John Mica Must Go

Partisan Outburst Against Florida High Speed Rail

2010-02-02T17:17:00.002-05:00

Sour notes: In October, Republican Congressman John Mica sat smiling next to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood at a transportation summit in Orlando that played out more like a revival meeting. Mr. LaHood had just called on the rail devotees there to get the Legislature to pass SunRail – something he suggested the state needed to do before Washington would consider funding a high-speed rail line for Florida.
The message was music to the ears of Mr. Mica, SunRail's most ardent supporter.SunRail passed. And on Wednesday, the Obama administration Washington will finance Florida high-speed rail.
Why then the sour notes from Mr. Mica on Thursday?

After complaining the train won't go fast enough, he said "The last thing the American people need is another bailout program with low-speed trains to nowhere."It's become reflexive for Republican lawmakers to bash Obama administration initiatiatives. But the prospect of high-speed rail helped bring about SunRail. And, Mr. Mica has long supported high-speed rail.

His rank, partisan outburst tarnished a record which till then showed Mr. Mica working responsibly with Republicans and Democrats to bring this region passenger rail serivce.

Suuuure, Mr. Mica has long supported hoih Speed rail in New York, but NEVER in Florida,.........I guess the Orlando Sentinel only just noticed!!

Lexus Lane Mica

2010-01-21T10:25:00.002-05:00

More Road Taxes suggested by John Mica

In an about face Congressman John Mica who for years has blocked the idea, is now suggesting leasing out our public roads to private companies:

State and local leaders, he (John Mica) said, need to search for new ways to raise money because the national gas tax is falling thanks to higher prices and more fuel-efficient vehicles. The Obama administration and the Congress, he added, also are committing more money to mass transit and less to roads. Probably the least popular idea floated by Mica is leasing Florida's Turnpike or the 105-mile toll system in Orlando that's owned and operated by the Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority."I just don't think that's practical," Orlando lawyer Marco Marchena said of turning over the 460-mile Turnpike owned by the state to a private company. Marchena is a member and former chairman of the FTC, which sets policy for the Turnpike.

This stupid idea will most likely lead to higher tolls on our toll roads:

Crotty and Marchena said they worry that leasing, which could raise billions of
dollars, would result in giving up control of toll increases to a private
company and that the money raised by the transaction could go to the general
needs of government rather than building and maintaining more roads

Mica Claims 9/11 Terrorist Boarded Planes OUTSIDE US

2010-01-11T09:10:00.003-05:00

This is funny if it wasn't so deplorable:

Congressman John Mica has been a big supporter of body scanning technology,
just not domestically.
"It is the only thing that can give us protection, but I don't necessarily need that equipment in Orlando."
Mica says our biggest threat comes from outside of the US. When talking about how TSA screens before a flight right now, Mica had to laugh.

It's not at all like the 19 terrorists who caused 9/11 didn't board right here in the US!!

How in the world does he DARE say that our "biggest threat comes from outside of the US."

I guess John Mica forgot about what happened on 9/11 already!! Call it a senior moment ;)

2010-01-08T10:12:00.002-05:00

This is the word on the steeet:

john mcnary - December 18, 2009
Let’s be honest. The remainder two-thirds of the country built the NE corridor system for the near-exclusive benefit of the people there. The NE corridor has had billions bestowed upon it over the past decades. Nearly HALF of the nation’s population live in the metro areas to be served by HSR in Californoa, Florida, and the midwest, where the next systems should be built. It’s time to let the rest of the nation reap the benefits that the NE corridor states have had for years. We in the rest of the nation have seen our rail infrastructure shrink while yours has been improved — dramatically — since 1972. It tales 12 hours by Amtrak to move from SF to LA … would that be acceptable to you?

Yet Mica is pitching privatizing the Acela with his NY homies here:

December 15 - U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters and Congressman John Mica (R-FL) joined Mayor Michael Bloomberg in New York City today to announce the Department of Transportation's request for proposals for high-speed rail investment in corridors across the United States. Citing the energy efficiency, convenience, and economic competitiveness benefits of high-speed rail, the political leaders lamented the slow progress of the U.S. in implementing modern high-speed rail technology.

And dissing Florida, the state he represents:

February 26, 2009 -- The Florida High Speed Rail Authority will meet today in Orlando for the first time in almost four years. The authority will begin putting together a proposal to get its hands on some of the $8 billion in federal stimulus money that's been set aside for high-speed rail. One U.S. lawmaker who's been a huge proponent of rail projects -- both commuter and high-speed -- is Republican Congressman John Mica of Winter Park. But it turns out he's not so f ired up about spending that money for a system in Florida -- at least not right now. 90.7's David Pitman spoke with Mica from Washington, and he explained why.

Most Idiotic Congressman in America: John Mica

2009-11-06T13:01:00.005-05:00

John Mica spoke to the teabagger anti-health care reform crowd gathered at the Bachmann Tea Party Overdrive in Washington Wenesday to try and stop progress. And while the Congressional Budget office issued a report critical of the Republican health care plan saying that it would reduce the federal deficit by $36 million less than the Democratic plan ( Republicans want to cover only 3 million uninsured vs coverage for 39 million uninsured in the Democratic plan), only one lone Congressman was illustrating the ethical obligation we have to enact health care reform.

On the House floor this week, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) read off the estimated number of people represented in Republican congressional districts who will die next year due to a lack of health insurance.

Here are Grayson’s numbers for congressional districts in Florida:

Florida District 1, Jeff Miller: 130 dead
Florida District 4, Ander Crenshaw: 116 dead
Florida District 5, Ginny Brown-Waite: 200 dead
Florida District 6, Cliff Stearns: 152 dead
Florida District 7, John Mica: 143 dead
Florida District 9, Gus Bilirakis: 129 dead
Florida District 10, Bill Young: 138 dead
Florida District 12, Adam Putnam: 133 dead
Florida District 13, Vern Buchanan: 160 dead
Florida District 14, Connie Mack: 159 dead
Florida District 15, Bill Posey: 152 dead
Florida District 16, Thomas Rooney: 165 dead
Florida District 18, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: 199 dead
Florida District 21, Lincoln Diaz-Balart: 195 dead
Florida District 25, Mario Diaz-Balart: 195 dead

Here is John Mica's Most Idiotic response:

He said Democratic leaders were "well-intentioned" but "missed the mark" in part
because the bill did not include tort reform for malpractice lawsuits."They
[doctors] practice defensive medicine, and they cover themselves with tests and
paperwork to protect themselves against lawsuits," said Mica, who added this
approach drove up costs. "People should get payment when there's malpractice,
but you do have to get a handle on that [lawsuits]."

It's such a tired old response, just directed at the uninformed. A quick look at the list of unnecessary and wasteful medical expenses ( over $800 billion per year), which make up one third of all medical expenditures in the US, shows that the bulk is due to overuse of antibiotics and lab tests (37%)......."Medicine has become a pig trough", fraud (22%), administrative inefficiencies (18%) and medical errors (11%):

The U.S. healthcare system is just as wasteful as President Barack Obama says it is, and proposed reforms could be paid for by fixing some of the most obvious inefficiencies, preventing mistakes and fighting fraud, according to a Thomson Reuters report released on Monday.
The U.S. healthcare system wastes between $505 billion and $850 billion every year, the report from Robert Kelley, vice president of healthcare analytics at Thomson Reuters, found.
"America's healthcare system is indeed hemorrhaging billions
of dollars, and the opportunities to slow the fiscal bleeding are
substantial," the report reads.
"The bad news is that an estimated $700 billion is wasted annually. That's one-third of the nation's healthcare bill," Kelley said in a statement.
"The good news is that by attacking waste we can reduce healthcare costs without adversely affecting the quality of care or access to care."

Making our healthcare system more simple and efficient will help us cover the uninsured without incurring additional expenses, but too many vested interests are making money of this corrupt system.

John Mica Reads Teabagger Scroll on House Floor!

2009-11-01T19:56:00.002-05:00

Late yesterday news broke that the moderate Republican Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, candidate in the hard-fought special election in New York's 23rd Congressional district, had been driven out and the Republican party was throwing their weight behind the Palin/Limbaugh/Glen Beck endorsed radical tea party candidate instead.

Today, the moderate Republican threw her support behind our proud Democratic candidate Bill Owens.

It has never been clearer that the Republican Party has been hijacked by extreme right wing ideologues with a radical agenda that would effectively dismantle Social Security and Medicare, and are out of step with a vast majority of Americans.Eight extreme right wing groups spent more than $1 million on this campaign including the Minute Men, Club for Growth and the Family Research Council.

Now comes word that John Mica Has Read the Teabagger Manifesto in a really theatrical presentation with a Scroll no less, on the House Floor. Video here:

Rep. Mica Reads Teabagger Scroll on House Floor!

John Mica Votes Against Defense Spending

2009-10-31T10:01:00.002-04:00

Obama this week signed the Hate Crimes Bill into law:

More than 77,000 hate-crime incidents were reported by the FBI between 1998 and
2007, or "nearly one hate crime for every hour of every day over the span of a decade," Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee in June.
The FBI, Holder added, reported 7,624 hate-crime incidents in 2007, the most current year with complete data.

The Hate Crimes Act was included in the Defense Spending Bill, and was the sick reason John Mica for the first time in his life voted against defense spending:

After decades of defaming every Democrat, every liberal of any kind, progressive politics in general and anyone who opposes their party’s line, as “weak on defense” or “soft on crime”, often using the most convoluted rhetoric to make the defamatory claims, 28 Republican senators and 131 Republican House members have now voted to cut off funding for the US military in order to give special rights to violent criminals driven by hate.
These 159 Republicans in Congress voted against the Defense funding authorization bill, because it included the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expands federal hate crimes law to punish attacks motivated by bias against gays.

John Mica in Anti-Stimulus Hall of Shame

2009-10-30T14:05:00.002-04:00

Despite voting NO on the stimulus bill, John Mica immediately started taking credit for our nation receiving stimulus monies:

Representative John Mica (FL-07) - "I applaud President Obama's recognition that high-speed rail should be part of America's future." [Congressman John Mica Press Release; 2/13/09] Mica was also one of "Nine GOP House members from Florida, all stimulus no's, joined nine of their Democratic colleagues, all yesses, in asking the feds to grant a waiver giving them access to, you guessed it, hundreds of millions in state stabilization stimulus cash (for education)."
[Politico; 2/19/09]

Then he turns around and does NOT support High Speed Rail for his own state!

Ill-Fated Sunrail Project Cost Tax-Payers $832,000 For Public Relations

2009-10-26T11:31:00.003-04:00

But that's not all. The total state tax-payer monies already spent on Central Florida Commuter Rail: a whopping $80 million.

Florida lawmakers this spring voted to kill Central Florida’s planned commuter-rail system, but state contractors still made nearly $44 million on the deal.
That’s how much the state Department of Transportation spent on nearly 60 contracts tied to SunRail, according to documents released Wednesday.
The total does not reflect all spending on the ill-fated project. For example, it does not include money spend on right-of-way acquisition. ( estimated at $20 million)
But it does include costs such as $802,000 on public relations, $91,000 for archaeological services and $30,000 for a website.

Yet Florida refuses to support the already existing South Florida Commuter Rail, Tri-Rail:

Legislators have previously rejected a proposed $2 surcharge on car rentals to
finance commuter-rail projects. That was despite the possibility that the state might have to give back some $256 million in federal aid if it
does not provide a continuing funding source for Tri-Rail.

The Sunrail project has failed twice and incredibly talk of it being resurrected is once again in the news. This time, let's investigate the special interests at work before proceeding with this ill-fated project.

But what the Orlando Republican did not reveal is that the engineering firm that bears his family name has received $1.7-million from the state to do survey and mapping work for the controversial CSX project in Central Florida. Nor did Precourt disclose his ties when he voted for the deal last session, as some other lawmakers have when their public and private interests appeared to overlap.
Now, CSX is back under the SunRail moniker, and a fight is brewing
-- one that will shine more light on advocates like Precourt.

Just one blatant example of the "personal" gains are at stake here.

Besides, the ill-fated project is said to reduce congestion on I-4 by reducing traffic by just 2%:

As a point of comparison, the Light Rail Transit System in the I-4 corridor had
a cost of $600 million and was voted DOWN by Orange County voters. It had a
ridership in excess of 24,000 per day.
Give the voters a choice between light rail (I-4 corridor) with 24,000 trips a day and commuter rail (on CSX tracks) with 3500 trips a day.

Now doesn't that makes sense!!

John Mica Solely Focused on US/Turkish Relations

2009-10-14T23:15:00.002-04:00

The Sunlight Foundation has an interesting list tracking Foreign Lobbying Influence, and here are the results for John Mica:

John Mica , the Republican Representative in Florida's 7th District, appears solely focused on the nation of Turkey, meeting with lobbyists 5 times in 2007 about the
country. His donor list includes lobbyists representing New Zealand and
the United Arab Emirates.

http://jaxpoliticsonline.com/2009/10/11/jacksonville-area-congressmen-have-interesting-foreign-ties/

Sunrail based on Corporate Socialist Model of Florida

2009-09-27T22:10:00.004-04:00

Before the Central Florida CSX commuter line is reborn, let's have a look at its start:

This plan, it seems to me, represents the apotheosis of the Florida land boom mirage of the middle of this decade. Everything about it screams early 2005. It’s the product of 2005 land values, hammered out by an imperial, sunshine-be-damned Republican governor who got rich through the classic “conservative” paths of inheritance and developer welfare and by John Mica, a corporate socialist Republican congressman who raised tons of campaign cash from Big Freight Rail and later was against stimulus spending before he was for it.

It relied upon perpetual 45 degree upward growth projections for Florida’s population and international shipping container traffic, not to mention contributions from local governments that signed on when they were artificially flush with property boom tax money. CSX and company dressed up all of this in the language of progressive priorities like transit and emissions reduction – "greenwashing,” it’s called.
The crash of the housing bubble, and all that ensued, eviscerated much of the underlying logic of the plan. The deal would have committed itself — and our money — to a model of Florida that no longer exists.

Billy Townsend in Lakeland Local also points out this:

I always considered this plan harmful to the long-term prospects of rail throughout Florida because of its cost, geographical patterns, and commitment to use CSX’s lines on CSX’s usurious terms. Those people who claimed it was a stepping stone for other rail systems never, ever explained how that could be.

The Central Florida CSX commuter Rail was a complicated plan, and Orlando would have done better to have refocused on Light Rail like Tampa is currently doing:

TBARTA has put together what seems to me a reasonable,
well-conceived plan that lays out a series of multi-modal projects and projected costs – starting with light rail [as Orlando should have] – and making it clear that it all requires publicly approved funding. Tampa and Hillsborough County may place a sales tax referendum on the ballot in 2010 to fund a light rail program. The Orlando plan had no such ongoing funding base, just a commitment from local county governments to cough up money they don’t have, forever.

2009-08-27T19:23:00.002-04:00

Well, well, John Mica is at it again,.........this time he's trying to get dedicated High Speed Rail funding to pay for his Pet Project, and CRX give-away, on the basis that it might feed into the High Speed Rail that Mica doesn't really want for Florida:

http://hhbslawblog.com/news/articles/8.24.09%20State%20asks%20feds%20for%20$270%20million%20for%20commuter%20rail.pdf

The state is seeking $270 million in federal aid to help pay for
the planned SunRail commuter train that would run through
Central Florida.
An application filed Monday with the Federal Railroad
Administration said the money would be used to help offset
the $1.2 billion cost of SunRail, which would link DeLand in
Volusia County with downtown Orlando and Poinciana in
Osceola County.
The federal money would come from an at least $8 billion fund set aside to build high-speed trains in the country, plus some related projects.

Florida also wants $2.5 billion for a train that could hit 150 mph on a 90-mile route between Orlando International Airport and downtown Tampa, with a midway stop in Lakeland. A final application for that project is due Oct. 2.

The 51-page application sent in Monday would lighten the financial load on the state, as well as the five local governments banding together to operate the commuter rail system and to buy 61 miles of track from the CSX railroad company based in
Jacksonville.
Florida officials contend the federal money should come from
the high-speed fund because SunRail would feed passengers into the fast
train. U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, says Washington has already
pledged $300 million for the project, which has twice been voted down in the
Florida Legislature.

