During her interview with Joe Biden on CBS Evening News’ September 22 broadcast, Katie Couric was so busy swooning over Stuttering Joe, she never listened to what he said; or if she did, she forgot she was a reporter.  Couric joined Biden on his Time for Change bus looking like he had just found her slipper at the ball.  The following is an excerpt from that interview, which I had to play back three times to make sure I wasn’t missing something important.  I wasn’t.

COURIC:  We were with him last Thursday during one of the rockiest weeks in history for the U.S. Economy.  Something that wasn’t lost of the six term Senator.

BIDEN:  Part of what a leader does is to instill confidence, is demonstrate that he/she knows what they are talking about and communicates to people; if you listen to me and follow what I am suggesting, we can fix this.  And when the Stock Market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on television and didn’t just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed;  he said, “Look, here’s what happened.”

“Part of what a leader does is to instill confidence.”  Joe you just are not instilling too much confidence here, especially if the confidence you are trying to instill is demonstrating that you “know what [you] are talking about.”  The Stock Market Crashed on October 28, 1929. The President was Herbert Hoover.  Roosevelt was still Governor of New York.  Roosevelt didn’t begin his campaign for president until after his reelection to the Governor’s seat in 1930.

“Franklin Roosevelt got on television and…said, ‘Look, here’s what happened.’”  Only trouble with this is that television was barely even invented in 1929, and as late as 1936 there were only about 200 sets in use worldwide.  The first presidential message via television was in 1939, ten years later, by then President Roosevelt at the 1939 World’s Fair.

So who really cares about the facts anyway? Not Joe.  He has a hard time just keeping straight the details of his upbringing; his blue-collar dad with the white-collar job.  To veteran journalists like Katie Couric such gaffes, or just plain embellishments, should stand out like a sore thumb.  However, she is nothing more than an entertainer jumping on the Obama bandwagon without question.  And that is ok. Just don’t try to pass it off as journalism.

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Beth Dillaha is staging a take-over of the City.  A slow disintegration of democracy she calls representing the People.  The latest usurpation of power will be rolled out on Monday when Dillaha once again acts as the reigning queen of the OneWinterPark ruling class to sabotage the People’s referendum on Commuter Rail.  The OneWinterPark ruling class did not approve of commuter rail for the City, a fact they made very clear at their website. (Which now reads “Under Construction”.)

Beth Dillaha is a pretty face being controlled by an ugly group.  A quick check of her qualifications in fiduciary responsibility, as listed at her website, are:  member of the Parks and Rec Board, the first qualification she lists apparently having considered it the most important; member of Keep Winter Park Beautiful and Chairman of the Tree Preservation Board; she initiated the Neighborhood reLeaf Project; president of the Forrest Hills Neighborhood Association; served on the city’s Code Enforcement Board; has a business degree from Ohio State University; and, worked in sales, marketing, and management.  OneWinterPark’s outspoken president Guy Colado, however, is CEO and President of Commerce National Bank and Trust.

The scare tactics Ms. Dillaha brings up to justify termination of our agreements to support commuter rail were discussed ad nauseam in CR meetings prior to the item being placed on the ballot.  OWP’s own website offered many of these arguments against CR.  In 2006 OWP was frightened that the voters may have the opportunity to speak directly to the CR decision.  “Good decisions are made based upon knowledge and the facts.  We are gathering the information as it comes in and it is our goal to communicate this to you.  Let’s make sure we, the citizens of Winter Park, make an informed, forward-thinking and educated decision.  There is a strong possibility you, the voters, will be making this decision.  We urge you to be informed.”

More than a strong possibility, the vote was a fact!  OWP informed the voters, and they elected to go forward with CR despite the objections of these anti-growth activists.  It is Ms. Dillaha’s duty to support the voters’ decision to make CR happen.  Government is notorious for project overruns and every voter knows that.  If the project fails, and I highly suspect that it will, the opt out in 2017 leaves us none the worse for the wear.  If it succeeds, then the voters were right, and the City needs to continue support for the Will of the People.

