Category Archives: Pensacola

Economy, Organized Labor, Pensacola, Politics, Whiners

Is Occupy Pensacola Here To Stay?

The Occupy Pensacola bunch have shown, among other things, that their word is worth nothing. They have now violated their ‘agreement‘ with Pensacola’s Mayor Hayward by three days. What remains to be seen now is whether the mayor is willing to continue to deal with the dishonest entity called Occupy Pensacola or simply move them out.

occupy-pcola-10Speaking to some of the folks there today, they’re not planning on moving any where any time soon. Noble as their cause may be (and it depends on who you ask as to just what their cause is), they are staying put until they fix all that’s wrong in the world. I found some of them to be free-spirited, believing they are doing something good, some totally naive regarding work, responsibility, and wealth, and some were just homeless that came to live there.

If there is a common thread in their ‘complaint,’ it is centered around money and wealth. They want some of it and they resent the fact that Washington (both political parties) isn’t taking if from those that have it and giving it to them.

occupy-pcola-5
Dixie Meise, Safety / First Aid, Occupy Pensacola

What it means to Dixie Meise, the ‘safety and first aid’ person in camp, is that the homeless all need a place to call home. And they expect to stay there until homelessness is ended. How’s that War on Poverty working anyways?

Dixie estimates about 50-60 percent of those present were homeless people. There were many empty tents, apparently belonging to people who have jobs during the day, then return to camp to spend the night.

Calls to Mayor Hayward’s office and an email to ATU (Amalgamated Transit Union) president Mike Lowrey as to the future of Occupy Pensacola and the labor union’s support of them have so far gone un-answered.

Pensacola, Politics, Whiners

‘Occupy Filthy’ – Go Home

Philadelphia Mayor Nutter says the Occupy Philly crowd needs to occupy somewhere else. Else, he’s calling the cops.

Nothing against drum circles, but the 40-day urban camping session, which has already cost taxpayers more than $500,000 in police overtime and other expenses, is now threatening to derail a $50 million revitalization project at Dilworth Plaza. That’s nearly 1,000 jobs that would put food on the table of the “99 percent” that Occupy Philly claims to represent.

Link: Occupy Filthy: Weary city tells protesters out

Economy, Media, Organized Labor, Pensacola, Politics

Obama’s Jobs Act And The Left’s World View

If you want to know why the U.S. economy and jobs picture still sucks, all you need to do is examine the world where the political Left lives. Take this video clip of The ED Show on the Lean Forward (Bend Over) Network for example. The subject is about President Obama’s bus tour trying to push his Jobs Act, aka the class-warfare-tax-increase-labor-union-bail-out bill.

There is one undeniable fact where the first two years of the Obama administration is concerned. Whether by hook or by crook, Obama got everything he wanted. He got the un-Affordable Health Care Act, he got his so-called stimulus bills, he got his auto industry and Wall Street, the mortgage industry, student loan industry. The bail outs, all of them. And most behind closed doors without any input from the ‘other side of the aisle.’

In this video, ‘Democratic Strategist’ Krystal Ball does her best to deny all of it in what has become the Democrats’ narrative.

The republicans have been coming up with the narrative that the President got everything he wanted in the first two years he had a Democratic congress, he had a Democratic Senate so of course he got everything he wanted, when the reality was Republicans from day one said we will defeat this president and they did everything they could to obstruct progress, to obstruct the focus on jobs, to obstruct doing anything that would help the American people.

Since Republicans were not successful in stopping any of it, her point is . . .?

Then there’s this gem from Mr. Pro-Capitalism himself Mike Papantonio, host of the Ring of Fire talk radio show and frequent guest of Sargent Shultz’s show.

Shultz asks Papantonio about taxing the millionaires and billionaires. “What about the millionaires? Do you think the majority of wealthy people in this country would be OK with .5 percent over a million dollars?”

They do. I don’t think they have problems with it Ed because most millionaires understand, they believe in capitalism. And in order for capitalism to work, you have to put money into the system. You have to move it by uh uh if you move it by way of government into people’s hands, that works!

When the Left has their own version of reality and their own definition of capitalism, is it any wonder why Obama’s ‘economic recovery’ has been a dismal failure?

2012 Election, Pensacola, Politics

Sheriff’s FUNdraiser Was A Blast

Had a blast, literally, at the Blackwater Tactical Range today. Sheriff David Morgan’s “Out-Shoot The Sheriff” fundraiser proved to be all I thought it would be. FUN!

The challenge was to hit 10 steel plates in the least amount of time. I didn’t out-shoot him. In fact, nobody did. So the guy who came closest won the t-shirt.

