No doubt, the people who are in control are greedy and will step on anyone else to maintain their power and comfortable lifestyle. Do you think that anyone attending the protest would do differently if their roles were reversed?  The history of humanity has shown us the answer.  It even gives us trite sayings to remind us of these little power struggles – absolute power corrupts absolutely. So the protest has little to do with ending corporate greed, but rather, whining that they’re on the shitty end of the stick.

Meanwhile, the folks who engage in protests tend to be consumers of corporate products. Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream pronounced its solidarity with the Occupy[Insert City Name Here] folks. Yes, why shouldn’t they? This is an outstanding marketing opportunity! They’re siding with the people who buy ice cream in a campaign that I’m sure has the approval of their Corporate Board of Directors.

Look, I have no problems with protests. In fact, I’m glad that there are people who will give up part of their weekend to go yell and scream on a day when no one from the corporate office will be around to see the protest. I have no doubt that the organizers picked this date and time so it wouldn’t conflict with the work schedules of the protestors who work for greedy corporations, because you know that it’s mostly non-corporate businesses that work weekends to sell & serve these folks at small businesses.

However, I wish these protestors would be honest with themselves and target the corporations they know most.  Instead of passing out flyers at the Chamber of Commerce on a day when no one is around, why not protest Target? Why not protest the Orlando Magic on a game night?  Why?  Because these same people are supporting those corporations all the time. You won’t see this protest at Bright House headquarters, because they want to go home and watch a football game on cable after stuffing flyers under windshield wipers.

There’s only one way to protest against corporate greed. Stop giving them your money. That’s why we have another trite saying, “Money talks.”

(I’m not sure which label is politically correct). I ran into a couple members of your organization today while I visited Downtown Orlando. Each had his own approach, but neither was successful in parting me from my money. In fact, I wasn’t compelled in the slightest to give either any money. That’s not because I’m heartless (though that is a possibility), but rather because their sales pitch failed to reach their target demographic (me).

Begging Mistakes

Look, we’ve all begged at some point in our lives. That’s why we have Halloween. It’s a national night of begging. We teach our young how to approach a stranger and make a cold-call for something that we have absolutely no right to receive, and it works! The people who approached me forgot all of the lessons they learned in their youth.

In fact, I was insulted by the lack of skill with which these folks approached me. It’s as if they’ve had no training whatsoever. Never let it be said that I don’t care about Orlando’s beggars. I’m here to help. With that in mind, let me tell you some of the things you did wrong.

Don’t Lie to Me

Beggar #1 didn’t give me his name. This isn’t always important. Kids going out for Halloween generally don’t identify themselves. In fact, they wear costumes to disguise their identity. They are, however, honest about their purpose. Beggar #1 first asked me if I knew someplace where he could get help. I didn’t, so that was his cue to ask me for help. Then he went right into a story about how his car just got towed, he’s hungry and has no place to go. As he told me each line, he got a little bit angrier.

I’m pretty sure this guy didn’t have a car. He barely looked like he could hold onto his teeth, much less a car. I started to ask him what color it was, but then I realized I didn’t want to prolong this situation. After all, they dude has already lead off with misdirection and, I suspect, a lie. Where does he park that car if he has no place to go? If he has no place to go, why does he need a car? He just had too many inconsistencies in his story.

Don’t Get Pissed.

As I mentioned, Beggar #1 sounded angrier with each word. That doesn’t exactly endear anyone to your cause. Who wants to help an angry old man? We prefer giving candy to cute young children. If you’re pissed off, you failed. I have no sympathy for pissy people

Don’t Race Up Behind Me

Beggar #2 was named Walter. I was standing right in front of the Orlando Police Department getting ready to take a photo when Walter raced up on his bike and skidded to a stop right in the fucking way of my shot. Nobody likes a sudden surprise like that. It makes me feel like you’re a predator and I’m prey. My instinct is to escape or fight. Notice that neither of those instincts involve giving you money.

