tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-116106692024-03-14T01:46:39.187-07:00Enjoying Freedom Every DayInsight from the Life and Thoughts of Francisco M. GonzalezUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger364125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-63349123161473511742011-10-17T12:51:00.000-07:002011-10-17T12:54:09.279-07:00I've Moved!I'm still enjoying Freedom Every Day... but in case you're wondering where my blogs have gone, or why this blog is inactive, I moved to a new website, but will maintain this blog as an "archive" (even though all my blogs are also archived on my new website).<br /><br />Read more about me and see my current blogs at: <a href="http://www.franciscogonzalez.us">www.franciscogonzalez.us</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-42615616289878511532011-02-14T13:28:00.001-08:002011-02-14T13:30:29.988-08:00401 K<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:Times;font-size:medium;">I received the message below as one of those email forwards. I thought it was pretty funny, so I'm posting it on my blog here.<br /><blockquote type="cite"><div><div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><img src="webkit-fake-url://45366B72-748A-453A-A11E-2788D6797E3D/beer-supermarket-46_863133c.jpg" alt="beer-supermarket-46_863133c.jpg" /></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Just imagine...<br /><br />If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago,<br />you will have $49.00 today!<br /><br />If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in AIG one year ago, you will have<br />$33.00 today.<br /><br />If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago,<br />you will have $0.00 today.<br /><br />But, if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drank all<br />the beer, then turned in the aluminum cans for recycling refund, you<br />will have received a $214.00.<br /><br />Based on the above, the best current investment plan is to drink heavily<br />& recycle. It is called the 401-Keg.<br /><br />A recent study found that the average American walks about 900 miles a<br />year. Another study found that Americans drink, on average, 22 gallons<br />of alcohol a year. That means that, on average, Americans get about 41<br />miles to the gallon!<br /><br />Makes you damned proud to be an American!</div></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div></div><div><div><div><div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-4319118889189086652011-01-15T18:57:00.000-08:002011-01-15T19:30:56.779-08:00God Inspires Us To Create<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDKs8nI29oJHksrwYnL_upYJ7L9T5q4y4f28j3lcI8IQU42YtgJsAHPwxGTZEF1tNIo-KAhAalyeZ0DerT4wfT-R1LU2uW44TM59AwLx-BhwZd8aGONdO9aBtel3SpAZuQi8M/s1600/hands-of-god-and-adam.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 117px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDKs8nI29oJHksrwYnL_upYJ7L9T5q4y4f28j3lcI8IQU42YtgJsAHPwxGTZEF1tNIo-KAhAalyeZ0DerT4wfT-R1LU2uW44TM59AwLx-BhwZd8aGONdO9aBtel3SpAZuQi8M/s320/hands-of-god-and-adam.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562621081077552642" /></a><br />Well, we all know God is everywhere, in everything, even in each of us. Well, that is if we believe God exists. So many today in our culture do not. Even for those of us who do believe, many of us at various times in our life may have questioned God's existence. Or, at least questioned God, questioned why he allows evil things to happen in our fallen world. <div><br /></div><div>Last week, I went on my second adventure on <a href="http://www.therockboat.com/">The Rock Boat</a>. It's a fantastic time with about 25 bands and musicians, hosted by Sister Hazel. This year top acts also included NeedtoBreathe, Ed Kowalczyk from LIVE, Green River Ordinance, and many others. Four nights of craziness. At any given time between about 12 noon and 2pm, you have about 2-3 concerts to choose from. You can't possibly see everyone. Well, if you can, you have me beat. There's so much going on. Our boat departed out of Tampa on January 6, coasted into Costa Maya, Mexico on January 8, and then returned back to Tampa on the 10th. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I sat listening to so many great musicians and artists, as I have through much of my life, I always marvel at their creative abilities - how do they piece together these harmonious sounds and come up with such moving lyrics? </div><div><br /></div><div>And then, it makes me think about two authors I have read in the past five years. One is Father James Schall, a professor of government at Georgetown, who writes much about philosophy and political philosophy. In his book, <i>On The Unseriousness of Human Affairs, </i>he discusses how we all have a bit of the Creator in us. Think about it. From the beginning, God created us, he created the heavens, the earth, everything. We each have a bit of that "creative" juice in us as well. As Father Schall points out, being creative is something we have built in our DNA, sort of speak. (Ok, I'm seriously paraphrasing here). </div><div><br /></div><div>I always like his example of the sport of football. How did it start? Someone created a ball (a funky ball at that). They then started tossing it to someone else. Then, others were involved and rules were created. Eventually, teams and leagues were created. And ultimately we professionalized it. He uses this example to teach us something about ourselves - and something about God. Look around at nature, over time God "professionalized" it Himself. Just like God, we mere mortals also want to continue to create and continue to make something we created better, more beautiful, more aspiring. So does God - except that He does it with perfection. Made in His image, we strive towards that perfection, always thirsting to go Higher and find our purpose. </div><div><br /></div><div>Edmund Burke also comes to mind here. He once stated that "art is man's nature." What he meant by that is something similar to the above examples. God's "art," if you will, is in nature. Look at the Grand Canyon, the vast oceans, the stars, the moon, a lunar eclipse. These are all of the ways God has painted a picture for us. Ever catch a beautiful sunset when the colors in the horizon are in a way you felt you never seen quite like that before? I like to think that is God painting a unique picture just for me that day. His way of saying "hello, this is just for you." It brings a smile to my face, it warms my heart - even if just for a moment. It's God's way of catching us off guard, perhaps in the midst of a "busy" day, doing all those "important" things.</div><div><br /></div><div>Contrast that with man. Our "nature" is in art. We can only replicate the Creator through art - painting, drawing, performing music, competing in sports, writing, singing, acting, teaching, dancing. As Father Schall would say, it is not our "work" - how we make a living - that defines us as individuals, as human beings. Rather, it is all of these seemingly "unserious" things that shows us what it truly means to be human.</div><div><br /></div><div>Perhaps this is why I like music so much. It is a creative expression by individuals and by "bands" of individuals that come together to create something beautiful. Some of the highest forms of music have been directly proposed to worship the divine - think of how high liturgical music in church can carry you away spiritually - or how about even a simple rendition of Amazing Grace? Think of Mozart and Beethoven, who had their expression toward the divine. There's a reason their music is considered some of the best of all time.</div><div><br /></div><div>But even when music isn't created directly for God - it still is inspired by that creative desire that we get from our Creator. We can easily forget those "important" things that keep us busy or stressed out and "lose ourself" in the moment. Why do we put on a cd in the car or on a run? Or even at work? Why do we go to concerts, listening to musicians perform live, singing along with them, perhaps even dancing to the beat? We are drawn towards something higher, something outside ourselves. We each have something to teach each other, we each have the ability to be creative. When we tap into the true spirit of the Creator, we learn something about ourselves and something about Him.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-86900098050868919942011-01-14T18:08:00.000-08:002011-01-14T19:37:56.603-08:00Boycott CPAC<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVR5ntKgCmu6C1wEc4X6XOjRuCxUuD8BK8YHQ01VAnAsTGwG8EUJQYwgeie_299NpPcGP0yY0ZPdXSJRFLMYPLcNq8iUcEEpOsStb6VY4J5esUBbn2dDky9aknW1CVqk2UBRpK/s1600/cpac2009.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVR5ntKgCmu6C1wEc4X6XOjRuCxUuD8BK8YHQ01VAnAsTGwG8EUJQYwgeie_299NpPcGP0yY0ZPdXSJRFLMYPLcNq8iUcEEpOsStb6VY4J5esUBbn2dDky9aknW1CVqk2UBRpK/s320/cpac2009.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562242274518623538" /></a><br />The <a href="http://www.conservative.org/cpac/">Conservative Political Action Conference</a> is the largest annual gathering of conservatives. It takes place each year in Washington, D.C. I attended my first CPAC as a graduate student in 2004. I was privileged enough to be invited to speak on a student-led panel, to discuss the successful conservative student newspaper I helped co-found at the University of Maryland. <div><br /></div><div>After joining the <a href="http://www.isi.org/">Intercollegiate Studies Institute</a> (ISI) later in 2004, I attended the next three CPAC's - 2005, 2006, and 2007 - and had the unique opportunity of being the ISI representative at the CPAC planning meetings. Those were some interesting meetings - which included representatives from about <a href="http://www.conservative.org/cpac/participatingorganizations/">50 or so organizations</a> that helped pick the theme, the agenda, the panels, and the speakers. It was neat to have a voice in this process. I also had the opportunity to speak on another panel at the 2007 CPAC. When I moved back to Florida at the beginning of 2008 - it almost felt weird not being at CPAC that year, after attending 4 years in a row. I then attended my fifth CPAC in 2009. I have not been back since, mostly just due to logistics in my own time commitments.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, as I witnessed each year, CPAC was growing fast - almost out of control. "Conservatism" has become more popular and tea party activism, among other factors, has certainly popularized attendance at this conference. I even respect, to some extent, the large amount of young libertarians that have started attending CPAC. As my good friend Jeff Frazee, President of <a href="http://www.yal.org/">Young Americans for Liberty</a>, has told me in the past, he hopes to inject more pro-liberty, limited government ideas into the conservative movement. I proudly stand with him in that effort. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, as CPAC has swelled in attendance, what it means to be a "conservative" (note: not a Republican, a libertarian, or a tea party member) has become lost. In fact, a few years back, I started calling the conference the Conservative Political Action Circus, as a joke. To take matters further, I have even suggested that we are all under one big tent (like a circus, get it?) But the tent has now become too big. Too many groups are trying to redefine what conservatism is; meanwhile conservatism itself has become lost in the confusion of a conference that now has nearly 10,000 people in attendance each year.</div><div><br /></div><div>The conservative movement in America has always been a fractious coalition of many diverse groups. And conservatism itself is not an ideology; it is a philosophy, a way of life. Sure, we conservatives have our own view of what the proper role of government is. While we might have differences on various issues, we stand consistently with the Constitution, which created a federal Republic and a system of checks and balances with a separation of powers. Conservatives believe that all human beings are fallible, and that too much power in the hands of one person - or even one area of government - could lead to tyranny. History has repeatedly proved this theory correct. Our founders rightly incorporated this belief of human fallibility in our Constitution by separating power against itself.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, conservatism is not limited to what we believe the role of government should be. Rather, it is a philosophy, an outlook, a way of life. It exists regardless of man's relationship to his government. As a conservative, the biggest impact we can have is on the culture, which, as <a href="http://www.kirkcenter.org/index.php/detail/ten-conservative-principles/">Russell Kirk</a> said, extends from the "cult," a communion of souls, a body of worshippers. Our beliefs, together, form our common culture. And our society's institutions, including our government, are reflective of the culture (not the other way around).</div><div><br /></div><div>Back to CPAC... CPAC is the "conservative" political action conference. It's NOT a Republican conference, it's not a libertarian conference, it's not a tea party conference. I hope all of these groups come to CPAC and play a role in the discussion about the future of our country, but they must remember that they are only welcome to be part of this private organization when and where they agree with <i>conservative</i> principles. Otherwise, the entire point of the conference is lost. When I go to a libertarian conference, for example, I understand that I am going to have some disagreements - and I respect why those libertarians have the views they do - whether it be differences in foreign policy or social issues. </div><div><br /></div><div>The first year that CPAC took place in the late 1970s, there were only about 100 attendees. The keynote speaker was a former Governor of California, Ronald Reagan. The people there in that room knew what they believed, they had disagreements I'm sure, but they had a common intellectual understanding of the key tenets of conservatism: a commitment to liberty and limited government, a respect for the Judeo-Christian tradition that undergirds this nation and Western Civilization, and the defeat of tyranny (at that time, communism) at home and abroad. </div><div><br /></div><div>In 2010, there was a division created at CPAC when the ACU allowed <a href="http://www.goproud.org/">GOProud</a> to be a sponsoring organization. This means GOProud has a role to play in the agenda, much like I did for ISI. While GOProud professes their support for limited government, they also openly accept homosexual behavior. Don't get me wrong, those who practice homosexuality will always be welcome at CPAC. For, we are all sinners, and we cannot (and should not) point at the splinter in our neighbor's eye before we first take out the splinter in our own. However, we also cannot allow an organized group that stands squarely opposed to one of the key tenets of conservatism: a commitment to the traditional moral order as defined by the Judeo-Christian beliefs that are at the underpinnings of Western Civilization. Once we allow our beliefs to be watered down, we open a pandora's box.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the flip side of this - what if someone started an organization called "Christians for Total Healthcare." They could claim they should be allowed at CPAC because they are in line with conservatism's commitment to family values, and that their group believes, from a Judeo-Christian perspective, that government should provide health care for all. Would that progressive belief be allowed at CPAC? And if not, then why is a group claiming to support limited government allowed if they are openly hostile to the traditional moral values that undergird another tenet of conservatism? </div><div><br /></div><div>Until CPAC can get a grip on what it stands for and what conservatism is all about, <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/5/gay-group-cpac-exposes-rift-right/">I will join with the Heritage Foundation</a> (the largest conservative organization in the country, and the world) and boycott CPAC. I call on all other conservatives of good faith to do so as well and to express their reasons to the Chairman of the American Conservative Union, <a href="http://www.conservative.org/about-acu/board-of-directorsstaff/david-a-keene/">David Keene</a> and to CPAC's coordinator <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-De-Pasquale/170343308382">Lisa DePasquale</a>. Their contact information is below. </div><div><br /></div><div>American Conservative Union</div><div>(703) 836-8602</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-10784022307671777722010-12-31T16:19:00.000-08:002010-12-31T17:17:02.704-08:002010: My Rockin' Year in Review<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51lPb-6zGvq1ahLhCLToQTjOFi2i4H6vRT3ENpibdNkYtXCFiiT_to1h9XvhWVDHWNc0_haoCjfWzk5gbkeGwRSap3Pr8btxYxK5V2udXSzp8AkrxytkmMW8dfVHE41SQs7BY/s1600/IMG_0969.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51lPb-6zGvq1ahLhCLToQTjOFi2i4H6vRT3ENpibdNkYtXCFiiT_to1h9XvhWVDHWNc0_haoCjfWzk5gbkeGwRSap3Pr8btxYxK5V2udXSzp8AkrxytkmMW8dfVHE41SQs7BY/s320/IMG_0969.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557016404356713298" /></a></div><div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">2010 has been an up and down year. For Florida it began with a cold snap. For me, it began on <a href="http://2010.therockboat.com/">The Rock Boat</a>! What an unbelievable experience that was. We set sail out of Tampa on January 7 for 4 unforgettable nights aboard the Carnival Inspiration. Sister Hazel headlined the “floating music festival” that had about 25 other bands on it. Some new favorites for me by the time the cruise was over included <a href="http://www.greenriverordinance.com/">Green River Ordinance</a>, Marc Broussard, and Stephen Kellog & The Sixers. And it was great getting to see so much more Sister Hazel and Wideawake, as well as bands like Augustana live for the first time. And who can forget Tyrone Wells, Gaelic Storm and Jupiter’s own reggae band, B-Liminal?</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">Well after sailing to Cozumel and back to Tampa, we returned to Tallahassee. Days later, a massive earthquake hit Haiti and brought back images from that poverty stricken country. It seems like a nation of hopelessness with all the doom and destruction they have faced in their history. My roommate Salomon, a native of Haiti, had several family members pass away and others who had amazing survival stories. America once again showed how charitable we are, as thousands of Americans and billions of American dollars poured into Haiti to help. The media covered this story for weeks, but as the year went on, the public’s attention drowned out. The struggles of Haiti continue.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">In late January, I was invited to attend a weekend colloquia in Arlington, VA provided by the <a href="http://www.theihs.org/">Institute for Humane Studies</a>. The theme of the weekend was <a href="http://www.theihs.org/551">“F.A. Hayek on Liberty.”</a> We were required to read most of Hayek’s “The Constitution of Liberty” and a few other essays. It was a privilege to be a part of this seminar and I learned so much about spontaneous order, among other Hayekian economic theories. I also was able to meet up with a few friends in DC. I almost didn’t get a chance to see my buddy <a href="http://www.facebook.com/jeff.frazee">Jeff Frazee</a>, but then bad weather in my connecting city of Atlanta forced an extra day stay in DC. So, Jeff and his wife Amanda put me up for the night.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">It’s hard to keep going chronologically with this year, but I’ll try to whip through some major experiences and memories.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">Earlier this year, I began a Bible study in the <a href="http://biblestudyforcatholics.com/catholic-bible/study-information/111/timeline-adventure-story-salvation">Great Adventure Bible Timeline program</a>. Through 24 weeks (that’s 24 Monday nights), we read through 14 books of the Bible (and then some). 12 Old Testament books and 2 New Testament books (Luke and Acts), not to mention the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It was an amazing experience and it increased my knowledge of my faith. Every Christian (especially us Catholics) should do this. I totally recommend it. Each week, we met in a small group and had an hour long discussion. Then we joined with a larger group of about 50 people and watched a seminar on DVD by Jeff Cavins. That ended in August. In October, I started a new 24-week course. It is much lighter reading. We are simply reading through the <a href="http://biblestudyforcatholics.com/catholic-bible/study-information/112/matthew-adventure-king-kingdom">Book of Matthew</a> (with some minor supplemental reading). We’re about 6 weeks in and I’m really enjoying it.