Boca Chapter and SF912 Present: October Candidate Forum!

Please join us for our OCTOBER CANDIDATE FORUM, on Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012.  It will be held at the Boca Greens Country Club (Map HERE), and the doors will be open at 5:30pm for a cash bar, and dinner will follow from 6pm to 7pm (as usual, the cost is $15, which includes tax and gratuity).  This as an ideal opportunity to learn about our local and state candidates in a safe and fair environment which our leadership ensures will be the model of civility.  Since the Tea Party represents a powerful and influential voting base, combined with the fact that we can present candidates in a NON PARTISAN manner, this event is sure to be an influential and substantive endeavor to learn about how the candidates stack up.

The format will be simple:  After  the National Anthem, sung by Carlos Manuel Santana, Alex Berry will make announcements, and then introduce our moderator, David DiCrescenzo.  He will ask the field  candidates (to date: Tom Gustafson, James Ryan O’Hara, David Lutrin, Cesar Henao, Melanie Peterson, and Joe Abruzzo— check back here for regular updates) a question, and each candidate will receive 3 minutes to answer.  In the event that an opponent is mentioned in a response, that opponent will receive :30 to rebut or address the answer which mentioned his/her name.   The questions will not be a surprise to anyone, as they will center around many of the top issues facing your district.  Further, the question will address one or more of the Tea Party’s 3 tenets: Fiscal Responsibility, Free Markets, or Limited Government, and how they will be manifested in your approach towards the office.  We will have a volunteer timer, who will hold up cards letting each candidate know when they have 1:00 and :30 seconds remaining.  A bell will ring to stop anyone who goes over time allotted.

This should be a VERY positive, enlightening and exciting evening for all of us!!!  All we ask is that you RSVP immediately by clicking the RSVP button below!

Phone Bank Prizes: From Gift Cards to a Free Trip to Tallahassee!

Hours and Locations

Boca Raton: 3200 N Federal Highway, Suite 215, Boca Raton, FL
Monday, Tuesday, Saturday: 10am – 7pm
Friday: 10am – 3pm
(Located across the street from a Denny’s)

Palm Beach Gardens: 3970 RCA Blvd Suite 7003, Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Wednesday & Thursday: 2pm – 8pm
(We are across the street from the Hampton Inn.  Our office is tucked behind in the corner behind the American Flag.)

We have two competitions for phone banking and canvassing.

1. Weekly Competition

• See me for a personal PIN to compete
• Scores reset to zero each Monday at 9am
• Top 3 phone bankers will receive: 1st place: $25; 2nd place: $10; 3rd place: $5 to the restaurant or gas station of their choice.
• Past winners include: Mel and Barbara Grossman, Ed and Anna Lee Wolff, & Tom Miller.  YOU could be next!

2. Win a FREE trip to Tallahassee

• Win a free trip to attend AFP’s Tallahassee Days: March 19 – 20, 2013
• Prize includes bus transportation to and from Tallahassee, lunch on the bus, hotel accommodations at a Marriott hotel, entry into the “Patriot Dinner” at University Club Center located in FSU’s Doak Campbell Stadium
• 2 ways to win: Phone Banking and Door Knocking

Contest #1: Freedom Phones – In order to be eligible to win in this category, you must make a minimum of five hours of phone calls for AFP. The prize will be awarded to the individual who makes the most total calls after calling for at least five hours. The Field Coordinator will award one phone banking champion per week. An individual is only eligible to win two times in the eight remaining weeks. This enables you to win a trip for yourself and a spouse or friend (double occupancy).

Contest #2: Door Knocking – In order to be eligible to win in this category, you must spend a minimum of two hours knocking on doors for AFP. For every two hours spent walking and knocking, your name will be entered into a fishbowl. The more hours spent, the higher the chances your name will be drawn. On November 6^th, your Field Coordinator will draw four names from the fishbowl to determine the contest winners (limit two per person).

*Please note, the limit is two wins per person per category. Therefore, an individual could potentially win a total of FOUR trips. Additional trips won can be transferred to your spouse and/or friend(s). Once an individual has won a trip, he/she may also purchase an additional trip for a spouse or friend at the discounted rate of $150.00.

