Troxler: Crist rewarded for gutting growth management

Howard Troxler: Our cheerful governor, Charlie Crist, gutted Florida's laws on growth by signing the awful Senate Bill 360. Who needs roads, anyway? Just let the builders build, and we'll figure out the rest later.

How the editorial pages thundered, the pundits pundited, the tree huggers raged! And, indeed, Crist now has been duly punished. We showed him, all right. We made him feel the lash of public outrage by …

By giving him $4.3 million in contributions for his U.S. Senate campaign so far. That'll learn him!

Good grief. Like young Anakin Skywalker, Crist has learned that the Dark Side has its rewards. He should start dressing in black and breathing heavily.

Comments

[Meek's the man!]

We're never going to get our house in order as long as we keep electing Republicans. Without exception they are all in the pockets of big business concerns. Rubio is not the answer - if possible, he's even worse than Crist. Kendrick Meek is right choice for honest folks.

[REally?]

Meek? Honest? Really? Seriously?

[Trotsky]

Rubio and Crist have their flaws, but at least I can respect the fact that each of them made their own political fortunes. Meek, on the other hand, is just another heirloom politician, like Bilirakis, who inherited his seat from his parent, in this case, his mother. NO POLITICAL DYNASTIES!!!

[Alice]

We need to start electing real republicans and not democrats like empty suit Crist who only cares about developers and that's how he raises so much money to run for the senate. Crist and his buddy Obama just love that failed so called stimulus package filled with pork and no stimulus. WE NEED TO ELECT MORE REAL REPUBLICANS AND NOT DEMOCRATS LIKE CRIST AND OBAMA. Run Marco Run we need you now more than ever.

[Buzzard.]

Howard:
As the old saying goes..."what's this 'WE' crap?" If I was going to contribute anything, it would be to Marco Rubio.

The Times is worthy of chastisement for ridiculing candidates who have not managed to fill their campaign coffers to overflowing with gifts from who knows whom.

All a big war chest shows this early on is that (as Howard points out) they are being rewarded for past...or anticipated "future" favors.

And that includes Kendrick Meek, who I believe already has pulled in something in the neighborhood of $3 Million.

Correct me if I'm wrong....and have a good day.

[Blazin]

Charlie Crist will go down in history as Florida’s worst Governor; ever. Never have we had a more pathetic, yet shameless puppet politician in an empty suit. He is in no way deserving of the honor to serve in the Senate, and if we elect him to this post… we (Florida) deserve the result of our ignorance.

BTW, Howard… there’s a huge difference between “raising” money and “receiving” money. It’s one of the most misrepresented feats involved in campaigns. “We” did not give him that money… big-time special interests and their lobbyists, who stand to profit from his lack of ethics, gave him that bribe.

What’s even more amazing is that while the people of our State and Nation sink ever deeper into the abyss of economic depression … the politicians and lobbyists – who blew the hole in the hull of the ship – seem to have plenty of money. Their party hasn’t stopped, while we continue to pick up their discarded aluminum beer cans in hopes of gathering enough to pay a bill and taxes.

The only “recommendation” the Times and any other newspaper needs to offer this next election season is this: “We recommend that voters throw every damn one of them out on their bloated and corrupt backsides, and start over. ” Pontificate and speculate all you wish as to the ramifications of such an act; but make no mistake about it… that is truly our only hope to save this once great nation from total collapse.

But what do I know; “Mongo only pawn in game of life.”

[a government by the people for the people]

Charley did what Charley thought he needed to do to get elected,that was sell out our interests to the highest bidder.
Maybe business interests will just do the right thing and pay for roads that are needed and not overbuild to leave an engineering nightmare for our Children and Grandchildren. yeah,uh huh,sure nuff.
Look out Florida here come the Odoms.

[sick of both parties.]

Stop being so partisan. There is no lack of hypocrites, sell outs for campaign cash, AKA w h o r e s, liars, criminals, sex crazed, lazy nest feathering, political slobs in both parties. So lets not pretend its just in one party. Though the Republicans are certainly breaking the slimebucket record, only to pretend that the RINO's are the cause. Thats a joke to say the least. The real truth there is the so-called RINOS (NON extremeist), have let the crazies,the corrupt, take over and now even after the corrpt crazies have destroyed the party, they continue to try to keep their cash cow alive by inventing a reason by which they can be the heros (if you vote for them) by proclaiming that the RINO's are the cause. The Democrats have their share of nut jobs and crooks also. Its just that the people have had Repubs to deal with the last 10 yrs, so they chose the D party really as a protest that says "take that bad Repubs, I won't vote for you anymore". Not a ringing endorsement of the Dems. If NOW is not the time to vote for anybody else besides a Democrat or Republican, unless you are certain one of those is really a good guy (good luck finding one of those), and take a chance on a third party candidate, when will it be the right time? People are asking themselves all over this country what they can do to take back their government and stop the corruption and get real leaders who are didicated to helping us get back on our feet, helping America to once again be strong and free, respected and true. They are ready for change. Now we need to give the no partisan candidate the chance.

