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FLORIDA News:
 Barack
Obama -  Homeless
-  People
- Poverty
-  Families
-  Jobs
-  Law
-  Politics
- Los
Angeles -  California
-  Tennessee
-  Wash
- Fla
"U.S. cities deal with a surge in shanty towns." ... "Like a dozen or so other cities across the nation, Fresno [California] is dealing with an unhappy déjà vu: the arrival of modern-day Hoovervilles, illegal encampments of homeless people that are reminiscent, on a far smaller scale, of Depression-era shantytowns. At his news conference on Tuesday night, [Democratic] President Obama was asked directly about the tent cities and responded by saying that it was "not acceptable for children and families to be without a roof over their heads in a country as wealthy as ours."" ... "While encampments and street living have always been a part of the landscape in big cities like Los Angeles [California] and New York, these new tent cities have taken root — or grown from smaller enclaves of the homeless as more people lose jobs and housing — in such disparate places as Nashville [Tennessee's capital], Olympia, Wash. [Washington's capital], and St. Petersburg, Fla. [Florida.]" ... "The problem in Fresno is different in that it is both chronic and largely outside the national limelight. Homelessness here has long been fed by the ups and downs in seasonal and subsistence jobs in agriculture, but now the recession has cast a wider net and drawn in hundreds of the newly homeless — from hitchhikers to truck drivers to electricians." ... ""These are able-bodied folks that did day labor, at minimum wage or better, who were previously able to house themselves based on their income," said Michael Stoops, the executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, an advocacy group based in Washington." (1, 2) -By Jesse Mckinley -IHT.com 
Barack
Obama -  Michael
Steele -  Pete
Hoekstra -  Don
Young -  Lindsey
Graham -  Ken
Calvert - Emergency
-  Economics
- Politics
- Families
- Jobs
- Housing
-  Construction
-  Education
-  Government
- US_Debt
-  Missouri
-  MN
-  SC
- FL
- CA
-  MI
-  NJ
-  AK
"Kit Bond Touts Effects Of Stimulus Bill He Voted Against." ... "[Missouri Republican Senator Kit Bond voted against the stimulus bill asserting:} “Unfortunately, this bill stimulates the debt, it stimulates the growth of government, but it doesn’t stimulate jobs,” Bond insisted." ... "However, today Bond is touring Missouri to tout the very stimulus plan he railed against. In a press release, Bond boasted about an amendment he included in the bill to provide more funding for affordable housing — and that will create jobs:" "Last week, Bond led a bipartisan group of Senators in introducing an amendment to help provide needy families affordable housing. Bond’s amendment provides $2 billion to fund low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) projects that have been stalled by the financial credit crisis. As part of the Democrats’ spending bill now signed into law, the Senate unanimously accepted Bond’s provision. […]""“This is the type of emergency stimulus spending we should be supporting — programs that will create jobs now and help families,” Bond said." ... "Bond’s “I was against it before I was for it” maneuver at least has local media fooled. Just 24 hours after noting his opposition to the stimulus bill, local news this morning reported that Bond would be touring the state “pushing his plan to create 3,000 jobs in the state and build more than 700 affordable housing units.” Watch the local CBS channel try to keep up with Bond’s flip-flops:" "Bond is not alone in trying to reap the political benefits both from voting against the bill and from bringing much needed funding to his district:" "– [Minnesota Republican Governor] Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), who complained that the “federal government is spending money they don’t have,” told Rachel Maddow he would nevertheless accept funds for Minnesota: “Our view is, if you buy the pizza, it’s OK if you have a slice.”""No wonder RNC [Republican National Committee] Chairman Michael Steele declared recently, “You have absolutely no reason — none — to trust our word or our actions at this point.”" "Update [Missouri Republican Representative] Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) boasted about the educational benefits of the recovery act, while [California Republican Representative] Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) said his office "will do what we can to direct as much money as we can." Neither voted for the bill." "Update [Michgan Republican Representative] Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) joins in, praising the stimulus' "generous" incentives for home buyers on his Twitter feed:" "petehoekstra If you know of someone thinking of buying first home, now may be the time.Stimulus incentive is very generous!Up to 8k!Check it out.""UpdateBlueJersey notes adds [New Jersey Republican Representative] Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) to the growing list. After insisting last Friday that the recovery bill "would have exploded our national debt without providing meaningful job growth," Lance toured construction sites in his district yesterday, touting funds that would come from the stimulus bill. "This is a classic example of a "shovel-ready' project," Lance said after the tour." -By Ali Frick -ThinkProgress.org
 Media
- Politics
-  Radio
- Market
-Florida
- San
Diego - Sacramento
- California
-  Ohio
- Minnesota
-  Wisconsin
- Portland
-  Oregon
"Another Right-Wing Conspiracy in Washington?" ... "The commercial use of public airwaves is supposed to reflect the diversity of the local community, but that's not how it works in Washington [DC, America's capital]. On the AM dial, WMAL (630) features wall-to-wall conservative talk. So do stations WTNT (570) and WHFS (1580). For the past two years, OBAMA 1260 -- even with a weak signal that cannot be heard in downtown Washington -- was the exception. No longer. Starting tomorrow, our nation's capital, where Democrats control the House, the Senate and the White House, and where Democrats outnumber Republicans 10 to one, will have no progressive voices on the air." ... "Or maybe one." ... "To mollify critics, Red Zebra has said it will add Ed Schultz to its conservative lineup on 570 AM. This means Shultz will be outgunned in this market by at least 15 conservative talkers: Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, Chris Plante, Michael Smerconish, Michael Savage, Andy Parks, Fred Grandy, Bill Bennett, Monica Crowley, Bill O'Reilly, Dennis Miller and Lars Larsen. No matter how good Schultz is, that's not a fair contest -- nor a fair use of the public airwaves." ... "Unfortunately, what's happening in Washington reflects what has happened in one city after another across the country. In Miami [Florida], Clear Channel recently dumped progressive talk for sports: Clear Channel stations made the same move in San Diego [California] and Cincinnati [Ohio]. Sacramento [California] abandoned progressive talk for gospel music. In fact, according to a study released by the Center for American Progress and Free Press, there are nine hours of conservative talk for every one hour of progressive talk." ... "Why? Station owners complain they can't get good ratings or make any money with progressive talk, but that's nonsense. In Minnesota, independent owner Janet Robert has operated KTNF (950 AM) profitably for five years. In Madison, Wis. [Wisconsin], WXXM, 92.1 FM, just scored its highest ratings ever. And KPOJ in Portland, Ore. [Oregon], soared with progressive talk from No. 23 in market ratings to No. 1. Nationwide, progressive talkers Randi Rhodes, Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller have proven that, given a level playing field, they can more than hold their own in ratings -- and make money for their stations." ... "In fact, the only reason there's not more competition on American airwaves is that the handful of companies that own most radio stations do everything they can to block it." ... "There is no free market in talk radio today, only an exclusive, tightly held, conservative media conspiracy." -By Bill Press -WashingtonPost 
