This is a link to a personal experience reference page I wrote on reducing weight, avoiding Covid using YouTube influencer videos, and moving to a keto diet and intermittent fasting. Read more →
This is a link to a personal experience reference page I wrote on reducing weight, avoiding Covid using YouTube influencer videos, and moving to a keto diet and intermittent fasting. Read more →
Posted at 05:44 PM in Consumer Protection, Healthcare, Junk Science | Permalink | Comments (0)
James O'keefe spent 49 minutes today, Feb. 20, 2023 explaining in a video the entire, not well known, train of events leading to his departure from his investigative watchdog group Project Veritas. It happened strangely forced by a hostile Board just days after their huge expose of the Pfizer executive admitting apparent improper actions related to their Covid vaccines. Read more →
Posted at 10:22 PM in Conservative Issues, Consumer Protection, Corruption in Local Governments, Elections & Voter Fraud, Ethics in Politics & Government, Fraud Examples, Fraud, Waste, Abuse & Oversight, Liberal & Democrat Initiatives, Media Bias, Republicans, Scams & Fraud | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: James O'Keefe
A Mt. Dora, FL business lost $30,000 through a sophisticated phone scam where the victim shared info that allowed $30,000 to be transferred out of his checking account. Read the details and protect yourself. Read more →
Posted at 04:19 PM in City - Mount Dora, Consumer Protection, Fraud Examples, Fraud, Waste, Abuse & Oversight, Lake County Lifestyle, Scams & Fraud | Permalink | Comments (0)
Century Link attempts illegal underground fiber optic cable installation in my neighborhood but we caught them. Read more →
Click HERE to see a Debbie Georgatos video interview on America Can We Talk of a 25-year Pediatrician, Dr. Angelina Farella, describing the DANGERS of masks, DANGERS of Covid vaccines and asking hard questions ike "why isn't anyone preaching good practices to BUILD immune systems, or good health to reduce OBESITY which is the main contributor to serious Covid Cases?" Debbie Georgatos is a well-known conservative vlogger in Texas who interviews many working professionals like doctors about the REAL FACTS related to issues like masks, Covid, election fraud, etc. Her main website is: https://americacanwetalk.org/. You will not support masks at all, or vaccines or the Biden regime's Covid rules after watching this America Can We Talk interview held by Debbie Georgatos on Sept. 15, 2021. https://rumble.com/vmmsft-dr.-angelina-farella-acwt-interview-9.15.21.html This is one of many sources I have gathered for my "Masks are dangerous.." webpage at: https://www.fiscalrangers.com/masks-are-dangerous-and-here-is-why.html By Vance Jochim - published Sept 17, 2021 Fiscalrangers.com [email protected] === Read more →
Posted at 03:40 PM in Conservative Issues, Consumer Protection, Ethics in Politics & Government, Ethics of Elected Officials, Federal Government Issues, Government Management Effectiveness, Healthcare, Lake County School District, Liberal & Democrat Initiatives, North Lake County Hospital District, School Districts - General Info | Permalink | Comments (0)
America's Frontline Doctors is composed of experienced medical doctors and researchers who provide FACTS about why masks are not safe and can be harmful. They oppose the Federal and Fauci recommendations to wear masks. Watch their video describing many sources of research which are eye-opening. You won't want to wear masks after watching this video. Read more →
Posted at 03:09 PM in Agenda 21 & socialism schemes, Conservative Issues, Consumer Protection, Ethics in Politics & Government, Ethics of Elected Officials, Federal Government Issues, Florida State Issues, Florida the Huckster State, Government Management Effectiveness, Healthcare, Junk Science, Liberal & Democrat Initiatives, Media Bias, Socialism & Communism | Permalink | Comments (2)
The Federal Government and many states like Florida have created a mechanism for "green" construction builders and remodelers to offer residential and commercial property owners low-interest loans for desirable "Green" energy-efficient construction designs and products ranging from solar roof panels to high-efficiency air conditioners. We provide a fiscal watchdog overview of the PACE Commercial and PACE Residential loan programs and their risks and our opinion for Florida projects. Before viewing this, you might also do a search on "PACE Lawsuits" to see the results of such loan programs around the US. Read more →
Posted at 02:36 PM in Cities in Lake County, City - Lady Lake, City - Leesburg, City - Mount Dora, Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: David Jordan Lake County FL Tax Collector, Vance Jochim
Will your local city or county government agency get hit with ransomware like Baltimore, MD and then their School District a year later? Read this and pass it on to your local government council or board to educate them and ask for a public hearing on whether they are vulnerable or not. Read more →
Posted at 12:46 PM in Central Florida government agencies, Cities in Lake County, City - Tavares, Consumer Protection, FiscalFiasco, Fraud Examples, Fraud, Waste, Abuse & Oversight, Government Management Effectiveness, Lake County Board & Government, Lake County School District | Permalink | Comments (0)
Owning a mobile home in Florida on leased or rented lots is dangerous and we describe some reasons why. The industry and the Florida legislators need to take action against mobile home park owners who are bullies and harass and threaten mobile home owners so they give up and leave so the park owner can take over the home and sell or rent it for a profit. Read more →
Posted at 12:27 AM in Abuse of Elders & Veterans, Central Florida government agencies, Cities in Lake County, Conservative Issues, Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection, Florida State Issues, Florida State Waste & MisManagement, Florida the Huckster State, Fraud, Waste, Abuse & Oversight, Homelessness in Lake County FL, Housing programs, Lake County Lifestyle, Land grabs, Mobile Home Issues - FL | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Elder abuse, FL Mobile home parks and mobile home owner issues, Florida Mobile home parks and mobile home owner issues, Veteran abuse
