Why Do Some of Us Bad Talk America's Power and Wealth?

I don’t get it.

As an American, I can really appreciate the power we hold. There hasn’t been another society in history that has allowed more people to reach the heights of power. It is my belief that: Power is being distributed throughout our country. In our society, power is no longer centralized in one place like it has been in the past; Power has been spread throughout by the leveling power of capitalism.

Power equals wealth and no other nation in the history of the world have enjoyed the opulence and privilege that we all have. We can get anything at our beckon call; at the click of a button, every consumer good imaginable can be at our door. Everything from: Pizza, televisions, sex toys and Viagra can be delivered to your door in one day.

We have created a society in which some Americans could actually never leave their house for the rest of their lives, and survive. It could happen.

Some shy away from taking pleasure in this, but I don’t. I think overall, our way of life is improving the lot of the world. Yes - some are at a disadvantage, but on a whole, more people are doing better than they’ve ever done throughout history.

I don’t have a quote to back that up; challenge it if you’d like.

We should all take pleasure and pride in our way of life. Embrace it; you’ve earned those privileges. We work hard; we play hard. Like Shuck and Wilson say in Understanding America: The Anatomy of an Exceptional Nation: We “may be self-absorbed, but who isn’t?”

We are the envy of the world; we shouldn’t feel bad about it. Americans shouldn’t feel bad about our power and wealth because I don’t think we use it in a way that puts people at a disadvantage. Because our country doesn’t put people at a disadvantage, we don’t have to feel bad about our way of life.

Do you think our power and wealth puts people at a disadvantage?

Did Party-Throwers Have Permit to be in Parking Lot?

In today's story, the PNJ doesn't go into much detail when they talk about why "a crowd of up to a thousand young people" showed up in the parking lot near the gate to Fort Pickens Park.

It seems as though there was going to be a hip-hop concert/party in the parking lot. The PNJ said: "Marquel Kelson, 31, a rap artist with the local group The Tanyards, said he and several other performers went to the beach about 9 a.m. Saturday to set up for a party that was to start at 2 p.m. and end at 7 p.m. But he said deputies arrived at 5 p.m. and told them to leave."

The PNJ doesn't confirm if The Tanyards had a permit to have a concert/party in the parking lot. If they didn't, defending the actions of the ESCO is going to get a whole lot easier.

All of the available evidence seems to put them in the clear.

Counties Address Property Rights on Santa Rosa Island

The Pensacola Beach Blog has great coverage of the Santa Rosa Island property rights issue that will be addressed today during a special joint meeting between Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties.

Let's hope some progress is made at the meeting; it's simply unfair to double-tax the residents of Santa Rosa Island.

Slowly Sifting Through Beach Brawl Information

I'm slowly getting caught up on the incident that took place on Saturday at Pensacola Beach; there's coverage all over the place.

The PNJ, Rick's Blog and the Pensacola Beach Blog all have coverage of the arrests that followed the near-riot on Pensacola Beach. There's even Youtube videos of the event.

After reviewing the videos, it looks like the ECSO was justified in their actions. The crowd was getting out-of-control and deputies arrested the troublemakers.

I'm going to review more of this information and later today, I hope to have some in-depth analysis of the incident.

Chris' Corner 04 28 08

Getting back into groove at work after a much needed vacation in Pensacola.

I'll be living the bachelor life for the next three days; my girlfriend is going on a business trip to Philadelphia tomorrow and she'll be back on Thursday.

In the morning, I have to drop her off at the train station in DC.

What shall I do with the time?

Don’t We Kind of Need Earmarks?

Saturday, The Washington Post published a piece by three mayors that defends the use of Congress’s spending on earmarks. They argue that earmarks buy important things that communities need in order to thrive and stay safe.

They do have a point; in order to stay prosperous, communities need Congress to spend money on things like roads, social services and police. Whether we like it or not, we must spend money on these things. Some government at the local, state or federal level would have to spend money on these needs.

But, do we need to take care of this spending at the federal level?

Couldn’t this spending take place at the local level? We could, but don’t you think there would be a disparity between municipalities all across America. Cities with high property values would flourish and cities in urban areas would flounder.

If earmark spending was transferred to the local level, there’d be an even bigger inequality between the rich and poor in America. We pretty much need earmark spending to take place the federal level.

Won’t don’t need to kill earmark spending; we just need to re-think the way in which we spend this money.

Chris' Corner: 04 26 08

I took care of some major spring cleaning today. It was about time; the cleaning was really needed.

If only I could just get the yard in order.

Is the City Buying Scenic Highway Residents a View of Escambia Bay?

The PNJ has an interesting piece in today's paper that talks about the "past, present and future" of Scenic Highway.

One part of the story grabbed my attention. It says: "Jean Wallace, vice president of the Scenic Highway Foundation, would like to see public purchase or private donations over the next 10 years to expand and enhance the highway’s scenic nature."