Please contact Kathy Salerno with questions at 954-815-4307 or KSalerno@afphq.org.

Senator Rubio Marks Constitution Day

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Frustrate the Terrorists!

Since the U.S. Government is unable to protect our embassies from being overrun by terrorists, the least we can do is provide the embassies with non-combustible flags so all we will have to watch on TV is terrorists unsuccessfully trying to burn our flag.

The Commander-in-Chief is AWOL

There is no record of intelligence briefings for Obama the week before the embassy attacks

According to a GAO Report the President has only attended 43.8% of the briefings since taking office.

The Presidential Daily Brief (PDB) provided to the President by the CIA the first thing every morning provides insight into what is happening around the world, information on what to expect in the coming days, an analysis of the collected intelligence and the significance of the events.

A President who decides to skip the PDB is a President who has no need for it because it is a President who would not know what to do with the information once it was received and a President who consequently, by inaction, leaves the country vulnerable to our enemies and our citizens exposed to danger.

October 1 Forum for County Commission and School Board

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Candidate Biographies

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Florida native David Levy was born in 1960 and is the owner of environmental engineering firm Southeast Remediation Technnology, and an adjunct professor in environmental geology at Palm Beach State College. He received a B.S in Geology from Florida State University, and a M.S. in Geological Services from Virginia Polytech.

He is currently Mayor of Palm Beach Gardens, and has been a City Councilman since 2004. County-wide, he chairs the League of Cities Environmental Committee, the Regional Hazardous Material Oversight Committee and the Water Resources Task Force, as well as participating with Workforce Alliance, the Biotech Land Advisory Board, and the Loxahatchee River Management Coordinating Council.

David’s campaign issues are streamlining the county permitting process, creating an attractive environment for new businesses, supporting FAU Research Park and additional biotech startups, and protecting the environment, particularly water resources.

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Hal Valeche was born in 1948, grew up in New York and received a degree in American Studies from Yale. Joining the Navy flight program during the Vietnam era, he flew 85 combat missions as a fighter pilot off the carrier USS Oriskany. After the Navy, Hal received an MBA in Finance from Wharton and returned to NYC to work as an investment banker for Merrill Lynch. Hal has been a Palm Beach County resident since the early ’90s, and works in venture capital for Carl Domino, Inc.

In 2002 he was elected to the Board of the Northern PBC Improvement District and won a seat on the Palm Beach Gardens City Council in 2004, serving two terms. He also served on the board of the League of Cities, chaired the Consumer Affairs Hearing Board and was active in philanthropic endeavors. In 2008, He ran for Congress in District 16, losing to Tom Rooney in the Republican primary.

Hal is a fiscal conservative and founded the Taxpayer Action Network, a budget watchdog, and has been a participant in the Taxpayer Action Board.

In the 2012 Republican primary, Hal won 67% of the vote, defeating Dan Amero (27%) and Harry Gaboian (6%).

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Christine Jax was born in 1959 and lives in West Palm Beach’s Osprey Isles. She has a PhD in Education policy and Administration from the University of Minnesota, an MA in Public Administration from Hamline University, and a BA in child Psychology, also from U. Minnesota.

She was Minnesota Commissioner of Education under Governor Jesse Ventura and briefly ran for Governor of that state as an Independent Party candidate. She is currently listed on the staff roster of Walden University in Minneapolis, an online university, as Associate Dean, Doctoral Programs.

Ms. Jax has been endorsed by both the PBA and BizPAC. She was the only candidate of the original five to support high stakes testing and believes schools and teachers should be measured.

Her bio is quite extensive, with a significant array of awards won, papers written, and she is nationally known as an education expert.

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Bio provided by candidate:

Mike Murgio was born in 1950 and has been a Palm Beach county resident for 39 years. He has a Masters Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from Florida Atlantic University and a BA in Education from William Paterson University in New Jersey. He was a teacher, then a school principal for 20 years. Because of his extensive business expertise as a general and roofing contractor he was called on to solve overcrowding in our Schools in the mid 1990’s. As Principal on Special Assignment he managed the departments of Planning & Real Estate, Architect Services, and Facilities & Construction Management with budgets in excess of $170 million and 120 employees. Mike retired from the School District in 2007.

