Tag Archives: Pensacola

Pensacola, It’s Time To Take Care Of Business

Pensacola and Escambia County are in the same economic boat as the rest of the country. The cost of running the government, the overhead, is not sustainable and needs fixing. Then there is the cost of operating facilities that the government need not be involved in, and you see a not so rosy economic picture for the County and the taxpayers who still have jobs.

Something needs to be done locally to turn this around. Waiting on rhetoric from Washington to fix our problem is irresponsible and suicide. What needs to be done is a combination of tightening the government’s belt and selling off ‘assets’ that it does not need.

One County commissioner, Gene Valentino, has suggested selling off  the Pensacola Civic Center.

The bed tax provides money to promote tourism, but only after it pays more than $1 million a year to help subsidize the Pensacola Civic Center.  County commissioners, unhappy that the subsidy may soar to $1.6 million this year, would like to change that.

Gene Valentino suggested selling it, but that idea has gone nowhere in better economic times, and it’s unlikely to draw many bids now.

But let’s not stop there. Put the Port of Pensacola on the market too!

What else are we paying for that could be better done in the private sector that would reduce our tax burden and improve our economic outlook? Leave nothing off the table. Include other real estate, policies, benefits, and procedures that will trim the cost of government, ie, the taxpayers’ overhead.

1. Pensacola Civic Center

2. Port of Pensacola

Add your suggestions in the comments below.

Link: Tourism By The Numbers by Mark O’Brien  |  Cash Cow Milked Enough by Reginald T. Dogan

Khavari, Florida’s Best Chance And Choice

You are cordially invited to the 2010 Fundraiser Event in support of Dr. Khavari’s gubernatorial campaign. The event will take place on July 24, 2010 from 6pm-8pm at the Hilton Palm Beach Airport on 150 Australian Avenue, West Palm Beach, Florida. Dr. Khavari is an economist who has written nine books and various articles that address solutions to the economic situation in Florida. His economic plan—The Khavari Economic Plan, has been referred to as the most solid economic plan.

Dr. Khavari will be making a presentation at the fundraiser to discuss his plan for Florida in further detail and due to your ongoing support throughout his campaign, will be honored to have you there to support him. The presentation will include a Q&A session, and will be followed by a reception with special guests from the NFL.

If you cannot attend this event but still wish to show your support to Dr. Khavari’s campaign, you can visit http://www.khavariforgovernor.com/contribute/ to make a donation to support our campaign efforts.

Jimmy Buffet Stuck On Stupid

In an Associated Press interview last Tuesday, Buffet said that it’s perfectly normal for people to be mad when they see oil washing up on beaches and marshes. No argument there. But then he parrots (no pun intended) the tune of the administration, putting the blame on the previous administration.

“To me it was more about eight years of bad policy before (Obama) got there that let this happen. It was Dracula running the blood bank in terms of oil and leases,” he said. “I think that has more to do with it than how the president reacted to it.”

I think that blaming Bush for this is what being stuck on stupid is.

Link: Jimmy Buffet Organizes Gulf Benefit, Blames Bush for Spill.

Star Parker Gets Palin Endorsement

Excellent choice for California’s 37th Congressional District. Her list of endorsements from conservatives is impressive as well.

I like how Obama has inspired black politicians to run for office, as Republicans.

There’s a lesson here for wishy-washy Republicans. Get a spine, stand on conservative principles. All the time and in all cases.

Congressman Jeff Miller (R-FL), please take note.

Link: Palin endorses Star Parker for Congress

Who Is The Most Dangerous Man To America?

If you are thinking of Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, or the president of North Korea Kim Jong IL,  or BP’s CEO Tony Hayward, it’s not your fault. That would be the desired reaction by any sleight of hand magician who has you looking at his right hand while his left hand is removing your wristwatch. The magician of whom I speak is our own President, Barack Obama.

His agenda to remake America and, in his mind, become America’s new founding father is the reason the tea party movement has surfaced. And rather than deal with their heartfelt objection to his policies, his disciples simply discount them as racists.

His eighteen months in office has not been a string of coincidences to fundamentally change the role of the federal government, to expand the size of government, to control and usurp private sector industries, and expand ‘social justice’ by owing America’s future to China. Not to mention dismantling our global military defense and foreign policy strategy.

His Gulf Coast tour to talk about the oil disaster in the Gulf is not designed to ‘feel our pain.’  It is just another coincidence, along the line of Rule 1, to advance an ‘energy policy’ called Cap and Trade.

The evidence of this comes directly from the most dangerous man TO America himself in this email I received this morning, during his visit to Pensacola.

Ross —

The BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast is the worst environmental disaster of its kind in our nation’s history. I am returning to the region today to review our efforts and meet with families and business owners affected by the catastrophe.

We are working to hold BP accountable for the damage to the lands and the livelihoods of the Gulf Coast, and we are taking strong precautions to make certain a spill like this never happens again.

