The Republicans took over Congress a few years ago, on a platform of “big government is no good” and replaced it with no government — at least, the least productive Congress in history.
Where is the legislation on immigration reform they clamor about? Where is tax reform? Why, oh why, did they fight against gay rights or even not uphold given rights to women, such as equal pay?
On the state level in Florida, the Republicans control both legislative houses, but have taken money from education (along with the governor), except in election years; they have privatized many of our jails only to find it a disaster; and the charter schools they seem enamored with merely take money from public schools and give them to charter schools, which are exempt from the same testing as public schools, so no comparison can be had as to success or not. Add to this their embarrassing failure to complete a voter-referendum-required redistricting, without partisan bias. Worse, a half million or more was spent because they recessed before completion, and their attempt at non-partisan redistricting failed to meet court standards. Mind you, this is a Republican-dominated circus, with a Republican House unable to work with a Republican Senate. My goodness! Imagine if there were enough Democrats to make this a real partisan venture.
Heck, we elected a governor who was the CEO of one of the largest healthcare conglomerates in the country, which was fined $2.3 billion (the highest fine in American history) and who pled the Fifth Amendment more times than my immediate family has phalanges (upper and lower). Did I mention that there are more registered Democrats in Florida than Republicans, so the inequitable distribution of the voting districts seems a bit compromised, you think?
It’s easy to sit back at my computer and complain. So, here is an offer. It might even be a good idea:
Both the federal government and the state (or just one of these entities) should initiate a gas tax, now that gasoline is so much cheaper. Those monies could/would/should go to public works projects, such as road/bridge repairs, mass transit, etc… as our infrastructure needs to be addressed. These monies would immediately come back as they are spent by the workers/companies, and the hiring of hundreds of thousands would certainly help those unemployed with a good wage whilst also helping our economy. A no brainer, right?
Yes, we have met the enemy, but it is not the Russian/Chinese expansions, nor the terrorists, not Communism or Fascism, but rather it is us. Our complacency and our greed and our being able to be fooled, most of the time.
George Unger, Wellington
The political machine of the democratic party is running out all the good candidates and elected officials in our county and selecting do nothing buddies that suck the tax dollars just as Shelly Vana. Now we have a novice like Melissa McKinlay who now thinks she is savvy enough to be a US Congresswoman. What they think is not important, what should worry us is that the voting public has bought this malarky – the stuff Mr. Unger keeps pushing on the unsuspecting. Get smart people, dump these idiots!
It’s Mr. Unger, once again.
The State of Florida is in a very good financial spot thanks to the Governor. Other states are in a very precarious financial position.
The USA is in serious debt. The next president, no matter what party, will have to do serious work to correct the financial disaster that has been put upon us.
As for the Congress, the elected leadership is WEAK. They are the good old boys and gal who need to be ousted from their positions: Boehner, McConnell, Pelosi, and Reid(retiring).
The local democrats will not allow anyone to run for office other than the ‘chosen’ ones, their fellow friends. Others who are interested in running on a democratic platform are pushed out because of the democratic machine in Palm Beach County. It’s a laugh to think that the Democrats are “Inclusive”.
They do not open their arms to new people interested in running for a democrat seat. The Democrats in Palm Beach County when they are termed out turn around and run for once again, another office. That’s Shelley Vana in a nut shell: CTA President, State Rep, County Commissioner and now laughably, she running for Property Appraiser. It’s not like Vana has the knowledge to run the Appraiser’s office, she’ll be learning on the job, just like Susan Bucher did when she won Supervisor of Elections. Remember the fiasco of Bucher when it came to the Wellington election. She ‘was learning on the job’.
Get a real job, Ms Vana. Stop living off the electorate.
And Mr. Unger there you go, again, casting aspersions on a political group or its members, when your own political group needs to learn to be fair and balanced and financially responsible.