tough on big corporations, but not too tough." "Appear tough on net neutrality, but not too tough."
The President of the United States of America responded to an amorphous, miscellaneously defined political(?) movement on a niche television cable channel owned by a massive international corporation and the US's largest cable provider. Weird. No wonder nobody hardly even cares about the President. Despite the fact that everyone has an opinion on the President, half of them didn't even vote, and probably more than half of the ones who did don't really know what they're talking about.
Yeah, it's less intrusive into the machinations of megacorps.
Don't let all these supposedly myriad new regulations fool you, the business elite control the world now more than ever. Government somehow continues to increase its staff but also shrink away from responsibilities at the same time. Blows my mind.
And the fact that these corporate issues are major talking points is majorly back-asswards. You have to draw some long lines to seriously connect half the shit they talk about as far as major political issues back to your own daily life. No wonder it hardly matters who our President is. They're all corporate shills.
I laugh at you when you say how much better this or that guy (not a girl!) would've been as our President. It's like this:
To conclude, I'd like to state that I think it's important who our President is. I think they become tools after they're elected but if they're strong enough they can inject at least a little personality and reason into the mix and maybe after a succession of good Presidents we can reach a truly worthwhile state of politics and honest democracy which works for the betterment of humanity.
Obama: 'tea party' wrong on 'culprits' of economic woes
For slightly over an hour, Obama appeared at a town hall style gathering called “Investing in America,” hosted by the business cable channel CNBC at the Newseum journalism museum in Washington. He admitted that “times are tough for everybody right now” and noted that the recovery fostered by his policies “is slow and steady as opposed to a quick fix.”
I thought that when the President had something to say then he commanded all the television stations. Now he's relegated to a business cable channel? I didn't watch any TV last night so I don't know if other channels broadcasted it. If they did, did they have to say that it was "hosted by CNBC"?
If this isn't further proof that Obama is a corporate talking tool then I don't know what is. Did GE/Comcast hire Obama to speak on their behalf? "Appear tough on big corporations, but not too tough." "Appear tough on net neutrality, but not too tough."
The President of the United States of America responded to an amorphous, miscellaneously defined political(?) movement on a niche television cable channel owned by a massive international corporation and the US's largest cable provider. Weird. No wonder nobody hardly even cares about the President. Despite the fact that everyone has an opinion on the President, half of them didn't even vote, and probably more than half of the ones who did don't really know what they're talking about.
Obama disputed tea party activists who argue that the government is now engaged in activities which go beyond the scope of what is authorized in the US Constitution. He argued that the federal government is probably less intrusive now than 30 years ago.
Yeah, it's less intrusive into the machinations of megacorps.
Don't let all these supposedly myriad new regulations fool you, the business elite control the world now more than ever. Government somehow continues to increase its staff but also shrink away from responsibilities at the same time. Blows my mind.
And the fact that these corporate issues are major talking points is majorly back-asswards. You have to draw some long lines to seriously connect half the shit they talk about as far as major political issues back to your own daily life. No wonder it hardly matters who our President is. They're all corporate shills.
I laugh at you when you say how much better this or that guy (not a girl!) would've been as our President. It's like this:
To conclude, I'd like to state that I think it's important who our President is. I think they become tools after they're elected but if they're strong enough they can inject at least a little personality and reason into the mix and maybe after a succession of good Presidents we can reach a truly worthwhile state of politics and honest democracy which works for the betterment of humanity.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Pensacola Votes Today
Let's go, Pensacola peeps. If you're registered to vote, get out there and do it. If you're not registered to vote, get out there and get that taken care of.
Don't know where to vote? Check this out:
The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections has a page that lets you find out where you vote: Precinct Finder.
I have to say that the Precinct Finder didn't help me, at first. It confused me. Maybe it's just the institutional, out-dated design. Anyhoo... But I was patient and I peered at the page and I realized that once I found my Precinct Number, I could go back one page, click on Show All Precincts, and scroll down to my particular Precinct Number, and VOILA!
If you aren't registered to vote, just click on Register to Vote near the top left of the page. It's a really simple process.
Remember, local politics is the best way to have a say in what affects your life on a daily basis. Get involved.
Don't know where to vote? Check this out:
The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections has a page that lets you find out where you vote: Precinct Finder.
I have to say that the Precinct Finder didn't help me, at first. It confused me. Maybe it's just the institutional, out-dated design. Anyhoo... But I was patient and I peered at the page and I realized that once I found my Precinct Number, I could go back one page, click on Show All Precincts, and scroll down to my particular Precinct Number, and VOILA!
If you aren't registered to vote, just click on Register to Vote near the top left of the page. It's a really simple process.
Remember, local politics is the best way to have a say in what affects your life on a daily basis. Get involved.