The 2019-20 Lake County, FL property tax TRIM notices are out. We provide an example and some analysis, and tips how to analyze YOUR rates to understand if hidden increases are included. Read more →
Posted at 08:51 PM in Central Florida government agencies, Cities in Lake County, City - Tavares, Conservative Issues, Consumer Protection, Economic Development, Ethics in Politics & Government, Ethics of Elected Officials, FiscalFiasco, Florida the Huckster State, Government Management Effectiveness, Lake County Board & Government, Lake County Lifestyle, Lake County School District, Lake County Water Authority (LCWA), North Lake County Hospital District, Taxes, Taxes on Florida Property / Homes, Transparency of Govt | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Carey Baker, Lake County FL Property Appraiser
The Tavares, FL City Council may approve "primitive camping" in a city park at an August, 21, 2019 City Council meeting that some believe will attract homeless people. Other negative issues are also discussed. Read more →
Posted at 05:38 PM in Cities in Lake County, City - Tavares, Consumer Protection, Ethics of Elected Officials, Liberal & Democrat Initiatives, Property Rights, Socialism & Communism, Taxes on Florida Property / Homes | Permalink | Comments (1)
Tags: Amanda Boggus, Kirby Smith John Drury, Lori Pfister, Roy Stevenson, Troy Singer
MedMen Medical Marijuana Pot Growers in Eustis, FL Anger Neighbors Over Excessive Industrial Noise Read more →
Posted at 11:19 AM in Central Florida government agencies, City - Eustis, Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection, Ethics in Politics & Government, Florida State Issues, Florida the Huckster State, Government Management Effectiveness, Lake County Board & Government, Lake County Lifestyle, Property Rights | Permalink | Comments (0)
This tip about child vaccinations is from Karen Bracken, a well known education watcher, anti-common core activist and conservative author. From Karen Bracken April 9, 2019 Before you allow a doctor to shoot vaccines into your children ask them to see the insert of ingredients and the side affects. If they refuse, get out of there ASAP. When you get any other shot or prescription this information is given to patients but why not when it comes to vaccines?? WHY do you allow them to put multiple shots into your child's body without knowing what is in them and the side affects? Vance Jochim FiscalRangers.com [email protected] Read more →
Posted at 08:34 AM in Conservative Issues, Consumer Protection, Healthcare, Lake County School District | Permalink | Comments (0)
Local governments like cities are being sued because their websites are not completely designed to comply with ADA requirements that were written before the internet was created. For instance, cities cannot post meeting videos if they don't incur the expense to provide captions that software for the blind or deaf can read and translate so they can understand it. Thus the benefit of transparency for 97% of the populations are shut down for 3% who complain. Read more →
Posted at 03:35 PM in Cities in Lake County, Consumer Protection, Districts - Special, Water etc., Ethics in Politics & Government, Federal Government Issues, FiscalFiasco, Florida the Huckster State, Fraud, Waste, Abuse & Oversight, Judicial Activism, Lake County Board & Government, Lake County School District, Lake County Water Authority (LCWA), Transparency of Govt, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)
Consumer Alert: Don't buy a new or used Chromebook without reading how they STOP support after 5 years of first manufacture date. Caveat Emptor Chromebooks. Read more →
Posted at 08:06 PM in Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Chromebooks
The Orlando Sentinel is mis-representing the true cost of a home delivery subscription. They publicly state it is $3/week or $39 per 13 weeks, but then once you are enrolled, the invoices reduce the issue counts to pay $3.99 each for up to 10 "Premium Issues" per year, which are really advertising inserts. So you may think you are getting a true 13 weeks of issues, but they reduce that issue count to offset the hidden cost of the "Premium Issues". In a year, you are paying about $39.90 more than you knew about from the published prices. And if you used credit card autopay, you probably never know you are getting fewer issues to offset the Premium Issues. Read more →
Posted at 02:25 PM in Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (1)
FiscalRangers.com Consumer WARNING about "Eclipse" glasses to view the upcoming Eclipse. WATCH OUT and do not buy any "Eclipse" glasses except those four brands specified by NASA. Many are counterfeits and not properly certified and could harm the eyesight of the users. Even Amazon is selling counterfeit versions of the brands as described in the "1" review comments. Track down NASA's original recommendation and only buy from the manufacturer website or learn how to ensure your glasses meet the official certification standards. There is a link on this NASA page below to the list of official glasses certified by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) that are safe: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety FoxNews also issued a warning about these glasses HERE on July 28. Don't think because you find the manufacturer name on Amazon's website that the glasses are from them. Most likely they can be knockoffs from "sold by" vendors. (Amazon allows a lot of counterfeit sales). And, this link leads to the “1” comments for a “Soluna” brand Eclipse sunglasses on Amazon. You can read the actual comments saying a first order might be legitimate glasses, or the picture is, but the shipped items were Chinese knockoffs that were not certified. The... Read more →
Posted at 08:56 PM in Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (0)
Facebook Hacking and Cloning Overview and Prevention Tips from former IT Auditor Read more →
