I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today
It's Tuesday. At least that's what it feels like to me. Time for Wimpy to pay up. But instead of paying up he's still at his old games. Remember him? He's the cartoon character in Popeye that often said "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today". I've always thought that was a good analogy to describe what we were doing as a country and find it's just as fitting for what Florida is currently doing.
With the help of Wikipedia, let me explain a little more about Wimpy. He was very intelligent and well educated but very lazy and gluttonous. He was also something of a scam artist. He would often try to outwit others with his convoluted logic. But he was a wimp. When he got someone angry at him he'd placate them with an invitation for a duck dinner. But as soon as he got far enough away he'd yell "You bring the ducks!”
Am I wrong or does that describe our Florida Legislature and their quest to lift environmental protections, do away with all impact fees and banish the Department of Community Affairs? We’ve already put off paying til Tuesday what we've been consuming today and yet they still pile on. Oh they say they're inviting us to a duck dinner in the name of economic development but they're waiting to get far enough away before they yell for us to bring the ducks. Wimps!
I call them that not to insult their physical strength or their intellectual strength (well maybe a little) but because they are so similar to that cartoon character. I just don't understand why they would use this crisis to foster more of what got us here in the first place and not use it to create a real sustainable economy.
I just hope they know what they're doing as there are plenty of people that just won't sit well with increased taxes to pay for new housing developments. Florida Hometown Democracy will be on the 2010 ballot and the Department of Community Affairs along with the other checks and balances IMO, was the only solid ammunition they had to oppose it.
According to the Sierra Club Florida Report, there are "three hot issues in the Capitol this week: the budget, “streamlining”, and the future of the Department of Community Affairs".
The Sierra Club lobbyist says when pressed most members admit the rules now in place are not responsible for our economic downturn. But they want to “eliminate duplication” so the economy can pick up quickly when the recession is over. Too bad eliminating duplication to them means throwing the baby out with the bathwater. There's still time to voice your opinion.
Progress Florida has a letter to ask our legislators to not dismantle the Department of Community Affairs. It just needs your name, e-mail and zip.
http://progressflorida.org/page/s/dontpaveflorida
Here's an opinion piece in support of the DCA from a former county administrator of Manatee County while it was one of the fastest growing counties in Florida. http://www.pnj.com/article/20090329/OPINION/903290311
An excerpt: "Enactment of this bad legislation most likely will result in developers being let off the hook when it comes to them being responsible for paying for the infrastructure that is required to support their development. Who would pay the infrastructure bill for their developments? You would!"
Duck dinner anyone?
One last thing for now. Have you heard about the "tea party"? No, not the one Miss Vero attended last week (though that was most titillating ;-)). The one where Americans are urged to send a tea bag to the White House if you're disgusted and angry with the way Washington is handling our taxes. Just today I came across a link to a local "tea party". It seems like the web-site is in its infancy but they do have a "tea party" planned locally. I have no idea what those plans are but I do know the meeting is on April 15th from 12-2 p.m. at the IRC Administration Building. Check it out here:
http://site.indianriverteaparty.com/Home.html
Oh and the cool thing- when you click on the short video it leads you to a page with the header “Wimp.com”. How prophetic!
TTFN, LDouglas
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
But LD, if ONLY this were an April Fools joke! Shows you just how deeply Florida has fallen into the developer pit. It's the only thing about which they will take action, other than funding Gubna Charlie's tanning bed.
As usual BlessUrHeart, the joke is on us. I just learned the Senate okayed coal and nuclear to be in the 20% Renewable Energy Portfolio (up to 5%). As though that makes sense.
Now we have to see how the House caves- I mean, now we have to see what the House does with it.
As if there's no room to include those in the 80%.
I do think the mercury spewing coal plants are making us all Mad Hatters...
Incredible, LD! [you're right, it was lead that made the hatters mad -- imagine the Chinese, all loaded up with nuclear weapons and sipping lead in their tea cups every day . . . ] I was in Europe just after Chernobyl -- renewable my a**. Let's take the legislature on a little tour. But oh! they've been on a Euro tour, right -- the GOP and Gubna C spend hundreds of thousands of dollars. Guess they missed the coal and nuclear disasters -- they weren't right next to Tour D'Argent or Harrod's.
Post a Comment