The Way I See ItBy cj pollickMajor Election Results - Governor's Race: Republicans - Rick Scott, Democrats - Alex Sink. Us Senate Race: Republicans - Marco Rubio, Democrats - Kendrick Meek, No Party - Charlie Crist. Attorney General: Republicans - Pam Bondi, Democrats - Dan Gelber. As expected, Rick Scott beat Bill McCollum in a nasty, name-calling GOP primary, while Democrat opponent, Alex Sink, sat quietly on the sidelines. (It could become more interesting for Sink, however, when more of her background with Bank of America and bad bank loans is made public.) Locally, several judicial elections appear bound for run-off races. Why Voters Like Rick Scott - When you consider that Rick Scott ran against GOP party favorite Bill McCollum in the Governor's race, almost all GOP insiders "supported McCollum." The result? McCollum lost. Scott proved that "Tea Party" voters would not support the GOP "insider" cliché. Why do voters like Rick Scott? He's not a party insider. He's a businessman. He's conservative. Scott will soon show important differences between him and his liberal opponent, Alex Sink. Scott is for small government, Sink is for big government. Scott is against Obamacare, Sink supports Obamacare. Scott is for fiscal accountability, Sink is for more entitlement. Scott is for tough illegal immigration control, Sink supports Obama's position. Big difference. Crist Says, "I Used To Be A Republican" - Political chameleon Charlie Crist was speaking to a group of condo people in Broward County last Wednesday and said, "I used to be a Republican," and as a room full of Democrats cheered Crist's comment, Crist followed with a stunning one -liner, "Yeah, thank God. Right, used to be (a Republican.)" It is now clear that Crist is trying to show Democrats in Florida that he is more of a Democrat than he is a Republican. Thus, the continuing saga of a politician without a party continues for Crist, who can say to Republicans that he has not left the party, even though he says he has left the party, while saying to Democrats "I used to be a Republican." It seems that the words of Charlie Crist are tailored to anyone who happens to be listening at the moment. Perhaps the bad news for Crist is results from recent Rasmussen polls-Marco Rubio leads Crist by a 38-33% margin. This polling data does not bode well for Crist, who has not yet felt the wrath of the general election Democrat candidate for the Florida US Senate seat, Kendrick Meek. What is ironic about Crist's comments in Broward County is the fact that some Republican officials in Pinellas County refuse to accept the fact that Crist himself travels the state saying to citizens that he "used to be a Republican." Of course, some of those same local politicians have reasons to say they still like Crist. Personal favors abound when you are connected to high-level politicians... and, that sad fact is true for many high level politicians of both major political parties. What favors? Hmmm, political appointments to jobs, offices, agencies, boards, funding, campaign help, photo-ops, etc., etc. Politics. Civilian Death Count Very High - Hugo Chavez's Venezuela suffered more civilian deaths in 2009 than both Baghdad and Mexico. Not A Vacation - Obama administration spokesman Bill Burton pleaded with reporters to not call President Obama's 10-day vacation in 'toney' Martha's Vineyard a 'vacation' since, "You can bet that there will still be work that he is doing everyday." Ebonics, A Language With A Price Tag - There are many slang expressions in the English language; in fact, English itself is comprised of words from many other languages. What has been referred to as "slang" expressions are English words used by regional people in America who speak standard English with an accent or regional words. People in those areas of America speak standard English, but with their own accent and localized expressions. However, and whenever one travels throughout America, English is clearly understood by everyone. Standard English is a language clearly separate from French or German or Spanish, etc. Ebonics, on the other hand, is a word that was created to identify nonstandard use of the English language by certain groups of Americans. It is not a separate language to most language experts, but rather "a variant use of the English language used largely by African-Americans," stated a Stanford University linguistics professor. To refer to Ebonics as a separate and clearly identifiable language is absurd. Yet, our nation's Department of Justice is seeking to hire nine Ebonics experts in the Atlanta DOJ office to help explain "Ebonics" as used by people under investigation. The government has added Ebonics as one of the 114 languages in which contractors to the DEA must be able to provide linguists in order to be awarded a government contract. Over $70 million a year is spent by the DEA on language experts. The government is now including nine "Ebonics" language experts in Atlanta at the taxpayer's expense. Ebonics a separate language? Next we will be teaching Ebonics as a recognized language in schools for credit. Unions to Spend Big Bucks - The leaders of the AFL-CIO and the SEIU have agreed to coordinate spending the $88 million or more in the midterm elections to support pro-union candidates. More Than The Iraq War - According to data from the Congressional Budget Office, Obama's failed stimulus program cost more than the Iraq war. Edward Kean Died - Edward Kean recently died at age 85. Who was Edward Kean? He was the man who wrote songs and script for one of America's top TV shows from 1947-1960-"It's Howdy Doody Time." Those of us who remember that wonderful TV program can appreciate the songs and script of Mr. Kean. "Howdy Doody" characters such as Dilly Dally, Flub-a-dub, Froggy, and a host of other characters were brought to life in many homes throughout America during the developing years of "black and white" television. And the sponsor, Buster Brown Shoes, could not have selected a better program to support. Interestingly, Edward Kean also created the word "kowabunga"; the same word as used by Bart Simpson in The Simpsons. For those of us who remember the Howdy Doody Show, we youngsters could hardly wait to sit in front of the old "black and white" to hear the song that welcomed us to the funny and enjoyable show. "We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions." -Ronald Reagan |