April Topic: Common Core – Pros and Cons
Invites You to Attend its upcoming meeting
on Wednesday April 22
featuring:
Join us on April 22 at Bear Lakes for a spirited discussion on a topic that has become a battleground from the local school districts to the Presidential Election. Common Core – is it a set of carefully constructed national standards conceived by educators with an eye to global competition? Or is it a federal power grab of local perogatives with a decidedly progressive ideology embedded in its implementation?
No matter what your personal view of Common Core, come hear the views of two experts engaged in this debate.
Speaking on behalf of the Florida implementation of the Common Core Standards will be Kate Wallace, Director of Community Engagement for the Foundation for Florida’s Future, an education reform non-profit started by former Governor Jeb Bush. The FFF vision is “An education system that allows each child to achieve his or her God-given potential and prepares all students to succeed in the 21st Century economy.”
Taking a different view is Martin County School Board member Rebecca Negron. Directly involved in the dispute over the standards at the local level, she can relate how local districts are dealing with the implementation of common core through textbook selections, teacher preparation and the impact it is having on students.
Get beyond the misinformation that surrounds this topic and let our speakers bring you up to date on the facts about Common Core in Florida.
$20/Members $25/Guests
Make sure you submit your RSVP in advance by clicking on our link below:
PO Box 2585
West Palm Beach, FL 33402
(561) 855-0749
Kate Wallace serves as the Director of Community Engagement for North Florida at the Foundation for Florida’s Future. Previously, Kate served as State Advocacy Director for nine southern states with the Foundation’s national sister organization, the Foundation for Excellence in Education. Prior to joining the Foundation, Kate served as Legislative Coordinator for The Fiorentino Group, a Jacksonville-based government affairs firm. Kate also served as government affairs assistant for the Washington office of Triadvocates LLC and as staff assistant for the Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., federal government relations office. As a college student, Kate interned for the White House in Vice President Dick Cheney’s Office of Domestic Policy and for former Florida Congressman Adam Putnam’s Capitol Hill office. A Bartow, Fla., native, Kate holds a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida. She currently resides in downtown Jacksonville and is an active member of Christ Church InTown, the Junior League of Jacksonville and the Taxslayer Bowl Committee.
About Foundation for Florida’s Future
Foundation for Florida’s Future is a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 by former Gov. Jeb Bush. Its mission is to make Florida’s education system a model for the nation. When it comes to education reform, Florida is a national leader and has generated dramatic, nationally-leading and recognized improvements in student achievement since 1999.
Rebecca Negron serves on the Martin County School Board, representing Hobe Sound and southern Martin County in District 3, and is a Registered Nurse who practiced in the field of Obstetrics.
She has spent many hours volunteering in classrooms and is concerned not only that our students have a rigorous academic experience, but that they are taught the values that are important to a thriving and free society.
As a School Board member, Rebecca has focused on three major issues. First, she is working to empower and encourage parents to be actively involved in their students’ education. Second, Rebecca believes students must have a solid foundation in traditional academics, as well as learning to think critically and creatively. Finally, Rebecca is committed to developing, keeping and rewarding high performing teachers.
Larry Horist and the Ideological Divide
“There are two types of liberals – the evil and the misinformed.” Thus began a rambling discourse on the ideological divide by conservative pundit Larry Horist at the March RCPB lunch.
From basic definitions – “Liberals look to government, conservatives to themselves”, to the mainstream media narrative – “Liberals are cool, conservatives are old fuddy-duddies”, he examined the common stereotypes.
Horist refuted the false charges that conservatives are racists by examining the records of both parties throughout history, particularly noting that the areas with the most racial strife (Chicago, St. Louis) are one-party governments run by Democrats. “Liberalism is inherently racist”, he claims, because they target minority groups that need special help, who are then “cared for but not allowed to run free”.
The problem for conservatives, he says, is that liberals control the culture – media, publishing, education. With these tools, liberals encourage divisions among us, with hyphenated categories (“African-American”, “Irish-American”), while conservatives prefer to see us all as just “Americans”.
