Partisan Outburst Against Florida High Speed Rail

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

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

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 ;)

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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."

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!