Speaker Sansom: 'It's not about us'

Raymond Edward Sansom, a native Floridian from the Panhandle, officially became Speaker of the Florida House this morning following a unanimous vote of the 120-member body.

He quickly cut through the ceremony, saying Florida faces some of its greatest challenges ever and offered a broad conservative vision to meet them.

"We have an economy that has slowed down and needs to be awakened. We have an over-regulated workforce. We have citizens that seem to be exhausted with government, just talk to them."

Sansom, 46 and a father of three, quoted pastor Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life. "The first sentence of that book says, 'It's not about you.' It can't be about us. If we walk in here with the attitude that it's not about us, it's about the people we serve, we will meet the challenges for the next two years in the state of Florida. I am convinced of that." (Buzz audio here.)

Thirty five new House members were also sworn in, taking the oath from Judge John Stargel, a former lawmaker from Lakeland. The House also passed a resolution in memory of Rep. Stan Mayfield, who died of cancer in September.

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Comments

"it's about the people we serve"

Yes, you serve the corporations and the people you don't serve are the vast majority of us. Get lost neo-cons. You've ruined our economy, our government, and most of our hope.

What's the deal with the consent decree?

[Ignatius]

11:11,

Do yourself a favor and look up the definition of neoconservatism.

If you're too busy reading the huffington post to do so, let me help you out. Neoconservatism is a term used by many and understood by few. However, it primarily relates to foreign policy over which, last I checked, the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives has very little control.

So you have two choices:

1. You can continue to expose your ignorance to the world - or -

2. You can research the facts and inform yourself. Then, maybe, just maybe people will take you seriously.

2:00 I use the term to describe the selfish corporatists who hijacked the name once used by the Goldwater types. Like your boss, Grover Norquist. Does that clarification help, POS?

[A true Republican]

Hey stop all this chatter. We can all trust the way the Republicans run things. Just look at the way our Republican president has done things and the way he fixed the economy. What's not to like or trust?

[Ignatius]

Goldwater types were never referred to as neoconservatives. Libertarians maybe, but not neoconservatives. As a matter of fact, the term neoconservative originally intimated a more liberal (modern definition) brand of conservatism.

That is something Goldwater never would have associated himself with.

You can use it to mean whatever you want but that doesn't change the fact that you're wrong.

Corporatism is another term that you clearly don't understand as the worst corporatists out there are labor unions. But you are correct if your intent was to describe labor unions as selfish.

Here's to hoping that all cons become paleo-cons! Exticnt like the dinosaurs they are.

3:24 You can pretend to misunderstand me any way you want, but that doesn't change the fact that you're just being obtuse, as usual.

[Ignatius]

Oh, I understand you all right just as I understand the vast majority of your ilk.

I just feel sorry for your ignorance and inability to develop an independent thought. But don't worry, the government is now here to help you.

corporatism (n): a political or economic system in which power is held by civic assemblies that represent economic, industrial, agrarian, social, cultural, and/or professional groups

Sansom may care to read on past the first page of that book.