September 13th Wellington Meeting
Join us for the next meeting of the Palm Beach County Tea Party’s Wellington Chapter, with keynote speakers Mark Meckler and Dawn Wildman, National Coordinators, Tea Party Patriots. Mark and Dawn will share with us their insights on the national tea party movement and what we can do here in Palm Beach County to make a difference in 2012. Question and Answer session to follow their speeches.
DATE: Tuesday, September 13, 2011
TIME: Doors open at 5:30 PM, Buffet at 6:00 PM ($15, Cash Bar); Meeting at 7:00 PM
PLACE: Binks Forest Golf Club, 400 Binks Forest Drive, Wellington, FL 33414
It is important to give Binks an accurate number of attendees. Please click here to RSVP with name and number of buffet and/or meeting attendees: RSVP
Directions to Binks Forest Golf Club
September 12th Boca Raton Chapter Monthly Meeting
MEETING NOTICE – Boca Raton Chapter
Join us for the Monday, September 12th meeting of the Palm Beach County Tea Party’s Boca Raton Chapter, with keynote speakers, Mark Meckler and Dawn Wildman, National Coordinators for the Tea Party Patriots. Mark and Dawn will share their insights into the national tea party movement and how the Palm Beach County Tea Party members can make a difference in 2012. Q&A will follow their talk.
DATE: Monday, September 12th, 2011
TIME: Doors open at 5:30 PM, Buffet at 6:00 PM ($15, Cash Bar); Meeting at 7:00 PM
PLACE: Boca Greens Country Club, 19642 Trophy Drive, Boca Raton, FL 33498-4633
RSVP: Boca Greens Country Club is a gated community. Click here to RSVP with name of each attendee: RSVP. Please specify buffet and/or meeting.
For More Information
Email
Call: 561.302-1479
Palm Beach County Tea Party
Jupiter/PBG Chapter Kicks Off with Overflow Crowd
Following successful launches of the Boca and Wellington chapters last week, the Palm Beach County Tea Party launched in Palm Beach Gardens with a 400+ overflow crowd to hear keynote speaker Congressman Allen West, CD22.
After the debt ceiling debate and the Congressman’s vote for the Boehner “deal”, many tea party members were questioning the strategy and wondered if he had taken a walk on the dark side. They were willing to listen to an explanation though and it appeared that most left satisfied. In her introduction, PBCTP founder Pam Wohlschlegel asked the crowd for a show of hands of who would NOT have voted for this deal and most of the room responded.
Not a stranger to conflict or live fire, Allen West stepped into the breach and led off with the importance of reading both Sun Tzu (“The Art of War”) and Alinsky (“Rules for Radicals”). He explained that we are engaged in the “long war” and cannot expect total victory in 7 months. Laying it out in the context of Gettysburg and the delaying action in Buford’s defense of Cemetary Ridge, he explained that we must wait for the arrival of the Army of the Potomac in November 2012. Taking the Senate and the White House is the means by which we must reverse the damage that has already been done by 2 1/2 years of the Obama Administration.
Prior to the meeting, Congressman West had replied to our questions about the debt ceiling in great detail. (See Our Congressmen Respond) and this lengthy treatise should be required reading prior to criticism of his position. We asked one of his staffers how the response was prepared and were told simply “Oh, Allen wrote it himself.” Truly a representative that does his homework and eats his peas.
George Bennett of the Palm Beach Post covered the meeting – read his account in Palm Beach Gardens tea party crowd shows West love even if they did hate his debt ceiling vote
Some Pictures from Fred and Ed:
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Colonel Mike McCalister Highlights Wellington Chapter Meeting
Expecting 50 people, over 80 attended the meeting at Bink’s Forest Country Club. We opened with a song….the Star Spangled Banner by Maria Bennett. Gina Rascati, Central County Co-Ordinator stressed the need to organize in order to effect success in 2012 by delivering 27 electoral votes from Florida.
Col. McCalister gave a passionate presentation invoking several ovations from the crowd. Gina Rascati wrapped up the meeting by emphasizing the three tenets of the PBCTP: fiscal responsibility, constitutionally limited government and free markets. Adding that no matter what one calls themself, whether Democrat, Republican, Independent or Other if they ascribe to these principles then they are Tea Partiers.
Pictures by Boris Balaban and Delia Menocal.
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PBCTP Kicks Off With Boca Raton Chapter Meeting
The first ever monthly chapter meeting for the newly formed Palm Beach County Tea Party went off without a hitch this past Monday night, August 8th, at the Boca Greens Country Club in Boca Raton, FL. The doors opened at 5:30, and many familiar faces streamed in and joined the fellowship, and there were many new faces, as well. We can never have too many patriots amongst our ranks!
