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 8^th 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