1922 - that's the year!

Comment Up

Coincidence? Omen? Our original Casino was opened in 1922 and today at the beach, parked in front of the Casino, was this 1922 Ford truck.

Pool Pump House Today

Comment Up

Marcus Wilson
Facilities Manager getting the job done

Mr. Wilson, from Palm Beach Gardens, works under Joe Kroll, Public Works Director. He is the one who had the plan and will make every effort to get this pump house fixed before Summer.

Guns and Assault weapons

While I was attending the Tea Party Rally, there were a few gun advocates there with signs about guns. I really am tired of the same old excuse by Patriots and 2nd Amendment advocates, the NRA, many Republicans, etc. when they refuse to confront the truth--guns kill people.

Their argument is that people kill people. Well, yes but they use guns. Guns are not cool. That's why people buy them--to kill. Their next argument is that people will just use a knife to kill you. Using a knife takes a lot more "guts." A gun is the weapon of choice. Ask anyone in law enforcement. Murder victims by weapon used

Saturday Night specials and semi-automatic assault weapons must be off the streets of America. If we just have to have guns because of some archaic 2nd Amendment or because of politics, then all other guns must be registered. There should be a waiting period before you own a gun. It is bad enough and a national disgrace when anyone can buy this type of a weapon without identification and a national background check. Gun lobbyists have way too much control over politicians who have little common sense and who compromise "right" for campaign contributions and distort the 2nd Amendment. America's Most Wanted Guns

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

Democratic Club Meeting

LAKE WORTH DEMOCRATIC CLUB: APRIL 21

Meetings: 3rd Wednesdays monthly, 7:00 PM; Pegasus Restaurant, 301 North Dixie Hwy, Lake Worth 33460, Tel (561) 588-4463

Guest speaker is Mary Jane Range, Zone Leader for Palm Beach Gardens & North Palm Beach, who will address all ballot issues, including Fair District amendment 5 and 6.

Contact: Drew Martin President, at 561-533-6814

Update on Sunset Drive Parcel

Comment up from Ms. Hayes
Comment up on the comment of Ms. Hayes
On April 1, Sunset Drive Holdings submitted a 2nd Amended Petition for an administrative hearing to the DCA. They are still challenging the DCA’s intent to find the Comprehensive plan amendment “in compliance.”

They just simply don’t like what they heard and are continuing on alleging that the City made material changes to the EAR amendment after the First reading of Ordinance 2008-25 and that these changes were not made in response to the DCA’s ORC Report and other charges such as the City didn’t get required public input.

Sunset Holdings wants the Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH) to review the matter and to agree with their charge that the City’s EAR Amendment is not effective.

Even La Sonna Hayes-Tomanek says she wants to be an Intervenor, someone who has no standing in this matter. Who is La Sonna Hayes? We know that she does not want height restrictions within the City of Lake Worth as she has spoken on that issue before the commission. We know that Mark Parrilla beat her out in forming a legal neighborhood association. We know that she is chummy with all the people behind Genesis. Is this the very same La Sonna that DOT put on notice several years back regarding improper insurance. See page 22. Is this the same La Sonna Hayes who used to have a beauty shop on Lake Avenue and who lives at 713 Pine Street in Lake Worth? Why does Ms. Hayes care about a neighborhood that is over 1 mile away from her residence located in a different zip code? What's her dog in this fight?

The residents of Lake Osborne Heights continue to stand up for their neighborhood. The original Intervenors know and understood that it would have been superfluous to become an Intervenor again. It is now a battle of the Losers versus the Judge at DOAH. Be assured that we will be ready to continue on if need be.

City Manager's Report

City Manager REPORT now up.

Travel Scene Investigator from Australia features Lake Worth's John G's

Liana Werner Gray, the producer, is a model and actress. She is the founder of I Love Earth an organization designed to educate school children worldwide on reducing their carbon footprint.

City Manager's Report

What the City Manager's page says on the Lake Worth web site--

The City Manager's Report is a Weekly Report that is transmitted to the City Commission each Friday evening and is uploaded to the City website on Monday mornings.

It is now AFTERNOON, and it is still not up. For the last year, it has always been transmitted on Friday so why the change that first occurred two weeks ago?? It is one minute after Noon and I cut no slack.

Commission Agenda - Keep on Scrolling

Comment Up

We have the CRA that puts out back-up that you can't even read because they put 2 pages on one page to save time. The print is so itsy bitsy that it's a joke.

Now we have the City screwing up the back-up. We now get to read the Commission Agenda by one click of the mouse! How inconvenient and consumer unfriendly. The latest one has 466 pages. You might get to where you want to be but take a coffee break during the process--it is time consuming.

So instead of going to each issue and clicking on for the backup, you now have to scroll and scroll and scroll. What about that resident who still has Dial-Up?

And we still don't have the City Manager's Report that used to be uploaded on Friday.