Don’t Waste My Time

Walter really violated this rule. You have to remember that I’m not there for you. I’m trying to enjoy my day and an interruption – any interruption – is unwelcome. You need to get in and get out quickly. Once again, you learn this as  child. You go up on Halloween to a stranger’s house, ring the bell and all you have to say is “trick or treat!” Not Walter. He told me he was only going to take 30 seconds of my time, but that turned out to be a lie. Instead, he told me his recently life history.

Don’t Give Me Platitudes

Compliments, blessings, platitudes – I don’t need or want them. I’m not a religious person, so I don’t want to hear how you bless me, how you’ve found Jesus, Buddha, or Amelia Earhart. Consider this a subsection of “Don’t Waste My Time.”

Don’t Scare Me

Walter started off by telling me he was recently released from the Missouri Corrections system for Involuntary Manslaughter. He said he was defending someone else and he’d do it again, but my mind is still on the word MANSLAUGHTER! What I just heard is that he’s killed before and he’s willing to kill again. Good Fucking God, that’s a horrible way to start a cold-call. Don’t the prisons teach these criminals ANYTHING about salesmanship? I’m wondering if I’m going to die right before the Orlando Police Department sign and he starts rambling on about being accepted a Full Sail while he was still in prison.

note to self: tell my niece to get out of Full Sail

Don’t Tell Me What You Have

Walter told me had a job, had a bike, a place to live and $57.  Fuck, that’s more money than I had in my wallet. I told him so, too. If this man has a job, shelter, transportation and more cash on hand than I have, there’s no damn way I’m compelled to give him any money. I’m still thinking about the prison sentence for MANSLAUGHTER.

How to Beg

Remember, I told you that you learn everything you need to know about begging as a child. Think back to those days. It was easy and you were successful because you didn’t make it complicated or over-think the issue. With that in mind, let me remind you of how to succeed at begging.

Be Direct

Remember, I care more about my time than your story. I’ll lose respect for you with every second of my time that you waste. Get to the point! Just tell me that you’re in need and ask if I would mind donating whatever I can afford.

Be Respectful

I don’t want you to appear subservient to me. Have pride in yourself. However, have respect for me, too. I work for my money and you’re coming up asking for something I earned. Begging isn’t earning, it’s just begging. You need to overcome that shortcoming by being respectful.

Be Honest

I’m sure that it sucks to be a beggar. I damn sure wouldn’t want to do it and I can’t imagine what it would take for me to swallow my pride and ask a stranger for money. Some people are OK with using others, and maybe begging comes easier to them than I can imagine. If I get that feeling that you’re insincere about your need or that you’re just playing me because you’re too lazy to work, then you’re probably not going to get anything.

Accept the Outcome

Nobody converts every sales call. You’re going to have more people decline than contribute. Accept it. If I turn you down, just say thank you and move along. You never know. That kind of respect may cause me to re-evaluate you and change my mind about donating a few bucks. If I turn you down and you just stomp off or insult me, then you pretty much confirm that I made the right decision.

Conclusion

Please share these thoughts with your fellow beggars and panhandlers. I realize that you’re not going away. However, I hope some of these tips will serve you to become more effective and save the rest of society a lot of time.

When location-based social media started happening, a lot of people figured it was only good for letting people know that you weren’t home, and therefore exposed you to crime. That was about a year ago. People love to warn you about the dire consequences of your actions.

You know what?  I haven’t really heard about these dire predictions coming true. The evening news reports would love to scare us with details of burglary, muggings or rape caused by Foursquare, but it just isn’t happening as those naysayers predicted. More or less, people are using Foursquare without coming home to an empty house.