Opponents have criticized the price tag of SunRail, saying Florida
is doing little more than engaging in corporate welfare for CSX.
That criticism could be blunted somewhat if the federal government ends up paying
$570 million of the cost.
State senators twice have balked at approving a $200 million insurance pact that assigns liability in case there is an accident with SunRail. Critics contend the plan placed too much risk on the state and not enough on CSX.
SunRail enthusiasts hope to blunt that charge by having CSX assume more risk, particularly when its employees are at fault.

John Mica Plays Nice in Public, Yet Encourages Racist Attacks

2009-07-14T00:37:00.001-04:00

https://secure.presenteaction.org/contribute/sotomayor

When it comes to Judge Sonia Sotomayor, some Republican leaders like John Mica have been talking out of both sides of their mouth: playing nice in public while privately encouraging racist attacks from the likes of Rush Limbaugh. That's why Presente Action is running radio ads calling out members of Congress like John Mica who refuse to condemn Rush's rhetoric. Please make a contribution and help us put these ads on the air.

Heavy-handed, Condescending and Less than Forthcoming with the facts

2009-06-29T11:47:00.003-04:00

Hmmm, some excellent pointers from Scott Macwell on why Sunrail failed to attract more supporters:

I have never liked the way this town's "visionaries" have handled rail.

They can be heavy-handed, condescending and less than forthcoming with the facts.

They offer vague and misleading answers to legitimate questions and then seem puzzled by the fact that everyone doesn't jump on board.

They help create the very gadflies that drive them so batty.

There's also the fact that so many of them seem to have their hands in the cookie jar.

I remember last month when we got our hands on the documents that showed how much public money had been spent promoting this thing — well over $1 million on lobbying and public relations alone.

More than a quarter-million of that went to the regional civic group, Myregion.org. Taxpayers already support this well-intentioned but amorphous chamber-of-commerce outgrowth, which is bigger on feel-good talk than concrete results.

So the taxpayers help fund this group ... which then bills the taxpayers for more money ... so they can convince everyone to spend more taxpayer money on a massive project. Nice gig if you can get it.

(And by the way: Nearly $1 million for sell-jobs that failed? Maybe someone should throw a few expected-results clauses into the next contract.)

There are a lot of people who support this project. SunRail proponents should find more of them who are willing to give help — without also giving them a bill.

Even the so-called "deadline" that was miraculously extended last week was an artificial one.

It was simply a date CSX chose to try to force lawmakers to strike a deal as quickly as possible. There's a reason that CSX both set the deadline and now agreed to extend it — because the company is going to make out like a bandit.

That's something else proponents have trouble admitting. When pressed about whether CSX is getting too much from taxpayers, they resort to the well-that's-how-everyone-else-did-it response.

My mother didn't buy that excuse when I was back in grade school. Maybe I need to sic Mom on the SunRail strategists.

Maxwell also points out that among the apponents are ardent anti-public works folks (more commonly referred to as anti-tax folks) who cannot be placated, because they lack the vision necessary to help such a grand project materialize.

He continues by stating the most obvious but ofetn missed point in local media:

And then somewhere between the constant complainers and paternalistic pom-pom shakers are what I think is the majority of us — people who want more transit options but have some legitimate concerns and questions.

We are the people who understand that SunRail would simply be a first step, but a crucial one. People who understand that nothing this significant comes cheap.

But we are also people who expect those championing this project to act more like responsible stewards of the public's interest than starry-eyed cheerleaders. People who want public officials to drive a hard bargain on their behalf. And people who want civic leaders who will do that without looking to get paid for it.

The best thing proponents have going for them is the possibility of tapping even more stimulus money for the project.

A point of caution remains,........stimulus money is still tax payer monies and we should make sure be get the best deal possible so as to not make it seem like a corporate give-away at tax payer expense.

Bottom line, while it is imperative that we invest in public transportation, and while these projects are inherently expensive and rarely pay for themselves, it MUST be negotiated in a way that puts the tax-payer interest first, instead of leaning toward being a corporate give-away first and foremost. We MUST get the best deal possible, so let's get started on re-negotiating a better deal.

John Mica who Brags about Stimulus, Flip Flops again

2009-05-05T21:56:00.006-04:00

First John Mica votes against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ( the stimulus funding), and then brags about it as has been reported by numerous media outlets.

Now he's having some second thoughts again on transportation and infrastructure project funding provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, saying:

We must ask, is this so-called stimulus funding being used to help Americans who badly need jobs, or is this funding being used to benefit private companies, fund long-term studies rather than ready-to-go projects, and pay for projects that do nothing to employ people?

What is it Mica,......only if it's for your Sunrail pet project it's ok?

How about your own earmark to "study Beach erosion," how many jobs did that create?

Ah, there are different standards for the money you bring in, or the stimulus money spent on your pet projects. BTW, what was that ridership for Sunrail again? 3,500 you say? Sounds like this project wasn't done to take traffic off I-4, instead it likely has a business development motive rather a commuter need.

Good thing this bad deal fell through. It would have set a bad example to start Central Florida rail transit with.
The something is better than nothing argument is unconcionable when we are talking about a $1.2 billion project.

FEMA grant to Debary is NOT linked to John Mica

2009-04-28T12:55:00.011-04:00

As much as John Mica likes to get credit for monies coming into the district, more than 95% of federal monies come through the regular grant process,......not earmarks.

Yet, it seems to be part of the ritual to have John Mica announce a FEMA grant for a drainage project, and local officials clamoring to give him credit. Why?

Here is how projects are selected for FEMA grants:

"because of the repetitive nature of the flooding in the project area."

The comprehensive reviews for technical feasibility, cost effectiveness, environmental coordination and compliance, and program eligibility are complex. So FEMA and FDEM adopted the joint review process.

The HMGP ( Hazard Mitigation Graqnt Program) is administered by the state, with projects funded 75 percent by FEMA and 25 percent by the applicant. Applicants include the State of Florida, local governments and private non-profits. Most applications are for wind retrofit, elevation, acquisition and demolition, and drainage projects.

And for a complete description of the grant application process:

In Florida, local mitigation strategy committees establish funding priorities for the HMGP and select projects based on those priorities.

HMGP projects go through a six-step process:

Step 1 - State sets priorities and application deadlines
Step 2 - State, in partnership with FEMA, conducts applicant briefings
Step 3 - Applicants submit project applications to the State, who selects projects for funding
Step 4 - State and FEMA conduct joint review, which includes:
Review for program eligibility - essentially meant to answer the question: "Does this project solve a problem HMGP is meant to address?"
Technical feasibility and cost effectiveness review, conducted by engineering review team
Environmental coordination and compliance review, which encompasses a number of issues, such as:
Historic preservation concerns
Environmental concerns including wetlands and endangered species
Flood plain implications
Step 5 - If reviews are satisfactory, FEMA obligates dollars to the State for approved projects
Step 6 - State informs applicant of approval (allowing applicants to draw down funding) and project implementation begins
Action Items at All Levels: Local, State, FEMA

The key to disaster response and recovery - including long-term improvements, such as mitigation - is a strong partnership between local, state, and federal partners. On HMGP, there are action items at all levels, including:

Applicants (local level):

Submit individual project applications to the State
Coordinate with participating homeowners and businesses who will benefit from the proposed project
Draw down obligated dollars from the State and manage implementation of the approved project
Comply with all applicable requirements, including environmental regulations
Account for the appropriate use of grants to the State
Maintain records

State:

Develop the State Hazard Mitigation Plan
Establish funding priorities, and select projects for funding based on those priorities
Establish deadlines for applications
Conduct applicant briefings and provide technical assistance to applicants
Ensure that the scope of work complies with all applicable requirements under HMGP regulations, as well as Federal, State, and local laws
Notify Applicant when projects are approved and dollars are available
Send dollars to Applicant when drawn down
Monitor the progress of projects
Work with Applicant to close out projects

FEMA:

Establish minimum criteria for eligibility, and review and approve eligible projects
Prepare the environmental decision based on information submitted by the applicant
Provide technical assistance to the State and Applicants
Obligate dollars for eligible projects to State

Where does John Mica come into play? Nowhere at all according to the application process!

Why then do local officials insist of complimenting John Mica on FEMA's grant approval?

“I’m excited,” (DeBary Mayor Bob) Garcia said. “I’ve got to thank Mr. Mica from the bottom of my heart.”

Get REAL Mr. Garcia!

Water Resources Development Act Blocked for 7 Years

2009-04-12T22:30:00.006-04:00

John Mica has the habit of patting himself on the back for getting a Water Resources Development Act passed for the first time in 7 years ( he has said the same for an Amtrak reauthorization bill). What he craftily omits to tell people is that it was the new Democratic Majorities elected to congress in 2006, that were instrumental in making passage possible:

Traditionally, Congress has passed a water bill each even-numbered year. The 2000 bill included the Everglades Restoration Act, a product of almost 20 years of state and federal action and negotiation. That legislation cemented a marriage between Florida and Washington over revitalization of the Everglades, with each partner assuming an equal share of decision-making and cost. The fruits of the union were to be 60 projects - to remove levees and increase water storage - that would restore natural water flow through the Everglades. Of the 535 senators and representatives, only one opposed the nuptials.

The 2000 bill authorized the first few Everglades projects, with the expectation that Congress would authorize additional projects in subsequent legislation. But partisan and regional politics intervened. The 2002 bill stalled over Missouri River dams. In 2006, there was a fight over the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. As a result, the nation went seven years without a new Water Resources Development Act.

With each battle, the Everglades was caught in the crossfire. Congress failed to authorize projects critical to restoration, which prevented those initiatives from even being considered for federal financing. Meanwhile, Florida exceeded the state's obligation - paying over $2 billion while it waited. Since one partner doing all the work is no way to sustain a marriage, the state-federal union to restore the Everglades was headed for the rocks.

But in 2007, a new Congress passed a water bill containing delayed Everglades projects. When President Bush vetoed the bill, Congress overwhelmingly overrode his veto. Everglades restoration was back on track.

Let's be honest,.....John Mica never was much into the environment, or into sustaining Amtrak. In fact he is a known polluter defender, and Amtrak hater.

In his usual theatrical manner he made this off the wall statement about Amtrak:
“Giving Amtrak more money would be like giving at this point an alcoholic another drink and asking him to sober up.”

John Mica likes the idea of having Amtrak come begging for funding year after year, without providing a dedicated funding source like aviation, highways and transit have. Investing in our Nation’s passenger rail service simply hasn't been a priority for Mica. In 2006, Mica voted NO to increased funding for Amtrak, even though 71 other Republicans voted Yes.

Mica's Hypocricy on West St. Augustine Sewer Health

2009-04-06T10:06:00.008-04:00

In another prime example of two-faced John Mica's double talk, he acts like he cares about local sewer problems, while cutting off federal funding for clean water projects.

John Mica voted NO to Water Quality Investment Act of 2009

James L. Oberstar (Minn.), said, "The bills we approved today take us another step toward creating jobs and strengthening the economy through federal investment in public infrastructure."
The Water Quality Investment Act provides authorizes $13.8 billion in federal grants over five years to capitalize the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and provide low-interest loans to communities for wastewater infrastructure.
It also reauthorizes $250 million in grants over five years for alternative water source projects and authorizes $1.8 billion over five years in grants to municipalities and states to control sewer overflows. It amends the Clean Water Act to provide a national standard for public notification of overflows, and increases the authorization of appropriations to $150 million for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2014.

John Mica joins company with other haters of jobs and local clean water: Ander Crenshaw, Connie Mack, Jeff Miller, Bill Posey and Cliff Stearns.

While Mica is praised for delivering earmarks to his district, he cuts of funding through the regular appropriations process: NO LOW INTEREST loans or grants to municipalities and states to control sewer overflow!!!

Mica instead wants to have complete controle over who gets money and who doesn't. According to Mica, everything should go through earmarks,.....nothing through the regular low interest loan and grant programs,....after all without earmarks local municipalities don't need him.

I guess John Mica is employing the ultimate "job security" tactic for himself, at tax payers expense.

John Mica Trashes Our Nation's National Heritage

2009-03-25T18:28:00.016-04:00

Here we go again. John Mica, AGAIN, wants to trash our nation's natural heritage. He votes NO to HR 146: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll153.xml

Today, the House passed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 by a vote of 285-140. But of course, as the true loyalist to the Party of NO, John Mica voted NO.

It took long enough. But the House has finally done it. Congress has cleared the way to protect two million acres of wilderness in nine states: California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Michigan, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
In addition to the new wilderness designations, it protects over 270,000 acres along more than 1,000 miles of rivers in Oregon, California, Idaho, Arizona, Wyoming, and Massachusetts, and adds 2,800 miles of new hiking trails in public lands.

How can we trust John Mica with our Florida Natural Resources?
Can we trust John Mica with our St Johns River or our beautiful coastal areas? NEVER!

Environmental groups and lawmakers in both parties long have pushed for the bill, which several called landmark legislation that will strengthen the national park system, restore national forests, preserve wild and scenic rivers, protect battlefields and restore balance to the management of public lands.

"After nearly a decade during which our parks were taken for granted and our range lands were scarred by a spider-web of roads and (drilling) well pads," the bill "represents a new dawn for America's heritage and American values," said Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.

How DARE John Mica represent NE, and Central Florida?!? Really outragous,.....I wonder if the Sierra Club will take notice? How about the Major newspapers in Florida? Will they be reporting on this?

No,......keeping voters in the dark is the name of the game.

John Mica fails to consider curing deadly diseases as "pro-life."

2009-03-23T09:14:00.003-04:00

In the wake of Obama lifting the Bush stem cell research ban, it's appropriate to look at where John Mica stood on this issue. As the ultra-extremist right-winger that he is, he twice decided to snub the hopes of tens of thousands of people in his district, who are suffering from incurable and often deadly illnesses and injuries.

In 2007, John Mica voted NO on HR 3, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, which passed the House with an overwhelming majority of 253 to 174, but not enough to thwart a Bush veto.

In 2005, John Mica voted NO on HR 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, which passed the House by a vote of 238-194, showing more bi-partisan support than almost any other issue during the Bush administration.

His message to the sick and dying: Drop Dead!

John Mica Represents Winter Park and New York

2009-03-18T15:04:00.013-04:00

Something is really seriously wrong with Florida,....gerry-mandered worse than Texas.

Thanks to carefully drawn lines, not a single congressional or legislative incumbent lost a re-election bid in 2004.

This maintained the forced lop-sided 7 Democratic to 18 Republican District split in Florida, a state which has more registered Democrats than Republicans!!!!

the controlling party did more than just gift-wrap Feeney a congressional district that year(2002).

It also stuffed so many Democrats into Brown's district that there were enough Republican voters left over to give GOP candidates the advantage in all of the others. Even though Democrats outnumbered Republicans overall in Central Florida, Republicans outnumbered Democrats in five of the six Central Florida districts.

A comment to Scott Maxwell's article says:

I grimace every time I see John Mica listed as "John Mica - R-Winter Park." The way the district lines are drwan, he actually represents maybe 400 out of Winter Park's 28,000 residents. It's disgusting, right along with his toupee, and his, "You don't want to get on the wrong side of John Mica" bullying for anyone with a different opinion than his. Everybody says the American political system is the world's best, but sometimes you really have to wonder.

Everyone wants to claim they represent Winter Park, and four Representatives actually can!

Winter Park, which is a little more than 3 square miles, is represented by 4 members of congress.(District 3,7,8 and 24).

In fact Mica's home used to be in District 8, Alan Grayson's district!

Here are some district trivia about John Mica, as another commenter remarks:

Remember when Bill McCollum was the Representative of District 8? It was a long standing joke because Mica (District 7) lives in Winter Park which at the time was not in his district yet when he was ever quoted in the news, it would say “Rep. Winter Park” and Bill McCollum who did represent Winter Park/Greater Metro Orlando would say “Rep. Longwood,” which was in Mica’s district.

Scott Maxwell has it right when he says:

They've turned this state into a psychopath's jigsaw puzzle, with misshapen legislative and congressional districts that split communities in two and can be longer than 100 miles and yet as narrow as a few hundred yards.