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">This was also my third full year working as Director of Development for <a href="http://www.jamesmadison.org/">The James Madison Institute</a>, Florida’s premier free-market think tank. This was also the Institute’s most successful year on record. Our budget increased substantially. We hired a full-time staff member and added two part-time staff members. We began raising money for a new downtown Tallahassee headquarters (which we plan to close on in January 2011 and move in by summer 2011). Our President was named to the Governor-Elect’s economic transition team. JMI has a staff member, scholar, or board member on every transition team in Florida’s new executive cabinet. And we have more members than ever and are producing studies relevant to Florida’s economic future.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">My work with JMI this year took me all over Florida, including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa, Sarasota, Bradenton, Naples, The Villages, and Pensacola. Perhaps a few places in between.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">I attended the <a href="http://www.heritage.org/about/resource-bank/resource-bank">Heritage Foundation’s annual “Resource Bank” meeting</a>, held this year at the Turnberry Isle Resort in North Miami Beach this year. JMI held a reception at their meeting and welcomed hundreds of free-marketers to South Florida in style. The highlighted speeches included <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Cruz">Ted Cruz</a>, former Solicitor General of Texas, and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1152494967">Billie Tucke</a>r, director of the First Coast Tea Party in Jacksonville. The Heritage Foundation embraced the tea party with the theme of this year’s conference: “From Tea Parties to Taking Charge.”</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">In September, I traveled to Ohio for the State Policy Network’s Annual Meeting in Cleveland. Not really a city to write home about. But, it was a great meeting as usual. The highlighted speeches included Jeb Bush and <a href="http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/about_us/scott_rasmussen_biography">Scott Rasumussen</a>, among others.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">The weekend before the SPN conference, my buddy <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=3434098">Matt Harrison</a> (who runs a <a href="http://theprometheusinstitute.org/">think tank in California</a>) and I met up in Columbus, OH to see our Canes take on the mighty Buckeyes of Ohio State. We had a great night out on the town, attended a Canes pre-party and really enjoyed Columbus on a game weekend. I was also fortunate enough to get some great seats provided by a great friend in Ohio. (Thanks Josh!) But that was about it. The Canes had a good first half and the rest of the game -- and the rest of the season -- was all downhill. In 2011, they will have a new coach. I hope he can provide us with the “Golden” touch. I hate to say it, but the Canes may not ever be the same without the Orange Bowl. Their program is in such disarray it makes me cry inside. And sometimes outside.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpHv0eh_QDQqwy1hVF0e_855_DiWqWrvo2Vn01hVIhTpTs6ut3eBB1wkap1jmJpnsQ3O3kHcn51X0pV34mdA490h3yg_JhibJgC-3s7CMw5jIcjvqy8TBf4kIoyaz2IVQ0kl3/s320/IMG_1290.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557015912099001746" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">After an overall great weekend in Columbus, Matt and I drove up to Cleveland early in order to spend a few hours on our Sunday afternoon at the <a href="http://rockhall.com/">Rock and Roll Hall of Fame</a>. It was amazing, and by far the best attraction in Cleveland. The city feels like a ghost town on the weekends and evenings. But this museum was worth the visit to Cleveland simply to revisit and learn about the role that rock n’ roll has played in American history and culture.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">Speaking of music...let’s back track a bit here...</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">I spent two great weekends in what has become one of my favorite places in Florida: the Suwanneee River Music Park in Live Oak, FL. In late March, I went to <a href="http://suwanneespringfest.com/">“Springfest”</a> for one night and one morning, crashed at a camp site with some new friends, and saw my boys <a href="http://scythianmusic.com/">Scythian</a> perform 3 times in less than 18 hours. What a treat. I went back in late October for <a href="http://magnoliafest.com/">“Magnolia Fest”</a> and while Scythian didn’t play that one, we were still treated to some great music. I seem to now be running into some of the other regulars to this incredibly amazing Southern festival. And I can’t say no to the fried oreos.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdrNYBTiE-vLOvPah_KDsKCQ_Kcxc_YG5a-Jst4Agul0ok-IbnFZAKDxYwrto_wJ7ErzlQBuxi0N6md6OECIitvLv_Wg-cJKx4xf7mg4E0IRb8sUNgmdhMU1ILUu91y5Qgms-/s320/IMG_1039.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557015005506333426" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">This was also another year to <a href="http://www.rockbythesea.org/">Rock By The Sea</a>. I returned to the festival this April for some good times with my friends <a href="http://www.facebook.com/nole4god777">Mike Williams</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/mdfarrar">Matt Farrar</a>, festival organizers <a href="http://www.facebook.com/beth.gosnell">Beth Gosnell</a>, Gail Harkins, Ed Moore, and Rick Watson. And now I’m sort of a volunteer and official “ambassador” for Rock By The Sea, which raises money to fight pediatric brain cancer. We also brought our friend <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=2002551">Erin Choy</a> with us this time and now she’s a Rock By The Sea’r for life I think. It was also great to have my brother<a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1270863267">Manny</a> drive all the way up from South Florida to spend the weekend with me and enjoy the great music, incredible weather, beautiful beach, and great times. It was a blast! Festival favorite <a href="http://samthacker.com/">Sam Thacker</a> and his band also provided great tunes. A few of us were privileged to return to “the island” several times over the summer to hang with Sam, the band, and enjoy SGI some more.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPBuLeihZPIjIXd2XFMzC_bFhrXHU8YgA_75G6GceUCCkypnieQLEmvJoGRTExaNFp0CHf_Dz5hLej_pZd2MB2htMdThqpnw4NGHnKUdYOQvVy9_YTSH8oc-Gt2EOT06RRQ6M/s1600/100924_FranciscoGonzalez1.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTPBuLeihZPIjIXd2XFMzC_bFhrXHU8YgA_75G6GceUCCkypnieQLEmvJoGRTExaNFp0CHf_Dz5hLej_pZd2MB2htMdThqpnw4NGHnKUdYOQvVy9_YTSH8oc-Gt2EOT06RRQ6M/s320/100924_FranciscoGonzalez1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557013802054623474" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">2010 was also filled with politics... as Americans became more engaged than ever.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">In March, the government takeover of health care became even more intrusive. As if we aren’t spending enough on Medicare and Medicaid, now the federal government “mandated” that all citizens be required to carry health insurance. And they required all insurers cover everyone - including those with pre-existing conditions. What does that mean? Health insurance becomes more expensive for everyone - and the government will fine or imprison us if we don’t carry health insurance. Well, as it turns out, by November, most Americans were fed up with this continued intrusiveness into their daily lives. Congress flipped as more than 65 Republicans gained seats previously held by Democrats.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">My own Congressman, “yellow dog” Allen Boyd lost by double digits to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Southerland_(Florida)">Steve Southerland</a>. I’d like to think my well-publicized blog about <a href="http://wethepeoplerally.us/my-encounter-with-allen-boyd/">“My Encounter with Allen Boyd</a>” had something to do with it. I was able to meet and interact with Steve Southerland and his staff throughout this year and I have high hopes for his ability to be a true patriot in Congress. As a representative of JMI and the Tallahassee Tea Party, I was invited to present our Congressman-elect with two gifts at the December meeting of the Capital City Republican Club. The first was a framed <a href="http://fee.org/library/not-yours-to-give-2/">speech that Davey Crockett gave in Congress</a> back in the 1830s. The second was a framed poster of the Kool-Aid man that said “Don’t Drink the D.C. Kool-Aid” (or something like that). He loved them and I hope to see them in his office the next time I visit our nation’s capital.</span></p></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJTAkcWy1C9mOiTo-qAEI3QJxIcOv8Kj07FlVqlgv2KD47yBrjhu-RQ4-W-717dMMcgVwtjri5Z9SXA3VMigWsHaHMqXNWXpLPYDKsTEswocB2lu0jyokUWdk8Pc9KMVUXYMm/s1600/CROCKETT.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJTAkcWy1C9mOiTo-qAEI3QJxIcOv8Kj07FlVqlgv2KD47yBrjhu-RQ4-W-717dMMcgVwtjri5Z9SXA3VMigWsHaHMqXNWXpLPYDKsTEswocB2lu0jyokUWdk8Pc9KMVUXYMm/s320/CROCKETT.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557014088221883874" /></a><p style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Here in Florida, a lot more happened politically. As Marco Rubio began surging in the polls, it became clear that Florida’s sitting “Republican” Governor Charlie Crist wasn’t going to be able to beat him in the race for U.S. Senate. So Crist “opted out” of the primary, left the Republican Party, and went straight to November for the general election. At first, it seemed like a good move to win (even if unprincipled). But then, the three-way race turned Marco’s way big time. He won by more than 20 points over the “No Party Affiliate” Crist and by more than that over Democrat Kendrick Meek. For more than two years, I had been saying how fake and shallow and unprincipled Charlie Crist was. 2010 proved vindication. And I have interacted with Marco Rubio on a personal level enough to know he’s the real deal. His speeches at CPAC and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azf27eH2etI">on election night</a> have been hailed widely. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">For more than a year, I had been saying how the Obama stimulus wasn’t going to work (on top of putting us in debt by nearly a trillion more dollars, not to mention all the other wasteful spending under this President and this Congress). Once again, <a href="http://fgonzalez78.blogspot.com/2010/04/sometimes-its-tough-being-right.html">it was tough being right</a>. Under Crist, Florida’s unemployment went from about 5 percent to 12 percent in less than four years. Under Obama, the national unemployment went from about 7 percent to nearly 10 percent in less than two years. The only thing that was stimulated was the government and its regulation of individuals and small businesses.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">It’s no surprise then that the tea party continued to grow in power and influence in 2010. In the primaries, many Republican incumbents were knocked out by more principled outsiders. In Florida, businessman <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Scott">Rick Scott</a> narrowly defeated long-time establishment Republican Bill McCollum. While McCollum may have traditionally been a principled Republican, his being part of the establishment didn’t help him. Scott then went on to beat Democrat Alex Sink, by the slimmest margin of any Governor’s race in more than 100 years. The November elections also increased the Republican majority in both the Florida House and Florida Senate to two-thirds. That’s a veto-proof majority.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Since being elected, Rick Scott is making all the right moves - literally. He has loaded his transition teams with some of the most conservative and libertarian men and women you can find (including my boss!). His campaign motto “Let’s Get to Work” holds great promise for limited government, free market conservatives who want to stimulate the private sector of our economy. We’ll see what gets done in 2011 and beyond. If he is able to accomplish just half of what he wants to, I think he’ll be a transformational governor - something Florida desperately needs at this transformative time in our state and nation’s history. I look forward to being part of the solution through my work at JMI.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">This year, my good friend James O'Keefe also formed <a href="http://theprojectveritas.com/">The Project Veritas</a> with the mission of exposing corruption wherever it exists. I was honored to be asked to join his board of directors and now serve as Chairman. While I have known James for about 6 years now, he was made famous a bit more than a year ago when he released the now famous videos that exposed ACORN. He has also exposed nefarious activities by Planned Parenthood, the U.S. Census, and more recently the New Jersey Educational Association. While James is now famous among many and infamous among others, he brings a dedication to pursuing truth and rightly used the term "Veritas" to name his new organization. We hope he will continue making cutting edge projects and train modern-day muckrakers to be investigate corruption and expose it in unique ways. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">This year I continued to be a man on the move... </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I spent several weekends in Atlanta. Took <a href="http://fgonzalez78.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-weekend-in-hotlanta.html">a trip there in June</a> to see some friends. Really got a great taste of so many parts of this rockin’ Southern metropolis. I went back through there (one stop each way) on my way to Virginia in August. And in December, I spent an amazing musical weekend for the Rock By The Sea Christmas road show in Atlanta. After seeing many great RBTS bands on Friday night at Vinyl with one of my roommates, Matt Farrar, we went and saw an amazing <a href="http://www.sisterhazel.com/">Sister Hazel</a> show on Saturday at the venue next door, Center Stage. It was also cool to see our buddy <a href="http://www.facebook.com/michaelwwestbrook">Michael Westbrook</a> play guitar for the <a href="http://niccowanmusic.com/site/">Nic Cowan band</a>, which opened for Hazel. During one song, Ryan Newell of Sister Hazel joined the stage with them. How cool was that? </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9L5jTHWnapx7toZym5SzwB31kgmLurXs2AubGVsQpoRCDqQWMM_KTyVwpUfXZ12YT8DqPbW4-2aRjI3u4SBt0eeTfDMlUls4W0Z9Pen2G2q5xUpnYWFAWpgoGBGrRKNHkQZj/s320/IMG_1137.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557015339839139618" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">As I mentioned before, in August, I went to Virginia for a retreat for a young conservative group I am involved with. About 80 or so young conservatives from all different professions and from many parts of the country traveled to <a href="http://www.thehomestead.com/">The Homestead</a> resort for three nights - something like 20 Presidents have stayed at this historic, scenic resort that is tucked away in the western mountains of Virginia. We held many discussions on many topics and built friendships through some great times of fellowship. I probably have never been to a conference retreat where there were so many good, smart, and interesting people. It gives me comfort to know these are some of the folks leading the way for the revival of conservative intellectualism in our country. The remnant survives 2010.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisc8EAJoGULc5fKwVwnZk4kIR69VBiBp1ddSdH2ui2ZsJSkAsai2zl6WvA1dSjC3234c9uS0cK7v4wmbwNWQ3xJSwp2347o6EHpAgJSWm0IY-1VXLU9KqyEaq7hcxFKhd3EOq5/s320/US+Open.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557015643652084434" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">During Labor Day weekend, <a href="http://fgonzalez78.blogspot.com/2010/09/our-family-vacation-in-new-york-city.html">I traveled to New York Cit</a>y to meet my parents and brothers for an incredible weekend. We spent a day at the U.S. Open, attended a NY Yankees game on Saturday afternoon, and saw the musical <a href="http://www.jerseyboysinfo.com/broadway/">“Jersey Boys”</a> on Broadway. We had some great meals, saw a few NYC historic sites, celebrated mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, visited a Comedy Club with my brother Tony and spent a night on the town with both of my brothers. A great, full weekend indeed! Family bonding at its max.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I would be remiss without mentioning my own year in sports... on the tennis courts. At the end of 2009, I was “bumped up” to the 5.0 level, which means I was not able to play in any of the USTA leagues this year. There just aren’t enough 5.0 players in town to form a team (much less two). But that meant I had to find a lot more of my own recreational matches, even getting the opportunity to play some of the players on the Florida State University team. It has been great getting to know some of those guys and getting to watch them play. It’s been a pleasure hitting with a few of them. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I think my game really peaked around August and 2010 was certainly the best year for my tennis game since I was about 17. I even suggested at one point that I was hitting and playing better than ever in my life. I am probably in much better condition. The only difference is that my life is too busy (and probably getting too old) to be able to play two matches in a day (much less two matches a day for 2 or 3 days in a row), as I did when I was 17. Other than that, I was on top of my game. That said, the last few months, I haven’t been able to play as consistently. With winter setting in, the cold weather, shorter days, and my own increased travel, all this has left me pretty inconsistent. We’ll see if my game can keep up in 2011. In any case, it’s simply great to be healthy, in shape, and able to be out there on a fairly regular basis. I thank God every day for that. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">On Thanksgiving, I was able to run my first 10K in my life. Since I was a young kid, I’ve run 5K’s and the past few years I’ve really gotten back into running for recreation. I think after edging out my friend Isaac Morehouse in the SPN 5K in Cleveland, I got some extra motivation (just teasing Isaac). I ran the <a href="http://www.gulfwinds.org/turkeytrot/">Tallahassee Turkey Trot</a> 10K right here in my Southwood neighborhood. Something like 4,000 people participated between the 5K, 10K, and 15K races. My first goal was to finish. My second goal was to be under 52 minutes. I beat them both, with a time of 50:15. That’s about an 8:07 average per mile. I really paced myself well and surprisingly my last mile was my fastest. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I finished off the year by spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with family. I traveled to Interlachen, FL where my Aunt Diane and several uncles and a number of cousins live. My parents and my brother Manny all made the trip there as well, allowing us to spend the holiday together. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">I then took my regular trip back to South Florida to visit with my parents and brothers in Delray for nearly a week - and Aunt Diane spent a weekend with us as well. I also was able to see my Abuela, Aunt Barbara, and cousins in Miami on Noche Buena. I had some good times with some friends in South Florida as well, and even made some new ones in the process. I spent all my nights out in Palm Beach County on this trip. It seems I visit Broward (where I grew up for my entire childhood) much less than ever - and Miami (the city of my birth) is barely on the radar. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1332366812">My brother Tony</a> was only able to be with us for two days over Christmas (due to his sports writing job covering the Orlando Magic and the Orlando-area college bowl games). So, on my way back to Tallahassee, I spent a night in Orlando to hang out with him. I have been able to see him a lot more this past year, since he moved to Orlando. His <a href="http://www.condocompany.com/us/Florida/Orlando-Condos/Waverly">amazing downtown apartment</a> overlooking Lake Eola has become my regular “crash pad.” But the night of December 29th was the last night I’ll ever stay there. It’s not because he smells...it’s because he’s moving...to San Francisco! (Who knows, he might start smelling soon).