 Henry
Paulson
- Corporate
- Government
- Politics
- Florida
"TARP Shortchanged Taxpayers by $78 Billion, Watchdog Panel Says." ... "[United States] U.S. taxpayers are being shortchanged by about $78 billion through the Treasury Department’s bank bailout, the panel overseeing the program said." ... "The Treasury, when it was headed by [Republican President Bush's] Secretary Henry Paulson, received bank assets worth about $176 billion in exchange for capital purchases of $254 billion under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the Congressional Oversight Panel said in a report today." ... "“The loss estimate is conservative,” said [Florida Democratic] Representative Alan Grayson, a Florida Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee. “It could turn out that those assets in the end are worthless. These are massive handouts to favored institutions to try to make up with taxpayer money the mistakes they made with investor money.”" ... "TARP [Troubled Asset Relief Program], which is part of the more than $9 trillion the government has pledged to rescue the financial system, has guaranteed $350 billion to banks so far, with another $350 billion set for use in coming months." -By Mark Pittman and Bob Ivry -Bloomberg 
Financial
-  Accounting
- Federal
-  Enforcement
- Florida
-  NY
-  Pennsylvania
-  Idaho
"In Echoes Of Madoff, Ponzi Cases Proliferate." ... "Federal and state authorities are reporting a growing number of financial scams that echo the alleged Madoff fraud, as strapped investors seek access to their cash amid increasingly hard times." ... "At least six suspected multimillion-dollar fraud cases have emerged this month alone, many of them alleged Ponzi schemes, in which investors are lured by promises of lofty returns but are actually paid off from new victims' funds." ... "On Tuesday, authorities arrested Arthur Nadel, the missing Florida hedge-fund adviser, who was accused by federal authorities of defrauding clients of millions of dollars." ... "In the latest case to emerge, Nicholas Cosmo, a Long Island, N.Y. [New York], investment-firm owner, surrendered to federal authorities Monday." ... "The [Securities and Exchange Commission] agency, which doesn't keep an official count, brought at least 23 Ponzi cases last year, up from 15 in 2007. It has already filed four in 2009. That tally doesn't include actions on the state level, where allegations of securities fraud are routinely pursued." ... "Three weeks ago, the SEC [Securities and Exchange Commission] accused a Philadelphia[ Pennsylvania]-area investment fund manager, Joseph S. Forte, with running a Ponzi scheme since at least 1995 that claimed returns as high as 38% and raised $50 million." ... "Meanwhile, Idaho's securities regulators are investigating allegations by investors in Idaho Falls [Idaho] that they lost up to $100 million in an alleged Ponzi scheme by Daren Palmer, a local money manager." -By Steve Stecklow with contributions by Philip Shishkin and William M. Bulkeley -WSJ.com
 John
Boehner
- Government
- Economic
-Legislation
- Politics
-  History
- Poor
- Family
-  Women's
-  Medical
- Abortion
-  AL.
- FL
-  MS
- SC
- CA
-  LA
- MN
-  RI
- MO
- Ohio
- Wisconsin
"Republicans Irate Over Expansion of Republican-Approved Program." ... "[T]he family-planning program that [California Democratic Representative and House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi supports expanding in the stimulus bill was created in 1972 under the leadership of Republican president Richard Nixon." ... "What's being proposed is an expansion in the number of states that can use Medicaid money, with a federal match, to help low-income women prevent unwanted pregnancies. Of the 26 states that already have Medicaid waivers for family planning, eight are led by Republican governors (AL [Alabama], FL [Florida], MS [Mississippi], SC [South Carolina], CA [California], LA [Louisiana], MN [Minnesota] and RI [Rhode Island] -- a ninth, MO [Missouri], had a GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] governor until this past November). If this policy is truly a taxpayer gift to "the abortion industry," as [Ohio Republican Representative] John Boehner and House Republicans claim, where are the GOP governors promising to end the program in their states?" ... "Additionally, the process of obtaining a waiver for Medicaid family-planning coverage is extremely cumbersome. A letter written by Wisconsin health regulators in 2007 noted that some states have had to wait for as long as two years before their request was approved. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that eliminating the waiver requirement would save states $400 million over 10 years." -By Elana Schor -TPMDC .TalkingPointsMemo
John
Boehner
-Don
Young -  Doc
Hastings -  Jack
Abramoff -  Tom
DeLay -  Jerry
Lewis - Ken
Calvert -  John
Doolittle - Ohio
- AK
- WA
- Texas
- CA
- Florida
- Money
- Politics
- US
Attorney - Law
- Federal
- Investigation
"House GOP [Republicans] Gives Scandal-Ridden Don Young’s Committee Seat To Scandal-Ridden Doc Hastings." ... " ... [Ohio Republican Representative and House Minority Leader John Boehner told Alaska Republican Representative] Rep. Don Young (R-AK [Republican-Alaska]) that he could no longer support him as ranking Republican on the Natural Resources Committee, leading to Young’s resignation from the post." ... "The AP reports that a panel of top House leaders picked [Washington state Republican Representative] Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA [Republican-Washington]) today to lead the committee. “The recommendation by the GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] Steering Committee is final under a rule change adopted Wednesday.”" ... "Recall, Jack Abramoff once boasted of having an “excellent relationship” with Hastings, who received $14,000 [*] from Abramoff’s firm, Preston Gates — including $1,000 from Abramoff himself. After taking control of the Ethics Committee, Hastings reportedly fired two staff lawyers involved in unanimous decisions to admonish [Texas Republican] Tom DeLay for improper fundraising. Hastings also contacted fired [United States] U.S. Attorney John McKay and attempted to pressure him in an ongoing investigation." ... "As ThinkProgress has documented, Boehner has a history of playing musical chairs with committee assignments for corrupt members:" "[California Republican Representative] Rep. Jerry Lewis: Boehner ruled that Rep. Jerry Lewis of California could continue as the ranking member on the Appropriations Committee while under federal investigation on ethics charges.""Despite Boehner’s ethics pledge after ethics pledge, the culture of corruption still rules at the end of the day." -By Satyam Khanna -ThinkProgress.org
Homeless
- Families
- Poverty
- Crisis
- Politics
- Law
- Police
- Florida
"Homeless turn foreclosures into shelters." ... "For Max Rameau, a vacant, boarded-up home is more than just a symbol of the national housing crisis. It's an opportunity to house the homeless." ... "Rameau, a homeless advocate, runs a controversial program in Miami [Florida] that helps families squat in homes vacated because of bank foreclosures. Using Internet listings and a team of volunteers, Rameau and his Take Back the Land foundation matches homeless families with empty homes." ... "Rameau, 39, says his efforts are creative solutions for two of America's biggest problems: rising numbers of vacant homes and a growing homeless population. He has moved in six families since January. The authorities so far haven't stopped him." ... ""It's morally indefensible to have vacant homes sitting there, potentially for years, while you have human beings on the street," Rameau says." ... "Kelly Penton, a city of Miami spokeswoman, says police don't have the manpower to scour neighborhoods looking for squatters. Police only act on a complaint by a property owner, which so far hasn't happened, she says." ... ""People need to obey the law, obviously," Penton says. "But it has to be something that's reported to the city."" ... "With 44% of the nation's 744,000 homeless unsheltered, it's not surprising that people want to take over homes, says Michael Stoops, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless." -By Rick Jervis -USATODAY 