That’s not to say some folks haven’t been pretty stupid about it. Once I activated the account, I was kind of surprised at the number of people who created a check-in at their house. Then again, these were people who referred to their residence as a “crib”, so I’m not assuming any great level of intelligence on their part. Here’s why I think it’s a bad idea to check-in at your residence. People nearby can see those locations and who checked-in. They can also see when you check-in elsewhere, and that’s the kind of behavior that could lead to a burglary. Most of us have patterns. We get up at the same time, go to work at the same time, come home at the same time, etc. One of my worries with the app would be that people could use it to locate you, even if you hadn’t checked-in at a specific location. That doesn’t seem to be the case.  If any of you are planning to rob me while I’m away, please know that my home address is 400 S Orange Ave,  Orlando, FL 32801-3360.  There’s a key under the doormat, so you don’t have to break any windows or locks.

One of the other aspects of using this service is trying to divine how much to share vs. how much sharing annoys other people. I connected it to my Twitter account, but I’m already re-considering that decision. By default, Foursquare wants to broadcast a lot of stuff that most people don’t care about. This morning, I checked-in for the first time and unlocked the Newbie badge. Do you care? Of course not. It may be of interest to some if we visit the same places, hence the broadcast of where I am. However, the badges are just superfluous crap and I have that stuff disabled for Twitter. I may disable the check-in updates, too.  Not so much that I’m worried about people knowing where I am (isn’t that the point of the service?), but more because I’m worried about being an annoying prick who spams people with meaningless updates. If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let me know in the comments.

At any rate, I’ve made the plunge and I’ll see what happens. If you’re interested in stalking me online, you know where to look.

Fraud or Incompetence?

Many people have discussed his past involvement with Medicare fraud. I’m astonished that wasn’t a clear warning sign to most voters, but we get the government we deserve. If a majority elects a man who either cheated the taxpayers out of billions or dollars or (as he says) was completely unaware of it. Let’s take him at his word. How incompetent of a leader do you have to be to NOT know how billions of dollars flow into your company? Understanding your revenue flow would seem to be a major qualification for a leader, but Rick Scott claims he didn’t know. If we did’t elect a cheater, then we surely elected an idiot. Again, we get the government we deserve.

From WikiPedia on the Columbia/HCA issue

[box]On March 19, 1997, investigators from the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Health and Human Services served search warrants at Columbia/HCA facilities in El Paso and on dozens of doctors with suspected ties to the company.

Following the raids, the Columbia/HCA board of directors forced Scott to resign as Chairman and CEO. He was paid $9.88 million in a settlement. He also left owning 10 million shares of stock worth over $350 million.

In 1999, Columbia/HCA changed its name back to HCA, Inc.

In settlements reached in 2000 and 2002, Columbia/HCA plead guilty to 14 felonies and agreed to a $600+ million fine in the largest fraud settlement in US history. Columbia/HCA admitted systematically overcharging the government by claiming marketing costs as reimbursable, by striking illegal deals with home care agencies, and by filing false data about use of hospital space. They also admitted fraudulently billing Medicare and other health programs by inflating the seriousness of diagnoses and to giving doctors partnerships in company hospitals as a kickback for the doctors referring patients to HCA. They filed false cost reports, fraudulently billing Medicare for home health care workers, and paid kickbacks in the sale of home health agencies and to doctors to refer patients. In addition, they gave doctors “loans” never intending to be repaid, free rent, free office furniture, and free drugs from hospital pharmacies.

In late 2002, HCA agreed to pay the U.S. government $631 million, plus interest, and pay $17.5 million to state Medicaid agencies, in addition to $250 million paid up to that point to resolve outstanding Medicare expense claims. In all, civil law suits cost HCA more than $2 billion to settle, by far the largest fraud settlement in US history.[/box]

He’s Not One of Us

Of course, all of that happened before Scott came to Florida. After being forced out of Columbia/HCA, he created an investment firm in Connecticut, which later moved to Naples, FL. My concern is that he hasn’t lived here very long, certainly not long enough to understand the history of the state and how issues have affected people’s lives.  He’s a carpet-bagger whose self-interest is driving his need to change us without knowing what it is to be one of us.