But our work will not end with this crisis. That’s one of the reasons why last week I invited lawmakers from both parties to join me at the White House to discuss what it will take to move forward on legislation to promote a new economy powered by green jobs, combat climate change, and end our dependence on foreign oil.

Today, we consume more than 20 percent of the world’s oil, but have less than two percent of the world’s oil reserves. Beyond the risks inherent in drilling four miles beneath the surface of the Earth, our dependence on oil means that we will continue to send billions of dollars of our hard-earned wealth to other countries every month — including many in dangerous and unstable regions.

In other words, our continued dependence on fossil fuels will jeopardize our national security. It will smother our planet. And it will continue to put our economy and our environment at risk. We cannot delay any longer, and that is why I am asking for your help.

Please stand with me today in backing clean energy. Adding your name will help create a powerful, public display of support for making this change happen.

The time has come, once and for all, for this nation to fully embrace a new future. That means continuing our unprecedented effort to make everything — from our homes and businesses to our cars and trucks — more energy-efficient. It means rolling back billions of dollars of tax breaks to oil companies so we can prioritize investments in clean energy research and development.

Many businesses support this agenda because shifting to clean energy creates opportunities for entrepreneurship. This is how we will reinvent our economy — and create new companies and new jobs all across the country.

There will be transition costs and a time of adjustment. But if we refuse to heed the warnings from the disaster in the Gulf — we will have missed our best chance to seize the clean-energy future we know America needs to thrive in the years and decades to come.

The House of Representatives has already passed a comprehensive energy and climate bill, and there is currently a plan in the Senate — a plan that was developed with ideas from Democrats and Republicans — that would achieve the same goal. But this is an issue that Washington has long ignored in favor of protecting the status quo.

So I’m asking for your help today to show that the American people are ready for a clean-energy future.

Please add your name to mine:

http://my.democrats.org/CleanEnergy

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

The magic show is on.

Obama Raising Ire Of GOP?

In his usual cynical community-organizer kind of way, President Obama echoed the talking points from the George Soros wing of the Democratic party. Responding to criticism of his handling of the largest oil leak in the country’s history, from even the legacy media now, President Obama quipped that if he stepped up and took charge, or gave the appearance of taking charge, that he might raise the ire of the GOP.

The line from Progressives/Liberals, in order to not have to respond to the criticism, is to simply say that Republicans are being hypocritical in denouncing government control on one hand and criticizing the administration for not taking control of the Deepwater Horizon disaster on the other.

It is a cute talking point for the lemmings, but does not hold up to an honest examination of the facts.

The federal government’s only responsibility is to preserve and protect this country, it’s people, and its constitution. That’s why Haley Barbour (R-MS), Rick Perry (R-TX), and Bobby Jindal (R-LA) expect the government to step up. This is a national disaster after all.

This is a case where the federal government ought to be taking actions to remedy. Not by pointing blame and sending in lawyers. Not by photo ops on Pensacola beach. Not by delaying approval for Gov. Jindal (R-LA) to actually DO something to help protect his state. And  not by demonizing a company that supports the  livelihood, pension and retirement plans of thousands of Americans and a large percentage of Brits. Not by refusing help from other countries and business entities around the world.

The president’s inaction is indicative of a person with no executive experience who is in way over his head. Lucky (?) for him though, his inaction does allow more damage to be done and more cat calls from the peanut gallery to advance his Cap and Trade agenda.

Rahm Emanual’s Rule 1

“Never allow a crisis to go to waste,” Mr. Emanuel said in an interview on Sunday. “They are opportunities to do big things.”

What they don’t want? the federal government to do is to tell everyone how to run their lives, what kind of car to make, where to go for health insurance, and forcing you to buy some (or face a penalty). Let’s see, run automobile companies, nationalizing private sector businesses and industries, dictating how much pay a company can pay their executives. You know, all the stuff that the the government is doing that it has no authority to do.

See the difference?

Bee Pee In The Hot Seat

Now that crude oil from BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig is finally reaching the Florida Panhandle, the slow moving train wreck is becoming reality for what is referred to as The Emerald Coast.

I guess we can look forward to President Obama coming here to show how he feels our pain.

RicksBlog solicited alternative definitions for BP, formerly known as British Petroleum. Apparently, my suggestion did not meet his editorial standards. Actually there were two. One verbal, one visual.

What do you think of them?

Beyond Pissed

and

Help Is On The Way In Gulf Oil Leak, Part 2

This is a follow-up to Help Is On The Way In Gulf Oil Leak from two days ago. Written by Dr. Thomas B. Manton who went to Venice, LA to assess the situation and offer his expertise to the government in mitigating this disaster in the Gulf. Good news on that front could possibly be coming in the near future. Of course you will see it here and elsewhere when things become ‘official.’ But first this from Dr. Manton.

THE HUMAN FACE OF VENICE, LOUISIANA

The Pastor must take care of his/her Flock. That is what The Rev. Captain Jesse Morris has been doing for the last many years – through both the disaster of Hurricane Katrina and now the massive BP oil spill here in the Gulf just off the shores of this small fishing and oil servicing town.