 John
McCain - Sarah
Palin -  Fashion
- Politics
- 2008
Election - Alaska
- Florida
"G.O.P. Paid Almost $55,000 for Palin Fashion Stylist." ... "A woman who appears from campaign finance records to have been [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of] Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s fashion stylist was paid $54,900 by the Republican National Committee, according to a new report filed with the Federal Election Commission." ... "The newest report appears to show about $23,000 in additional charges labeled as “campaign accessories” from a variety of stores, including Saks, Neiman’s, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret, Brooks Brothers, Ann Taylor and Target." ... "Interestingly, in the newest charges on campaign finance records, many of the people who initially footed the charges were campaign staffers, including Andrew Smith, Ms. Palin’s chief of staff, Christopher Edwards, who was in charge of advance for Ms. Palin, and Kristi Pulsfort, a member of the traveling press staff." ... "Mr. Smith apparently footed the bill for more than $3,000 in charges at Aldo (a shoe store chain), Bloomingdales and Macy’s, all in Orlando [Florida], as well as Home Optics, a glasses and contacts store in Chugiak, Alaska, about a half hour from Ms. Palin’s home in Wasilla [Alaska]." ... "A woman named Jeannie Etchart, who appears on the McCain campaign’s payroll, picked up the most in charges, totaling more than $14,000 from places like Banana Republic, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom." -By Michael Luo -NYTimes 
Barack
Obama - 
- Ad
- Media
- 2008
Election - Families
- Economy
-  Military
- Ohio
- Missouri
-  Kansas
-  New
Mexico - Florida
-  Arizona
- -  US
-  Iraq
"30-minute Obama ad shows campaign muscle." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama's 30-minute TV ad, which ran simultaneously on broadcast and cable networks at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, is muscle-flexing that has little precedent, a campaign advertising expert said." ... ""It's evidence, if you needed any, that the Obama campaign has more money than there is ad time left to buy," said Evan Tracey, director of the Campaign Media Analysis Group. "This is flexing the muscles."" ... ""The strategic brilliance of this for Obama is that he is going to consume about 24 hours of the news cycle," Tracey said. "It boxes [John] McCain in, takes the oxygen out of the room."" ... "In the carefully produced infomercial, Obama laid out his plans for the economy and for bringing an end to the war in Iraq." ... "It also featured stories of struggling families in swing states such as Ohio and Missouri and included testimonials from high-profile supporters, including Kansas [Democratic Governor] Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and New Mexico [Democratic Governor] Gov. Bill Richardson." ... "Obama's Republican opponent, Arizona Sen. John McCain, was not mentioned, nor was the GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican]. The spot ended with a brief, live Obama address to a rally in Florida, another hotly contested state in this year's campaign." -By Richard Allen Greene -CNN  WATCH
Barack
Obama ad: "American Stories, American Solutions."
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Racist
- Marketing
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Terrorism
- Crime
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- Economy
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2008
Election - Law
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- California
- Florida
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Massachusetts
- Arizona
Joe
Biden - Barack
Obama - Sarah
Palin - Terrorism
- Politics
- Fl
- Law
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- 2008
Election
John
McCain - Barack
Obama - Health-Care
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- Parents
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Social
Security - Journal
- Fla
- 2008
Election
Ted
Stevens - Don
Young - 
Oil
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VECO
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- Alaska
- Florida
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Road
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John
McCain - Oil
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- 2008
Election - Arizona
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International
Homes
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Nevada
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Angeles - San
Diego - San
Francisco - California
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Illinois
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Georgia- New
York - Seattle
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Carolina
Don
Young - Ted
Stevens - Tom
DeLay - Federal
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Election - Alaska
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Election
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Al
Gore - History
John
McCain - Corporate
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Telecommunications
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Surveillance
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Intelligence
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John
Yoo - Torture
- Detainee
- Human
Rights - Enforcement
- Florida
- 2008
Election
"I am appalled by Senator John McCain's reaffirmation of support for the use of warrantless wiretapping on American citizens. Senator McCain has once again chosen to align himself with President George Bush, whose reprehensible spying program on Americans is a grave threat to our Constitutions guarantees of privacy and limited executive power. It is clear that Senator McCain, President Bush, and their Republican allies in Congress will continue to use scare tactics and fear mongering to claim that a president can simply chose to ignore America's laws... Senator McCain opposes a bipartisan House compromise bill that preserves appropriate court review of all surveillance of US citizens and gives judges the discretion to review all the necessary documents related to telecom lawsuits without offering blanket immunity.""Yet there's a more important issue here, which is why the neo-cons are pressing McCain to adhere to the Bush administration's line. And that's the administration's theory of the so-called unitary executive, which says that the president's use of military force cannot be reviewed by courts." ... "McCain's earlier statements -- especially where he says presidents must "obey and enforce laws that are passed by Congress" -- seem to question the administration's interpretation. Beyond wiretapping, that touches on topics such as John Yoo's so-called torture memos, the applicability of the Geneva Convention to detainees, Bush's signing statements, and military commissions. Questioning the justifications for Bush's warrantless wiretapping means questioning the rest; no wonder McCain seems a little worried about where this may lead." -By Declan McCullagh -CNET
Hillary
Clinton - Accounting
- Politics
- Florida
- Michigan
- 
Iowa
- 
Puerto
Rico - Nevada
- Washington
- 
Maine
- Barack
Obama - 2008
Election - "Hillary:
Peddling pop vote canards to the end." ... "The facts,
which must be repeated:" ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate]
Hillary [Clinton] does not lead in the popular vote by any measure other
than her own idiosyncratic belief that Florida should count even though
it didn't and hundreds of thousands of Floridians didn't vote because they
were told it wouldn't; that Puerto Rico should count even though Puerto
Ricans can't vote in the general election ("lead us to victory in November"???);
that Michigan should also count even though it didn't and thousands of
Michiganders didn't vote because they were told it wouldn't and she was
the only person on the ballot; that Obama should get zero votes -- Zero!!!
