U.S. Appeasement Continues

U.S. Appeasement Continues

Washington, D.C., August 10, 2009–Secretary of State Clinton, in an interview on Sunday, indicated that the United States has no choice but to engage Iran in negotiations.

EDC may escape budget cut

Although Brevard County faces declining revenue it appears there are three votes to throw away another $1.5 million this year on the Economic Development Council, of the most effective smoke and mirror money machines in recent Brevard County history. Threatened with a miniscule 10% cut, the EDC came out in force throwing a number of stats at the County Commissioners. The EDC created 8,000 jobs, the EDC brought improvement now paying $7 million per year in taxes, and the always faithful, “NOW more than ever!” Yes, your money, their investment.
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The K Street gang invades Tallahassee

Campaign like Lions, Vote like Sheep

One day our local Legislators will look back at the 2009 legislative sessions and realize when offered good advice to take it. Although this may come as a shock, the world does not revolve around Tallahassee.

All the rabbits have been pulled from the hat in the state budget. None are left. Next year – the election year – you will have to make the severe cuts. Re-read Machiavelli, do the worst – first. Cut in 2009 so that a break-even 2010 looks good. Assuming the state were even in a break even position next year.
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State Senate and Judiciary Clobber Clerk’s Offices

Political, not Fiscal, Policy Drives 16% Cuts to Clerk’s Offices

The State Senate and the Florida Supreme Court, with the acquiescence of the Florida House, moved to make major cuts in the funding of local Clerk’s Offices during the final days of the Legislative session. In late February, well after the normal filing of bills for the Legislative Session had been completed, certain Legislators in ‘leadership’ positions late filed bills designed to remove the Clerk’s courts employees from the Clerk of Courts to the Judiciary. Along with the employees, current court fees and fines which now fund the Clerks would be diverted to the State to fund the Judiciary and the State general fund.
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Ellis responds to DiPatri; facts trump emotion – again

‘Public Education Enemy Number One’ still can’t find the missing $100 million

“Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again;
Th’ eternal years of God are hers;
But Error, wounded, writhes in pain,
And dies among his worshippers.”

The School Board has claimed consistently there has been a $100 million revenue cut over the last two years. My great sin was to ask for the state revenue numbers for the monies received by the BPS from the State over those two years. The property tax information was easily available from the Tax Collector as well as the School Board’s legal advertisement in July, and property tax revenue is up.
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Palm Bay City Council to discuss resolution to audit Clerk’s Office at April 2nd meeting

City officials rip a page from Obama’s playbook

Evidently on cue from the Chief Judge, the City of Palm Bay has prepared a bizarrely worded resolution on the Brevard County Clerk’s Office. While the Clerk’s Office is currently down 50 full time equivalent employees we are working to maintain the branch service offices in Palm Bay and Merritt Island. It is quite true, and should be apparent to anyone, that if we lose another 20 to 30 employees to layoff and another 50 to 60 employees to furlough (out of an original 350) we will be unable to continue operating the branch service offices.
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Judge orders Clerk to spend non-existent funds

The Chief Judge of the 18th Circuit Court, after accusing me of failing to provide requested financial information and failing to discuss staff and operational changes with the Judges, is issuing an order forbidding the Brevard County Clerk of Courts from implementing cost saving changes in light of a $1.5 million shortfall, 20 layoffs, and the loss of 25 more full-time equivalent employees (out of 330) while we work on reduced work schedules of 36 hour weeks.
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Brevard Clerk questions Tallahassee math on new bill

This article from the Hearald Tribune shows the outright lies being fought out in Tallahassee over the Judicial Pearl Harboring of the Clerks. The 33% increase in budgets is a joke. Our revenue this year is LESS than it was five years ago. Before we would use Recording Fees to help cover the courts, now those are greatly decreased.

Total Clerk Revenue (all functions) 2003/04: $22,214,701
Total Clerk Revenue (projected) 2008/09: $21,136,587
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Where did alleged financial crash of schools originate?

A recent guest column in the Florida Today by Ms. Judy Preston, the Associate Director of Finance, caught my eye in as much as what was not said as what was said. A slew of manipulative ranking numbers were thrown into the column bemoaning the alleged horrible funding of Florida Schools as well as some real numbers of the size of the cuts, but nowhere was it mentioned where all the windfall of the last six or seven years had gone.

“Florida ranked 17 percent below the national average in per-student education funding”. Based on Ms. Preston’s own numbers that a reduction per student of $445 equals a 6% loss, then the other 94% still left means Brevard County gets from State and Local taxes about $7,000 per year, per student. A classroom of 20 students gets $140,000 per year, every year. Considering the teacher’s pay and benefits run about $60,000, that leaves $80,000 per classroom for Administration, Maintenance, and Supplies. If the National Average per student is $8,400, how was the $8,400 derived? Ms. Preston states Florida ranks 42nd in the nation in per student expenditures, and I find it mathematically odd that one could be 17% below the average, have only 8 states below us, yet be spending well over $100,000 per classroom and building hundreds of millions of dollars in new facilities.
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The Year of ‘Mortgage Jubilee’ is Upon Us

I have used the term ‘Year of Mortgage Jubilee’ often in the last year to describe the outcome of the Government’s interventions in the mortgage foreclosure markets. The year is here.

In the Old Testament, all debts are forgiven during the Year of Jubilee.

The Federal Government, in its blind rush to keep people in houses they either overbought or over-re-financed-for cash, will begin making the deal so sweet for those in default that those not in default question why in the world they are working hard to make their payments. As the deal for default sweetens, many will begin to stop paying on houses they really could pay for.
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