Posted at 03:42 PM in Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Facebook Cloning, Facebook Hacking
Tavares, FL Oct. 24, 2016 Do you use a Lenovo computer or a Motorola cell phone? The US military services are banning use of Lenovo computers due to ownership by the government of China and apparent cyberwarfare capabilities built into them or spyware software on them. Even if you don't have any intelligence info on your computer, I personally suggest supporting the US by boycotting Lenovo. And watch out for Motorola cell phones, also purchased by Lenovo. After thinking about it, China has no values (kinda like Hillary) and in the future I will try to source my tech equipment from more supportive "capitalist" countries like South Korea, or Singapore or Taiwan since the US makes hardly any tech equipment now. I just looked at two Western Digital computer hard drives I have and they were both made in Thailand, another capitalist country. My new Netgear Gigabit network switch was made in China (which could have components that access data streams). My new SanDisk SSD drive was made in China. My Anker add on PCIe USB 3.0 card for my tower pc I use for video editing was made in China. However, the issue with Lenovo is they are partially... Read more →
Posted at 10:02 AM in Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tavares, FL Aug. 13, 2016 For-profit "colleges" and "universities" are lying about "career placement" rates to potential students to get them to enroll. Who knew? Now the Federal government is proposing a new rule that makes it easier for students to sue the schools for not getting a "placement". It seems when they say 99% of students are successful in "career placement", they include all the students who couldn't find work and instead enrolled in more education programs. READ about it HERE on the Education Watchdog blog. I checked the long list of lying colleges and only two small tier Florida Colleges were listed as cooking their numbers. I wonder when a similar rule will be issued that a K-12 student who cannot read, write, spell and make change upon graduation can sue the School District Board? That is when Common Core will be dropped. Vance Jochim Read more →
Posted at 03:43 PM in Consumer Protection, Education, Federal Government Issues | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: education fraud, Education scam, technical eduction
Lake County, FL Homeowners & Realtors: If you own a house on 1/4 acre or more in a zoned neighborhood, a new Obama Federal program (AFFH - Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing) may require your County or City in 1-5 years to build HUD defined lower income, high density housing in your community, ignoring any zoning you count on to protect the value of your home. The Lake County, FL Board and many cities have ignored the implications included in new requirements for HUD grants they get for housing. Read more →
Posted at 12:49 PM in AFFH, Cities in Lake County, Conservative Issues, Consumer Protection, Federal Government Issues, Housing programs, Property Rights, Socialism & Communism | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: AFFH, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, affordable housing, CDBG grants, Federal overreach, HUD grants, Property Rights, property rights, property values
Tavares, FL June 5, 2015 Lake Countians: This information is updated from a memo sent to some recipients yesterday. Update: Today, Saturday, June 6, my paper is missing again for the fifth day. The Daily Commercial is really botching up every newspaper's credibility. I got through to an operator at 7:45 am and they will deliver it later. - The Daily Commercial just got a contract to deliver the Orlando Sentinel, Wall St. Journal and USA Today, plus their own subscribers. - For four days (Update: Now five days), hundreds of subscribers (unverified) did not get their newspapers. - I was one of them. - Problems include lack of planning to hire enough delivery couriers, and changing delivery routes to confuse existing couriers. - The circulation phone number for reporting missing papers is overloaded and put people in endless loops where they could not talk to a staffer or even leave a message. Puppy dogs are even sad when they can't read their newspapers. For the last four days, many Lake County subscribers to the Daily Commercial, Orlando Sentinel, Wall St. Journal and USA Today have not received one or more papers. I called to DC Publisher Steve Scaggs yesterday,... Read more →
Posted at 11:37 AM in Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection, Lake County Lifestyle | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Daily Commercial, Lake County FL, Orlando Sentinel, USA Today, Wall St. Journal
We updated our earlier article about solar roofing and panel scams to include new Florida resident information and how Arizona and California Solar roofing and panel scams are now moving to Florida after a new 2017 law allows them to grow without Electric Utility interference. Read more →
Posted at 06:19 PM in Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection, Solar Panels & Energy, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Solar Panel leasing scams
Tavares, FL Feb. 18th, 2015 Consumer tip: Comcast/Xfinity Cable internet or TV users - don't EVER get sucked in to a "promotion" for a new service where it is improved at the same price you pay. Then in 12-15 months, it goes up +30%. Magically, they won't let you step back to the prior level you had at the old price. This happened to me with Comcast cable and price went up from $25 to $40 for just an internet connection (no TV). Then today, a Comcast guy calls up with another promotion "for faster bandwidth" at the same price of $40, but admitted it was a promotion. Guess what, price goes up after 12 months. And, he couldn't say if I could then stay with the old level. Even though many customers are happy with current bandwidth, this may be an attempt to lock in customers to higher rates since the Obama administration may enforce "net neutrality" which means everyone, regardless of bandwidth use, gets to use all the bandwidth they want at the same price. So moving people up to higher cost bandwidth tiers is a marketing program to get fatter fees now, and not have to fight... Read more →
