FRESH IDEAS

SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE

2008-11-05T03:19:00.000-08:00

hello friends

It's finally over, and it only took 2 years. Two years of back stabbing, infighting, name calling, and promises most of which most will not be kept. (fill in your side here- D or R) Millions upon millions of dollars spent on advertising, meals and travel. Countless hours of TV and radio talk and advertising. Not to mention all those damn ROBO calls. Millions upon millions of cardboard signs that now line the local landfill. For what ??? A new administration ? A change ? Hope ? I doubt it. It's all about money and ego. We have been doing this for almost 230 years, and nothing really changes. The Right says the Left is wrong, and vise-versa. We can not seem to find a middle ground in order to get things done. Ben Franklin once said “The minute people realize they can vote themselves money, the Republic is doomed” I once asked a congressional candidate, “What's so wrong about something in the middle ?”

Well, we now have the far LEFT in charge. The far RIGHT gave it away. And, for a moment lets think about who will suffer.... Those of us in the middle.

Part of the defeat is in retaliation for what the Republicans did to Bill Clinton. I would have lied too....It is in retaliation for the 2000 election. I don't think anyone “stole” the election, but Al Gore did win that one. (We will save the Electoral College conversation for another time) And frankly, we would have been much better off with Al Gore in the White House. And it is a response to the complete failure of the Bush Administration. As a Republican, I am ashamed. We could have done so much in those 8 years.

The election of Barack Obama will mean many things to many people. To me, I wonder how far to the left the judicial system will go. President Obama may get to choose 2 or 3 Supreme Count Justices. These choices will shape the court for years after he leaves office . Not to mention the long list of federal Judge's Obama will appoint. And what about single party rule? Will Congress now pass far left leaning policies ?

So, how did we get here? Yes the Grand Ole Republican party, as usual, handed it to the Left.

We had to invade a foreign country. I said it was wrong then, and I say it now. The party in charge did a very poor job of communicating to the American people, why we were there and what the price would be. Now, we will also make a mistake. We will tell them when we are leaving. But make no mistake, BOTH parties have been wrong on this mess.

We can argue till hell freezes over about the last campaign. Did McCain make a mistake picking Palin ? Should he have gone with Lieberman ? Did the large difference in campaign spending spell doom for the Republicans ? Was the campaign too negative ? (on both sides) And who is to blame for the economy ? How did our spending get so out of hand?

Yes, we are in a real mess here........ and it is every one's fault. But what can we expect from the left??

My thoughts on the first year... not necessarily in order

1) Soon we will give amnesty to ALL illegal aliens, along with free medial care, free education, and a job (oh, we already do that)

2) The border fence under construction and security systems planned for the Mexican border will not be completed..Thus causing a massive migration north.

3) We will see a MAJOR change in Cuban Politics, again causing a massive migration NORTH. If you don't know Spanish , you better sign-up for a course. Those of us in Central Florida may have to reconsider our location.

4) We will not hear any more talk about overturning Rowe Vs Wade. (One thing that I totally agree with)

5) The left will go after Conservative TALK Radio with a vengeance, and talk about a return to the “Fairness Doctrine” That would be fine with me, but what about the mainstream medias treatment of Sarah Palin ? Was that fair ?? Why did the mainstream media spend TWICE as much money covering Obama than McCain ?? Why did they give Joe Biden a “free pass”? This will be in retaliation for the failure of the “Liberal Radio Network.” I am glad I wont see the media do to Sarah Palin, what they did to Dan Quayle.

6) Taxes will go up on all those evil money making people. And they will be forced to lay off workers. Many people who don't pay a dime in taxes will get a check from the government. We call that welfare. Go back to Ben Franklin's comment about voting yourselves money. Remember the great “Luxury Tax” during Clinton's first term ? “Were gonna tax those evil people that buy yachts.” Well, the rich guy I worked for didn't buy a new yachts that year, neither did many other evil rich people. The yacht makers had to LAY OFF many of their workers. It didn't hurt the rich people I worked for, just the workers who voted for the very people that caused their lay off. WE CALL THAT “TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS” and no, I was not a big Reagan fan.

7) Congress will pass a record amount of legislation, most of which will give away money to those who didn't work for it. This will last 4 years.

