Teresa Jacobs for Orange County Mayor

Ye socks will recall how frustrated yours truly was with the very crowded field of candidates that assembled to succeed Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty earlier this year.

But, after the August primary, the field was narrowed to just two: current commissioner Bill Segal and former commissioner Teresa Jacobs.

It has been quite easy to compare and contrast these two candidates.

Both have well-documented histories in this little corner of heaven.

If the decision had to be made on demeanor alone, however, I don't see how anyone could vote for Mr. Segal.

In a recent public forum, he sat with arms crossed in what could only be interpreted as a defensive posture. Answering voters' questions, he was more than happy to rattle off how many boards and task forces he belongs to or has belonged to in the past. But, his own ideas are half-baked--particularly when it comes to cutting county employees' healthcare costs and property taxes.

When it comes to jobs, Segal made it clear that his approach as county mayor would be to act as the area's chief salesman. He would pimp out our great natural resources and public amenities to draw new businesses to the area.

At the same forum, Jacobs actively engaged each voter's question. She was leaning forward, looking each person in the eye. And, believe it or not, she actually remembered to use their names as she detailed both her experience and her vision.

Beyond body language, I really liked her answer to the question of improving the local jobs market. Rather than following the tired old formula of selling-out to outsiders, she put more emphasis on utilizing the tremendous resources we already have on hand and encouraging the LOCAL entrepreneurial spirit.

After mulling over this race for the last several months, I can now whole-heartedly endorse Teresa Jacobs for Orange County Mayor.

Dump Judge Perry

One of the first things Governor Charlie Crist did last year after literally embracing The ObamaNation's agenda at a pro-stimulus rally was to appoint a Democrat to the state supreme court.

Said Democrat is James Perry, who lives in nearby Longwood but is a native of North Carolina and passed the bar in neighboring Georgia before moving to this little corner of heaven.

Perry was suggested to Crist as a candidate for the high court by the Orlando NAACP.

Since taking his seat on the bench up in Tallahassee, Justice Perry has distinguished himself by throwing judicial roadblocks in the way of ongoing efforts to exempt Florida from ObamaCare.

Way to go, Charlie!

The bad news is, while we know Crist is leaving Tallahassee in January, in this case the results of his maladministration will linger unless the voters of the state VOTE NO on the question of Perry's merit retention.

Primary endorsements - part 8

Yours truly had to save the GOP primary for Florida Governor til last in this series about the upcoming primary.

This one got down and dirty, and it did so WAY too fast.

In fact, I would venture to say the real winner in all this mudslinging is Alex Sink.

What ever happened to the good ole days of never speaking ill of another Republican?

If you believe the ads being put out by Attorney General Bill McCollum and political outsider Rick Scott, both men are rabid abortionists?

Hardly.

It's time to tamp down the vitriole, guys.

I suppose I give Scott credit for the "Let's get back to work" theme. At the very least, that indicates that he gets it on some level that folks in this state are more worried about their jobs than anything else.

At the end of the day, I think what Florida Republicans have to decide is whether McCollum has spent the last three decades as "a political insider" or "a trusted public servant."

Hold your nose and pick one. That's what I'm doing this Tuesday.

Getting better all the time?

That's the upbeat message those of us fortunate enough to live in this little corner of heaven get to hear whenever they play a Winn Dixie commercial on our airwaves.

Today, it rings about as true as the piffle and nonsense coming out of Washington, DC.

It seems Winn Dixie will be closing thirty stores by September 22nd, including four here in Orlando:

* 2103 Americana Boulevard
* 4400 Hoffner Road
* 4520 South Semoran Boulevard
* 10535 East Colonial Drive

I'm just glad not to find the ones on Curry Ford and Bumby on the hit list.

Hope and change, y'all!

Delusions of Competence

It is no mere coincidence that the updated jobless numbers were released this Friday before a long holiday weekend. The ObamaNation would rather not trumpet the fact that 125,000 more people are without work and the unemployment rate still hovers around 10%.

If too many people were focused on the report, they might start asking questions. And, the answers would inevitably reveal that things are even worse than the official statistics. The truth is there are more like 24 million unemployed and underemployed, a much higher rate of misery.

This is not the sort of "hope and change" they promised, is it?

