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Rally in Tally Epiphany!
Rally In Tally Epiphany!
Getting up at 2am to take a bus ride to your state capitol is not likely a top 10 item on most people’s list of “things to do”. However, March 8th thousands of Floridians did just that. In the parking lot of a local Target we met early Tuesday morning to head to our capitol for the opening day of the legislative session.
We stopped in MacClenny to pick up more patriots for the journey. Despite the early morning hour, everyone was energized and ready to participate as engaged and informed citizens.
We arrived in Tallahassee and found more patriots waiting for the doors of the capitol building to open. Once the doors opened we filed in through security and began looking for the offices of our representatives and committee rooms. What a great site, patriots recognizing that it is essential to be engaged in the process and, with our elected officials, complacency is not an option.
On the other hand, this was an eye opening experience. I am a mom, grandmother, and veteran. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought there were people out there that would choose to ignore reason and pragmatism. This is exactly what I encountered during our trip to Tallahassee.
As the time for the noon rally drew near, our group decided to head out of the capitol building to get something to eat. Inside the capitol the principles of our constitution - fairness, reason and civility - prevailed. Outside the capitol we found a very different picture. Across the street the “Awake the State” rally was going on. The walk to a sandwich shop offered an opportunity to speak to some of these individuals. I stopped to speak to a man holding a sign that stated “Florida is Drowning in Tea” and he stated that Governor Scott was destroying the middle class by offering tax breaks to the wealthy. I tried to explain to him that tax breaks for companies would bring jobs to Florida and help all Floridians. He again repeated his talking point, so I asked him “Who creates jobs?” and, with that, he turned and went back to the other side of the street.
While this gentleman crossed to the other side of the street another one, Danny Gordon, was behind us listening to our conversation. I turned around and introduced myself and he did as well. Mr. Gordon stated he was against Governor Scott because he did not have a car and wanted the high-speed rail to go through. I conveyed that the majority of Americans prefer their cars and a train system would end up under utilized and heavily subsidized by taxpayers. He cited mass transit in foreign countries and I used the analogy of a “balance sheet” with assets and liabilities to demonstrate the negative impact of such a project. After a lengthy and courteous conversation we shook hands and wished each other well and I joined my group at the sandwich shop.
Afterwards, we headed back to the capitol and found the “Awake the State” rally had grown both in size and in anger. As none of us wished to create confrontation we found it best just to head to the “patriot” rally. Unlike our sentiments of remaining civil and recognizing the right of all points of view, the other rally participants felt it necessary to have presence in our group. The “Florida is Drowning in Tea” individual was quite vocal and unfortunately one of our patriots felt it necessary to engage. Immediately news photographers focused their cameras on the altercation, which was getting loud. I walked up to the patriots, rested my hand on their back and asked firmly, “May I step in?” and the patriot’s backed away to let me speak to the “agitators.” I asked one of them, a teacher, why she was protesting and she stated, “Governor Scott is stealing from teachers” as this is what her sign stated. She said that she did not steal money from the pension fund so why should she have to pay into it now. The wealthy citizens of Florida should be responsible for paying the increased liabilities. I asked her why is it not fair to ask public sector employees to contribute to their pensions. She replied that it is unfair because 5% of the people in the country possess 90% of the wealth. I stated that almost 50% of Americans pay no taxes, therefore, are already being subsidized by those who do pay income tax. She replied that my ideology has misrepresented facts. I responded by asking her to verify this on the IRS website and she stated it is probably skewed to look that way. She also added that she, as a teacher of 28 years, pays more income tax than Governor Scott. She guarantees that! I stated that facts and statistics on government websites disprove her views. It is at this time we agreed to part on friendly terms rather than get into an unproductive argument.
In short, this trip to Tallahassee provided an education I could not have received from any institution or book. Although I rely on facts to both support and counter views, pragmatic discussion to discover and exchange ideas, and love of country to share in the gift we have in America, I learned that there exists in our country a danger far greater than any war or invasion and it is the distortion of our education system. The mindset of the wealth redistribution group does not recognize reason or facts and this, my fellow patriots, is our GREATEST DANGER. If I had said to one of these individuals that the sky is blue and it did not coincide with their beliefs, despite the physical representation of the fact, they would say it is my ideology, my misrepresentation of facts, or my attempt to change their mind. Sadly, there is no foundation to even open a dialogue with such individuals.
My request, to all patriots, is to get involved in what is being taught in our schools at all grade levels – from elementary to doctorate degrees - and who is doing the teaching and PRAY!
