Question: what local 527s or ballot issues are you supporting this election year?

[nashville_brook]

I was donating to a Florida 527 last night (Florida Hometown Democracy -- which is aimed at stopping sprawl and corruption in speculative development in Florida), and reflecting on how there's more and more discussion lately on the importance of direct involvement in community issues.

So, we know a LOT about what's happening on the national stage -- I'd love to know about what's happening in DUers' communities.

Here's what's got me on this topic...

http://www.wpr.org/book/090906a.cfm

Wisconsin Public Radio's "To The Best Of Our Knowledge" did a show last week on "the working week." In it they interviewed Douglas Rushoff on his new book "Life, Inc: How the world Became a Corporation and How To Take It Back." Give it a listen...the wow moment is when he says that the last thing we need is a "mass movement." Marches on Washington, etc. That real change is going to happen in your neighborhood with such issues as child care, food sources and transportation.

Here's more on his book:

http://www.amazon.com/Life-Inc-World-Became-Corporation/dp/1400066891/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1284465299&sr=8-1

Rushkoff (Nothing Sacred) offers a shrill condemnation of how corporate culture has disconnected human beings from each other. An engaging history of commerce and corporatism devolves into an extended philippic on how increasing personal wealth and the rise of nuclear families constituted a failure of community�whose services are now provided by products and professionals. While he makes some good points�for instance, about how some laws are now written to favor the rights of corporations above the rights of human beings, and the phenomenon of pro-wealth spirituality as espoused by The Secret, Creflo Dollar and Joel Osteen�he skews wildly off-course lamenting how �basic human activity... has been systematically robbed of its naturally occurring support mechanisms by a landscape tilted toward the market's priorities.� His unsupported and flawed assumption that societal interdependence is a natural or even preferable state for all people, everywhere, his disdain for filthy lucre and joyless recasting of independence as �selfishness� will leave readers weary long before the end. (June)

[jgraz]

1. K&R looks like an interesting book

[nashville_brook]

2. it's an old tension -- "the Greening of America" vs "Great Society"

personally...i'm for both.

The Hometown Democracy thing is BIG here. It's also called Amendment 4 -- and the Chamber of Commerce couldn't be more threatened!!

Here's more:

Who Are We?

A grass-roots, non-partisan citizens' initiative organized to put Amendment 4 on the November 2010 ballot. We are Floridians who dearly love our state and know that putting the people back in charge of the places where they live is key to a sustainable future.


Why This Campaign?

Voters deserve a "seat at the table" on growth decisions in their city or county. For issues affecting our homes and our communities, we deserve a vote, its that simple. Hometown Democracy, Amendment 4 will help fix the broken system that is currently in place.

The atmosphere of corruption and distrust in local government can be changed by giving taxpayers to final veto or approval on new projects and changes to existing developments, based on recommendations from the County Commission.

A Leon County study shows that local taxpayers pay up to 40% of the actual cost of servicing new development projects. If those are costs that Floridians are going to be burdened with- then we deserve the right to decide if they are worthwhile and affordable.

Overdevelopment also means higher property taxes in cities and counties across Florida. In these tough economic times, we don't need that. What we need is to follow the comprehensive master growth plans that were enacted to guide thoughtful development in our communities. If there needs to be a change, then we ought to be able to vote on it.

Development has been too out of control for too long in Florida, and Hometown Democracy Amendment 4 will help fix that. Voters deserve a seat at the table to help determine what kind of development communities need.

Many of us moved to Florida to enjoy the unique quality of life that this beautiful state has to offer. We need to protect that with controlled development and thoughtful planning. Hometown Democracy Amendment 4 gives us that opportunity.

Vote yes on Hometown Democracy, Amendment 4.

[DainBramaged]

3. Right now, we are facing the biggest attack by the super wealthy on our society in history

and unless they are reigned in, we will become a third-world Nation.

[nashville_brook]

4. yep -- i wonder if it's too late -- and, it's not clear how local stuff fits in, when you do it...

i guess you just have to do it, and see how it makes things different...if it does.

[defendandprotect]

9. My library is installing solar panels this week . . .

Many administrative and public buildings in towns --

If we do hit Peak Oil, communities are going to have to work together

to create electricity and provide food.