8) We will make no progress into energy independence. They simply will not take the chance or spend the money. There are some good people in Congress who believe in alternative energy. Their voices will not be heard.

9) Iraq will become another Vietnam. Like many of my friends lost in that war, those lost in this one will also be in vain. We will tell the enemy when we are leaving. The Iraqi government is more corrupt than ours, and will fail.

10) The terrorists will strike again. We will talk a lot, but do nothing. (we have cut 25% of our Military Budget)

11) The economy will continue to slide. The 700 billion dollar bailout will fail, as companies continue to pay outrageous salaries to their upper tier. They will continue their massive spending, while their stock prices dwindle.

12) GUN CONTROL. It will get harder and harder for law abiding citizens to own a firearm. Meanwhile, the bad guys will continue to have as many as they can steal.

13) Universal Health care will happen. This may not be a bad idea. Something needs to be done. It will be expensive, but perhaps we will all benefit.

14) We will end up with some sort of “citizen security force” Now friends, this one scares the hell out of me.

15) Bill and Hillary will NOT be a part of the new administration. Too much bad blood between Obama and Hillary. John Kerry will be a major player. The new President will try to pay back Colin Powell for his endorsement, but to no avail. Caroline Kennedy will get a post as Ambassador to England. (like her Grandfather Joe)

I hope I am wrong. I pray that I am wrong. I hope we re-visit these items in 12 months and so “wow, was I off base”

I was wrong about Clinton, I hope I am wrong again. I just hope is is not too late to fix.

Maybe, just maybe, the Conservative democrats can reach across the isle and join some liberal Republicans (like myself) and defeat some of the FAR LEFT ideas. Then, maybe then, we can find “something in the middle.”

This election, I found myself voting for more democrats than republicans on the local level.

Yes, I voted for McCain. Maybe not the best choice, but in my mind the only choice. He chose as his running mate a newcomer. Someone not beholding to the elite. Like him, she is a maverick not afraid to stand up to her own party. A real shining light. But is was not to be. We will now sit back and give them all a chance. We will be watching and hoping they don't let us down.

all the best

THE DAY HAS COME

2008-11-03T03:14:00.000-08:00

Hello friends.

Tomorrow we all go to the polls and exercise our right (as citizens) to cast our ballots in an election. It is perhaps the most important election in the past 100 years.

Congress has an approval rating of 9 % . YES 9 % . This includes both candidates running for President and one for Vice President.

We had fun at Stearnsmustgo.com educating the fine folks in the 6th Congressional district why it is time for our congressman to be retired from office.

The point I want to raise is this. We live in a country where we can agree to disagree. I have a right to try to point out our history with Cliff Stearns, and what his record is.

We must remember, there are many countries in the world where this would NOT be allowed. In those countries, your right to know is suppressed.

Thank God we live , where we live. Yes we have problems and issues, but tomorrow the citizens of our country will be heard.

SO, tomorrow get off your butts and go vote. No matter what your political affiliation is, make your voice heard. If you want to go vote for Stearns, go. Lets make this election the "will" of the people. If you don't vote, then you do not have the right to complain.

NO matter what happens tomorrow, our site will remain and we will blog on a regular basis. We have not mentioned the Presidential race and won't until after it is decided.

Our goal here is to retire Congressman Cliff Stearns. If we are successful in this quest, we can rename our site "STEARNS IS GONE.COM". If not, we shall remain, watching his record and his planted letters to the editor.

I have been voting since 1972. I have voted for both winners and losers. I have voted for many that later I regretted that vote. But I always tried to learn the issues, study the history of the candidates, AND CAST MY VOTES ACCORDINGLY.

One way I have done that was to READ the paper, EVERYDAY. I watch various news programs. Not a fan of mainstream media, I still have faith in Meet the Press. It's all part of a "continuing education" that all adults must go through. Unfortunately many adults do not continue their education

So I have wondered why we keep returning these clowns to office every election? It is because many people who vote, HAVE NOT educated themselves on the issues.

A poll was taken recently and we discovered that 50 % of the people we asked did NOT KNOW who their Congressman was. They didn't know what district they lived in, or how to find out.