Poor Christina Romer. She's the unfortunate soul who chairs the president's Council of Economic Advisors. So, it was her unenviable task to spin the dismal results of her advice on all the cable news outlets today. When the folks at Bloomberg TV pressed her on what the administration is going to do now, her frightening response was: "We're always talking about what more we can do."

What MORE they can do?!?

One might argue that all the tinkering they've already done is exactly what is prolonging this great recession. And, if they want the business environment to improve, the best thing they could do would be to exercise restraint. Romer et al would do us all a great service if they encouraged the president to pursue a simple three-point strategy on the economy: (1) extend the low '01 & '03 tax rates, (2) stop discouraging banks from lending, and (3) repeal the many and onerous mandates of ObamaCare.

Instead, she is busy sputtering her flimsy defenses and laughable claims that her boss still has job creation at the top of his agenda.

Actions speak louder than words.

Since taking office, Mr. Obama has made socialized medicine and relaxed immigration policy his primary domestic concerns, not job creation.

Today's jobless numbers reflect that misdirected focus.

And, don't even get me started on the Gulf oil leak. It is, after all, the Friday before a long holiday weekend . . .

My congressman is indeed nuts . . .

I just don't see how Alan Grayson was ever elected to public office in the first place, but we've been stuck with his "representation" of this little corner of heaven for the better part of the worst year and a half we've seen since the Great Depression.

I cringe every time I see his goofball image pop-up on a tv screen, because I know he's going to say something even more preposterous and embarassing than he has already done to bring shame on his Central Florida constituents.

Well, the latest shenanigans invaded my Sunday routine when he got his mug on my favorite CBS morning show.

Now, I realize that a lot of folks around here depend on the tourits industry, and they've been suffering greatly during the ObamaNation's lurch toward socialism.

Perhaps that is why Mr. Grayson was on the airwaves this morning, pimping his latest scheme to mandate paid vacations?

I know, I know. I'm a Grinch. But, can somebody out there explain to me just when exactly did it become the purview of the federal government of the United States of America to decree what has always been a "perk" voluntarily agreed-upon in the free market would henceforth be an entitlement?!

What's that? Oh . . . yes . . . I suppose January 2009 WOULD be a likely timeframe . . .

Debt kills

As the disaster in Haiti continues to unfold, television viewers here in the United States are getting a crash course in the island nation's history.

The historical tidbit that gained my particular attention was the stinging indictment of the French that appeared on CBS news.

That may be in part to my natural predisposition against French politics.

Anyway, it turns out that Napoleon and his successors put a 150 million franc stranglehold on the emerging democracy back in 1825.

This was supposed to be for reparations the French slaveholders "suffered" during the Haitian revolution.

The slaves themselves received no reparations for their years of forced servitude.

Anyway, it took Haiti more than a century to pay off that staggering mountain of debt . . . 1947 to be exact.

I'm not saying that Haiti could have emerged as the proverbial shining beacon of light to the rest of the world if not for French extortionists, but we Americans could learn a vital lesson from this bit of history about the long-lasting impacts of carrying a massive national debt . . .

Boxing Day at the Flea Market

Those of us of British extraction typically mark this date on the calendar, the day after Christmas, by boxing-up the old to make way for all the new.

That's why we call it Boxing Day.

So, I suppose it's the Irish blood that led me to a flea market in search of more junk instead . . .

Today's target was Renninger's up in Mount Dora, and there were actually three specific booths on the agenda.

Without revealing too much about ye olde shopping habits around here, suffice it to say:

The first booth was no longer in existence. I guess that's a sign of the woeful economic times.

The second booth was still there, but wasn't open because the owners were apparently still merry-making.

And, the third booth was too cold to spend much time hunting thru the inventory.

Oh, well. This sleigh is heading back to Orlando as empty as it arrived . . .

Get ready to get scrooged.

In case ye socks ever doubted the fact that The ObamaNation is completely out-of-step with the real concerns of the American people, I offer you the following poll results.

53% of the American people put the economy & jobs at the top of the national priority list.

Yet, the current occupant of the White House is spending most of his time pimping his global redistribution of wealth plan as THE answer to global warming (an issue only 2% of us put atop said priority list).

And, his minions in Congress are ramming thru their stealth scare legislation in the middle of a blizzard, thumbing their noses at the typical holiday recess.