Exploring the behavior of our current President, Horist relates his upbringing outside the US by a mother who didn’t particularly like the country, and his influences in the Kenwood area of Chicago, which he describes as the anti-American part of that city, home of Bill Ayers and the like. Two key advisors – Valerie Jarrett, who is a product of Kenwood, and David Axelrod, an insider with the authoritarian Daley machine, help explain why Barack Obama’s instincts are both dictatorial (ie. “a pen and a phone”) and counter to most conservative’s view of America. This is not unusual for progressives he explains, pointing to similar behavior by both Roosevelts as well as Woodrow Wilson.
Apply Now for the 2015 Anne Roberts Scholarship
The Republican Club of the Palm Beaches’ Scholarship was named after a long-standing and active member of our Club, Anne Roberts.
Anne Roberts
Anne Roberts, a petite but strong and dedicated Republican, was born in Virginia in 1920. She lived and worked in Maryland until 1954, and then moved to Palm Beach County. Interestingly, this was the year after our Club was chartered.
While working as an R.N. for 50 year, she and her husband served on the REC. She was presented the Jean Pipes award by Palm Beach County Republican Party as an acknowledgment of her dedication to Republican principles. She never sought the limelight herself, working behind the scenes, continually letting others take credit. She always admonished us to “do the right thing”, make sure there’s education involved, mentor the young to follow in the right path, have fun, be prepared, and by all means, don’t lose money doing it!!! That is who Anne Roberts was!
In the late 80’s she had worked her way to 2nd Vice President of the Florida Federated Women. She was tasked with the “Entertainment”/Program for the NFRW National Convention held in Orlando on the 50th anniversary of the organization. She had the entire PB delegation, consisting of 6 Federated clubs, involved –even doing a “can-can” dance for one evening’s entertainment. What a “hoot” Anne was!
Her many committees remember her, not only for her great character and good judgment, but as the epitome of organization –always ready with even the tape, paper clips and scissors. She chaired a Lincoln Day Dinner in the 90’s, and true to who she was, read up on protocol for seating. She knew the value of research for allowing her to be sure everything ran smoothly—and many of us remember she knew how to delegate that research..
In 2005, Anne chaired the FFRW State Convention held in West Palm Beach. Despite a recent hurricane which cancelled the keynote speaker, she found a better one; and the show went on! If there were glitches, no one knew.
Anne left us before our club chartered with Republican Party of Florida. But, being a renaissance woman who realized that times change, I am sure she is smiling as we carry our Club’s Legacy onward. She would be very proud of the young folks who have received a scholarship in her name.
The Anne Roberts Memorial Scholarship is available to any Republican undergraduate or graduate student seeking to further their education. Students must have a GPA of 3.0 or above and plan to attend an accredited college. Applicants must be Palm Beach County residents and registered (or pre-registered under 18 yrs. of age) Republicans. Current members may refer applicants for this scholarship. The deadline for this application is June 1. The winner will receive $500 to be sent to the school they will attend. Award will be presented at the monthly luncheon June 24, 2015.
RCPB Scholarship application 2015
Previous Years Winners
In 2014, our previous undergraduate recipients kept up their grades to receive additional scholarship: Dylan Brandenburg, John Clark, Jason Ferrara, and Daniel Kozell. Because of the generosity of our club members, we were able to add a fifth recipient, Hanna Matry, a junior at UF majoring in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering and a member of the University’s Rocket Team in the NASA Hybrid rocket competition.
2013 was an expansive year for our scholarship program, with 6 recipients. They went to Elizabeth Cayson, a county employee who is attending Walden University in Illinois remotely, and Danielle Madsen, who recently graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic and is working at a TV station. Three Florida State students received grants including John Clark (3rd year), Dylan Brandenburg (1st year) and Daniel Kozell (2nd year), and Jason Ferrara who is attending the University of Alabama received his third year scholarship.
