Leon Konieczny’s Blog

It’s happening now. Politicians and organizations are trying to scare you and me. All over this silly Ammendment 1. Ammendment 1 is on the Florida ballot for next Tuesday. Last I heard is some lawyers saying that if you vote for it, they won’t be able to prosecute criminals.

Balderdash!

First, I will probably vote against it because I believe the state has not business telling counties how they should tax. If we want lower property taxes, we should take it up with our county govenmnent. But, if the ammendment does pass and counties are forced to cut back, the county will have to decide what services to cut back. Among the choices they have:

• Quit using uniformed officers as chaffeurs for county board members.
• Fewer junkets and taxpayer funded “working” vacations.
• Only two supervisors to watch while someone does actual work instead of three.
• Pine desk and orange crate bookshelves for county offices instead of the finest mohogany my money can buy.
• Less “studies” and more actual work being done.
• Fire the unfriendly, unhelpful Driver License bureau clerks—Oops! That might be all of them!
• Quit repaving newly paved roads “just because.”
• Charge people for trash by the pound (watch conservation pick up!).
• Seven or eight paid holidays intead of well over a dozen–so much more productivity.
• Fire slackers instead of promoting them (give a good example to business).

It’s easy to save taxes if we really try. And we don’t need no stinkin’ ammendment to the constitution to do it. Sorry, Charlie, you’re wrong on this one…..

The war in Iraq hit close to home for me today. I received word that my third cousin, Second Lieutenant Tracy Alger, was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq last week. Sad news. Sad for her family and friends. Sad for all of us, even though I did not know here and, as far as I know, never met her.

Sad as I am, I am also proud. Proud that her and other ancestors and relatives of mine have worked so hard to preserve the freedom and liberty that we enjoy. It’s the reason that her great-grandfather and mine–brothers–came to this country in the very early 1900s and worked hard. Without their hard work, we wouldn’t be here. And without the hard work and sacrifice–and sometimes the supreme sacrifice–of others, we’d not have and perserve all that we have now. I am proud. Sad, yes, but also proud.

George Bush was right to veto the latest pork-ridden spending spree bill from Congress. Something like $32 Billion of pork barrel projects were added to the bill–that’s a lot of pork. But this is an election year and Congress is liable to override it. What a bunch of losers. Don’t you realize that its your money and my money that they’re throwing around, just to look good.

George Bush has allowed Congress to spend money like a group of drunken sailors for years. He has done nothing until now to reign in all this careless spending. As a matter of fact, the Republicans have outdone the Democrats when it comes to increasing spending. Now he wants to call a halt? Too little, too late, George.

I was struck by the epitomy of this in a biased article in the local Orlando Sentinel (call it the Slantinel….). It said that among the items vetoed was some millions of dollars from the federal governemnt for restoration of the everglades. It said, Florida thus would not get it’s fair share! Fair Share? It’s a Florida problem, why should those of you living in Oregon, Massachetts, or Arkansas have to spend money for our problem. Let the state do it. It’s just an indcation of the misplaced priorities of most people. We expect the federal goverment to do it all for us, because we’re use to it. Time to reign back the spending and push such local priorities back to the local level.

George: let me keep more of my money and direct where it goes on a local and state level. Keep the federal goverment out of our business and let us have our money back! You and Congress are just a bunch of money-grabbing, big spending thieves. Shame on you!

Political Schizoprenia has taken root…in me!  There is a great political candidate quiz hosted by Minnesota Public Radio. You can access it here: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/ongoing/select_a_candidate/ (click for President). It’s really a pretty good little quiz that can help you sort out what candidate you most align yourself with based on a number of top issues.

I took the quiz yesterday, and to my amazement, it paired me with both Rudy Guliani and Joe Biden, tied! I was astounded. Now I’m really suffering some political schizophrenia. You see, I am a Libertarian. I believe in less goverment, smaller government, more local control. I believe we need to reduce government interference in our daily lives drastically. Often, my beliefs are more aligned with Republicans because (at least in their lip service) they seem to be for smaller government and less spending. But on social issues, I align more with Democrats when it does not involve spending my money (so favor abortion as a personal decision, against a so-called marriage ammendment, for the death penalty, but against socialized medicine). Pretty schizophrenic.

Unfortunately, the Libertarian party has never had much of a good candidate. So I feel a bit schizophrenic. Of course, this is so pre-primary it’s not even funny. More like a lot of posturing by all the candidates. The cynic in me knows that we the people will have little say in all of this, it’ll be the big money talking, from idiots like Michael Moore and moveon.org to fruitcake groups like the ultra-conservative religious right and the heirs of Jerry Fallwell’s rantings. Oh well, the schizophrenia lives on.

Is there a chance that we’ll have a real choice for substantial change in Washington with the next bit election? Doubtful, very doubtful…..

