Robert Waples in the News

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Great article on Robert Waples, ROLOH President and member of our Planning & Zoning Board.

Lake Worth High School Needs Your Help

Lake Worth High School is in desperate need of track and field sports equipment. The school doesn't have enough funding to buy a new one. The high jump pit is dangerous and not usable. They are trying to collect funds for this before January 25, as they need to order one and have it arrive before the first home track meet February 24.

Your help, even in very small amounts, would greatly be appreciated. Small amounts gathered together can do it. Above is a picture of the equipment. One of the high jumpers was 3rd in the county last year as a freshman, and now will be at a huge disadvantage without the equipment to practice on.

Please contact their athletic director, Seth Groveman, 561-533-6318 or groveman@palmbeach.k12.fl.us or send donations to

Lake Worth High School Athletics

1701 Lake Worth Road

Lake Worth FL 33460

ATT: Seth Groveman

Please specify on the donation it is for the high jump.

Lake Worth Finance Advisory Board stone walled - City Manager runs the show

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When it comes to Lake Worth, the City Manager is holding all information as if it were glued to her chest...nothing is transparent and the communication is like hitting your head against a brick wall. The balance of power is gone. Last night's Finance Advisory Board met with the City Commission and City Manager to discuss its frustrations. The secrecy at City Hall was evident. It honestly will be done "my way or the highway" so thinks Susan Stanton.

There is not much you can do with an appointed Board but give them the run around--no announcement of Board meetings in the Post, no audio of the meetings for the public, 95% total lack of data requests fulfilled, no access to staff, no nothing but the chance to meet with recommendations falling on deaf ears.

So, thinking that you have a chance to be heard and your message understood and that this is open government, is nothing but an illusion. The balance of power is gone. A majority of the communications to your commissioner is passed on to the city manager to "make the call" before it is answered and to bring that commissioner back into her fold. The City Manager says, "I like transparency, but..."

The C.M.'s weekly meetings with the City Commission after 21 months has caused commissioners to fall into her line. Cara Jennings gave her argument on many occasions to no avail. Commissioner Scott Maxwell has not taken up her offer for weekly meetings but meets occasionally with her after hours. Stanton said that she was going to bring him around too.

I talked about Jim Jones the other day. This, to me, is along those lines. The Commission is all drinking the Kool-Aid. After last night's joint meeting, the first in 9 months, the Commission did make an attempt to smooth down the ruffled feathers. There will be another meeting in one month's time. The Finance Advisory Board will bring its ideas as to what it wants to pursue; the Commission will do the same. Future meetings will be determined.

Everyone on the Finance Advisory Board needs to put on his/her dancing shoes because this will be "business as usual, waltzing around the room." No transparency and little communication from City Hall.

2011 South Florida Fair

Starts tomorrow through January 30.

HOURS
Fair opens:
Monday - Friday: 12 Noon
Saturday, Sunday & Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day: 10 a.m.

Border Agent harbors Illegals

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The entire system on illegal immigration is corrupt.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent was expected to appear in federal court today for allegedly harboring illegal immigrants, including his father, at his San Ysidro home.

Read more about this guy HERE. I sure hope that they don't give him a little pat on the wrist.

Sun Recycling - Hanging Out

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Phil Medico
Southern Waste government liaison

If any of you have been to Commission meetings over the last few months, you have probably noticed this gentleman from time to time sitting in the back row. He has been spotted at City Hall for quite some time. The question is, what is he doing hanging around?

1. I sincerely hope that he is going to "right the wrong" on our landfill that Sun Recycling screwed up. Sun has been successful in law suits. But he messed with Lake Worth this time. If you recall, Sun dumped over 6,000 truckloads of construction material on our landfill, some of which is 3.6 or 3.8 inches thick, hauling in material from south Florida construction sites. Our reclamation of the land was again, dead.

Two videos from the Osborne Center Meeting of December 7, 2007:

Sunset Video part 1 dated 2007 - Lake Worth Media

Sunset Video part 2 dated 2007 - Lake Worth Media

County garbage deal is questioned

2. I featured our new recycling truck last week in its new colors. Coincidentally, it is painted in the exact SAME color blue as Sun Recycling's. Is Mr. Medico here to try and get any of our garbage business back?

Do you think that it will be all a last minute surprise why he has been hanging around City Hall and we find out that a deal was made out of the sunshine?

A fix for Urban Sprawl

Circuit Judge Charles Francis of Tallahassee ruled that the Florida Legislature unconstitutionally ordered local governments to exceed a $1.86 million spending cap to implement the law because it fails to provide them with state dollars or the means to raise the funds locally. Read more Senate Committee approves growth law adjustment.