This is Sheriff (top shot) Morgan hitting 8 out of 10 in 19 seconds.

He said there was going to be a machine gun demonstration, and there was. I didn’t pass up the chance to fire an M60 machine gun, and a Thompson sub-machine gun. Shot a lot of dirt, made a lot of noise. Would have made ‘Tim the toolman’ proud.

And as an added bonus, there was a little explosion demonstration. If you’ve seen the TV show Top Shot, you’ve seen exploding targets. An instructor hit a can containing some explosive material with one shot. Boom!

It was a unique fundraiser for an elected office. One I couldn’t pass up. If you didn’t have a weapon, eye and ear protection of your own, they were provided. There was just as many women shooters there as there were men. A few women shot the machine guns too!

Thanks to our veterans, active duty military, and our Constitution, I could fire one of those without my life having to depend on it like our brave men and women in the military have to do every day of the week in war zones far away from home.

And thanks to Sheriff David Morgan for hosting the event. A great time was had by all.

 

Organized Labor, Pensacola, Politics, Whiners

Occupy Pensacola, Vandalism

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Graffiti on the wall of the Sun Trust building in downtown Pensacola is the first evidence that the peaceful protest is turning the corner into something less so.

Credit to RicksBlog for bringing the first signs of protest vandalism to our attention. No one has claimed credit for it yet, but I agree that this was the work of the Occupy Pensacola crowd camping out at City Hall.

Not counting the increase cost of law enforcement put upon taxpayers to babysit them, should we consider ourselves lucky that damages for the graffiti only total $2,000? Since there are arrests and rioting elsewhere in the United States, I guess we should.

But keep in mind, they are new at this. With a little help from labor unions, I’m sure they can be even more destructive to public and private property. It is what BIG LABOR wants.

Stephen Lerner , on the International Executive Board of the 2.2 million member Service Employees International Union, SEIU, said . . .

There’s moments in history where people take action and do something heroic. Where we do something heroic. Where we take risks.

If we are really serious about movement building then we think one part is we have to act heroically. That we have to inspire people by our actions and we have to be willing to take incredible personal and collective risks.

And that’s the time and there’s moments where history shifts and we’re going to decide if it shifts.

The protesters have a list of things they want you to contribute to sustain the encampment that they can’t sustain on their own.

Pensacola News Journal columnist Troy Moon wrote that these protesters are not unlike your neighbor. Just regular people. If they are like my neighbors, they would gladly pay for the damages that their kids created. So if you are inclined to send monetary support to this group, be sure to designate that it is to cover the damage and to reimburse the city, not to buy cans of spray paint. And Troy could write about how responsible your neighbors are.

 

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2012 Election, Economy, Fair Tax, Media, Pensacola, Politics

Phase 2, The FairTax

If the mainstream media could ignore Herman Cain’s economic plan any more, I can’t imagine how. From the questions asked at the Bloomberg so-called debate about economic plans, you would think that Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 economic plan was just a nine percent tax. When in real life, the 9-9-9- tax plan is the bridge to converting to the FairTax.

We get there in two stages. Phase one is the 9-9-9 taxing structure, which also ends the payroll tax, capital gains tax, the death tax, and the elimination of double taxation of dividends. And by the stroke of a pen, it also eliminates the fear, uncertainty, and doubt caused by our current tax policies and the politicians in Washington. The economic impact is immediate, and sets the stage for the permanent, more stimulative, and more progressive ‘FairTax’ method of funding the government.

That there are two stages is out of necessity. The FairTax requires more time to educate the public of its benefits to them and to the country. It is Phase One that will get us going sooner than later, and in due course it will be replaced by the FairTax.

The FairTax is the best long-term solution to funding the government in a business friendly, pro economic growth, pro job growth environment than anything ever tried in the United States. It is the bold reform that we need.

Update: 10/16/2001

Economy, Florida, Organized Labor, Pensacola, Politics, Whiners

Occupy Everything, What’s Their Goal?

When you think about the Organizing Everything protests and Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Rahm Emanuel, and Barack Obama, do you ever think of the SEIU? Maybe most people would just think that the administration would do anything, like endorsing these protesters, to draw the focus away from their failed policies and onto the bogeyman, Wall Street.

Despite all attempts from the Left to legitimize these Marxist mobs by comparing them to Tea Party rallies, these two videos will, all on their own, show them for protest-corporate-greedwhat they are. Anti-capitalists, socialists, and then some.

First up is radical labor organizer Stephen Lerner, serving on the International Executive Board of the 2.2 million member Service Employees International Union, SEIU. He intends to take it to the next level and terrorize the families of bank executives in their homes as part of the Occupy Wall Street protests.