Builders, Realtors and Fl Chamber selling us Out - We will win Florida Hometown Democracy in the Grassroots

Florida Crystals

In the last year or so, Florida Hometown Democracy has raised over 1/4 of a million dollars with the majority of the contributions coming from Lesley Blackner. The other contributors in the 5 digit range are:

Dr. Steve Rosen…$35,000

Sierra Club Northwest…$16,000

Michael Singer of Alchua, Fl…$10,000

This has been very much a grassroots campaign from inception with small contributions coming all across the State from working class folks to people such as myself, retirees on fixed incomes and just from people disgusted with the ruination of our State caused by all these groups involved in bad growth. We are having to spread the word by mouth as FHD does not have the big bucks and deep pockets of the opposition. Back in January, FHD reported on the opposition’s contributions and what they had accumulated in 2007 and 2008 to defeat FHD. Here are a few at that time:

Wal-Mart (I don’t need to explain this corporation)…$25,000

Florida Association of Realtors (will support anything that will make them commissions)…$50,000

A Duda & Sons (land company involved in agriculture and real estate) …$10,000

Floridians for Conservative Values (Don’t let the name fool you. Also gave to Public Concepts out to defeat FHD) ...$25,000

Associated Builders and Contractors (represent the majority of the construction trade)…$10,000

Fl. Banker’s Association (the more growth, the more banks, the more they make) …$5,000

AT&T…$10,000

Environmental Industry Assn, Washington, DC (Solid Waste…the more people, the more they get to collect garbage…you get the drift)…$12,000

Florida Crystals (owned by the Fanjuls who have more money than God and like to jerk the State around as well as the environment)…$25,000

Associated Industries of Fl (members include those interested in growth throughout Fl) …$35,000

Ocala land for sale

Please send in your donation no matter the amount--$10, $25, whatever...any amount is valued and will help get our message across. Send to:

Florida Hometown Democracy, Inc.
P.O. Box 636
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32170

Let's help out Lesley, Steve, Michael, the Sierra Club and all the others to save Florida.

Lake Worth pushes its exhorbitant fees at the pool

Well, the City of Lake Worth is getting its free advertising to promote higher and ridiculous fees at our municipal pool as well as giving some sort of control to the robo man for whom they know nada...another Peter Willard?

Click HERE to read more about it.

I wrote about this on April 7, so it's old news now. On March 24th I showed you photos on the pump house and all its disrepair that was neglected by staff. Who is in charge there? Ask yourself that question and why we continue to have to pay more money over and above our taxes that should be supporting this pool. Ask yourself why do our assets get into this condition? Who is responsible?

No one should have control over our pool but the taxpayers. Andrew Sneath, the robo shark guy, wants it EVERY Saturday (prime time) from 11am until 4pm.

Reggae Fest Nostalgia

As we had Reggae Fest this past weekend at Bryant Park, I thought it would be appropriate to have this clip form 2009's Fest. There is always something good happening in Lake Worth, Reggae Fest being one of them.

Dancing with the Stars

2010 Reach for the Stars Benefit

"Dancing for the Stars" ballroom dance competition

April 24 at the Kravis Center

Young Friends of the Kravis Center hold its own Dancing with the Stars every year for a fundraiser to benefit the Kravis' Students and Teachers Arts Resource Series.

Last year's champ, Mayor Lois Frankel, will be participating. Will it be a tango or a little soft shoe? Will the West Palm Beach police be there for security?

Cost? $75 for Young Friends; $100 for non-members and $175 for VIP's and it starts at 6pm.

SEC vs Goldman Sachs

I have talked about corporate greed on many occasions including Goldman Sachs. Aren't we all sick to death of Goldman right about now? We bailed out financial institutions at the tune of $200 billion, with $10 billion going to Goldman Sachs. It was reported that they paid back the government last year.

What was the motivation to pay us back so quickly? Was it to continue its egregious acts of fraud and its goal of huge profits derived from deception without the government looking down their shoulder? The SEC has finally stepped in and Goldman says, "The SEC’s charges are completely unfounded in law and fact.” Their stock fell 13% on Friday and again, shareholders were left holding the bag. Goldman denies that it put its own greedy interests before its investors.

The latest scandal has to do with, what else, mortgage securities. Goldman allowed Paulson & Co., a Hedge Fund, to design CDO’s, Collateralized Debt Obligation. It is reported that this is an investment designed for failure of risky mortgage assets. Paulson then bet against it and he personally walked away with nearly $4 billion(his firm making $15 billion) while Goldman touted the investments to investors, making commissions. Goldman has been working with Paulson since 1994 and has a cozy relationship.

I don’t know what the answer is in this country but bailouts are not helping anyone but the crooks that receive the money. Not one company on Wall Street is afraid of the SEC. And no one believes Goldman Sachs.

Those who participated in the collapse of our economy were the regulators that did not do their jobs, investors who believed, those who took out mortgages who knowingly could not afford a shack, lending institutions that gave mortgages to people who could not afford a pot to pee in, credit agencies and all those who made a commission based on the biggest fraud against the American people.

The Gold standard on Wall Street--Goldman Sachs--is "fools gold" except for its top management.