Was Jeff Clemens in the House a part of that unconstitutional vote? Ask him what he thinks on January 19th when he appears at The Lake Worth Democratic Club meeting.

Clinical Thought Disorder and Crazy Religious Nut Cases

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As Charles Krauthammer would say, " This is clinical thought disorder - ideas disconnected from each other, incoherent, delusional, detached from reality. These are all the hallmarks of a paranoid schizophrenic. And a dangerous one."

He was speaking about the reasons why Jarred Loughner did what he did and some people blaming the Republicans, Sarah Palin, the Tea Party and those against Obama for the recent massacre in Tucson.

Now we have the The Westboro Babtist Church whose members want to picket the funeral of 9 year old Christina Taylor Green. The reason? They say, "God sent the shooter to deal with idolatrous America."

IS EVERYONE NUTS?

The State of Arizona under Jan Brewer has shown good judgment once again. The first time with Arizona 1070 to protect its State from invaders and this time by passing a law yesterday to prohibit protests at or near funeral sites one hour before and after a funeral.

Everytime I think there is something to this "going to church" stuff, I have to read about religious nut cases. I get a flash back to Jim Jones. It turns me flat off to formal religion once again. Each to his own. I would rather see society dealing with one single, individual, crazy nut than any wacky religious congregation.

The Bachelor

Melissa Schreiber

Actually I am hooked on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette--don't ask me why. I think it is all about picking out the winner. It's very difficult to ever do that especially someone to spend the rest of your life with...it's all a crap shoot and a lot of giving more than receiving.

Melissa, above, was a waitress in Lake Worth, who quit her job to be on this show. Brad Womack, the bachelor, kicked her off last night. She should consider herself lucky--he doesn't turn me on. He was a jerk the first time around (he was the bachelor before and never found love) and no matter what he says, he is probably still a jerk.

Brad says that he's found love this time and is calling his "chosen one" 20 times a day. Now gals, wouldn't that get a little nauseating?

The American Dream - Right on the Money

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The American Dream is a 30 minute animated film that shows you how you’ve been scammed by the most basic elements of the government system. According to Steve Rosen, this film is "right on the money."

Off-shoring and Loopholes

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I don't have a problem with the wealthy--in fact, I wouldn't mind being a part of that 1%. The wealthy are the ones who create jobs and pay a heck of a lot of taxes. The top 1% pay 38% of the taxes with the top 5% paying 59% of all taxes. The rest of us are hired by them to perform a service; some of us live off of welfare paid for by them and other working stiffs. Taxes need to be fair to all.

What I do have a problem with is the government allowing all this extreme off-shoring of jobs and manufacturing to other countries thus building up their economies to the detriment of ours. They have allowed loopholes in our system to off-shore money allowing for the wealthy to reduce their taxes. Senator Kent Conrad of ND said, “We’re allowing $100 billion a year to be lost to offshore tax havens, another $50 billion to abuse of tax shelters” Conrad said. “That can’t be allowed to continue.”

According to The Guardian, one third of the entire world's wealth is held offshore, with 80 percent of international banking transactions occurring offshore, in order to avoid taxes and regulations.

Speaking of jobs, HubPages says, "For those that are reaping the benefits of outsourcing, I have a word to the wise; you yourself will likely be outsourced as well. It is about cost, not quality and skill; if you’re not cheaper, the outsourcing organization will move to one that is.

The short-term benefits of outsourcing can be great but will probably occur at a long-term cost. As a society, we need to start rewarding the innovative thinkers and the like, not the profit seekers who are everywhere."

I agree with HubPages. We have given business breaks (except for high taxes) as our country has quickly become second rate with an accumulated $14 trillion worth of debt as the wealthy, along with business, seek to find ways to "hide" their money thus retaining more of it to the detriment of America. I can understand why they are off-shoring as Union benefits and their demands are out of sight. However, we must bring jobs back to America. Innovation is part of our history and what made us so great. Make it lucrative for corporations to stay in the U.S.

If this new Congress can do anything to help this country, it would be to end the loopholes, stop the greedy Unions and keep manufacturing and jobs at home.

Sunset Drive Holdings and La Sonna Hayes vs City of Lake Worth and the Department of Community Affairs

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*AMENDED NOTICE OF HEARING BY VIDEO TELECONFERENCE

A hearing will be held in this case on January 12, 2011, at 11:00 a.m., or as soon thereafter as can be heard by video teleconference at sites in West Palm Beach and Tallahassee, Florida. The West Palm Beach site will be at the Office of the Judges of Compensation Claims, Video Room, 5405 Okeechobee Boulevard, Suite 200. The Tallahassee site will be at the Division of Administrative Hearings, Hearing Room 6, the DeSoto Building, 1230 Apalachee Parkway. Witnesses, parties, representatives, and/or attorneys may report to either site. The Administrative Law Judge will be at the Tallahassee site. Continuances will be granted only by order of the Administrative Law Judge for good cause shown.