He’s Not Open

[box] General state policy on public records -
(1) It is the policy of this state that all state, county, and municipal records are open for personal inspection and copying by any person. Providing access to public records is a duty of each agency.
Florida Statute, Chapter 119.01[/box]

As a candidate, Rick Scott flatly refused to answer many questions. That was his right. As governor-elect, he held private meetings with his transition team rather than open them to public & press. That drew a number of complaints and speculation as to whether Florida business could legally be discussed without public access. Of course, we were told that 200 people gathered for three days to help the governor-elect prepare for his transition to office, but that no state business was discussed. Yes, they said it with a straight face. If you believe them, perhaps I could interest you in some nice Everglades real estate.

The Agenda

Every incoming politician has an agenda, and perhaps this is what scares me the most about Rick Scott. Some of his ideas call for remaking the state government from scratch. What the hell does that even mean? Will we ignore our existing laws that he doesn’t like (e.g. Florida Sunshine Law)? Rick Scott also calls for regulatory control. Some developers have stated they feel like the enemy when they apply for permits to bulldoze over natural, undeveloped land in order to build a new plant. Florida law requires local growth plans to address energy efficiency and the stress that developments place on water resources, transportation and schools. I fear that Scott wants to eliminate these requirements in order to streamline development and job growth, but at the expense of managing resources and impact to the community. Perhaps I’m wrong, but it’s a concern of mine.

Rick Scott is has also been very critical of high speed rail, something local leaders have endorsed as a “game changer” to help the economy and job growth. Rick Scott stated that he didn’t want it in Florida and doesn’t want the state to fund any part of the estimated $2.6billion project. The Federal government has already awarded over $2 Billion of that amount to the state for this project. The state government would bear about ten percent of the cost, as the Feds are ready to provide another $340 Million. For an investment of $280, Florida could create jobs and stimulate economic growth, not to mention help public transportation by proceeding with High Speed Rail. Scott’s rationale for opposing High Speed Rail is that he doesn’t want to pay for indefinite subsidies for a railroad. That would be admirable, except for one thing.  We already pay indefinite subsidies for highways and other roads. Providing a transportation infrastructure is a job we expect of government. Rick Scott doesn’t seem to get it, because it’s not something he would do in business.

The reality, Governor Scott, is that you’re not in business. You’re in the government. The rules are different.

As with most power transitions, there will be some who won’t adapt well. We’ll call those people Volunteers for Lobotomy, as our Ape overlords will surely cut open their skulls to investigate why they can’t handle change. Others will try to assist the Apes in their take-over. We’ll call those people Ass-Kissers, because there are some talents that never go out of style.

There are many theories as to how apes gained dominion over humans, but I have a theory. In a continuously escalating grab for power, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expanded on two fronts. The first was allowing TSA agents to screen passengers for all forms of transportation, including rail and automobiles. Before commuting to work, each and every citizen had to submit to a back-scatter screening or an enhanced pat-down. Even those who owned private vehicles were still subject to screening by either method, lest they try to attack themselves and take over the vehicle for use as a weapon of mass destruction. Other nations eventually adopted his policy of screening its entire population.  It was quite  boon for the folk who made back-scatter machines!

Second, another DHS agency worked in secrecy to develop counter-terrorism tools and techniques. Prompted by fears of safety at British Nuclear facilities, DHS counter-terrorism experts began intensive discovery of ways to protect U.S. nuclear facilities. Unfortunately, these tests exposed the agents to massive doses of ionization energy. The ionization energy itself occurred in small quantities, but its effect was cumulative. As counter-terrorism employees went about their daily lives, interacting with families, shopping, etc – they spread the ionization energy to others in society.

Like many other government agencies, there was a lack of communication between them leading to a common problem, one hand did not know what the other was doing. This was unfortunate, as the combination of ionization energy from the counter-terrorism agency employees, combined with the radiation emitted from the TSA’s back-scatter devices, developed into electron binding energy. In essence, the DHS unwittingly joined forces to cause a massive nuclear explosion in the name of protecting American citizens. The only human survivors were those who opted for the enhanced pat-down, as they did not have the combination of energy necessary to induce their self-destruction by nuclear explosion.