Center of Sanity - Slideshow of Tea Party Rally in West Palm Beach

It was an exciting event in a "room" full of conservatives, an idea that many believe we need to return to in order to bring back the sanity. They believe that both political parties, Democrats and Republicans, have screwed up big time. Being a lifelong Democrat, it is amazing to me how one President, with the gift of oratory, and a Republican before him, ended up moving me to the Center of political thinking.

Describing someone as a "progressive" used to be a compliment...no more. It now means you are left of left and with socialistic tendencies...the person who is helping destroy America with entitlement after entitlement and coddling illegals. Everytime a commissioner or someone describes himself/herself as a "progressive," I cringe.

As I went to observe, I found out that Tea Party supporters are conservative with most being Republican, or 54%. 41% are Independents and 5% are Democrats. 92% of them believe that America is on the wrong track with 88% disapproving of President Obama's performance.

Here are some pics of some who want to revert to "normalcy," balance the budget and stop the tax and spend entitlement mentality that has put us in debt to the tune of nearly $13 TRILLION DOLLARS.

Stetson University to Host Forum on Amendment 4

On Tuesday night, a forum on Amendment 4, Florida Hometown Democracy, will be held at Stetson University. They expect a big crowd. Volusia County Chairman Frank Bruno will be the first speaker at the 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. forum titled, "The Public's Role in Planning for Growth and Development" in DeLand.

Deland, kicknamed The Athens of Florida, was founded in 1876. It is home to Stetson University, the Museum of Florida Art and is the County seat. It is known for its historic architecture, something we are trying to preserve in Lake Worth. "DeLand today is a gem of the Main Street USA movement begun by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the late 1970s to preserve small towns.

DeLand boasts three historic neighborhoods and it remains the sole Florida recipient of the 'Great American Main Street Award'. It’s one of just 55 towns to earn this prestigious designation by the National Trust."

The Amendment 4 event is free, and a light dinner will be provided but seating is limited. Register at stetson.edu/growthforum or call 386-822-7053 to reserve a space.

We expect our friends of Florida Hometown Democracy in Volusia County as well as the Sierra Club's Growth Management Committee to be in attendance.

Lake Worth's Murry Hills holds meeting

Ron Exline and Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill

Prior to the meeting's start, I passed out Florida Hometown Democracy palm cards explaining the initiative that will be on our ballot on November 2, 2010. The first speaker was Katie McGiveron, Vice President of ROLOH and President of Save Our Neighborhood, who spoke on Amendment 4 and how we, the people, will have a way to protect our hometown. Next, Annabeth Karson spoke on our 2010 Census and the importance of filling it out and sending it in as the tax dollars we receive are based on this count. For some odd reason, some snowbirds have more of a loyalty to the town they live in up north rather than to Lake Worth, a place in which they own property and reside for a good percentage of the year. I talked to one gentleman before the meeting and he saw no good reason to fill it out for Lake Worth to benefit. He only drives on our city streets and uses all of our services for six months of the year but treats this as secondary or of less importance. Annabeth gave him good reasons to help our City. Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill was the main speaker at today's meeting at Murry Hills. She talked on the Sunset Drive parcel that affects all the residents of Murry Hills and the ROLOH neighborhood as well as the beach and casino project. She emphasized all the progress this commission has made and if we have the will, we will make it happen. All her votes are for the benefit of the city and it shines forth in everything she says and does. People felt uplifted after her speech as they now feel that we are going in the right direction.

The crowd at Murry Hills, Commissioner Mulvehill, Katie McGiveron and Annabeth Karson

Col. Allen West's speech addressing Tea Party Crowd

This was the same speech given in West Palm Beach.

Listening to Yourself

On April 13th, the Mayor asked about public commentary at workshop meetings. Commissioner Maxwell thought that the public should speak. Commissioner Golden took a tougher line. Below is from the City of Lake Worth web site. Although the allotted time for each participant is probably not up to date, the procedure is clear.

Essentially, Commissioner Maxwell was closer to the official policy.

"Occasionally, the City Commission will schedule a workshop meeting for a specific item that appears likely to take more than thirty (30) minutes to discuss at a regular City Commission meetings. Rules are the same as listed above with the exception of the beginning of the meeting whereby a notepad is circulated to members of the public in attendance requesting the names of all interested speakers on the subject, as public discussion in a workshop meeting is limited to a total of 30 minutes (a maximum of 3 minutes each, or all the speakers divided by the 30 minutes).

No official action of the City Commission is taken at a workshop. Notice of Workshop meetings are publicized at City Hall at least 24 hours prior to the meeting"

But don't worry about it. What you say has no bearing...you will not make one bit of difference or persuade them either way. Usually, you are just listening to yourself talk.

Dirty Tricks in Tallahassee?

Read about the latest SCAM being considered in Tallahassee. All these guys need to go.

crabbyone wrote:

Floridians for smarter growth, the Chamber of Commerce group, tried this dirty trick(Our petition nullifies your petition) against Amendment 4, and the Florida Supreme court struck it down. Back to the drawing board, Mike Whoridopolos. Why don't the crooked politicians in Tallahassee just send us all a blindfold and a piece of duct tape and tell us not to bother going to the poles in November? Vote yes on Amendment 4 and make a crooked politician cry."