Timeflyer
Timeflyer's JournalDeSantis signals he's the biggest GOP turd by signing repressive laws at New College.
"Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday banning state funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Florida's public universities, staging the event at New College of Florida, which the governor has transformed into a conservative higher education experiment.
A New College board revamped by DeSantis abolished the school's DEI office, and the college's interim president recently fired the diversity dean, a precursor to what other Florida universities could experience under SB 266, which was a centerpiece of DeSantis' aggressive legislative agenda this year."
To demonstrate maximum cruelty, he signed the legislation at New College of Florida, the public liberal arts college he's taken over to create a Hillsdale South. His visit there wasn't publicized ahead of time, probably to prevent the crowds of protestors who would have greeted him if they'd known he was coming.
Help protect Florida women's rights--sign and return "Floridians Protecting Freedom" petition.
The group "Floridians Protecting Freedom.org" is collecting petitions to put abortion access on the ballot in 2024. Help put our rights in the FL constitution by going to their website or Facebook page, then print and fill out (very carefully--don't give Ron D any excuse to throw yours out) the petition. Return it to a hub near you--locations available on Facebook. Or contact Planned Parenthood if you can't get to a hub--a volunteer will collect it and return it to a hub for you.
This is one way we can fight for our rights. Don't sit this out--it takes a lot of (correctly) filled-out petitions to get this on the 2024 ballot. Please get involved--we can do this!
"Uncultured: a memoir" by Daniella Mestyanek Young.
This book is fascinating, and I can't do the story and the author's struggles and triumphs justice here. If you're interested in cult psychology, the strength of the human spirit, and a brilliant woman's insights into the power structures that ensnared her, this is a great book.
The author was born to a 14 year old, 2nd generation member of the Children of God cult. (For more info on the perverse child abuse and beliefs behind this group, google Davidito--warning: gives depravity a new and awful meaning). Young survived being raised in various Latin American communes behind tall gates, taught to fear the U.S. "system" and exposed to sexual predation endorsed by the "church" and ignored by the adults around her. She fled to the United States at 15 yrs. There she completed high school and college by sheer determination to become educated. Then she joined the army, and entered another highly structured "cult."
"When had I ever seen a group of men in power make the choice to support a woman over the power structure that kept them in place."
"Uncultured: a memoir," by Daniella Mestyaned Young.
The author was born to a 14 year old, 2nd generation member of the Children of God cult. (For more info on the perverse child abuse and beliefs behind this group, google Davidito--warning: gives depravity a new and awful meaning). Young survived being raised in various Latin American communes behind tall gates, taught to fear the U.S. "system" and exposed to sexual predation endorsed by the "church" and ignored by the adults around her. She fled to the United States at 15 yrs. There she completed high school and college by sheer determination to become educated. Then she joined the army, and entered another highly structured "cult."
The book is fascinating, and I can't do the story and the author's struggles and triumphs justice here. If you're interested in cult psychology, the strength of the human spirit, and a brilliant woman's insights into the power structures that ensnared her, this is a great book.
People speak out about Florida's declining brand--The Futurist, David Houle, Guest columnist
The response to last week’s column – “Politics is changing Florida’s Brand” – was overwhelming.
The average number of emails I get per column is usually 1-5. Last week’s column triggered 87 emails, all positive except for three that took issue with some part of the column. Thank you!
You read my words all the time. Here are quotes from some of the emails I received. They have all given permission to be quoted, but I have kept them anonymous to prevent possible harassment.
From an 86-year-old grandmother: “I was a public school teacher for 36 years in a Chicago suburb. My husband, an Italian immigrant, was a welder, metal worker, and artist. I tell you this so that you can understand that we lived a modest life, saved our money, raised two sons, one of which is a doctor and the other a CPA.
Our parental responsibilities being over and both of us retired, we sold our home and headed south once again. We put our money on a lovely home suited to our needs. Financially we are doing fine with our pensions and Social Security.
But what the people are allowing to happen to Sarasota is a sin, and I am devastated. I watch what these so-called Christians are doing to the schools and now our hospital, and I know that they will never be satisfied until they destroy all that I believe in and value.
There was a lot of reflection from many about staying in Florida, or leaving.
A 61-year-old disabled vet wrote: I currently live in Jacksonville and will be leaving this state for good once my lease is up.