Granted, all local government has been ignoring Global Warming and environmental

issues. Despite citizens wanting attention to those issues over decades!

[nashville_brook]

11. many states have mandated public agencies to use certain sustainability measure in new building

and it's a GREAT thing b/c it gets the technology out there, which raises our comfort level and lowers the cost.

Nancy Pelosi took a lot of flack recently for new offices that were expensive compared to the rest of the House -- well, she went into a LEED-rated building which is going to cost more in real estate terms, but cost less in operational terms. also, she gets major points for leading by example in her use of sustainable office space.

i haven't checked, but i wouldn't be surprised if sustainable offices for public agencies isn't mandated in San Francisco. hell, if we have incentives/mandates in FL, i'm sure they're way ahead in CA.

[defendandprotect]

15. Thank you -- I'll have to watch what building we have here ....

to look for solar panels on anything new --

We have our county leadership moving into our town!!

Sherriff -- and whole bunch of stuff!! And, they're treating themselves very

well with tons of new buildings/space --

Our library was built probably more than 10-15 years ago -- very large -- and

has recently been renovated inside about two years ago which I thought extravagant,

but "friends of library fund" paid for it!

These solar panels were a surprise to me -- don't know if it was part of the rennovation plan

or something decided on later. But I was very happy to see it!!

[DirkGently]

6. Amen. They're spitting in our collective faces and daring

us to flinch or hit back. Note the present squirming over tax cuts. They reeaaallly want to extend Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy, and appear poised to hold a middle-class tax cut hostage over the issue. We need to make them do that. Republicans, fighting for a deficit-inflating renege on their own gift to the wealthy. Beautiful.

[DirkGently]

5. Think Globally, Act Locally!

Great point to bring up 'round about now. I'm looking at the Hometown Democracy deal, too -- believe it's known here as "Amendment 4." Their marketing sucks, but it's a great idea that needs more local discussion and support. Random sprawl is a huge issue here in Central FL.

Thanks for this, NB.

[nashville_brook]

7. so -- any other ballot issues you know of?

[DirkGently]

8. Aww. You made me go and look. Now I'm going to have to

develop an informed opinion on the other five issues. Off the bat, I don't like the sound of repealing public campaign financing.

LRCA Amendment 1 Campaign finance Repeal of the public financing of statewide candidates who agree to spending limits
LRCA Amendment 2 Taxes An additional homestead property tax exemption for members of the United States military or military reserves
CICA Amendment 4 Property rights Requires voter approval of all changes to local comprehensive land-use plans
CICA Amendment 5 Redistricting Amends the current practice of drawing legislative district boundaries
CICA Amendment 6 Redistricting Amends the current practice of drawing congressional district boundaries
LRCA Amendment 8 Education Changes the current "maximum" class sizes to school-wide "average" class sizes

http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Florida_2010_ballot_measures

[nashville_brook]

12. here's a really great KOS diary on FL's Amendment 1 initiative

FL: Editing the Constitution - Amendment 1
ShareNew 0
by norwood

Wed Jul 07, 2010 at 08:28:15 AM PDT

Note: Over the next week or two I'll spend several days and diaries discussing the constitutional amendment process in Florida as well as the specific amendments that are on the November ballot this year. The first part of the series is here.

On Monday we learned how the Florida constitution can be amended and that the amendment process usually takes the form of a citizen initiative or a Legislative initiative.

Today, we'll look at one of the Legislative initiatives on the ballot this year. Amendment One has been introduced by the Legislature to do away with Florida's public campaign finance system.

norwood's diary :: ::
As we learned yesterday, Florida's constitution is constantly morphing as new amendments are passed by voters and edited into the original text. We also saw some examples of the Legislature introducing amendments specifically to undo earlier, often progressive changes mandated by voters.

This year's Amendment One is just such an animal. In 1998, voters enshrined into the constitution a bare bones public financing system for some statewide offices. Unfortunately, despite the will of the voters, the system never gained much legislative support and now the Legislature is tired of spending perfectly good public money to help candidates compete when it's stunningly obvious to everyone that raising private cash from corporations and wealthy influence peddlers or just outright buying the election for oneself is teh shit.

