Posts Tagged ‘Michael “Mike” Yost’

As the Florida Legislature debates the future of Florida’s high speed rail development, often referred to as SunRail, one has to wonder why Rep. Corrine Brown is assuring the State of Florida that funding from the Federal government will be available. I have to ask, is this going to be another Amtrak in the making? or another Florida rail system, Tri-Rail in south Florida, currently being subsidized by taxpayers?

Last year, 2008, Amtrak routes running in Florida lost over $145 per passenger for the Silver Star, and the Auto Train, $69 per passenger. Both of these trains combined routes serve the Tampa-Orlando and the Orlando/Sanford-Miami corridors, yet both have constantly lost money. Ridership is at a near all-time low and dropping monthly.

Tri-Rail, the South Florida commuter rail service, is in need today of between $13 and $15 MILLION in subsidies just to keep running. Their ridership currently is around 13,000 per day and even at that level of ridership, has lost money since it’s inception. The Sunrail project is going to be another annual commitment for Florida taxpayers to fund.

What is at issue is the $2.6 billion in Federal Stimulus funding of the Sun Rail project for the Tampa to Orlando route for initial construction. In 2004, once Florida voters understood the real costs of building a high speed rail system, it was flatly rejected. With the Obama administration once again providing the funding with the Stimulus Bill, it seems that everyone is clamoring once again for another slice of that taxpayer funded pie. Again, no one seems to be asking the tough questions about the continual need to subsidize these rail services once built and operational. Because these systems are running on tracks currently owned by private railways, the funding is also going to subsidize their freight services with special tax considerations for those subsidies. CSX stands to gain millions in property acquisition and roadbed leasing costs alone.

It is these types of projects that are proving to do nothing but continue to add to the Federal Deficits each and every year and subsequently add to the already $12 Trillion in debt that is continually rising. It is a burden on taxpayers that will continue in perpetuity unless it is ended once and for all. Keep the profitable routes and end the rest. No amount of funding is going to change the fact that an Amtrak trip from Jacksonville to Washington, D.C. is going to take 14 hours and cost upwards of $120 one way. The drive by automobile is less time and for far less money and a 4 hour airline flight isn’t going to cost that much more either.

No doubt, these projects are going to be infused with further Federal funding through additional earmarks from Rep. Corrine Brown. Her latest press release already indicates her desire to fund this losing proposition and no doubt through the earmark process for future budget items brought before Congress.

Mike believes it is time to stop this fiscal irresponsibility  and call an end to Federal funding of the abject failure in the high speed rail model. The private railroads ended passenger service in the late 1950′s for a reason- they could no longer continue to break even or generate a single cent of profit on an annual basis. No amount of nostalgic appeal, “wishing” for a successful venture in rail transportation, or “built it and they will ride” mentality is going to change the facts- the taxpayers must subsidize these ventures just to keep them running.

You can help Mike bring about an end to this type of government waste and fiscal irresponsibility. Volunteer, tell others, and donate to his campaign today.

If you haven’t read or heard about the “Climategate” scandal, you should have. The Climate Research Unit (CRU) in East Anglia, England had their email server hacked and several hundred of their emails have been released publicly. None of these bode well for the CRU and their “manipulation” of the data used to prove “Climate Change” is being caused by “man-made sources”. They also reveal a very unscientific manner in refusing Freedom of Information requests, deleting data, forging and “tricking” data, and overtaking peer review journals that have dissenting editors reviewing their work. No one in the CRU is denying their authenticity.

To take raw data, “trick” it into making it support your hypothesis isn’t science. Refusing peer review of your data sets (raw), analysis of your computer programs that generate the models, and refusing FOI requests is simply very bad science and obtuse at best. To expect any government body, specifically the IPCC arm of the United Nations, to rely on your “research” in developing legislation or policy is absurd in light of these emails.

Here are the facts regarding the CRU:

1. American taxpayers have been funding the CRU in England for years through various grants directly and through the NOAA
2. The U.N.’s IPCC has been relying heavily on their “research” to develop the Kyoto and Copenhagen Climate Change treaties.
3. The House and Senate version of the Cap and Trade bills are heavily relying on the CRU’s “science” in assuming man-made global warming exists.

Under the Kyoto and the Copenhagen accords, highly industrial nations are going to be required to literally TAX energy. Our scheme in Congress requires the purchase of carbon credits to offset excessive emissions of CO2 over and above the “Cap” you are allotted. These “credits” are going to be a new form of “security” that will be sold like stocks and bonds and will be available to the highest bidder if a companies initial allotment of these carbon credits exceeds their needs. Alternative and renewable energy sources are exempt, but any carbon based fuels used to generate electricity, fuels to run our vehicles, or industries that use carbon based fuels to manufacture products (ie. Steel) will be forced to buy credits over and above their “cap” of CO2. Because these “credits” are traded on the open market, the Goldman-Sachs, the G.E.’s, and others engaged in the trading of Carbon Credits will generate unbelievable profits.

YOUR energy costs will rise as well. Electricity and gasoline prices will skyrocket. Prices for ALL goods transported by any means will rise as well due to increase in transportation costs. It is estimated that 1.9 million jobs will be shed as well as many factories and industries will simply shut down due to these increased energy costs.

The Copenhagen Treaty will assure that our nation, with our existing industries, will pay into the IMF (through initial carbon-credit allocation purchases) and will finance the growth of third world economies by assuring them they can have industries and factories that will allow them to “catch up” to the rest of the world. These low to no interest “loans” will come from the IMF as well as from investments by the Investment Bankers (Goldman-Sachs to name one), the G.E.’s, and any OTHER companies who are now located in the United States and need a good “excuse” to move even more American jobs to developing nations.