</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">He accepted a job as an AP Sports Writer in San Francisco. At age 25, he’ll be the youngest person in the country with that title. And, he’s earned it with an amazing sports writing career in his first few years out of college. This means that the city of San Francisco (great name huh?) will be on my list of destinations at least once in 2011. I am very proud of him, but also kind of sad that I’ll see a lot less of him in the coming year. It’s almost ironic that I fought so hard with the tea party and the Republican Party to make sure Nancy Pelosi would not be the Speaker of the House....only to have my brother end up living in her Congressional district! Life is full of ironies, including the fact that he will be living in a city that bears my name, but is about as far from me as you can get in the continental United States. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">2010 has been a wild ride. I was part of the big fight back against big government and an historic election year. I was part of some rockin’ times on the Rock Boat, Rock By The Sea, and other musical adventures in Southern cities like St. George Island, Live Oak, FL and Atlanta, GA. And I was runnin’ down a dream on the tennis court and on the trails of Southwood. I traveled all up and down the east coast - Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, DC, New York, and Ohio all were a part of my 2010. Many great friends and faces along the way. I will not forget all these great people and memorable experiences. Thank you 2010. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">My 2011 will begin with the inauguration of Rick Scott on January 4 and another amazing experience on <a href="http://www.therockboat.com/">The Rock Boat</a> from January 6-10. Beyond that, only God knows. But it is certainly Him who will light the way. May He make straight our paths. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQw82LU_uRQqgNKTiUJEHwp2cI9AdkSCKnOlsIM56srCDGlVIReti4xMolIj5kYjz1JdIcrEcVCLCX_MxzRfVEu7h4ERu9VWgD1qpEQ36fqt6KLxLbPZ7HvIMQXONt3z2p0Ia/s320/footprints.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557017235202012626" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-73179817487237292982010-09-28T18:33:00.000-07:002010-09-28T19:20:38.867-07:00Rick Scott - The Tea Party Governor - Part 2<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>This is the second in a series of blog posts on why I believe Rick Scott will be the "Tea Party Governor."</i></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqi7w4OBU1TbjcnyELjrbMN_qrYU3MdbkKZQeStSYxhrYbj2rZjrnPdT16ROUd1fO-g6ir_s6vjK5gmfiyJCgXFMnMKJtNKeS67OBKNdrqbXugejAw7-mYPd4XUBweBBhY-le9/s1600/McCollumScott.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqi7w4OBU1TbjcnyELjrbMN_qrYU3MdbkKZQeStSYxhrYbj2rZjrnPdT16ROUd1fO-g6ir_s6vjK5gmfiyJCgXFMnMKJtNKeS67OBKNdrqbXugejAw7-mYPd4XUBweBBhY-le9/s320/McCollumScott.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522149537090215570" /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">As I mentioned in </span></span><a href="http://fgonzalez78.blogspot.com/2010/09/rick-scott-tea-party-governor-part-1.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#000099;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">part one of this series</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> of blog posts, when I first learned that Rick Scott was entering the Florida gubernatorial primary against Bill McCollum, I thought it was odd. Since I knew Scott was also an </span></span><a href="http://motherjones.com/politics/2009/07/public-option-enemy-no-1"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#000099;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">outspoken opponent of Obamacare</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, I couldn’t understand how Scott could feel he could do any better on the health care issue than McCollum.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 13.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">But eventually I got it. And once I did, I realized that Rick Scott “gets it.” He gets it more than I could have imagined. In fact, I’m a bit embarrassed that he got it a lot earlier than I did.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 13.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And this proves once again why Rick Scott is a tea party patriot. Some have called him out as a fraud. Let me tell you that he is the real thing. Like most tea party patriots, he has been willing to invest his own time, his own money, and his own reputation to do what he feels is best for his country.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 13.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">There is nothing for Rick Scott to profit by winning the Governor's mansion. In fact, he has said </span></span><a href="http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2010/07/scott-wont-take-salary-as-governor.html"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#000099;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">he won't even draw a salary as Governor</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">. He has spent tens of millions of dollars of his own money to obtain a position he won't even take money for. If this isn't one of the highest forms of charity towards his fellow Floridians, I don't know what is. As a tea party patriot, he is restoring the true idea of public service.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 13.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And he got in the race against McCollum primarily because of a core principle of the tea party movement. Since its inception almost two years ago, the tea party movement has not only been about lower taxes and less government spending, it has primarily been about changing the culture of politics. It has been about returning the power from the establishment career politicians, like </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_McCollum"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#000099;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Bill McCollum</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, to we the people. It has been about getting reckless government spending under control and restoring confidence and trust in the very idea of self-government.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 13.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of Bill McCollum. I had planned to vote for him. He was even once on my board of directors at The James Madison Institute. I believe McCollum would have had the conservative answer on almost every piece of legislation that came to his desk.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 13.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">But let’s face it. McCollum has been in office for the better part of his life. In 1980, at the age of 36, McCollum was first elected to Congress, where he served for 20 years. In 2000, he launched an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate. He tried again in 2004 and lost a close primary to Mel Martinez, who went on to win the seat. In 2006, he was elected to be Florida’s Attorney General. Over the last 30 years, McCollum has spent 24 of those years in elected office. Like him or not, he certainly fits the mold of a career politician.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 13.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And this is exactly the strategy Scott took to defeat McCollum: Scott got behind the tea party crowd and rallied against the incumbent. 2010 has certainly not been a year that has looked favorably upon incumbents - even (and perhaps especially) </span></span><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/2010_Elections/tea-party-movement-unseats-bennett-ahead-republican-incumbents/story?id=10598877"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#000099;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">incumbents in the Republican Party.</span></span></span></a></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 13.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It’s not that McCollum wasn’t conservative enough or that he was a corrupt politician. As I mentioned, I think his record demonstrates the opposite. It’s about the fact that the average voter is </span></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql2KiMPSLGc&feature=channel"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#000099;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">“mad as hell”</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> that our elected officials have “lost touch” with reality. When you serve most of your life in political office, there are just many things you can’t relate to as well in regards to how most of us live our lives. In a tough economy with high unemployment and out-of-control government spending, the anger against incumbents mounts even higher - especially when most in government are immune to unemployment (well, until they get thrown out of office).</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 13.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And all across the country, the incumbents in the Republican Party have fought back - sometimes in nasty ways. McCollum’s strategy should have been to stick with the fact that Scott is a “rookie” (he’s never held political office). Or that he, McCollum, would be the more viable candidate against </span></span><a href="http://www.alexsinkingflorida.com/home/?p=1"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#000099;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">liberal Alex Sink</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">. Instead, his campaign strategy tried to smear Scott’s personal reputation. When voters saw this, they marched even harder for Scott. And with his own reputation on the line, Scott fought back with his own attack ads against McCollum and ultimately won.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />Another trend has since emerged - the incumbent Republicans who are defeated by a Republican outsider - have become “sore losers.” So far, almost a month after the primary, </span></span><a href="http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/rick-scott-makes-nice-bill-mccollum-still-no-endorsement"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#000099;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">McCollum has not endorsed Scott</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">. This is pretty rare. If Scott (or any “tea party” candidate) loses to an establishment candidate, and doesn’t endorse them, they are called out on it. Yet the entire Republican establishment has let McCollum get away with being a sore loser.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 13.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Speaking of the Republican establishment - not one single Republican member of the Florida Legislature endorsed Scott publicly during the primary. I know that as Scott was taking a lead in the polls, </span></span><a href="http://www.postonpolitics.com/2010/07/bense-scott-meet-in-the-cover-of-night/"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#000099;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">a few were privately supporting him</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">. But not publicly. Both the outgoing and incoming Speaker of the House and the outgoing and incoming Senate President (all Republicans) endorsed McCollum in the primary. A few of them even </span></span><a href="http://www.jaxobserver.com/2010/06/24/haridopolos-funneling-big-cash-to-support-mccollums-bid/"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#000099;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">raised millions of dollars for McCollum</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 13.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">While Scott outspent McCollum, it wasn’t by as much as some have claimed. McCollum not only had the backing of the Republican establishment, but also of </span></span><a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/corporate/mccollum-taps-corporate-money-to-fight-self-financed-millionaire-scott/1115622"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#000099;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">all the special interest groups in Tallahassee</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">. Through my job at JMI, I meet many representatives of many of these special interest groups, and all were in the tank for McCollum. In fact, there were a few moments that I saw a paranoid establishment seeking to make sure everyone was on board. That’s the moment I made my final decision to vote for Rick Scott in the Republican primary. A self-financed millionaire: this is what it takes to beat the establishment - and barely.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 13.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The tea party has primarily been against reckless and irresponsible spending, but it has also been against elected officials - and the entire establishment apparatus - who arrogantly believe they know what is best for the rest of us.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 13.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Rick Scott took on the establishment in his own party and won. The best historical figures in the Republican Party’s past had to do the same thing. That actor from Hollywood never held political office before he became Governor of the largest state in the Union. He would eventually become known to all of us as President Ronald Reagan.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 13.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Scott still has a way to go before he gets christened as the next Ronald Reagan. But the tea party isn’t interested in that. What we are interested in doing is what’s right. We like success stories when we see them. We like to see people who have earned their way in pursuing the American Dream. And we like to reward them. And we hope once they get in office, they'll put together solutions that seem like common sense to us.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Lucida Grande; min-height: 13.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We don’t think that a political office is for the person who’s next in line. Rick Scott certainly wasn’t on anyone’s radar as the next in line to be Florida’s Governor. That actor from Hollywood could never be Governor, much less President. But history has a way of proving all of us wrong.</span></span></span></p></span><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-59933379292636190392010-09-26T08:22:00.000-07:002010-09-26T08:52:18.571-07:00Rick Scott: The Tea Party Governor - Part 1<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;"><i>This is the first in a series of blog posts on why I believe Rick Scott will be the "Tea Party Governor."</i></span></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1kt3_foi8ufMDI7-34lP-q0RzCEHfhRxF1nVleWRj591KsToIvZjxqKAwim2qqn1v5uHkZFd04BLxaE56GBi5_XjzWdrSeZdXzvei8E3hmwSugWLRjy7wegZN-uUvlO7_J7wy/s1600/Rick_Scott_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1kt3_foi8ufMDI7-34lP-q0RzCEHfhRxF1nVleWRj591KsToIvZjxqKAwim2qqn1v5uHkZFd04BLxaE56GBi5_XjzWdrSeZdXzvei8E3hmwSugWLRjy7wegZN-uUvlO7_J7wy/s320/Rick_Scott_2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521244525096614930" /></a> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Since its inception almost two years ago, the tea party movement has not only been about lower taxes and less government spending, it has primarily been about changing the culture of politics. It has been about returning the power from the establishment career politicians to we the people. It has been about getting reckless government spending under control and restoring confidence and trust in the very idea of self-government. </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">I was the primary organizer of <a href="http://www.tallahasseeteaparty.webs.com/">the tea party movement in Tallahassee</a>. As an employee of <a href="http://www.jamesmadison.org/">The James Madison Institute</a> (JMI), I spend my days (and many nights) gathering support for JMI so that we can further public policy solutions for Florida that do not depend on government or “other people’s money.” Organizations like JMI exist to educate citizens (and policy makers) about the timeless principles that are needed for liberty to continue to exist and be available for all.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">While JMI has been furthering these ideas since 1987, it was the tea party movement that brought the very principles of the Constitution back into the public square in 2009. Apart from my day job at JMI, I spent much of my personal time early in 2009 organizing two tea parties in Tallahassee. In March 2009, we had about 225 people attend, with our guest speaker, Dick Armey of FreedomWorks. That was only a warm-up act for April 15. We had more than 2,000 people come to the grounds of Florida’s state capitol for a “Rally Against Generational Debt.” There were more than 50 such rallies in Florida that day and approximately 1,000 around the country.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">As our keynote speaker and local radio host <a href="http://www.wflafm.com/pages/Preston.html">Preston Scott</a> said that day, the tea party isn’t against taxes, per se. We’re willing to pay our fair share. What we are against is the reckless and irresponsible spending by elected officials who arrogantly believe they know what is best for the rest of us.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">As the tea party movement grew, the phones began ringing off the hook at JMI and other like-minded organizations. The tea party movement, for the most part, is filled with citizens who were becoming politically active for the first time in their lives. In any case, most in the tea party movement had never been THIS involved in taking action, coming to rallies, calling their elected officials, and even joining <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=71577656270&ref=ts">Facebook</a> to stay in the loop. These newly active citizens were contacting organizations like JMI, looking for speakers and trying to find out how they could educate their groups and, in some sense, provide entertainment and engaging speakers at their rallies.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">As the Director of Development at JMI, I accepted an invitation to speak at a <a href="http://fwbteaparty.com/">tea party held in Fort Walton Beach</a>, Florida on September 12, 2009. This was the same exact day that tea partiers across the nation were descending on Washington - reports estimate anywhere between 500,000 and one million people attended the <a href="http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/288868-1">rally in our nation’s capital that day</a>.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Meanwhile hundreds of other rallies were taking place in locations across the country - for those who could not spare the time or expense to go to DC. At the rally I spoke at, there were several other speakers addressing the 400 plus crowd of people who came out despite the rain. Luckily, the event was able to be moved under a covered pavilion. One such speaker that spoke just before me was <a href="http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/11/06/rick-scott-unsung-conservative-hero-of-the-health-care-debate/">Rick Scott</a>. </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">Yes, he’s now the Republican candidate for Governor. But I did not detect any political aspirations in him then. He came to speak representing an organization called <a href="http://www.cprights.org/">“Conservatives for Patients Rights.”</a> He spoke eloquently and from the heart. In between speeches, I was able to talk to him for a few minutes. I really liked him. I had read about him a few months earlier when I learned about what his group was doing to fight Obamacare. </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">I had learned he had already spent millions of dollars from his personal fortune to fight Obamacare and that he was willing to spend up to $20 million to do so. As I spoke with him casually that day, we discussed the hard fight against Obamacare ahead. I think I was most taken aback by the soft tone of his speech. He did not appear to me like a multi-million dollar CEO. In fact, he seemed like a very humble guy - and like “one of us," he clearly articulated an understanding of the threat big government programs, like Obamacare, posed to families, small businesses, and even large health care corporations like the ones he has run.