If Ms. Dillaha goes forward with towing the OWP line and attempts to terminate the Will of the People, it is nothing short of tyranny.  The People have spoken on CR, and unless they speak to the contrary, it is a “done deal.”  If Ms. Dillaha continues to push the issue, other than support for a new referendum, the next expression from the People should be for a recall vote for Ms. Dillaha’s seat.  Personal and Lobbyist agendas must take a back seat to the voice of the citizens, who can speak no more clearly on an issue than through a referendum.

Let it be said that the DogHouse is no fan of CR.  I believe it has more downs than ups.  Many will disagree, and in fact did during the election.  But the risk is low in order to aim for progress and plan for the future.  The policy of making our City an elitist locale where outsiders are not welcome, business is discouraged, and the needs of the select few are all that matters, will not work.  The results of the first year of this outrage are already being felt, and no amount of park land is going to make it better.  They tyranny must stop, or the tyrants must leave.

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Well, it appears the honeymoon may be over for Barack and the media; and there is rumor of another woman. I am absolutely amazed at how quickly the news media has turned off Obama to chase after all-American girl Sarah Palin. Jealous Democrats have, according to WSJ’s John Fund have “‘airdropped’ an army of 30 attorneys, investigators and opposition researchers into Alaska to dig into Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s record and background.”

Republicans seem to welcome the scrutiny, as well they should, but, losing the media pass that has been given to Obama could serve to hurt his campaign at this late stage. RealClearPolitics reports that overall McCain is ahead in the polls by 2 points, 47% to 45%; albeit this remains a statistical tie, if the media were to actually begin a closer scrutiny of Senator Obama, that spread could continue to increase.

We will continue to watch closely the battleground state of Pennsylvania where Obama is still up by 4 points; a significant lead in a state he previously disrespected with his comments about guns and religion. Tuesday’s comment about a pig wearing lipstick was widely reported by the media as a slam on Palin; Obama assures us it was not. Their campaign has said that it is an expression used in many a political campaign, and that the media is using it to distract from the message; like a fly in the milk maybe?

Of course it is a distraction, and a slam on Palin. I would like seeing both campaigns stick to the issues and let me make up my mind based upon their approach to solving the current problems. I know what my issues are, I don’t need the campaign telling me how things are, but how they will help me by correcting them, or maintaining the life that I enjoy. Everyone in this race is qualified to be there. Party ideas differ in approach, and I have to decide which would best benefit me and others about whom I care. The media owes me the truth, the facts, and a fair presentation. Perhaps now that another woman has caught their eye they can be more candid about what color the grass is on both sides of the fence.

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There was more class in the first day of the Republican National Conventions, than in the entire week of the Obama Rocks World Tour Kickoff.  Just to observe the meager decorations and conservative decorum of the proceedings restored my faith in the solemn proceedings that was the tradition established by our Forefathers.  The people, despite interesting garb representative of their homelands, were consistently reverent both to God and to the historical nature of the event to which they were selected to attend. 

The Republican stage was properly subdued, as were the participants during the first day’s business.  A single, albeit large, screen serves as the speaker’s back drop.  The largesse of the Democrat convention’s many screens and elaborate stage set spoke to an elite America that few, like music and movie stars, will ever realize.  On the other hand, the Republican stage set was simple, yet efficient and more akin to what average Sunday mega-church goers would experience and in many cases would participate.

As I watched the participants during the Democrat Convention, I paid particular attention to the crowds during the prayers and benedictions.  Pastors and religious leaders from many faiths were asked to offer prayers during the gathering.  Not once did I see anything but the bare minimum of participants with their head bowed in respect and solemn acknowledgement of the God to whom they petitioned by proxy from the guest parson.  The attendees were looking around, talking, or using cell phones, almost anything but praying. 

During the first Republican prayer, the camera panned the room, but was unable to find anyone who was not bowed reverently; many of them with hands clasped, or hats removed to a place of honor over their heart.  It is this respect for God, or for the feelings of their fellow countrymen who do want to worship through prayer, that is what makes the Republican Party stand out in their promotion of people above government; people who care, people who understand, and people who respect individual rights.

What a class act seeing Laura Bush and Cindy McCain deflect the spotlight from themselves, as they often do, to shine that light on the people who are in need throughout the Gulf Coast.  They appealed not for the Government to provide help, but for us, the People to provide relief through our abundant blessings.  There is no doubt that Cindy McCain has always been proud of this Country.