These are the voters that are too busy watching "Biggest Loser" , "Desperate Housewives", or "Deal or No Deal" to learn the issues. These same people do not take the time to read the local paper, or watch the News.

We have taken a few shots at the Star Banner over at Stearns Must Go . com . They did publish the last letter that my wife submitted. For the most part, I think they have been fair and balanced. We have seen a pretty good balance of pro and con Cliff Stearns.

They did completely drop the ball in one area. It was discovered in print that Stearns was in favor of term limits, and vowed to leave after 6 terms. The Star Banner (and others) completely ignored it. I doubt if Woodward and Bernstein would have thrown away a great story. (for those of you that were educated in a Government schools, try Google search)

It has been fun, now let's go VOTE !!!!

all the best

MORE LETTERS

2008-10-22T03:28:00.000-07:00

We have been busy over at the www.stearnsmustgo.com web site. More letters , more quotes about and from Cliff Stearns. Check it out.

It was nice to see a letter from Wilbur Hatcher in the Star Banner a couple of days ago. Wilbur has been quiet since we busted the Stearns camp for planting letters to the editor. They used Wilbur's name many times on letters written by Stearns' press secretary.

In this letter (that looks like Mr. Hatcher actually wrote) he talks about ALL THE jobs that Cliff Stearns has brought to the 6th district. Yes, Stearns did own a few motels in the area, and he probably had a number of employees, most of them earning minimum wage. But lets not make it sound like he is the second coming of Sen. Robert Byrd (W.VA). Now there is someone who brought JOBS (a Biden 3 letter word) to his state.

Why didn't Mr. Hatcher list the industries that Mr. Stearns has brought to this area in the last 20 years ? A couple of motels was all he could come up with ?

I give Mr. Hatcher credit, he is being honest that he worked for Stearns. We don't dispute Stearns civic activity. That what Politicians do.

I know of several letters from former employees that have been sent to the Star Banner supporting Cliff Stearns' opponent. These have not yet been published.

The other letter published recently by the pro Stearns press was from George Shuman. Mr. Shuman has submitted many many letters this year in support of Mr. Stearns. Some letters he even wrote himself. In this letter, he goes on about how he met with Cliff about a LOCAL road problem. "In minutes, the congressman lifted his phone and spoke to the proper authorities." He goes on to say "Congressman Stearns works for all the people, even the smallest ones"....Remember the last last line.

First off all, why is a U.S. Congressman sticking his nose in a LOCAL issue. That is NOT his job. This is a job for whoever is in charge of this particular road. And I doubt that S.E. 50th Terrace is a national US highway. Cliff used his NATIONAL influence to meddle in a LOCAL matter. Mr. Shuman (this little guy) should have been referred to his local county or state official.

Let's return to the last line of his letter. "little guy" ? Yes, he is one of the little people, who not only is a MAJOR contributor to the Stearns' campaign, but Shuman's son held an "intern" position in Stearns' office.

The last line should have read "Congressman Stearns sticks his nose in local issues for large contributors and parents of staff members"

Friends, it's time we had a real congressman.

Our stand is that Cliff Stearns has done LITTLE for this district in his 20 years in Washington. Along with his "beltway buddies" he has allowed us to to be mired in a war we never should have started, the ruining of our economy, and the total world wide disrespect for our nation. I have watched his Telecommunications Act of 1996 (that he helped write) completely ruin the Broadcasting industry.

It's time for Cliff Stearns and all his cronies to be retired.

regards

DID STEARNS LIE ????

2008-09-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

September 15 update !!!

We have been waiting for years for someone to find this.......and it finally happened !!!! I received the following press release from Tim Cunha this morning..It's a long read, but WELL WORTH IT !!!!

From: Tim Cunha, Democrat for U. S. Congress, District 6

To: News Media

Re: Clifford Stearns' Broken Promises to serve only 6 terms and then retire from Congress by the year 2000

Everyone recalls but no one has been able to document incumbent Clifford Stearns' promises to rid Washington of "professional politicians", to be a "citizen congressman," to support term limits, to honor term limits even if they were not enacted into law, and, specifically, to serve no more than 6 terms (12 years). First elected in 1988, his time was up in 2000. To this day, when he and his staff are asked about his term limit pledge by the public and by the press, his standard answer is that he was in favor of term limits but only if they applied to everyone-that is just blatantly untrue.