It's all designed to stifle competition and stack the deck before you even get to the polls.

Want proof that our current districts are distorted and contorted? Well, consider the following about these U.S. House members:

•Republican John Mica lives more than 130 miles from many of the residents he represents. Much of the congressman's district is actually in Flagler and St. Johns counties. In fact, just about the only part of Orange County included in Mica's district is the swath of land around his Winter Park home.

Are we ready to change business as usual? Efforts are underway to work for Fair Districts instead of how it was done in the past:

"It happens in dark rooms at night with the computers," said Thom Rumberger, a Tallahassee attorney and Republican Party patriarch who was once part of the system he now wants to reform. "Both sides do it. That's why I'm trying to make this an issue of fairness rather than partisanship."

That's also why Rumberger is leading a bipartisan coalition that wants to give voters the chance to vote on fair-districting as a constitutional amendment next year.

The premise of the amendment: Florida's political districts must be compact, using geographic boundaries that can't be stretched far and wide for political purposes. And if legislators ignore residents' wishes and try to do themselves political favors, they could end up in court.

As Scott Maxwell says,...."This common-sense approach to democracy is way overdue."

Go to http://www.fairdistrictsflorida.org.

John Mica is an Ultra Right-winger, Loyal Member of the Party of NO

2009-03-14T20:01:00.008-04:00

Americans already know that this economic crisis is too big for the "free market" to solve, after all it was the "free market" gone wild that caused our economic meltdown. So lets see how John Mica reflects 2/3 of the Americn voters:

64% favor giving aid to homeowners who are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. John Mica's position? Oppose.

59% oppose giving aid to U.S. banks and financial companies in danger of failing. John Mica's position? Oppose.

67% favor giving aid to state governments in serious financial trouble. John Mica's position? Cut that aid.

Yet John Mica is routinely given praise for delivering aid to his district, which clearly he votes against. He is AGAINST any AID to Florida:

NO on the stimulus, then is bragging about its passage.
NO on the appropriations bill, then is happy it passes.
No on Help for Families Losing their Homes to Foreclosure, while FL-07 is in the top 10 of all 435 congressional districts in the number of home foreclosures!

Is THAT how John Mica is helping Florida recover from our economic crisis. Just Say NO, do-nothingness?!?

Is John Mica just a place-holder for the Republican party? It sure looks like it.

John Mica voted Against Closing the Enron Loophole

2009-03-11T23:35:00.004-04:00

Remember Oil prices at an all time high in 2008? We were paying over $4 at the pump due to unregulated Oil speculation that got started with Phil Gramm's insertion of the Enron loophole in 2000 which first caused havoc in CA with "rolling black-outs" due to extremely high energy prices, and later spread to the rest of the nation.

The Enron Loophole was finally closed in a measure that was included in the Farm Bill that was passed in May 2008.

The House vote to override Bush's veto was: 316-108

John Mica of course voted against lower oil prices, reflected by Mica voting NO on closing the Enron Loophole.

Guess he was just protecting the interests of his brother David Mica who is Executive Director at the Florida Petroleum Council.

John Mica Votes Against Helping Families Save Their Homes

2009-03-07T15:01:00.009-05:00

One in five home loans in Florida was past due or in default at the end of last year -- out-ranking other states.

More than half of the nation's foreclosures last year took place in just 35 counties, most of which were in Florida.

Projected foreclosures by Congressional district shows 14 Florida Congressional Districts in the top 20 for the nation, with John Mica's district projected to see almost 20,000 foreclosures.

Surely Mica would want to level the playing field by allowing judges in bankruptcy court to require banks to rework the mortgage for homeowners who are about to loose their primary home due to bankruptcy, just like is already permitted under law for secondary homes. Not so.

The legislation, would let bankruptcy judges reduce the principal and interest rate on a home loan. That essentially would require mortgage companies to let debt-strapped homeowners reduce their monthly payments rather than lose their main residences.

As usual, Mica does not side with the average people, just those who were able to afford a second home.

Mica voted against help for homeowners in Bankruptcy court. Check out who else voted against this bill meant to help American Families stay in their Homes:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2009-104

Hypocricy Runs Wild: Mica is leader of the Pack

2009-02-28T23:08:00.004-05:00

Check it out, the party of No at it's best:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um4gyjnSkrQ

Facing the Voters on Earmark Spending

2009-02-22T12:35:00.011-05:00

All week, John Mica received a huge backlash after he issued a two-faced press release that caused huge controversy for his praise of stimulus spending for Central Florida, with no mention that he voted AGAINST the stimulus bill.

Here is a far more appropriate and more personal response from another congressman in a face to face meeting with the people in his district:

During the question-and-answer period at his town hall meeting, constituents asked Kratovil about certain aspects of the stimulus package, including whether there was money for the Chesapeake Bay. Kratovil responded there was no money for the Chesapeake because the stimulus did not include earmarks, which are funds targeted to specific local projects.

Now that's a really up front answer, rather than boasting that stimulus money is targeted to a specific central Florida project as John Mica does:

“The total appropriation for transit systems includes $750 million for the New Starts program,” Mica said.
“Nationally, the Central Florida Commuter Rail project is next in line for final approval and federal funding from the Federal Transit Administration."

And more confounding is the fact is that Mica had long ago asserted that he had already secured federal funding for the commuter rail project,......way before there was talk of a stimulus bill:

In 2007:

With one day to spare before possibly losing $180 million in federal funding, CSX Transportation and the state Thursday reached the final deal needed for the region's first commuter-rail system.The agreement turns over 61 miles of tracks from DeLand to Orlando to Poinciana. That means the first leg of the project -- from Fort Florida Road in DeBary to Sand Lake Road in Orange County -- is on track to open in summer 2010.
And at that point, nine daily freight trains -- the bane of harried ommuters -- will be moved out of the heart of Orlando and rerouted around the city toward Winter Haven.
Mica noted that although he could not guarantee when the federal money would be awarded, the money from the Federal Transit Administration is "as certain as anything can be."
Half of the $615 million system will be paid for by the federal government, 25 percent from the state and 25 percent from Volusia, Seminole, Orange and Osceola counties and Orlando. All five governments voted unanimously for the project earlier this year.
A separate $491 million agreement between CSX and the state of Florida covers several items, including the 61 miles of track, improvements to the freight line that will carry the extra freight traffic and several new or improved rail crossings in Alachua, Marion and Sumter counties.

In 2008

Mica is largely responsible for securing more than $300 million in federal funding to help build the 61-mile long rail project between DeLand and Poinciana, connecting Osceola, Orange, Seminole and Volusia counties.

Now which one is it? Did John Mica already have federal funding lined up, or is he dependent on stimulus funding, and if so, why the heck did he vote AGAINST the stimulus plan?

Smacks of deception aka lying.

John Mica Votes Against Funding for Sun Rail

2009-02-14T23:21:00.007-05:00

In true form, as a representative of the Party of NO, John Mica votes against funding for Sun Rail, ........ he votes NO on the stimulus package.

Then John Mica has the nerve to brag about the funding the stimulus package "might" create for Sun Rail:

“The total appropriation for transit systems includes $750 million for the New Starts program,” Mica said. “Nationally, the Central Florida Commuter Rail project is next in line for final approval and federal funding from the Federal Transit Administration.
“The timing couldn’t be better. All the project needs is the State Legislature’s approval of the CSX-Florida Department of Transportation liability agreement,” Mica said.

And apparently Mica has also had the gall to brag about the highspeed rail funding that was put into the stimulus bill by Senator Harry Reid. So lets get this straight,......again John Mica voted AGAINST this highspeed rail funding and then turns around to brag about the funding being in the stimulus plan:

Rep. John Mica was gushing after the House of Representatives voted Friday to pass the big stimulus plan.
"I applaud President Obama's recognition that high-speed rail should be part of America's future," the Florida Republican beamed in a press release.
Yet Mica had just joined every other GOP House member in voting against the $787.2 billion economic recovery plan.
Republicans echoed their party line over and over during the debate: "This bill is loaded with wasteful deficit spending on the majority's favorite government programs," as Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., put it.

How do you explain that?

Mike Steel, a spokesman for House GOP Leader John Boehner of Ohio, at first ducked when asked about Mica and Young issuing press releases praising the bill
they'd opposed.
"I don't work for Mica or Young," Steel said initially.

So there you have it Mica was for the rail spending, before he was against it, before he was for it....

You figure it out.
One thing is for sure,.....Mica is against creating jobs or he would have voted YES on the stimulus bill.

BTW John Mica and Don Young have been connected before on questionable earmark spending in the case of another famous transportation pet project: The Coconut Road Earmark

Republicans United Against Jobs and Against Helping the Unemployed

2009-02-12T15:35:00.004-05:00

Ray LaHood passed up the allure of K Street to join President Obama’s Cabinet, but he’s been doing a lot of lobbying this week.

The former Illinois congressman, who is now Obama’s secretary of Transportation, is leaning on his ex-colleagues to back the president’s stimulus package. He has placed calls to a number of Republicans, including Reps. John Mica (Fla.), Frank LoBiondo (N.J.), Steven LaTourette (Ohio), Shelley Moore Capito (W. Va.) and Charlie Dent (Pa.). LaHood told ABC News that he has called 11 House Republicans.

LaHood, who used to sit on the Appropriations Committee, has been trying to sell Republicans on the increased infrastructure spending that would go to their states.
Despite LaHood’s outreach, Mica, ranking member on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said that he is likely to vote against the measure.

Wow, the ranking member of Transportation voting against jobs!

And this is coming from a man who inanswer to the question about voters' wish for Congress to stop bickering and creating consensus, said this:

"I think folks who know me that (I) am probably one of the most bipartisan folks you ever met."

You can find that quote at about 14 min and 20 sec into this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5ylBIS5x6Q

Back to the Hill article, what's even more distressing:

During an interview on CNN on Sunday, LaHood said he is having little luck
convincing his former House Republican colleagues to back the stimulus package.
“I’m going to do everything I can to help the president find the votes for the conference report once the Senate passes this. I’m going to work the phones, I’m going to talk to my former colleagues and do everything I can to persuade them that this bill really will put people to work.”
Democrats will have the votes to pass a stimulus bill in the House, but they privately
acknowledged that they were surprised that every voting Republican rejected the House-passed measure in late January.

Yeah, you heard that right,.......not one Republican voted for jobs. They want to work the old, tried, and failed formula of more of the same: Substantially just Tax Cuts.

Never mind that tax cuts will do nothing for our economy according to Mark Zandi:

Only $1.02 is generated in economic activity from every $1 in tax cuts.

Japan’s Big-Works Stimulus Is Lesson shows us that from every $1 invested in infrastructure projects in the 1990s, $1.37 in economic activity was created.

As far as helping the unemployed, Republicans would do well to realize that spending heavily to promote social development, is a good investment. Again Japan's experience shows that every dollar spent on spent on social services, like care for the elderly and monthly pension payments, created $1.74 of economic activity.

Many of the excessive additional tax cuts will do little to nothing for our economy, and will not benefit those who already have a reduced incomes or those who have already lost their jobs.

As the title of this blog entry says: Republicans are United Against Jobs and Against Helping the Unemployed. Survival of the fittest may be a quaint idea when the economy is flourishing, but it is outright irresponsible and disastrous during a recession

John Mica Hates Women and Children

2009-02-04T10:14:00.013-05:00

Well, Mica started the legislative session of the 111th US Congress exceedingly poor. And he is not alone among Florida Congressmen, who are extremely out of touch with the needs of Floridians. Now more than ever, with 255,000 lay-offs state-wide over the last year, we need to protect our children.

Unfortunately John Mica voted No on extending S-Chip to 2013, as did Cliff Stearns, Ander Crenshaw, Bill Posey and Adam Putnam. H.R. 2 paves the way for up to 4 more million uninsured kids to obtain coverage. From an e-mail message sent by Florida CHAIN ( Community Health Action Information Network):

We greatly appreciate the support of Senators Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez, particularly Senator Martinez' vote in favor of extending coverage to legal immigrant children.
On the House side, 15 of Florida's 25 Representatives also voted in support, including 5 Republicans (Reps. Buchanan, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Diaz-Balart, Ros-Lehtinen and Young)!
Congratulations to all of the advocates who made calls to urge passage of this important legislation!

A few differences between the Hoouse version and the Senate version are being resolved. President Obama is then expected to quickly sign the bill, in contrast with the 2 vetoes issued by former President Bush.

Now you may ask how Mica did on a previous bill that supported women, HR 11, the Fair Pay Act, that recently passed the House, and was the very first bill signed into law by President Obama.
I'm sorry to report that John Mica didn't do any better there either, to assure that women get equal pay. And where is the outrage or even plain reporting by local media on this?

From a Press Release by NOW:

"This is an important first step in our efforts to undo years of backsliding on the right to be paid a fair and equitable wage," said National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy. "The Ledbetter bill will allow redress for workers with the energy and willpower to seek redress in the courts, but we have a long way to go before we have fair pay for women, and laws with real teeth."
While it is too late for her to receive the compensation she deserved from Goodyear and was denied by the Supreme Court, Lilly's determined quest for equal rights for women in the workplace led to today's Senate passage of the legislation introduced in her name.
The Ledbetter (Fair Pay) Act, which was blocked in the Republican-led Senate last year, will essentially reverse the 2007 Supreme Court decision that required workers to file charges on a pay discrimination claim within six months after receiving their first discriminatory paycheck.

So lets see how our Florida Republican Congressmen did on this one: NONE voted Yes for H.R. 11, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which was the very first bill Obama signed into law on Jan. 29th.

Before putting his pen to the paper, Obama said:

"Lilly Ledbetter did not set out to be a trailblazer or a household name. She
was just a good hard worker who did her job -- and she did it well -- for nearly
two decades before discovering that for years, she was paid less than her male
colleagues for doing the very same work. Over the course of her career, she lost
more than $200,000 in salary, and even more in pension and Social Security
benefits -- losses that she still feels today.
"Now, Lilly could have accepted her lot and moved on. She could have decided that it wasn't worth the hassle and the harassment that would inevitably come with speaking up for what she deserved. But instead, she decided that there was a principle at stake, something worth fighting for. So she set out on a journey that would take more than 10 years, take her all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States, and lead to this day and this bill which will help others get the justice she was denied. ...
"I intend to send a clear message: That making our economy work means making sure it works for everyone. That there are no second class citizens in our workplaces, and that it's not just unfair and illegal --
it's bad for business -- to pay someone less because of their gender, or their age, race, ethnicity, religion or disability."

I guess discrimination is ok for John Mica, Cliff Stearns, Ander Crenshaw, Bill Posey and Adam Putnam, and other Florida Republican Congressmen as long as the women finds out about it six months after her first discriminatory check. Good thing Adam Putnam is not running for re-election.

Here is my hope that the voters dump these out-of-touch Republican Congressmen who are hurting our women and children and elect Faye Armitage, Tim Cunha, Steven Blythe, Doug Tudor, and Jay McGovern if they decide to run again.

Charlie Crist's Plea to John Mica Gets Rejected

2009-02-02T23:57:00.004-05:00

The bipartisan National Governors Association called on Congress to quickly pass the stimulus plan. The stimulus bill consists of $819 billion combination of tax cuts and new spending, with the goal to create or preserve 3 million to 4 million jobs.

"States are facing fiscal conditions not seen since the Great Depression — anticipated budget shortfalls are expected in excess of $200 billion," the NGA statement said. "Governors ... support several key elements of the bill critical to states-increased federal support for Medicaid and K-12 and higher education; investment in the nation's infrastructure; and tax provisions to spur investment."

Like Sara Palin who supports the stimulus plan, Charlie Christ also urged House Republicans from Florida to vote Yes.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist worked the phones last week with members of his state's congressional delegation, including House Republicans.
Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, the Republican vice chairman of the National Governors Association, planned to be in Washington on Monday to urge the Senate to approve the plan.

But despite the Nadler amendment that passed in the House and put $3 billion more into the stimulus package for transit, and Governor Crist's pleas, Mica had the nerve to vote No.

In fact the "begging" by the National Governors Association got them nothing from any House Republican.

I guess House Republicans decided to listen to Rush Limbaugh and put partisan politics ahead of getting people back to work as the Obama plan would do.