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The word is ethics not ethnic.  That of course, is for the benefit of Ethics Board Chairman Barry Greenstein, who is apparently having some problems differentiating.  In the last Ethics Board meeting, Greenstein was incensed by the Mayor’s appointment of Pitt Warner as an alternate to the Board.  Greenstein, it appears, had specifically ordered an African-American that the Mayor had apparently failed to deliver.  Mr. Greenstein rebuffed Mayor Strong’s appointment saying he had never “even heard of Mr. Warner.”  Newsflash Barry; you are the Chairman of the Committee appointed by the same Mayor that appointed Mr. Warner. It is not your choice.

Mr. Greenstein remained out of bounds saying that he wanted an African-American on the Board.  He quizzed staff personnel about how many applications had been received in the week leading up to this meeting.  When told there were none, he persisted saying, “Are you sure?  I was told there were two or three applications at City Hall.  There was a door-knocking effort on the West Side to get an alternate since the last Commission meeting.”  A door-knocking campaign?  Greenstein’s Selective Service is on a mission to draft an African-American.  “I’ve fought for affirmative action for many years, and we need diversity.”

It was inappropriate for Mr. Greenstein to even bring this up at the ethics board meeting.  Mr. Greenstein was heard at the City Commission meeting on July 28.  Although everyone agreed that diversity on the committee was important, Mayor Strong said, “he appreciates someone who volunteers to serve without being convinced.”  We agree.  Mr. Warner was appointed by the Mayor, and the Commission followed suit approving his appointment 4-1. 

During the previous meeting, the Ethics Board voted unanimously to encourage a minority appointment. Mr. Greenstein appeared to get utterly irritated when told by staff that the Mayor was trying to select people who had an application on file and met the deadlines.  Mr. Greenstein said that maybe they need a quota of selected and nominated board members.  None of these matters should be the concern of Mr. Greenstein, nor the Ethics Board as a whole. 

It certainly appears that Mr. Greenstein has a very personal agenda, and is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish that agenda.  Reminiscent of another recent politician who was the only one to support Greenstein’s position in the July 28 Commission meeting, Beth Dillaha; it should also be noted that Greenstein picked up support for his position from Margie Bridges.  Mr. Greenstein’s single overwhelming issue is campaign finance reform, citing too much money in politics.  Good start, but simply reducing the money in politics does not reduce the inappropriate influences, and it creates an unethical advantage for incumbents.

There are many other ethical problems in Winter Park politics aside from campaign finances.  Recent information received at the DogHouse reported seeing Commissioners Bridges, Anderson, and Dillaha (B.A.D.) meeting with a OneWinterPark member who is overseeing the changes to the Comp Plan at Palmano’s on Park Avenue while exchanging paperwork.  B.A.D. commissioners meeting together on City Business would be a major Sunshine violation; however, they are so confident they can act with impunity that they meet on the very public Park Avenue. 

Mr. Greenstein follows their lead of impunity with his Draconian rule over the Ethics Board.  He insists on recording the names of each person that attends the Ethics board meeting.  No better way of discouraging participation in Government.  Not everyone wants their names on the public record. This was certainly the case in the August 6 meeting where nearly everyone in attendance was a OWPer.  Mr. Greenstein, until a member of the public (remember they are the people you serve) decide to make comments on the record, their anonymity should be respected.  The public has a right to view their government in action without intimidation.

Mr. Greenstein is supposed to be running an ethics board, which establishes rules and procedures that ensure the actions of our elected officials are above reproach.  Yet even he can’t follow the existing rules established for appointing members to the board when the choice runs counter to his agenda.  We praise Mayor Strong for sticking to his convictions on Mr. Warner’s appointment despite Mr. Greenstein’s self-indulgent protests.  Mr. Greenstein was out of line with a door-knocking campaign in order to fill his personal quota. 

Ethics reform will never take place in this City as long as B.A.D. commissioners, OWPers, and self-serving appointees like Mr. Greenstein put their personal agendas ahead of the benefit of the whole.  Ethics rules do no good if the order of the day is ignoring them.  Unfortunately it appears that ethics reform must now begin with the Ethics Board.

