NY Times Magazine article about Gov. Crist

NY Times Magazine has given Charlie Crist the GQ treatment (seriously, check out the picture), and runs through a series of somewhat-humorous Q-and-As.

Check it out here.

Some highlights:

Where were you during the Florida recount of 2000? I was on the ballot in 2000. I ran for education commissioner that year. And won. No recount!

The novelist Carl Hiaasen has publicly asked that you excuse yourself from the vice-presidential sweepstakes, since you have been governor for only 17 months and haven’t accomplished much, in his estimation. I appreciate his counsel.

If you became vice president, he wrote in The Miami Herald, you would be better remembered for your tan than for your leadership. I hear that too. And that’s also very flattering.

I trust you use self-tanning lotion and stay out of the sun. No. It’s the sun. And it’s my heritage. I’m of Greek descent.

Crazy Dictator Obama Fan Club

Well, looks like Obama now has the trifecta of crazy dictator endorsements...

Kim Jong Il, the nutty tyrant of North Korea perhaps most fondly remembered for his role as a singing puppet in that movie by the South Park guys, has apparently allowed his government to make an official statement announcing a preference for Obama over McCain.

This announcement follows just weeks after Castro and Quaddafi also expressed their support for the junior senator from Illinois.

File this one under "Things that make you go hmmm..."

See more at Michelle Malkin's blog...including this very funny picture submitted by one of her readers...

BusinessForce Endorses ALL SEVEN Next Generation Florida Candidates

BusinessForce announced its slate of endorsed candidates on Monday, and Next Generation Florida is very proud to announce that all seven of our endorsed candidates also received the BusinessForce endorsement!

BusinessForce is the region’s largest political action committee, representing over 10,000 businesses and tens of thousands of employees who are interested in the election of pro-business candidates who are interested in promoting fair and responsible legislation, and who support the free enterprise system and sound, responsible business practices in government. The BusinessForce endorsements are taken very seriously by the Central Florida business community, and it's a testament to the quality of our candidates that they all received this honor.

Congratulations to Andy Gardiner, Chris Dorworth, Eric Eisnaugle, Mike Horner, Bryan Nelson, Scott Plakon, and Steve Precourt on these endorsements!

Attkisson Endorses Horner

District 79's State Representative Frank Attkisson has endorsed Mike Horner to replace him when he leaves office this November due to term limits.

"Mike is a conservative leader who understands the needs of the citizens of this district," said Attkisson.

Next Generation Florida is proud to endorse Mike Horner and congratulates him on this important endorsement.

For more information about Mike Horner and his campaign, see his website at www.gohorner.com.

Obama's "Friends"

Click here for a short and funny you tube video about Obama's "Friends" ... familar theme song, hmm?

Great Endorsement for Scott Plakon

Scott Plakon, who is running for the District 37 State House seat, has been endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business. (View the press release here).

The NFIB is the nation's leading small-business advocacy association. Founded in 1943, the NFIB gives small and independent business owners a voice in shaping the public policy issues that affect their businesses. This is an endorsement that is particularly important to Scott because he has been a small business owner for most of his career and has seen firsthand many of the opportunities and challenges that small business owners face on a daily basis.

As we approach the August 26th Republican Primary, the Plakon team is refocusing their fundraising efforts now that Scott has a Republican opponent. Please help if you can - donations in any amount will be greatly appreciated (maximum allowed by Florida law is $500 per person or business entity). To contribute, please go to www.scottplakon.com/contribute or call 407-792-8190.

Next Generation Florida is proud to endorse Scott Plakon for the District 37 seat and congratulates him on this excellent endorsement.

Edgewood Loves Eric Eisnaugle

We are thrilled to announce that Eric Eisnaugle has been endorsed by the City of Edgewood Mayor, Michael Teague, and every member of the Edgewood City Council, Judy Beardslee, Jim Bozeman, Dr. Malcolm Henley, Dr. Neil Powell, and David Willis in his campaign for State Representative for District 40.

“I have been impressed with Eric Eisnaugle. He understands the issues facing Edgewood and the rest of District 40, and is the kind of guy who will get things done. The City of Edgewood and the Orlando community need a leader like Eric in Tallahassee,” said Mayor Teague.

Judy Beardslee, Edgewood City Council President, stated “Eric Eisnaugle is the right person to protect our community’s conservative values. Eric is honest, principled, and running for the right reasons. We can all trust Eric to be a passionate advocate for us and Central Florida.”

“Eric has the right values, the right work ethic, and the qualifications to represent the Citizens of Edgewood and the rest of District 40. That’s why I am voting for Eric and asking my friends and neighbors to do the same,” said Councilman Bozeman.

“I am honored to have the support of Mayor Teague and the City of Edgewood Council Members, and look forward to working with them to make our community an even better place to live, work, and raise a family,” said Eric.

Next Generation Florida congratulates Eric on this latest endorsement. We are proud to endorse a candidate who has such widespread and enthusiastic support of his community.

The Democrats aren't ALL nuts...

…and here’s the proof that they haven’t completely lost their marbles.  The following is from an article by Senator Joseph Lieberman in today’s Wall Street Journal (which I highly recommend you read in its entirety).