ALL of this is being done with YOUR tax dollars. Consider that these utilities, manufacturers, and oil companies that will pay for these “carbon credits”, will pass their costs directly to YOU in the form of higher prices. As more and more of our energy consuming industries move to these “developing nations”, our economic growth base declines. Energy needs WILL be reduced in America and production of energy sources in developing nations explodes- economically and in quantity. Since they are NOT subject to “cap and trade” schemes, the cost of doing business in these countries is so much less, it means OUR industries are moved overseas and we are left with virtually none. Simply look at the number of factories moved to China, Mexico, and Indonesia since the NAFTA treaty and you get the idea of what America is going to look like in a few short years.

Relying on BAD SCIENCE is going to devastate our nations economy even further should the Waxman-Markey Cap and Trade act pass, or if ANY Senate bill passes and the two are subject to reconciliation by both bodies of Congress. Once again, the Liberals in Congress have discovered another way to “SPREAD THE WEALTH AROUND”, and it’s NOT to Americans!! They are selling out America and relying on VERY BAD SCIENCE to do so. Rep. Corrine Brown voted FOR this devastation of our American industries and the loss of jobs to follow should it become law.

It is time for Americans to know the truth and to take action to stop this bill from ever moving to debate. I suspect that the Senate isn’t going to listen as the leadership will push for a vote after the first of the year to consider debate on this bill in spite of “BAD SCIENCE” used to even consider such legislation. It has NOTHING to do with your understanding of the effects on our nation’s economy, but everything to do with making sure YOUR wealth disappears,  and OUR NATIONS’ capability from ever recovering doesn’t happen. It is all about making YOU dependent on government for more and more of your basic needs, and entrenching their power for generations to come.

I ask that you take action to make sure that Common Sense, Conservatives are elected in 2010. Volunteer, tell others, and make a financial contribution to help Mike get elected. He understands the devastation that will happen with Cap and Trade and the Copenhagen treaty will have on our nation and our economy. Mike will work to make sure that America comes first and that WE THE PEOPLE have control of our government once again. It’s time to tell these Special Interest groups, lobbyists, and the Al Gore’s that it’s time they stopped getting rich off the backs of the American people with your bad science and schemes to defraud us all.

Help elect Mike to Congress and put Common Sense back to work for YOU!

In 2008 the under 30 group of young people placed their faith in the “Hope and Change” message. Overwhelmingly they came out, voted and over 60% cast votes for Barrack Obama.

Now, there is going to be a very high price to pay for that effort. With the passage of Obama/PelosiCare, the choices of America’s youth just disappeared. No longer are they going to be able to decide if a cellphone is more important than health care. No longer will that new I-pod be something on the list of future purchases. No longer will that new house be in the near future, but something that is a distant dream you “might” get when you hit 40 or 50.

The cost of the government health care plan just passed by the House is enormous. Our young adults will be taxed, fined, and even jailed to the point where the reality of what just happened because of their votes in 2008 will be like a ton of bricks they carry for the rest of their life. Those who seek to better their future with college, start their own business, or even finding a decent paying job will find the market non-existent for their talents and little opportunity for attaining their youthful dreams. The tax burdens alone for government health care is going to be frightening.

Sadly, the utopia they envisioned from a packaging of “Hope and Change” will be revealed in their reduced paychecks, the $8 an hour jobs, and the delay of buying their own home. Hanging prison time over their heads will only force them into submission to the government. I doubt they are going to like or accept the reality that utopia is only a thought of sugar plums dancing in ones head.

The ones who are going to pay the most will be those who many Democrats refer to as America’s “Disadvantaged Youth”. When faced with High School graduation, little chance of getting a college degree, and being forced to accept menial jobs that seldom pay the bills, these added taxes and fines because they have no health insurance coverages will strike a blow so deep that “disadvantaged” is going to mean another layer of poverty. That is a reality few are envisioning now as they are going to be forced to pay for the health care needs of our aging population over the next 20 years. To a young person, that seems like an eternity, but the facts are that the “boomers” are going to be 65 very soon and the bulk of those will be entering at the time when their health care needs are at their greatest and the youth looked to as the payment vehicle. This layer of our youth will be enslaved to the “system” and with far worse implications than you have been led to believe.

Those young people who do manage to achieve will be the ones footing the entire bill in 5-10 years. Want to make over $250,000 a year? You will be taxed to the point where “Hope and Change” will mean “I hope I have a little change left” after the paycheck arrives.  That is IF you are one of the lucky ones who actually finds a decent paying job or takes the ever increasingly risky chance of starting your own small business.

There is a high price to pay for personal “security”. It comes in the form of higher taxes, fewer opportunities, and a reduced standard of living for all people. Any person who wants government to place a floor under their feet will find a ceiling over their head. As the floor expands, the ceiling gets lower. Our youth are being asked to support that ever growing ceiling as well and that load will all too soon collapse under it’s own weight.

Our nation’s youth will awaken from their sleep. Their desire for a better America will come from their realization that to trade Liberty for security means you deserve neither as was spoken by Benjamin Franklin centuries ago. The admonitions of our Founders applies just as aptly today as it did then. I encourage our young adults to become enlightened and aware of what “Hope and Change” really means. After all, it only took repackaging utopia to fool you once.

Will it fool you once again?

Mike believes that a smaller, less intrusive government will allow our young people to have the same opportunities Americans once enjoyed. He believes that the future of our nation lies in our young people and that the burdens of government shouldn’t be shackled to their energy and desire for advancement. Mike wants to see our young people become the next generation of successful, ambitious, and the greatest creators of prosperity for America, not the ones paying for the waste and growth of government. Support Mike in his efforts to win the 3rd Congressional District and help bring reality to his vision of the America that is still the greatest nation in the world.

Volunteer, spread the message, or make a contribution today and help make America the land of opportunity and freedom once again.