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I think that I shall never see, a poem as lovely as a tree; or a firefighter, or cop, or public works person.  But if the OneWinterPark cult gets their way, trees may be the only thing left.  “One Adam-Tree, a 459 in progress…”  “Engine Tree, Rescue Tree, heart attack patient…”  What’s my point?  The OneWinterPark cult is trying desperately to divert money from city employees who make this a wonderful place to live, to Parks, and pet projects that benefit this one-issue group.

Last week a memorandum was circulated to Department Heads from Commissioner Beth Dillaha (not the full City Commission or City Manager), which laid out a plan for “budget considerations for the Commission and City Manager.”  The document, which is available by clicking here, directed the readers to consider items to trim in attaining the goal of an additional 5% reduction in budget.  Who would bear the brunt of such cuts?  Faithful city employees who have strived to make this city what it is. 

The list in short calls for a reduction in pension contribution by two-thirds, elimination of matching funds for 457 deferred compensation, possible reduction in vacation time, elimination of COLA raises, doubling of employee costs for health care, and elimination of longevity bonuses.  Ms. Dillaha’s plan discusses close examination of police and fire, along with their pensions, then goes on to advocate increases in the Parks and Recreation areas.

According to a list of Other Recommendations, while Ms. Dillaha is busy gutting the benefits that have rewarded our employees as some of the best and most loyal in the state, she recommends adding and bringing back under Parks Department a grant writer / KWPB Liaison.  This is a job that sounds suspiciously as if it could benefit just one person, current KWPB director, David Plotkin.  Plotkin you will remember is associated with Heather Walker, the recipient of $25,000 in campaign funds from the Dillaha Campaign. 

She also recommends a fee for use at Fleet Peoples Park.  Not a particularly bad idea on the surface, I just can’t imagine that the idea would take off.  There would be the salary for someone to collect money, accounting and administrative costs.  There would also be the distinct probability that use of the park would decline as the “non-residents,” which she states make up a large percentage of the park  use, would opt to go to the free dog park in Orlando.  Administrative costs for the park would then become a liability as opposed to an asset.

On the subject of merit Ms. Dillaha’s memo addresses the following:

Tie Department Head merit into achieving initiatives of Strategic Plan.  Set specific goals and deadlines for achieving:

1) Establish and implement reforestation program (use Tree Inventory Program to now develop neighborhood by neighborhood and city street tree planting program)

2) Establish Parks master Plan (what is its purpose, how used, when finalized, who involved)

3) Maintain and Improve Quality of City Lakes: how, what is plan? Update Lakes and Waterways code, Etc. Utilize Board.

4) Re-evaluate residential Building Code: attach date. P&Z / B of A.

5) Comp Plan

6) Etc.

In the footnotes of the document Ms. Dillaha says:

Move $1M into reserves.  Allocate $1M to proects in prioritized need of funding (input from Department Managers) and those tying to Strategic Initiatives.  For example: 

*Parks and Rec - Mead Garden Maintenance Bldg. Cady Way restrooms: 150K

*Bicycle / Pedestrian Improvements Plan - 75K

*Begin Clean up Mead Garden: Replace Mead picnic tables and benches - 15K

*Keep Hazardous Waste Removal program 5K (reduce costs via personnel)

At a time when we are faced with tough decisions, this City Commission is a one-issue cult of disaster.  As we lay off firefighters and police officers, or cut their positions, their “strategic plan” focuses around trees and buildings; it’s about the way things look, not the way they are.  Things are economically tough all over, what good is a beautiful park if you get accosted by criminals every time you go there?   What good are beautiful aesthetically controlled buildings, if there is no fire protection for them? 

Revenue is our current chief concern.  This is neither the time, nor the place, for millage reductions.  We are in desperate need of revenue producing businesses that are good for this community.  Small business entrepreneurs, such as those on Park Avenue, are important to the makeup of our community, but we also need large scale businesses that bring in sufficient revenue to assist in providing the residents of this city with basic needs.  We have given the finger to profitable, revenue generating businesses who wish to come to this City, and now we want to risk our very security in order to plant a tree.

Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree.

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