Stephen Lerner . . .

There’s moments in history where people take action and do something heroic. Where we do something heroic. Where we take risks.

If we are really serious about movement building then we think one part is we have to act heroically. That we have to inspire people by our actions and we have to be willing to take incredible personal and collective risks.

And that’s the time and there’s moments where history shifts and we’re going to decide if it shifts.

And this one is an interview with one of the organizers of the Occupy Wall Street group. She says up-front exactly what they’re all about. Anti-capitalism, anti-corporation.

Now this third video just shows that some pundits on the Left, like talk show host Mike Papantonio, are a little out of step with the movement. Doing what lawyers do, progressive Papantonio says capitalism is great! Ed Shultz was speechless. Papantonio starts at 3:50 into the video.

However, the title of his video, Now’s The Time to Get Mad and Do Something, is right in tune with Stephen Lerner. Looks like he is inciting some front yard action himself. He does go on to whine about something local. The ATU / ECAT dispute. The union is the victim. They want to be exempt from the Obama depression. Oh well. He says they are being attacked by a foreign corporation that operates the bus transportation for Escambia County. The AFL-CIO affiliate is considering a second strike on the backs of the poor.

Florida, Media, Pensacola, Politics, Race Relations

Papantonio And Other Bigots

Ring of Fire radio host Mike Papantonio is still calling the ‘Tea Party’ and the ‘Republican Party’ a bunch of racists. According to this video, Rick Outzen and Chauncey DeVega agree.

Mike Papantonio . . .

It’s the Republican Tea Party, it’s the same people. They’re interchangeable. . . . They are the Republican Party.

What we have here is the Left’s continuing and tired accusation of racism. Well, that and three guys living in their own bubble somewhere.

Maybe someone will show these three bigots this article. Proof? that the tea party people are racists. Not only are they racists, but according to Papantonio, ‘they are insane.’

Link: Are they racists? Lets see.

Florida, Pensacola, Politics, Race Relations

Lunch With Otis

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My annual trek down to the seafood festival yesterday turned out to be something else. I met Otis.

Otis was walking away from the festival and I was walking to it. From a distance, I could see that this guy has something going on. I mean, aside from the bright red hat and umbrella. Curiosity getting the best of me, I had to stop and talk to him.

He let me take his picture then we talked. Knowing that I wanted to use his picture in my blog, I wanted to get his name right. And having nothing to write on or with, I pulled out my wizbang iPhone and recorded his name in the voice recorder. What followed was not what I expected.

Turns out he was just looking around. Asked if he had any of the seafood there he said no, he didn’t have any money. Upon which I instituted my own stimulus program. He accepted my offer to buy him lunch. He had calamari for the first time, some crawfish pie, and an adult beverage in a can. I ate the same, except for the beer. I’m not a big beer drinker.

I didn’t talk about politics with him, on purpose. We seemed to enjoy each others company and I didn’t want to do something that might have spoiled that chance encounter. I mean, it just didn’t seem the time or place to discuss liberal v conservative politics, or to point out that people like President Obama think that I hate black people and poor people because I consider myself allied with the tea party movement.

Lunch with Otis audio

Transcript:

  • Ross: Otis Womak, works at the Coffee Cup restaurant. Are you a cook?
  • Otis: A dish washer.
  • Ross: A dish washer, oh, outstanding.
  • Otis: I was dishes. I {unintelligible) work there for six and a half years. I came over to see my momma and daddy in the nursing home. So I ran down here to some, ya know ….
  • Ross: Get a little seafood?
  • Otis: Yeah. No I didn’t get no seafood I had no money.
  • Ross: Oh man.
  • Otis: I’m broke, today. So I go over there (unintelligible)
  • Ross: Ya wanna go eat some seafood?
  • Otis: Huh!
  • Ross: Come on with me.

It all worked out just fine. I’m satisfied in knowing that we both had a good meal and some fellowship from complete strangers. I gave him a ride home and called it a day.

Economy, Florida, Media, Organized Labor, Pensacola, Politics

ECAT Drivers Are Driving

Carlton Proctor at the Pensacola News Journal spoke to Michael Lowery, president of Local 1395 about the ECAT union bus drivers going on strike. Lowery also spoke to PNJ reporter  Thyrie Bland.

He told Proctor

“This is all about fair treatment on the job, it’s not about wages. It’s about fair treatment.”

He told Bland

“The employees have gone over 1,000 days without a raise, and working conditions are the worst I’ve seen in 16 years.”

Which Mr. Lowery are we to believe? And does it matter? The evolving version of why they went on strike looks a bit unorganized. Certainly not characteristic of organized labor. Keyword ‘organized.’