Dinner was served, and more than 100 people enjoyed a sumptuous buffet, along with the usual vibrant conversation—for which there was very little need to search for topics! On the heels of the “Debt Deal” (which was a bit like bringing a Band-Aid to a 27-car pileup on the highway) and occurring on Monday, the third largest single day drop ever recorded on Wall Street, the Tea Party is as relevant as ever. And, all the tenets that the Tea Party has embraced are now being totally validated by what free markets are left in this country.
Anyway, Alex Berry opened the proceedings with the Pledge of Allegiance, and a few announcements were made. Pam Wohlschlegel was then introduced, and Pam introduced the crowd to what the Palm Beach County Tea Party is all about, and also forecasted a bit more of what was slated in the future. She also had first-hand conversations with many of the congressmen who benefited from the Tea Party vote, and she was able to get a better picture of why some in the Tea Party voted for the Debt bill.
Pam then passed the microphone to Fred Scheibl, who introduced the PBCTP’s version of “Get Out The Vote”, an initiative that Fred will be heading up that will be calling constituents in some County Commission districts to head off a tax increase for the third year in a row. This will be one of the examples in the near future of how like-minded Patriots, through the PBCTP, can band together, and TAKE ACTION to affect the vote for November 2012!!!
Alex Berry then introduced our featured speaker, Colonel Mike McCalister, a true and authentic conservative, who went on to “wow” the crowd with his sincerity and real backbone. A military veteran with 33 years of service, McCalister should be able to hold his own with virtually everyone he may face down the road in his race for the Senate seat—certainly on any issues related to foreign policy! Throughout his speech, McCalister invoked the best of the leadership we all remember from Ronald Reagan, whom he even quoted at least once during the speech. McCalister pulled no punches about where he stands on any given issue, and he stated those positions boldly and unapologetically—like a real person, NOT a “politician”. His echoed frustration became more evident and impassioned as his speech rose to a crescendo near the end, where he pointed out exactly what he would and would NOT do in any given circumstance, and why. His love for this country oozed out of every word, and his willingness to defend the heart of what the Tea Party stands for was downright inspirational.
A short “Q&A” followed, where McCalister held his own on a few tough questions. The winner of the raffle received a crisp $100 bill—which she promptly returned to the PBCTP as a gift! This appears to be a recurring theme—Great Patriots giving back to a great cause when presented with prosperity!!!
We look forward to our next monthly meeting, and hope all of you come out and support this most important cause, while enjoying excellent food and company with like-minded citizens! Keep checking back on this site for more details on our September meeting.
Some pictures from Boris Balaban:
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Aug 15th Jupiter /PBG Monthly Meeting (note date/venue change)
UPDATED: America Supports Israel March on August 24th in PB Gardens
Details have been finalized – Note change in venue!
Many members have been looking for ways to show their support for Israel in a non-partisan way on August 24th. Here’s a local opportunity to do your part. Please note: No signs. This is not a political event or a demonstration. Just bring a small American or Israeli flag to wave.
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Palm Beach Gardens City Council Mtg 7/19 – a Call to Action
Palm Beach Gardens residents should be aware of several items on the Agenda (and one that no longer is):
Ordinance 11, 2011 – not on Agenda:
Second reading of Ordinance 11, 2011 was removed from the agenda. This was the ordinance that made the change, among other things, to the election run-off process – essentially eliminating run-off except in the case of a tie. Purportedly this would save between $10000 and $40000 or so per run-off. Changes to the charter require a referendum – and so too would this change. According to Max Lohman, City Attorney – this change will be considered for the upcoming charter review, changes to which will require citizen votes. Had it been on the agenda – it would have passed and parts of it would have not have been valid without referendum. What would that have cost the city?
Ordinance 13, 2011, Increasing the Local Communications Service Tax Rate – First Reading:
This 2012 budget related item would increase the Local Communications Service Tax from its current rate of 1.5% to the maximum allowed by state statutes to 5.22% effective January 1, 2012, “on all sales of communications services within the City. These services include telephone (including cellular), cable TV, and internet fees, both residential and commercial.” This is technically a 248% increase! But it will probably be described as ‘pennies a day’!
The effects of the proposed change on two sample residents with annual communication charges of $2,400 and $3,600 are illustrated in the table below:
| Average Annual Bill | Increase in Rate | Annual Increase | Monthly Increase |
| $2400 | 3.72% | $90 | $7.50 |
| $3600 | 3.72% | $135 | $11.25 |
The adoption of the 5.22% Local Communications Services Tax is an integral component of the fiscal year 2012 budget plan, and, if approved, will allow the City to maintain the same operating ad valorem tax rate of 5.7404 mills.
This TAX is expected to bring in $1.8 million in the next budget cycle and $2.4 million thereafter. Note that if your phone, cellular, internet and cable charges go up – so too will the city’s revenue be enhanced.
While I have not reviewed the proposed 2012 budget in detail, “The total budget for all funds of $108,580,228 is $3,140,160, or 3% more than the current year’s total of $105,440,068.”
