Joe Negron and Pat Rooney Explain the Senate/House Discord on Health Care
Previously scheduled for the May meeting to occur after the end of the 2015 session, our Legislative Update was particularly timely since the Legislature failed to finish their work this year and are headed back for a special session next week.
District 32 Senator Joe Negron and District 85 Representative Pat Rooney gave us their view of a few of the issues that were particularly important to them. For Senator Negron, these included Lake Okeechobee discharges, school testing and veterans benefits, while Representative Rooney spoke about placing limits on “sober houses”, city and county pension issues, and letting bars and restaurants serve beer in 64 oz. “growlers”.
The main event of course was health care. In a strange intra-party battle between the Florida Senate on one side and the House and Governor on the other, Tallahassee has shown that they can be just as dysfunctional as their counterparts in Washington. With an impasse over “Medicaid Expansion” (which each side trys to call something different) holding up the passage of the state Budget and three days left before the scheduled end of session, the House took their ball and went home. Since the constitution requires a budget, the Governor is calling them back for a special session starting next week.
What makes this most curious is the fact that the leadership of both bodies are Republican. Those in the Senate though, perhaps are not your father’s Republicans.
The Senate position, represented by Joe Negron who could be the next Senate President, is one of compassion for the working poor and a desire to make sure that “everybody has health insurance.” Relating anecdotes about uninsured parents bringing their screaming children into emergency rooms because they waited too long to seek care, he spoke sadly about the 800,000 uninsured in Florida in that narrow band between existing Medicaid and Obamacare subsidies (100%-130% of the poverty line). Apparently, Senator Negron’s goal is universal health care, with the Florida taxpayer providing subsidies for those who either can’t or won’t purchase their own health insurance. His arguments about stopping the cost shifting from the uninsured to the hospital emergency rooms (who make it up by charging us more), and the urgent necessity to “solve the problem” of Florida’s uninsured, are very reminiscent of the arguments made by President Obama for the Affordable Care Act. In a state that has fought the imposition of Obamacare on constitutional grounds, and has so far resisted its major expansion of Medicaid – a budget buster in a few years, the Republican Senate has gone all Progressive on us. They are actually proposing a brand new entitlement that will redistribute wealth to yet another class of recipient. It is no wonder that the Senate approach is strongly supported by the Democrat party in Florida, and the Hospital and Health Insurance industries which would profit mightily by its passage.
The House position (supported by Governor Scott) was clearly defined by Pat Rooney – we need to care about the cost of these programs, particularly in the out years which very shortly would add another $3-4B Billion burden on the state budget. The House opposes the expansion of Medicaid provided for in Obamacare (which the Supreme Court ruled could not be imposed on the states), for several reasons, most importantly its unaffordability. The House in aggregate, and Pat Rooney in particular, are still governed by Republican principles.
For more information about the dispute and its likely outcome in the budget battle, see: Retooled health proposal snubbed
Also at the meeting, the passing of long time club member Barbara Hawley was noted with a moment of silence, and GOP vice-chair Tami Donnelly made a pitch for new REC members.
A Spirited Discussion About Common Core
As expected, the topic of Common Core led to a spirited discussion by our two speakers, Kate Wallace, Director of Community Engagement for Foundation for Florida’s Future, and Rebecca Negron, a Martin County School Board Member.
Kate described how Florida has made significant gains in educational achievement between 1999 to 2014 with a 24% increase in graduation rates. Further, 30 % of Florida graduates earned a passing score on an AP exam compared to 21.6% nationally, placing Florida third behind only Connecticut and Maryland. On the most recent international student literacy test, Florida ranked second in the world and far above the national average. Our fourth grade math and reading and eighth grade reading improvement is double that of students nationwide.
Higher standards are necessary to prepare students to enter college or the workplace, and the improvement in Florida’s educational results since standards were introduced demonstrate that the higher standards result in higher achievement results.
Kate distinguished among three vocabulary words that are often misunderstood or misused:
1. Standard: The skills we ask to be mastered by a specific grade level
2. Curriculum: A range of approaches to achieve the standards
3. Assessment: The tools to measure objectively whether the standards have been mastered.
As standards change, the curriculum and tests must also change. Children rise to meet standards as they are increased. The progress shown in Florida demonstrates that this works.
Rebecca agreed with Kate that we want our state to be the best in the country in education. Her concern is about the apparent lack of transparency in the development of the standards and curriculum in the past with little involvement of educators and the public. Concerns of various experts point to the Common Core focus being more on writing rather than reading, the failure of the curriculum to develop critical thinking skills, and the developmentally inappropriate programs for children in early grades. Pointing to the design of Common Core, she explained that it is not designed to educate or instruct students using the great stories of western tradition but rather to direct people to be preoccupied with functional aspects.
Rebecca voiced concerns about the Department of Education vetting books for use in the curriculum. Parents are concerned about the biased and negative aspects of human behavior that is found in the curriculum. Teachers also have concerns about the impact on their profession because the evaluations and changes make it hard for them to keep up with the demands. They would like more flexibility to do what they think is best. With regard to the Common Core reading material, she noted that about 70% of it is instructional rather than being good quality literature and only chapters of books are included, rather than entire books.
Rebecca said the most important thing for us to consider is what the purpose of education is. We need to stop having students unready for college, and to educate them so that they grow into respectful and responsible adults. The question we should ask is: “What kind of person do we want to produce?” It will take involvement of all stakeholders, making sure teachers are prepared for teaching to standards, and getting control back to local school districts in all areas. In conclusion, she said that it is good to have this type of discussion because the dialogue is what’s important, we need to identify what our students need to know, and we need to get everyone on board.
In the question and answer period, both speakers agreed that increasing competition is necessary so that parents have a choice in where to send their children for an education. Kate noted that Florida leads the nation in school choice with a variety of traditional schools, charter schools, private schools, on line learning options, and vouchers for pre-kindergarten.
Some pictures by Delia
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.
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 % |
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.
Honoring our Veterans
The November meeting’s theme and purpose was to Honor our Veterans. Fran Hancock, President, kicked off the meeting and then the Invocation and Pledge were led by Virginia Brooks.
Fran introduced our keynote speaker, Staff Sergeant Brian Mast. SSG Mast now resides in Ft. Lauderdale, FL with his wife of 8 years, Brianna, and his 4 and 2 year old sons Magnum and Maverick, and are expecting a little girl in February. He is a full time student of Economics at Harvard University, an Explosive Specialist with the Department of Homeland Security, and a tireless advocate working to bring awareness to many veteran and non-profit organizations.
Brian gave an impassioned speech thanking our Veterans from all wars, and all who served in any capacity. He began by describing the huge number of non-profit organizations that exist to make life better for those who served, and how life for the vets from the more recent conflicts is far better than the treatment that our Vietnam Vets received upon returning home. There was not a dry eye in the house as Brian described the various ways in which veterans have given of themselves with their every action. He recounted in detail the night in which he lost both of his legs in Afghanistan. Brian had gone ahead of his team to check for IEDs – which he was sure were there. He gave the all clear and headed in for the mission when he stepped on a mine a few feet into the compound. SSG Mast described his rescue and waking up 5 days later at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He also honored the 67 friends he lost in Afghanistan. SSG Mast is a true patriot and Fran indicated that he may be running for office in the near future. We would all be well served to have such an outstanding individual represent us in the future.
Our next speaker, club member Chris Noel, echoed the experiences of those who served in Vietnam. As an actress/singer who went to Vietnam in the 1960’s with Bob Hope and the USO to entertain and support veterans when most of the Hollywood” crowd did not, she saw what those in the military had to endure both in Vietnam and upon their return. She continued to be driven to help our veterans and formed Vetsville to provide housing for homeless vets and to help them return to productive lives.
Last on our agenda were candidate for the REC leadership: Mike Barnett, running for Chair; Pam Wohlschegel, running for Vice-Chair; and Cheryl Mullings, running for Secretary.
Delia’s pictures from the event:
Former Candidates Unify around Winners
Several months ago, during the heat of the primary election, all the Republican candidates for the county’s congressional districts were asked to attend our lunch this week, the day after the winner had been declared. We would congratulate the winners and commiserate with the losers, and all would have the chance to come together in unity to defeat the Democrats in the fall election.
The response was gratifying, as nine of the ten candidates for disticts 18, 20, and 22 attended, thanked their supporters, and said they would do their part to help defeat incumbents Patrick Murphy, Lois Frankel and Alcee Hastings. (Only Calvin Turnquest did not attend.)
From left: Paul Spain, Beverly Hires, Carl Domino, Fran Hancock, Alan Schlesinger, Nick Wukoson, David Wagie. Not shown: Jay Bonner, Andrea McGee
Carl Domino prevailed in district 18, receiving 38% of the vote in the district (47% in Palm Beach County). The other candidates whose campaigns in general had targeted Carl as the front-runner, split the remaining vote among themselves, suggesting it would have been a different race with fewer candidates. Coming in second was Alan Schlesinger with 24%, followed by Beverly Hires, Brian Lara, Calvin Turnquest and Nick Wukoson. Carl gave us his thoughts on the November contest, listing All Aboard Florida (he is opposed, whereas his opponent was “for it before he was against it”), Obamacare (will vote to repeal, but what is really needed is a replacement), and immigration as top issues.
In district 20, Jay Bonner, who did not have a primary opponent, laid out his challenge – that the district is 4 to 1 Democrat and designed to elect a minority candidate. His approach will be to attract voters with a faith agenda, bringing his message to the churches where the conventional Democrat positions on social issues are not strongly supported.
And in district 22, which spans Palm Beach and Broward Counties, Paul Spain was the winner, bringing in 43% of the vote against Andrea McGee (35%) and David Wagie (23%). Paul is ready to take it to Lois Frankel with his message of fiscal responsibility, opposition to Obamacare, and support for Israel.
Starting in September, the club will be picking a night for phonebanking at the GOP Victory Center. Details will follow.
Also in September, we will have Florida CFO Jeff Atwater on Friday, September 26 (note the day change), and in October we will have a session on the November ballot questions (3 state, 2 county, some local), with pro and con speakers and discussion on the issues. Join us!
Some pictures from the event:
2014 Scholarship Winners Announced at June Lunch
This year, the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches is happy to award the Anne Roberts Scholarships to five deserving scholars – one new award and continuing support for four previous winners.
The awards were presented by former Congressman Mark Foley, who has provided significant contributions to our scholarship fund (including an additional $2000 at the meeting). Stressing the importance of finding young Republicans who can be tomorrow’s leaders, he spoke of the harm to the younger generation that the Obama policies have wrought, and how our message to them should be one of opportunity. Encouraging the younger generation to run for public office, “Politics is a rough and tumble business” he said, but “also one that can be very rewarding”.
The recipients are:
Jason Ferrara, who will be a senior in political science at the University of Alabama and going to law school next year. His father is attorney and REC member Jim Ferrara of Boca Raton. Not able to join us today, he sent his thanks and pointed out that he is hoping to volunteer in political campaigns this summer.
John Ryan Clark, who will be a senior in in political science, international affairs, Chinese, Business and Asian studies at FLorida State. He also plans to attend law school with a Chinese law program. He is currently in Tianjin, China on a Gilman Scholarship from the US State Department and could not be with us.
Daniel Kozell, younger brother to past president Rick Kozell, who will graduate in May with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Dylan Brandenburg, who learned his skills in computer and political science from working in political campaigns with his parents Gary and Kathy Brandenburg of North Palm Beach. A student at Florida State, he joined the Computer Criminology program and has worked for the state of Florida in the Insurance Fraud Division, and now works for Dana and Johnston Blakely in their business “On Track Investigations” who are sponsoring him for his private investigator license.
Hanna Matry, our newest recipient who received her AA degree from Palm Beach State and is now in her 2nd year at the College of Engineering at the University of Florida, majoring in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. She is just starting a summer internship with Rocketdyne at the old Pratt&Whitney site. Not able to be with us, her mother Joanne Matry arranged for her to thank us in a video which was played at the meeting.
Also at the meeting, we heard from county GOP Chair Anita Mitchell who reported that the county party is now “in the black”. Anita told us about the party program to reach out to independents (50% of whom used to be Republicans), and to create a “service” orientation, beyond politics. The latter is designed to present a helpful presence in the community through helping people with problems they are having with government, and to work with groups such as the Boys and Girls clubs.
Mary Kate Knorr, the Republican Victory Center Manager, brought us up to speed on their plans, and stressed that volunteers are needed for a variety of jobs in addition to the more traditional precinct walking and phone-banking.
Candidates present included Calvin Turnquest, Nick Wukoson and Brian Lara running in CD18, David Wagie of CD22, and John Hartman – the only Republican in any school board race, running for Karen Brill’s seat.
Fran Hancock Succeeds Rick Kozell as RCPB President at May Meeting
Summary of May 28 Meeting:
The invocation and pledge were done by Michael Barnett.
Rick Kozell, President of the RCPB, thanked Marilynn Parmet and the RCNPB for jointly sponsoring this event. Noting that this year’s Primary Election in less than 3 months away on August 26, Rick pointed out that the notable races were the District 18 Congressional race against a Democratic incumbent in a primarily Republican District. Also noted was the importance of the Governor’s race, with the good news that Florida is leading the nation in job creation and Governor Scott is raising 3 times as much as Charlie Crist.
Future meetings of the RCPB will include another possible joint meeting with RCNPB with Florida CFO Jeff Atwater as the speaker and a Candidate Forum for Districts 18 and 22.
All members were encouraged to join the leadership group, and all were encouraged to state reaching out to undecided voters to get them to support Republican candidates.
Bette Anne Starkey announced the winners of the Anne Roberts Memorial Scholarship Winners, and pointed out that the scholarships will be awarded at our next meeting in June.
Rick Kozell announced, with regret, his resignation as President of the RCPB because he is taking a new job in Washington, D.C. for a couple of years. In conformance with our bylaws, Rick asked for nominations from the floor to fill the office of President. Bill Diamond rose to nominate former State Committeewoman and long time club member, Fran Hancock, with the nomination being seconded by several other club members. After hearing no further nominations from the floor, a motion was made to close the floor to nominations; this motion was seconded and passed without opposition. The vote on the nomination of Fran Hancock was then taken, and she was elected by the club members present without opposition.
The guest speaker was Adam Putnam, the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Focusing on the great importance of keeping the Governor’s office in Republican hands, Commissioner Putnam encouraged the grass roots to start talking to their undecided neighbors about the accomplishments of Governor Scott and the importance of his re-election to Florida, and the business and families who have thrived under the low taxes and reduced regulatory obstructions advanced under his administration.
Candidates for office were then given 3 minutes to speak to the audience. The meeting closed with Rick Kozell thanking the leadership group and the club members for the support and help they provided during his tenure as club President.
Adam Putnam Describes the Stakes in the November Election
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam was the featured speaker at a joint meeting of the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches and the Republican Club of the Northern Palm Beaches, He told the audience that Florida is the last bastion of large states that are not blue in color, and if the Governorship is lost, Florida will look more like Michigan, New York, Ohio and California.
Florida needs to stay conservative by keeping Republicans as the Governor, the Attorney General, the Chief Financial Officer and, the Agriculture Commissioner, and as the majority party in the Florida House and Senate. Pointing out that Republicans are the ones with solutions in the country, he noted that in Florida Republicans have created an environment for businesses to succeed and families to thrive. Palm Beach County is the perfect example of the American Dream. Noting that the current culture of problem solving is fragile, he reminded the audience that just a few years ago Time Magazine had a cover story calling Florida the “Sunset State”, claiming that tourism, real estate, the manufacturing base and diversity in the economy were all dead. At the same time the Wall Street Journal had front page stories claiming that Florida had a 15 to 20 year glut of condos.
Today, 5 years later, with a Republican Governor, Florida leads the nation in job creation, crime is at a 43 year low, and it has a balanced budget after paying off $5 Billion in debt and putting $3 Billion into a savings account in case of hurricanes. Florida and Texas are succeeding, with our chief competitors being states in the southeast like the Carolinas and Tennessee which, like Florida, have low taxes and low regulatory burdens. Florida can set its own destiny, with things in Washington broken for the foreseeable future.
Hilary Clinton, wants a Democratic Governor in Tallahassee to help bolster her presidential run. The potential opponent to Governor Scott is likely to be Charlie Crist who has changed his mind on every single issue of conscience. He has no compass. People can respect leaders who hold beliefs, but someone like Crist undermines public confidence. We need to be energized to keep him from being re-elected as he has morphed from a Republican to an Independent and now to a Democrat. While Crist left the state with many problems when he left the Governorship, we want to make Florida better by improving tourism, engaging in the shale gas revolution, bringing back Pratt Whitney, developing biotech, and creating more medical cities. Florida is not just a prize to be enjoyed later in life, it can be the American Dream now for many people. That’s why our leadership is so important.
Why is having a Republican Governor so important? The Florida Constitution requires that we re-write it every 20 years, so the next Governor will have the right to name half of the committee which will do this. Clubs like ours are in the front line of grass roots activism to keep Republicans in control of our state. In 2010 Republicans were passionate and committed, and this is what is needed this year. Nothing is more persuasive than our supporters talking to their neighbors one-on-one. It is much more important than any advertising done during a campaign. The other side has put legalizing medical marijuana on the ballot to energize their base and increase turnout. We all need to pull together for the good of the state by continuing the pro-business, pro-family environment we have created in Florida.