In the future, as it is now, New York City will be known as The Forbidden Zone. There are apparently a plethora of unattractive people there who live underground and possess additional nuclear weapons. We’re not sure if this was due to NYPD’s counter-terrorism measures or if the people in the subway were always ugly. In either case, most tour guides will recommend avoiding the area due to bed bugs.

Happy New Year!

Fortunately for me, things are really improving for me and that’s starting to have a positive effect upon my attitude and outlook on things. I have to regain some ground that I lost over the year, but it’ll happen. More specifically, I ate too much during the year (food soothes a poor attitude), so I’ve recently started correcting both my diet and exercise. I’m on my path to becoming a much healthier person, only whining about the heavy objects that my trainer asks me to lift.

Sadly, things aren’t perfect around town. OPD Chief Val Demings is still sending mixed messages and threats to the community that she’s supposed to protect.  Don’t believe me? Isn’t she the same person who said that she expects her officers to think, but found the officer who slammed an 84 year-old man on the ground and broke his neck acted within guidelines? Isn’t she the same person who just announced that violent crime went down for the 3rd year in a row, but yet said the city is getting more dangerous?

Don’t worry, Val.  You’re not the only community leader that lies to us. We’ll have a new Mayor in town to tell us some new lies, or at least dress up the old ones. I, for one, will pay attention and listen for your mixed messages and duplicity. It would be a pleasant surprise if you gave us something else next year, though.  I would much rather support you than find fault with you. Whether that happens or not depends upon the integrity you use in office. So far, I’m not impressed.

OK, so maybe I still had a little whining left in me.  It was whining for a greater good, though. So now that the whining is over, let me simply say “Merry Christmas” to those of you who celebrate the season.

Merry Christmas - © Copyright 2010 by Orlando Local

I’m still going to vote, though. Not so much because I like my choices of candidates, but because there’s more on the table than the next Governor or Senator. Amendments are also at stake. Some I like, some I don’t. It seems a waste to lose my chance to vote on those issues just because of the candidates elsewhere on the ballot.

My point here isn’t to try and sway you to my perspective. It doesn’t matter so much to me if you’re a Democrat, Republican or a Jedi Knight.  I think it’s more important that we actually show up every couple of years to let the elected folks know that we’re still watching, paying attention, and expecting them to answer to us. So go vote before the day is over. There has to be at least one item on the ballot where you have an opinion. Why not express it?

The numbers came out today for the largest decline in the housing market in at least four decades. Sales of single family homes dropped by 32.7%, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Part of the blame was cast upon the expiration of a tax credit for home buyers.  Demand for home loans, as one would expect, has dramatically declined. People with existing homes that are under water are abandoning their houses and leaving them to be reclaimed by nature as weeds and other growth takes over.  Municipal governments and homeowner’s associations are strained in their resources to clean up these eye-sores.  To be honest, this is nothing new.

Can’t Sell Old Houses – Let’s Build New Ones!

What is new is that the Mormons and Walt Disney both think this is an excellent time to start new housing development projects.  I’d like to call them morons, but as we shall see, greater minds than mine have insight to the housing market and local economy.

The Mormons want to build Innovation Way East, which will include homes and shops near the planned medical and research centers that moved closer to Lake Nona, rather than be a part of Innovation Way.  If you recall, Innovation Way was supposed to be Orlando’s “high tech corridor.”  That fell apart when the afore-mentioned medical and research buildings moved away and the developers who wanted to bring high tech jobs to Orlando decided it would be more profitable to build warehouses. We all know how much more warehouse workers make than high tech employees, so this was considered “progress.”