..........The following quotes are from St. Petersburg Times, in the late 1980s and early 1990s: Cliff Stearns says he'd be a "citizen congressman" and says ... getting "professional politicians" out of Congress leads to a more ... effective government.

[In 1988, Stearns said that his opponent Florida Speaker of the House, Democrat John] Mills' 10 years in the Legislature make him a "professional politician." Stearns, who has no government experience, says Washington needs more citizen congressmen.

Stearns attacked his Democratic opponent Jon Mills during a debate Thursday, saying he's been in office too long and has become a professional politician.

Stearns calls Mills, the speaker of the Florida House, a professional politician. Stearns says part of the problem with the nation today is Congress: too many professional politicians in office, not enough citizen congressmen.

[Stearns] also supports term limits. "I'm not a professional politician," he said. "I'm going to do this for a short amount of time and then go back to business."

Another Florida congressman, Republican Rep. Cliff Stearns of Ocala, says he supports term limits and will hold himself to 12 years even if there is no law requiring him to leave. "I believe in term limits and I'm going to abide by it myself," said Stearns, first elected in 1988. "I plan to be out of the House after 12 years."

Tim Cunha's statement:

The voters must be able to trust their elected officials. Mr. Stearns' pledge to his constituents and his party represents a covenant between him and the people. It must not be taken lightly, it must not be ignored when it becomes inconvenient, it must no be evaded out of expediency or conceit. Promises from public servants must be kept. Period.

Mr. Stearns should do the honorable thing and withdraw from the race so that the Republican State Committee can appoint a suitable alternate. I'm sure that one of Stearns' arguments for hanging on past the year 2000 is that he thinks no one else is more qualified to run than he. Does he truly believe that there is no other Republican from Jacksonville to Leesburg who is qualified to run for Congress? Do Republicans believe that?

Do the voters believe that Washington has failed us, and that, after 20 years, Stearns (who was born, raised, and educated through college in Washington D.C.) is partly responsible for that failure? Do the voters question the motivation of a career congressman who receives so much money from energy producers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and telecommunications companies that you can predict his votes just by following the money? Are they appalled that he has spent the last eight years--the eight years beyond his promised twelve--supporting the Bush administration in destroying our economy, spending us into horrendous debt, and making us all less secure financially and militarily? I believe the voters have had enough of failed policies and broken promises. I am running to wrest control of Washington from the professional politicians, to serve as a citizen congressman, and to change Washington to make it work for the people once again.

ABOVE COMMENTS FROM TIM CUNHA

As you know, my wife and I had an inside look at the Stearns' camp for 18 years....We have talked about this statement many many times. Altho we came to Ocala shortly after Stearns went to Congress in January 1989, it was common knowledge (then) that he would retire in 2000. Well friends, 2000 came and Stearns wondered if that statement was ever "PRINTED" ... They looked, and looked and looked..They scoured the archives of the Star Banner and Gainesville Sun.....but they couldn't find it.....Therefore, he never said it....

We used to laugh at the fact that no one was smart enough to realize that the district was DIFFERENT in 2000 than in 1988. The district moved after the 1990 Census.. (that's a whole story in itself) Maybe if Stearns had a real Press Secretary they would have found the article.

I can not believe that reporters covering local Politics never went to the trouble to find this..They all knew it was out there.....Stearns' former opponent couldn't find it...... But TIM CUNHA DID !!!

Now the fun begins !!! How will the Stearns' camp spin this one ???? Will the Star Banner/Gainesville Sun and other media outlets use this information?? Do we have any "REAL REPORTERS" out there...????

Tim Cunha and his staff has led the horse to the water.......will they drink ??????

Lee J Freshwater 9-15-08

ENERGY REPORT

2008-08-07T05:57:00.000-07:00

CLIFF’S ENERGY REPORT

We all received a nicely printed 4 page “energy report” from Cliff Stearns the other day.

It’s a bunch of statistics and facts about energy independence. The most important fact in this four page color mailing is directly below the return address. “THIS MAILING WAS PREPARED, PUBLISHED AND MAILED AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE”

Where was this report a year ago ? Or 6 months ago? Here we are, just a few short months from Election time and they send this out. It’s a campaign brochure, plain and simple.

