Drill here, drill now, you're dumb

As you know if you've been reading Blast Off! for a while, I do a lot of driving around Florida. And in doing so, I see a lot of bumperstickers. Now, while the morons who still display Bush-Cheney '04 stickers barely outpace those who have removed Huggy Bear's name from their McCain-Palin '08 stickers for sheer stupidity (Palin? You really think that uninformed, batshit crazy woman is qualified to lead anything, let alone the United States?), the stickers that really piss me off are the ignorant "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" ones that advocate drilling for oil just a few miles off Florida's Gulf coast. It's just another example of wingnuts believing what they hear on Fox News.

Look, the simple fact is this: even if we permitted offshore drilling immediately, there isn't a shred of credible evidence to support the notion that prices would drop quickly. In fact, according to the federal government's own Energy Information Administration -- back in 2008, under a Republican president (so don't give me that "socialist/Marxist/evil Obama" crap) -- recognized that there would be no significant impact on crude oil (and thus gasoline) prices until 2030 -- more than two decades from now. So "Pay Less" is just another pipe dream of the Right ...

But isn't it still a good idea to go ahead and drill to save the country money in 20 years? Well, sure, if you want Florida to endure the kind of messes that they've had to deal with in Australia and the Pacific Northwest. And while it wasn't from the failure of an offshore oil rig, the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska reminds us that even 20 years later (PDF), the environmental impact of an oil spill still cannot be calculated fully.

The people who have those annoyingly ignorant stickers on their cars are being sold a bill of goods by Republicans -- as usual. GOP leaders who are beholden to Big Oil and the industries that rely on it -- auto makers in particular -- will do anything to promote America's continuing dependence on oil -- foreign or domestic, it makes no difference, for it's all destructive to the environment. After all, if we don't need oil and gasoline, then Big Oil and their cronies suffer financially ... and Republicans can't stand the thought of that happening. So the sticker-bearers driving around in their monstrous SUVs are merely pawns in a game where the real players -- Republican leaders -- don't care about them or their homes. They just want the flow of dollars to keep coming.

A responsible energy policy would lower our dependence on all oil -- not just foreign oil, which is the mantra of drilling advocates -- by encouraging research and development of alternate fuel sources. Why we in the "Sunshine State" don't have a viable plan for solar energy, I have no idea -- unless maybe, just maybe, it's because Republicans have controlled the state for over a decade now.

I strongly urge you to join me in supporting Progress Florida's campaign to share with state Senate president Jeff Atwater (R-North Palm Beach) the importance of keeping the rigs off of Florida's coastline. He needs to be reminded that it's a simple risk-benefit analysis -- and any realistic potential benefit of offshore drilling is far too small to justify the risk of permanently damaging Florida's fragile coastal ecosystem.

Dissecting Republicans' motives

Here at Blast Off!, I regularly chastise Republicans for fomenting hate and fear and using them to gain an electoral advantage. But thanks to their recent election-related activity here in Florida, I've found the proof of what I've suspected all along -- Republicans are motivated not by any great desire to "do what's best" for the state or the country or the citizenry, but instead by a crass need to maintain power at all costs.

Last week, the Florida blogosphere was abuzz with GOP attempts in Tallahassee to legislate new ways to suppress voter turnout. It's a long-standing tradition that Republicans want to keep people from the polls, believing that the fewer people who vote, the more likely they are to win. However, rarely have there been such overt attempts in the Legislature -- indeed, in any legislature -- to prevent large blocs of otherwise eligible people from exercising their constitutional right to vote.

Fortunately, those bills will not get to the governor's desk -- at least not this year. So now the GOP is aiming its legislative might at a perfectly reasonable effort to outlaw gerrymandering -- the drawing of legislative districts in such a way that one party is favored over the other -- and, predictably, opposing it for everything they're worth. Here's how Mark Ferrulo, executive director of Progress Florida, explains the situation:

One overlooked but critical repercussion of gerrymandered districts is that even after they are elected, legislators don’t feel beholden to their constituents because their seats are so safe. So, not only does gerrymandering deny voters a proper voice on Election Day, but their influence is compromised every day thereafter as well.

Not surprisingly, the only organized opposition to this proposal has come from members of the Legislature, who unsuccessfully argued before the state Supreme Court that the redistricting amendment shouldn’t qualify for the 2010 ballot.

Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, suggested that redistricting reform would give judges too much power over legislators, and that “elected officials are more responsive” to voters. But this is twisted logic since current redistricting rules have only made legislators less beholden to the public.

By the way, Haridopolos is in line to lead the next redistricting effort.

Well, there's a surprise. Mike Haridopolos opposing access to the polls is about as unexpected as the sunrise. The Brevard senator, like the rest of his ilk in the state Legislature, only wants to keep a firm grip on the controls of power. There is literally no way that Republicans credibly can show that their position here is the best thing for the people of Florida, just as there was no way to justify reducing access to the ballot for the elderly and minorities.

Yet that's exactly what the GOP will try to do. They'll come up with flowery explanations and shift the blame, and the real losers if the fair districting proposal is defeated will be the people of Florida. When are we collectively going to learn that Republicans only want what's good for themselves, not for everyone? It's as simple as this: Republicans aren't good for democracy.

Tell Jeff Atwater: NO MORE CUTS

You know, it's one thing to advocate (however misguidedly) for less government, or even less government spending. But it's another altogether to push for reductions in schools and services that already are depleted beyond reason ... yet that's exactly what Florida Senate president Jeff Atwater (R-North Palm Beach) wants to do. Predictable enough for a Florida Republican, but it's still despicable.

Lawmakers on [January 14] concluded a 10-day special session - their second in the past 15 months devoted to budget cuts - by eliminating $480 million from the public school budget, shrinking the Department of Environmental Protection by $240 million and draining $1.6 billion from reserves and other trust funds to avoid deeper cuts. The budget, if Crist approves, would be nearly $7 billion less than last year and the lowest spending plan since 2005-06.

Republican majorities in the House and Senate on Wednesday led partisan votes - 74-43 and 27-13, respectively - to approve the changes. The only Democrat in either chamber to support the package was Sen. Gary Siplin of Orlando.

In assembling the cuts, lawmakers ignored Crist's suggestions to approve a gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe, which would add an estimated $135 million to this budget.

The total cut was more than double the $561.5 million reduction Crist suggested in December.

For public safety budgets, Crist proposed a $26.5 million cut to the Corrections Department, which is in line for a $48.7 million hit from the legislature. Juvenile Justice Department programs would be trimmed by $16.6 million, or $7.5 million more than Crist suggested.

Granted, our state, like so much of the nation, is in a serious financial crisis. But it's no answer to, as Progress Florida says, "balance Florida's budget on the backs of our children, the elderly, and the needy."

There are plenty of ways to increase revenue, such as the proposed compact with the Seminole Tribe mentioned in the above quote, as well as a cigarette tax, gas tax, and so on. But, true to his "I've got mine, screw you" GOP mentality, Atwater keeps pushing for more cuts in programs that help regular Floridians, while protecting the wealthiest citizens (who, not coincidentally, make up a large portion of his south Florida district).

It's time to tell Sen. Atwater that, as his name suggests, he's all wet. I'm normally not one for online petitions, but this one really matters. Please sign Progress Florida's petition to Sen. Atwater, and make a difference.