 

Democrats and Our Enemies

…Sen. Obama stands in stark contrast to John McCain, who has shown the political courage throughout his career to do what he thinks is right – regardless of its popularity in his party or outside it.  John also understands something else that too many Democrats seem to have become confused about lately – the difference between America's friends and America's enemies.

There are of course times when it makes sense to engage in tough diplomacy with hostile governments.  Yet what Mr. Obama has proposed is not selective engagement, but a blanket policy of meeting personally as president, without preconditions, in his first year in office, with the leaders of the most vicious, anti-American regimes on the planet.

Mr. Obama has said that in proposing this, he is following in the footsteps of Reagan and JFK.  But Kennedy never met with Castro, and Reagan never met with Khomeini. And can anyone imagine Presidents Kennedy or Reagan sitting down unconditionally with Ahmadinejad or Chavez?  I certainly cannot.

If a president ever embraced our worst enemies in this way, he would strengthen them and undermine our most steadfast allies.

A great Democratic secretary of state, Dean Acheson, once warned “no people in history have ever survived, who thought they could protect their freedom by making themselves inoffensive to their enemies.”  This is a lesson that today's Democratic Party leaders need to relearn.

Explaining the U.S. Income Tax System...With Beer

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that’s what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.

“Because you are all such good customers,” he said, “I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beers by $20. Drinks for all ten of you now cost just $80.”

The group still wanted to pay their bill the same way, so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.

But what about the other six men – the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his “fair share?” They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.

So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before and the first four continued to drink for free, but once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

“I only got a dollar out of the $20,” declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, “but he got $10!”

“Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a dollar, too. It’s unfair that he got TEN times more than I did!”

“That's true!!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!”

“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison. “We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!”

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something very important…they didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, is how our tax system works.

The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

Yet ANOTHER great endorsement for Eric Eisnaugle!

We are proud to announce yet another great endorsement for Eric Eisnaugle, further cementing his status as the front-runner in the House District 40 race.

The National Federation of Independent Business, Florida’s leading small-business advocacy association, issued a press release on April 30^th announcing its endorsement of Eric Eis­naugle.

NFIB is the nation’s leading small-business advocacy association, with offices in Washington, D.C. and all 50 state capitals. Founded in 1943, NFIB’s mission is to promote and pro­tect the right of their members to own, operate and grow their businesses, and the organization directs a powerful network of grassroots activists.

“As a business attorney, Eisnaugle spends his days defending business in Florida and under­stands the trials and tribulations of operating a small business here,” NFIB/Florida Executive Director Bill Herrle said. “Eisnaugle believes in lower taxes, less government and fiscal re­straint, many of the same principles that guide NFIB and our members, so he’d be a strong ally for us in the Legislature.”

Eric’s message of meaningful tax relief and reform and reducing property insur­ance rates clearly struck a chord with NFIB’s mission of supporting small businesses, just as it did with the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which endorsed Eric in March, and other important advocacy groups in Florida.

“I am honored to have earned the endorsement of NFIB because small businesses are the back­bone of our economy and an important source of jobs in Florida,” Eric said. “Creating a business-friendly climate in order to attract higher paying jobs is a top priority of my cam­paign.”

"Lemm"-ocrats?

(click to enlarge)

From: http://media.townhall.com/Townhall/Car/b/demmings.jpg

Snow White

The Seven Dwarfs always left to go work in the mine early each morning.   Snow White would stay home and take care of the house, and each day, as lunchtime approached, she would prepare their lunch and carry it to the mine.

One day as she arrived at the mine with the lunch, she saw that there had been a terrible cave-in.   Tearfully, and fearing the worst, Snow White began calling out, hoping against hope that the dwarfs had somehow survived.

“Hello, hello!” she shouted.  “Can anyone hear me? Hello!”  For a long while, there was no answer.  Losing hope, Snow White again shouted,  “Hello! Is anyone down there?”

Just as she was about to give up all hope, there came a faint voice from deep within the mine.  “Vote for Hillary, Vote for Hillary.”

 Snow White fell to her knees, crossed herself and prayed,  “Oh, thank you, God! At least Dopey is still alive!”

 

Peeps!

http://www.townhall.com/video/HamNation/1450_042508Peeps

Another fantastic video from Mary Katherine Ham at TownHall ... "Week in Peeps IV"

What's your favorite part?

America = Spiderman?

Interesting analogy in an article by Josh Hawkins today on Townhall.com…comparing America to Spiderman:

 

We've saved the free world from tyranny in the 20th century not once (WWI), not twice (WWII), but three times (the Cold War). We've done more to promote capitalism and democracy than any other 20 nations combined.  We've gone to the moon, we've fed the world, and we've fought more tyrants, terrorists, and thugs than any comic book super-hero. Speaking of comic book super heroes, American gets the same sort of "Daily Bugle" treatment that Spider-Man did in the comics and the movies. We shed our blood and treasure by the bucket load to do good and the headlines in the paper read, "Out-of-Control Menace Terrorizes Populace!"

 

Complete article here: Stop Apologizing For Being An American