Molly Anne Walker says in a letter published today in the Star Banner, “If Cliff Stearns was so concerned about spending the taxpayers’ dollar wisely, then why didn’t he pay for his campaign brochure and the mailing of it from his campaign funds, instead of having you and I pay for it?"

And the Congressman has admitted that he is a CAREER POLITICIAN. He says “I have tried my entire career to ensure your tax dollars are wisely spent."

It’s a good point. AS mentioned here, Cliff Stearns has over 2.5 MILLION dollars in his fund, and he is making you and I pay for this? Yes, it is legal to do this. He is in office and has a right to do mailings. But let me ask, “Cliff you can afford to pay for this. If this was not an election year, this mailing NEVER would have gone out.”

Molly also says, “So here we have an example of what a career politicians do best, and that is, they lie.”

I had just finished reading this large mailing when another one showed up on our doorstep. Titled “Washington Report”, it is another campaign brochure. It outlines a number of things that Stearns “wants” to do, and what he believes. My question is, “What have you done?”

In one part of this report, he talks about the Democrats wanting to bring back the “Fairness Doctrine” Up until the Reagan years ALL broadcasting stations had to give the same amount of air time to all issues. Stearns says “I am a co-sponsor of H.,H. 2905, the Broadcaster Freedom Act.” Makes it sound like ole Cliff is actually doing something. Here are the facts. The bill was sponsored by Mike Spence, (R-IN) In fact, he represents my home town of Muncie.

Co-Sponsor ? Yes, Cliff Stearns is a co-sponsor, ALONG WITH 207 OTHER CONGRESSMAN. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-2905 Again, do nothing, but try to take some of the credit.

It’s more of the same.

I know I promised to talk about town meetings, but this was too good.

Best to you all

IT'S A "DO NOTHING CONGRESS"

2008-08-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

IT’S A “DO NOTHING CONGRESS”

I noticed a small article in yesterdays Parade Magazine, titled “Why is Congress Doing So Little.”

The current (Cliff Stearns) Congress has enacted less legislation than any Congress in the past ten years. The 110^th Congress has passed just 260 laws and 74 of those were to rename some post offices.

A Republican from Illinois actually introduced legislation to declare June 30 as “Corvette Day.” Now, I am a big fan of old Corvettes, but it is a complete waste of my time to have Congress declare a “Corvette Day.

REP John Shimkus (R-Ill) said , “but we have to do something. These resolutions make it look like we’re working”

Rep. Shimkus should be ashamed, as should all members of Congress. I hope the voters of his district think long and hard before they vote for him again.

We should also think long and hard about our choice for Congress. Are these the kind of people we want serving our district……????? I think not.

Next, we will talk about filming at town meetings….Seems someone is a bit nervous ???

WHERE WAS THE STAR BANNER

2008-07-28T03:43:00.001-07:00

Good morning.

It was with great anticipation that I opened up Sundays edition of the Ocala Star Banner. I was wondering how the Town Meetings went with Cliff Stearns. But coverage was no where to be found.

So, were was the Star Banner ? I thought, maybe it will be in Mondays paper. So I waited, again with great anticipation for this mornings edition. But I was disappointed again.

I used to do two to three sets of town meetings a year. There was ALWAYS a reporter and a photographer in the audience. This was always followed by a Sunday article and picture.

Did the Banner not think that this was important enough to warrant an article? Did they not care?

The answer is neither one. The newspaper and broadcasting industries are suffering from a bad economy. So in their zest to cut costs, they simply don't have the staff to cover these events anymore.

They are going about it entirely in the wrong way.

While the fat cats in the big offices continue to draw major paychecks, these organizations are cutting their lower end staff members. Take a look at the stock prices for the major broadcasting and print companies. They are all in the toilet, while the big boys on top get major bonus's.

Maybe if the New York Times did some cutting at the top, they could have the staff to put out a quality newspaper. If they are not going to cover local events, why should I buy the paper ?

best to you all

TOWN MEETINGS WITH STEARNS

2008-07-23T03:28:00.000-07:00

Good Morning

This Saturday, Congressman Stearns will hold public town meetings at four locations in Marion County. The schedule is :

Saddle Oak Club @ 9 a.m. 6045 SW 55TH COURT
Southwest Christian Church @ 10:30 9045 SW 60TH AVE.
Palm Cay Oasis Clubhouse @ 1 p.m. 8085 SW 106TH PLACE.
Marion Oaks Community Center @ 3 p.m. 294 MARION OAKS LANE.

