Fiscal Rangers

Why is the Lake County County Commission & Chairman Welton Cadwell Afraid of Public Input & Transparency???

The Lake County Commission needs to drastically change their resistance to allowing public input at meetings. For three years, I have been going to School Board meetings and workshops, and then started going to the separate County Commission Board meetings or watching them on TV for the last two years. This next paragraph is an extract from the County Commission website describing weekly meeting formats and "encouraging" public input, but then saying it might not always be allowed: "The Lake County Board of County Commissioners meetings may consist of several components, including work sessions, discussion agenda items (departmental business), consent agenda items and public hearings. Lake County residents are encouraged to attend the meetings and to speak at public hearings. The Board normally meets in regular sessions the first, third and fourth Tuesday of each month. Special meetings and/or work sessions may be called as necessary. While public comments may not be taken at these work sessions, the public is invited to attend." One major difference between the School Board and the County Boards is their approach to transparency, or allowing the public to speak and publishing info for the public to review. For instance, the School Board allows public... Read more →

Lake County Jobless Rate Leaps to 12.7% in November While Lake County Board Parties in Bella Collina

So, while the Lake County Commissioners party in Bella Collina, Lake County "burns" through more layoffs and unemployment goes up to 12.7% (which doesn't include all the people who have given up or who don't ask for unemployment compensation). Besides the jump in the jobless rate described in an article below, earlier this week, several of the County Commissioners (except Elaine Renick, who publicly stated it was not a good idea) went to a party hosted by the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC) in a fancy country club in Bella Collina (remember those $7-million homes they had in that big open house 2 years ago?). They did it to give awards to people who worked on Lake County economic development. However, no one I know thinks that any economic development success has taken place in Lake County. Do you? (See Lauren Ritchie's commenatary about the party below) Of course, you might get as angry as I am if you read several of Lauren Ritchie's columns (Orlando Sentinel) this last month about the EDC, and how they use inaccurate data and job counts to report results, or if you knew that the Board approved a FOUR year contract to pay... Read more →

Clout of Tea Party grows vs Republicans or Dems, According to Rasmussen Poll

A major political polling firm, Rasmussen, has published a study that indicates the Tea Party groups have much more clout in the minds of voters than you might think. Here is what they said: Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters December 4-5, 2009 Suppose the Tea Party organized itself as a political party. When thinking about the next election for Congress, would you vote for the Republican candidate from your district, the Democratic candidate from your district or the Tea Party candidate from your district? Democratic 36% Tea Party 23% Republican 18% Not sure 22 However, the study above is misleading, because the REAL Tea Party folks do NOT intend to be a separate party, and many Tea Party followers consider themselves Republicans, as we explain below. We know the Tea Party in Lake County has some clout and organization, resulting in a very organized campaign for Patricia Sullivan, a Republican running against Democrat Alan (My Congressman is Nuts) Grayson. (You can tell my bias). But the national Tea Party and the local one do not believe in starting a new party, but instead to run under either of the two major parties, R or D, and won't support third party... Read more →

Baltimore Mayor Convicted of Embezzlement

One of the reasons that some elected officials get tied up in financial fraud is a tendency of entitlement after they have won or have been in office awhile. I call this a tendency to confuse social confidence with result oriented competence. A results oriented elected official obtains satisfaction from accomplishments, but a visual image or power oriented official obtains satisfaction from what they get when in office, and sometimes anything goes. So, here, the Baltimore Mayor, Sheila Dixon, was convicted of embezzlement for SOLICITING gift cards from local developers "for the needy" and instead using some of them for her own purchases. So, she only got maybe $1000 but killed her reputation, and faces up to five years in prison. The article doesn't say how the problem was uncovered, but a proper control would be having a fraud, waste and abuse reporting hotline, which Lake County does NOT have. The article briefly mentions that Dixon was also charged with financial disclosure violations, which indicates they have one, and monitor compliance in Baltimore. vjFrom CNN here Baltimore mayor guilty of embezzlement December 2, 2009 10:13 a.m. EST (CNN) -- A jury convicted Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon on Tuesday of embezzlement... Read more →

How Government Can Lie With Data - Growing Global Warming Climategate "BAD data" Crisis

Perhaps you have read about the hackers who posted about 1100 emails from a European science center that supports Al Gores Global Warming hypothesis. The emails show a pattern of collusion to modify or drop data so it only supported Global Warming. In my separate blog on corruption, I already posted a lengthy article HERE from the London Times explaining the scandal. It tells how now the guys with all the "underlying data" used to support Global Warming have deleted much of it so the analysis or data cannot be reviewed. Thus the issue is that most of the statements by Al Gore and others about the coming of Global Warming may be a fraud. So, now the issue is moving to the US, where GOP Congress members have sent a letter to the EPA telling them to halt actions and policies based upon the missing data until the quality of the science can be evaluated. This is a clear example of the risk of listening to government officials or policy setting people who control data and they manipulate it to make their case. ALWAYS question the underlying data for data based decisions. If it is not available or clear,then... Read more →

Election for Florida State Agriculture Commissioner Heats Up Right in Lake County