A senior non-profit executive: I wanted to share with you that the topic of your column this morning has ironically been the most discussed topic everywhere I have been the past few months. In fact, I have been fuming about it for a year – and it is getting so bad that I am looking for jobs out of this state! I am a multi-generation Floridian (one great aunt says seven and another says nine) and I can tell you firsthand having grown up here and lived in communities all around the state that Florida is not heading in a great direction. I have been worried about this myself for months and had many conversations with other long-time Floridians - and many are indeed actively thinking of leaving. I was at a super bowl party with all couples who were snowbirds with multimillion dollar second homes here and they were all aghast at how Florida is turning out to be a state of hate. Several were saying they have friends who have crossed Florida off their list for that reason and are going to other states now for second homes.
As evidence of Florida turning into a toxic brand, a grandmother whose grandchildren refuse to visit her because of the governor’s anti-LGBTQ and book-banning campaigns: Our grandchildren refused to come down this year because of what the Governor said about gays, and the banning of books. All their high school friends feel the same. Will we have to move somewhere else?
A former Sarasota resident wrote: I could not agree more with your article on ‘Politics is changing Florida’s brand’. If space permitted, there could have been many more additions to the list and an entire sub-category for Sarasota. After 8 wonderful years in Sarasota, we recognized the changes, sold our house and moved to Georgia. The charm of Sarasota is being destroyed right before our eyes.
A senior executive wrote: In the last month, I’ve heard from dozens of longtime residents who are friends who are seriously looking in other locations to move. Some are wealthy retirees, and some are working professionals in the prime of their careers who once longed to stay here and call it home – can’t take this oppressive hate anymore. My friends who are women, black, LGBTQ and even, thankfully, many white males, are disgusted by the focus of elected officials who seem to have forgotten that they are elected to represent EVERYONE, not only the minority of white males demonstrating narrowminded, bigoted, racist and misogynistic behaviors.
A Sarasota resident wrote: I agree completely. So does my wife. In fact, we’re examples of a second downside for the bizarre political missteps you cite: We’ve begun to consider leaving Florida to escape the culture-war insanities.
This, from a 1985 Ringling College alum, was a common refrain: Friends from other states and countries ask me “What the hell is going on in Florida?” The once beaches, palm trees and Key West lifestyle of Jimmy Buffet has been replaced by the state of political book-banning, Statue of David porn-comparison, New College destruction.
A single Mom wrote: I moved to Sarasota with my family in 2021, after being a long time visited and lover of the state. We moved to Florida because we love it, and also to be closer to family. How can we help the environment, both the natural and political environment? It makes me sad that the place I love is being so changed by idiotic political movements.
Two Longboat Key retirees – and a few dozen others – wrote about development and the loss of freedoms: Without qualms or hesitation, completely concur with your views today in the H-T. We have been saying for several years that Sarasota’s charm is being tarnished by Commissioners tending to allow massive overdevelopment. With colossal buildings blocking out the sun and built almost right to the street, one might be walking in NYC or Hong Kong.
And even more distressing is that our local and state governments do think this is Hong Kong, where they can restrict freedoms, discriminate against women and minorities, ban books, what can be discussed, and turn history upside down.
The subject of state government intervention in education and the rudeness in the ‘town square’ were common, like from this retiree: My husband and I moved to Sarasota in 2011 full time and what is happening here and in the state of Florida is something I am having a hard time coming to grips with. Sarasota was, at that time, very friendly and inclusive. Your article nails it… and although the traffic and overdevelopment are disturbing what is happening in education is nothing short of shocking. The attacks on Mr. Edwards at the school board meetings are incomprehensible. Even my sister, who lives in Victoria, British Columbia is asking… “what the heck is going on in Florida!!”
A resident of Venice who has been coming here for 50 years: Your comments on politics and development are on the mark. Much of the country must believe Florida has become a fascist state. And as the culture war is being waged our legislators are ignoring urgent needs – affordable housing, traffic congestion and property insurance reform. We’ve just been dropped by our insurance carrier for the second time in two years.
Here’s a question for you - how is it that in Florida developers are allowed to sit on planning boards? That’s nuts!
A former resident of Sarasota wrote: I just read your article and couldn’t agree more. I have spent the last 6 years living in Sarasota having relocated from Germany with my husband for his job. We have now returned to Germany again.