-- from Michigan ["Uncommited" received 238,168 votes, Clinton received
328,309 votes]; and that Obama also should get no votes from four states
that he won [Iowa, Nevada, Washington, and Maine], because they held caucuses
and didn't count the popular vote." -By John Riley
-Newsday.com
Home
- Prices
- Nevada
- Florida
- Phoenix
- Arizona
- NC
- "S&P:
US home prices tumble a record 14.1 pct in 1Q." ...
"Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller said its national home price index
fell 14.1 percent in the first quarter compared with a year earlier, the
lowest since its inception in 1988." ... "However, the index is still up
60 percent versus 2000." ... "Nineteen of the 20 metro areas reported annual
declines, with 15 of them posting record lows. Six metro areas lost more
than 20 percent." ... "Las Vegas [Nevada] had the worst performance in
March, falling 25.9 percent from a year earlier, followed by Miami [Florida]
and Phoenix [Arizona]. Only Charlotte, N.C. [North Carolina], stayed above
water, gaining less than 1 percent over the previous year." -By
J.W. Elphinstone -AP
via -SFGate.com
Alphonso
Jackson
- Criminal
- Corporate
- Government
- Housing
- Politics
- Texas
- Florida
- "HUD
Repeatedly Dismissed Staff Concerns About Contracts."
... "The small Texas property-management company had no experience overseeing
hundreds of defaulted homes across the country. It did have two former
[Republican President] Reagan administration officials at the helm and
warm relations with senior Republican appointees at the federal housing
agency." ... "During a few weeks in 2004, the three-employee company, Harrington,
Moran and Barksdale Inc. [Incorporated] (HMBI), went from no government
work to landing $71 million in contracts with the U.S. [United States]
Department of Housing and Urban Development to oversee the upkeep and sale
of defaulted homes. It had previously managed a handful of apartment buildings
and development projects." ... "The company's meteoric rise -- and HUD's
willingness to bend the rules to accommodate it -- surprised veteran agency
contracting specialist Gloria Freeman." ... ""After you've been in the
business awhile, you get to know the signs -- 'This is a friend; let's
help him out,' " she said in an interview. Not long after Freeman complained
to her supervisors, she was asked to return to her previous policy job."
... "Federal investigators are still sorting through HUD contract awards
to friends of [Republican President Bush's Housing & Urban Development]
Secretary Alphonso Jackson, who resigned last month amid a criminal probe.
But some career staff members and agency observers say problems in the
agency's contracting process run much deeper than Jackson and involve officials
who promoted certain companies while rebuffing concerns about their performance
and qualifications." ... "A Washington Post examination of HUD's contracts
shows that HMBI and two other companies won hundreds of millions of dollars
in contracts under Jackson while career contracting staff repeatedly raised
questions." ... "A Miami [Florida] property-management company, National
Housing Group, which contributed to President Bush's reelection and other
Republican campaigns, won $50 million in contracts from 2003 to 2007. Now,
its second in command [Wynee Joyner] has been indicted for allegedly falsifying
reimbursement requests to HUD. Regional staff members at the agency had
expressed concern about the company's small size and inexperience." ...
"Jackson faced criticism in 2006 after acknowledging that he took note
of political loyalties. He bragged in a Dallas [Texas] speech that he had
canceled a contract with a business owner who said he didn't like [Republican
President] Bush. "Why should I reward someone who doesn't like the president,
so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president?" Jackson
said. "Logic says they don't get the contract."" ... "Federal procurement
laws forbid basing decisions on political views." (1, 2,
3)
-By Carol D. Leonnig with contributions by Alice Crites
and Julie Tate -WashingtonPost
Mother's-Day
- Politics
- Women
- Parents
- Legislation
- Kan
- Fla
- "Republicans
Vote Against Moms; No Word Yet on Puppies, Kittens."
... "It was already shaping up to be a difficult year for congressional
Republicans. Now, on the cusp of Mother's Day, comes this: A majority of
the House GOP has voted against motherhood." ... "On Wednesday afternoon,
the House had just voted, 412 to 0, to pass H. Res. 1113, "Celebrating
the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals
of Mother's Day," when [Kansas Republican Representative] Rep. Todd Tiahrt
(R-Kan.), rose in protest." ... ""Mr. Speaker, I move to reconsider the
vote," he announced." ... "[Florida Democratic Representative] Rep. Kathy
Castor (D-Fla.), who has two young daughters, moved to table Tiahrt's request,
setting up a revote. This time, 178 Republicans cast their votes against
mothers." ... "It has long been the custom to compare a popular piece of
legislation to motherhood and apple pie. Evidently, that is no longer the
standard. Worse, Republicans are now confronted with a John Kerry-esque
predicament: They actually voted for motherhood before they voted against
it. " (1, 2)
-By Dana Milbank -WashingtonPost
Don
Young - 
Connie
Mack - Money
- Investigation
- Road
- Construction
- Florida
- Alaska
- Federal
- Law
- "‘Liar’
comment cranks up Coconut Road earmark controversy."
... "Two U.S. [United States] congressmen who spent a day touring Southwest
Florida roads three years ago — sharing the same car for a drive up Interstate
75, attending the same town hall meeting at Florida Gulf Coast University
and going to the same fund raising party in Estero [Florida] — are now
trading insults." ... "At issue is who deserves the blame for how and why
$10 million in a 2005 federal highway bill got assigned to a Coconut Road
[Fort Myers, Florida] interchange study after the $286.4 billion bill passed
Congress, but before the president signed it into law." ... "There’s now
a dispute over who’s telling the truth and who’s ducking between [Florida
Republican Representative] Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fort Myers, the congressman
who had invited a more senior house colleague to visit Lee County in February
of 2005, and [Alaska Republican Representative] Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska,
who took the floor of the House on Wednesday to defend his support for
the Coconut Road interchange study." ... "Young said he backed the project
because it was what people from the area told him they wanted, and those
were views he heard at Mack’s invitation." ... "“It was supported by the
congressman from that district,” Young said of the $10 million earmark
to study a new place to access the interstate. “And there’s letters to
back that up.”" -By Elizabeth Wright
-NaplesNews.com
Randall
Tobias - 
David
Vitter - Louisiana
- Florida
- Law
- "D.C.
Madam Found Dead of Apparent Suicide." ... "Florida
police are investigating the apparent suicide of the so-called D.C. Madam,
who was found dead in the Florida mobile home of the madam's mother Thursday."
... "The madam, Deborah Jeane Palfrey, was recently convicted on federal
charges stemming from operating a prostitution service in the Washington,
D.C. area with a number of high-profile clients. She was scheduled to be
sentenced July 24." ... "Several well-known men were reportedly clients
of her service, including former U.S. [United States] Agency for International
Development chief Randall Tobias and [Louisiana Republican Senator] Sen.