Only 10% of us put health care reform atop the national agenda. Even that is a misnomer. Health care in this country is the best to be found anywhere in the world. Access to it, and affordability are the things that really need to be reformed. And, you don't accomplish that by socializing the delivery mechanisms.

Yet, this is the path we are on. Printing up more greenbacks to hand out to developing countries so they will halt development in the Quixotic pursuit of global cooling. And, the double-whammy, we're poised to hand over 1/6 of our national economy to the DC beltway brain trust.

Yeah, those things will kickstart the economy and put people back to work.

Hope and change?!

Just breathe!

Wow! I don't know if it's just the holidays, or what.

But the madness that almost always accompanies the season seems to have kicked into particularly high gear this year.

Maybe, it's the economy?

I don't know.

Anyway, after my own online rant yesterday, and in light of all the meltdowns I encountered in the real world today, I'm encouraging all ye socks to just take a step back and BREATHE!

The ObamaNation's impression of itself

Were any of ye socks as stunned as yours truly was to hear tonight that the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue gave himself high marks for his track record to date?

Seriously.

He told his guru/benefactor Oprah that he would give himself a B+.

Self-deluded much?

I mean, really, how do you get that kind of a grade with only a 46% approval rating?

When I was going to school back in the Stone Age, a 46% was pretty much an F-.

He must be grading on one heck of a curve.

I tried to engage in some Al Gore style fuzzy math to figure it out, but got about as far as his presidential ambitions.

For instance, I'm willing to concede that roughly 25% of the population is never going to approve of the ObamaNation.

And, I figure there's another 25% who will always goosestep behind this guy, or any other Democrat for that matter.

So, really, you'd have to grade him on how well he's doing with the remaining 50% in the middle.

Well, by my caluclations, 46% - 25% loyal supporters = 21% real approval rating x 2 = 42% of actual middle of the road type folks.

But, that result is even worse than the poll numbers, and still yields a big fat F-.

Hmmm . . .

Are we losing our backbone?

Well, if ye olde cliche about small business being the backbone of our economy is true, we are certainly losing said backbone here in Florida.

According to a recently released report compiled by the Small Business Administration, the Sunshine State ranks dead last . . . behind not only the other 49 states, but also the District of Columbia . . . in the percentage of our workforce that is employed by small business. The national average is 50%. We are at 44%.

The same report does show us #1 in one category, but it is hardly a superlative we should be advertising. Apparently, we are #1 in terms of losing small business jobs . . . at a rate of 4% per year.

Now, I know all too well that we are in the middle of a recession. But, these two statistics make it clear that there is something systemically awry in this little corner of heaven that transcends the national malaise.

That being said, I am proud of the work being done by our local state legislators to reverse this trend, particularly Rep. Eric Eisnaugle who hosted a "Small Business Summit" in downtown Orlando this evening. And, I was honored to accept his invitation to directly address my concerns to the panel, which included Sen. Andy Gardiner, Speaker-Designate Dean Cannon, and Representatives Steve Crisafulli, Mike Horner, Kurt Kelly, and Scott Plakon.

While I was armed with a specific statute that negatively impacts my own construction/contractor concerns, it was the overall environment in Florida that I asked them to address when the state legislature re-convenes.

I pointed out that our illustrious governor has an advisory council with the responsibility of reviewing his administration's impact on small business and proposing remedies for the issues they uncover.

As a co-equal branch of government, I encouraged them to consider establishing some similar group to review the impacts of existing and pending legislation.

The amazing thing is that I think at least some of the panelists were really listening to what I had to say.

Kudos to Eric for hosting this summit, his staff for organizing it, and the panelists for being willing to enter a room full of disgruntled small business men and women!

While you were sleeping . . .

Sneaker . . . er Speaker . . . of the House Nancy Pelosi pulled a fast one on you, America.

Borrowing a page out of the Mussolini and Hitler play book on national socialism, she rammed an unconstitutional piece of tripe disguised as healthcare reform legislation through Congress in the middle of the night.

You know, if it won't bear the light of day, then vote on it when the public is fast asleep.

And, I suppose that's the problem, isn't it? We all need to wake up and stop the madness.