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">The Rick Scott name faded into my memory over the next six months or so. That was until the health care bill passed. During that battle, the Obama White House had named Rick Scott <a href="http://motherjones.com/politics/2009/07/public-option-enemy-no-1">public enemy number one</a>. They did not want any prominent people in the health care industry pointing out the fatal flaws in their health care bill. </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">A few weeks after the bill passed, I learned that Rick Scott was entering <a href="http://www.rickscottforflorida.com/home/">the race to become the next Governor of Florida</a>. At first I thought this was odd. I knew his big issue was health care and with Attorney General Bill McCollum suing the federal government on behalf of Floridians, I couldn’t understand how Scott could feel he could do any better on the health care issue than his primary opponent, Bill McCollum.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica">But eventually I got it. And once I did, I realized that Rick Scott “gets it.” He gets it more than I could have imagined. In fact, I’m a bit embarrassed that he got it a lot earlier than I did. In fact, Rick Scott is a tea party patriot. Some have called him out as a fraud. Let me tell you that he is the real thing. Like most tea party patriots, he has been willing to invest his own time, his own money, and his own reputation to do what he feels is best for his country. There is nothing for him to profit by winning the Governor's mansion. In fact, he has said <a href="http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2010/07/scott-wont-take-salary-as-governor.html">he won't even draw a salary as Governor</a>. He has spent tens of millions of dollars of his own money to obtain a position he won't even take money for. If this isn't one of the highest forms of charity towards his fellow Floridians, I don't know what is. As a tea party patriot, he is restoring the true idea of public service.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-32800673985951611272010-09-06T19:48:00.000-07:002010-09-06T20:22:19.594-07:00Our family vacation in New York City!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2x16i4orfmA5XVhCQZMUkfW6tRN7UD8499Bbnl743cHdTwQvB1w4AzjrLTGtidfCu8miQJuoM4vWGqYEa432I8vKP54lJiR0dF1QCGXyE1O5szTg8ZH-PgD63QBDjAaBI9A1/s1600/Jersey+Boys.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA2x16i4orfmA5XVhCQZMUkfW6tRN7UD8499Bbnl743cHdTwQvB1w4AzjrLTGtidfCu8miQJuoM4vWGqYEa432I8vKP54lJiR0dF1QCGXyE1O5szTg8ZH-PgD63QBDjAaBI9A1/s320/Jersey+Boys.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514006609695855138" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJNy8PgDs47zCqKy3krDu1ApBbOMyDZpKrV7hNLStq65N6rtNRtcNuBjxt3zIjEiXgKkXiSJYFRjejyHjci71lY-262Y1kQGhsK9v07oQf5BLa36Z8qMWs4DUtIJDjDVIl0RI/s1600/Yankees.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuJNy8PgDs47zCqKy3krDu1ApBbOMyDZpKrV7hNLStq65N6rtNRtcNuBjxt3zIjEiXgKkXiSJYFRjejyHjci71lY-262Y1kQGhsK9v07oQf5BLa36Z8qMWs4DUtIJDjDVIl0RI/s320/Yankees.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514006603448879570" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsW2wSnoRVnIC3Wxyz2czJ7WNnHr69KgAphaCy6BEM5ZSUq1yqXeOhAppEVd0tNhIOnNhZhtxFRyn8uAmLAirE2VDXFzlrH0kkvG3m9hFH3KMlJaYxyXby__YJ64CC5RRfZn9/s1600/US+Open.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsW2wSnoRVnIC3Wxyz2czJ7WNnHr69KgAphaCy6BEM5ZSUq1yqXeOhAppEVd0tNhIOnNhZhtxFRyn8uAmLAirE2VDXFzlrH0kkvG3m9hFH3KMlJaYxyXby__YJ64CC5RRfZn9/s320/US+Open.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514006599576019122" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaXa920Jqi3V1mqHtLqsudDIJOEMAICZCf0dMQM4HxCsvPfoX6rDDDE0jwtu-4o4IlYGMIR7tVj1jHHzabjbujlcv_HeijH4iMw4_jqe55cLY0bs8Lzuu3rpnp6JOjGJGvzQq/s1600/IMG_1223.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQaXa920Jqi3V1mqHtLqsudDIJOEMAICZCf0dMQM4HxCsvPfoX6rDDDE0jwtu-4o4IlYGMIR7tVj1jHHzabjbujlcv_HeijH4iMw4_jqe55cLY0bs8Lzuu3rpnp6JOjGJGvzQq/s320/IMG_1223.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514002123219069842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBStFHgDzc0qD6Nl76TG-5S1E7od5GjYAHsbbsHDhXC5vetiPvaCaESKd6rFFReIL9iSITi_xtIncBEQwcKsJ45sCt7dJEPMb_yUAq5hwIDXuftZqFTC1_80WxCGrc0FI3JgtY/s1600/IMG_1217.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBStFHgDzc0qD6Nl76TG-5S1E7od5GjYAHsbbsHDhXC5vetiPvaCaESKd6rFFReIL9iSITi_xtIncBEQwcKsJ45sCt7dJEPMb_yUAq5hwIDXuftZqFTC1_80WxCGrc0FI3JgtY/s320/IMG_1217.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514002120039515954" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNURqjgGceYusceO3hhPbvNZGlpOZjy63tTeidGQOjPGaY2l3qGSx06aGvQ_cde4aDSBf0iH5rPDzV0gWCUWCxmzi2csGJt7fXzoqg61afMk36RojEXdS_suQtHvRkhf97a3N/s1600/IMG_1218.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNURqjgGceYusceO3hhPbvNZGlpOZjy63tTeidGQOjPGaY2l3qGSx06aGvQ_cde4aDSBf0iH5rPDzV0gWCUWCxmzi2csGJt7fXzoqg61afMk36RojEXdS_suQtHvRkhf97a3N/s320/IMG_1218.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514001801292394898" /></a><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">This past Labor Day weekend, I met my parents and two brothers in New York City for a family vacation there. Our main purpose for choosing this city on this particular weekend was to hit up the U.S. Open, take in a game at the new Yankee Stadium, and attend a Broadway show - The Jersey Boys.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">We all arrived via Jet Blue airline on Thursday, Sept 2. My brother Tony flew in from Orlando and my parents and brother Manny flew in from West Palm Beach. I arrived about two hours behind them, flying in from Jacksonville. I really enjoyed flying Jet Blue (this was my first time doing so). I loved the little televisions they have at every seat, with 36 different channels via DirectTV. I watched a lot of the US Open on the way up and back.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">After arriving into JFK airport, I took a cab ride over to Manhattan to meet my parents and brothers at our midtown hotel, the </span><a href="http://www.wingatehotelnyc.com/">Wingate Wyndham</a>, located on 35th street, between 7th and 8th avenues. A perfect location, a block from Penn Station, about 7 blocks from Times Square, where they had been walking around before I arrived. </p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Once I got to the hotel, we then got on the subway and headed downtown. Our first stop was Battery Park, where we looked across the water to see the Statue of Liberty. We then walked over to the <a href="http://www.skyscraper.org/home.htm">Skyscraper Museum</a>. Admission was $5, but it really wasn’t worth it. We then walked another 5 blocks or so to Ground Zero. There’s been some progress there (much more than the last time I visited the site in September 2002). There were also some memorials, especially a few dedicated to the firefighters who lost their lives to save other’s lives. A sacred ground indeed. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">From there, we walked a few blocks over to Wall Street, where we walked by the New York Stock Exchange and Federal Hall, the site of our nation’s first capitol and where our first President, George Washington, took his first oath of office. It’s the heart of our nation’s political and financial history.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Well, it was finally time for dinner. And let’s just say that was a challenge as we didn’t have a real plan in mind, but I was planning to meet up with a few friends in the East Village area after dinner, so we didn’t want to go back to midtown just yet. We eventually made our way to small cafe style restaurant called <a href="http://jerryscafenyc.com/">Jerry’s Cafe</a>. It wasn’t bad. After dinner, they headed back to the hotel and I went and joined my friends for a few drinks at <a href="http://www.petestavern.com/">Pete’s Tavern</a>, which is the oldest continuous restaurant and bar in the city (so they claim). They’ve been there since 1864 and I tried their Pete’s 1864 Ale. Not bad either. It was a nice warm evening. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">A few of my friends and I stayed out a bit later and hit up a few more establishments a block away from Pete’s. One was the <a href="http://www.bblnyc.com/">Black Bear Lodge</a> (I no longer felt like I was in NYC - it was a small bar that looked like a ski lodge on the inside - “are we in Montana?,” I thought.) Then we went down the street to another bar that has a live cover band. From there, we took a cab closer to midtown to a southern-feeling establishment, <a href="http://www.brotherjimmys.com/">Brother Jimmy’s</a>. It was a lot of fun. Luckily my friend James was able to give me a ride back to my hotel. It was nearly 2am! Where did the time go? </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">The next morning, we were hoping and praying that it would not rain. Hurricane Earl was skirting the east coast and the day before the weather report said there was a 90% chance of rain. But for how long? Luckily - not long! </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">We spent all day at the <a href="http://www.usopen.org/">US Open</a> over in Flushing Meadows. We started the day watching Tommy Robredo out on Court 11. Then, we watched 18-year old American <a href="http://www.usopen.org/en_US/players/overview/atph940.html">Ryan Harrison</a>. He had beaten the #15 seed Ljubic. In this match he took on Stakhovskey. It was a 4 hour plus match out on the Grandstand, with one 30-minute rain delay. It was the match of the day. Not a seat left in the Grandstand (the third biggest court). Harrison lost the match 8-6 in the 5th set tiebreaker, after being up 6-3 in the breaker with 3 match points. It was disappointing for the fans, but hey, this kid is 18 years old! Not a bad showing, after having to qualify for the U.S. Open. I think he’ll be back.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Later, we watched John Isner close out his second round match and my parents and brothers circulated the grounds to see a few other matches. I missed seeing Andy Murray’s match (he was off the court fast). Luckily his match wasn’t enough for him - as just 15 minutes after he was done, I caught him practicing out on the practice courts. Pretty neat to see him in action out there, so close up. We had a great day at the US Open.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">We headed back to our hotel in Manhattan and then headed down to Times Square, where we ate dinner at the <a href="http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes3/cafe.aspx?locationid=99&mibenumid=3">Hard Rock</a>. A great meal and high quality family time. We all walked back to the hotel and then my brother Tony and I headed out and found a good comedy club at the <a href="http://timessquareartscenter.com/">Times Square Art Center</a>, where about 8 comedians performed for about two hours total. In total we spent $40 - that included admission and two drinks, but all our tax and tip. Not a bad night out. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">On Saturday, we all headed to the Bronx to take in a game at the new $1.2 billion Yankee Stadium. We witnessed the Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-5 to extend their winning streak to 8 games - highest of the season. And they ended up losing their game on Sunday, so we saw the final game of their longest win streak of the season. In the stadium, we took in some great food (NY pizza for me!), saw a Yankees museum, and just were in awe over all the amenities this stadium had to offer, including a giant high definition tv screen in the outfield. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">After the game, we went back into Manhattan via the subway (same way we got to the Bronx). We then ate dinner at a good Italian restaurant in a more residential area a few blocks away. Then later, Tony and I went back down to the East Village/Union Square area and hit up a few bars. But we didn’t stay out terribly late - just enough to get a bit more of a feel of the town. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">On Sunday morning, I went to mass at <a href="http://www.saintpatrickscathedral.org/">St. Patrick’s Cathedra</a>l with my mom and two brothers. It was a beautiful mass - and as large as that place is - it was PACKED with fellow Catholics. After mass we toured the cathedral, walked around Rockefeller Center, visited the NBC Store (where I marveled at merchandise from shows like Seinfeld and The Office). We then walked by Radio City Music Hall, the NYC hq of Fox News, and strolled right into a Brazilian festival and flea market that took up many city blocks, where they had the street closed. After grabbing some lunch and heading back to the hotel, we then rested up and headed out the door again. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">We were on our way to the historic <a href="http://www.newyorkcitytheatre.com/theaters/augustwilsontheater/theater.php">August Wilson Theatre</a>, where we caught a 3pm viewing of the play <a href="http://www.jerseyboysinfo.com/broadway/">“Jersey Boys.”</a> This was my first ever show on Broadway - and it was absolutely FANTASTIC! After the show, we grabbed dinner across the street at <a href="http://www.victorscafe.com/index2.html">Victor’s Cafe</a>, a Cuban restaurant that has been there for more than 47 years. After dinner, we walked about 17 blocks back to the hotel - but after that fantastic dinner, we needed the walk and we strolled back through Times Square and in and out of a number of shops and just took in the sites on a beautiful evening, which felt like fall as the temperatures dipped into the lower 60s. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">After resting up for an hour or so at our hotel, my brothers and I headed out on the town. Thanks to some tips from some friends, we ended up at the <a href="http://www.nycbestbar.com/ginmill/">Gin Mill</a>, where the drinks were $3 from 8pm til close. Finally! A reasonable drink in NYC. We were in the Upper West Side, near 81st and Amsterdam and not terribly far from Columbia University, so definitely a mix of young professionals and college kids. We then ended up at <a href="http://www.suttonplacenyc.com/">Sutton Place</a>, a rooftop bar on the Upper East Side and made it back to our hotel late - about 3am. We were just having too much fun. A great night on the town for three brothers - lots family bonding this weekend! </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">On Monday, after waking up (which felt like too early after that late night!) I gave my parents and brothers our last few hugs and headed out the door. My flight was a good 5 hours ahead of theirs - so I left the hotel about 11:30am and took the cab back to JFK for my 2:35pm flight. They headed out to see a final attraction or two in the city before they headed back to the airport as well. What a great weekend with the family in the Big Apple! We really had the ideal New York City experience - and we did so much, all in a matter of about 4 days. As Frank Sinatra sang, “I want to be a part of it, New York, New York.” We surely were! </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-30843464658051370842010-08-23T18:29:00.000-07:002010-08-23T18:33:24.551-07:00My Message to the Tallahassee Tea Party<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVw8sxo1kVyROkK2oTQhaC8CKTOfjE1BndLnPnmA_vAL4fE8u5lQfio5ScaRB1g1K9i0kFfhGZxFKkmNorW64L6VcTi1IYTfd39dt1TrUpaZTiy80nuWvv8S0jlK4u7hWgemb/s1600/vote.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 319px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVw8sxo1kVyROkK2oTQhaC8CKTOfjE1BndLnPnmA_vAL4fE8u5lQfio5ScaRB1g1K9i0kFfhGZxFKkmNorW64L6VcTi1IYTfd39dt1TrUpaZTiy80nuWvv8S0jlK4u7hWgemb/s320/vote.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508783230808119826" /></a><br /><div><i>Tonight I sent out a pre-primary vote message to the 919 members of the Tallahassee Tea Party Facebook group. Here's the text of that message.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Tallahassee Tea Party,</div><div><br /></div><div>Tomorrow may be a historic day in Florida, and particularly in Tallahassee. There are many big primary races on both the Republican and Democrat tickets. There are also many non-partisan local races that will be DECIDED tomorrow - by this time tomorrow night we may know who our next Mayor, City and County Commissioners, and School Board members will be.</div><div><br /></div><div>While many statewide races are simply primaries tomorrow, the local races will mostly be OVER tomorrow. So, if you haven't yet voted via early voting or absentee ballot, you must vote tomorrow at your local precinct. </div><div><br /></div><div>Many people have asked me "Who is the tea party endorsing?" This question has been posed in races for Governor, US Senate, state representatives, mayors, etc. My answer has always been: "The tea party should not endorse candidates." This movement is BIGGER than that. It's the same reason the tea party movement should not be its own political party - why would we want to confine a movement to a party? The Goldwater Conservatives of the 1960s voted for a candidate, but they took over a party. They were bigger than one man. We must seek to be bigger than the candidates and parties that are offered to us and hold them accountable on a case by case basis.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tomorrow, and in November, I believe the tea party movement will demonstrate its impact - and no single person or cluster of a few leaders at the head of a party (whether it be the GOP, the Dems or a local or statewide or national tea party coalition) should decide for individuals who they should support.</div><div><br /></div><div>The entire point of the tea party movement is that we, as individuals, have taken it upon ourselves to be more ACTIVE...to be more ENGAGED...and to make our voices HEARD. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have been so encouraged by many of you who first become more ACTIVE during the first round of tea parties in early 2009. In the past year and a half, you have also been more ENGAGED - at rallies, on the phone calling your representatives, and more recently out working for individual candidates that YOU personally believe in. We can't all agree on every candidate or race. There are many fine people running (and quite a number of not so fine running as well). But the pure fact that we are part of a movement that shares the founding principles of individual liberty and limited government and the ideas of personal responsibility, is a testament to how powerful this tea party movement has become.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, thank you, thank you, thank you. Keep up the fight. I believe tomorrow is going to be a HUGE day in Tallahassee. And I think from tomorrow through November we will have plenty of good candidates to get behind as we seek to send Tallahassee and Washington a message...that we the people are more ACTIVE than ever, more ENGAGED on the issues, and that we will in fact be HEARD. </div><div><br /></div><div>GO VOTE! </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-56628758943126126702010-08-01T11:40:00.000-07:002010-08-01T11:54:32.191-07:00Florida's Beaches are Still Perfect<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit19x4n3sibLndXlZhQGfAMKdSOvQh0S3ubXThKiqErinny67O9gsotlGLgZXAIzTu_XyA2ZtZhK7hH1AOXO-KGhQGHQKY8IOYXb7cKLe7h6Zz2uQ8pXErx9DTOp8vNKP7IHpc/s1600/FL+beach.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit19x4n3sibLndXlZhQGfAMKdSOvQh0S3ubXThKiqErinny67O9gsotlGLgZXAIzTu_XyA2ZtZhK7hH1AOXO-KGhQGHQKY8IOYXb7cKLe7h6Zz2uQ8pXErx9DTOp8vNKP7IHpc/s320/FL+beach.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500515118767236002" /></a><br /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Last weekend, I spent a day at one of my favorite Florida getaways - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._George_Island_(Florida)">St. George Island</a>, which is situated on the Gulf of Mexico, just 90 minutes from the state capital of Tallahassee. SGI, as it’s known, always has a very secluded feel to it. It’s why the area is known as Florida’s <a href="http://www.forgottencoastline.com/">“Forgotten Coast.” </a></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>SGI may not have quite as nice of beaches as Destin, Panama City, or Pensacola, all within a few hours to its west; it may not have the high rise condos and many hotel chains; but it is a beach as untouched as most in Florida. In fact, that’s why I like it. It is a small beach town, with only a couple of locally owned hotels (no high rises). Most of the time if you stay a night, a weekend, or a week, you do so by renting out a beach house. It’s a true island getaway.