David Vitter, R-La[Republican-Louisiana]. Neither man was among the clients
called to testify at Palfrey's trial." (1, 2)
-By Justin Rood -ABCNEWS.com
Don
Young - Connie
Mack - Money
- Politics
- Law
- Alaska
- Michigan
- Florida
- Road
- Real
Estate - "Young
blasts Mack over Coconut Rd.." ... "[Alaska Republican
Representative] Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) on Wednesday defended changes
his staffers made to the notorious Coconut Road [in Florida] earmark, the
third time in a year he took to the House floor in an attempt to justify
one of his suspect pet projects." ... "Young also accused his GOP [GOP=Grand
Old Party=Republican] colleague, [Florida Republican Representative] Rep.
Connie Mack (Fla.[Florida]), of first supporting the earmark in 2005, and
then distancing himself from it once watchdogs and the media began raising
concerns." ... "Ethics watchdogs have raised red flags over the Lee County,
Fla., road project, the language of which was changed after that measure
passed the House and the Senate but before it reached the president’s desk.
Such a change may have violated House rules, which prohibit substantive
alterations to bills during the enrollment process, the formal procedure
in which a measure is recorded before it moves on to be signed by the president."
... "The earmark has been tainted by controversy. Lobbyist Rick Alcalde
represented both FGSU [Florida Gulf State University] as well as the company
owned by Daniel Aronoff, a real estate developer who owned 4,000 acres
along Coconut Road and helped organize a fundraiser for Young during one
of his visits to the area in 2005. Both entities requested the Coconut
Road earmark." ... "Young flew to FGSU for a town hall meeting in 2005
on a chartered plane owned by a Michigan company; the owner told the Naples
Daily News that the Aronoffs were among his biggest clients." ... "After
the town hall, Young went directly to a fundraiser at the Hyatt Coconut
Point, which Aronoff helped organize." ... "Young said Mack invited him
to the town hall meeting." ... "Young also posted documents and photos
on his website in an effort to demonstrate that Mack was deeply involved
in the earmark. In one letter in March 2006 to FGSU’s president, Mack supported
it." -By Susan Crabtree
-TheHill.com
Don
Young - Connie
Mack - Money
- Politics
- Real
Estate - Transportation
- Construction
- Florida
- Alaska
- History
- Federal
- Law
- Investigation-"Q&A:
Don Young and the Coconut Road controversy: EARMARK:
$10 million put in 2005 highway spending bill is coming back to haunt him."
... "Last week, the U.S. [United States] Senate voted to ask the Justice
Department to look into what happened in 2005 when Alaska's sole congressman
earmarked $10 million in unasked-for money to study a highway interchange
in southwest Florida." ... "The 64 to 28 vote was an unprecedented request
on the part of the Senate for a federal inquiry into the actions of a member
of the House of Representatives." ... "At the center of it all: Alaska
[Republican Representative] Rep. Don Young, who acknowledged responsibility
last week for the 2005 earmark, which shifted $10 million pledged to help
widen Interstate 75 to the interchange study. If built, the interchange
promised to benefit one of Young's campaign donors, a family friend whose
real estate company owned property nearby. The earmark was one of thousands
overseen by Young when he was responsible for pushing a multiyear highway
spending bill through Congress." ... "Young has maintained that there was
nothing wrong with what he did, and that the earmark was requested by the
community." ... "But Young is already the subject of a federal investigation,
and many questions remain about how the earmark showed up in the spending
bill -- after the House and Senate had already voted on an alternative
proposal." ... "The obscure Coconut Road earmark first came to the attention
of transportation planners in Lee County, Fla. [Florida], in 2006, when
they tried to figure out why they had received $10 million in federal money
for a study of an intersection that wasn't on their list of transportation
priorities." ... "The transportation board thought it was getting a $10
million earmark to go toward widening of Interstate 75. Instead, the money
was earmarked to the study of an interchange that improves freeway access
to land owned by real estate developer Daniel Aronoff." ... "In 2005, the
Alaska Republican oversaw the multiyear transportation bill, a $286.4 billion
spending plan for some of the biggest infrastructure projects across the
U.S. (The bill also included $452 million for the Gravina Island and Knik
Arm spans that came to be known as the bridges-to-nowhere.)" ... "Local
newspapers, including the Naples Daily News, picked up on the controversy,
and posed the question to Young, at the time the chairman of the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. In 2005, the Alaska Republican
oversaw the multiyear transportation bill, a $286.4 billion spending plan
for some of the biggest infrastructure projects across the U.S. (The bill
also included $452 million for the Gravina Island and Knik Arm spans that
came to be known as the bridges-to-nowhere.)" ... "Young refused to address
the issue. The story failed to draw national attention until The New York
Times wrote about it last spring. The article elaborated on the connections
between the developers seeking the earmark and a 2005 campaign fundraiser
Young attended in Bonita Springs, Fla., at the invitation of a local congressman,
[Florida Republican Representative] Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fla[Republican-Florida].
(The article also reported that when a Times reporter approached Young
to speak to him about it, the congressman "responded with an obscene gesture.")"
... "Those donating money -- about $40,000 total -- to Young included Aronoff,
whose family has long been friendly with Young. The earmark for the interchange
study showed up not long after the fundraiser." -By
Erika
Bolstad -McClatchy
via -ADN.com
Consumer
- Economy
- Nevada
- California
- Florida
- "Foreclosures
jump 57 percent in last 12 months." ... "Home foreclosure
filings surged 57 percent in the 12 month-period ended in March and bank
repossessions soared 129 percent from a year ago, as homeowners struggled
to make mortgage payments, real estate data firm RealtyTrac said on Tuesday."
... "For the month of March, foreclosure filings, default notices, auction
sale notices and bank repossessions rose 5 percent, led by Nevada, California
and Florida, RealtyTrac said." ... "The rise in March to filings on a total
of 234,685 properties followed a 4 percent decline in February, RealtyTrac
reported." ... "RealtyTrac said the peak has yet to be reached." (1, 2,
3)
-By Lynn Adler with contributions by Leslie Adler
-Reuters
American
- Women
- KBR
- Corporate
- Government
- Criminal
- Politics
- Military
- Iraq
- 
Afghanistan
- Florida
- Ohio
- Texas
- "U.S.
fails to move on Iraq sexual assault complaints."