God Bless America
Views: 59
Comment
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Comment by Butch Holman on March 10, 2011 at 12:56pm
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Allright,
Why don't we travel back to the time of (Peanut Head Carter) and NOT create the Department of Energy in 1977, Not create the Department of Education in 1979. We can't do that so let's Abolish both of them. We now have another Department of Energy under Obama. Look up the Department of energy that Carter created and see how much it still costs to this day, then look at Obama's Department and you know what that is going to cost if it isn't defunded. Now, look at the Total Mess we are in with Public schools and their Unions. I think that we should go back to States running their own State School Systems. School was fun back when I walked a couple of blocks to Elementry and Junior High School. In Senior High School, we had Driver's Licenses and drove to school. We need to get back to that kind of system.
Butch Holman
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Comment by Roy G Callahan on March 10, 2011 at 12:50pm
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Beautifully said. Thank you so much for saying it. I've fought the education battle with my legislators for years. Larry Cretul, our former speaker, was also my representtative in the Florida House. He gave a lot of lip service but nothing changed. Ignorance and indoctrination as opposed to education reigns supreme in our public school system. In order to accomplish real change the system that we are forced to give our children too every day has to change. Until that happens, this country is forced into a holding pattern.
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Comment by Kurt D Wullenweber on March 10, 2011 at 12:48pm
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Steve, I think we are discussing two phases of the same plan. Eric and I would much prefer no checks, no tax, no public supported school systems, but that is a long way off, if we ever accomplish it. In the mean time, at least issue vouchers so that parents can choose which way their children are educated with the money being taken from the tax payers in the name of education.
We need some way to examine and weed out many, many services that the tax payers don't need or want and in which the government, at any level, has no business being involved.
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Comment by William Horne on March 10, 2011 at 12:32pm
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First rally for me, had a great time. What a great group of people.
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Comment by Eric Ingram on March 10, 2011 at 12:23pm
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Hi Steve,
While I had rather not "fund Madrasses", choice is choice. There are Christians of all denominations who would given a reasonable choice would send their children to a parochial school of their choosing. I would far prefer that the government was out of the education business altogether! My point is that I want as close as possible to a free market solution. If we are taxed, then we should be given some degree of choice and control. If you read the textbook examples you will find that to some degree or another Islam is being promoted over Christianity without Madrases... Which is worse? Open choice, or subtle and inexorable indoctrination?
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Sorry, Steve, but no one is "looking for a check." WE are paying the checks, we want control of where and how OUR money is spent.
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Fantastic post!
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No John, I am perfectly prepared to pay for my own choices. As long as NO public money is spent on the school system. My point is that my wife and I are weary of funding a system which is hell bent on teaching values which are inconsistent with ours and to some degree politically indoctrinating our children. What I said was that IF we are going to tax and fund for education then parents should be given a choice of what kind of education their children will receive rather than being at the mercy of the teachers union and politicians in Tallahassee. Should we be taxed to fund a system which is incompatible with our values and then also pay out of pocket to send our children to a private school? I understand fully the concept of not being able to have ones cake and eat it as well. The concept I am struggling to convey is that of "He who pays the piper calls the tune"...
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@John Stephenson - Eric wants HIS education TAX money to go to the school of his choice, so that HE controls WHAT and WHERE his children are taught. There is no such thing as government money. Stop taxing us all for the government school system and parents will be happy to pay to educate their children at a place of their choosing. If the government is going to continue to tax ALL of us to educate children of the community, then let parents decide where to send their children. As in every other aspect of life, if there were no government run schools, education would be far superior and far cheaper than today. I remember back when the government had no medicare or medicaid and we also had no healthcare crisis. You paid the doctor and the drugstore and had insurance only for hospital visits.
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Comment by JL Gawlik on March 10, 2011 at 11:37am
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Excellent post, i am in awe of how you debated the opposition with facts. I have seen this mind set also, they are talking points posted by unions and progressive liberals on the internet and on many of their web sites.
I think like Billie stated in her visit to DC, that communication is the key and just stick to the facts and truths. People are becoming aware every where and even as disheartening as it was far you to encounter the mistruths and twisted facts, we need to get out the truth and bring to the light for all to examine and think about. I do not believe the average person does not question what you were told, or that they would not investigate the facts when presented with such statements, i believe that the majority of people want the truth and the facts. Unfortunately the last one being a school teacher is surround by those constant comments from her union. The young man, is impressed with the "European socialist life style" which is bankrupting those countries. Even in Switzerland or Sweden, i can not remember which country, they pay almost 70% of their income into taxes and the government literally provides health care from cradle to grave and retirements, etc., but at what costs? And that country is so small when compared to our country, making the size of government smaller and probably less prone to corruption, waste and fraud.
Great report. Hopefully your civil discussion with the opposition, made them stop and think about the truth of it all.
Thank you so much for sharing your visit in Tally.
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