Posted at 11:37 AM in Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Comcast Cable, Comcast Internet, Xfinity
Comcast and time warner are raising modem rental rates, at least in Denver. The increased cost may justify ditching the rental and buying your own modem. I did it. Other Comcast issues are discussed. Read more →
Posted at 02:28 PM in Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Comcast internet, Comcast modem rates, Motorola SB6121
A Medicare Advantage Insurance provider, PUP, collapsed this last month and here are all the ramifications based on my experiences. Read more →
Posted at 02:06 PM in Agenda 21 & socialism schemes, Budgeting for Govt Agencies, Consumer Protection, Federal Government Issues, FiscalFiasco, Healthcare, Liberal & Democrat Initiatives | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Medicare Advantage Fiasco, Medicare Cost Increases, PUP collapse
Lake County, Florida's Board of Commissioners is considering a New Urbanism "South Lake Sector Plan" development where government planners will damage property rights and decide which land owners get increased value for development rights versus losing property owners who will be locked into Agricultural or Environmentalist demanded Conservation areas of much lower value for the future. Read more →
Posted at 12:53 PM in Central Florida government agencies, City - Clermont, Consumer Protection, Environment & Global Warming, Government Management Effectiveness, Lake County Board & Government, Lake County Lifestyle, Property Rights | Permalink | Comments (1)
Tags: Jimmy Conner, Lake County Florida Board of Commissioners, Lake County South Sector Plan, Lake County Wellness Way, Leslie Campione, New Urbanism. Sean Parks, Property rights, Tim Sullivan, Welton Cadwell
Environmentalists are trying to assault septic tank owners with more junk science. They have filed a questionable Florida Senate Bill SB 1576 which needs to be stopped in its tracks. Once again, they don't provide facts to justify an assault on property rights or septic tanks. All their arguments are emotional. Read more →
Posted at 11:53 AM in Central Florida government agencies, Consumer Protection, Districts - Special, Water etc., Environment & Global Warming, Florida State Issues, Property Rights, Water Issues | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: IF YOU LIKE YOUR SEPTIC SYSTEM, YOU CAN KEEP YOUR SEPTIC SYSTEM - BUT ONLY IF YOU ACT!
Harbor Freight shorted me four parts for an engine stand that had to be assembled. This is what am going through in order to get replacement parts. Read more →
Posted at 01:08 PM in Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Harbor Freight, Harbor Freight Complaint, Harbor Freight engine stand
Tavares, FL - Friday, Dec. 20, 2013 - TWO Updates added Dec. 31 - see new article links below Did you, family members or friends shop at Target and use a credit or debit card between Nov. 27 & Dec. 15? If so, you better read all of this to avoid your card account being charged by fraudsters. You probably know credit card hackers took some 40-million credit card numbers from Target customers and perhaps other data during that period. Some articles say that only data on the magnetic stripe was copied, but I can't find specific details to rely on. If you DID use any credit or debit card at a Target store (Target says online shopping was not affected), READ all articles below plus the Target document linked below. Target says they have fixed the security weakness, so you can use credit cards there now. You might forward this to, or check with family members, employees, etc to see if THEY shopped at Target since many probably don't read or watch the news and are oblivious to the fraud. You also need to monitor ALL unknown transactions on your credit card via online. That includes small purchases or... Read more →
Posted at 10:20 PM in Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: Target credit card breach, Target credit card fraud
Tavares, FL - Nov. 4, 2013 Dr. Tim Moore, a cardivascular surgeon who owns a surgery clinic in Leesburg, FL gave at talk on the "Nightmare of Obamacare" to residents and visitors at the Royal Highlands retirement community in Leesburg, FL on Nov. 4, 2013. Moore's talk is blunt and covers all the Obama lies and the restrictions and true cost analysis that will affect both working and retired folks, so this is a good video and/or Powerpoint to watch, with many researched facts. We have both the Powerpoint and the video. Download Nightmare of Obamacare 2013 <<<< This is the Powerpoint You can find the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSI14Q5OF2I Read the video description also. The best way to watch it is to open a window with the Powerpoint and then another window with the video and click through the Powerpoint as Dr. Moore discusses each. We apologize for the sound, but the microphone was faulty and the hall created an echo due to the placement of the speakers (not under our control). Another version of the video might be uploaded later if we can get it from the owner. Read more →
Posted at 10:49 AM in Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection, Economy, Federal Government Issues, FiscalFiasco, Government Management Effectiveness, Healthcare | Permalink | Comments (1)
Tags: ACA, Affordable Care Act, Dr. Tim Moore, Health Insurance, Leesburg FL, Obamacare, Royal Highlands
Have you been ignoring the GMO Issue (Genetically Modified Organisms)? Monsanto and other large, global corporations have locked up the patent on certain agriculture crop seeds after genetically modifying them. They then developed court decisions to say that even if their patented seed drifted in the air to a neighboring farmer's crop, then they, not the farmer, owned that crop. You need to watch this documentary, which isn't so much about the biological dangers (which are separate issues), but how Monsanto is restricting farmer's rights to plant NON-GMO or organic crops, thus reducing the foods you can choose from. Watch this video with your family to understand when someone says Monsanto is EVIL. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omtYlsG1P5U#t=18 Read more →