ISSUES: (a) whether the height restrictions on Table 1 of the EAR amendment adopted by Ordinance No. 2008-25 on October 25, 2009, are in compliance; (b) whether the City's adoption of the EAR amendment more than 120 days after receiving the Department's Objections, Recommendations, and Comments report renders the EAR amendment not in compliance.

AUTHORITY: Chapter 120, Florida Statutes; and
Chapter 28-106, Parts I and II, Florida Administrative Code

Mayor Varela Is Selling his house

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534 S. Palmway

Lake Worth is known for signs all over the place--For Sale, For Rent, Foreclosure, take your pick. Mayor Rene Varela joins the multitude of folks trying to sell their homes. Soon he will be re-locating to Maryland.

This 2,640 sq. ft house was originally bought in 2007 for $436,050 and now appraised at $195,148.

Our 2011 election is on November 1, the ONLY city in the County with an election this year. The question that we are all wondering is--when will he really be leaving? Will he complete his term or not? Take the poll on the right side of the page.

Filling of vacancies. A vacancy of the city commission shall be filled in one of the following ways:

(1) If there are less than six (6) months remaining in the unexpired term or if there are less than six (6) months before the next regular city election, the city commission by a majority vote of the remaining members shall choose and appoint a successor to serve until a newly elected commissioner or mayor is qualified.

(2) If there are more than six (6) months remaining in the unexpired term and no general city election is scheduled within six (6) months, the city commission shall fill the vacancy by a special election to be held no more than sixty (60) days following the occurrence of the vacancy. If a run-off election is necessary, it shall be scheduled two (2) weeks after the special election.

Power Grab in Lake Worth Continues and the Public can't Speak

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Years ago under Mayor Rodney Romano, holes were jackhammered in the Lake Worth Casino building. Word had it that the government was trying to justify why the building should be demolished. Sweet deals for friends.

Now in yesterday's news, the City is removing the shuffleboard courts. We have had courts for 80 years. It doesn't matter--treat the seniors like crap. The City has been doing that all along to 14% of its population. The voting block of Seniors who are retired, with most of them with resources, is significant--they always vote. They don't cost the city nor do they destroy property; they just don't have the fight in them to put up with politics and bad decisions. They expect we "younger" folks to pursue what's right.

The City eliminated their transportation with the trolley that was costing the City around $165,000 a year--big deal. There are some who say, "Well, let them walk." That's the argument for eliminating 160 upper level parking spaces at the beach. Next it was the Senior Center where they came to play bridge, read, buy lunch, have some camaraderie. They kicked the Seniors out and gave the building to Compass, another voting block of similar proportions but these people are younger and they still know how to fight for rights and for what they want.

Mayor Varela, speaking about the Shuffleboard Court Building is quoted as saying: "Our new recreation facility will serve as green space and activity space for residents (this includes illegals, the very same people who destroyed it) from kindergarten to the elderly." Trust me, Mayor, it will NOT be the elderly driving or walking there to sit on "green." Is this one of the promises to "force change" before you leave town? He did promise to leave certain residents out in the cold when he first took office--a promise now fulfilled.

Joe Kroll, Public Works Director, said that "use of the shuffleboard courts had dwindled," thus justifying this action. Use has dwindled because of the deplorable conditions of the courts. Public Works NEVER took care of this asset. The Mentoring Center never took care of our property. Now the City, once again, would rather just get rid of it. In the mind of Staff, it is the expedient and most cost effective thing to do.

The real reason for jackhammering and taking out the courts is that the illegal population who utilized our building when The Mentoring Center had the Lease attracted those who destroyed our property and The Mentoring Center is responsible for its condition. The City, for some odd reason, is reluctant to go after them for these repairs. To rebuild all those courts would cost the City money that they do not wish to spend. What cost did Joe Kroll give to the city manager for shuffleboard courts? Remember the roof? That cost estimate was totally out of whack.

At our condominium community, we have had tournaments with those who participated at the Shuffleboard courts. We have 6 courts here and we maintain them. If we didn't, we would have people screaming bloody murder and those in charge would be accused of nonfeasance and booted.

It is a sad day for Lake Worth when the City can decide, on its own, to eradicate its history-- from the Commission agreeing to closing the Museum and to other decisions out of the Sunshine like shutting down the Annex? and now jackhammering our shuffleboard courts.

Commissioner Scott Maxwell is correct when he says, the Commission should debate the issue. In fact, the public should have a right to speak on it too. This sounds just like another Bryant Park fiasco.

Will the Commission continue to allow its power to be transferred to Staff?