... "While working in Iraq as a ''morale coordinator'' for a U.S. [United
States] government contractor, a Tampa [Florida] woman says, she was raped
by a drunken colleague who secured a key to her apartment from an unlocked
storage box." ... "That was in December 2005, and her attorney said he's
unaware of any criminal charges in the case." ... "The U.S. Justice Department
has the authority to prosecute, but she and at least three other women
who say they were assaulted complain of being trapped in legal limbo between
a military system that doesn't oversee the private contractors and a justice
system that appears unwilling to do so." ... "''American women are vulnerable
not only to assault, but to achieving justice,'' said [Florida Democratic
Senator] Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat who since December has been
pressing the [Republican President] Bush administration for answers over
the treatment of U.S. citizens sexually assaulted by contractors in Iraq
and Afghanistan." ... "''I'm in a war zone, and I have to worry about my
co-workers,'' said Mary Beth Kineston, an Ohio woman who drove a truck
in Iraq for Houston[Texas]-based military contractor KBR and said she was
raped by another driver." -By Lesley
Clark-MiamiHerald
via -McClatchyDC.com
Home-Prices
- History
- Seattle
- Washington
- Portland- Ore
- Nevada
- Florida
- Phoenix
- Arizona
- San
Diego - California
- Michigan
- NC
- "U.S.
home prices fall 10.7% in January, Seattle's drop 1.3%."
... "U.S. [United States] home prices fell 10.7 percent in January from
the same month last year, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller
home-price index of 20 cities, which saw the steepest decline in the two-decade
history of the index." ... "Seattle[Washington]-area home prices were among
the decliners, although the annual drop was a slight 1.3 percent. Only
Portland, Ore. [Oregon], posted a smaller annual decline, 0.5 percent."
... "Worst hit were Las Vegas [Nevada] and Miami [Florida], both reporting
19.3 percent drops, as the regions are still paying the price for rampant
speculation and overbuilding during the boom years. Those cities and 14
others — including Phoenix [Arizona], San Diego [California] and Detroit
[Michigan] — posted record lows." ... "Only Charlotte, N.C. [North Carolina],
squeaked by as a gainer in the Case-Shiller index, with a 1.8 percent increase
in January compared with a year earlier." -By Vinnee
Tong with contributions by Dan Caterinicchia
-AP via -SeattleTimes
2008
Election - Florida
- Michigan
- Colorado
- "Choice
of Democratic nominee may rest with panel: Convention's
Credentials Commitee could have to decide on Fla., Mich. delegates." ...
"There are 186 people in this country who ultimately could select the Democratic
presidential nominee." ... "Most of them do not know they'll soon wield
such power. They will be picked by their state parties or by the party's
national chairman to be on the Credentials Committee to the Democratic
National Convention. It's normally a political reward, but this year the
job could seem more like punishment." ... "If the dispute over what to
do about Florida and Michigan — whose Democratic primary results have not
been recognized by the party — is not settled by the time Democrats gather
in August in Denver [Colorado], the Credentials Committee will probably
make the call on what to do about delegates from the rogue states, which
defied the party by moving up their primary dates." ... "The committee
could decide whether those delegates are seated at the convention, and
to which candidate they are pledged." ... "The ultimate winner of the nomination
could ride on the outcome." ... "The 186 Democrats that will form the committee
will be chosen during the next several months. DNC Chairman Howard Dean
appoints 25 of them, which he has already done." ... "The others are elected
by the state parties, based on population." -By Aaron
Gould Sheinin -AJC
John
McCain
- Corporate
- Government- Politician
- Arizona
- Pennsylvania
- Ohio
- Florida
- Miss
- 
Trent
Lott - 2008
Election - "Lobbyist
to run McCain's Hill effort." ... "Presumptive [2008
Election] Republican presidential candidate [and Arizona Senator] Sen.
John McCain has engaged a leading GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican]
lobbyist to coordinate his message and travel schedule with congressional
Republicans —the most concrete sign yet that the biggest battleground in
the 2008 presidential race may not be Pennsylvania or Ohio or Florida’s
I-4 corridor but rather the floor of the United States Senate." ... "John
Green, a founding partner of what is now Ogilvy Government Relations, will
soon take a leave of absence from that firm to work as a full-time liaison
between McCain’s presidential campaign and Republicans in the House and
the Senate, according to GOP aides on Capitol Hill and McCain surrogates
downtown. Green, a Mississippi native, has strong ties in the Senate after
his years of work for [Mississippi Republican Senator and] former Senate
Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss. [Republican-Mississippi]), a vocal
McCain supporter who left Congress late last year to set up his own lobbying
shop." ... "Green is part of a small cadre of lobbyists who have met regularly
to help build support for McCain on Capitol Hill. The group, which includes
fellow Ogilvy partner [lobbyist] Wayne Berman, has been helping the senator
secure congressional endorsements in recent weeks to ensure he solidifies
his status as the GOP front-runner." -By Martin Kady
II and Patrick O'Connor -Politico.com
John
McCain
- Corporate
- Politician
- Government
- Television
- Media
- Communications
- Law
- Pennsylvania
- Arizona
- Florida
- 
Jet
- 
Vicki
Iseman - History
- 2008
Election - "McCain
Disputed On 1999 Meeting: Broadcaster Recalls Urging
FCC [Federal Communications Commission] Contact." ... "Broadcaster Lowell
"Bud" Paxson yesterday contradicted statements from [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain's presidential
campaign that the senator did not meet with Paxson or his lobbyist before
sending two controversial letters to the Federal Communications Commission
on Paxson's behalf." ... "Paxson said he talked with McCain in his Washington
office several weeks before the Arizona Republican wrote the letters in
1999 to the FCC urging a rapid decision on Paxson's quest to acquire a
Pittsburgh [Pennsylvania] television station." ... "Paxson also recalled
that his lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, likely attended the meeting in McCain's
office and that Iseman helped arrange the meeting. "Was Vicki there? Probably,"
Paxson said in an interview with The Washington Post yesterday. "The woman
was a professional. She was good. She could get us meetings."" ... "The
recollection of the now-retired Paxson conflicted with the account provided
by the McCain campaign about the two letters at the center of a controversy
about the senator's ties to Iseman, a partner at the lobbying firm of Alcalde
& Fay." ... "The McCain campaign said Thursday that the senator had
not met with Paxson or Iseman on the matter. "No representative of Paxson
or Alcalde and Fay personally asked Senator McCain to send a letter to
the FCC regarding this proceeding," the campaign said in a statement."
... "But Paxson said yesterday, "I remember going there to meet with him."
He recalled that he told McCain: "You're head of the Commerce Committee.
The FCC is not doing its job. I would love for you to write a letter.""