Mike has been endorsed by Palm Beach County’s most highly respected leaders who have worked closely with him for over three decades. To name a few: County Commissioner Karen Marcus; former principal of Suncoast High School, Kay Carnes; David Talley, former Chairman of the North Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce; former principal of Bak Middle School of the Arts and Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Amelia Ostrosky; and former school superintendents Tom Mills and Bill Malone. They know first hand the expertise, quality and commitment he will bring to the school board. When elected Mike will ensure students are the priority.

Two Candidates and an Empty Chair

On Monday at the meeting of the Palm Beach County Tea Party in Wellington, two of the three candidates for State Attorney answered questions posed by moderator David DiCrescenzo and described themselves as professional prosecutors – not politicians lacking relevant skills in the courtroom. The empty chair, intended to be occupied by former State Senator Dave Aronberg (the “politician” to which the others referred on occasion), did not have a lot to say. Even Clint Eastwood would have had a hard time with that one.

The candidates, Republican Dina Keever and Independent Robert Gershman sounded similar themes. Neither had a political axe to grind and would enter the office without strings. They considered protecting the community and obtaining fair and just outcomes as the primary role of the office. Both highlighted their extensive courtroom experience on high profile cases – Keever as a federal prosecutor in Florida and Pennsylvania, Gershman as both a prosecutor in the SA office as well as a defense attorney. They distanced themselves from Aronberg who has described himself as a “CEO” who “doesn’t have to know how to make coffee to run Starbucks”.

They were asked about 12 questions, on topics ranging from their approach to corruption fighting, relationship to the Sheriff’s office, attitudes towards the death penalty, low conviction rates in the county, and their attitude towards the Constitution.

On the issue of qualifications for the office (CEO vs experienced prosecutor), Dina Keever said flat out that “Dave Aronberg is not qualified” for the office. They both thought that political experience (although necessary to obtain the office) would not be the tool of choice while on the job.

Each was asked what was the most difficult or memorable case in their experience. Robert Gershman listed his role as the defense on the Dunbar Village rape case and the turnpike killings. In each case, although the defense lost, a fair and just verdict was reached and the trial was fair. Dina Keever listed her work on the prosecution of a bank robber in Philadelphia who had escaped justice twice before. She was able to get a conviction mainly based on a witness identification of the defendant’s voice.

This race has received a lot of media attention in the past few months given the allegations of behind the scenes activities by Mr. Aronberg and his party, raised by the Palm Beach Post and others. Given the importance of the State Attorney’s Office in fighting corruption in the county, any suggestion of impropriety that is not immediately answered should be disqualifying. Either of these two candidate would pass muster in that regard.

For the Post view of the event, see: Keever, Gershman debate issues, experience at forum on State Attorney’s Office race; Aronberg a no-show
Some pictures from the event:

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What’s on the Ballot on November 6?

There is a lot on the ballot coming up on November 6. Besides the Presidential race, there is a long list of federal, state and local races as well as 11 state constitutional amendments and 2 county ballot questions, and the ballot will consist of multiple double sided pages. Look over the list below, then go to our Voter’s Guide to learn about the candidates and questions, and view the district maps.

Keep in mind that presidential elections are high turnout affairs, so your vote is important. In 2008 for example, about 590,000 people voted for President in Palm Beach County, a turnout of 71%.

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Federal Races

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• President (Barack Obama* (D), Mitt Romney (R), Gary Johnson (LIB), ….)
• U.S. Senate (Bill Nelson* (D), Connie Mack (R))

Plus the following if you live in these districts:

• Congress District 18 (Allen West* (R), Patrick Murphy (D))
• Congress District 20 (Alcee hastings* (D), Randall Terry (NPA))
• Congress District 21 (Ted Deutch* (D), Cesar Henao (NPA), Mike Trout (NPA))
• Congress District 22 (Adam Hasner (R), Lois Frankel (D))

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State Races

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Justice Retention

• Supreme Court Justice Fred R. Lewis
• Supreme Court Justice Barbara J. Pariente
• Supreme Court Justice Peggy A. Quince
• 4th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Burton C. Conner
• 4th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Carole Y. Taylor

Plus the following if you live in these districts:

• Senate District 25 (Joe Abruzzo (D), Melanie Peterson (R))
• Senate District 27 (Jeff Clemens (D), Write-In Candidate)
• Senate District 32 (Joe Negron* (R), Ray D’Amiano (D))
• Senate District 34 (Ellyn Bogdanoff (R), Maria Sachs (D))
• House District 81 (James O’Hara (R), Kevin Rader (D))
• House District 82 (Mary Lynn Magar (R), Write-in Candidate)
• House District 85 (Pat Rooney* (R), David Lutrin (D))
• House District 86 (Mark Pafford* (D), Tami Donnally (R))
• House District 89 (Bill Hagar* (R), Tom Gustafson (D))
• House District 90 (Lori Berman* (D), Sean Kaspar)

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County Races

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• County Commission District 1 (David Levy (D), Hal Valeche (R))
• County Commission District 3 (Shelly Vana* (D), Cliff Montross (R))
• County Commission District 5 (Mary Loise Berger (D), Paul Tocker (R))
• School Board District 1 (NP) (Christine Jax, Michael Murgio)
• Tax Collector (Anne Gannon* (D), Write-in Candidate)
• Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District Seat 5 (NP) (Stephen Engel, Tom Thayer)
• Indian Trail Improvement District Seat 2 (NP) (Gary Dunkley, Carlos Enriquez)
• Indian Trail Improvement District Seat 4 (NP) (Michelle Damone, Kenneth Hendrick)
• Northern Improvement District Seat 4 (NP) (John Cohen, Peter Stein)
• Palm Beach Soil & Water Conservation Group 2 (NP) (Stephen Jara, Drew Martin)
• Port of Palm Beach Group 1 (NP) (Wayne Richards* (D), George Black (R), 2 Write-in Candidates)
• Port of Palm Beach Group 3 (NP) (Jean Enright (D), Write-in Candidate)

Ballot Questions

• #1 – Health Care Services
• #2 – Combat Disabled Veterans Discount
• #3 – State Revenue Limitation
• #4 – Property Tax Rules Changes
• #5 – State Courts
• #6 – Abortion Funding Prohibition
• #8 – Religious Freedom
• #9 – Surviving Spouse Exemption
• #10 – Tangible Property Tax Exemption Increase
• #11 – Low Income Seniors Exemption
• #12 – Board of Governors Changes
• PBC#1 – Slot Machines
• PBC#2 – Continuation of Business Exemptions

SouthFlorida912.org 9/11 Memorial… “Take Action” Meeting W/ Eyes on November

What is Our Cost of Freedom?

We often equate a person’s service in the military with the “cost of freedom”. I doubt anyone would disagree, however, each one of us regardless of our military service must recognize that there are fundamental “costs” or “burdens” that each of us must bear if we are to remain a free people. Those burdens or costs are;

1) Reliance on Self (and trust in God)
2) Charity, and
3) Eternal Vigilance

I’ll speak to each one individually…

Reliance on Self and Trust in God – One of the greatest ideals put forth by our Founding Fathers was the idea of “limited government”. Our Founder’s knowledge and understanding of history, civil government and religion was extensive and fundamental to the establishment of the most remarkable governing document in the history of mankind, second only to the Bible. They understood the great political thinkers of the day including John Locke, William Blackstone, Charles Montesquieu and others. They understood many of the classical thinkers and were very familiar with the ancient writings of Plato, Aristotle and Socrates but it was undeniable that the Bible had the greatest influence on our Founders for the Bible was by far the most often quoted source. It has often been argued that our government most resembles the government given Moses by God after the exodus from Egypt. Our Founders read the Bible extensively and understood that man’s ambition would lead him to want to rule over people rather than to govern by their consent. They knew that men in power would use their positions to further their power by creating a people more dependent on government. Eventually, government would progressively take away the people’s freedoms including those of speech, worship and property. Eventually we would lose the right to keep our earnings and to use our property as we choose. The Founders knew that the American culture had to promote not only self-reliance but reliance on God if we were to prevent the dangerous slide toward dependency on government and ultimate enslavement.