Posted at 06:33 PM in Conspiracies, Consumer Protection, Environment & Global Warming, Healthcare | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tavares, FL - May 7, 2013 by Vance Jochim FiscalRangers.com In the field of boxing, they used to say that white boxing fans were always looking for the "great white hope", meaning a white boxer who could beat the many black boxers. Similarly, in the field of politics, conservatives keep seeking conservative, not liberal news outlets besides Fox News and Glen Beck online. Now, it might happen and the Ronald Reagan of Newspaper publishers might take over and purge a major liberal newspaper chain of liberal writers and install conservative reporters and editors. You Betcha. The well know conservative billionaires, the Koch Brothers, are contemplating the purchase of the Tribune Corp. newspapers, including the Orlando Sentinel, the rabidly liberal Lost Angeles Times and several other papers. That company just came out of bankruptcy recently and their papers are on the market to be sold. Columnist Cal Thomas gives us a glimpse of the possible Conservative Publishing Valhalla here: http://www.calthomas.com/index.php?news=3978 According to Thomas, Los Angeles staff were asked if they would quit if the paper was bought by the Koch Brothers, and HALF of them said yes. Christmas might be early for us conservatives. Imagine what would happen to the nearby... Read more →
This is an example of a Sebring, FL citizen fighting to stop a local city government blunder. We hope she prevails. http://www.newssun.com/Opinion/edt-011313 vj From NewsSun.com Admiration for a citizen standing up to power Some of you may be tired of reading News-Sun stories about Gingerlee Mitchelllindo's fight with the city of Sebring. She is trying to save her retention wall. We, on the other hand, not only think our coverage is warranted, we think the community should be paying attention, even getting involved. To briefly recap: Mitchelllindo's property, a small single house, is opposite the Sebring Middle School at 503 Center Ave. In 2009, with the construction of Sebring Parkway Part II, Center Avenue was reconfigured and widened for a safer entrance into the middle school and to feed into the Parkway. Properties along the affected areas were surveyed. As a result of the survey, the city judged Mitchelllindo's retaining wall encroached on the city's right-of-way by about a foot. However, when succeeding surveys were done, none of the results were exactly the same. Mitchelllindo insists when she built the wall in 1996, she stayed within the line set by the surveyor, who happened to be Buddy Whitlock. Whitlock went... Read more →
Posted at 01:28 PM in Central Florida government agencies, Consumer Protection, Government Management Effectiveness, Property Rights | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tavares, FL (Lake County) - Oct. 3, 2012 (This article was first distributed to the FiscalRangers.com email list). A proposed Florida legislative bill draft is being circulated by a group fighting government property rights transgressions in Florida, and they have started an online petition to be submitted to Senator Don Gaetz. It is similar to one passed by the Alabama legislators recently which is already being enforced. Here is a June 20 article on the bill by Florida Senate President-designate Don Gaetz (“ to strongly reject United Nations Agenda 21…”) http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/don-gaetz-expect-anti-un-agenda-21-2013 Agenda 21, initiated by the UN and implemented by the American Planner’s Association, is most known for rolling out extreme restrictions on private property, which reduces uses, values and freedoms protected by the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. A simple example is implementation of land use restrictions in many counties so that the owner could not develop property for business, residential or other uses due to environmental objectives. The result to many is a “taking” of property values without “just compensation”. My FiscalRangers.com blog has published a white paper on Agenda 21 dangers at www.tinyurl.com/HaltAgenda21 . Go there if you want more background, watch various videos or read... Read more →
Posted at 03:48 PM in Agenda 21 & socialism schemes, Consumer Protection, Environment & Global Warming, Lake County Board & Government, Property Rights | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: Agenda 21, American Planner's Association, Florida Property Rights Bill, Lake County property values, Property Rights, Sustainable Development
Tavares, FL - Sept. 2, 2012 - News and local government issues for Lake County, FL by Vance Jochim Updates Sept 4: Added section 10 to "homework" section that includes links to FL Dept of Revenue guides that most taxpayers never see. Added section 11 for email from Lake County Republican Party to Tax Authorities recommending NO increase in millage rates. This Thursday, Sept. 6, 6-8pm, FiscalRangers.com, a blog on local Lake County Florida Government Fiscal issues, will host a FREE property taxpayer public meeting at the Tavares Civic Center, 100 E. Caroline St., Tavares, FL to explain how and why your property taxes or rates are going up, and tips if you want to appeal your property valuations, lost exemptions, etc. You should have recently received your TRIM notice showing new valuations, changes in exemptions, proposed changes in millage rates, etc. Have you heard that many local Lake County tax "authorities" like cities, Lake County and various special districts are RAISING the millage rate used to calculate your property taxes? Even though your property tax valuation may be dropping, those authorities want to tax you as much or more as last year, so they are increasing your property tax... Read more →