There are many questions that need to be asked. I would ask them, but he would never call on me.

So I thought I would suggest a few for those who may be in attendance. It also is great "food for thought"

It's time for a change !!

1) CONGRESSMAN, A RECENT LETTER TO THE EDITOR WAS PUBLISHED FROM THE HUSBAND OF ONE OF YOUR PAID STAFFERS. WHY WAS IT NOT MADE PLAIN THAT THE WRITER HAD THIS CONNECTION ?

2) DID ANYONE ON YOUR STAFF HAVE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF THIS LETTER BEFORE IT WAS PUBLISHED ?

3) HAS IT EVER BEEN YOUR POLICY TO HAVE YOUR PRESS SECRETARY WRITE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, THEN GIVING THEM TO A STAFF MEMBER OR CONTRIBUTOR TO SUBMIT ?

4) CAN YOU GIVE US A LIST OF THE BILLS THAT YOU HAVE PERSONALLY WRITTEN SINCE YOU WENT TO CONGRESS IN 1989 ?

5) WHAT BILLS THAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN ARE CURRENTLY BEFORE CONGRESS ?

6) DO YOU FEEL THAT IF CONGRESS HAD DONE SOMETHING ABOUT OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL BACK IN 1990 THAT WE WOULD BE FACING AN ENERGY CRISIS TODAY?

7) HOW DO YOU JUSTIFY ASKING FOR OUR VOTES WHEN CONGRESS AS A WHOLE HAS A 9 % APPROVAL RATING ?

8) IF YOU HAD TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN, WOULD YOU STILL SUPPORT THE FAILED BUSH POLICIES ?

9) WHY ARE YOU ASKING FOR CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FROM US, WHEN YOU HAVE OVER 2.5 MILLION DOLLARS IN YOUR “WAR CHEST ?

AND 10) YOU ARE RUNNING FOR YOUR 11 TH TERM. HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO PEOPLE WHO SAY WE SHOULD HAVE TERM LIMITS TO AVOID HAVING “CAREER POLITICIANS ” AND DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE MADE THIS A “CAREER ?

BONUS QUESTION …. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE STEARNSMUSTGO WEB SITE ?

Town meetings can be a great learning experience. Mr. Stearns is very good at public speaking, altho he has slipped a bit in the last few years. I encourage you to attend, listen and ASK !!

I'll be standing by ....

On a side note, a friend emailed me this link to a star banner blog

http://blogs.ocala.com/default.asp?item=2238172

This poster (David Rhea)makes some interesting comments and is well worth the read.

My favorite part is ""But as a leader on the energy and the environment, Stearns in asleep at the wheel. He brags about having a plan (all the sudden) for energy - but it is at the expense of the environment. In fact, Cliff Stearns has a horrible record of voting against energy independence and the environment."

Best to you all

WHERE HAS HE BEEN ??

2008-07-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

WHERE HAS HE BEEN

That is a great question. And it was asked in a recent letter to the Star Banner from James M. Johnson of Ocala. I have never met Mr. Johnson and know nothing about his political affiliation. However he says, “Rep Stearns has had ample time to make his mark in our Congress and has not stepped up to show the necessary leadership we expected when we sent him to Congress”

I could not have said it better myself. As I said earlier in our musings, what has Cliff Stearns done for our district? Show me the bills he has introduced in Congress. Other than jumping on someone else’s “coat-tails”, he has done little in 20 years for this district.

Mr. Johnson goes on to say, “if he cannot change his philosophy of leadership to help bring our Congress together as necessary to serve all of us, he should admit his leadership failure and step down while we search for better leadership quality” BRAVO

The key here are the words, “serve all of us.” Not just Republicans or Democrats, but ALL OF US. That is why we sent him to Washington. All he has done lately is support some failed policies and follow along with all his “cronies.” Its time for a “leader” not a “follower.”

