Amtrak Station for St Augustine Still a No Show

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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.