... "The two letters he wrote to the FCC in 1999 while he was chairman
of the Senate Commerce Committee produced a rash of criticism and a written
rebuke from the then-FCC chairman, who called McCain's intervention "highly
unusual."" ... "On [1999 Novemeber] Nov. 17, McCain sent a letter to FCC
Chairman William E. Kennard saying, "I write today to express my concern
about the Commission's continuing failure to act" on the three-station
deal involving Paxson." ... "McCain had flown on Paxson's corporate jet
four times to appear at [2000 Election] campaign events and had received
$28,000 in campaign donations from Paxson and its law firm." ... "The second
letter came on Dec. 10, a day after the company's jet ferried McCain to
a Florida fundraiser aboard a yacht in West Palm Beach, Fla. [Florida.]
The fundraiser was arranged by Hector Alcalde of Alcalde & Fay and
was hosted by a cruise line that Alcalde had represented, Paxson said.
Paxson said he attended the fundraiser." (1, 2,
3)
-By James V. Grimaldi and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum with
contributions by Alice Crites -WashingtonPost
John
McCain
- Corporate
- Politics
- Television
- Media
- Communications
- Jet
- Vicki
Iseman - Arizona
- Pennsylvania
- Florida
- 2008
Election - "A
Hole in McCain’s Defense? An apparent contradiction
in his response to lobbyist story." ... "A sworn deposition that [2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John
McCain gave in a lawsuit more than five years ago appears to contradict
one part of a sweeping denial that his campaign issued this week to rebut
a New York Times story about his ties to a Washington lobbyist." ... "On
Wednesday night the Times published a story suggesting that McCain might
have done legislative favors for the clients of the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman,
who worked for the firm of Alcalde & Fay. One example it cited were
two letters McCain wrote in late 1999 demanding that the Federal Communications
Commission act on a long-stalled bid by one of Iseman's clients, Florida-based
Paxson Communications, to purchase a Pittsburgh [Pennsylvania] television
station." ... "Just hours after the Times's story was posted, the McCain
campaign issued a point-by-point response that depicted the letters as
routine correspondence handled by his staff—and insisted that McCain had
never even spoken with anybody from Paxson or Alcalde & Fay about the
matter. "No representative of Paxson or Alcalde & Fay personally asked
Senator McCain to send a letter to the FCC [Federal Communications Commission],"
the campaign said in a statement e-mailed to reporters." ... "But that
flat claim seems to be contradicted by an impeccable source: McCain himself.
"I was contacted by Mr. Paxson on this issue," McCain said in the Sept.
25, 2002, deposition obtained by NEWSWEEK. "He wanted their approval very
bad for purposes of his business. I believe that Mr. Paxson had a legitimate
complaint."" ... "While McCain said "I don't recall" if he ever directly
spoke to the firm's lobbyist about the issue [during the 2002 deposition]—an
apparent reference to Iseman, though she is not named—"I'm sure I spoke
to [Paxson]." McCain agreed that his letters on behalf of Paxson, a campaign
contributor, could "possibly be an appearance of corruption"—even though
McCain denied doing anything improper." ... "McCain's subsequent letters
to the FCC—coming around the same time that Paxson's firm was flying the
senator to campaign events aboard its corporate jet and contributing $20,000
to his campaign—first surfaced as an issue during his unsuccessful 2000
presidential bid. William Kennard, the FCC chair at the time, described
the sharply worded letters from McCain, then chairman of the Senate Commerce
Committee, as "highly unusual."" (1, 2)
-By Michael Isikoff -Newsweek
John
McCain
- Vicki
Iseman - Corporate
- Government
- Television
Stations - Media
- Communications
- Law
- Politics
- Jet
- Travel
- History
- Arizona
- Florida
- Pennsylvania
- 2008
Election - "McCain:
Reports on lobbyist a "smear"." ... "The story alleges
that McCain wrote letters and pushed legislation involving television station
ownership that would have benefited [lobbyist Vicki] Iseman's clients."
... "In late 1999, [Arizona Republican Senator and 2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate John] McCain twice wrote letters to the Federal
Communications Commission on behalf of Florida-based Paxson Communications
- which had paid Iseman as its lobbyist - urging quick consideration of
a proposal to buy a television station license in Pittsburgh [Pennsylvania].
At the time, Paxson's chief executive, Lowell W. "Bud" Paxson, also was
a major contributor to McCain's 2000 presidential campaign." ... "McCain
did not urge the FCC commissioners to approve the proposal, but he asked
for speedy consideration of the deal, which was pending from two years
earlier. In an unusual response, then-FCC Chairman William Kennard complained
that McCain's request "comes at a sensitive time in the deliberative process"
and "could have procedural and substantive impacts on the commission's
deliberations and, thus, on the due process rights of the parties."" ...
"McCain wrote the letters after he received more than $20,000 in contributions
from Paxson executives and lobbyists. Paxson also lent McCain his company's
jet at least four times during 1999 for campaign travel." -By
Libby Quaid -AP
via -Star-Telegram.com
John
McCain - US
- Iraq
- Military
- Media
- 2008
Election
- Arizona
- Fla
- Calif
- "McCain
Overstates His Criticisms Of Rumsfeld." ... "As he
gets closer to the Republican nomination, [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain has been trying to balance
his unqualified support for the Iraq war by reminding audiences that he
was also a tough critic of how it was managed until [Republican] President
Bush finally changed strategies a year ago. In recent weeks, McCain has
gone so far as to tell audiences that he was "the only one" who called
for Donald H. Rumsfeld's resignation as defense secretary." ... "The trick
is that he never did, at least not publicly." ... "While campaigning in
Fort Myers, Fla. [Florida], on Jan. [January] 26, he told a crowd: "In
the conflict that we're in, I'm the only one that said we have to abandon
the Rumsfeld strategy -- and Rumsfeld -- and adopt a new strategy." Four
days later during a debate at the [Republican] Ronald Reagan Presidential
Library in Simi Valley, Calif., [California] aired on CNN, McCain said,
"I'm the only one that said that Rumsfeld had to go."" ... "A McCain spokesman
acknowledged this week that that was not correct. "He did not call for
his resignation," said the campaign's Brian Rogers." ... "McCain's false
account has been unwittingly incorporated into the narrative he is selling
by some news organizations, including The Washington Post." -By
Peter Baker -WashingtonPost
John
McCain - 
Mitt
Romney - Money
- Immigration
- Ethanol
- Religious
- Abortion
- Law
- Fla
- 2008
Election - Media
- "Dancing
With GOP Stars: McCain, Romney Do Flip-Flop Waltz."
... "The record shows that [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate
Mitt] Romney and [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John]
McCain have both changed their positions on taxes, immigration and other
issues that are important to GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] voters.
Romney's changes have garnered more attention, raising questions about
his core convictions, but McCain has changed his stances more often than
he is usually prepared to admit." ... "Speaking in Jacksonville, Fla. [Florida],
McCain sarcastically praised Romney: "He's consistently taken both sides
of any major issue. He has consistently flip-flopped on every issue.""