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>As my friends and I got into the water, there was no sign of oil anywhere. This is <a href="http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/the-crisis-that-wasnt-wheres-all-the-oil/">the oil-drenched Gulf of Mexico we had been hearing about?</a> The only thing we had to fight this day was some possible rip tides, but we kept it safe, allowing ourselves to enjoy the large waves created by Tropical Depression Bonnie (which had passed through the Gulf of Mexico hundreds of miles to the south earlier that day). If we had a surfboard, this day would have been ideal - but so far that isn't a sport I've taken up yet.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>We then went and enjoyed some great music at <a href="http://www.harryasrestaurant.com/">Harry A’s</a>, played by our friend <a href="http://www.samthacker.com/">Sam Thacker</a> and his band. To keep things humorous, Sam kept introducing his band with a different name in between every song. “We’re Sam Thacker ... and the brown oysters,” he said one time. Next time it was “...and the dirty pelicans.” Finally, “...the dead manatees.” He meant no harm. And surely this isn’t something to joke about. But as we sat in a bar and grille that continues to serve great seafood from the Gulf of Mexico, as we sat on the beaches and refreshed ourselves in the warm Florida waters, we never saw one ounce of what the mainstream media told us about. Instead it felt like normal times on St. George Island - except for the businesses that are hurt by false, or at least over exaggerated reports.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>All I could think of is how this might be affecting the small business along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Florida boasts more than 1200 miles of coastline - and 700 miles of that includes sandy beaches. A few miles near Pensacola have been touched with tar balls, but not much else. In fact, at last check, all of these coastlines and beaches remain open for business. Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture Charlie Bronson declared this past week that “98% of all seafood in the entire Gulf of Mexico is unaffected and safe to eat.” </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>One of my favorite past times, especially during the summer, is to get out to the beach and in my opinion, Florida boasts some of the best, most diverse, and most unique beaches around. For my friends outside of Florida, I’m happy to make some recommendations: Amelia Island, Miami Beach, Fort Myers, St. George Island, Destin, and Pensacola Beach are some of my favorites. And I’ve heard so much about Siesta Key (near Sarasota) from others that it may be next on my list to check out. Either way, get to some of Florida’s beaches soon. You’ll understand why it is so many millions of people visit here - and why it is so many others choose to make this state home.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-12144150136367592672010-06-20T20:47:00.000-07:002010-06-20T21:20:46.375-07:00A Day for Charity<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5F-iTd0R6nJ6o1dcChwvgB-3DCb5G65ziFjmMIqGYakLbgx_ukcmrm0ukDI3szcyEPg4BVKhL2es_Qv5f-pg1NJpbimEQPpfILNwCmljR8aziHrqzExoil_UyM-y9FLI2pXpq/s1600/CCNWFL.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 100px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5F-iTd0R6nJ6o1dcChwvgB-3DCb5G65ziFjmMIqGYakLbgx_ukcmrm0ukDI3szcyEPg4BVKhL2es_Qv5f-pg1NJpbimEQPpfILNwCmljR8aziHrqzExoil_UyM-y9FLI2pXpq/s320/CCNWFL.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485075002522637138" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />On Saturday, I spent the day at two separate charity events in Tallahassee. The first involved playing in a charity tennis tournament that benefits </span><a href="http://www.catholiccharitiesnwfl.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. Each year, this charity, among its many programs, has a </span><a href="http://www.catholiccharitiesnwfl.org/9-christmas-connection"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Christmas Connection</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> drive, where it provides gifts and services to those in need. The tennis tournament that was held Saturday at Forest Meadows tennis center in Tallahassee raises money for the Christmas Connection drive. It was a round robin style tennis tournament. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I played in the 8.5 men's doubles draw with my friend and JMI member John Brooks and I played in the 8.5 mixed doubles draw with my colleague Laura Ward. I also participated in a serving target contest. All the funds from the tournament registration fees and associated contests go towards the charity. There was a very good turnout and the day started with a blessing by Father Will Ganci, who also played in one of the men's doubles brackets. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It was a scorching hot day, and after playing men's doubles in the morning and mixed doubles in the afternoon, I had to spend a few hours at home rehydrating and relaxing, before I was to take to the dance floor for another charity event Saturday night.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I attended the 6th annual </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2394398133&v=info"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Party4Purpose 80's prom</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> in Tallahassee. Each year, this event is held to raise money for one of many competing charities. The 80s themed event was held at three downtown establishments: Paradigm, Clyde's and Andrews. There were live bands playing cover songs from the 80s, a video screen showing music videos and other clips from 80s movies, as well as DJ's spinning 80s music. And the best part: attendees dress up in costumes as if we were living in the 80s. It was a lot of fun. The cover charge of $10 and part of the drinks consumed go to charity. When attendees enter, they are shown a board of the 7 "competing" charities and they cast a vote for one of them. The one who wins gets all the money that was raised at the event - a winner take all. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This year, the seven local competing charities included: (1) Big Bend Hospice, (2) Big Brothers & Big Sisters of the Big Bend, (3) Capital City Youth Services, (4) Guardian ad Litem, (5) Magnolia School, (6) Ovarian Cancer Alliance of North Florida, and (7) Special Olympics of Leon County.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I personally got a lot out of these two events. They were fun ways to learn about the charitable causes going on right here in Tallahassee. I applaud these two organizations for bringing awareness to these causes by hosting meaningful events to raise money for these great charitable organizations. The organizers of these events put a lot of time and effort into making sure every detail was covered - and the time they devoted to pulling off such successful events is much more than any of us could possibly give. They also showed that when people come together as a community for causes worth supporting, private charity often fulfills the greatest needs in our communities - and they are causes worth supporting with our time, talents, and treasures. For centuries, American civil society has been built through voluntary associations that these charities represent. The tennis tournament and the 80s prom are unique ways in which members of our own community here in Tallahassee came together voluntarily to be a part of this American tradition.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-90772842947663468822010-06-18T18:24:00.000-07:002010-06-18T19:25:23.177-07:00My weekend in Hotlanta!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtUrdnzr0f9I8OCpGXfIkfbtX5U8tVLZJhRZl8cHmMRhxcycN_WBhFv9p62WkyMS3DThWaeChAlJWVevmeN0dHHkBXowLIXOuLOrQhlY6H6c72RJaiMcD552nVDWFbY45t8yE/s1600/atlanta-ga.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdtUrdnzr0f9I8OCpGXfIkfbtX5U8tVLZJhRZl8cHmMRhxcycN_WBhFv9p62WkyMS3DThWaeChAlJWVevmeN0dHHkBXowLIXOuLOrQhlY6H6c72RJaiMcD552nVDWFbY45t8yE/s320/atlanta-ga.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484301633877731586" /></a><br />Last weekend I took a trip to Atlanta. Although I always like to call it Hotlanta! One, it's usually hot there this time of year. But two, it's a city that's getting more vibrant each time I go. It's literally HUGE. Over the course of more than 2 days I found myself all over the city. What's odd is that all of a sudden I have a lot of friends and acquaintances in Atlanta. Maybe it's the connections of living in the Florida panhandle the past two plus years combined with the travels I did for <a href="http://www.isi.org/">ISI</a> and working in the conservative movement. <div><br /></div><div>I got up there on Friday night and my first stop was to get some chili burgers at the famous Atlanta joint, <a href="http://www.thevarsity.com/">The Varsity</a>. It's very conveniently located right off I-75 in the heart of Atlanta. The food there is absolutely gross, but delicious. And well, I had to have it. I'm in Atlanta.</div><div><br /></div><div>From there I stopped in to see <a href="http://www.mattkabus.com/">Matt Kabus</a> play some live music at his mother's art show, which was part of a larger art show taking place in the historic <a href="http://castleberryhill.org/wpmu/">Castleberry Hill </a>neighborhood in southwest Atlanta. I first met Matt on <a href="http://www.therockboat.com/">The Rock Boat</a>. He played a few acoustic sets on there, but I would have never known. He was one of the many people I met and hung out with on the Promenade deck, listening to other musicians play late into the night. We've kept in touch and before this trip I've only listened to his recorded music via my iPod. This was the first time I got to here a few tunes live and he is a very talented musician, who is still working on finishing college. Meanwhile, as I walked around the art gallery, I couldn't tell who was more talented, Matt or his mother, <a href="http://www.atlantasfinest.net/atlgalleries/theartists/lisaklaubus/index.html">Lisa Kabus</a>. The art work was incredible. I guess creativity runs in the family.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well I didn't know anyone there but Matt, and he was kind of busy playing music. Plus I needed to get over to <a href="http://www.rira.com/rira/atlanta.html">RiRa Irish Pub</a> in midtown Atlanta to see my friends <a href="http://www.samthacker.com/">Sam Thacker</a>, Michael Westbrook, and Mike Reddick. They played a couple sets of cover songs. My friend Dom, who just moved to Atlanta from Tallahassee six months ago, also met up with me there and we got the chance to catch up. It's too bad we didn't get a chance to play tennis. Dom is a teaching tennis pro in Atlanta - and he's also a drummer. More on that later.</div><div><br /></div><div>I stayed to the end of the night at RiRa and then crashed at Sam's place. The next morning watched the first <a href="http://www.fifa.com/">World Cup</a> game with him and his girlfriend Melissa. Then, I was off to go pick up my friend Ezra, who was flying into the Atlanta airport from Miami for a dinner we both were in town to attend that night at <a href="http://www.thecapitalgrille.com/Locations/Atlanta/Main.asp">Capital City Grille</a> in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta. After picking him up we went back to our friend Stan's place, who put us up that night in his house. But he was also hosting a big afternoon party to watch the USA-England game. About 30 people came over and we all just had a blast. I've never seen such a large and boisterous gathering of Americans at a house party for SOCCER! Will World Cup fever finally get Americans into soccer? Or will it forever remain America's future sport? ha</div><div><br /></div><div>After the game and the party, Stan, his girlfriend, Ezra, and I went to the Capital City Grille to meet up with a few other folks that are part of this emerging social network of young conservatives. I'd tell you more, but... it's kind of a conspiracy. Ok not really, but just an exchange of intellectual ideas with top conservative young adults from around the country who are beginning to make their way in the world. After a dinner in a private dining room with an amazing view from the 8th floor (a dinner which lasted more than 3 hours!) we all walked down the street to <a href="http://www.eastandrews.com/">East Andrews </a> where my friend Sam was playing a solo set. </div><div><br /></div><div>While there, we snuck off to a back room where there is a secret bar (seriously, I'm not making this up) called <a href="http://www.blogger.com/://www.yelp.com/biz/prohibition-atlanta">Prohibition.</a> You have to know someone to get in because you walk in through an old style telephone booth. You have to dial the right number on the phone (and apparently the number changes every night or every week or something). We went in there. It was a very nice traditional looking bar that was more like a cigar bar. After a drink and some good conversation, I had to dip out. It was hot and smoky and I can only take that so long. Plus, had to go hear Sam play a few more songs before we dipped out. </div><div><br /></div><div>Another odd thing - since we all had a few drinks... my friend Stan didn't want anyone to drive home, a mere 10 minutes away. They have this neat service in Atlanta called <a href="http://callzingo.com/">Zingo</a>. You pay a driver to drive you home. He puts a very small scooter (which disassembles) in the back of the trunk (in this case, the back of Stan's SUV). Once we got home, the driver then rides his scooter back. I think the service cost about $20 (plus tip) for the distance we traveled. Better than taking a cab because you don't have to find a ride back to the bar in the morning to get your car. And you don't need to get a DUI.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well the next morning, watched a little more World Cup with Stan and Ezra. Then I headed out to meet my cousin Joey for lunch. He is a student at Georgia Tech, getting a second bachelor's degree there. I picked him up there and we ate at a local pizza joint next to campus. It was great to see him and catch up. He's studying away in a mechanical engineering program. </div><div><br /></div><div>After lunch, I headed east across town barely leaving the city limits to go to an art show/music festival at the Alcove art gallery in Decatur where my friend Dom's band, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/thesonred">The Son Red</a>, was playing that afternoon. Boy it was hot! As I waited for Dom's band to get on, I walked around to the many booths where people were selling all sorts of neat art. I happened to be wearing my "Enjoy Capitalism" t-shirt and I had so many people make positive comments about it. One of the vendors even had a 10 minute conversation with me about the future of capitalism and the prospects of drilling after the DeepWater Horizon oil leak. Was I back at my think tank? I was wondering why - at an art show - where most of these folks would appear to be pretty politically liberal - why I would get so many positive comments. Then I thought: of course! They are all participating in the free market at this very moment, selling goods to turn a profit. They are all entrepreneurs! Of course they loved my shirt.</div><div><br /></div><div>After listening to Dom's band (which was very good - kind of a grunge feel to them) I headed out and swung up to the north side of Atlanta, near Johns Creek, GA in Gwinnett County to see my friends Esther and Seth Weathers. They just got married back in November. I first met Esther at least 4 years ago when I worked for ISI. I met Seth about 2 years ago. I was introduced to him via another mutual friend, and what do you know, he married Esther. Small world. Small conservative world. Through their companies, <a href="http://weatherscorp.com/">Weathers Corporation</a> and <a href="http://www.wildfireplatform.com/">Wildfire</a>, they build websites and social networking experiences for companies and for political candidates in Atlanta and are tied into the political conservative world of this vibrant and growing metropolis. My visit to see them was short, but at least I got it in. </div><div><br /></div><div>I eventually had to head out and put a close on a fun weekend. Leaving Atlanta about 6:30 PM, I ventured back south and got back home to Tallahassee about 11:00 PM, only stopping once to get some quick fast food. It was a whirlwind of a weekend. But I got to see so many amazing friends and even made some new ones. It was really neat to spend time in so many different and unique parts of this city - from the southwest historic district, to the heart of midtown, the Georgia Tech campus, to Buckhead, Decatur, and the growing areas of Gwinnett County to the north. A lot of cool things are going to come out of this city - and who knows, they might all come from my eclectic group of friends there. Musically, politically, academically, and socially - Atlanta is a place worth watching - and visiting again, for sure.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-14223348005726196192010-06-02T18:16:00.000-07:002010-06-02T18:58:48.086-07:00I DON'T BLAME OBAMA<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDvq6a-JWSPDNa0rAYU45W-fefatoS2jwKzaSE03czdpg-xyKj7TgnU-EipUeeYc_8b6tTOZsbt2QNBQjA_ZoQilZRC4jN9RjicPLdqMThhZ4Ypwn0qh16RTHmRmqhP-LbsgLq/s1600/obama+tar+balls.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDvq6a-JWSPDNa0rAYU45W-fefatoS2jwKzaSE03czdpg-xyKj7TgnU-EipUeeYc_8b6tTOZsbt2QNBQjA_ZoQilZRC4jN9RjicPLdqMThhZ4Ypwn0qh16RTHmRmqhP-LbsgLq/s320/obama+tar+balls.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478358412582495666" /></a><br />Over the past 6 weeks, since the Deep Water Horizon oil leak, many have been pointing fingers at those they deem responsible. BP? Transocean? Halliburton? They were the companies involved in this freak accident. But as the oil keeps gushing from the sea floor without any success of plugging the leak, many have been looking to President Obama and the federal government to take action and use the power of the federal government to stop the oil leak and prevent oil from reaching the shores of Gulf Coast states like Louisiana, Mississippi, and my beloved home state of Florida. <div><br /></div><div>Some are even saying this is "Obama's Katrina." And that's where I say, let's hold our horses. Just as I do not believe George W. Bush and the federal government were to blame for a hurricane hitting the city of New Orleans and causing damage in other states like Mississippi, I also don't think Obama or the federal government are to blame for an explosion on an oil rig miles out in the Gulf of Mexico, which has caused a leak 5,000 feet down on the sea floor. <div><br /></div><div>First and foremost, the responsibility rests with the companies operating the rig. Yes, in this case, this conservative will first blame private companies over the federal government. Some will then say, well the government should have had more regulations in place. Really? Is that what we need? More government regulation? </div><div><br /></div><div>Private companies have the incentive to regulate themselves and create industry standards. And they are motivated mostly by profit. Let's change the subject for a moment to the airline industry. Airlines are also motivated by profit. They know that no matter how successful they are, one plane crash could put them out of business. Consider the airline industry's record: There are relatively very few commercial plane accidents. They are so rare that when one happens, it's usually in the news for months.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ok, back to drilling for oil...with that same concept applied. Oil companies are motivated by profit. They know that one accident may not only put them out of business, but could also disrupt the entire oil industry from being allowed to drill further. In the past six weeks, BP has already dished out tens of millions of dollars, are losing hundreds of millions of dollars daily since the spill, and are being seriously damaged in the public relations battle. There's a good chance the many lawsuits already piling up against them will force them to go completely out of business because of this one accident. Even if they do survive as a company, the regulations that will hit them and the entire oil drilling industry will be a severe punishment to their future profits. </div><div><br /></div><div>With all this in mind, it is plain as daylight to see <i>why</i> the oil drilling industry has an almost perfect record when it comes to safety and almost nonexistent accidents. They have a profit incentive not to spill any oil. The last time something this big happened near the United States was with the Exxon Valdez oil spill in the 1980s. That's more than 20 years ago. Private companies have a profit motive to regulate themselves. And despite this once in a generation accident, that incentive has proven to work pretty well.