On August 29th 2005 Katrina swooped in from the Gulf of Mexico and covered the place where we are now staying with 20 feet of water between the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. This town of Venice did not have one building standing here. Everything here has been built since the reconstruction of the town began in 2005-6. It has been a remarkable transformation that this town has gone through due to the energy and dedication and determination of its people.

Jesse Morris stands out as a shining example of this huge transformation. He would say that he did his duty as a Pastor and a shepherd to his flock. Yet his ingenuity and leadership guided so many people through the most difficult years of their lives and he continues to undertake that wonderful role during this time when so many of his flock (75% of his congregation are fisherman like him) have no prospect of work for years to come because of the pollution in the entire food chain. . If you are asking why can’t they be trained to do something else. Sixty percent of the fishermen cannot read or write and they are 4th or 5th or 6th generation of fishermen. Jesse’s father cannot read or write yet Jesse went to college and is a leader of the whole community. He is truly a remarkable human being.

In talking to Jesse and his lovely wife, Charlotte, this morning we learned that they were not permitted by the authorities to return to Venice until four weeks after the hurricane. They came back to the only building standing which was a composite structure made by a Calgary, Alberta based company – Sprung Instant Structure. Jesse immediately ordered new fabric for the structure….since the first one had survived, more or less, this category 5 hurricane. The new fabric arrived just 22 days after they ordered it from Canada and was a life saver since all the major relief organizations were working out of that building – the Red Cross, Salvation Army, United Way and a church relief organization.

Volunteers started to arrive and first it was a trickle and then a flood. Thousands came from all over North America to see how they could help. All of them had to be fed as they cleaned up the 250 lots within the first three months for the devastated citizens of this small fishing village. The volunteers came from church groups across the country, especially the Mennonites. The Amish came not only from Pennsylvania where they are famous but also from many parts of this great country. They rebuilt the church and lived in it as long as they didn’t have any other place to bed down….sometimes 50 to a room getting cots from the US Army and others. They served over 100,000 hot meals to these volunteers who had come at their own expense from all across the United States and Canada. They rebuilt 25 homes and built from scratch 13 new homes. The Amish set the record of building one of the homes in two weeks.

While this brave man and his family were helping people back into their homes, he and his family were given a trailer from FEMA. Within a month or six weeks the FEMA bureaucrats decided that Jesse and his family were not deserving of being in this trailer and told him to leave. After that, the trailer remained empty. That is how uncaring and unfeeling some bureaucrats can be. They then say – we are just following the rules.

Jesse, his family and his church folks were just following what GOD has commanded “when you saw us hungry – you feed us, when you saw us without a roof over us, you gave us shelter, when you saw us in sickness – healed us…..”

Now it was as if the experience of Katrina was just a warm up to the task Jesse and his flock are now facing. With 75% of his congregation fishermen, they were blocked from doing what generations of their families had done before them – fishing.

Three days after the BP rig burned and disappeared below the waves; Jesse got his church together and said we are going to have to prepare for the worst. Jesse was determined, in the great American tradition, that nobody was going to be dependent on government handouts and they were going to work for what they get. Early on Jesse, being an entrepreneur in addition to a Pastor and fisherman, said everyone coming here will need to eat. He now serves 1,350 meals per day as box lunches for the people that are the workers going out to clean up this huge mess.

Workers are being hired from all over this part of the country at a starting salary of $22.50 per hour being paid for by BP. They might work or they might not work, depending on BP. The last several days most of them were paid for sitting waiting for the call from BP. The dispersants that BP has been using – some of which have been banned by the UK government for use in British waters, but approved by the US EPA, have made many workers sick. Therefore, when the level of dispersants and oil which they are to disperse get to really toxic levels, BP pays thousands of people to sit on the shore.

Jesse’s flock want to keep doing what they have been doing for many years – work in their chosen profession FISHING. As mentioned above, they all want to work. Now they are working to prepare and serve meals – so many of Jesse’s flock are involved. They do this in the hope that someday it might be possible for their congregation to once again return to fishing – the livelihood known by their members as well as generations before them. These folks are the “salt of the earth”. They are honest, hardworking, and have always wanted to get paid for an honest-days’ work. They are not interested in hand-outs. They have been dealt a bad hand these last few years and have been relying on their ingenuity and entrepreneurship to change gears and find new work.

Jesse and his flock never asked for anyone’s pity. They have used the tools that God gave them to make a new life for themselves when a huge hurricane or massive oil spill crossed their path and prevented them from earning a living like they have before.

By now you might wonder how you could help this brave and resilient group who do not complain but just want to work to provide a living for they and their families. Go to www.cajununlimted.com

On this Memorial Day weekend may the LORD bless this community who have been through so much and come out of it standing on their feet. There are many others like them, but I have the privilege of meeting them and my life has been enriched by them. GOD BLESS THEM!

Dr. Thomas B. Manton, former President and CEO of the International Oil Spill Control Corporation, now living in Florida and wanting to save it from the oil spill.