Innovation Way for Jobs

Part of the argument for housing development in Innovation Way is that it will create jobs. Sure.  You’ll need a plethora of engineers and construction workers to plan and develop the place.  Just like any other project, it’s short-term.  Development projects don’t last forever, so these are not sustainable jobs.  Assuming that all goes as planned and the 6,343 new houses are built, then what?  I’m sure some of them will get sold to new residents moving here to work in the International Corporate Park (whatever the hell that is) or the Medical City.  Some local folks may also want to move there to be closer to their jobs.  Of course, those locals will leave an empty apartment or existing home, so that’s not really growth.  What happens to the rest of the thousands of available homes in the Central Florida area, some of which are in Avalon Park and other communities very close to the “high tech corridor?”  Hint:  see photo above.  That’s what we’ll get out of the new development project – abandoned homes with an abundance of overgrowth.

Selling Us a Story

Commissioner Bill Segal invoked high tech jobs as reason to approve the development project, stating how it would fuel economic growth in the region.  Tell me, Bill.  How many high tech employees are working in those warehouses right now?  Hindsight is a convenience that does not burden our elected officials. Well, that’s not totally true.  The plan faced a vote today and it didn’t get approved.  The vote was 3-3.  All of the county commissioners who are running for Mayor voted for the project and those who aren’t voted against the project.  Since Mildred Fernandez hasn’t been replaced (she would’ve voted to approve), the deal is a stalemate.  Once she’s replaced, we’ll find out if that commissioner can be bought as easily as Fernandez (or so the charges against her would indicate).  The politicians who voted for the project need to make claims about supporting growth, creating jobs, and all the other bullshit we’ve come to expect from people on the campaign trail.  The other commissioners likely saw that this new development would continue the blight in their own districts, and therefore had no incentive to vote for it.

The other brain trust that sees our current market as an excellent time to plan a new housing development is Walt Disney. The entertainment giant announced this morning it had plans to create Golden Oak (presumably, they could only afford one tree), a collection of vacation homes ranging in price from $1.5 to $8 Million. Disney claimed Golden Oak is not another housing development like Celebration, but is intended to be vacation housing for families visiting Disney.

Of course.  I know that I always stay in multi-million dollar homes when I travel, particularly to theme parks full of screaming kids.  After you get that sunburn while roaming around and sweating in the theme parks, you really need a place with its own home theater room and a gold-plated bidet.  Orlando has really been waiting for such a concept.  I’m surprised it doesn’t already exist. Vice President of Disney Real Estate Development, Matt Kelly, said, “The affluent market is an area where we haven’t offered a lot of product.”

Fleece the Rich

Translation: since the average Joe can’t afford to visit in this economy, we see an opportunity to fleece the extra-wealthy.  I admit, there is a certain charm to that logic.  It’s hard for me to get upset by this development project.  The risk belongs to Disney.  The homes won’t steal from the existing market, where the average price is roughly $250K, well under the $1.5 million price for the Golden Oak slums.  It’ll create some local jobs, even if only temporarily, and our criminals will have a new place to prey upon unsuspecting tourists, as these people won’t be wandering around International Drive.

For the rest of us, get used to seeing weeds in your neighborhood. Neither our elected or business leaders seem to have a plan to help the whole community.  We’re on our own.

I’m not a father.  It’s not that I have anything against kids or that I don’t want to have kids.  It’s just that I’d prefer to have a wife before I go into fatherhood.  Call me old fashioned.  Until such a wife comes along, my sexual escapades will merely count as practice.  To be honest, I think I’d make a great Dad.  That’s because I don’t really fall into the stereotypes that most people use to make their way through life without giving any actual thought to the matters at hand.  For example, take sports.  It’s great if you’re participating.  Not only is it good exercise, but there’s a social development aspect that helps shape a child’s life in many positive ways.  Now consider the sports fan.  That’s basically a matter of sitting on a couch, drinking beer and eating fatty foods while yelling at players who can’t hear you and don’t even represent you.  It annoys the hell out of me when I hear people talk about the Orlando Magic, for example, as “my team.”  When did you ever take the court?  If the Magic win, do we get any benefit at all?  Hell, no.  It doesn’t affect my property values or taxes, so it’s really just there for entertainment value.

I digress.