Get Serious About Infrastructure

2009-01-31T11:04:00.002-05:00

In this blog we won't just look at what doesn't work, but also highlight ideas on what does work:

A couple of weeks ago, Ed Rendell, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania,
came to Washington to talk up infrastructure. He is a member of a tripartisan threesome — along with Michael Bloomberg, New York’s independent mayor, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, California’s Republican governor — trying to persuade the
country to get serious about infrastructure.
In his talk, Mr. Rendell said he understood that the stimulus bill couldn’t come close to solving all these problems. But it could make some progress, and Mr. Obama’s
sky-high approval ratings gave him a wonderful chance to do so. “This is the
time to put down some markers — this is the time,” Mr. Rendell said.

And the (stimulus) bill does include a couple of markers. It will list on the Web the projects that the federal government is financing — an idea that, amazingly enough, is considered radical — and will require that mayors and governors sign off on projects. That will make it harder for them to lobby for projects now and criticize those same projects later, as Gov. Sarah Palin did with the Bridge to Nowhere. At least one version of the bill also sets aside $5.5 billion to be awarded by the transportation secretary, supposedly on the merits of a project.

But it’s not clear how that will work, and there is so much more that could be done. The bill could create a small-scale version of an “infrastructure bank,” a free-standing entity that could make more merit-based decisions than Congress does (an idea that Mr. Obama supports). The bill could also finance the creation of new state offices to conduct cost-benefit analyses. It could also help cover the budget shortfalls of public transit systems, instead of simply allocating another $30 billion for the construction of new highways.

Fifty-one transit systems have recently proposed service cuts or fare increases, including those in Atlanta, Denver, New York, Phoenix, St. Louis, San Diego and Washington. If these cuts go through, they will make it harder for people to get to work (or look for work), and they will undermine one of the long-term goals of the stimulus package: laying the groundwork for a greener economy.

John Mica Did Nothing After 2004 Flooding to Prevent New Disaster

2009-01-31T09:44:00.005-05:00

Mica has a habit of "announcing" funding for our district. Easy to do when as a DC insider you are the first to be notified about the funding. Fortunately people are catching on as a telling comment to another John Mica praise story in the local Traditional Media shows:

BOOOOO! on John Mica pulling a Corrine Brown trick, i.e., being the messenger which he wants us to feel he is responsible for the whole blessing on Debary. The only real good news he could bring is that he is going to campaign against the rail road to no-where and save lots of money that could be spent on many better community-Florida efforts.

One thing that has always bothered me is that John Mica got nothing done to prevent the 2004 flooding from occurring again in 2008. See below where someone in the article points that out. In fact funding for the Army Corp of Engineer projects falls under infrastructure and so does federal funding for water management projects in general. It appears that Debary was left out of the Clean Water Act even though John Mica always brags about putting together the one and only Bush veto override. I guessing saving the Everglades makes for better headlines than saving Debary from future flooding catastrophy. And the override would have happened anyway, with or without John Mica's help. As always John Mica goes with the tide, and claims credit for the work of others. Lets praise the local officials for putting in their request to FEMA, and for FEMA to have responded faster which they now know how to do, given the Katrina Disaster.

As for the city's ongoing stormwater drainage problems, Garcia said
officials are working on it and "I'm hopeful."
Consultant David Hamstra
said the money will help but it doesn't solve a bigger problem: how to pay for $8.5 million in stormwater drainage improvements that include funding a
much-anticipated westside emergency flood-management system.
Locations near the DeBary Golf and Country Club were among the hardest-hit areas during Fay and improvements to the west side drainage system would help lessen that area's flooding problems, according to city officials.
The city has a $5 million shortfall to pay for the west side system and needs $3.5 million to fund 29 new projects, Hamstra said.
"(The reimbursement) is not new money to pay for any
of these situations," he said. "My goal at the moment is to find money for the
west side."

Well don't count on John Mica for looking for federal funding for that,...... even in the stimulus bill. All he is interested in is his Central Florida Rail pet project where we see the usual greed, excess and arrogance that we've become so accustomed to in the Bush years.

On the other hand another commenter makes a good point too:

I still don't like Tax payer money going to cover bad engineering though. The
developers should foot the bill in Glenn Abby, DeBary Golf Club, and Saxon
Woods. Those developers were the major culprits here anyways, with their ponds
not being "as Built" according to design, and failed miserably.

But that's what we do. Taxpayers bail out banks and other large corporations, so why not bail out the developers for their pursuit of a quick profit?

John Mica The Great Pretender Says No to Jobs

2009-01-31T00:04:00.004-05:00

Mica says: “We need to get this money out as soon as possible so people who want to work have a choice of work, have that opportunity”, but then he votes against the stimulus bill!

So lets see,....John Mica was for the stimulus bill before he was against it.

You can bet nobody in the Traditional Media will call him on this, because he is the media darling. And to be sure sometimes his theatrics, and outlandish quotes do make for the type of "drama" that readers love.

All over the media John Mica goes around complaining about "miniscule" infrastructure funding in the stimulus. If he really were interested in more infrastructure funding, he could get his Republican buddies to cut out their continuous calls for even more tax cuts than the 33% of total stimulus already going to tax cuts.

As Matt Iglesias says about Republican's inconsistency: "we can’t afford large new temporary deficit spending but can afford large new permanent tax cuts?"

It turns out some infrastructure projects were dropped to make room for more tax cuts in the stimulus bill, and even so not one Republican voted for it.

Traditional Media's Usual Mica "grab the mic" Fluff Story

2009-01-27T14:43:00.008-05:00

Here we have the usual Mica "grab the mic" fluff story where Mica showers special attention on ONE Crescent city young man.

The usual "feel good" fluff that distracts from his ultra poor record on supporting the more than 100,000 veterans in his district. For three years he held the absolute worst record on disabled American veterans issues, scoring a ZERO percent.

Only recently did John Mica start noticing the men and women who have sacrificed so much in service to our country. These men and women who will forever live with the horrible reminders of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but who according to John Mica do not deserve our support at 100%. Finally, John Mica after 16 years of "public service" decided to support these courageous men and women by just 60%.

But do you think Traditional Media will call John Mica on this? No, they'd rather continue to distract us from our real every day problems and the lack of solutions John Mica has offered.

All show and no action is just fine with Traditional Media. That's what they call a "need to know" basis, a society where traditional media will filter out the reality of poor performing officials and offer just the "feel-good" fluff.

Calls Economic Stimulus Package a Spending Free-for-All

2009-01-25T20:18:00.003-05:00

John Mica voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008

I guess he didn't feel enough "private enterprise" would benefit from tax payer dollars: "My efforts in the coming months will be aimed at putting people back to work concurrent with the economic recovery package and further stimulating private sector job creation." said Mica in his newsletter.

Meantime John Mica's Paris Hilton-like need for the camera's lens is evident again when he attends Kosmas' swearing in ceremony.

Banking Committee, Major Influence on Rebuilding Rail Routes

2009-01-18T20:56:00.005-05:00

Dodd, whose Banking Committee has major influence over federal transportation policy, described 2009 as a pivotal year for rebuilding half-abandoned rail routes and extending new ones.

That will create good-paying construction jobs in the short term, and will
transform the region in the long run, he said. Dodd cited the long-overdue
Springfield-to-Hartford-to-New Haven commuter rail project as an example of what New England needs to be economically competitive in the 21st century. Sponsored by the Sierra Club and the National Corridors Initiative, the "Need for Speed" forum focused on ways to create better high-speed rail through the region, and substantially expand commuter rail, light rail and freight service. Rail advocates have run similar sessions for years, but are getting more attention because of the nation's economic crisis and the dizzying summertime spike in fuel prices.

Too bad we haven't seen much from Florida Senator Mel Martinez who also sits on the all important Housing, Transportation, and Community Development Senate Subcommittee. Well, like John Mica's role in the House Transportation Committee, Sen. Mel Martinez is in the minority party which will the protect business interests at the expense of passenger rail.
Republicans have gone as far as wanting to cut off funding for Amtrak all together, claiming it needed to be self-sufficient.
But when it comes to the banking industry they are all too ready to bail them out. Go figure.

John Mica Wastes Tax Payer Monies with Cronyism

2009-01-14T13:05:00.004-05:00

This comes from the Tampa Tribune titled Commuter Rail Falters Again As Supplier Fails

When Florida Department of Transportation officials chose a Colorado company early last year to build 10 railcars for its new Orlando commuter system, they knew the company was in financial trouble.Nevertheless, the department moved forward with the $45 million contract, and is having to scramble now that Colorado Railcar went out of business at the end of the year. The state had to rewrite the railcar proposal to get new companies to bid.The last-minute change is one more stumble in the state's controversial efforts to bring commuter rail to Orlando. Last May, state lawmakers rejected an agreement with CSX Transportation, the company planning to sell tracks to the state for the $1.2 billion, 61-mile system. The agreement would have freed CSX from responsibility if one of its (freight)trains caused a commuter accident while using the tracks.

Hmmm, now they want old-fashioned locomotive-hauled trains instead of CA Marin county's choice for light rail cars below? So much for John Mica's rhetoric of getting Florida into the 21st Century! Bulgaria and other so-called lesser advanced countries are light years ahead of us, but then again they don't have to worry about pleasing CSX.

The state originally advertised the railcar bid invitation in February. It was so narrowly written that Colorado Railcar was the only company that qualified. In a Tampa Tribune story about the purchase, state officials said the company produced precisely the kind of railcar it wanted for the Orlando system. It's a fuel-efficient vehicle that combines the engine and seating in one unit but is also sturdy enough to withstand a collision with a freight train. The revised bid is for the more traditional locomotive-hauled train.

Meanwhile Marin county in CA found a better solution, which is far more energy efficient and environmentally clean:

The closure ( of Colorado Railcar) may have little effect on SMART, which can choose to run lighter, European-built, diesel-powered rail cars instead. If the rail agency chooses to stay with the heavier cars, however, Siemens Transportation of Germany is planning to develop and build such cars at its Sacramento plant, filling the void left by Colorado Railcar."It is part of our growth strategy and product development plan," said Frank Guzzo, business development director in Sacramento. "we clearly see a niche market."Voters in Sonoma and Marin counties approved a quarter-cent sales tax increase in November, and SMART is now looking to start Cloverdale-to-Larkspur service in 2014.
SMART is planning to request proposals for its rail cars within the next two months and award a purchase contract next year.The transit district has budgeted $88 million for 14 self-propelled, diesel-powered rail cars. The cars will take two to three years to build.SMART initially had specified the Colorado Railcar vehicles, which are classed as heavy rail, diesel-powered vehicles, in its 2006 environmental impact report.However, in a 2008 supplemental report, SMART indicated that it could also use lightweight European-style rail cars by running freight train service in off hours."The major difference between the two is how they operate in conjunction with freight on the same corridor," Coursey said. "To use the light cars, you need to have time separation, they cannot be operating at the same time as freight."
The most popular lightweight cars available are made by Siemens in Germany.There are 12 of them in use by the North Coast Transit District in San Diego on its 22-mile Sprinter service from Oceanside to Escondido.District spokesman Tom Kelleher said the freight service runs at night on the Southern California tracks to meet the federal rules against running lightweight cars and freight together. The lightweight cars are
not as crash resistant as heavy-rail cars.

While Mica's Pet Project is dragging on, bending over backwards for CSX's freight needs is clearly not in our best interest.Here is what the President of the Passenger Rail Asociation said when Colorado Railcar had been selected by Florida DOT:

Since Colorado Railcar announced production of its new vehicle in 2002, only
three transit agencies - in Florida, Oregon and Alaska - have purchased any.They're expensive, said Paul Dyson, president of the Passenger Rail Association of California and Nevada. They cost about twice as much as the locomotive-passenger car combination. And although they use less fuel than thelocomotive train, they use more fuel than other DMUs. That's because ColoradoRailcar had to beef up its vehicles to meet the federal crash standards."If Iwere a Florida taxpayer, I'd be asking the state if they've looked at every alternative," Dyson said.

And Siemens' Frank Guzzo typified the selection process as a done deal favoring Colorado Rail:

One of the potential bidders was a Korean company, Rotem, that designs crash-worthy DMUs and has a U.S. plant. It was planning to build cars for theRaleigh, N.C., commuter system until federal funding for that project fellthrough. Its cars, however, have only one level, and Florida officials said theyneed bilevel cars for the Orlando system.
Another company, Siemens, was also interested and proposed scheduling freight and commuter trains at different times so the state could use the company's lighter DMU. But the state said no, said Siemens' Frank Guzzo."There could have been other ways to approach the project. We had offered an alternative," Guzzo said. But the state "was fixatedon this one approach."

Lobbying Connections:

By 2002, Mica was pushing a new plan to use existing CSX freight tracks - and
Colorado Railcar vehicles.The railcars weren't in service, but Mica had met
Rader and was intrigued by his efforts to build a new kind of railcar. He can't
recall where he met Rader.
A September 2002 news release on Mica's Web site announced that he "had secured $8 million for ... a national demonstration of a new commuter rail technology." It said he planned to show off an example of that technology, a Colorado Railcar DMU, in Orlando the next month. ( ***Does everyone see the lie in Mica's announcement)
The amount was down to $4 million by the time the transportation bill with the earmark passed in early 2003.
In August 2003, after Congress approved the railcar earmark, the law firm Greenberg, Traurig registered to lobby for Colorado Railcar.
One of the Colorado Railcar lobbyists was Duane Gibson, former chief aid toU.S. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, who was chairman of the House TransportationCommittee from 2001 to 2007. Gibson continued to represent the company after heleft the law
firm.
"I spoke to Duane about Colorado Railcar," Mica said. "I can't remember if they were looking for someone to represent them or what." He also can't remember precisely when it was, but he said he is sure Gibson was not at Greenberg, Traurig at the time.Tom Rader founded Colorado Railcar and was removed as its president thisyear. Since 2003, Rader and his company have reported spending nearly $300,000on lobbyists and federal campaign contributions. Rader gave Mica's politicalcampaigns a total of $3,000 for 2004 and 2005.Mica angrily denied that lobbying or campaign contributions had anything todo with his position. "My relationship with the company has been nothing butabove the board," he said.
The company spent its own money developing a new kindof fuel-efficient railcar and deserves government help, Mica said.

Pretty fishy if you ask me! I wish we had some investigative reporters dig up some more on this. Could turn out to be a really big national scandal.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/20/200015/na-railcar-deal-missing-key-component-the-tracks/c_2/#comments
And here is a final revealing comment made in the comment section of the TBO to the above story:

Why is FDOT and Congressman Mica's CSX mainline trackage in Orlando is worth $420 million for 61 miles while the EJ&E Railroad in Chicago isselling 200 miles
of their mainline for only $300 million to the CanadianNational RR. Could this
be more of those educational "improvements" in fuzzymath that Jeb was able to
accomplish with his educational system "reforms"?
And please explain why Illinois' and Indiana' Senators and Representatives havecalled in the "key Federal railroad regulatory agency" to review their ChicagoCN-EJ&E rail transaction but the Surface Transportation Board is conspicuously absent in Florida to deal with the Orlando CSX-EVWN transaction?Sounds like the Tampa Tribune is doing some outstanding investigative reportingon your choo choo friends! Keep up the great work. The rest of Florida's media outlets may be missing the next Watergate in progress, all he"King's" men may fall.
And oh by the way, I want to be able to ride trains inFlorida just like
they do in California, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, NewYork, Virginia and a
host of other states, but we won't get them here untilsomeone cleans up this CSX
mess. Thanks Trib for bringing out the mop.

Colorado Railcar Sinks: John Mica is 16 Railcars Short

2009-01-13T14:14:00.011-05:00

This comes from the Tampa Tributes titled Commuter Rail Falters Again As Supplier Fails

When Florida Department of Transportation officials chose a Colorado company early last year to build 10 railcars for its new Orlando commuter system, they knew the company was in financial trouble.

Nevertheless, the department moved forward with the $45 million contract, and is having to scramble now that Colorado Railcar went out of business at the end of the year. The state had to rewrite the railcar proposal to get new companies to bid.