But it didn’t take long for a response. Before the ink was dry on this newsprint, another “pro” Stearns letter appeared. (I give the Banner credit here for printing both sides) This letter came from Kenneth R. Lowe. I am sure once I find time to research Mr. Lowe, I will find he is a major “cash” supporter of Mr. Stearns. Again, let me point out, there is nothing wrong with this, it just shows a pattern of pro letters coming from ONLY staff, staff members families and cash supporters.

Mr. Lowe writes, “I applaud Congressman Cliff Stearns for offering a series of bills that will expand our domestic energy production.” This is fine, applaud all you want, but you don’t tell me the bill numbers that Stearns wrote and placed before Congress.

I recently received a very colorful mailing (paid for by you and me) from the Congressman. It does list some house bills he supports. (And some I support as well) Even he does not say he wrote these bills. I guess if I support them, then can I be a Congressman too ?

There is one thing that puzzles me here. Every time a letter appears questioning Mr. Stearns’ actions, a rebuttal letter appears almost instantly. Except when I wrote in about the letter written by the husband of a staff member. Perhaps they could not come up with a reasonable response to that letter?????

Join us here early next week for more. Congressman Stearns has some of his famous “town meetings” scheduled for July 26^th. Now this one I have to give him kudos on. He does more of these meetings than most Representatives and he is really good at it. And I hope his successor takes a lesson, and continues this practice.

I will share the schedule with you and maybe suggest a few “questions” you can ask. I would attend, but he would never call on me.

And in the future I will share my “Watergate Connection”, and tell you what a real Press Secretary is like.

Best to you all

SOLAR ENERGY - NOW IS THE TIME

2008-07-14T04:06:00.000-07:00

Good morning.

I have a habit of picking on the Ocala Star Banner whenever I get a chance.

I also think that credit should be given for good Journalism. The Banner’s Editorial page editor (Brad Rogers) seems to “get it”.

The editorial this past Sunday (7-13-08) the Banner takes Congressman Cliff Stearns to task for not helping the State of Florida become a leader in solar energy research.

The Banner writes that Stearns opponent in November Tim Cunha, will push to make the University of Florida, which is in the sixth district, a leading research center for the development of solar energy. We think this is a great idea and goal, as Florida should be the leader in Solar Energy. After all, we ARE the Sunshine State.

The Banner points out, “Stearns, as he did in a recent op-ed article in the Star Banner, touts his commitment to solar power enhancement, as well as his membership in the Congressional Renewable Energy Cacus”

Sounds good, doesn’t it? But Read on. “But we’re not aware of any major inititive he is pushing that resembles the goal spelled out by Cunha.”

The editorial goes on to talk about a bill that Stearns voted against, that would have done a great deal to promote solar energy. But yet, Stearns voted against it.

The Banner doesn’t leave their link up forever, but a copy of the editorial is available at Mr. Cunha’s web site. http://www.timcunha.com/node/65 and will also be available at www.stearnsmustgo.com

As usual, the Congressman tries to make it look like he is supporting an issue, but takes NO ACTION to do the job he was hired by us to do.

What does Stearns want us to do? In a town meeting at Marion Oaks a few years ago, he said that we “should build cars that run on coal” Are you kidding me? My family and my wife’s family were from West Virginia. We have seen first hand what coal mining does to the environment, not to mention the heath of miners. This is NOT the answer. The answer lies squarely on “Technology”. This includes hydrogen fuel, solar energy as well as nuclear. You would think that someone with a degree in Electrical Engineering would understand that.

Supporting Solar are you? Please Mr. Congressman, show us ONE bill that you have introduced in Congress that supports Solar Energy. Just one. Yes, you vote on bills, you jump on the bandwagon of someone else’s bills. Maybe that’s why you are called the “do-nothing Congressman”

best to everyone

2008-07-09T17:07:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

This is a multiple choice question.

You are called into your boss’s office at 9 AM. He (or she) sits you down and says, “The Company has done an evaluation of your job performance. We have given you a 9 % performance rating. Your first thought is:

A) They are going to give me a raise

B) The company likes the job I am doing

C) They are going to FIRE ME in 30 seconds

Of course, if you work anywhere except one place the correct answer is “C”

The one exception is the US Congress.