Fathers can be great people to have around.  Every kid should have one.  I can say the same thing about mothers, but it’s not her day.  Perhaps that’s why I’m slightly annoyed when I read notes on Twitter today that wish a “Happy Father’s Day to all the single moms out there.”  I asked one of them if they posted “Happy Mother’s Day to all the single dads out there.”  Naturally, they did not.  The inference is that Moms are the real heros while Dads are merely sperm donors.  It’s sad, but there are deadbeats from both sexes.  It must be rough to be a single parent whether you’re a man or a woman, so let’s not prop up one sex over the other.  Both mothers and fathers are very important to a child’s life. That’s why we honor both of them with their own day.  It’s not much, when you think about it, so let’s not take it down a level just because you have a Y chromosome.

My own father passed away almost eight years ago, so I really don’t get to celebrate the day anymore.  I suppose I could impregnate someone to get a free lunch one day a year, but I’m holding out for a better offer. When the time comes, I’ll look forward to sharing some of the same insights that my father shared with me.  I want to have that moment where I’m pushing the bike along and let go…watching my child realize that he or she is in control.  I think that epitomizes parenthood to me – preparing your child to make their way through the world without you.  Happy Father’s Day, guys.

Traffic Jam Memorial

I heard that 32 Million people would travel in the United States over the holiday weekend.  You can see a photo of all of them above, jamming up I-4 and keeping me from getting to my house on Saturday afternoon.  It was a dead stop with cops and fire trucks and stupid people trying to slip around them when it was pretty clear they wanted us all to stop.  My fellow Americans, some of you are selfish morons.  It’s not worth risking someone else’s life just so you can get to the beach.

If there’s anything I’ve learned about Memorial Day, it’s that this holiday has the sound of a cash register to our law enforcement community.  Every year, they claim to have a “crackdown” on speeders with zero tolerance.  Altamonte Springs was particularly vicious about patrolling 436, which is why I decided to boycott the entire community this year.  I don’t want to give my business to a community that can’t keep its law enforcement officers in check.  Zero tolerance makes for a good sound bite, but it’s stupid.  One of the cornerstones of our criminal justice system is that police officers have discretion.  Preventing the cop at the scene from using his or her discretion doesn’t help our safety.  It’s just a grab for money.  Pure and simple, speeding crackdowns are about the money.  They may have started out of concern for safety, but those days are long since gone.  Chasing cars down a busy 436 for going a couple miles over the limit (zero tolerance, remember?) is not in the interest of public safety.

True to their claims, I saw plenty of cops along I-4 running down speeders.  The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office definitely made use of its new motorcycles.  The Florida Highway Patrol was quite visible, also.  I wonder what they do with the money they collect from these special “zero tolerance crackdowns.”  Maybe that’s how they got the new motorcycles.

Sanford was the only local community that seemed to have a parade to honor our veterans.  Most other communities declared they didn’t have the money to put on the parade, fund the police (who were busy raising funds by issuing tickets), and basically made other excuses.  A number of people decided to celebrate by giving up their own lives in the name of stupidity.  A guy jumped off a boat in Lake Underhill and drowned.  An Orlando man visiting Miami jumped off a bridge and died on impact.  Boaters in Ponce Inlet decided to crash into each other, killing two people, including a woman who was reported to be nine months pregnant.  Others decided to visit the same places (beaches, attractions, etc.) and suffered in the Florida heat and crowds. Some of my friends went to Las Vegas to deal with the crowds and stifling heat there.

My own take on the holiday weekend is to relax near home.  Get some things done and stay out of the way. I had dinner with friends by Lake Eola one night, lunch at Houston’s a couple of times. I love the red bean soup there, but they only serve it on Monday.  It’s usually not practical for me to get to Houston’s with my usual routine, so going there on a Monday and having the red bean soup is a bit of a treat for me.  It doesn’t take much to make me happy.  Just avoid the crowds, mind the speed traps, and a good bowl of red bean soup. So what did you do?

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