Pelosi and her goose-stepping goon squad, with a FIVE VOTE MARGIN, rushed-thru roughly 2,000 pages of incomprehensible gobbledy-gook with a price tage of $1.2 trillion.

Mark my words, ye socks, unless cooler heads prevail in the Senate, this assault on America's fragile economy will:

1. sink small business

2. cause our already astronomical deficit to soar to dizzying new heights

3. force us all to buy insurance policies from Washington

4. cut Medicare spending by $400 billion.

Hope and change = dope and deranged.

A grim anniversary

Yes, ye socks, it has now been one year since our great experiment in democracy was hijacked.

Hope and change, indeed.

More like "dope and deranged."

One year and trillions of dollars in spending later, GM now stands for Government Motors.

Unemployment tops 10%.

And, The ObamaNation's minions in Congress are poised to socialize another 1/6th of the US economy.

:(

Crist statements smell fishy

Yours truly has never been a big fan of our too-tan governor. And, his stock dropped precipitously in this little corner of heaven when he embraced TheObamaNation's wreckless "stimulus" plans to rob future generations. The image of that embrace will always be on my mind when I see his name, particularly on a ballot.

Recently, however, we Floridians have further been shamed by our illustrious chief executive. And, not just by his Q-tip hair.

Now, I don't expect him to stay in Tallahassee 24/7. Wouldn't wish that on anybody. A chill just ran down my spine thinking about it. But, with all this great state has to offer, it is really perplexing why our governor is perpetually traipsing around the other 49 states and the District of Columbia. I guess he's more interested in building a national profile than actually doing the job he was elected to do . . .

This past weekend found him up in Michigan, lying to the GOP faithful. Ok, maybe "lying" is too strong a word. But, he was certainly stretching the truth beyond the point of decency when he claimed credit for cutting Florida's budget from $73 to $66 billion. Ummmm . . . . Last I recall, the budget numbers are smaller because the recession has caused tax revenues to plummet. And, I also recall how Crist actually vetoed a trimmer budget passed by the state legislature in January.

Even more galling, Crist spent today making the rounds of the cable news networks. I guess he'd rather lie to the talking heads than to his actual constituents. Ok, again, maybe "lie" is too strong a word. But, I saw at least two interviews that made me want to retch.

The first was on MSNBC's Morning Joe, where he nearly dislocated his shoulder trying to pat himself on the back for improving Florida's public school system. I'm pretty sure all the accountability measures created by his predecessor (Jeb Bush) deserve the actual credit. But, I guess that's one of those inconvenient truths he'd rather ignore. Any efforts Crist may have made have been completely overshadowed by his out-of-state travels, tv appearances, and presidential hugs.

The second was with John Roberts on CNN, during which he sounded like a only-slightly-less-socialist version of the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He was practically crowing about his version of a "public option" for health insurance: CoverFlorida. What a pathetic joke that has turned out to be. With premiums in the $150/month range, the governor has persuaded a whopping 4,129 people to sign-up since he took office. (We have a population of more than 18 million the last time I checked . . .)

I don't care how many dollars Charlie Crist raises from his out-of-state buddies, or how many times his grinning mug graces the airwaves. I'm just not buying his brand of politics any more. And, I definitely don't want to see it transplanted from Tallahassee to Washington, DC.

Sorry, Charlie.

Big Dummy does the Big Apple

Perhaps it is entirely appropriate that The ObamaNation should be visiting New York City today.

And, no, I am not planning on tuning in to David Letterman's insipid little show. Nor do I plan to watch any of the "world leaders" pontificate at the United Nations.

Rather, this date on the calendar calls to mind that this is the anniversary of yet another momentous occasion in the still unfolding historic recession.

It was on 21 September a year ago that Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, the country's last two independent investment banks, became holding companies as a result of the subprime mortgage meltdown.

Something tells me that the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue will once again trade style for substance as he yuks it up with the late night crowd and poses for photo-ops with the new world order diplomats.

It is true that our world faces some serious problems, including infectious disease and nuclear proliferation, that have about as much respect for international borders as the amnesty for aliens crowd. And, it would be nice if some multi-lateral strategies could be developed to deal with them. But, don't hold your breaths, ye socks.