[9:10 rings true]

I so agree with you 9:10 your pretty close to right on.I am going to have to go with the say no to the 'pubs this year because of the "extremists" that have allowed to take control although I am far more conservative then liberal.There aren't any non partisan pols that I even know of and I am afraid of wasting my vote I can use against the extremist "machine".
I will just be glad when my party is back to normal,I am starting to just HOPE it will be back to normal.
Isn't this much like when the Whigs and Republicans went through this same thing?

[...]

I am fed up with the extremists in both parties... and the panderers who stand for nothing in the middle...

Give me someone in the middle - leaning to the fiscally conservative side and possibly socially moderate - but someone who can - and is willing to - articulate their positions - even if it means not being liked by everyone...

That is the future of either party - and which ever figures it out first will be in power for quite some time...

[For Sure]

Actually, that's why Charlie has done so well.

[yeah right]

10:01 - Actually Charlie is the one in the middle that cannot articulate a coherent thought or position...

And while the tactic has worked well for recent politicos, the general public will either demand more substance or become totally disenfranchised and give up...

My guess is that Charlie is hoping for the latter...

[more than a year left to go]

The Ed board is on full push to get a D in office aren't they? Their only hope is to put down Charlie so Meek gets in.

[Marcella]

I certainly did not, nor will I, give Crist one red dime. A pox on his house and future political aspirations.

FLORIDA HOMETOWN DEMOCRACY, folks! It's time has come! Vote for it when you go to the polls next year. THAT will give the PEOPLE some control of growth in this state. It's our last hope!

[Give me someone new!]

Neither Crist nor Meek deserves the seat.

One’s an unaccomplished joke of a governor, and the other is a mama’s boy family heirloom politician and member of the worst Congress in history.

We must stop the promotion of incompetence, corruption, and mediocrity if we’re to ever right this ship. Neither of these hacks gets my vote.

[vote for hometown Democracy]

I agree Marcella,we the people can over ride the sell out chuck.
The funny thing is,who is smarter,charley or rubio,rubio would have given this away,chuck sold it!!!
Vote for those who represent the people!
Until then,override the gub-nah by voting FOR hometown democracy.

[ralph]

"Blazin | July 14, 2009 at 09:07 AM
yeah right | July 14, 2009 at 10:12 AM
... | July 14, 2009 at 09:57 AM
rings true | July 14, 2009 at 09:48 AM
sick of both partiesJuly 14,at09:10 AM
a government by the people for the people | July 14, 2009 at 09:07 AM"

What a string of absolutely on the money "posts"! At least I know some here get it! Thanks for validating that there are some intelligent life forms in this state!

[Good Grief]

Seriously, all in a lather over a growth bill?

Did it ever dawn on the liberals at the Times that if Florida's economy is going to get back on its feet, we need growth, construction, renovations to continue? WE need more people moving here, not more people leaving here?

Growth has more than paid for itself in this state. Behind Tourism and Agricultuire, its been a huge driver of the Florida economy. Failure to recognize that is in effect a proverbial sand-covered head.

[who's who in Florida]

4.3 million reasons why he doesn't give a d@mn what the newspapers or the vast majority of Floridians think.

If he can pay his way to Washington raising money out of state he really doesn't even have to bother with this hillbilly backwater anymore.

[The Great Norquista]

Here! Here! 11:43am hit the nail right on the head. Crist and his socialite-heiress wife are done with the social scene in Tallahassee. They've got bigger fish to fry in Washington, DC. I even bet that our fair governor will move his homebase from St. Petersburg to Palm Beach once he seals the deal.

[terminator]

Chuck sucks!

Don't say termie didn't tell you so.

I was the first guy on this blog to let everyone know what a worthless waste of sun tan oil, hair dye and silicone Chuck was.

It's Marco in the primary and Meek in the general!

[Dems Luvit]

If Marco should win the primary, Meek will surely be our next US senator. I wish more Republicans would think about that, instead of just falling for right-wing rhetoric in the primary then losing the general.

[MenckenJr]

Good Grief, growth has *not* paid its way and it never will. Eventually Florida will run out of space you can build in and people will stop moving here anyway, and if the economy is still hooked on crack.. er, dependent on development to survive then it'll crash then too. But the difference will be that we've let a nice state get clogged with ugly houses and paved over so that it's no nicer to live here than in Newark or LA.

No state can base its economy on growth and development, any more than a country can base its economy solely on financial tricks.

[Crist for Senator!]

Sources Say Rubio Reconsidering Senate Race

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Florida. Two Republican sources said today that even as former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio campaigns for retiring GOP Sen. Mel Martinez's Senate seat, he has been calling around to top Republican donors and activists in the state to discuss the idea of switching from the Senate primary against GOP Gov. Charlie Crist and into the open-seat race for attorney general, where a serious Republican candidate has yet to emerge.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

http://www.nationaljournal.com/congressdaily/p_20090715_2565.php