Posted at 10:56 AM in Agenda 21 & socialism schemes, Central Florida government agencies, Cities in Lake County, City - Leesburg, City - Mount Dora, City - Tavares, Consumer Protection, Districts - Special, Water etc., Elections 2012, Lake County Board & Government, Property Rights, Taxes on Florida Property / Homes, Tea Party | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: Agenda 21, Carey Baker, Lake County FL Property Appraiser, millage rates, Pam Lee, property exemptions, property rights, property tax increases, Property taxes, property valuation appeals, property valuation petitions, Property valuations, roll back rates, roll forward rates, sustainable development, Walter Price
Tavares, FL - Wed., July 22, 2012 Updated Jul 23 to add link to video of 8/22 presentation to citizens on Smart Meters. Update comments based on the 8/22 meeting are below in italics like this sentence. Smart Meters are invading Leesburg, but the City and apparently the Daily Commercial don't want you to know they are "Smart Meters". According to today's Daily Commercial article at the link below, a city representative will "offer tips" on using the "new meters" at 7pm at the Magnolia room at Lake Sumter Community College. The "new meters" are really "Smart Meters" which have been castigated all over the internet for safety and privacy invasion reasons. http://www.dailycommercial.com/News/LakeCounty/082212beatpeak UPDATE: Here is our video of the Aug. 23 Presentation to Leesburg residents by City Manager Jay Evans about the Smart Meters - 1 hr 28 min. Evans answered most issues described below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL6UlrwLjBg There was no discussion in the article on how much the conversion to Smart Meters will cost the city, Federal taxpayers or the Leesburg utility customers. (However, on the video, the City Manager explained they got a $10-million Federal grant, and have generated savings to pay for the other $10-million of the cost,... Read more →
Posted at 05:34 PM in City - Leesburg, Consumer Protection, Environment & Global Warming, Lake County Board & Government | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: Lake County Florida, Leesburg Florida, Leesburg smart meters, smart meters
I posted this on Facebook today. WARNING about using FB apps: Recently three well known public personalities in Lake County have signed up for Facebook apps which then posted on my Wall (and I assume all their friends) 1) what music (every song) one person was listening to (Spotify app) during work hours, and 2) that two others TODAY read an article using the Washington Post "Social Reader" app titled "4 Things you do that kill her sex drive". (For real). Facebook and their apps don't care about your reputation or privacy, so don't use ANY Facebook app without completely understanding what they will tell others about your activities on the internet when you use their app. The same goes for Google. AND, don't use the Facebook login on a website, because then they collect and might post whatever you looked at on another website., or you will see ads on your website for something you don't want showing on your page. THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR PRIVACY OR DAMAGING YOUR PERSONAL REPUTATION. Be sure to restrict all privacy "connections" between Facebook and any other site, or your actions on Facebook could show up in an ad when you view... Read more →
Posted at 07:38 PM in Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Update 1pm Wed - added more details from Kathryn Sutherlin about the high amount used for administrative expenses and lying about budget numbers. Also, the email for Gov Scott doesn't work, and you have to wait a long time for Scott's office to answer the phone. Update 4pm: We added the official press release from the California Office of Early Learning which says it was SIGNED yesterday, but another source says it might not be a done deal. Keep tuned. Tavares, FL - Oct. 19, 2011 - Today, Wednesday, is the SURPRISE Deadline for Florida State government to apply for A STEALTH, SNEAKY Federal Grant that will over regulate one Florida industry, Child Care. I am asking you, based upon the request of a credible Lake County volunteer and the inforamtion below, to CALL Florida Governor Rick Scott TODAY to HALT any action for Florida to APPLY for the grant. Phone call and email details are below. The $100-million grant proposal ( Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge ) from a Florida State agency, the Florida Office of Early Learning, is an application for a STEALTH grant using Nancy Pelosi type hidden agendas and lack of details to... Read more →
Posted at 10:54 AM in Central Florida government agencies, Conspiracies, Consumer Protection, Ethics in Politics & Government, Federal Government Issues, Florida State Issues | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: Florida Child Care Industry, Florida Governor Rick Scott, Florida liberals, Florida Office of Early Learning, Florida Socialism, Race to the Top
Updated July 28 to add section at bottom on Agenda 21 foreign aid projects on DEVEX website. Tavares, FL - July 25, 2011 - The UN has an initiative called Agenda 21 which is really aimed at reducing property rights and increasing socialism around the world. Agenda 21 has affected Florida as well as Lake County. Keep on reading... But first, if you don't know much about Agenda 21, WATCH this 9-minute "Agenda 21 Video for Dummies" explaining it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzEEgtOFFlM&feature=youtu.be This article link below clearly explains one part, which is the encouragement of "wildlife" corridors which then prohibit access by humans. The article says now that 28% of Florida land is now taken up by such programs, and all of it funded with taxpayer money because no one challenged the concept. Recently, last year, two environmentalists on the Lake County Board (now no longer on the Board) pushed through modifications to the Lake County "comp plan" which laid out land usage plans, so that property rights were taken aways from owners by tactics such as limiting the size of roads in their area, which then controls traffic, which then reduces the value of land that could have been used for... Read more →