The bunch that is currently at the wheel is far more concerned about "wasting opportunities," to parlay our general angst into bigger and more intrusive government and less individual liberty. Wonder if THAT's what the off-camera discussions will be about up in NYC this week . . .

What color is the sky on this guy's planet?!

In case ye socks missed it today, the chairman of the Federal Reserve announced the recession is "very likely over."

That's right. We can all breathe easier now.

Ben Bernanke got up in front of the Brookings Institution up in DC to mark the anniversary of Lehman Brothers collapse to make one of the most ridiculous statements heard in that neck of the woods since . . . well, since The ObamaNation spouted his usual pack of lies to Congress last week.

Anyway, according to the fed chief, things are getting better. Not because people are finding jobs and paying their mortgages again. No, his rationale is that things are getting better because retail spending jumped 2.7% last month.

Hmmmm.

So, people are spending more of the little money that they have, with scant prospects of replenishing their accounts. And, that's a good thing?

I wonder when it will dawn on Mr. Bernanke, as it did on someone with far less training in the science of economics, that the increase in spending is NOT an indicator of increased confidence. Rather, it is due to 2 things:

1. The stupid "Cash for Clunkers" pogrom . . . er . . . program that had all the yayhoos running to car lots last month.

and, more frighteningly

2. Inflation is finally starting to kick-in, an inevitability since his "reserve" system has been cranking out greenbacks with wreckless abandon for so long . . .

Time to start converting that currency into something or things that may hold value . . .

So, THAT's what distressed property looks like . . .

Just like last week, this Wednesday found yours truly exploring the distressed properties west of Orlando in the Lake County hinterland.

This time around, though, we ventured west of Clermont into the little town of Groveland.

All I can say is, "wow."

And, not in a good way.

One subdivision was particularly bad. Literally, every house on one block was either for sale, for rent, or abandoned.

I saw cow fennels growing in some of the yards that were taller than me, and I'm a pretty tall guy.

I saw where builders stopped mid-way thru construction.

I saw garage doors off their tracks and laying in driveways.

I lost count of all the broken windows.

We don't just have a mortgage crisis, ye socks, we have some truly distressed properties out there . . .

Eye opening to say the least . . .

Is it slightly less crowded around here, or what?

So, it seems.

According to ye olde statisticians, Florida's population actually declined by about 58,000 in 2008.

And, that wasn't a function of the death rate exceeding the birth rate. That's always been a constant down here!

What has changed is fewer people are moving here from other places to find work.

Makes sense since there are so many fewer jobs to be had.

Fewer people isn't always a bad thing. Just ask the folks over at Universal Studios. They have reported a substantial drop in attendance, but a nice increase in actual revenue at the same time. Turns out, when people don't feel crowded together and herded like cattle, they loosen-up ye old purse strings.

So, let the whole quality vs. quantity debate ensue.

As a student of local history, however, I have to point out that we have experienced blips like this in the past. Most recently, our population dropped in 1946, as military men and women went back home after serving in Florida during World War II.

And, back in 1894/5, the Great Freeze killed off so much of our citrus crop that many, many people simply abandoned their blighted groves to return to their old stomping grounds up north.

In both of those cases, the population decline was quickly followed by a boom.

I'm not saying that's going to happen again this time around. Frankly, I'm not sure I'd want it to happen. But, in the long-term Florida has so many powerful population magnets: fun, sun, and low (or no) taxes.

So, don't get used to all the extra elbow room in this little corner of heaven . . .

Dry season?

Today found yours truly touring the hill country of Lake County with a distant cousin and a not-so-distant cousin.

The primary objective of our excursion was to scout out some of the distressed properties in that neck of the woods.

With the housing bust, construction of many subdivisions out here came to a screeching halt. The result is wide swaths of developed land, with roads, sidewalks, lamp posts, etc., but no houses.

Anyway, lunchtime found us in Clermont, and we ended up grabbing some grill food at the Tiki Bar on Lake Minneola.

This is a shot of the boardwalk leading down to the grill. See that gas pump? Well, before the lake waters receded beyond the dock, boats used to be able to pull right up to it to fill up their tanks.

So, it looks like just about everything's dried-up over in Lake County.

Well, except for the juicy Swiss burgers at the tiki bar . . .

Hopefully, some of ye socks have saved up for a rainy day, because it won't be like this forever.