In a report issued this week, the percentage of voters who give Congress good or excellent ratings has fallen to single digits for the first time in Rasmussen Reports tracking history. This month, just 9% say Congress is doing a good or excellent job. Most voters say Congress is doing a poor job, which ties the record high in that dubious category.

http://rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/congressional_performance/congressional_performance

I realize that anytime someone quotes “numbers” they are probably incorrect. So I “goggled” several ways of searching “congressional approval rating” I came up with some interesting facts

http://rendevouswithdestiny.blogspot.com/2008/05/gallup-poll-congress-approval-rating-at.html

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0708/p03s04-uspo.html

I really like and admire the Christian Science Monitor. In my 35 years in Broadcasting, I have found them to be a MOST accurate and most balanced news organization.

So, lets say the number is wrong. Maybe its 10 %, even 20 %, or for the sake of argument, even a 30 % approval. That rating would get ALL OF us fired from our jobs, now, today or tomorrow.

So, I ask you all today, WHY DO WE TOLERATE THIS ?????? 9 PER CENT ??

What most people do not understand is that “WE” are the employer. These people work FOR US. If you and I don’t do a good job, our employer has the obligation to their stockholders to get someone that can.

We have the SAME obligation to our company, the U.S.A.

This is not a partisan issue, and has nothing to do with your political party affiliation.

The Republican had their chance until 2006, and they did NOTHING. And the Democrats have not fared much better. 9 PER CENT ??

Don’t take my word for it. DO THE RESEARCH. Be pro-active, and don’t wait for the other guy to do it. Then vote them ALL OUT.

And to Congressman Stearns, I ask….”How can you go on day after day knowing that no one trusts you, or approves of the job you are doing.” 9 PER CENT ??

And to those we give the honor of serving, I say “O.K. here is your chance. Prove me wrong”

9 PER CENT is the lowest approval rating in history. We should all be ashamed. I know I am.

All the best

GEORGE SHUMAN LETTER

2008-06-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

Well friends, today another "Pro Stearns" letter appeared in the Star "Blunder", titled "Stick With Stearns". (http://www.ocala.com/section/opinion) Let me make this perfectly clear. There is NOTHING wrong with supporters sending letters.

No impropriety is implied here.

My problem is this: Mr. Shuman is one of maybe 6 to 10 people that is ALWAYS writing to the Star Banner in support of Cliff Stearns. Can't they find some other folks to write in their support ? Why is it ALWAYS "major contributors" or "staff members" who write in ?

Doesn't the common man or woman know how to write letters ? In the past 8 years, Mr. Shuman has given the Stearns campaign OVER 8 THOUSAND DOLLARS !! Do the math ! (source: FEC reports - http://www.fec.gov/finance/disclosure/norindsea.shtml. Just enter the name and read the report)

Maybe the Stearns support isn't as broad based as we are lead to believe ?

So the next time you see a letter to the editor, read between the lines. Look up the name, and keep track of the letters. Or do what I did : RESEARCH. There is a fine public library in our town. USE IT !!

WHY WE ARE HERE

2008-06-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

WHY WE ARE HERE

My wife worked for Cliff Stearns for 18 years. During that time, I saw many cases of the Stearns staff "planting" letters to the editor in the Ocala Star Banner. Unable to say anything because of her employment with Cliff, I kept my big trap shut. (that is highly unusual for me)

On May 18th the Ocala Star "Blunder" published a letter from Tim Cunha (democrat candidate) questioning why someone with 2.5 million dollars would be
asking local Republicans for MORE MONEY. (A fair question)

Several weeks later, another letter appeared. This one came from Calvin Williams.

A "Democrat" , he blasted Mr. Cunha, claiming that the Stearns' request for money was sent to people who signed his "petition" . The letter went on and on about how he was supporting Cliff Stearns. What he DIDN’T reveal was that this "Democrat" is married to Shanna Williams, an 8 year EMPLOYEE of Cliff Stearns.

I felt the readers AND VOTERS had been "conned" again by yet another letter to the editor.

AND THAT, MY FRIENDS IS WHY WE ARE HERE. It is also the reason we started the stearns must go web site

OUR FIRST POST

2008-06-23T05:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our blog. Devoted to the upcoming defeat of Cliff Stearns.

Watch this space for important information