</div><div><br /></div><div>So back to Obama and the federal government. Are they to blame? No. </div><div><br /></div><div>Some will say, "This proves Obama is incompetent." Perhaps this is true. But maybe those who were so quick to judge Bush will rethink this. Why do those in government always look so incompetent? It's not because they are (ok, maybe some are). It's mostly just the nature of how government works. It has no profit incentive. The only incentive elected officials have are to make things look good (whether they are or not) in the public relations battle so they aren't damaged from the events that happen to occur on their watch, in order that they might still be electable in the future. But most people in government aren't elected officials - most are appointed or hired bureaucrats. Their incentives are much less than elected officials - and much, much less than private companies. </div><div><br /></div><div>The lesson learned here: let the free-market work. Don't blame those in government for things they don't (and shouldn't) control. And don't overreact by giving them more power to regulate the things they should be far, far away from. </div><div><br /></div><div>The government's role in this case is simply one of being the mediator of the litigations that will follow between the private parties who caused the damage and who were victims of the damage. If those parties involve individuals, communities, towns, or entire states, then we'll see this all played out in the courtroom - and ultimately the private companies who bear the responsibility for this damage will pay and other private entities involved in this industry will take note and impose stricter safety standards on themselves. It would be good for business.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-66407719147753831472010-05-03T20:03:00.001-07:002010-05-03T20:33:18.563-07:00State Sovereignty is Wrong<div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Pok7Bzd6TqrlijnOQSSfJzthadrwwKTVTUZ1thteavXZViveursHKGVR3NZzwfDWGa-GOQkvqZNWGEYFzwHP5fWeXI2qnKmDr4df5kRzdmCSRK_IAEZqsTh61YVgLz5ve-mV/s1600/800px-Joinordie.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Pok7Bzd6TqrlijnOQSSfJzthadrwwKTVTUZ1thteavXZViveursHKGVR3NZzwfDWGa-GOQkvqZNWGEYFzwHP5fWeXI2qnKmDr4df5kRzdmCSRK_IAEZqsTh61YVgLz5ve-mV/s320/800px-Joinordie.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467252719978301394" /></a><div><br /></div>Throughout the tea party movement, and among many conservatives and libertarians lately, there have been cries for "state sovereignty." Much of this has to do with a reaction to the overreach of the federal government, which has gone on since the Progressive Era in the early twentieth century and accelerated with the New Deal and the Great Society programs. <div><br /></div><div>The latest infringements of federal power on the states has come in the form of federal bailouts for failed corporations and federal mandates for states and individuals in the realm of health care. But is a cry for "state sovereignty" the answer? According to the U.S. Constitution... absolutely not. <div><br /></div><div>But what about the Tenth Amendment? Let's revisit the words in that amendment: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, don't get me wrong. I agree with just about everyone who agrees with what the Tenth Amendment actually says. But let's get things straight. There is a role for both the states and the federal government. The states are not sovereign.</div><div><br /></div><div>In addition to the use of the term "state sovereignty," some use the term "state's rights." For many others, the use of the term "state's rights" conjures up images of slavery and the Confederacy. Well, both sides of that debate are wrong. It is true that state's have a role to play, but rights? Does the federal government have "rights"? Absolutely not - they have powers delegated to it by the consent of the governed (i.e. "We the People"). In this same sense, states also do not have rights, they merely have powers delegated to them. "Rights" and "powers" are two very different things. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, what about "we the people"? Do we, as individuals, have rights? Yes. In fact, we're the only ones that do. Our founders also laid out these rights in a very controversial (especially for their time) Bill of Rights. Some at the time, who believed the people already had these natural rights, as granted by their Creator, did not think they needed to be spelled out in the Constitution or in any amendments to that Constitution, for they were a given. But, as a compromise with those that did want them spelled out, they went ahead and wrote these rights into words in order that the Constitution be ratified. Fair enough, but that's where our confusion set in; because for some people today, a written Bill of Rights makes them believe that government is the grantor of "rights." Absolutely not. The people have the rights, as the Declaration of Independence stated, they are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights." The people thus have the liberties to govern themselves, with the only exception being the "powers" they consented to have delegated to the various levels of government (local, state, and federal). </div><div><br /></div><div>For those in our movement that want to reign in the overreaching powers of the federal government, we need to stop using the terms "state's rights" or "state sovereignty." Government (federal, state, or local) does not have "rights." Government only has "powers," and only those powers delegated by we the people. </div><div><br /></div><div>And individual states are not sovereign. The last time they were sovereign was before the Constitution was ratified in 1789, and arguably before the Articles of Confederation were put into place during the War for Independence in 1781. The states joined together in a loose confederation then and later, under the Constitution, into a federal republic, in which some powers were delegated to the federal government, while others were retained by the states and by the people.</div><div><br /></div><div>That said it is imperative, for the sake of our Union, that the Tenth Amendment movement should go forward. The federal government has certainly usurped more powers than the U.S. Constitution has granted it. States need to check the federal government's power and use the Constitution to do so. But we must abandon this language of "state sovereignty" and "state's rights" fast, before we lose the ultimate battle. Rather, we need to educate more people on the principle of federalism, which provides a role for states and a role for the federal government. It is part of the ultimate checks and balances, just as (if not more important) than the separation of powers in the three branches of government (legislative, executive, and judicial). </div><div><br /></div><div>We must get a grip back on the language of the role of the various levels and branches of government. That language is right inside the Tenth Amendment itself. We must speak of the various "powers delegated" and must educate more people on which of those powers are for the federal government and which are left to the states and the people.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-43083829742856576932010-04-29T18:40:00.000-07:002010-04-29T19:19:26.831-07:00Sometimes It's Tough Being Right<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh215a4DY9avxKmK-M5FHJgsM3kKQQ2Sn5wpPunom-M04ls3NGpooI4Hs4tS-v1vMzlTLNehCrkTqt88eDtZPF74aow1jsYk6owOhlpMh6a-82k__KJ4OrgP7iThRSrefgUpjYa/s1600/crist-obama-2.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh215a4DY9avxKmK-M5FHJgsM3kKQQ2Sn5wpPunom-M04ls3NGpooI4Hs4tS-v1vMzlTLNehCrkTqt88eDtZPF74aow1jsYk6owOhlpMh6a-82k__KJ4OrgP7iThRSrefgUpjYa/s320/crist-obama-2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465745389035347074" /></a><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Two years ago, I co-authored a book with my friends Brendan Steinhauser and Steve Bierfeldt. The book, </span></span><i><a href="http://www.whoistherealbarackobama.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Who is the REAL Barack Obama? For the rising generation, by the rising generation</span></span></span></a></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, was a warning to all voters, but especially young people to not get caught up in the hype presented by the candidacy of Barack Obama.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In the book, we demonstrated, through facts (supported by nearly 200 footnotes) that Obama would be the most radically left President we've ever had. Obama claimed he would be a "transpartisan" president, meaning he would transcend partisan politics. As President, he has done nothing more than chart a course as far to the Left as possible. In response, a populist movement known as the tea parties emerged and President Obama has not only not reached out to this popular (and growing) movement of Americans, but has publicly ridiculed them. Do you call this transcending partisan politics?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As a candidate, Obama claimed he would bring "change" to Washington, but again, as we correctly pointed out in our book, he would concentrate more power in Washington and exacerbate our problems further. I could go on and on and an entire new book could be written here.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Today, I hate to say it, but I was right again. More than 14 months ago, I wrote a blog post, </span></span><a href="http://fgonzalez78.blogspot.com/2009/02/oust-charlie-crist.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Oust Charlie Crist,"</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> issuing "a clarion call to all conservatives inside and outside of Florida: let's oust Crist from the Republican Party." I cited several examples where Crist's policies had been going to the Left, embracing statist policies even before he "embraced" Obama in Fort Myers that same month. His government property insurance scheme (a real "public option"), his state version of a "cap and trade" program with government mandates on energy and holding summits about "global warming." Since then he has committed some real sins against the Right, with his active support of the stimulus which puts our nation further into debt and then his veto against his own party on the bold education reforms passed by the Republican-led Florida Legislature.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Today was no surprise for me. The winds have shifted and Charlie Crist goes wherever the winds move. Unfortunately for him the winds have shifted so much against him he now has nowhere to turn, but only to a lonely desperate road of political isolationism. The party establishment he has called himself a part of for 24 years he now refers to as "a club." When the club embraced him, Charlie was happy to be a part of it. Now that his corrupt cronies (Jim Greer and company) have been found caught red-handed with out of control spending on the GOP donor's dime, he no longer can use the power of the party for his own personal political ambitions. Thus, he realizes he cannot win as a Republican. Down by double-digits in the polls (in some polls more than 30 points) to Republican Marco Rubio, he now abandons the primary race to go straight to November. Desperation has set in and Charlie isn't about to put the interests of his party in front of his own interests.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Many Republican establishment types in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. stayed with Charlie for way too long. For some, almost to the bitter end. With Rubio seen as a rising star and out to a massive lead over both Crist and Meek, these political insiders are anxious to throw jokes at Crist and jump on board the Rubio express. I'm happy to welcome them, but I now see through their own political posturing. It isn't much different than Charlie's. He's simply the one in the spotlight.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Conservatives stand for the timeless principles that our founders placed in the Constitution: limited government, separation of powers, federalism, and the rule of law. They are not difficult principles to stand for if you indeed really stand for them. Barack Obama looks at these founding principles with contempt. Charlie Crist doesn't look at them at all. Barack Obama knows what he wants to do with his power. Charlie Crist simply wants power, like a schoolboy who wants to be Class President. Both are hungry for power at the expense of hardworking Americans simply wanting government to get out of the way so they can live their lives and pursue their dreams. It's no wonder these two embraced each other in Fort Myers, FL in February 2009. They have so much in common with each other and very little in common with average Americans.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So today, it's tough being right. I would have preferred to be wrong about these two men. I would have embraced them had they proven me wrong. But it's hard to escape the truth that facts employ. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So tonight I remind America that I have proved right about these two men in my own careful analysis. I am not simply a "Republican" looking to win. If that was the case, I would not have abandoned Charlie Crist 14 months ago. I would have been riding his wave when he was riding high. I look to principles and purpose. These two men don't have it and it wasn't that hard to tell. Instead of following them, we need to seek to place serious, hard working, thoughtful, principled men and women in office who care about upholding not their personalities, but the Constitution. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Stay tuned America. I'll be offering more analysis and predictions in the future. You just might want to tune in. Foresight is a bitch. It's also a burden.</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-14372166360388153822009-12-31T11:20:00.000-08:002009-12-31T12:43:43.021-08:002009: My Year in Review - Forever Young<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYnL2VVDPETWx0c8R5YLYGM7GvvTOwUyUI6kgDV-B5zldj3eL72jfu3c41FUXOfQj0VGL2wvIj-VUx-HwRyQGOik52lt0IKYEueriuTLzzk_h7tF9uQXmFo-EVyjHGMAS1vvc/s1600-h/TallyTeaParty2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYnL2VVDPETWx0c8R5YLYGM7GvvTOwUyUI6kgDV-B5zldj3eL72jfu3c41FUXOfQj0VGL2wvIj-VUx-HwRyQGOik52lt0IKYEueriuTLzzk_h7tF9uQXmFo-EVyjHGMAS1vvc/s320/TallyTeaParty2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421503743148820690" border="0" /></a>Where did this year go?<br /><br />In 2009, I began the year with my January 13th birthday. Turning 31, I declared at my birthday party that "31 is the new 21." By year's end, that little joke would turn out to ring true. I got more competitive on the tennis court, I partied with musicians and attended many more musical performances than I had in years, and in Tallahassee, I helped organize thousands of people to come together to take on the forces of big government in a series of "tea parties." So here's a little run through some of the more memorable moments of my year:<br /><br />In January and February, I saw my Terps and Canes basketball teams come to town. One advantage living in Seminole country is that my ACC teams play here often. Unfortunately, I saw them both lose to a pretty good FSU basketball team. The year was redeemed for me on Labor Day night with a classic Miami win over FSU, decided on a last second play. It was one of the best football games I've ever been to, with a constant back and forth in the score and with my Canes prevailing. Perhaps the neatest thing was seeing more than 20,000 Miami Hurricane fans don the orange and green in Tallahassee and attended a pre-game UM celebration.<br /><br />In February, I took a trip to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Washington, D.C</span>. to see a lot of friends and timed my trip perfectly with the annual <a href="http://www.cpac.org/">Conservative Political Action Conference.</a> This was my fifth time attending CPAC in the past 6 years. During that week, I also attended the first round of tea parties of 2009 and the first tea party (we know of) that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDNytTOGs4M">took place outside the White House on February 27</a>. About 300 patriots came together that day and my friends Brendan Steinhauser, John O'Hara, and J.P. Freire were the primary organizers. I stayed with Brendan while I was in D.C. and got snowed in for two days. During that time, I plotted and planned with him and was determined to bring the "tea party" movement to Tallahassee. While "snowed-in in DC," I also gave a short lecture at the Heritage Foundation during a special "Conservatism on Tap" event.<br /><br />Upon my return to Tallahassee, I had two goals: have a tea party on St. Patrick's Day (March 17) and try to get 300 people there. Then, use that as a jumping point for a Tax Day Tea Party (April 15) and get 1,000 people there. The first goal was nearly accomplished, with about 225 people attending and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nojLcukNnU">plenty of media attention</a>. But that generated the momentum for April 15. Somehow, someway, we organized well and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i39dBU_ezao&feature=related">on April 15, more than 2,000 people showed up</a> to the grounds of Florid'as Historic State Capitol. I was the primary organizer of the event and I also served as the event's emcee, which was really cool. To look out and see that many people - to rally that many people - for the cause of liberty, was an incredible feeling.<br /><br />More than 1,000 such tea parties were held simultaneously across the nation that day. We helped create a movement - and are now part of the biggest push back against big government perhaps since our nation's founding and the first tea party of 1773.<br /><br />The tea parties were a reaction to the gigantic growth in government over the past two years, between the "Bush-Obama" bailouts, and now they continue to be a force to fight against the continued government intervention in the economy - whether that be in the area of health care, energy policy, or other regulatory and reckless spending. We cannot push our country any further into debt than it already is. I believe we've reached a breaking point, and the tea party movement has come about to say "enough is enough." Throughout 2009, the <a href="http://www.tallahasseeteaparty.webs.com/">Tallahassee Tea Party</a> persisted and has become a large part of the tea party movement.<br /><br />I did some other traveling this year - mostly related to my job as Director of Development at <a href="http://www.jamesmadison.org/">The James Madison Institute</a> as well as opportunities to come together with others in the conservative movement. (It's hard to believe I'm now wrapping up my full second year with the Institute!)<br /><br />In late March, I drove over to <span style="font-weight: bold;">New Orleans</span> for annual national meeting of <a href="http://www.phillysoc.org/">The Philadelphia Society</a>, an intellectually conservative group of which I am proud to be a member for the past few years. At that meeting, scholars discussed the future of conservatism and <a href="http://phillysoc.org/2009nationalpresentations.htm">how to bring conservative principles into the 21st century</a>.<br /><br />In September, I drove to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Charleston, SC</span> - my first time there - for a Development Director's retreat hosted by the State Policy Network. I got together with my colleagues in the state-based free-market movement and discussed how to raise more money and grow our organizations' capacities. In November, I traveled with 4 of my colleagues to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Asheville, NC</span> and attended the annual meeting of the <a href="http://www.spn.org/">State Policy Network.</a> More than 600 people attended this year, representing every state think tank in the country. This meeting is always really neat because there is someone from every state in the Union represented. We share best practices and learn from one another about what is working (and what isn't) for free-marketers in the various states.