Oh yeah, they’re at it again. The real question is, “why am I amazed by this?”  What am I talking about? I’m talking about the California wildfires that have destroyed over 1500 homes…. Apparently some of the worst were acts of arson. But is that good enough for some low-life politicians like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi? No. What do they do? Well, othey blame President Bush. Yeah, they say two stupid things actually. On the one hand they blame the fires on the theory of so-called global warming. Yeah. Right. Brilliant.  And then they say that the fires could have been better contained if the national guard was not off fighting in Iraq. I guess they didn’t see the news about the hundred mile an hour wind gusts, and how the firefighters just had to wait until the wind died down. (By the way, not that the winds died down, the fires are mostly contained within 24 hours–without the national guard).

It just goes to show you how some despicable politicians try to policize everything, including human tragedy like this. They try to turn it into something political for their own gain.

 I have news for you, Nancy, Harry, and all your buddies…. you promised us a do-something Congress but you have failed to deliver on your promise. Look over your shoulders, because your grasp on power is very tenuous and you have not delivered on your promise. But, I forget, you’re politicians. That equals lying, cheating, and crawling on your bellies like snakes in the grass. Shame, shame, shame! 

Apparently, crime must be way down in Orlando. Now, the statistics don’t show that, but the way in which the Police expend their energy is some indication. You see, there must be less robbers, rapists, burglars, pedophiles, and jay-walkers around, because now the MBI–Orlando Police Department’s investigative unit–is going after a local weekly newspaper for publishing ads for “call girls.”

I don’t know about you, but I was not born under a rock. I know what those ads are all about. Who doesn’t? And so what if the Orlando Weekly helped call girls and the like write ads that got around the law? What two consenting adults do behind closed doors should be between them and not a matter for the goverment (though I am in favor of taxing it!).

You see, the Orlando Weekly has been openly critical of the MBI in the past. Seems like payback to me. Once again, I can consider myself lucky that I do not live in Orlando or Orange County, as then I’d really feel screwed. Taxpayer money going to waste on such shenanigans. What next? Wonder why they don’t target “you don’t have to be right to afford an” attorneys and the like. Surely those ambulance-chasers are just trying to put the screws to companies. Put i guess screwing a company is legal prostitution, two adults behind closed doors–well, that’s another matter? Something is upside down here. And shame on the Orlando Police department for wasting their time and money. Shame!

Oh my god! Now I’ve heard it all. Remember Larry Craig, the Idaho Senator who was arrested for soliciting an undercover cop in a men’s bathroom in Minneapolis? He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. Then when it leaked out, he denied everything, said he’s not gay, said he was trapped, said he was picking something up from the floor, said he uses a wide stance when he goes to the bathroom? Remember him? He said just about anything to deny his guilt. Then he said he’d resign from the Senate. Now he say’s he won’t. Here’s a guy who can’t make up his mind. About all we know for sure is that he likes d*ck!  At least, that’s what he was looking for, I’ve no doubt.

Now, he’s going to be put into the Idaho hall of fame! Is that ludicrous or what? It is totally unbelievable. The poor people of Idaho. What did you do to deserve such an arrogant son of a b*tch? I’m sure next election you’ll turn him out, but maybe next time you’ll be a bit more judicious in your selection of a senator. Oh, how the high and mighty of the religious right fall. It would be funny, if it wasn’t so sad.

The guy’s a creep. Anyone who looks for sex in public bathrooms needs to be put away for a long, long time. Too bad the Minneapolis prosecutor didn’t go for it. Seems like he got a break. Oh well, he’ll be on the unemployment line when his term’s up. I hope they kick the b*stard out sooner!

Once again the Florida Legislature has failed to server the needs of we, the people. I’m talking about their re-institution of legistlation requiring PIP, personal injury protection for auto insurance.

The buckled under to the special interests of trial lawyers, especially, and failed to hear the message from the people–we want our auto insurance rates to fall. Other states have removed PIP without adverse affect (except for a few less rich trial attorneys). But not here in Florida. Shame on you, legislators. Shame on you, governor Crist.  Shame on all.

Well, they say “what goes around, comes around.”  My last blog was about pork and earmarks by Republican Congressman from Alaska. Seems like the feds are investigaging him now and have searched his home and a few other places. About damned time. Politicians are generally corrupt, it seems to me, but he appeared to be one of the worst. The “high and mighty”, “god is on my side” Republican party better get a grip. They’re surely gonna lose the presidency along with the confidence of many people if they keep allowing scoundrels like this into their midst. They deserve to fail.

The latest news from Congress:

This week some south Florida legislators were left scratching their heads and asking “why?” The reason? A recent bill in the congress set aside $40 million (or our hard earned money) to build a highway in south Florida. The earmark was quite specific as to where the highway had to be built–and it’s into a bunch of wilderness and swampland. If the local leaders want the money, they have to build this specific road in this exact area. But it really goes nowhere.

Why, you might ask?

The earmark was done by a Republican Congressman from Alaska! Huh? Alaska? Now it makes even less sense, doesn’t it?  Well, here’s the story.

The road to be built it to an area of land that is owned by a big developer. Right now the land is not worth much because there’s no road. However, the developer wisely contributed tens of thousand of dollars to this same Alaska Congressman. Now, like magic, the Alaskan Congressman throws millions or your dollars to South Florida in an attempt to force the road to be built–and it will benefit only his benefactor.

Talk about corruption! No wonder Congress’ approval rating is even lower than that of Bush!