In 2012, there were 5 scholarships awarded: James Schackelford in his 3rd year at Florida Atlantic University and Daniel Kozell entering Florida State University. We continued to follow John Clark, Jason Ferrara and Shirley Schaff.
In 2011, there were four scholarships awarded. John Clark attending Florida State University, Jason Ferrara attending University of Alabama, Shirley Schaff attending Northwood University and Kimberly Twoey attending Palm Beach Atlantic University.
In 2010, one scholarship was awarded to Cindy Morris, mother of 5, in her final year with 3.7 GPA at Palm Beach Atlantic College School of Education with endorsements in special education and English and a second language.
The second 2010 scholarship was awarded to James Shackelford, majoring in accounting at Florida Atlantic University. With his passion for politics, he is active in student government and volunteered for Allen West and Marco Rubio campaigns. After receiving his masters in Finance, James plans to attend law school.
The 2009 recipient, Nicole Vega, from Berean Christian High School, aspired to be a civil engineer. After much mentoring by several Club members, Nicole has changed her studies to major in Communications with a minor in Political Science at Palm Beach State College.
RCPB Scholarship application 2015
Karen Jaroch Is Keeping Tabs on Congress
In a fast paced Powerpoint presentation at the RCPB Feburary lunch, Karen Jaroch, Florida grassroots manager for Heritage Action, brought the club up to date on the issues currently on their plate.
The Conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, located in the heart of Washington, has a team of activists and professional lobbyists that educate our Members of Congress and try to move them in the proper (conservative) direction. What had been missing in their quiver was a grassroots component that could bring a member’s constituents to bear on the issues of the day.
This is the hole that Heritage Action fills. From invading the twitter townhalls of the left, organizing tweetfests aimed at particular members, or publishing youtube videos to make political points, the group uses social media together with old fashioned phone calls and email to amplify the conservative message.
Another technique they use is the “key vote”. By publishing ratings of all the members, based on how they voted on a short list of “key” bills, they can describe at a glance if a member is voting appropriately or “straying from the path”. Members are informed of what upcoming votes are “key” and will be included in the ranking for that year, raising the stakes for them. See the table at the end of this article for the current Heritage rankings of the local Florida members.
Some of the issues that are currently hot are:
- Defeating the No Child Left Behind re-authorization. NCLB, passed in the Bush years, was the next step after the Elementary and Secondary Act that first put the federal government in the local school’s business back in the 60’s, and started the nationwide standarized testing protocol. Common Core of course, is where this all leads. NCLB is up for re-authorization this week and Heritage is trying to derail it.
- Repealing Obamacare through the reconciliation process. You may be aware that when Scott Brown was elected to Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat, the Democrats lost their filibuster-proof majority, and it looked then that Obamacare could have been stopped. They used reconciliation to get around that inconvenient roadblock and the rest is history. Now, Heritage is looking for other members to sign on to the “Fleming Letter”, in which Louisiana Republican John Fleming is urging support for a reconciliation style repeal. As of February 1, 20 members had signed on and he seeks 100 before sending it to Speaker Boehner.
- Repealing the Obama overreach on immigration. Heritage is supporting the Aderholt and Blackburn amendments which the House added to the DHS funding bill to stop Obama’s immigration order and the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) Program. Although it looks like the Senate is balking at this, Heritage will use this as a “key vote” and penalize any member’s rating who does not support it.
- Supporting the Transportation Empowerment Act, which would phase out the federal gas tax and return transportation funding decisions back to the states.
In a question and answer session at the conclusion of the program, Karen gave insight on a number of other topics including net neutrality, common core and Obamacare.
The key grassroots tool of Heritage Action is the Sentinel Program, which Karen described in her talk. This is where you can help, by participating in calls for action and pressuring your congress members. For more information see: Are You Ready to Become a Sentinel?
The current Heritage Action ratings for our members are (100 is perfect):
| Rubio | 82 % |
|---|---|
| Nelson | 0 % (Really !!) |
| Murphy | 12 % |
| Deutch | 10 % |
| Frankel | 12 % |
| Hastings | 9 % |
March Meeting Will Feature Larry Horist
Invites You to Attend its upcoming meeting
on Wednesday March 25
featuring:
LARRY HORIST speaks on a wide variety of subjects’ but is most noted for his presentations on current events, politics and government. He is considered an authority on public policy, and has appeared on scores of radio and television public affairs programs, including his own radio show on WIND. He has been a guest lecturer at colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northwestern, DePaul, Loyola, Knox College and Hope College, and had multiple appearances at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). His opinions often appear on newspaper editorial pages, most recently in the Miami Herald, Washington Times, Chicago Tribune, Sun-Sentinel, the Palm Beach Post and Crain’s Chicago Business.
Horist was the first conservative winner of the “golden pickle” debate trophy from the liberal leaning Bughouse Square Debates – a long time Chicago tradition. Also, Loyola University political science students voted Horist the best guest speaker of the semester – in a lecture serious that featured a number of nationally prominent political figures.
$20/Members $25/Guests
Make sure you submit your RSVP in advance by clicking on our link below:
PO Box 2585
West Palm Beach, FL 33402
(561) 855-0749
Heritage Action’s Karen Jaroch at February Meeting
Invites You to Attend its upcoming meeting
on Wednesday February 25
featuring:
Florida Regional Coordinator for Heritage Action,
the grassroots arm of the Heritage Foundation
She will describe the activities of Heritage Action, including the scorecard which ranks our members of Congress on their voting records, tracking of key votes, and the Heritage Sentinel Program – a coordinated network of activists working to influence legislation.
$20/Members $25/Guests
Karen Jaroch is a University of South Florida graduate and licensed professional engineer from Tampa, FL. After working several years in manufacturing, Karen changed professions and followed her passion into politics. In 2009 she co-founded a vibrant, active tea party and then co-led a successful campaign that defeated a local sales tax increase for light rail despite overwhelming odds. Her efforts led to her board appointment to the local transit agency HART. During the 2012 election cycle she served as a field coordinator for Heritage Action in the Tampa area building grassroots relations with conservative organizations while managing a top-producing volunteer phonebank and canvassing center.
Heritage Action believes Washington should work for America’s best interest, and we hold them accountable to ensure they do.
Make sure you submit your RSVP in advance by clicking on our link below:
PO Box 2585
West Palm Beach, FL 33402
(561) 855-0749
Peter Feaman Speaks of Gains and Opportunities
With a large dose of optimism for the future, RNC Committeman Peter Feaman gave the club his prespectives on the state of the state GOP, the results of the November election and the outlook for 2016.
Starting with a historical perspective of man’s struggle for freedom, from Exodus to the Declaration of Independence, he cast the actions of our government today, particularly under this administration, as counter to that struggle. The Republican party, starting with Lincoln, has at its core tried to advance the cause of freedom for all.
Today we are angry and scared at what is happening with Obamacare, EPA regulations, and the excesses of the nanny state, but in the 2014 election we rose up for freedom, and the result is the largest Republican House majority in 80 years. Republicans are also now in charge of 69 out of 99 state legislative bodies – 70%. The Democrats have been taken over by the hard left, but now we have an opportunity to reverse that trend.
In October and November of 2014, the RNC raised $12M – 87% of which was from donations of $200 or less, giving the lie to the GOP as the “party of the rich”. Support among ethnic groups has moved in our direction. Asian Americans voted 50% Republican in 2014, up from 26%. Black support doubled from 6% to 12%. We are the “party of freedom” and the “party of values” – and should not forget that Martin Luther King was a Republican.
Looking toward 2016, the RNC has established a debate schedule that includes one per month for 9 months. The Florida debate will be the last – in March 2016, and the debates will both start and end with the Fox News Network.
In response to a question that many had on their minds – with all this success, why is the President continuing to ignore congress and do his own thing, Peter pointed to the Speaker’s invitation to Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress (a shot across the bow of this President) as the beginnings of Congress reasserting its authority as a co-equal branch of government. They have only been in session for a little over a week, after all, so stay tuned!
Also at the meeting we had a drawing for two tickets to the Lincoln Day dinner, which will feature NJ Governor Chris Christie. They were won by Meg Shannon and Nicki Sabino.
In attendance at the meeting were three consecutive county GOP Chairman – Sid Dinerstein, Anita Mitchell, and current chair Michael Barnett, and an appearance was made by WPB Commissioner Kimberly Mitchell, who is running for Mayor in the March election.
Peter Feaman featured at January Lunch
Invites You to Attend its upcoming meeting
on Wednesday January 28
featuring:
Republican National Committeeman for the State of Florida as well as Palm Beach County State Committeeman,
He will give his thoughts on the recent elections and plans at the state and national level as we move towards 2016.
$20/Members $25/Guests
Peter Feaman was unanimously elected in 2012 by the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Florida to be its National Committeman to represent Florida Republicans at the Republican National Committee in Washington, DC. He currently sits on the Rules Committee of the RNC.
As a practicing trial attorney, Mr. Feaman was recognized by the Florida Trend magazine as one of Florida’s “Elite Lawyers” in the field of business and commercial litigation in 2011.
In 2007, Mr. Feaman published his first book entitled “WAKE UP, AMERICA!” subtitled, “Understanding Jihad for Dummies!” His second book “THE NEXT NIGHTMARE” with a forward by former Congressman Allen West, was published in 2012. Mr. Feaman has appeared on Fox News and numerous radio talk shows throughout the United States to discuss the threat of radical Islam, current political issues and how political correctness will destroy America.
Make sure you submit your RSVP in advance by clicking on our link below:
PO Box 2585
West Palm Beach, FL 33402
(561) 855-0749
Holiday Lunch Features Sweet Sound of Dimensional Harmony
In a joint event with the Delray Beach Republican Club, our annual Holiday Lunch featured Dimensional Harmony from Boynton Beach High School. Led by director Sterling Frederick, the 50 person a-capella group delighted the members with traditional Christmas songs as well as their own contemporary favorites. The pure tones and songbird quality of their soloist on “Silent Night” was riveting, and the uplifting harmonies of the group as they fanned out to surround the audience was memorable.
We wish them well for their debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall in March of next year.
Holiday Lunch Features Dimensional Harmony
Co-sponsored by The Republican Club of the Palm Beaches and the Delray Beach Republican Club.
Don’t miss this sensational performance.
$20/Members $25/Guests
Make sure you submit your RSVP in advance by clicking on our link below:
PO Box 2585
West Palm Beach, FL 33402
(561) 855-0749
Dimensional Harmony is a sensational choral group of 50 extraordinarily talented Boynton Beach High School students that has received state and nationwide acclaim for its amazing singing ability!
In 2014 the students successfully earned a coveted invitation to the National Competition, where they earned top honors; and have also been invited to the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City to perform in March 2015. To fulfill their goals and reach the big stage to demonstrate their “Broadway” show qualities, they need community-wide support!
Under the direction of innovative director, Mr. Sterling Frederick, Dimensional Harmony has been widely recognized nationwide over the past few years, winning first place gold in several competitions in New York and Atlanta; and also winning the prestigious National Show Choir Title. Members have performed their creative interpretations of inspirational songs, ballads, and popular hits live on the “Today Show,” as well as at numerous theatres. Other venues for Dimensional Harmony’s accomplishments include the Florida Music Educators Association Music Conference, openings for renowned gospel singers, and at events held at Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago Resort.
Dimensional Harmony members are a proven example of the positive impact dedicated students, their dedicated leader, and the Performing Arts can have on the local community and on developing future successful, well rounded, and responsible, young individuals and citizens! With their incredible talent, grace, harmony, and unlimited enthusiasm, they deserve the opportunity to become our ambassadors and compete at the highest level.