The Orlando Sentinel blogger, Lauren Ritchie, posted a blog describing how one candidate for FL State Ag Commissioner, Congressman Adam Putnam, made a speech at a local Republican Women's Federation lunch (I was there), and also announced endorsements from three GOP groups. The article basically said the meeting and announcement was a slam to his opponent, local Lake County resident Carey Baker, who is currently a State Senator. READ her blog here (also added at the bottom of this posting). Also read the comments, which contained some more issues related to Baker. I wrote this response to Ritchie's column on her blog, but the Orlando Sentinel gave the following message, and would not accept my response: So, here is my response - I decided to stop waffling and come out against Baker - he doesn't do anything that supports local taxpayers...unless they are gun owners or have "Bull's Balls" hanging from their trailer hitch. Baker has also angered the volunteers who were trying to get more oversight and voter approval for the North Lake County Hospital tax district that costs local property owners 1-mill in taxes without ANY specific conditions on how the funds are to be spent by the... Read more →

Government Pension Double Dippers in the OTHER Orange County

I moved here in 2006 from Orange County, California - the "Other" orange County, or known as "The OC" due to the TV show with the same name. I frequently get emails on political issues from the OC. There have been periodic articles in the local central Florida press about Florida government pension double dippers, but here is a very good watchdog article from the OC Register newspaper in California, preceded by a comment from a local County Supervisor (like a Commissioner here) John Moorlach. The key point that Moorlach makes is the Orange County County government just increased the retirement age and reduced the government retirement contribution... for their 30,000 or so County government employees ( in California, the local agencies enact such rules, not a central State government). Here is my favorite quote from Moorlach about the change: "The answer? Raise retirement ages. This is low hanging fruit. This is what the County of Orange just did with its largest employee bargaining unit. New hires will not automatically go into a “2.7% @ 55” formula. They will adopt a “1.62% @ 65.” They will be able to adopt the higher benefit, but they will be paying the higher... Read more →

Alan Grayson Town Hall on Health Care was STACKED - Only 15 Conservatives admitted

Tavares, FL - US House Rep. Alan Grayson (Democrat) had his first Lake County Town Hall meeting last night in Tavares to mostly "get input" on the proposed Federal Health Care plans (aka Obamacare). So I cover that meeting below plus first a report on an earlier event the same day. Earlier, about 50 members of the North Lake County Tea Party who are against Obamacare "ambushed" Grayson at an earlier 5pm dinner at KiKu restaurant on the east side of Mount Dora. Apparently a Grayson supporter had organized the event for members of the Mt. Dora Chamber of Commerce, and sent out an invitation that appeared to be from Chamber officers, but it was not. One source told me that the invitation upset a lot of Chamber members, but the dinner was held, and about 30 people arrived at the parking lot to find 50 Tea Party members lining the streets with signs opposing Obamacare and other Grayson issues. While waiting for Grayson to appear, many cars going by honked in support of the group. Finally, Grayson appeared, waved to the tea party members and went into the restaurant. At that point, the group adjourned to a tailgate party... Read more →

Speaker of the House Pelosi Spends $5.7-million in JUST fuel to fly home

I think this article speaks for itself about the waste incurred by Speaker of the House Pelosi. It makes local issues about spending $9000 on air travel (Orange County politics) seem mundane. I don't know the source of this article - it was sent to me. vj MADAME PELOSI - Democrat - Speaker of the House of Representatives Madame Pelosi wasn't happy with the small private jet that comes with the Speaker's job, no, Madame Pelosi was aggravated that this little jet had to stop to refuel, so she ordered a Big Fat 200 seat jet that could get her back to California without stopping! Many, many legislators walked by and grinned with glee as Joe informed everyone 'that's Nancy's Big Fat Jet that costs us, the hard working American tax payers, thousands of gallons of fuel every week'. Since she only works 3 days a week, this gas-guzzling jet gets fueled and she flies home to California , cost to the taxpayers of about $60,000, one way! As Joe put it, 'Unfortunately we have to pay to bring her back on Monday night.' Cost to us another $60,000. Folks, that is $480,000 per month and that is an annual... Read more →

FL Legislators Get Free Health Insurance While Cutting Others

Mike Thomas, the Orlando Sentinel columnist, wrote a good column (below) on an issue where part time State Legislators, who are considered part timers, get fully paid free health insurance while part time teachers have to pay a contribution towards their insurance. To me, this is a bigger issue of the practice of paying full insurance costs for government employees in many agencies, while most businesses and corporations require employees to contribute towards their health care costs. Thomas cites the requirement that part time teachers must pay about $750 per month for family coverage. Most businesses probably can't afford health insurance at all for part time staff, but government does. These practices mean that one married spouse can be a part time teacher and get health coverage, and the other can be working in a business like construction where they may have low or no insurance, and the taxpayer is subsidizing the other spouse's choice to work for a firm without insurance coverage. However, Thomas is right - why should elected officials be given fully subsidized health insurance without paying a contribution percentage like other employees. Maybe we need to require that all government agencies post their employee health insurance... Read more →