The last-minute change is one more stumble in the state's controversial efforts to bring commuter rail to Orlando. Last May, state lawmakers rejected an agreement with CSX Transportation, the company planning to sell tracks to the state for the $1.2 billion, 61-mile system. The agreement would have freed CSX from responsibility if one of its (freight)trains caused a commuter accident while using the tracks.

Hmmm, now they want old-fashioned locomotive-hauled trains instead of CA Marin county's choice for light rail cars below? So much for John Mica's rhetoric of getting Florida into the 21st Century! Bulgaria and other so-called lesser advanced countries are light years ahead of us, but then again they don't have to worry about pleasing CSX.

The state originally advertised the railcar bid invitation in February. It was so narrowly written that Colorado Railcar was the only company that qualified. In a Tampa Tribune story about the purchase, state officials said the company produced precisely the kind of railcar it wanted for the Orlando system. It's a fuel-efficient vehicle that combines the engine and seating in one unit but is also sturdy enough to withstand a collision with a freight train. The revised bid is for the more traditional locomotive-hauled train.

Meanwhile Marin county in CA found a better solution, which is far more energy efficient and environmentally clean:

The closure ( of Colorado Railcar) may have little effect on SMART, which can choose to run lighter, European-built, diesel-powered rail cars instead.

If the rail agency chooses to stay with the heavier cars, however, Siemens Transportation of Germany is planning to develop and build such cars at its Sacramento plant, filling the void left by Colorado Railcar.

"It is part of our growth strategy and product development plan," said Frank Guzzo, business development director in Sacramento. "we clearly see a niche market."

Voters in Sonoma and Marin counties approved a quarter-cent sales tax increase in November, and SMART is now looking to start Cloverdale-to-Larkspur service in 2014.

SMART is planning to request proposals for its rail cars within the next two months and award a purchase contract next year.

The transit district has budgeted $88 million for 14 self-propelled, diesel-powered rail cars. The cars will take two to three years to build.

SMART initially had specified the Colorado Railcar vehicles, which are classed as heavy rail, diesel-powered vehicles, in its 2006 environmental impact report.

However, in a 2008 supplemental report, SMART indicated that it could also use lightweight European-style rail cars by running freight train service in off hours.

"The major difference between the two is how they operate in conjunction with freight on the same corridor," Coursey said. "To use the light cars, you need to have time separation, they cannot be operating at the same time as freight."

The most popular lightweight cars available are made by Siemens in Germany.

There are 12 of them in use by the North Coast Transit District in San Diego on its 22-mile Sprinter service from Oceanside to Escondido.

District spokesman Tom Kelleher said the freight service runs at night on the Southern California tracks to meet the federal rules against running lightweight cars and freight together. The lightweight cars are not as crash resistant as heavy-rail cars.

While Mica's Pet Project is dragging on, bending over backwards for CSX's freight needs is clearly not in our best interest.

Here is what the President of the Passenger Rail Asociation said when Colorado Railcar had been selected by Florida DOT:

Since Colorado Railcar announced production of its new vehicle in 2002,
only three transit agencies - in Florida, Oregon and Alaska - have purchased
any.They're expensive, said Paul Dyson, president of the Passenger Rail
Association of California and Nevada. They cost about twice as much as the
locomotive-passenger car combination.And although they use less fuel than the
locomotive train, they use more fuel than other DMUs. That's because Colorado
Railcar had to beef up its vehicles to meet the federal crash standards."If I
were a Florida taxpayer, I'd be asking the state if they've looked at every
alternative," Dyson said.

And Siemens' Frank Guzzo typified the selection process as a done deal favoring Colorado Rail:

One of the potential bidders was a Korean company, Rotem, that designs
crash-worthy DMUs and has a U.S. plant. It was planning to build cars for the
Raleigh, N.C., commuter system until federal funding for that project fell
through. Its cars, however, have only one level, and Florida officials said they
need bilevel cars for the Orlando system.

Another company, Siemens, was also interested and proposed scheduling freight and commuter trains at different times so the state could use the company's lighter DMU. But the state said no, said Siemens' Frank Guzzo.
"There could have been other ways to approach the project. We had offered an alternative," Guzzo said. But the state "was fixated
on this one approach."

Lobbying Connections:

By 2002, Mica was pushing a new plan to use existing CSX freight tracks - and Colorado Railcar vehicles.The railcars weren't in service, but Mica had met Rader and was intrigued by his efforts to build a new kind of railcar. He can't recall where he met Rader.
A September 2002 news release on Mica's Web site announced that he "had secured $8 million for ... a national demonstration of a new commuter rail technology." It said he planned to show off an example of that technology, a Colorado Railcar DMU, in Orlando the next month. ( ***Does everyone see the lie in Mica's announcement)
The amount was down to $4 million by the time the transportation bill with the earmark passed in early 2003.
In August 2003, after Congress approved the railcar earmark, the law firm Greenberg, Traurig registered to lobby for Colorado Railcar.
One of the Colorado Railcar lobbyists was Duane Gibson, former chief aid to
U.S. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, who was chairman of the House Transportation
Committee from 2001 to 2007. Gibson continued to represent the company after he
left the law firm.
"I spoke to Duane about Colorado Railcar," Mica said. "I can't remember if they were looking for someone to represent them or what." He also can't remember precisely when it was, but he said he is sure Gibson was not at Greenberg, Traurig at the time.

Tom Rader founded Colorado Railcar and was removed as its president this
year. Since 2003, Rader and his company have reported spending nearly $300,000
on lobbyists and federal campaign contributions. Rader gave Mica's political
campaigns a total of $3,000 for 2004 and 2005.

Mica angrily denied that lobbying or campaign contributions had anything to
do with his position. "My relationship with the company has been nothing but
above the board," he said. The company spent its own money developing a new kind
of fuel-efficient railcar and deserves government help, Mica said.

Pretty fishy if you ask me! I wish we had some investigative reporters dig up some more on this. Could turn out to be a really big national scandal.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/20/200015/na-railcar-deal-missing-key-component-the-tracks/c_2/#comments

And here is a final revealing comment made in the comment section of the TBO to the above story:

Why is FDOT and Congressman Mica's CSX mainline trackage in Orlando is
worth $420 million for 61 miles while the EJ&E Railroad in Chicago is
selling 200 miles of their mainline for only $300 million to the Canadian
National RR. Could this be more of those educational "improvements" in fuzzy
math that Jeb was able to accomplish with his educational system "reforms"?
And please explain why Illinois' and Indiana' Senators and Representatives have
called in the "key Federal railroad regulatory agency" to review their Chicago
CN-EJ&E rail transaction but the Surface Transportation Board is
conspicuously absent in Florida to deal with the Orlando CSX-EVWN transaction?
Sounds like the Tampa Tribune is doing some outstanding investigative reporting
on your choo choo friends! Keep up the great work Media General. The rest of
Florida's media outlets may be missing the next Watergate in progress, all the
"King's" men may fall. And oh by the way, I want to be able to ride trains in
Florida just like they do in California, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New
York, Virginia and a host of other states, but we won't get them here until
someone cleans up this CSX mess. Thanks Trib for bringing out the mop.

Calls to Move Train Traffic Out of Downtown Orlando

2009-01-09T23:26:00.003-05:00

Ahhh, some much needed perspective on the CSX Boondoggle named Central Florida Commuter Rail, now packaged as Sunrail ( a $300,000 marketing effort):

For 20 years, there have been sporadic calls to move (freight)train traffic out of downtown Orlando, but the effort has never picked up steam. It’s a great idea, offcials say, but no one has been willing to take on the tab, which could top $400 million.

“…The best chance for moving freight may come if local leaders decide to run commuter rail through Orlando. Already, John Mica, R-CSX [OK, that's mine] has secured about $8 million in federal money…

“…”It’ll have to be tied to a mass transit project,” Mica said. “That’s the only way.” [That, and finding a state Department of Transportation willing to dump one city's problem onto another with no warning, discussion, or mitigation.]

Again, not a passenger rail deal, folks. It begins and ends with freight rail, as Mica himself so elegantly puts it. None of this is new. I reported these basic facts back when I worked for The Trib.

http://www.lakelandlocal.com/2008/12/the-almost-charmingly-relentless-bad-faith-of-the-orlando-sentinels-editorial-page/

Orlando wanted freight rail out of Orlando and had to sweeten the deal for CSX to agree. It wasn't initially about commuter rail at all.

Last 8 Years of Bare Bone Budgets for Amtrak

2008-12-25T10:07:00.002-05:00

And you are wondering why they had trouble keeping on schedule during inclement weather?

Here is a comment in the NYT on this:

Trains generally perform well in inclement weather but currently Amtrak is being forced to cancel some trains to and from Chicago thanks to barely having enough equipment to cover those operations.

Amtrak would be in much better shape at this time if some spare equipment was available to it; but given the last 8 years of bare bone budgets and attacks from the current administration, many folks travel plans are being impacted that otherwise would not be.

Thanks W for doing completely nothing to assist passenger rail transportation in 8 years and let us not forget John Mica, (R) Florida who ardently assisted the President to starve Amtrak who now all of a sudden when it appears politically correct fashions himself a rail supporter. Sure you are John-

Transportation plan anyone?

Commuter rail rolls on . . . to failure?

2008-12-24T23:36:00.002-05:00

Here is what Pam Hasterok says about John Mica's Pet Project,......good to see some realism about the flaws of the project rather than the incessant cheerleading for the "behind closed doors" arrangements with a very profitable private company, profiteering some more at the expense of the Florida tax payers:

The life or death of the rail line hinges on who's responsible for accidents. The state is buying the tracks for the passenger line from the freight giant CSX.
CSX plans to keep running freight trains on the tracks, too. If an accident occurs, CSX is demanding that neither it nor its contractors be held liable.
State transportation officials agreed. Lawmakers didn't.

They weren't pleased, either, that officials negotiated the deal in secret without the knowledge of most legislators. Unless a compromise emerges over who pays for accidents and their legal fallout, commuter rail will die next year, too.

Forget the happy talk you'll hear from local lawmakers and council members who say everything will work out.
Powerful representatives can probably pass the project through the House on sheer force of will. That won't work in the Senate.
Enough senators have enough doubts to say no, as they did before, to saddling the state with bills for an accident that is the fault of a private company.

"I don't want the state to be in a situation where it has to take care of every accident and every lawsuit when we're talking about a company that makes a lot of money," said Sen. Jim King, who represents part of Volusia County.

Accountability and Efficiency with PUBLIC Owned Rail Tracks

2008-12-23T23:40:00.002-05:00

Transport Politic offers a little background and some advice on John Mica's ill-conceived favoratism of private enterprise in public infrastructure:

The Bush administration, as we chronicled a few months ago, has repeatedly pushed to sell or lease public assets to private companies.
But having high-speed railways run on privately-owned tracks is a bad idea. The most compelling argument for this is that infrastructure cannot act as a competitive entity in the free market. If you build a high-speed rail line between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and then sell or lease the tracks to a private company, no competing company will build its own tracks over the same route. There is simply not the market or the financial means for that to happen, and it’s the reason why it makes sense to continue the public ownership of, for example, the interstate highway system or the New York City Subway.
Keeping the track in public hands also ensures political accountability. For instance, if a section of track passes through a neighborhood and residents there complain of unreasonable noise, the elected government is more likely to respond with the construction of noise walls than is a private company, because there’s no motive for increased profit in building such a wall. Even if the neighborhood were to boycott the rail system, the collective loss in ticket revenue would be less than the cost of building the wall, so the company would be unlikely to do so, at least unless pushed to do so by the government.
Similarly, if poor management bankrupts the owner of the track, a vital public utility that cannot be shut down, government would be forced to subsidize the track’s operation, even as the private owner escapes accountability. The government does not go bankrupt, and as long as there’s public interest in supporting a railway system, the tracks will continue to be funded, no matter the economic situation. This is necessary insurance for infrastructure.
Indeed, mainland Europe’s highly developed rail system is publicly owned. The European Union’s competition laws are opening services up to private companies (we will discuss this further later in this post), but the infrastructure itself remains under the control and ownership of the national government.

The benefit of having governmental control is efficiency; nations decide to invest in new high-speed rail lines and simply hand the money and right-of-way over to the public infrastructure owner. The government is also responsible to the citizens for the maintenance of the lines; when several French TGVs were delayed because of problems with overhead catenary earlier this year, an infuriated public pushed for the government to invest more in the electrical systems, and it did. Would that have happened if there were a private owner? The public’s ability to ensure the continued quality of the tracks is improved with the government in power.

Sixth-straight year of Record Ridership for Amtrak

2008-12-16T23:35:00.004-05:00

As a fan of Amtrak, government run passenger rail transportation, I was pleased to see these excellent Amtrak numbers ( no doubt much to John Mica's chagrin):

Published by Progressive Railroading MagazineNovember 2008--For the sixth-straight year, Amtrak posted record annual ridership, carrying 28.7 million passengers in fiscal-year 2008, an 11.1 percent jump compared with FY2007’s total. For the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, Amtrak also recorded $1.7 billion in ticket revenue, up 14.2 percent.

If You Pee on CSX’s Parade in Central Florida....

2008-12-15T10:23:00.002-05:00

"If you pee on CSX’s parade in Central Florida, do you think they’re going to cooperate with other entities?" says Mica in another thinly veiled threat, coercing support from other FL areas for Mica's Pet Project.

Just a week or so ago there was an earlier threat made by Mica, reported by local media but without question as to the ethics of quid pro quo, blackmail type wrangling on getting this Private Public Partnership off the ground for Mica's Pet Project:

"You're on hold and everybody else is on hold until that gets resolved," Mica said.

John Mica wants Hillsborough rail supporters to work with the legislature to come to an agreement on the liability issue for the Central Florida Commuter Rail, Mica's Pet Project, and claims everything is on hold throughout the state of Florida, until he gets his way on that.

Factoid on lightrail which offers more stops than commuter rail and is thus more functional in highdensity areas:
Light rail delivers 4 times the congestion-reduction potential per dollar as incremental freeway lanes.

Differences between light rail and commuter rail can be found here. Because commuter rail has fewer stops sharing track or right-of-way with intercity or freight trains, commuter rail is more suitable to lower-density areas.

John Mica is Virulently Anti-Government

2008-12-13T23:19:00.003-05:00

So says the blogger at thetransportpolitic. And John Mica is supposed be a champion for PUBLIC transportation? I don't think so and neither does Representative Jerry Nadler. From thetransportpolic blog Jerry Nadler is quoted:

I oppose privatizing the Northeast Corridor. While I appreciate and support efforts to expand high-speed rail service in this country, it remains to be seen whether or not this RFP will achieve that goal. The only thing that Congress authorized is the submission of proposals. There will be a rigorous review process, and Congress will have to take subsequent action to move ahead should any of the proposals be worthy.
In the meantime, Congress should continue to increase investment in Amtrak, which has been chronically under funded and faces a multi-billion dollar backlog on the Northeast Corridor alone. I fully expect the incoming Democratic Congress and Administration to increase funding for Amtrak as part of a rational transportation policy and an economic stimulus package for infrastructure.”

http://thetransportpolitic.wordpress.com/2008/12/12/nycdc-private-bullet-train-monday-announcement/

The blogger then makes this very valid comment:

The 1993 privatization of British Rail was a well-known disaster, leading to huge
problems in transportation in the United Kingdom. Far more successful European
high-speed rail programs - in France, Germany, and Spain - have been implemented
by fully government-owned and managed systems (though the European Union’s new rules have changed that a bit in recent years). There’s no reason to think that
a government run high-speed rail system of similar magnitude and speed as Mr. Mica has suggested would not be possible.

No reason to think Mr Mica should be trusted on ay of this as he wasn't able to get a light rail system in place in 1999 his own back yard, and is now struggling to get a Central Florida commuter rail off the ground that is THE most expensive rail system ever in the history of our nation, which is not surprising since it involves private industry:

The (Central Florida Commuter Rail) system would cost $10.5 million per mile — a record for U.S. rail systems.