<br /><br />In August, I traveled to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Maryland </span>for a special retreat for about 50 young professional conservatives across the country. I then visited my friends and former colleagues at my old job at ISI in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Delaware</span> and then hung out in <span style="font-weight: bold;">D.C.</span> for a few days, getting the opportunity to watch some high quality professional tennis at the <a href="http://www.leggmasontennisclassic.com/">Legg Mason Tennis Classic</a> - we saw 7 of the top 20 players on the same day, including Fernando Gonzalez, Andy Roddick, Robin Soderling, Fernando Verdasco, Tommy Robredo, and Lleyton Hewitt, among others.<br /><br />In the past few years, I have been playing more tennis than I have since I was a junior player. This year, I really stepped it up more by playing more and I competed once again in the USTA's 4.5 league here in Tallahassee. This year, our regionals was held in Tallahassee and I had to play 4 singles matches in 3 days - I won 3 of them - all tough matches. Down two players, our team tied for first with the Jacksonville team, yet it wasn't enough. When they went to the "tiebreaker" we lost one more set than Jacksonville, and weren't able to advance. However, I really proved to myself that I could play 4 tennis matches in the same 3 days and play at a high quality level - in July! I was even filmed for a spot on the local Tallahassee news, which showed some of my points.<br /><br />As I write this, I have just went out and visited my old training ground at Bill Clark's tennis academy in Cooper City, FL. I was out there this week - at the age of 31 - training with some top college and junior tennis players and hanging in there. (And hey, they don't have full time jobs)<br /><br />My year was also defined by music. I attended the <a href="http://www.rockbythesea.org/">Rock By The Sea</a> charitable music festival on <span style="font-weight: bold;">St. George Island</span>. I had never been to SGI before, but this year I made it there 4 times. My first time was for the festival at the end of March. Beautiful weather, great music, good times. I was introduced to some great bands: <a href="http://www.samthacker.com/">Sam Thacker</a> and <a href="http://widewake.com/">Wideawake</a> becoming some of my friends - and Sam Thacker (and his crew including Michael Westbrook) becoming good friends in the process. I hung out with Sam and his crew 4 different weekends on SGI this year, rocking out at Harry A's, getting in some good beach time, and sleeping it off at the unique beach houses on SGI. One of those weekends was for Rock By The Sea "Lite" in the fall, which benefits Sister Hazel's "Lyrics for Life" charity.<br /><br />Speaking of Sister Hazel, I got to meet them too. Sam opened up for them in November in Tallahassee. And, my brother Manny (who had just returned from Kentucky was on his way back south on his move back to South Florida) and I found ourselves at the bar with all them later, with Sister Hazel buying us drinks. Pretty cool. Just weeks before on Halloween, I dressed up as a "rock star" and saw Sam open for <a href="http://coreysmithmusic.com/">Corey Smith</a> at Potbelly's in Tallahassee. Even got to hang out with Corey Smith after. Yea, I felt like a rock star all year long - from the tea parties, the tennis competitions, and hanging out with musicians. So I thought, why not just dress up the way I feel?<br /><br />And how can you not feel like a rock star when you have 250 plus followers - on <a href="http://twitter.com/fgonzalez1978">Twitter</a> that is. I joined this new social networking device and it's become the new way I get almost all my news, at least initially. I first found out about the death of Michael Jackson and the hysterics of "Balloon Boy" on Twitter. Politically, I share lots of information on Twitter and get a lot of updates from the 75 or so people I follow - all via my mobile device. At the end of 2008 I had purchased the Blackberry Storm - my first blackberry ever - and it definitely has "altered" my life in new and interesting ways in 2009 - still not sure its always for the better. What happened to the phone call? It seems all we communicate over now is texts and tweets.<br /><br />This past August, my paternal grandfather passed away. Due to traveling at the time of his passing (and the insanely fast turn around on his funeral arrangements) I wasn't able to get to his funeral. But a few weeks later I visited his grave in Miami with my grandmother, who survives him. She is the last grandparent I still have alive. His death, at the age of 89, reminded me of all the sacrifices he made for his family - bringing them from Cuba in 1960 and starting a new life in a country. It reinforces for me why I do what I do - promoting liberty and a free economy. He sacrificed so much for it - and thought more about the next generation of his own family.<br /><br />Well as the year draws to a close, I am writing this blog from my parents home in Delray Beach, FL. I feel like I have spent so much more time in <span style="font-weight: bold;">South Florida</span> this year than I have in perhaps as many as 8 years. For six and half years (2001-2008) I lived outside Florida (in Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania). Since moving to Tallahassee, I find myself <span style="font-weight: bold;">all over the state </span>and the ability to get back to South Florida for work and to visit my family is a bit easier (despite the 6 and a half hour drive each way). But this year, I spent almost a week here during Thanksgiving and now I'm down here for two weeks for Christmas and for some JMI events.<br /><br />As we look towards 2010, we have a hopeful year ahead at JMI - we are contracting to buy a new building and have a downtown Tallahassee headquarters, we are putting up a new website (any day!) and we will be hiring new staff to help us do more on behalf of the principles we believe will help our state during these challenging times and in the future.<br /><br />In 2010, we must win our country back. JMI does not get involved in the direct political process (candidates or lobbying, etc). But as for me, the number one man of the year I'll be supporting is <a href="http://www.marcorubio.com/">Marco Rubio</a> to represent the state of Florida in the U.S. Senate!<br /><br />Next week at this time, I'll be boarding my first cruise ever - <a href="http://www.therockboat.com/">The Rock Boat!</a> It's a 4-night Carnival cruise that will take us from Tampa to Cozumel. The added bonus: there are like 25 bands coming with us and there will be wall-to-wall concerts and fun all day and night. It's going to be nuts. 2009 ended with me feeling that 31 is the new 21 ... and we're bringing that rock star status right into the new year.<br /><br />Let's see if 2010 can live up to all the hopeful expectations. But thanks 2009 - you wore me out at my ripe old age of 31, but you made me feel young again. Thanks for the memories!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-88857230400081370022009-10-25T08:46:00.000-07:002009-10-26T18:39:03.567-07:00Caught the Spirit of the Suwannee<div>Yesterday, I spent the day at the <a href="http://magmusic.com/magnoliafest">Magnolia Music Festival</a>, held at the "Spirit of the Suwannee" state music park. It couldn't have been a more heavenly day - clear blue skies, temperature in the mid 70s, dropping to the mid 60s at night. Like much of northern Florida, the park hosts many live oak trees with Spanish moss - and probably not coincidentally the park itself is actually situated in the city of Live Oak, FL.</div><div><br /></div><div>There were more than 30 bands on hand on four different stages, with bluegrass as the predominant style of music, but not the only style of music. My favorite band, <a href="http://scythianmusic.com/">Scythian</a>, is an Irish/Celtic band with a modern edge. Then there was <a href="http://www.tornadoriderband.com/">Tornado Rider</a>, whose lead singer plays an electric cello as if it were an electric guitar. He also likes to climb things. What a storm of songs he took us through! Almost all had to do with animals (songs about hyenas, falcons, and even dinosaurs!) And <a href="http://www.donnathebuffalo.com/">Donna the Buffalo</a> topped things off late at night with some classic bluegrass grooves .</div><div><br /></div><div>Throughout this great day of music, however, I couldn't help but notice some of the religious undertones to much of the music. And the crowd didn't necessarily appear to be your typical church-going folk. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am a fan of <a href="http://www.sethwalker.com">Seth Walker's blues</a> - this is now the third time I've seen him in northern Florida in the past two years (despite the fact he's from Austin, TX). Like many bluesmen, his lyrics and sound sometimes seem to morph into gospel at times. This is particularly the case in the song "Lay Down (River of Faith)" on his new "Leap of Faith" album. I found a video clip of him performing the song from another show here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgLtn04g354&feature=related</div><div><br /></div><div>The lyrics begin... "Lay down my soul....my soul....I got to lay down...and fly right through heaven's gate...through heaven's gate...I got to lay down." </div><div><br /></div><div>He played his Saturday afternoon set on the Meadow stage, only a few hundred feet away from the legendary Suwannee River. The lyrics in his song continued, "I'm washing off my hands in the sanctifying water...I'm washing off my hands in the river of faith." As he evoked these words, I felt I needed to go take in a view of the Suwannee River after his set, as water is both purifying and magnificent, especially the great Suwannee River.</div><div><br /></div><div>Seth's gospel-like blues continued in his lyrics, "Darkness came over me...it came over me...I got to lay down. The devil put tempt in me, put tempt in me...I got to lay it down...What's buried inside of me...inside of me...and I got to lay it all down. Worship a higher love...a higher love...and I got to lay all it down." </div><div><br /></div><div>Lay it down we must. </div><div><br /></div><div>Later in the evening just as the sun was setting,, Scythian took the Meadow stage. I have seen them more than a dozen times and know them well. Two of the musicians in the band, Dan and Alex Fedoryka are sons of Ukranian Catholics. There are always good strong messages in most of their songs - from songs of courage like "I Will Go" to adventurous songs such as the "Gypsy Fiddle." They have even made the accordion sexy again with the hip "technocorrdion" song. However, they chose to close with a new song, called "Santa Maria." And I found a video link to them playing this song earlier this month at the Catholic school that Dan graduated from, Franciscan University: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPul0XIRxBw</div><div><br /></div><div>The lyrics feature a fast, repetitive chorus, "Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Santa Maria... save our souls." It was fantastic and beautiful at the same time. The message of the song was to ask "Santa Maria" (St. Mary) for guidance in seeking salvation. And as my friend Heather said, Scythian is not just a great band, but they play with such "joy." Indeed. I've always described them as simply a "fun" band. It's impossible not to have fun at a Scythian show - and nearly impossible not to dance. </div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of dancing, we saw a lot of dancing among many of the "hippies" and other folks who come to the "Spirit of the Suwannee" music park. It seems they are trying to get away from the regular lives and embrace a "hippie culture" once again. Some were dancing by themselves, some with others. And some were performing dancing moves I've never seen before (and wouldn't mind not seeing again). But dancing is also an expression of a longing within one self, and is usually done with music invokes something deeper within, perhaps towards something greater above - as Seth Walker might say, toward a "higher love." It almost looked like a religious experience for one man who we saw dancing out in the middle of the crowd. </div><div><br /></div><div>The songs, dancing, and heavenly setting at the beautiful <a href="http://musicliveshere.com/">"Spirit of the Suwanee"</a> state park had much of us catching the spirit indeed.</div><div><br /></div><div>I will be posting pictures and possibly more commentary in the coming days. But, be sure to join us at the park for <a href="http://magmusic.com/springfest">Springfest</a>. Mark your calendars now for March 26-28. I think we'll be going for more than one day then and take in the camping experience as well. Then we will see bonfires, sunrises, and breakfast come into play as well. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-70863191477902575782009-05-04T13:02:00.000-07:002009-05-04T14:24:34.171-07:00Music, Tennis, and the Unseriousness of Human Affairs<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpmA3Iou3ldBMIwUAAZCCa4VU-OuWxEr7KPaYQHqIbXW1n9KqVIujudtUC7YJdo7oWQvb5wsLzAsAdClhYNKikyYxBNiPZkiyeBoOIuVcaE3Wc8K4phfcy-QbCPpNMmJ4Kj-1/s1600-h/306.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332082618290699074" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpmA3Iou3ldBMIwUAAZCCa4VU-OuWxEr7KPaYQHqIbXW1n9KqVIujudtUC7YJdo7oWQvb5wsLzAsAdClhYNKikyYxBNiPZkiyeBoOIuVcaE3Wc8K4phfcy-QbCPpNMmJ4Kj-1/s320/306.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The last two weeks have been incredible and has made me thankful for all the blessings God has continued to shower down on me. First, there is the gift of family and friends that I am always thankful for.<br /><br />But, let me get a little "unserious" for a minute. And I say "unserious" because I am going to go from talking about God, His blessings, our gifts to... tennis and music. How serious is playing (or watching) tennis? Or playing or listening to music? Well, as a tennis player and a fan, and as one who is a fan of great music, the last two weeks have given me some further insight into how we each use our gifts and talents in creative ways.<br /><br />We can't all be as great of tennis players as I witnessed at the <a href="http://www.tallahasseechallenger.com/">2009 Tallahassee Tennis Challenger</a>. These guys were good. While I am sometimes playing tennis - in the heat of the competition - I often forget about all else that is going on in the world, even in my world. It just becomes about the competition of the sport, about perfecting your shots, about moving fast, and tracking down the shots your opponent is hitting back at you. When you hit a great forehand or a great serve, or a backhand you didn't know you had, you feel a sense of glory, as if all the practice and competition came together for that moment.<br /><br />Then, you go watch some professional players at a tournament like the Tallahassee Challenger and you wonder what sport you thought you were playing. These guys are hitting some sick shots, and they are good. And, the field is LOADED with talent. There's not much of a difference between a guy ranked number 120 and a guy ranked in the 400s. A few points maybe. But they are out there working hard every day trying to get themselves better and trying to compete against the stacked competition. But what they give each of us fans back is a sense of INSPIRATION. I know I am never going to be THAT good (especially at this age), but watching their talent in action INSPIRES us to play on and dares us to dream that we can.<br /><br />Speaking of a field loaded with talent - I spent the last two weekends listening to some great musicians perform on St. George Island. One weekend had a plethora of great, mostly young, bands at the <a href="http://rockbythesea.org/">Rock By The Sea</a> (RBTS) charitable music festival. And this past weekend, one of those bands, the Sam Thacker band returned to perform two more times.<br /><br />After watching four of their performances in 10 days, I kept thinking to myself, "why aren't these guys bigger yet? And why did I just find out about them?" I mean they're very talented. But then you come to realize there is so much talent out there in the music industry as well, and it's all going to be about what sells and what gets your attention. Like tennis players, they are competing in a field loaded with talent. And these days, its tougher than ever with all that "free" music out there.<br /><br />But there is something more here - whether its <a href="http://samthacker.com/">Sam Thacker</a> or some other musicians out there that I have yet to hear play, they are all offering their talents to the world and they are allowing us to partake in their creativity. What gives the artist his ability or his drive to "create"? What gives the tennis player the will to go on and perfect his game?<br /><br />Well this makes me reflect back to Edmund Burke's phrase, "Art is man's nature." This first means that nature is where we see God's art, God's <em>creation</em>. Man was made in the image of God, and God was the first Creator. So all of us each have some drive inside of us to create something. We create and express ourselves through "art." It is the spark of the divine within us that gives us our ability and our drive to create.<br /><br />And I would argue tennis, or any sport really, is an art in this sense. As Father Schall outlines in his book, <a href="http://isi.org/books/bookdetail.aspx?id=2b51429f-e145-4bac-a015-261309ba1252"><em>On the Unseriousness of Human Affairs</em></a>, we don't just create a sport, but we work to professionalize it, to perfect it. When you watch the NFL, it didn't start that way, so professionalized and nearly perfected. It started out with someone creating a weird looking ball, then throwing it around, the designing rules, uniforms, and then one day, it was professionalized.<br /><br />When you look out on a beautiful beach like St. George Island, or up at the heavenly hosts that dot that landscape late at night, you see God's art - nature - staring back at you, aweing you. On a human level, we can be "awed" by each other's creation as well. Whether that is a song, a talented musician, a tennis player, or the spirit of competition, our drive to create goes on. And that drive to create and the creation itself are inspired by something greater. We all can't sing a song like Sam Thacker or hit a tennis ball like <a href="http://www.seminoles.com/sports/m-tennis/mtt/aubone_jeanyves00.html">Jean-Yves Aubone</a>, but we CAN be inspired by how they use their talents, how hard they work to perfect them, and then be inspired to join them and partake in creation.</div><div></div><br /><div>After all, these are the "unserious" things that make us human and help us tap into something greater than ourselves. It is not in our work, in our economy, or in our politics that we find humanity. It is, as Father Schall says, in the "unseriousness" of human affairs. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-62462194507992185592009-03-20T13:16:00.000-07:002009-03-20T13:18:01.850-07:00Tallahassee Tea PartyI've been busy helping organize the first Tallahassee Tea Party, in response to the federal bailouts. So, sorry I've been slacking on my personal blog. But check out the <a href="http://www.tallahasseeteaparty.blogspot.com/">Tallahasee Tea Party</a> blog.<br /><br />We had more than 225 people at the first Tallahassee Tea Party on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day. It was a blast.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-74024406181215780232009-02-10T05:30:00.000-08:002009-02-10T18:52:37.905-08:00Oust Charlie CristThis is the end of the line for me with Florida's Governor Charlie Crist. Although, there were plenty of other reasons not to like him or even consider voting for him again, this crosses the line. Crist will <a href="http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/feb/10/na-crist-will-introduce-obama-in-fort-myers/news-politics/">introduce President Barack Obama</a> today in Fort Myers, Florida.<br /><br />Now, there's nothing wrong with a Governor courteously welcoming a President to his home state. But the problem is - Crist supports Obama's massive socialist welfare spending bill. This bill will not only put us in debt, but it has spending for may liberal special interests. I hope today is the beginning of the end for Charlie Crist.