Dogs at the Plaza

Maurici Luz's dog

Drug resistent Superbug - EMP device

What if the unthinkable happened?

Could your family survive, even for a few weeks, without electricity... hospitals... water pumped in from miles away... and food trucked in from out of state?

If terrorists succeed in attacking the U.S. power grid with an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) device, they could throw America into the dark ages in a split second. A new generation of drug-resistant "superbugs" could result in global epidemics that kill up to 100 million people.

And as Hurricane Katrina proved, the Federal Government's ability to help during a national emergency is severely limited.

"Dear Fellow American,

If there is one thing that gives America's security planners nightmares, it's the country's power grid.

That's because without electricity, virtually everything Americans depend upon for survival—food, water, heat, transportation and communications—would be threatened on a massive scale.

Yet experts warn that a single, split-second Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) from a nuclear weapon or EMP-producing device would effectively "fry" the nation's delicate power grid and virtually all non-shielded electronic equipment within hundreds of miles.

The Implications are Horrific:

Without a large-scale invasion or even a nuclear war, parts of America could be thrown into the dark ages in an instant.

• No lights.
  

• No telephones.
  

• No Internet.
  

• No radio or television.

Even most vehicles would not start because of the electronic fuel-injection systems in most cars and trucks. And That's Just For Starters! The Entire Financial System Would Also Collapse.

ATM machines would not work.

Banks would be shuttered.

Grocery stores would soon be looted.

Police would be paralyzed and helpless.

"If even a crude nuclear weapon were detonated anywhere between 40 kilometers to 400 kilometers above the earth, in a split-second it would generate an electro-magnetic pulse [EMP] that would cripple military and civilian communications, power, transportation, water, food and other infrastructure," said a report from the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack, a blue-ribbon panel established by Congress in 2001." Source: Bob Livingston

Did anyone know that we had such a commission or even know about EMP's?

Child took one in the chest at Arizona shooting

From the Daily Beast--
Nine-Year-Old Girl Slain in AZ Attack

Among those killed in Saturday's mass shooting in Tucson, Arizona, was 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, a resident of Tucson.

Green was invited to attend the event—a sort of listening session and community outreach program that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords often holds in her district—by a neighbor because she thought she would enjoy it. "The next thing you know this happened. How do you prepare for something like this? My little niece got killed—took one on the chest and she is dead," said Green's uncle. Green was a ballerina, a basketball player and had just been elected to the student council at her school. She was born on September 11, 2001.

Susan Stanton in Boar's Head Festival

Another Lake Worth Angel?

Tuesday night, City Manager Susan Stanton announced that she would be playing the part of an angel in the annual Boar's Head Festival to be held today at Bethesda by the Sea. We know that Susan is very spiritual. Angels are represented throughout the Christian Bible as a body of spiritual beings intermediate between God and men. (I told you this was Lynn's Little bit of Trivia)

From Bethesda's web site: The traditional English boar's head dates back to the 1300s in Queen's College, Oxford. Boars menaced villagers in Norman England - the serving of the boar symbolizes the triumph of good over evil.

More than 160 including parishioners, vocalists, the Bethesda Choir, Palm Beach Pipes and Drums, and instrumentalists dress as lords and ladies, sprites, pages, jesters, shepherds, huntsmen, and beefeaters in a mingling of pagan and Christian traditions.

2011 presentation will be held Sunday, January 9, at 2:30 p.m. and then again at 4:30 p.m.

The ceremony is always held on the Sunday closest to The Epiphany, the twelfth day of Christmas, which is the date the Three Kings are said to have arrived in Bethlehem. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

January 3, Boar's Head Recessional at Bethesda

Let's go support Susan Stanton. We may never see her as an "angel" again.

Arizona Congresswoman murdered

Update: Giffords not dead--6 killed.
Illegal immigration has developed into MURDER. Read about it HERE

Allen West "too conservative" for District 22?

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Excerpt from the Washington Post--

3. "Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.): West is almost certainly too conservative for this south Florida district and the early days of his congressional tenure suggest he has no plans to moderate. Republicans control the redistricting process and will try to firm up West unless a new ballot measure that passed this fall, which seeks to take all political considerations out of the line drawing process, makes such a move impossible. No matter what, West is in for a very difficult race."

Does anyone know what in the hell he's talking about? The Post, like other media, wants to put West into a Box and twist things to suit its biased appetite for storytelling. Why didn't the Post reference all, which are too numerous to mention, the great convictions and decisions of Col. Allen West and his proposals to get this great country back on its feet?

Thank God that Allen West "has no plans to moderate." We who voted for him would become highly jaded. West will be able to accomplish great things and influence many in Washington. He is a leader. Give him time; get off his back.