Unfortunately, the program that Jeb Bush referred to as "welfare for politicians" is probably doomed. The system is so broken and full of loopholes that it does little to help underfunded candidates compete, and the tide of special interest and corporate money has been rising in Florida just like elsewhere despite the public system.

There is absolutely no uprising in opposition to this bill, and with even public campaign financing stalwarts like Common Cause singing the death knell of the current system, this may be the last year for public financing in Florida.

"The campaign finance law really has become so messed up, the question is whether we should even try to save it," said Ben Wilcox, a board member with Common Cause Florida, which has long supported the state public finance system.

"The system has been so manipulated, it doesn�t look much like it was intended to look," he added.

...

<div>since its earliest days, the public finance system has been gamed by lawmakers, its supporters say.</div>
The most dramatic move came five years ago, when the Republican-controlled Legislature nearly tripled spending limits for those running for governor -- raising the spending roof to where this year, candidates can spend as much as $24.9 million and still qualify for taxpayer money.

Spending limits for Cabinet candidates also were raised fivefold that year, from $2 million.

The spending caps were bumped skyward in 2005 in anticipation of a freespending battle in the governor�s race � beginning with a costly GOP primary between now-Gov. Charlie Crist and rival Tom Gallagher.

Eventually, Crist pocketed more than $3.3 million in public funds, while also spending $20 million in the governor�s race. He also drew at least that much financial support from the Florida Republican Party.

Party backing didn�t count toward the spending cap. And having the party cover campaign expenses and air television ads was among the first means candidates used to sidestep spending limits.

The rise of 527 groups in this year�s Republican primary has further blurred the role of spending limits. Such shadowy organizations, named for the section of the IRS code that governs them, can raise and spend unlimited amounts to influence an election � usually through TV ads aimed at tearing down an opponent.

Ironically, Republican Gubernatorial candidate and House Impeachment Manager Bill McCollum, an ardent opponent of public campaign financing, may be one of the last politicians to ever benefit from the system, as his floundering campaign is about to receive a gift in the form of matching contributions from the state. He needs every penny he can scrape together - his self-financing opponent has unlimited funds.

I'm certainly not going to shed any tears for McCollum, but it's apparent that whether Amendment 1 passes or not that the financing system in Florida is already really broken. McCollum's opponent Rick Scott is attempting to buy the GOP Governor's race, and Jeff Greene is trying to do the same in the Democratic Senate primary, and both of them may prevail due solely to the vast amounts of cash they are spending.

Amendment 1 aims to tear down the last vestiges of a crippled and broken down system. Public financing has been defanged and declawed and essentially left for dead for years. November's vote will be the public execution.

[nashville_brook]

13. here's norwood's diary on Amendment 5 and 6 (redistricting -- big f'n deals!)

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/9/8/900096/-FL-Amend-5,-6:-Balart-Bros.-Show-Redistricting-Matters

here's the 527 for Fair Districting (THEY NEED HELP...!):

http://www.fairdistrictsflorida.org/home.php

[nashville_brook]

14. Amendment 3 seeks to slash property taxes by $1 billion over 3 years!! thank Marco Rubio for this.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/7/12/883611/-FL:-Editing-the-ConstitutionAmendment-3

this might not appear on the ballot pending litigation. if it does...we really need to fight it. it will cripple the state. even conservative "tax watch" groups are not supporting it.

Now, a new constitutional amendment, Amendment 3, will appear on the ballot in November and if approved, reduce that 10 percent limitation to 5 percent, potentially crippling Florida�s economic future, the TaxWatch report says. It compares that scenario to being similar to the way that Proposition 13 has contributed to the near bankrupting of California.

In the end, TaxWatch said the more stringent assessment limitations outlined in Amendment 3 would:

� Lower tax revenues for local government

� Lower municipal bond credit ratings

� Impede local governments that are hamstrung in adapting to economic conditions

� Create greater reliance on other types of taxes and an unnecessarily complicated system for taxpayers

� Reduce real estate transaction activity

� Reduce jobs and compensation for transaction facilitators

� Become an impediment to a vibrant economy

[WillyT]

10. K & R !!!

:kick: