Do You Know Where Your Donation Goes?I came across an interesting article in the Daytona Beach news Journal this AM & thought some of you might be interested. I did a copy & paste so that the article in my post would be as accurate as I could get it. It is as follows.
May 06, 2008 Family First bill deserves veto Amid the clamor of Florida's 2008 legislative session, a bill slipped through nearly unnoticed -- yet within the next 18 months, every person who registers a vehicle in this state will know about it. At least, they'll know enough to wonder "What's 'Family First?' " That's because, starting in October if Gov. Charlie Crist doesn't veto the bill, everyone who registers a car or renews its registration in Florida will be asked whether you want to donate a dollar to the Tampa-based organization -- though you won't be told what the organization does, or what the money will be used for. The bill doesn't go into much detail either, referring to Family First merely as "a nonprofit corporation." In reality, the group is a conservative-leaning organization, also known as the Florida Family Council, that says it's "dedicated to strengthening the family," through radio spots, e-mails and Web sites. While not overtly sectarian, the group approaches the issue of family preservation with a clear religious bent. And while it's not to be confused with the more openly political, Orlando-based Florida Family Policy Council, Family First has weighed in on political issues in its time, including drafting a letter in 1998 chastising the Disney Corporation for offering benefits to gay and lesbian partners of its employees. The practice of fundraising for such groups through official state documents is constitutionally "iffy," says Larry Helm Spalding of the Florida American Civil Liberties Union, but more importantly, "it's just really bad public policy." And if the Legislature says yes to right-leaning family groups, how can it say no to groups like -- for example -- the ACLU? "It's important for the government to be the government and nothing else," Mark Merrill, president of Family First, told conservative journal Human Events in 1998. To be fair, Merrill was speaking of government "intrusion" into the realm of the family -- but his statement certainly applies to government when it's acting as a fundraiser for nonprofit groups. Crist should follow that logic -- and veto this bill. Now donating a buck or two won't hurt most people. But that's not the issue. When you go grocery shopping to Publix or Winn Dixie & you see a bunch of kids, you know where your money is going. Same thing with orgs that you see at traffic light, kids doing car washes, even political candidates. But this one is a double edged sword aimed at you & your wallet. Not only don't they reveal what your money will be going to, there may be Constitutional issues involved. Talk @ NO truth in advertising or full disclosure. One also has to wonder just how this bill, "slipped through," & just who slipped it through. Perhaps an email to Gov. Crist telling him to slam dunk this type of snake oil hucksterism might be a really good idea. I don't mind donating a dollar or two, maybe more to what I consider a worthy cause. But I'm no different than most people in the fact that I want to know where my money is going & not having to worry @ Constitutional issues. What we DON'T need is yet another underhanded scam to worry about. We have enough to worry @ in these times. JATFUR. RichK © 2008 News-Journal Corporation. ® www.news Submitted by bigmig9999 on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 8:57am.
This happens all the time in my line of work. You watch certain bills, and work certain bills that you feel strongly about... and while you think you are being successful... something else gets slipped into a relatively unrelated bill and all the hard work is squashed. Its a full time job and probably then some to keep an eye on everything. Since this is a state issue, and I do live in the state, I hope my comments are ok :) Just Teasin' Finder, I trust you have a sense of humor......
Submitted by SoloVoce on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 9:00am.
Mike, Glad to provide the info. This should surprise absolutely no one. We still have plenty of people & groups, not just here in Fl., but on a national level, who wish to enrich their coffers while attempting to impose their religious views on everyone. Good Example. Jeb Bush has been out of office for almost a year & a half. But he still has cronies in the legislature, working behind the scenes to either find a way to circumvent the unconstitutionality of school vouchers or get the law changed. Another good example. On tampabay.com, in a special to the Times, JB wrote an article in favor of school vouchers claiming that they, "dramatically," improved grades. But the two things he didn't include was that the grades were so dismal to begin with, they had no place to go but up. That, and the fact that while he was heaping praise upon praise on the voucher system, this was contrary to all the evidence provided by numerous studies that show they are not that effective. Sounds like someone here on the blogs, come to think of it. If I see anything more on this I'll be happy to post it. RichK
Submitted by finder on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 9:13am.
Shoot, bigmig, I hope you never ask my lovely bride, she might tell you that on occasion she thinks a sense of humor is the only sense I have. Mike Heemer http://24.23.126.8/ Petition for choice (5 or 7) in Nov. Submitted by pioneer on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 10:26am.
We all should be paying closer attention to bills sent through the FL State Legislature with hardly a blink of the eye---especially 2007 Senate Bill 1920. This little known bill says that the exercise of free speech can only be exercised on private property with "case by case" management approval. This includes petitioning signatures. The chief lobbyist for this bill was non other than John Thrasher, who rose through the political ranks in Clay County as school board member, followed by legislator, and then back here to Clay as District 1 Commissioners, appointed by close ally Jeb Bush. You will remember that Thrasher was chief obstructionist to HMD, so I am sure that 2007 Senate Bill 1920 was a glove that fit his needs well. The Thrasher bill ignores, circumvents, whatever, the 1980 U. S. Supreme Court ruling which protects speech and petitioning, reasonably conducted in privately owned shopping centers. Recently, fliers were sent to local retailers referencing 2007 Senate Bill 1920. Because the CTLAC group carry their petitions for signatures to local Publix and Wal-Marts, it's not hard to see that this could hinder CTLAC's efforts. The timing of the flier and the parties responsible for sending it to retailers should be enough to generate a HMMMM and furrow a few brows. Never in my lifetime did I imagine that citizens would be such a threat to the powers that be that a Senate bill would be passed to obstruct the right to petition. Never in my lifetime is today.
Submitted by 3claykids on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 2:52pm.
Solo, thanks for the heads up. According to a quick web search, this group already gets proceeds from a license tag. They need more? http://www.familyfirst.net/specialtylicenseplate/index.php While I have no problem with their attempts to educate parents about effective parenting, it seems they're also involved in partisan political issues - homosexuality for one. Frankly, as soon as a non-profit starts lobbying the legislators about who gets to go to Disney on a certain day, or who can get married, I think the state needs to step out of the fundraising partnership. All we're doing at that point is providing them with more money for more expensive lobbyists to push their partisan issues. NCLB: No Chocolate Left Behind Submitted by Sunflower on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 11:17pm.
Pioneer - this bill is horrendous and I'm wondering about John Thrasher's source of power and how he actually reached that plateau of the be all and end all. It started way before my time here and it's curious how these people reached such a pinnacle without the citizens realizing what was happening! This man is a citizen of Clay County/Orange Park, but apparently does not believe in the US Constitution and the first amendment, but has created one of his own which applies to the people of Clay County and the State of Florida. It's no wonder that Florida and its processes are the laughing stock of the country. He and his cronies (anyone he gives money to) are the bain of our existence here in Clay County. He wasn't just appointed CC commissioner of D#1 by Gov. Jeb, he requested it (according to the Governor who thought it would be a good idea). These people get their power because they are crooks and liars. This county is almost (almost) as corrupt as the county we used to live in. Actually, it might be worse. What is it with these people who don't believe in the first amendment and the rights of the people but only their own power and greed (which comes first - greed or power?) And...another thing - didn't the United States Supreme Court override the State of Florida in 2000 and stop the presidential vote count? But in 2007, the Florida Senate led by a lobbyist, approved a law that supercedes the United States Supreme Court ruling of 1980? What the hell is up with that? Petition for removal of two commissioners. http://24.23.126.8/ People are talking about ...Here are the recent blog postings with the most comments. |
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Maybe this was what all the 'Truck Nutz' and 'I Believe' hoopla was about. If you distract people they won't realize you are picking their pocket.
Why do I want my tax dollars paying state government employees to collect, track and distribute money for a non-profit? I'd say they have enough to keep them busy doing state work without having to be fundraisers.
I wonder who is paying to have all those forms changed to include that little box. I'd venture a guess that it isn't the non-profit.
Mike Heemer http://24.23.126.8/ Petition for choice (5 or 7) in Nov.