"It's the most expensive rail project in the history of the United States,"

and more on the folly of private industry involvement:

The Florida Department of Transportation and transportation company CSX
have a history of setting records for cost in taxpayer-funded rail systems in
the past. Of the top six most expensive rail deals per mile in U.S. history,
three of them were brokered between the Florida agency and CSX.

http://wpmobserver.com/WPMObserver/article.asp?ID=1165

Here is a little on the 1999 failed Mica Light Rail Plan:

The (CSX commuter rail) plan was developed by U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, after the Orange County Commission rejected his plan to build a light-rail system connecting Downtown Orlando and the Orlando International Airport in 1999.

Also note that in terms of the article writer and probably John Mica's mind, the grassroots are the Chamber of Commerce folks. This is just too laughable!

Sad indeed.

Amtrak Station for St Augustine Still a No Show

2008-12-13T23:01:00.002-05:00

The U.S. Conference of Mayors released its member cities’ “wish list” for
project funding from an infrastructure stimulus package. Its web site
outlines every project by category. $1.06031
billion is requested for Amtrak-related projects, mainly station and station
track work. Of that, $750 million was requested by the City of Sacramento
alone for track relocation and tunnels as part of the 244-acre Railyards
redevelopment project. Charleston, SC requested $78.03 million for its
proposed commuter rail service between Summerville and Charleston. Cities
requested nearly $7.07 billion for transit-related projects.

http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/main/hotline_583/

Still no word on the Amtrak station in St Augustine, that John Mica promised in 2001.

What's up with that?

John Mica is a Political Ostrich

2008-12-05T21:35:00.002-05:00

Or so says Charlie Cook in the National Journal:

In general, in the higher-growth segments of our country, Republicans lost
ground, prevailing only in small towns and rural areas. When Democrats win the
suburbs, Republicans are in trouble.
Republicans have lost an enormous amount of support among upscale voters, basically just breaking even among those with household incomes above $50,000 a year, a traditional GOP stronghold. Similarly, McCain's losing to Obama among college graduates and voters who have attended some college underscores how much the GOP franchise is in trouble. My hunch is that the Republican Party's focus on social, cultural, and religious issues --
most notably, fights over embryonic-stem-cell research and Terri Schiavo -- cost
its candidates dearly among upscale voters.....

Those who write off the 2008 election by saying that Republican
candidates weren't conservative enough are in denial. They are political ostriches, refusing to acknowledge that the country and the electorate are changing and that old recipes don't work any more.

Obama's message and agenda were a far cry from those of the Democratic
Party of a generation or two ago, but the Republican Party's message and
agenda haven't changed much other than becoming even more fixated on cultural issues and tax cuts.

http://www.cookpolitical.com/node/4071

And here is where John Mica portrays himself as the political ostrich advocating more conservativism for the GOP:

But Both Mica and Flake noted that though the conservative voice has grown in
strength in the aftermath of the Nov. 4 elections, conservatives likely would
not have been able to replace Boehner as House Minority leader with one of their
own. “We [conservatives] could certainly have mounted a more formidable
challenge” towards Boehner, Flake told CNSNews.com. “But I don’t know that
it would have been enough. We thought we mounted a pretty good challenge last
time, and we got socked.” “I don’t think conservatives would have had the
votes,” said Mica.

http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=39635

John Mica's Clout Waning in Transportation

2008-12-05T09:42:00.002-05:00

Here is something voters should have considered when they made the mistake of re-electing John Mica for Central Florida:

No longer will Central Florida be able to count solely on Republican U.S.
Rep. John Mica for key issues, such as commuter rail and major highways. His clout already was waning when Congress went Democratic two years
ago. Now it is even weaker with a Democratic president as well.

Two major projects: commuter rail and the Wekiva Parkway to complete Orlando's beltway loop while protecting sensitive environmental land are critical to Central Florida, so the fact that Grayson could step in and help on these issues would be really welcomed:

(Grayson) now says he would like to be on the Transportation Committee, but
during the campaign, he listed his top three issues as ending the war in Iraq,
expanding health-care coverage and raising labor standards.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/views/orl-healy0908nov09,0,5145390.column

Will Martinez be Asked to step Down for a Hand-picked Replacement?

2008-12-03T10:14:00.003-05:00

That's what Scott Maxwell of the Orlando Sentinel thinks is a real possibility:

Martinez says he's leaving on his own terms. And now he will have two years to decide what to do next -- assuming the Republican Party doesn't ask him to step down early, so that Charlie Crist can name a replacement.
Martinez says he has no plans to play that game. And I believe he's earnest. But I also believe he will face pressure to change his mind -- from party leaders, maybe even Bush, who would rather handpick a candidate than let voters in on the action.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-maxwell0308dec03,0,2499749.column?page=2

Mica, Stearns or Putnam most likely would be precluded from being "hand-picked" since they need to continue their roles as "place-holders" for the Republican Party.

John Mica May square off Against Jeb Bush for Martinez Senate Seat

2008-12-02T23:42:00.002-05:00

Mel Martinez today announced he will not be running for re-election:

“It’s just no fun to be in the minority in D.C. when the other party controls the
White House,” said Lew Oliver, chairman of the Orange County Republican Party,
where Senator Martinez got his political start. “The number of interesting,
important and meaning things to do dwindles fast.”
Recent polls suggested that Senator Martinez, 62, had been weakened by his close association with President George W. Bush. He served as Secretary for Housing and Urban Development during the president’s first term, before running successfully for the Senate in 2004, and becoming chairman of the Republican National Committee
in for 10 months in 2007.

“I make this announcement today in order to give the many qualified individuals who might choose to try to succeed me an opportunity to organize and gather support,” Martinez said in a press release.

The field is wide open, but likely names of contenders for the Senate seat include Jeb Bush:

If he decides to run, Republicans expect the field to clear for him. Maybe. Gov.
Charlie Crist, with whom Bush has not had the warmest of relations, is said to
be interested in moving to the Senate. Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum is
weighing a bid, as is former state House Speaker Marco Rubio, Orange County
executive Richard Crotty, and U.S. Rep. Connie Mack.

John Mica also has expressed interest and will decide in January:

"He is someone who has stature in the state and has a lot of name
recognition outside his district," said Rusty Roberts, his chief-of-staff.

Other bloggers disagree:

Among those I suspect will consider the run:
Charlie Crist (Disaster)
Tom Gallagher - good solid Republican
John L. Mica, Congressman from the 7th District - solid Republican, weak on name recognition.
Cliff Stearns, Congressman from the 6th District. A rating from National Taxpayers
Union, Solid defender of Gun Rights, My personal favorite.

On the Democratic side State’s Chief Financial Officer, Alex Sink, would be a strong contender, along with Democratic Representatives Dan Gelber. Mr. Gelber already acknowledged interest.

Kerry-Specter High Speed Rail Bill

2008-11-28T22:29:00.002-05:00

Initiatives on High-Speed Rail taking place absent John Mica. While John Mica is making pro-forma visits to the Tampa Bay Area nudging local officials to get their mass transit plans ready for federal funding, major initiatives are already in the works......

The press release on the Kerry-Specter high-speed rail bill:
Kerry-Specter Bill Would Create Jobs, Stimulus, Infrastructure Investment
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor Ed Rendell Applaud National High-Speed Rail Initiative
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) introduced a bill to create new jobs by updating the nation’s crumbling infrastructure. The High-Speed Rail for America Act of 2008 would transform America’s outdated and underfunded passenger rail system into a world class system.

“At a time when our economy desperately needs a jumpstart, we need an effective national investment that puts Americans back to work,” said Sen. Kerry. “A first-rate rail system would protect our environment, save families time and money, reduce our dependency on foreign oil, and help get our economy moving again. The High-Speed Rail for America Act will help fix our crumbling infrastructure system, expand our economy, and match high-tech rail systems across the globe.”

“We must continue to focus our energies on building and maintaining a strong national passenger rail system in order to ease congestion of air and highway corridors connecting high-growth markets, as well as to meet energy and environmental goals,” said Sen. Specter. “The High-Speed Rail for America Act is an investment in our nation’s infrastructure and has the potential to provide tremendous economic opportunities throughout Pennsylvania and the nation.”
Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Joe Lieberman (I-CT.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), cosponsored the legislation.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell both voiced their support for the high-speed rail initiative.

“Creating a national high-speed rail network is an ambitious goal, but one that gets more urgent by the day,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Investing in modern infrastructure is vital to the nation’s long-term economic and environmental health - and in the short-term, it would help put more Americans back to work. Many countries in Europe and Asia are investing in high-speed rail, and if our economy is going to remain competitive, we have to start catching up. Greater investment in our railways is a top goal of Building America's Future, the infrastructure coalition that Governors Rendell and Schwarzenegger and I created. I applaud Senator Kerry for tackling the issue head-on, and I strongly support his efforts to create the high-speed rail network our country needs.”

“This long-overdue national investment in high-speed rail would help to stimulate economic recovery while creating good jobs that cannot be outsourced,” said Gov. Rendell, one of the founding co-chairs of the Building America’s Future coalition. “Expanding our nation’s critical rail infrastructure will make our transportation network more efficient, reduce traffic pressure on our already busy interstate highways, and improve the environment.”

The High-Speed Rail for America Act of 2008 builds upon the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 which reauthorizes Amtrak and authorizes $1.5 billion over a five-year period to finance the construction and equipment for eleven high-speed rail corridors. It provides billions of dollars in both tax-exempt and tax credit bond and provides assistance for rail projects of various speeds. The bill creates the Office of High-Speed passenger rail to oversee the development of high-speed rail and provides a consistent source of funding.

Specifically, the High-Speed Rail for America Act of 2008 provides $8 billion over a six-year period for tax-exempt bonds which finance high-speed rail projects which reach a speed of at least 110 miles per hour It creates a new category of tax-credit bonds – qualified rail bonds.

There are two types of qualified rail bonds: super high-speed intercity rail facility bond and rail infrastructure bond. Super high-speed rail intercity facility bonds will encourage the development of true high-speed rail. The legislation provides $10 billion for these bonds over a ten-year period. This would help finance the California proposed corridor and make needed improvements to the Northeast corridor. The legislation provides $5.4 billion over a six-year period for rail infrastructure bonds.

The Federal Rail Administration has already designated ten rail corridors that these bonds could help fund, including connecting the cities of the Midwest through Chicago, connecting the cities of the Northwest, connecting the major cities within Texas and Florida, and connecting all the cities up and down the East Coast.
November 20, 2008 in High Speed Rail Permalink

Un-Masking John Mica

2008-11-25T10:29:00.014-05:00

Failure to Regulate and Lead

John Mica is a Hard-Core Conservative Anti-Regulation, Crony-Capitalism Career Politician. Click here for explanation of political philosophy.

3,500 Aviation Fatalities since John Mica's post on Aviation

Rep. Mica was named Chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation in 2001 and served through 2006. As the current minority leader of the House Transportation Committee, Mica serves on all six Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittees including the Aviation Subcommittee, and is thus resposnible for the proper functioning of the FAA.

The Subcommittee on Aviation has jurisdiction over all aspects of civil aviation, including safety, infrastructure, labor, and international issues. This jurisdiction includes all aspects of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) except for research activities, which are within the jurisdiction of the Science Committee.
Prior to the September 11th terrorist attacks, the number of air travelers in the United States had reached record levels and had begun to strain the existing infrastructure capacity. For several years after the attacks, the demand for air travel decreased and the impending capacity crunch was delayed while officials in the
Federal government, at the airlines and at airports dealt with many new security
issues.
Demand has returned to pre-9/11 levels, however, and the Subcommittee
will continue to contend with existing capacity and security concerns, as well
as an aging air traffic control system.
The Aviation Subcommittee is also traditionally the lead subcommittee with jurisdiction over the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal agency responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents and other transportation accidents.
The essential air service program, which ensures commercial air service to
smaller communities, the war risk insurance program, which provides insurance
coverage for commercial flights to high-risk parts of the world, and passenger
and cargo commercial space transportation also fall within the purview of the
Aviation Subcommittee.
The Subcommittee continues to exercise oversight jurisdiction over the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and continues to have jurisdiction over the impacts of transportation security on the aviation industry and aviation safety.
Issues and agencies under the jurisdiction of the Aviation Subcommittee include:
Federal Aviation Administration
Air traffic control modernization
Airport capacity
Airport Improvement Program grants
Aviation antitrust issues
Aviation labor, as governed by
the Railway Labor Act
Aviation safety
Aviation security, including the Transportation Security Administration
Commercial aviation
Essential air service for small communities
General aviation
International aviation
National Transportation Safety Board
War risk insurance
Commercial space transportation and tourism
Air carrier operations
Use of the navigable airspace

For a more complete description of the Subcommittee's jurisdiction, click here to link to the official Jurisdiction and Activities document for the Subcommittee on Aviation, as approved by the full Committee at the beginning of the 110th Congress.

While Mica sat on the Aviation Subcommittee and being a former Chair of the Aviation Suncommittee, where was his responsible oversight of the FAA?
FAA ignored Southwest Airlines violations

Regulators overseeing Southwest Airlines repeatedly allowed the airline to
escape punishment for safety violations because of a close relationship between
the airline and federal officials, according to a federal watchdog
investigation.

The inspector general's report found that Southwest violated more
federally required safety regulations than previously known. It also discovered
that FAA managers in North Texas didn't act on questions – raised as early as
September 2005 – about whether decisions to let Southwest off the hook violated
the FAA's own guidance about how its amnesty programs should be used.

And more recently:

FAA faulted for laxness on repair outsourcing

Nine U.S. airlines outsourced more than 70 percent of their major aircraft maintenance last year, and federal aviation officials' oversight of repair
facilities is lagging, according to a government report.
One-fourth of the outsourced maintenance is being handled by contractors overseas.
The Transportation Department's inspector general said the outsourcing, which has
more than doubled in four years, was of concern because the Federal Aviation
Administration has failed to closely track how much maintenance is farmed out
and where it is performed.

Now that's some kind of oversight!?! Just like our government had its eye on oversight of the financial industry. I just don't understand why voters continue to re-elect this bozo.

Like on so many of his votes he scores a failing grade in the Aviation Subcommittee.

How important is this?

Airline Industry. U.S. commercial aviation helps contribute to $1.2
trillion in output and approximately 11.4 million U.S. jobs. Between 2001 and
2005, the aviation industry posted $35 billion in cumulative net losses,
including a $5.7 billion net loss in 2005. Contributing to these losses are the
economic slowdown, a decline in business travel, the aftermath of the September
11th terrorist attacks, the SARS epidemic, increased competition within the
industry and, record fuel prices.
Several airlines declared bankruptcy and some
continue to restructure through that process. Recently, U.S. Airways withdrew
their bid to take over Delta Airlines, which is still in bankruptcy. Such a
merger could have had an adverse impact on fares, competition, and service to
small communities, and also might have sparked other mergers between large
network carriers.

We couldn't trust him when he promised to retire in 2004 ( as he reminded those in attendance at a Casselberry townhall meeting in 2002), and then lied about it only days before the 2008 election: "I have never signed any pledge to support term limits for members of Congress."

In 1994 Mica signed the Contract with America, which promised to restore the bounds of trust between the people and their elected representatives and included in its 10 point plan for America: Term limits on Congress

By supporting the Contract with America, he pledged to support term limits for members of Congress, and in fact he voted YES on H.J. 73:

The Citizen Legislature Act
An amendment to the Constitution that would have imposed 12-year term limits on members of the US Congress (i.e. six terms for Representatives, two terms for Senators). H.J.Res.73[7] rejected by the U.S. House 227-204 (a constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority, not a simple majority), 3/29/95;

RC #277.
If you look at the roll call vote, Mica voted Yes to the 12-year term limit. Mica has exceeded that “pledge” by 4 years…....

And now also considering the fact that John Mica head butted an ABC camera man, why the heck is he representing Distict 7?

Bottom-line: John Mica is an absolute embarrassment, and irresponsible with our safety and tax-payer monies!

But that's not all, despite his reasonable facade in his own district, he is known to be THE most partisan Bush apologist in Washington DC, with his theatrical performance on C-Span, blaming the financial meltdown with sub-prime mortgage crisis on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,........and John Mica even indirectly puts blame on our President Elect Barack Obama, before he was even elected!!!

Almost 150,000 people voted for Faye Armitage, John Mica's opponent in 2008,........so I guess they don't need to be reminded of what a Hard-Core conservative he is:
See Image above.