Charity – I believe that God sometimes allows us to endure hardship to build our character and faith. Few people escape some level of struggle in their life. Sadly, many struggle most of their lives sometimes through no fault of their own and many are challenged, one or more times in their life over monetary, health or relationship issues or a combination of the three. If we are to be a self reliant people, we must recognize that there are many people that need assistance. Assistance may come in many forms. It can be monetary or it may come from devoting one’s time or emotional support. We must recognize that if we are to remain a free people, we must be a charitable people. We must not give the government a reason to take our money under the pretense of taking care of those who can’t take care of themselves. That will create a dependent class of people that will vote for and look to those politicians who will promise to give the people the most. In other words, they will bribe the people with their own money. Scottish historian Sir Alexander Tytler noticed that all democracies go through a 10 step cycle that ends with dependency. Once the democracy reaches the stage of dependency it is only a matter of time before the democracy ends a violent and bloody death from bankruptcy followed by dictatorship (bondage). Our Founders were well aware of Tytler’s theory and tried to warn us of falling into a democracy. Our Founders believed that democracy was the worst form of government and for that reason gave us a constitutional (democratic) republic. This leads me to the final burden…

Eternal Vigilance – There are several ideas that are manifest in the writings of our Founders. One of those was that government was never to be trusted. George Washington said, “Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master”. It is evident that our Founders were fighting the same battles in their time as we are fighting today. This quote from Thomas Jefferson is also appropriate today and indicates the deceptive nature of government, “I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them”. If we are not to trust government, it implies that we must forever oversee their activity. Oversight also implies that the people must be educated in the functioning of government and the issues of the day. People must get their news from different sources and continually question the validity of what they read. Most newspapers and news channels have an agenda and they will lie if it serves their purpose (the end justifies the means). It is very clear from the writings of our Founders that if liberty was to be sustained from generation to generation the people had to have a “general” education (in civil government). Our Founders had an extensive education in the areas of religion, civil government, history, law and economics. John Adams said “Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people”. Washington said, “Educate and inform the whole mass of the people… They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty”. Eternal vigilance among the people must apply not only to the federal government but to the states and local governments as well. It must absolutely apply to our school system. I believe our public school system has been greatly influenced by progressive ideology that has pushed issues such as global warming, multiculturalism and sex education to further their socialist agenda and dumb down America. I believe it is no coincidence that the effectiveness of our schools has deteriorated while the progressive teachers unions have gained significant power. As members of the Tea Party, each chapter should be putting forth a candidate for the school board and voting them into office. We should be doing the same for the County commission. Many of you are familiar with Agenda 21 and its usurpation of our property rights. Agenda 21 is an agenda developed by United Nations NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) such as World Wildlife Fund and Nature Conservancy that have been instituted, under the radar, to restrict or eliminate an individual’s property rights. You can recognize Agenda 21 by such code words as “sustainability”. We must elect County Commissioners that can prevent and roll back the measures already put in place by Agenda 21. Many Counties have unknowingly embraced this United Nations “back-door” policy. We must be vigilant. We must get involved if we are to preserve freedom for children and grandchildren.

Since I began reading about our Founding Fathers it became very clear to me that our situation today is not much different than what the Founders experienced. France was going through a similar revolt about the same time we did but there was one great difference. France’s revolution was a progressive (godless) revolution and it was extremely violent and bloody. Ours was truly a glorious revolution. Self reliance in the minds of most religious people implies a reliance on God. It implies the people governing themselves. The Founder’s fundamental premise displayed by these words in the Declaration of Independence, “we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights”. Those eight words proclaim to all would be tyrants…“our rights come from God and no man may take them away”. As long as the majority of our citizens believe this to be true we have the ability to be a free society. Once the majority of the people no longer put their faith in God our days as a free nation are numbered. Is it any wonder why there is such a tremendous and relentless attack on religion and more specifically, Christianity? The Liberty Bell at Independence Hall in Philadelphia has inscribed the words from the book of Leviticus 25:10, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof”. Noah Webster, the “Father of American Scholarship and Education” said that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people. Bottom line, we must be self reliant and recognize that our rights come from God and only he can take them away. If you’re a believer, start every day on your knees and pray that God might forgive us, have mercy on us and heal this Nation. Pray that God will be restored as this nation’s true leader.

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