Posted at 11:26 AM in Conspiracies, Consumer Protection, Environment & Global Warming, Florida State Issues, Lake County Board & Government, Taxes on Florida Property / Homes | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: ICLEI, property rights, public property, United Nations Agenda 21
Cities in Lake County are being approached about installing red light cameras like those in Orlando. Here is an instance where another Florida city tried them, and the City Council decided the main feature of the cameras was excess revenue generation for the State and City, and they did NOT renew their provider agreement, essentially turning off their red light cameras. It is interesting to note that the fine for a red light camera offense is $158, and $83 goes to the State, then the vendor keeps about 25%, or $37.50 and the city keeps... the remaining $37.50. One Councilman said that the city was already starting to be dependent on the income, which was becoming the motivating factor, not increasing safety. So, when your local City Council gets approached by that well connected local Lake County attorney who represents the vendor, go speak at the meeting if you don't want to become another revenue source and over react each time you see a red light camera. PS: My local audio installer, who installs high end sound systems in houses, tells me that the parts and systems for red light cameras are all off the shelf items he could assemble... Read more →
Posted at 07:21 AM in Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: red light camera
Today, the Orlando Sentinel has implemented a new login system that ensures your privacy in posting online comments is DEAD, and your comments can be linked to your name on other accounts you have. -At one time I was a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and I follow news related to consumer data privacy issues. Yes, I know you think I spend all my time reading County budgets, but when I am bored, I read about data privacy! Today, I tried to post a comment to an article on the Orlando Sentinel website and they no longer use their own login method, but force you to select one of several social media login accounts. Thus, you can't use any method except clicking and using your existing, or new account on Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc. The sentinel is even offering a drawing for a $50 gift certificate to get people to use the new system. This is an extremely risky practice, because Facebook, for instance, has been pummeled in the press THIS WEEK for having... POOR security over member data, and NOT asking member permission before sharing their data with other social media systems. Basically,... Read more →
Posted at 12:17 PM in Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: consumer privacy, Data privacy, personal data privacy
I recently upgraded my old Motorola flip phone to Verizon Wireless's new Droid Smartphone which uses Google's Android operating system (OS). It is a competitor to Apple's iPhone. I had earlier used several Palm Pilots which were known as personal digital assistants (PDA's) since they did not have phones built in. I fully believe that the Android system will grow in importance and eclipse Apple's phone since Google is spending a lot of money on it, and others like Palm Pre or even Blackberry's will lose customer interest. So, I went to the Verizon "store" in the Lake Square Mall (Leesburg, FL) and bought one. Verizon still aggravates me by... having small signs that play up the "after rebate" price as the price, but instead of $199, you really pay $299 plus tax, sign up for a more expensive phone and data plan for 24 months (figure over $100 per month, and even more if you add texting). Thus, the little $199 purchase really incurs a total purchase of over $2700 over 24 months, and even more if you buy apps or programs that run on the Droid. Then you have to fill out forms and send in the rebate... Read more →
Posted at 12:50 PM in Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: Droid Documentation Sucks, Droid Review, Verizon Droid, Verizon Product Support Sucks
Imagine an internet phone book with customer reviews of local Lake County businesses. Kind of like Amazon.com product reviews, but tailored for Lake County businesses. You can tell Lake County businesses are behind the technology bandwagon when most restaurants, etc. have not listed themselves on Yelp.com Yelp is a major player in rating eating, entertainment & business locations in major cities. So, the nearest big cities to Lake County are Tampa or Orlando. If you select Orlando, it shows lists of the top user rated eating and playing places, WITH a map to show where they are. But, I thought there weren't any listings for Lake County. But I was wrong - it just took a little experimenting. I went to a list of top rated restaurants in Orlando, and it showed a map with numbered pointers for each rated business. And, if I "dragged" the map so it showed the Triangle area of Lake County, the map revised its ratings pointers and showed top rated restaurants in that area. But, there were only a few. And, there wasn't ONE tire store listed for the area (take that, Ralph). For instance, here is a link where I went to the... Read more →
Posted at 12:41 AM in Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection, Lake County Board & Government | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: Lake County business locator, Lake County restaurants