Private Investors Place Nation's Transit Agencies at Risk

2008-11-23T12:26:00.006-05:00

The Danger of Public Private Partnerships

The National Council for Public Private Partnerships has been holding
presentations across the country to educate officials on how to tap private
sector capital to fund public transportation projects, and shift the
construction costs and operational risks to the private sector.Private funding
for public projects isn't new and the number of projects using private funds
seems to be growing.

In late September, John Hancock Life Insurance Co. and two other partners
announced they had won a $2.5 billion, 99-year lease to operate and develop
Chicago Midway Airport. If completed, the airport would be the first privatized
major airport in the U.S. In April, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
announced he would pursue private partnerships to fund transit projects.

Mica, who for years has been prmoting the Public Private Partnerships, is suddenly doing an about face. One wonders if this is just a symbolic stunt on his part?

He co-wrote a letter with Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn. to Mary Peters, the Transportation Secretary, to warn agains lack opf transparency with these Public Private Partnerships.

The letter in part says this:

....the current financial crisis on Wall Street is leading to more and more
so-called public-private partnerships that lack "adequate transparency" to
protect the public's interest."We are particularly concerned about efforts by
private investors to exploit the financial crisis to place a number of the
nation's transit agencies at risk of default and financial collapse," the letter
said.

Is John Mica Snubbing Amtrak AGAIN?

2008-11-23T11:58:00.005-05:00

This is from the National Association of Railroad Passengers website,.......seems like no one wants to point out the obvious:

Amtrak COO and Acting President William Crosbie asserted, “We know how to
do high speed rail.” He said Amtrak is the country’s first HSR
operator, with crews and teams with first-hand experience and
institutional knowledge of the hurdles and the bottlenecks to HSR.

Yet

Section 502 (of H.R. 2095, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement
Act (Amtrak reauthorization and rail safety bill) is the provision that
mandates the U.S. DOT to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) from
private companies or consortia to establish high-speed rail (HSR)
service on any of the 11 federally-designated HSR corridors within 60 days
of bill enactment.

http://www.narprail.org/cms/index.php/main/hotline_580/

Why the heck don't we have Amtrak submit a proposal?

Oh yeah, that's right, our gederal government loves to pay "beaucoup" extra for private company profits. That's been their plan for Universal Healthcare too.

Meanwhile, Amtrak finally secured steady funding, something that was sorely missing, and part of the plan to replace Amtrak with a host of unregulated private companies.
"Starving the beast" if you will, as a concerted Repulican effort to make Amtrak irrelevant vs Private rail road companies.

Well, here is what a Democratic controlled Congress finally was able to accomplish:

Public rail gains traction

For years, Amtrak has struggled along without dedicated funding. And for
years, Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey has campaigned for permanent funding,
without which Amtrak has been unable to make reliable plans for upgrading
infrastructure, providing new rail cars and building new rail lines.
This legislation lays a framework for funding over the next
five years. The last time Amtrak got multi-year funding was in 1997.

and:

With this funding, Congress is acknowledging the cost effectiveness, energy
efficiency and convenience of rail travel. Steadily increasing ridership numbers
in recent years support those advantages. Amtrak recently reported a record of
28.7 million riders for fiscal year 2008. A little-noticed provision of the
legislation provides grants to states for connecting local rail lines to Amtrak
-- a valuable contribution to the national goal of increasing the use of public
transportation. All this is also a step toward greater transportation balance in
a country where we spend $40 billion on roads, $14 billion on airports and, up
to now, $1 billion on rail. In the past, every request for funds had to begin
with a debate over whether funding Amtrak was a good idea. Now, with the
creation of a benchmark, that question has been answered.

John Mica's Power Rating Very Low and Getting Lower in Florida Delegation

2008-11-15T20:52:00.005-05:00

Look for it to drop futher to 17th or lower, out of 25 Congressmen representing Florida!

Already John Mica's Power Rating is much lower than most might expect of a 16 year incumbent Congressman.

House:
Name
Rank in State
Score
Rank in House

Rep.
Wasserman Schultz (D-FL 20th)
1
38.04
24

Rep.
Boyd (D-FL 2nd)
2
32.86
53

Rep.
Wexler (D-FL 19th)
3
28.54
85

Rep.
Meek (D-FL 17th)
4
28.09
91

Rep.
Putnam (R-FL 12th)
5
26.97
100

Rep.
Mahoney (D-FL 16th)
6
25.89
110

Rep.
Klein (D-FL 22nd)
7
23.72
131

Rep.
Young (R-FL 10th)
8
21.48
150

Rep.
Stearns (R-FL 6th)
9
20.09
160

Rep.
Castor (D-FL 11th)
10
17.37
200

Rep.
Hastings (D-FL 23rd)
11
17.19
202

Rep.
Brown (D-FL 3rd)
12
15.39
229

Rep.
Feeney (R-FL 24th)
13
13.59
261

Rep.
Brown-Waite (R-FL 5th)
14
13.56
263

Rep.
Mica (R-FL 7th)
15
13.52
265

Rep.
Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL 18th)
16
12.54
288

Rep.
Weldon (R-FL 15th)
17
11.93
303

Rep.
Crenshaw (R-FL 4th)
18
10.37
346

Rep.
Diaz-Balart (R-FL 21st)
19
9.65
358

Rep.
Diaz-Balart (R-FL 25th)
20
7.94
379

Rep.
Keller (R-FL 8th)
21
6.83
393

Rep.
Mack (R-FL 14th)
22
6.00
406

Rep.
Buchanan (R-FL 13th)
23
5.85
407

Rep.
Miller (R-FL 1st)
24
5.60
412

Rep.
Bilirakis (R-FL 9th)
25
3.35
429

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/power_rankings/state.tt?state=FL

John Mica et al's Phony Support for the Military

2008-11-13T10:45:00.007-05:00

Here is another prime example of the ribbon-cutting fakery that surrounds the purported military support by Republicans like John Mica:

Members of Military Families Speak Out are condemning comments by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs suggesting that the dramatic increase in the suicide rate among young veterans is not connected to the war in Iraq .

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- November 12, 2008

CONTACT: Sean Donahue, Communications Director -- 617-983-0710 (w), 978-809-8054 (c), press@mfso.org

MILITARY FAMILIES TO VA:

STOP DENYING THAT MILITARY SUICIDES ARE CASUALTIES OF WAR!

The suicide rate among male veterans under the age of 29 is now twice that of the general population.

In an interview aired Monday November 10th on PBS's NewsHour, Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake said that Veterans' suicides are the result of:

"the same kinds of issues that have to do with suicide in the general population. It is issues of failed relationships, senses of hopelessness, transitions in life, that are at the root cause . . . we're not making a direct correlation with combat."

Specialist Scott Eiswert committed suicide in May after being told by a friend that his unit of the Tennessee National Guard would be returning to Iraq . His widow, Tracy Eiswert, a member of Military Families Speak Out, expressed outrage at Secretary Peake's comments:

"I am not a statistic. We are a military family. We are real people with real experiences as a result of my husband's PTSD and his suicide. He wasn't that way before he went to Iraq, he came back changed."

After returning from a tour of duty in Iraq , Spc. Eiswert had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by civilian doctors, but the Veterans Administration denied that his condition was the result of his experiences in Iraq . The Veterans Administration reversed that ruling in August. Tracy Eiswert says:

"It took him having to put a gun in his mouth for the military to admit that the
changes in my husband were a result of the war. If they had admitted that earlier he might still be alive."

Kevin and Joyce Lucey are members of Military Families Speak Out and the parents of Corporal Jeffrey Lucey, a Marine Corps Reservist who suffered severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of his service in Iraq in 2003. Shortly after being turned away from a Veterans Administration hospital, Corporal Lucey killed himself on June 22, 2004 . Kevin Lucey said:

"Secretary Peake's words are the kind of self serving comments that this nation does not need to hear from the Veterans Administration and its leadership. This is why many regard this VA administration to be steeped in disgrace and dishonor when it comes to our loved ones. They feel that they need to explain away, rationalize, justify or minimize - instead of committing their resources, time and efforts to create the best healthcare system on God's earth."

Joyce Lucey also had strong words for Secretary Peake:

"This is dishonorable, disgraceful and shameful behavior from someone who is charged with giving the best of care to our warriors.
With this type of message and thinking, Is it any wonder that many of our troops and veterans don't seek help from those who are so callous and uncaring?"

Specialist Joe Hafley, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War and Military Families Speak Out who has had to fight to get treatment for his own Post Traumatic Stress Disorder , agreed.
Hafley served in Iraq with the U.S. Army Reserves from 2004-2005, and his brother, a Major with the U.S. Army Reserves is scheduled to deploy to Iraq early next year.

When Hafley returned from Iraq , the Veterans Administration diagnosed him with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, and severe depression -- but ruled that none of those conditions were the result of his service in Iraq . He
said:

"My treatment at the VA was belittling and frustrating. To have them diagnose me with PTSD and not attribute it to my service in Iraq is a slap in the face. To have them tell me the problems could be the result of failed relationships rather than the result of my experiences in combat makes me feel that as a veteran I have no place at the VA.

"The thing that is most baffling to me is this 800 pound gorilla in the room not being addressed. Why are we feeling hopeless? Why do we have failed relationships?
The common denominator is we all served in Iraq.
Maybe my feeling of hopelessness is that I served my country with honor and I am still trying to figure out for what reason? For what just cause?

"Secretary Peake, it doesn't matter how many additional mental health workers you hire if you as the person at the top still feel we are just losers that failed to adjust or that we entered our military service unfit. No amount
of false support will help us."

The government's "You're On Your Own" or YOYO mentality even extends to those who've sacrificed their lives for our country!

John Mica has repeatedly refused to support the issues that are most important to the Disabled American Veterans. By scoring a 0% with the Disabled American Veterans in 2003, 2004, and 2004 while we were in the midst of two wars overseas, he shows his complete disregard for the needs of our disabled soldiers.

The problem is greed, and it usually comes in the form of delay, deny and deceit.

When will the voters understand that with the wrong people in office, greed will trump need every time?

Do voters really consider helping our veterans as just another "hand-out", while corporate welfare is ok with them?

John Mica Won't Protect Central Florida Bridges from Collapsing

2008-11-08T10:30:00.005-05:00

I decided to check John Mica out on other votes that affect Transportation in Central Florida.

Low and behold I found John Mica doesn't want our bridges inspected!

Vote 530: H R 3999: National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act

Seems that lack of transportation safety isn't something that bothers Mica.

He even went against the Republican recommended vote on this one, showing him to be even more extremist than his own party:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/m000689/votes/against-party/

Public Transportation in Central Florida

2008-11-07T10:35:00.003-05:00

You'd think that someone who's sat on the Transportation Committee forever, would have been able to do a better job on transportation.

John Mica's only claim to fame is a commuter rail project that barely got off the ground, while previous attempts failed miserably. It seems he missed the boat on a light rail project in 1999, with federal funding going elsewhere when it had been slated for Orlando, Central Florida.

The commuter-rail system will use small diesel trains on the railroad tracks of the CSX corridor between DeLand and Poinciana, a distance of 61 miles, providing commuters an alternative to an overburdened Interstate 4.
The plan was developed by U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, after the Orange County Commission rejected his plan to build a light-rail system connecting Downtown Orlando and the Orlando International Airport in 1999.

I don't think most people remember the failed attempts, but I was reminded here where candidate Faye Armitage debated John Mica on this issue and other important issues affecting the people in District 7: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5ylBIS5x6Q

ASCE ( American Society of Civil Engineers) estimates that $1.6 trillion is needed over a five-year period to bring the nation's infrastructure to a good condition.With each passing day, aging and overburdened infrastructure threatens the economy and quality of life in every state, city and town in the nation.

Where has John Mica been on this for the past 16 years in US Congress?

Unfortunately Faye Armitage was unable to defeat John Mica this time around.

"Out with the OLD, in with the NEW" didn't happen much anywhere in Florida in their congressional races.

VOTING RECORDS MATTER!

2008-11-01T20:05:00.002-04:00

If you haven't looked into the Congressional race for Florida's 7th District, you might want to check out this YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5ylBIS5x6Q&feature=channel

Mica is most famous for the pork he hands out, while his voting record completely gets ignored.

With his brother being the Director of the Florida Petroleum Council, Mica has consistently supported Big Oil:

http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu9xKZX2jsw

Are we ready for Change?

John Mica's Voting Record Revealed

2008-10-27T19:01:00.007-04:00

I wonder if the voters in District 7 know about this:

An F score with The Middle Class!!
A 0% with the Disabled American Veterans in 2003, 2004 and 2005
A 5% with the League of Conservation Voters

Watch Faye Armitage debate John Mica on Orlando's Local PBS station.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5ylBIS5x6Q&NR=1

He takes a lot of credit for things, but never gets called on his voting record. Let him take responsibility.

It is time for Change: Vote Faye Armitage!

John Mica's Voting Record Exposed

2008-10-27T18:52:00.003-04:00

And it doesn't look good.

Imagine an F score with The Middle Class!!

Sounds too weird to be true, right?

Well, that's what Faye Armitage said during a debate with him on Orlando's Local PBS station.

Check for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5ylBIS5x6Q&NR=1

John Mica, a National Embarrassment

2008-10-26T08:52:00.001-04:00

Electing to U.S. Congress Faye Armitage of Fruit Cove -- an economist, mother of five, grandmother of three, she raised a disabled son (her son-in-law is in Iraq).
Eight-term incumbent John Mica is way too big for his britches, a national embarrassment. Mica's voted against raising the minimum wage and granting (unpaid) family and medical leave. Mica never apologized for taking money from the likes of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff or head-butting an ABC News cameraman upon leaving Tom DeLay's lobbyist party.
Mica's spends special-interest campaign contributions on travel/hotels/casinos/restaurants/bars/private clubs. See www.cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com. Ungracious Mica's guilty of goading "liberals," President Clinton ("a little booger") and social welfare recipients ("don't feed the alligators"). But as Record Senior Writer Peter Guinta reported, Mica's given earmarks to campaign contributors (that's corporate welfare). Mica wrote that he flew to Tibet to sell airplanes to China for Boeing (whose PAC contributed thousands to Mica's campaigns).
Economist Armitage will represent all of us and we can be proud to say that we finally have a Congressman who works to help people like us. No ninth term for Mica.

http://staugustine.com/stories/102608/opinions_1026_058.shtml

Saddest Displays of Partisan Politics in Washington

2008-10-24T08:33:00.002-04:00

This has got to be one of the saddest displays of partisan politics in
Washington, a system that oftentimes places a much higher priority on assigning
blame to the folks on the other side of the aisle rather than attempting to
understand the problems they are charged with solving.
Let's be clear. There is plenty of blame to go around here - Alan Greenspan, Fannie and Freddie, Countrywide, hedge funds (also scheduled for after the election), rating
agencies, the SEC, individual homeowners, Wall Street firms ... the list is very
long.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/101680-pathetic-display-at-yesterday-s-financial-hearings

Mr. Mica is shown taping a sheet of paper in front of his microphone. What a circus!!!

Are Minorities to blame?

2008-10-08T22:55:00.002-04:00

This is what Daniel Gross in Newsweek reports:

Subprime Suspects
The right blames the credit crisis on poor minority homeowners.
This is not merely offensive, but entirely wrong.
The subtext: if only Congress
didn't force banks to lend money to poorminorities, the Dow would be well on its
way to 36,000.
At Monday's hearing, Republican Rep. John Mica of Florida
gamelytried to pin Lehman's demise on Fannie and Freddie. After comparing
Lehman's small political contributions to Fannie and Freddie's much larger ones,
Mica asked Fuld what role Fannie and Freddie's failure played in Lehman's
demise.Fuld's response: "de minimis."

Lending money to poor people doesn't make you poor. Lending money poorly to rich people does.

Shame on you Mica, trying to cover up your own lack of oversight in the Government Reform and Oversight committee!