Ordinance 14, 2011 -Amending Chapter 1, General Provisions, Section 1-2, Definitions of the City Code of Ordinances to Add Five (5) Definitions to be Compatible with the New Inspector General (IG) Ordinance. – First Reading
“The drafting committee failed to include certain crucial definitions within the IG ordinance. The City Attorney has advised that without defining the following terms it will be impossible to properly evaluate any potential findings of an Inspector General investigation. Accordingly, the City Attorney has drafted Ordinance 14,201 1 in order to adopt definitions for “abuse”, “fraud”, “misconduct”, “mismanagement”, and “waste” into the City’s Code of Ordinances. Clear and unambiguous definitions are an absolute necessity in order to preserve an objective standard for evaluating any potential wrongdoing. These definitions are being recommended to each of the other 38 municipalities in the county.”
Having attended each of the drafting committee meetings – these so called ‘crucial’ definitions were intentionally left out and the subject of several months of intense debate. I consulted with the Inspector General, Sheryl Steckler about the attempt by municipalities to insert these definitions into their city codes. She replied that it has no impact or relevance on her activities as Inspector General.
Why are we adding irrelevant definitions to our ordinance and what is it costing the taxpayer in staff time and effort if it is for nothing?
Resolution 33, 2011 Adopting a Proposed Maximum Millage Rate for Fiscal Year 2011/2012 and Setting the Date, Time, and Place for the First Budget Hearing.
I read this resolution first and was going to praise the City Council on holding the millage rate flat at 5.7404, 2.719% below the roll-back rate of 5.9008 mills. NOT. They should be holding the millage flat, cut spending and NOT implement the increase in the Communications TAX.
I have not studied the 2012 budget in detail yet – however:
“Please note the following significant items related to the use of reserves:
• The planned use of $1.1 million is less than total General Fund capital expenditures of $1.2 million, and adheres to the City’s policy of using reserves for one-time expenditures.
• The planned use of $1.1 million is predicated on the increase in the Local Communications Services Tax from 1.5% to 5.22%. This will generate approximately $1.9 million next fiscal year. Without this alternative revenue, or an equivalent tax increase, the reduction in reserves would be approximately $3 million.”
We are in bad economic times – this is the time for using reserves and NOT increasing a tax (the Communications tax) that will never go down. Hold the millage flat, do NOT approve Ordinance 13,2011 and cut spending further to minimize the hits to reserves!
Additional materials can be found:
Complete 7/19 Agenda with backup documents
Cover Letter to 2012 Proposed Budget
Upcoming August Chapter Meetings
Monday, August 8th, Col. (Ret) Mike McCallister will talk with our Boca Raton Chapter. While he is in the area, Col.(Ret) McCallister will also be the keynote speaker at the first Wellington Chapter meeting on Tuesday, August 9th. Meanwhile, Congressman Allen West will launch the first meeting of the Palm Beach County Tea Party, Jupiter/PBG Chapter on Monday, August 15th. Joyce Kaufman will also be our Guest Speaker. (note that the Jupiter/PBG meeting was rescheduled from August 1st)
All of our chapter meetings will follow the same format: Doors open at 5:30 pm, Buffet served at 6:00 pm, and the speaker meeting starts promptly at 7:00 pm. Please click on these links for the specifics for each upcoming meeting.
Aug 8th Boca Raton Monthly Meeting
Aug 9th Wellington Monthly Meeting
Aug 15th Jupiter/PBG Monthly Meeting
Lastly, mark you calendar for the Palm Beach County Tea Party BBQ on Labor Day, September 5th. Our keynote speaker will be Congressman Tom Rooney. Click here for details: BBQ
Congressman Tom Rooney Speaking at PBCTP Labor Day BBQ
MEETING NOTICE – PBCTP Labor Day Family BBQ – Save the Date!
Join us for the Monday, September 5th BBQ in lieu of the regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the Palm Beach County Tea Party’s Jupiter / Palm Beach Gardens Chapter. Our special guests will be U S Congressman Tom Rooney , CD # 16, and State Representative Pat Rooney, CD # 83. Beautiful tent-covered dining area with grassy areas for bocce ball and other fun games. Food will be excellent! Children 10 and under are half price-children 3 and under are free.
DATE: Monday, September 5, 2011
TIME: BBQ 5:30 PM, ($15 includes tax & tips, Cash Bar); Speaker at 7:00 PM
PLACE: DoubleTree Hotel, Palm Beach Gardens
Keynote Speaker: Florida State Representative CD # 83, Pat Rooney will speak at 7:00 PM Q & A to follow.US Congressman Tom Rooney, Florida District 16, will attend the entire evening’s event and speak at 7:30, Q & A to follow.
Click here to RSVP with name and number of buffet attendees: RSVP
For More Information
Email
Call: 561.463.2174
Palm Beach County Tea Party
