Guest Column: Suggests candidates for election

Guest Column: Suggests candidates for election



ED SLAVIN
St. Augustine
Publication Date: 10/26/08


Abraham Lincoln warned about politicians who "fool the people." Let's not be fooled again. Therefore, I respectfully recommend:

1. Defeating the defective St. Johns County charter again, as on Aug. 26. Supporters admit that their charter-drafting-bee was aimed at former Commissioner Bruce Maguire, whom they loathed. I'm no Maguire fan, but that's a bad reason to adopt a charter. Supporters pretend only developers oppose their poorly-drafted-charter. Vote no if you treasure limited government, accountability, human rights and environmental protection -- none well-addressed in the charter, which would be very difficult for the people to amend and was drafted by a few. Commissioners never explained refusals to adopt pages of proposed strengthening amendments. Starting Nov. 5, let's write a real charter addressing real concerns (like preventing corruption and waste with an inspector general, ombuds and elected county attorney).

2. Voting to change City Hall, Tallahassee, Congress and the White House. America will recover with wise leaders like Obama/Biden, with the courage to protect our health and our wealth, helping heal our nation's wounds.

3. Electing Jimmy Owens and Judith Seraphin City Commissioners. Let's heal our city's wounds, advance liberty and equality, safeguarding our environment, questioning those who wrought waste (secret environmental violations, tens of thousands in environmental fines) and millions in out-of-court settlements for police abuses. It's our money. Vote against those who reflexively, chauvinistically defend City Manager William B. Harriss.

4. Electing Doug Courtney State Representative (District 20). Incumbent William Proctor is out-of-touch, a walking conflict of interest, promoting Flagler College over needy public elementary and secondary schools. Elect Courtney to represent us in Tallahassee.

5. 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.

6. Electing Mosquito Control Commission candidates Ronnie Radford, Paul Linser and Gary Howell. We don't need to buy aircraft -- voters' will was finally heard -- and we don't need an unwise, rushed, unscientific return to aerial organophosphate spraying. AMCD's mission statement mandates scientific peer review and public hearings. Let's do it.

7. Voting against special interests' unfair state constitutional amendments, each of which would require 60 percent of the vote to be enacted into Florida's Constitution. Reject bigotry and greed.

Our founders' vision will prevail over "social dominators" led by the Karl Roves of the world -- the mean-spirited few who boss, bully, divide and gull people.

Leaders will want to discuss Congressional enactment of a St. Augustine National Historical Park, National Seashore and National Scenic Coastal Highway, welcoming the world to observe 11,000 years of indigenous Indian history, and 500 years of Hispanic, African-American, British, French, Minorcan, and other world cultures.

Vote.



Ed Slavin first wrote national park legislation for former U.S. Sen. Jim Sasser, D-Tennessee at age 20 (the proposed Great Smoky Mountains Wilderness Act) in 1977. On Nov. 13, 2006, Slavin proposed a St. Augustine National Historic Park, National Seashore and National Scenic Coastal Highway Act.


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