Here is another blogger's astute comments:

Oft-Repeated GOP Lie Exposed by ex-Lehman CEO

So there you have it folks. The former CEO of Lehman Brothers telling you
under oath, that Fannie and Freddie had absolutely ZERO to do with the Wall
Street meltdown.
Indeed, as a column in today's Newsweek points out, the Community Reinvestment Act, which GOPers from John McCain to Ron Paul have fingered as root cause of the meltdown, only applies to depository banks. In case you haven't noticed, it is depository banks like Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase that are still standing, and purchasing up failed investment banks like Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch.

In other words, this whole nonsense is misdirection intended to distract attention from the root cause of the meltdown, the deregulation of the financial markets by the GOP buddies of the Wall Street fat cats.

Are Minorities to Blame?

2008-10-08T20:51:00.003-04:00

This is what Daniel Gross in Newsweek reports:

Subprime Suspects
The right blames the credit crisis on poor minority homeowners. This is not merely offensive, but entirely wrong.

The subtext: if only Congress didn't force banks to lend money to poor
minorities, the Dow would be well on its way to 36,000.

At Monday's hearing, Republican Rep. John Mica of Florida gamely
tried to pin Lehman's demise on Fannie and Freddie. After comparing Lehman's small political contributions to Fannie and Freddie's much larger ones, Mica asked Fuld what role Fannie and Freddie's failure played in Lehman's demise.
Fuld's response: "de minimis."

Lending money to poor people doesn't make you poor. Lending money poorly to rich people does.

Shame on you Mica, trying to cover up your own lack of oversight in the Government Reform and Oversight committee!

John Mica Turns $15,000 into $1 Million (or two)

2008-09-03T10:40:00.005-04:00

No it wasn't hard work, ...........it was taking advantage of a government give-away.

The giveaway
The man who said those words was former Federal Communications Commission chairman Mark S. Fowler, who was in charge of the giveaway. The date was March 30, 1985. Fowler was addressing a Senate subcommittee on communications, trying to get Congress to help him turn off the spigot of public money. It was a frustrating time for Fowler; nothing was done, and the result was a five-year opportunity for a few thousand sharpies in and out of government. Fowler’s welfare program was John Mica’s ticket to easy millions.

It was called the cellular telephone service lottery. On announced occasions, beginning in 1984, in a windowless room on the eighth floor of the FCC building, three big air-blown tanks full ofpingpong balls were activated as groups of 30 to 50 anxious players looked on. Like Meyer Lansky or a Wisconsin tribe, the federal government was in the gambling business. But players of FCC Cellular Bingo, unlike the naive pigeons of Vegas, placed their bets for free or nearly free.
And payoffs ranged from a few million dollars to hundreds of millions.

http://www.orlandoweekly.com/util/printready.asp?id=957

John Mica Turns $15,000 into $1 Million (or two)

2008-09-02T14:55:00.005-04:00

No it wasn't hard work, ...........it was taking advantage of a government give-away.

The giveaway
The man who said those words was former
Federal Communications Commission chairman Mark S. Fowler, who was in charge of
the giveaway. The date was March 30, 1985. Fowler was addressing a Senate
subcommittee on communications, trying to get Congress to help him turn off the
spigot of public money.
It was a frustrating time for Fowler; nothing was
done, and the result was a five-year opportunity for a few thousand sharpies in
and out of government. Fowler’s welfare program was John Mica’s ticket
to easy millions.

It was called the cellular telephone service
lottery.
On announced occasions, beginning in 1984, in a windowless
room on the eighth floor of the FCC building, three big air-blown tanks full of
pingpong balls were activated as groups of 30 to 50 anxious players looked on.
Like Meyer Lansky or a Wisconsin tribe, the federal government was in the
gambling business. But players of FCC Cellular Bingo, unlike the naive pigeons
of Vegas, placed their bets for free or nearly free. And payoffs ranged from a
few million dollars to hundreds of millions.

http://www.orlandoweekly.com/util/printready.asp?id=957

Faye Armitage Signs Wounded Warrior Workplace Initiative

2008-08-22T09:35:00.004-04:00

Bi-Partisan Group of Congressional Candidates Support Wounded Warrior Workplace Initiative

Staten Island, NY - former Assemblyman Bob Straniere, the conservative Republican candidate for Congress in New York’s 13th District, announced the initial list of congressional candidates joining The Wounded Warrior Workplace Initiative today. The program aims to have Congress hire more wounded military veterans and their families to their congressional staffs.
The Straniere Pledge is to hire at least one-third of his congressional staff from the ranks of American’s wounded military veterans or members of their immediate families. The Wounded Warriors Workplace Initiative is open to all wounded military veteran families regardless of where or when they served. Bob Straniere asked other congressional candidates to make the same pledge when he announced the initiative last week.
Bob Straniere said, “We have received an amazing amount of support from all over our nation for The Wounded Warrior Workplace Initiative. Democrats, Republicans and Independents have made The Straniere Pledge. This is a non-partisan effort and the nationwide movement continues to spread every day.”
Below are comments from some of the congressional candidates who have made The Straniere Pledge:
Democratic congressional candidate, Joel Gill from the 3rd District of Mississippi said when making the pledge, “These brave men and women gave their best and now it is our time to return what we can to them and their families.” For more information abut Joel Gill, please visit his website http://www.gillforcongress.org/.
Republican congressional candidate, Dan Mansell from the 2nd District of North Carolina said when making the pledge, “being a veteran myself, I feel we need to do everything we can to support our wounded soldiers.” For more information about Dan Mansell, please visit his website http://www.danmansell.com/.
Steve Beren, the Republican congressional candidate for the 7th District of Washington said when making the pledge, “Support for our nation’s veterans and active duty troops has been a paramount issue in my campaign, so I salute Bob Straniere’s initiative, and gladly commit to implementing the pledge with regard to my congressional staff if the voters send me to D.C.” For more information about Steve Beren, please visit his website http://www.berenforcongress.com/.
Republican congressional candidate, Delia Lopez from the 3rd District of Oregon said when making the pledge, “Being someone who has had family in the military, I support this initiative because the veterans are the ones who keep us being free.” For more information about Delia Lopez, please visit her website http://www.dlopezforcongress.com/.
Democratic congressional candidate, Paul Renneisen from the 22nd District of Florida said when making the pledge, “without question I support this great initiative and I have already hired a veteran on my staff.” For more information about Pual Renneisen, please visit his website http://www.renneisen2008.com/.
Bert Copple, Republican congressional candidate for Michigan’s 12th District said when making the pledge, “Employers often find it difficult understanding how military experience translates into real world experience. Things like leadership, loyalty, perseverance and duty are often overlooked. This pledge means more than just hiring wounded heroes - it’s an initiative to educate employers about the benefits of hiring veterans.” Copple continued, “I understand what our veterans go through, because I am a decorated Iraq War veteran living and working with a disability. That’s why I’m proud to make this pledge.” For more information about Bert Copple, please visit his website http://www.bertcopple.com/.
Texas Republican, John Faulk, who is a congressional candidate in the 18th District said when making the pledge, “As a veteran, I believe we should do everything possible to support all of our veterans.” For more information about John Faulk, please visit his website http://www.faulkforcongress.org/.
Lee Ferrell, who is a Republican congressional candidate in the 2nd District of Georgia said when making the pledge, “We can sleep safely at night thanks to what these brave men and women have done for our country.” For more information about Lee Ferrell, please visit his website http://www.leeferrell.com/.
Republican candidate for the 11th District of North Carolina, Carl Mumpower, said when making the pledge, “This initiative is a commendable effort to bring attention to veterans and their families.” For more information about Carl Mumpower, please visit his website http://www.mumpower08.com/.
Albert Spencer, the Republican candidate for the 5th District of South Carolina said when making the pledge, “I greatly support the initiative and I have already employed veterans for my staff.” For more information about Albert Spencer, please visit his website http://www.spencer4congress.com/.
Republican candidate for the 2nd District of Nevada, James Smack said when making the pledge, “I think this is an awesome idea and a great plan. I fully support the initiative.” For more information about James Smack please visit his website http://www.jamessmack.com/
Even two congressional candidates who recently lost the Republican primary in the 4th District of Tennessee made the pledge. Kent Greenough said, “Bob Straniere shows both leadership and compassion in his outspoken support of The Wounded Warrior Workplace Initiative. This demonstrates his willingness to take action and not just issue ‘feel good’ press releases. Bravo for Bob!” Greenough continued, “I can only hope the Members of our Congress will follow his lead.” Donald Strong stated, “As a Vietnam-era veteran, I take great pride in the actions taken by Bob Straniere. Bob’s Wounded Warrior Workplace Initiative is exactly what I would expect from a fellow veteran and patriot. Our Nation needs leaders like Bob Straniere, leader that are willing to stand up for those who would sacrifice life and limb so that others can continue to enjoy the freedom and privileges our great nation provides.” For more information about Kent Greenough and Donald Strong please visit their websites, http://www.kentgreenough.com/ and http://www.donaldstrong.com/.
United States Senate Candidate, Dr. Steve Sauerberg, has also joined The Wounded Warriors Workplace Initiative as the first U.S. Senate candidate to make The Straniere Pledge. Dr. Sauerberg is running for Senate in Illinois. For more information about Dr. Sauerberg, please visit his website http://www.sauerberg2008.com/.
In addition, the following congressional candidates have also made The Straniere Pledge:Charles Hargrave - California’s 9th District (Republican)David Crowlely - California’s 33rd District: http://www.crowley08.com/ (Republican)
Christopher Balding - California’s 34th District: http://www.baldingforcongress.com/ (Republican)
John Roberts - California’s 43rd District: http://www.johnbroberts.com/ (Republican)
David Lee Joy - California’s 51st District: http://www.davidleejoy.com/ (Republican)
Mark Mulligan - Florida’s 2nd District http://www.markmulliganforcongress.com/ (Republican)
Faye Armitage - Florida’s 7th District: www.FayeForCongress.com (Democrat)
Kevin Lehoullier - Florida’s 15th District (Republican)
Allen West - Florida’s 22nd District: http://www.allenwestforcongress.com/ (Republican)
Marion Thorpe - Florida’s 23rd District: http://www.marionthorpe.com/ (Republican)
Thomas E. “Pinkston” Harris - Maryland’s 3rd District: (Republican)David Dillon - Minnesota’s 3rd District: http://www.dillonforcongress.org/ (Independent)
Greg Gloeckner - Missouri’s 7th District: http://www.gloecknerforcongress.com/ (Democrat)
Roland Straten - New Jersey’s 8th District: http://www.rolandstraten.com/ (Republican)
Lee Zeldin - New York’s 1st District: http://www.zeldin08.com/ (Republican)Duane Grassell - Ohio’s 17th District: http://www.grassellforcongress.info/ (Republican)

Bob Straniere announced he will be meeting with leaders of Staten Island and Brooklyn’s Veterans Group to discuss implementing The Wounded Warriors Workplace Initiative on Wednesday, August 13, 2008. At 2 p.m. Bob will be meeting in Staten Island at 885 Annadale Road and at 4 p.m. he will be meeting in Brooklyn at The VFW Hall located at 9312 4th Avenue.
To learn more about Bob Straniere’s campaign please visit his website http://www.bobstraniere.com/.

FAYE ARMITAGE, The People's Voice in Congress!

2008-08-21T21:05:00.001-04:00

........For Economic Justice
........For Energy Independence
........For Healthcare Security

I attended a fundraising dinner at Amici's in St Augustine for her and was very impressed with her speech. Faye Armitage is the ONLY candidate in the race against John Mica who has already worked on the issues that matter most to the people in Congressional District 7. Check out her website at: www.FayeforCongress.com

FAYE ARMITAGE: The People's Voice in Congress

2008-08-21T20:47:00.004-04:00

STOP Medicare Cuts of 10% in Dr. Payments

2008-07-31T00:53:00.004-04:00

Veterans and Vet orgs lobbied long & hard to get this passed..the President vetoed it. But the House & Senate were able to override his veto, no thanks to John Mica.

the US Senate overrode the President's Veto of HR 6331 which would
replace the 10.6% cut in Medicare/Tricare cuts in physician reimbursements with a
modest increase of 1.1%.

Raise Hell with John Mica! Or better yet: VOTE HIM OUT OF OFFICE!!!

From: Veterans Helping Veterans Support Group Forum

John Mica = The Past

2008-07-28T21:34:00.001-04:00

John Mica does not look to the future. His voting record shows that he is clearly stuck in the past and intends on staying there.

Voted NO on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies.

Creating Long-term Energy Alternatives for the Nation (CLEAN) Act

Title I: Ending Subsidies for Big Oil Act--denying a deduction for income attributable to domestic production of oil, natural gas, or their related primary products.
Title II: Royalty Relief for American Consumers Act--to incorporate specified price thresholds for royalties on oil & gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico.
Title III: Strategic Energy Efficiency And Renewables Reserve--makes the Reserve available to accelerate the use of clean domestic renewable energy resources and alternative fuels.

Voted NO on investing in homegrown biofuel.

H.R.3221: New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act: Moving toward greater energy independence and security, developing innovative new technologies, reducing carbon emissions, creating green jobs, protecting consumers, increasing clean renewable energy production, modernizing our energy infrastructure, and providing tax incentives for the production of renewable energy and energy conservation.

Voted NO on regulating the subprime mortgage industry.

H.R.3915: To reform consumer mortgage practices and provide accountability for such practices, to establish licensing and registration requirements for residential mortgage originators. Prohibits certain creditor practices with respect to high-cost mortgages, including:

recommending default on an existing loan in connection with closing of a high-cost mortgage
steering incentives to mortgage originators
exercising sole discretion to accelerate indebtedness
single premium credit insurance and
negative amortization mortgages.

Voted NO on raising CAFE standards; incentives for alternative fuels.

Require a combined corporate average fuel efficiency [CAFE] standard for passenger automobiles and light trucks, including sport utility vehicles, of 26 mpg in 2005 and of 27.5 mpg in 2007. It also would offer incentives for alternative fuel vehicles.

Bill HR 4 ; vote number 2001-311 on Aug 1, 2001

Voted NO on starting implementation of Kyoto Protocol.

Vote on an amendment that would allow the implementation of the portions of the Kyoto climate change treaty that are already allowed under law. The Kyoto protocol of 1997, which aims to reduce emissions of certain greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, has not been ratified by the United States. The amendment would allow federal agencies, particularly the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] to implement procedures already allowed under law that are also part of the Kyoto accord before the treaty is ratified by Congress.

Reference: Amendment sponsored by Olver, D-MA; Bill HR 4690 ; vote number 2000-323 on Jun 26, 2000

Voted NO on adding 2 to 4 million children to SCHIP eligibility.

Allows State Children's Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP), that require state legislation to meet additional requirements imposed by this Act, additional time to make required plan changes. Pres. Bush vetoed this bill on Dec. 12, 2007, as well as a version (HR976) from Feb. 2007.

Voted NO on requiring negotiated Rx prices for Medicare part D.

Would require negotiating with pharmaceutical manufacturers the prices that may be charged to prescription drug plan sponsors for covered Medicare part D drugs.

These are just a few of John Mica's rubber stamp votes with the Bush administration.

Mica Votes NO to Relief for Homeowners

2008-07-28T20:22:00.000-04:00

Florida is one of the states worst hit by the foreclosure crisis, . . . so many of our state residents have been devastated by losing their homes.

Many Republicans, particularly those from areas hit hardest by housing woes, were eager to get behind a housing rescue as they looked ahead to tough re-election contests. But NOT John Mica who decided to vote NO to the Homeowner Rescue Bill!

As always we can count on John Mica to be the rubberstamp for Bush, since Bush had long threatened to veto the bill:

The bill would let hundreds of thousands of homeowners trapped in mortgages they can't afford on homes that have plummeted in value try to escape foreclosure by refinancing into more affordable, fixed-rate loans backed by the Federal Housing
Administration. Lenders would have to agree to take a substantial loss on the existing loans, and in return, they would walk away with at least some payoff and avoid the often-costly foreclosure process.

In a rare Saturday session, the Senate voted 72-13 to send the bill to the President; the House had passed it Wednesday on a vote of 272-152 to provide mortgage relief for some 400,000 struggling homeowners.

Though Bush dropped his opposition to the measure just hours before the House vote, Mica was unrelenting. Adding yet another reason why Mica scores an F with http://www.themiddleclass.org/