<br /><br />While Crist has been a "good Republican" on some issues: he favors government transparency (wait, so does Obama, right?) and he has refused to raise taxes and mostly supported many of the major spending cuts (though, he did veto some of the cuts Florida's conservative legislature passed during a special session on Florida's economy). He's also been pretty good on schoo choice (but not nearly as good as Jeb Bush, but who can be that good?) So, even on those issues, he's not as perfect as this conservative would like him to be.<br /><br />But then things get far worse. <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123371173559046209.html">Crist has imposed massive government regulation over the property insurance industry</a> - a plan which has reduced competition and forced more Floridians to carry Citizens (the state's insurance company), hich will leave all of Florida's taxpayers on the hook should just one hurricane hit Florida.<br /><br />And it gets worse. His <a href="http://www.dep.state.fl.us/climatechange/team/default.htm">Governor's Action Team on Energy and Climate Change</a> is setting up to dole out oppressive government mandates and caps on carbon emissions. And now, he is at the trough begging for a stimulus from America's favorite socialist.<br /><br />I announce a clarion call to all conservatives inside and outside of Florida: let's oust Crist from the Republican Party. Don't give him a platform. The only one he wants is the platform of popularity. Today, Governor Crist put his finger in the air and went where the wind carried him: to the same stage as Barack Obama, calling for the same massive socialist welfare spending program.<br /><br />Never forget.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-43127393967242557262009-02-03T05:50:00.000-08:002009-02-03T06:04:09.284-08:00Republican Party will be Strong as Steele<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpGHF6GnbHTgFtHtXqWvnJeTYPaYbjgR7j4cRDeBB82ZkVXpyWZBwnFX1GG-ovdGbFWJvKtp7O0jqhekicv8XTc3acprrXWk5PCo9FfgRAA_4vIR7rmCfPHLsnabVj9ULEKZg/s1600-h/061016_stteele_hmed_630a_hmedium.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298570551311431794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 229px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpGHF6GnbHTgFtHtXqWvnJeTYPaYbjgR7j4cRDeBB82ZkVXpyWZBwnFX1GG-ovdGbFWJvKtp7O0jqhekicv8XTc3acprrXWk5PCo9FfgRAA_4vIR7rmCfPHLsnabVj9ULEKZg/s320/061016_stteele_hmed_630a_hmedium.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Last week was a great week for the Republican Party, as no single member of the Republican Party in the U.S. House of Representatives voted for the $850 billion spending bill (the one being touted as a "stimulus" package). They held the line and even brought over 9 Democrats with them. Their vote was bipartisan while the socialists who voted for the spending bill were completely partisan.</div><br /><div></div><div>But a bigger point of elation for the Republican Party was when Michael Steele was picked to be the new RNC chair. He is exactly what the party needs and I've been saying for a while that the party needs to find a place for Michael Steele. </div><br /><div></div><div>He is as conservative as they come and represents all the branches of conservatism - fiscal conservative, social conservative, and strong national defense. And he is a great communicator/defender of our ideas. And perhaps his being African-American will help him appeal to other segments of our society where conservatism has not always ventured into. But I also think the fact that he is from Maryland, which is a pivot point between the South and the Northeast, really works well regionally for the future of our party.</div><br /><div></div><div>I campaigned for the Bob Ehrlich-Michael Steele ticket back in 2002, when I was a College Republican at the University of Maryland. I was a bit uncomfortable backing a pro-choice candidate like Bob Ehrlich, but everything else about him screamed conservatism, and in Maryland (a state where 2/3 of the population are registered Democrats) it is almost understandable why Ehrlich had to run as a pro-choice candidate for Governor. But not Michael Steele. He stood boldly pro-life. As Lt. Governor, he even attended pro-life candlelight vigils.</div><br /><div></div><div>Unfortunately he lost a close election for the U.S. Senate in 2006. But since his departure from politics, he has done well as a TV commentator, even taking on the likes of Bill Maher from time to time. I met Steele several times in 2002 and 2004 and he was a real class act, very genuine about why he is in this race. And he is also a Catholic, which is even more appealing to me. It was back in 2002 that I learned that he had actually once entered seminary to become a priest. But apparently it was around that time that he met his future wife, and instead ventured into a career in law, and eventually politics, and found his true vocation.</div><br /><div></div><div>Conservatives can take heart today. It is a great time to be a conservative, where we stand by our principles, despite the prevailing winds of opposition. And, with Michael Steele at the helm, conservatism will once again be "Strong as Steele!" </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-37601888629991136202009-01-10T22:21:00.000-08:002009-01-10T22:41:48.433-08:00Tim Tebow Believes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Xwr_eJcf9uXhCfo2WpTzum3Xx2AZBiWg6qEwebywBwcXUURecYMhmtM375QxwPghIZjE0w4JdcpMfLRZ4hZTbkLjGaBpLmWrOfMiEEET3NfdzpIL0cpyUQfenRKOvI-4l9Sc/s1600-h/HeismanTebowCROP_t300.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289922517474634642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 246px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Xwr_eJcf9uXhCfo2WpTzum3Xx2AZBiWg6qEwebywBwcXUURecYMhmtM375QxwPghIZjE0w4JdcpMfLRZ4hZTbkLjGaBpLmWrOfMiEEET3NfdzpIL0cpyUQfenRKOvI-4l9Sc/s320/HeismanTebowCROP_t300.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>No matter if you are a Florida Gator fan or not (and I'm not - although my brother did go to school there, so I did cheer for them to beat Oklahoma), you have to admire Tim Tebow. Some say, you just have to admire him because he's a "good guy." And I agree. But really, you just have to admire him all levels of what we've come to know about him.</div><br /><div></div><div>If you watched the national championship game against Oklahoma, you saw something amazing. At some point during that game, Tim Tebow just decided he was going to win it. Yes, there may have been more than 100 other players on that field between the two top ranked teams in the nation, but there was one player on that field (some call him "Superman") that just took matters into his own hands. On some big third down plays in the second half, Tebow just took off for first downs. Anyone watching had to have the feeling that number 15 just "willed" his way towards first downs and touchdowns.</div><br /><div></div><div>Stepping back from the high drama for a moment, we know it is a bit "easier" for Tebow, as this guy is a big dude. That strength allows him to do what he does best. While good genes helps, strength just doesn't land on a person. Rather, it takes hard work to get big, strong, and powerful. Physical and even mental preparation is a key ingredient in just about every sport or competition. But then, with Tebow there is more. He truly has the <em>belief </em>instilled in him that he is going to succeed.</div><div></div><br /><div>Tebow gets this belief first and foremost from his Christian faith. He is not just one that reads the Bible and practices his faith in worship, but he also allows that faith to flow to other areas of his life - whether that is serving as a missionary in the Philippines, participating in prison fellowship programs, or serving the needy in his own community. He even uses his fame not to draw attention to himself, but to draw the attention towards a higher purpose.</div><br /><div></div><div>On game days, Tebow often reminds his fans with a Bible passage written on his face paint: Philipians 4:13, which says, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Tim Tebow believes. He knows his ultimate strength - strength of spirit, mind, and character - comes to him from God. It is that firm faith that roots the heart and soul of this incredibly talented athlete who presses forward with the belief that we must all be grateful for the talents God has given us. Tim Tebow teaches us that when we put those talents to proper use, we can achieve great things - on and off the field.</div><br /><div></div><div>In an era where many are cynical about the youth, particularly young men, Tim Tebow should give us all hope and perhaps lead us to the one God that gives us our true strength. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-27543468648939062412009-01-06T07:01:00.000-08:002009-05-06T13:38:28.181-07:00Real Change Requires Revolution - Website Launched!<p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwcFe-ju5Wk-zF-wAA7F9ay88BZx0WgO5B_tQzPmRWgTycjNxQRAJdQlP4iH8yv9Q_T5sATsmlyCum9TLv-irjbPwrwpj1DE4lKvSlBHoSR2Q2KyWg4HrJ1ZK2ClCD-CaZD8f/s1600-h/51cfd6426f_change_banner.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288197682879748626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 308px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 50px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOwcFe-ju5Wk-zF-wAA7F9ay88BZx0WgO5B_tQzPmRWgTycjNxQRAJdQlP4iH8yv9Q_T5sATsmlyCum9TLv-irjbPwrwpj1DE4lKvSlBHoSR2Q2KyWg4HrJ1ZK2ClCD-CaZD8f/s320/51cfd6426f_change_banner.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br />Young Americans for Liberty just launched the <a href="http://www.yaliberty.org/change/">Real Change Requires Revolution website</a>.<br /><br />Here's why:<br /><br />On January 20, 2009... Campuses nationwide will declare that one day of Obama is enough. It's time for change.<br /><br />America is suffering from unending war, growing debt, reckless monetary policies, and a depreciating economy. Our country desires a new direction and fresh ideas. Barack Obama brings a message of "hope" and "change" and understands the captivating power of words and appeal. His victory was historic, but it was not by chance. A well orchestrated plan executed by top marketers, Internet strategists, and campaign consultants put him in the White House. Americans demanded change, and he supplied an answer.<br /><br /><strong>But, what is that answer? What is this so called change?</strong><br /><br />The mainstream media has extended its honeymoon with the new administration; even as scandals, bailouts, proposed federal works programs, a falling economy, and questionable cabinet appointments take place.<br /><br />Many Americans say, "Give him a chance. He can fix our problems." But, why be fooled again?<br /><br />Government is limited by the United States Constitution for a reason. Society is a responsibility of the people, not the government.<br /><br /><a href="http://whoistherealbarackobama.com/blog/">We already know the real Barack Obama</a>. We know his cabinet appointments; we know his voting record; and we know his beliefs. He promises more foreign intervention, more socialism, more restrictions on our civil liberties, and a greater disregard for the Constitution. Rather than wait for another politician to disappoint the American people, let's stand up as patriots and say one day of Barack Obama is enough. <a href="http://www.yaliberty.org/change/">It's time for real change</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-9355943377145627552009-01-04T20:11:00.000-08:002009-01-04T20:19:36.420-08:00Pro-Hamas Demonstration in Fort Lauderdale: The War is HereTom Trento <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3Xl68kP4wo">recorded this video</a>, which warns of the growing radical Islamic force in South Florida – the video is a recording of the pro-Hamas demonstrations in Ft. Lauderdale on December 30, 2008.<br /><br />Don’t think this is happening only in the Middle East, Pakistan or in Paris or London and Holland. It is right here. The war has reached the homeland, including my hometown of Fort Lauderdale.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11610669.post-43262601019032987272008-12-31T10:12:00.000-08:002009-05-06T13:37:58.266-07:002008: My Year in Review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZJuJxhPa13thGk0uuOFW_Gy3cEBv6yv3TveW9gl1Z_CJKJcQxgUpyb9wP6NAEjyFCQhzkPMLKEfTFe_wsy6JL88ROY2aemsXg3CK20wO4WgXbc1r_vpvWZYkqybm5XJ7q68y/s1600-h/Statue_Of_Liberty_%2520NewYork%2520_Harbor.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286023494786283058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 184px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZJuJxhPa13thGk0uuOFW_Gy3cEBv6yv3TveW9gl1Z_CJKJcQxgUpyb9wP6NAEjyFCQhzkPMLKEfTFe_wsy6JL88ROY2aemsXg3CK20wO4WgXbc1r_vpvWZYkqybm5XJ7q68y/s320/Statue_Of_Liberty_%2520NewYork%2520_Harbor.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>What a year it has been.<br /><br />First, in January I moved to Tallahassee, Florida. What on God’s green earth would possess a Miami Hurricane fan to move to the land of the Florida State Seminoles? Well, I guess it was for liberty and to be a part of shaping the future of our sunshine state.<br /><br />I joined <a href="http://www.jamesmadison.org/">The James Madison Institute</a>, Florida’s premier free-market think tank. So far, the first year as Director of Development for JMI has been great! I have enjoyed my time there, including getting to know my great colleagues, and learning all about public policy issues that affect our state. And, I have continued to learn about the challenges of trying to preserve liberty when government continues to just want to grow! More government = less individual freedom. At JMI we realize we have to continue to provide solutions in the free-market to allow Floridians to continue to enjoy an environment that promotes individual freedom and personal responsibility.<br /><br />As if my job didn’t keep me busy enough, me and two friends decided to write a book, <a href="http://www.whoistherealbarackobama.com/">Who is the Real Barack Obama? For the rising generation; by the rising generaton</a>. The book was written for an audience of young voters and warning everyone that Barack Obama isn’t going to bring any real “change.” But it was more than just about Obama, it also is about what our generation can do to preserve liberty and continue this great experiement in self-government.<br /><br />Despite our book, Obama did do a nice job taking the “brand” of “change” and committing himself to that brand. His sales job to America and his ability to fundraise using new online technologies and social mobilization has to make us all impressed. The GOP nominating an aging John McCain didn’t really help them much. But I was still surprised to see America elect an avowed socialist with little experience, with close ties to a radical preacher, a domestic terrorist, and other dubious associations. However, I’m not surprised by the associations that are continuing to haunt Obama (Blagojevich anyone?) and the fact that he isn’t bringing any real “change” to Washington – just more of the same – Washington D.C. insiders, mostly connected to the Clinton administration.<br /><br />For a conservative like myself, this is actually welcome news. Obama isn’t taking the country as far to the Left as he has been throughout his entire lifetime (as we demonstrated clearly in the book). But, I still worry that he will creep us slowly to the Left without us realizing it. Obama is a smart politician, after all. He knows we live in a center-right country and America didn’t elect him because he is a socialist. They elected him because he promised not to be another George W. Bush.<br /><br />After an embarassing election year, I worry most about the future of respectable journalism in this country.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the Bush legacy and the Obama legacy may be one in the same – on foreign and economic issues, that is. As our economy waned, the so-called believer in free-markets, George W. Bush told America that the government needed to “bailout” Wall Street. This wouldn’t be the cure-all for the economy, but would help it, he said. Obama agreed. So did John McCain. Do we have any real <em>leaders</em> any more?<br /><br />Some are now referring to this period as the “Bush-Obama bailout,” which seems to continue each week as the government decides to continue forking out billions (now trillions) of dollars to all sorts of industry, at taxpayer expense. We continue to mount the debt that may cause our nation’s own internal destruction. I continue to recommend this piece by JMI scholar and FSU economics professor Randall Holcombe: <a href="http://www.jamesmadison.org/pdf/materials/647.pdf">Government's Actions Encouraged Wall Street's Risky Business</a> (pdf).<br /><br />Thankfully, Bush’s commitment to Iraq has proved a success. Unfortunately for John McCain, as our troops succeeded, the war became less of an issue. And McCain himself told us that the economy wasn’t his strong suit (gaffe!). Obama continued to lie to the American people about who he is and what he really believes, and the American electorate bought the smart liar over the honest idiot. Either way, this election season proved that we need better leadership in this country and a better way to educate the electorate, who didn’t seem to know much about the candidates and the issues, and much less so about the role of government as articulated in the U.S. Constitution.<br /><br /><strong>Ok, so back to <u>my year</u> in review:</strong> I traveled around Florida meeting lots of JMI members and seeing good friends and family. This is such a great, big, beautiful state. I was everywhere, from Pensacola, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Tampa, Naples, Orlando, Gainesville, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and of course Palm Beach.<br /><br />I gave lectures about the Obama book at Arizona State, Florida State, the University of Georgia, and LSU. I even got to enjoy a good Georgia-Vanderbilt game in perhaps the best college town in America: Athens, GA. On average, 60 people attended each lecture, with about 80% or more of them being against Obama. The rest engaged me in some good civil dialogue on the issues. It was an enjoyable experience, as me and my co-authors appeared on various local and national radio programs and blogged incessantly on our book website trying to get the ideas out there.<br /><br />I also traveled back to D.C. once this year, in April, for a conference and to visit some friends. I even ventured to Midland, Michigan for a conference at the Mackinac Center (the equivalent of The James Madison Institute in Michigan). While I lectured on the book and attended the State Policy Network’s conference in Scottsdale, AZ, I also spent some time with my good friend Teddy Sifert and his family, enjoying the heat of Arizona (even in September), shooting some guns in the mountainous forests of Arizona, and enjoying the great outdoors of the American frontier.<br /><br />In Tallahassee, I made lots of great new friends, which I am grateful for… whether on the tennis court or in the church pews. I am part of a great young adult Catholic group in Tallahassee called the Frassati Society – we have some great adventures in the outdoors, including our recent hike in Florida's Torreya State Park, about an hour from Tallahassee.<br /><br />Thanks to being back in the year-round warm weather of Florida, my tennis game has benefited from being able to play a couple times a week on a regular basis and finding good players all around town. I even ventured over to Pensacola for my local USTA tennis team’s regional playoff. 95 degree weather in July. Hot, humid, sticky, and sweaty. You gotta love it.<br /><br /><strong>Perhaps the biggest thing for me in 2008 was that I bought a house!</strong> On September 15, I moved into a very nice, brand new 3-bed/3.5 bath townhome in the Southwood community of Tallahassee. It was a moment of accomplishment for me and it now gives me a sense of permanence after moving around from place to place. I even scored a good roommate and hope to score perhaps one more in 2009.<br /><br />Finally, 2008 has ended with a bang as my Miami Dolphins shocked the nation, going from 1-15 last year to an 11-5 record this year, winning the AFC East division and making the playoffs. That was all I wanted for Christmas, and they delivered. On Sunday, I will be going to their first home playoff game at Dolphins Stadium in Miami. A great big thank you goes out to Brett Favre for returning to the NFL, specifically to the Jets, and allowing the Jets to dump Chad Pennington, who ended up being the savior for the Miami Dolphins.<br /><br />God help the Dolphins, my tennis game, the new President-elect, and the nation in 2009. Most importantly, may the New Year bring YOU and yours many blessings.<br /><br />I hope we get to enjoy some good memories in 2009.<br /><br />-- Francisco</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2