Monday, August 23, 2010
CityZen Pensacola Endorses Diane Mack for Mayor of Pensacola
Pensacola's Independent News recently published their IN 2010 Election Guide, a useful bit of journalism if there ever was one. If you live/work in Escambia or Santa Rosa counties and are interested in the various elections occurring on Tuesday, August 24, I highly recommend reading the article. They covered all the races, not just the one for mayor of Pensacola.
Thanks to IN's article, I'm further convinced that Diane Mack is the best candidate to take over as Pensacola's new "strong mayor". She gives specific answers and she's shown courage by stating that she won't run for reelection if she fails to accomplish what she says she wants to accomplish.
If you're voting for Pensacola's mayor, vote for Diane Mack. She's a strong leader with courage and experience.
Thanks to IN's article, I'm further convinced that Diane Mack is the best candidate to take over as Pensacola's new "strong mayor". She gives specific answers and she's shown courage by stating that she won't run for reelection if she fails to accomplish what she says she wants to accomplish.
If you're voting for Pensacola's mayor, vote for Diane Mack. She's a strong leader with courage and experience.
regarding Pensacola's mayor election
OK, so I've narrowed it down to two candidates for Mayor of Pensacola: Diane Mack and Ashton Hayward.
What about the other candidates? I don't care. I've weeded them out for miscellaneous, nebulous reasons. I don't have endless amounts of time to carefully research every candidate, so I have to rely on gut reactions to get the list to a manageable number.
Why do I think Diane Mack and Ashton Hayward are good choices? Both have put thought and work into their online presence, which is important to me. Both have been portrayed in a favorable light by my favorite local blogs. Both have expressed concern with public transit, pedestrian- and bicycle-centered design, job growth, mixed-income/mixed-use neighborhoods, environmental issues.
As it stands right now, I think Mack's vision is more specific and more experience-based than Hayward's. It may be a small thing but I like that she specifically supports the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition. They do amazing things there and Pensacola should be proud of them and take advantage of what the Institute can do for the area in terms of status and the general economy. Imagine what spin-off companies could come from such a place. Tech is a big buzzword in today's job scene and there are few places in the world as cutting edge as IHMC.
Also, I like Mack's desire for a world-class medical school to be located here. I don't know if this is accurate but it seems to me that, after the military, the medical industry is the biggest one in the region. Go with it. Gulf Breeze has the Andrews Institute, which is a world-class facility. We've already seen that top doctors and researchers will move to the Pensacola area. We already have an amazing stable of medical practicioners. Let's grow our own here.
My two main sources for my information on Diane Mack and Ashton Hayward come from Rick's Blog:
Hayward's 20 http://ricksblog.biz/?p=11898
Diane Mack's Vision Statement and Campaign Platform http://ricksblog.biz/?p=12020
You can also found out more at the candidates' websites:
http://ashtonhayward.com/
http://www.dianemackcampaign.com/
My mind's not made up yet, though. I have a week left to ponder it and mull it over and arrive at a decision I'm happy with and can defend reasonably.
What about the other candidates? I don't care. I've weeded them out for miscellaneous, nebulous reasons. I don't have endless amounts of time to carefully research every candidate, so I have to rely on gut reactions to get the list to a manageable number.
Why do I think Diane Mack and Ashton Hayward are good choices? Both have put thought and work into their online presence, which is important to me. Both have been portrayed in a favorable light by my favorite local blogs. Both have expressed concern with public transit, pedestrian- and bicycle-centered design, job growth, mixed-income/mixed-use neighborhoods, environmental issues.
As it stands right now, I think Mack's vision is more specific and more experience-based than Hayward's. It may be a small thing but I like that she specifically supports the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition. They do amazing things there and Pensacola should be proud of them and take advantage of what the Institute can do for the area in terms of status and the general economy. Imagine what spin-off companies could come from such a place. Tech is a big buzzword in today's job scene and there are few places in the world as cutting edge as IHMC.
Also, I like Mack's desire for a world-class medical school to be located here. I don't know if this is accurate but it seems to me that, after the military, the medical industry is the biggest one in the region. Go with it. Gulf Breeze has the Andrews Institute, which is a world-class facility. We've already seen that top doctors and researchers will move to the Pensacola area. We already have an amazing stable of medical practicioners. Let's grow our own here.
My two main sources for my information on Diane Mack and Ashton Hayward come from Rick's Blog:
Hayward's 20 http://ricksblog.biz/?p=11898
Diane Mack's Vision Statement and Campaign Platform http://ricksblog.biz/?p=12020
You can also found out more at the candidates' websites:
http://ashtonhayward.com/
http://www.dianemackcampaign.com/
My mind's not made up yet, though. I have a week left to ponder it and mull it over and arrive at a decision I'm happy with and can defend reasonably.
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