A website was hacked recently and the hackers posted online all the user accounts and passwords they used for that website. Some people analyzed which passwords were used the most and how easy they were for an internet "hacking" routine to guess them. Amazingly, 290,000 user accounts used the very easy to hack "123456". So, if you want to find out how weak or easy your online internet passwords are to "hack", then read the article below. vj from PCWorld.com (a personal computer magazine) RockYou Hack Reveals the Worst 20 Passwords 01.21.10 3Comments by Mark Hachman In December, RockYou.com was hacked, and a list of usernames and passwords was exposed to the Web, in plain text. A month later, security analysis firm Imperva has analyzed the most common passwords, and the results are depressing, to say the least. By far, the most popular password on the site was "123456," apparently satisfying a minimum character limit on the site's password restrictions, but doing little for security. A full 290,731 users used this password, far more than the runner-up, the slightly less complex "12345, which attracted 79,078 uses. For years, security experts have been arguing that users need to use more complex... Read more →
Posted at 09:50 AM in Consumer Activities, Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: password creation
I found this 2003 article on the water crisis in China and it is quite interesting...when they have to hire guards to patrol the banks of lakes to prevent people from stealing water out of the lake, you know there is a shortage: READ It HERE from Asia Times vj Read more →
Posted at 01:17 PM in Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
If you ever looked at the price label on a new car, they cite EPA fuel efficiency in miles per gallon (mpg) that is not always credible. So, the EPA not long ago revised the official EPA fuel mileage estimates that the car makers were to use on their labels. And, the EPA created this other website where you can register and track your actual vehicle fuel mileage and compare it not only to the EPA figures, but to data entered by others for the same vehicles. But, in Central Florida, we also have to use fuel with up to 10% ethanol in it, which reduces fuel mileage even more, and is NOT factored into official EPA figures. So GO HERE, register, and track your actual fuel mileage to see how much lower your actual mileage is than what the EPA and automakers promised. vj Read more →
Posted at 11:08 PM in Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: fuel mileage tracker
This is a personal editorial based upon my own negative experience with using the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to research the reputation of two businesses, Crystal Springs Water (aka DS Waters) and IPA_IGA (International Profit Associates). It turns out you cannot rely on your local BBB to provide information on any business that is NOT headquartered in the same area... read this and understand Recently I had two personal and negative consumer situations where I consulted the Orlando area BBB website about two separate firms, and found no negative information because BBB Orlando does NOT list complaints for out of area businesses, but you don’t know that. They don’t disclose it, and don’t list complaints even if the business has a branch office in the local area. Then, as an experienced corporate auditor, I did further research and found the following about Crystal Springs Water (provides home delivery of bottled water) and International Profit Associates, a consulting firm that hires business consultants via the Orlando Sentinel Careercenter website: 1) Crystal Springs Water – aka DS Waters – I signed up for their service for home delivery of drinking water at an arts show in Mount Dora. Later, I terminated the... Read more →
Posted at 11:45 AM in Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Tags: Crystal Springs, DS Waters, International Profit Associates, IPA-IGA
We focus mostly on local government productivity, but also include local "Institutions" like hospitals when relevant. The US Dept. of Health & Human Services just published new hospital rating data on a website, and you can enter your zip code and compare three of your local hospitals. They show you data and percentage rankings for numerous questions of hospital patients around the country regarding service, and safety issues. So, I entered my zip code for Tavares, FL and compared Waterman, Leesburg and the Villages hospitals. NONE of them rated higher than a 69% patient rating when asked if the patient would recommend the hospital to someone else. My big issue is the billing and pricing of services received at the hospitals, and that is not covered in any of the survey questions. So, click here for the DHHS website, enter your zipcode, pick some local hospitals and see if you really want to go there, or somewhere else... However, this study is voluntary, and not all hospitals agreed to be in the study. So, if a hospital isn't even in this study, I might worry more about them than the ones that have low scores but DID volunteer to be... Read more →
Posted at 02:42 PM in Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
This is a good overview opinion article on how the sub-prime mortgage investment program collapse should have been predictable (and was by a few)... it gives good background on the mess... My favorite quote for consumers is: "We (the sellers of risky investments) allow naive consumers to make highly complex financial decisions under the influence of sophisticated sellers. " vj ======================================== from BusinessWeek.com at: http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/dec2007/ca20071213_764745_page_2.htm Viewpoint December 17, 2007, 4:01PM EST text size: TT Subprime: A Predictable Surprise Michael Watkins on how the subprime crisis provides another textbook example of the theory of predictable surprises and how to prevent the disasters they bring by Michael Watkins In 2004, my colleague Max Bazerman and I published Predictable Surprises: The Disasters You Should Have Seen Coming and How to Prevent Them. We defined "predictable surprises" as problems that (1) at least some people are aware of, (2) are getting worse over time, and (3) are likely to explode into a crisis eventually but are not prioritized by key decision-makers or have not elicited a response fast enough to prevent severe damage. We supported our thesis with detailed analyses of the September 11 attacks, the collapse of Enron, and the war in Iraq.... Read more →
Posted at 07:36 AM in Consumer Protection | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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