... "Romney shot back that McCain was "against the Bush tax cuts" but "now
he's for making them permanent." And "he was for McCain-Kennedy" immigration
reform, Romney continued. "Now he's for a new program on immigration. He's
changed his view on issue after issue. He was against ethanol, then for
it, then against it again."" ... "Romney supporters argue that McCain's
flip-flops have largely been under the public radar because they conflict
with the "straight shooter" narrative that they say has been accepted and
promoted by the media. McCain has altered his position on such issues as
taxes, immigration, the religious right,
Roe v. Wade [the Supreme
Court case legalizing abortion] and ethanol." ... "The senator has sought
to disguise his flip-flop on the [Republican President] Bush tax cuts by
arguing that the main reason he opposed them was that they were not accompanied
by cuts in government spending. This was not the explanation he gave at
the time, however. In a May 2001 speech on the Senate floor, he said he
could not "in good conscience support a tax cut in which so many of the
benefits go to the most fortunate among us, at the expense of middle-class
Americans who most need tax relief."" -By Michael
Dobbs -WashingtonPost
Mitt
Romney
- John
McCain
- 
Rudy
Giuliani
- US
- Iraq
- Military
- 2008
Election - Massachusetts
- Florida
- Arizona
- New
York
- Florida
- "Romney
Accuses McCain of 'Dirty Tricks': Romney Accuses
McCain of Resorting to 'Dirty Tricks' Over Iraq Timetable Issue in Debate."
... "Republican [2008 Election Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney accused
[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain of using
dirty tricks by suggesting the former Massachusetts governor wanted a deadline
for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, in a spirited debate Wednesday night
that underscored the intensity of their presidential rivalry." ... "Coming
24 hours after McCain defeated him in Florida, Romney vented his frustrations
over the Arizona senator's claims from last weekend." ... ""I have never,
ever supported a specific timetable" for withdrawing troops, Romney said.
McCain's accusation on the eve of Tuesday's primary, he said, "sort of
falls into the dirty tricks that I think [Republican President] Ronald
Reagan would have found reprehensible."" ... "Former New York City [New
York] Mayor Rudy Giuliani left the race earlier Wednesday [after losing
Florida to McCain]] and endorsed McCain." (1, 2,
3)
-By Liz Sidoti -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
Florida
- 2008
Election - Voting
Machines - "Florida
Primary voters reporting problems at polls: One voter
was told by poll workers there was no Democratic primary today." ... "On
Florida Primary day [2008 Election], voters are reporting problems across
Central Florida from Daytona Beach to Hunter's Creek. Among the precincts
experiencing glitches was one in Orange County where voters were told by
poll workers early on there was no Democratic primary today." ... "Phil
Marjason said poll workers at precinct 145 in Hunter's Creek would not
give him a Democratic ballot." ... ""I thought it was plain wrong," he
said. "We need to get Florida straightened out."" ... "Election officials
noticed a four-vote discrepancy between the number of ballots signed for
and the number of ballots cast at the Daytona Beach City Island early voting
site. The vote count came up one vote shy on Jan. 23 and three votes shy
on Jan. 26," ... ""Apparently the machine failed to count the four votes
the first time," McFall said." -By Robert Perez
-OrlandoSentinel.com
Mitt
Romney
- John
McCain
- Economy
- US
- Iraq
- Military
- 2008
Election - Florida
- Massachusetts
- Arizona
- "Romney
Slams McCain On Economy, Climate Bill." ... "After
predicting a Florida victory in front of a raucous, heavily Latino crowd,
[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney told members
of the media that [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John
McCain’s interpretation of Romney’s past remarks on Iraq timetables were
“obviously false” and “yesterday’s news.” The former Massachusetts governor
then changed the subject by rehashing some of McCain’s past comments, which
seemed to disparage the Arizona senator’s own understanding of economic
policy." ... "“I simply don’t think that the people of Florida are gonna
say the nominee of our party ought to be a person who on more than one
occasion has expressed lack of understanding of our economy at a time when
the economy is the number one issue that people are talking about here
in the state of Florida,” Romney said." -By Scott
Conroy -CBSNews
Mitt
Romney
- John
McCain
- US
- Iraq
- Military
- 2008
Election - Florida
- Arizona
- Massachusetts
- "Republican
Candidates Trade Attacks in Florida." ... "[2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John
McCain of Arizona accused [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate
and] former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney of having once supported
a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq, sparking an angry demand for an apology
from Romney, who called the statement "dishonest."" ... "Romney, who said
in April the military should consider a "private timetable" but not public
deadlines, shot back: "That's dishonest, to say that I have a specific
date. That's simply wrong . . . I know he's trying desperately to change
the topic from the economy and trying to get back to Iraq, but to say something
that's not accurate is simply wrong and he knows better."" ... "Later,
Romney added that McCain's comment on Iraq is "simply wrong and it's dishonest,
and he should apologize."" (1, 2)
-By Michael D. Shear and Juliet Eilperin
-WashingtonPost
AmericasLibrary.GOV - via America's Library GOV: A Spanish Expedition Established St. Augustine in Florida September 8, 1565
Did you know that the oldest continually occupied city in the United States is in the state of Florida? On September 8, 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés landed on the shore of what is now called Matanzas Bay and began the founding of the Presidio of San Agustin. Later the settlement would be called St. Augustine, Florida. Built on the site of an ancient Native American village, and near the place where Ponce de Leon, the European discoverer of Florida, landed in 1513 in search of the legendary Fountain of Youth, it has been continually inhabited since its founding.
Menéndez de Avilés named San Agustin for St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo, Algeria, upon whose feast day he had sighted the coast. The city was to serve important functions for the Spanish Empire, defending the primary trade route to Europe along the Atlantic Ocean's main west to east current, called the Gulf Stream. As the territorial capital, St. Augustine would also defend the Spanish-claimed land against invasion.
In 1672, the Queen ordered a stronger fort be built to replace a wooden fort, which had proved vulnerable to pirate attack. This new one, made of shell stone, consisting of walls 30 feet high and 12 feet thick, and surrounded by a moat, was made to last. And last it did.
St. Augustine was ruled by the Spanish for 256 years and the British for 20. The United States acquired the old Castillo in 1821, and renamed it Fort Marion in 1825. The fort has had a colorful history. It was plundered by sea raider Sir Francis Drake, provided a refuge for Loyalists to the British king during the American Revolution, was used as a prison during the Indian wars, and was a battle site in the American Civil War.
Recognizing the amazing history of the grim, massive fort, once a symbol of Spanish power, and the oldest standing fort in the continental United States, the U.S. government made it a National Park in 1933. Its original name was restored in 1942. Today, the city of St. Augustine, Florida, and the Castillo de San Marcos provide a glimpse at the panorama of 450 years of exploration, settlement, and war in North America.
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