The story adds: "A crucial victory, Wallace said, was the City of Pensacola’s purchase of the former Baars property south of Bay Bluffs Park about eight years ago. The undeveloped stretch of land just south of Bay Bluffs Park gives drivers and area residents...an unobstructed view across Escambia Bay."

What? Why is the city buying Ms. Wallace a view of the bay? I'm sure she's a lovely woman, but I don't think we should use taxpayer money to improve her property value.

What do you think?

Chris' Corner: 04 24 08

I've been able to enjoy a real string of good weather in the past seven days. In the DC metro area and Pensacola, it has been gorgeous and sunny. I love the weather this time of year.

I slept with my windows open last night and had the best sleep I've had in weeks.

Three Questions with Councilman Hall

I sat down with Pensacola City Councilman Sam Hall on Monday and discussed some of Pensacola's pressing issues. We talked about the future of Pensacola's port, the Community Maritime Park and the city's social service spending.

First of all, Hall supports a dual-role for the port's property; shipping and transportation should still take place on it, but these activities should be scaled back. He thinks the tourism industry should have a bigger influence on the property.

His reasoning: The city is already using CRA funds to develop tourism downtown and Pensacola should start focusing on that mission.

Secondly, I asked Hall if he thinks the city is exploring alternative funding sources for the CMP.

Just a little background: In the coming months, the Florida Supreme Court will rule on the Strand case. The court could decide that until county residents vote on the CMP, its funding scheme is unconstitutional.

The astonishing thing is: Hall thinks the city isn't exploring other funding sources for the CMP. This is amazing; the Strand case could sideline the planned construction of the CMP. The city needs to start exploring a plan B for funding it.

Lastly, Hall had an interesting line of reasoning when he talked about funding the social services in Pensacola. He thinks we shouldn't dramatically decrease the funding that goes to them. Hall said the city would end up paying more in the long-run if they cut spending to social services.

I'd need to read some research on this before I agree with Hall. Although, it could be true; it does make sense.

Chris' Corner: 04 22 08

Today, I flew back to DC today from Pensacola; I just got done spending a four day vacation in the area.

I hit the Oar House and Intermissions with some friends on Friday night. Saturday, I rocked the Widespread Panic show at The Wharf in Orange Beach, AL. Sunday, I was at my brother's baby shower hosted by my parents. Yesterday, I met with Sam Hall at Panera Bread to discuss local politics. Last night, it was dinner with friends at Monterrey's and then drinks at Coyote's.

Flights were uneventful; both planes I took were half full. On the flight from Atlanta to DC, I laid out on all three seats and took a siesta.

City Hall Should Cut Spending on Social Services

This past January, Florida voters approved Amendment 1 to cut off the unessential funding that has been going to local governments in the last few years. Florida's cities and counties will need to drastically cut back on their spending.

Pensacola's already cash-strapped government is being forced to cut millions of dollars from their budget. Due to the passage of Amendment 1, the city now has less money to spend.

Pensacola's leaders have been forced to cut spending on services that we all receive from the city; some are vital. Police, Parks and Recreation, Community Redevelopment and Public Works Departments are all facing budget cuts.

Pensacola's Fire Department is really feeling the pinch of budget cuts. Fire Chief Frank Edwards tried to keep his chin up at Monday's budget meeting, but he did not seem confident that the Fire Department would still be able to provide the same level of service that they have provided in the past.

Commenting on the Fire Department's budget cuts, Chief Edwards said, "There may be times when we're impacted by this". Could the city's new budget cuts endanger the lives of firemen?

The local firemen's union thinks they will put them in danger. Bob Sumner, a representative from Firefighters Local 707 thinks the Fire Department has faced too many budget cuts in the past, and firefighters have already been put in harm's way. Sumner contends that previous budget cuts led to a fireman's death in 2000. "We killed a fireman", exclaimed Sumner at Monday's budget meeting. Sumner says deeper budget cuts will intensify the danger to firemen.

If budget cuts are endangering the lives of firemen, then it's time to curb all spending until we know that firefighters are safe. It's unfortunate, but charity must end if it threatens to put city employees at risk. City Hall needs to cut back on social service spending.

This spending was not touched during the recent budget cuts. Not cutting back on social service spending is a problem when it puts firemen at harm, and threatens the service level in essential departments.

Not only are firefighters in danger, the citizens of Pensacola could be in danger of receiving poor service if their homes catch on fire. A city can't afford to be charitable if they don't have enough money to keep their citizens safe.

I know it may seem heartless to cut spending on social services, but we need to learn how to stomach the idea of spending less on this expense. Firefighters are in danger and essential services are threatened. We have no choice; we have to cut back on social service spending.

We should not worry about the social service agencies; I think the people of Pensacola will make sure they get by after their budgets are cut. The Amendment 1 tax break will allow some of us to give more money to our favorite social service agencies. If some of us cannot give money, I'm sure we would at least be able to volunteer for them.

We should not worry about social service cutbacks; we will all get through them together.