I come from the UK and so I regularly speak with family and friends there too. I have regular conversations with people who ask me what has happened to Florida, what does don’t say gay mean, what does “woke comes to die in Florida” mean, and why books are being banned.
It has also become a very unattractive place for young people to live. Not only do they have difficulty finding apartments and affording rent, without inheritance they can’t buy. Several young engineers that my husband worked with left the state as they were not prepared to pay the excess prices for substandard properties that they could afford.
The politics was also off-putting, not forward thinking but short-term and self-serving in its focus.
From a former Florida tourist: Our family has enjoyed vacationing in Florida for many years, but have picked other destinations for the
last two years, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Come back from the edge, folks, we miss you.
Married snowbirds who have decided not to buy here: This is our 12th year as snowbirds to the Englewood/Rotonda West area. People often ask us why we just don’t buy a home here. I could never live here due to the politics and the past few years have been particularly frightening.
These are just a small selection of the comments that I wish I could share with you. There was deep despair, concern, anger and sadness. There was embarrassment and bewilderment. People are experiencing what I wrote about in the last column, that many of us are being asked by friends who live elsewhere “What is going on in Florida?” Brand Florida is being tarnished all over the world.
One final point is that the majority of emails wondered what could be done to save the state, save the brand and lessen the hate. I don’t know the answer.
I worry that by the time tourism revenues do start to fall, too much damage will have been done to the state by the politicians who care more about power, money, and personal ambition than representing all the people, Florida’s declining natural beauty, or the quality of education.
What do you think? Sarasota resident David Houle is a globally recognized futurist. He has given speeches on six continents, written 13 books and is futurist in residence at Ringling College of Art and Design. His websites are davidhoule.com and the2020sdecade.com. Email him at david@davidhoule.com.
Need a place to grow your billions? Don't care about quality education?
Are you a billionaire, looking a safe place to grow your’ wealth?
Can’t get enough of that dough, ray, me, and don’t care how you make it?
Where some people see children, do you see dollar signs?
Well, you’re in luck—because Florida public schools are up for sale!
Who says public dollars should go to public schools? Not you, Big Money Investor! --Not when it could be going into your pockets!
If you thought corporate charter schools were a great source of recession proof, regular income stream, with huge growth potential, just wait until you hear about the newest scheme to profit from K-12 students!
Yes, Florida’s crazy, crazy, crazy legislature is practically giving away tax dollars to a lucky few investors who know a lucrative thing when they smell it—and that smell is “universal school vouchers” *
Florida’s House Bill 1 / Senate Bill 202!
(*disclaimer--a few billionaire heavy hitters have gotten in before you, because they heard about this really profitable sector of the real estate market in 2012. They’ve been buying greedy politicians for years to make this reverse Robin Hood scheme official and widespread in Florida-- like this guy, John Kirtley of Tampa, a venture capitalist who’s got a political committee called “Florida Federation for Children” (FCC), which sounds very caring and vague. Well, since 2010 Kirtley’s FCC has channeled millions to favored political candidates. In return—payday! His company called “Step Up for Students” is the big winner in the newly proposed legislature, HB1 /SB202, that takes tax dollars away from those greedy, lazy public schools, and puts it into his pocket. Anyway, it’s complicated, but you can see how smart and rich he is, because who cares about quality education for students when there’s all those tax dollars just laying around, going to regular yucky traditional public schools—the places where poor people send their kids. And you know how you pay to keep your kids away from those kids, by sending them to private schools—well, you now can take $8,000 bucks from public tax dollars and pay your kid’s tuition with it, no matter how richy-rich-rich you are. Told ya’—crazy. Crazy like a bunch of rich foxes in the hen house, right? Welcome aboard, you greedy billionaire! Any excess funds you have laying around, and any political favors you need, just send $ to your chosen GOP politician and ask. We here for you—not those yucky poor people.)
The money grab thinking behind charter schools
From Sarasota Phoenix, Issue 2, May 2018, by Jon Susce: “Orchestrated Chaos: Is local school board dysfunction part of larger scheme to discredit public schools?”
“David Brain is the head of a large real-estate investment firm called Entertainment Properties Trust. In 2012, Brain appeared on CNBC to discuss the real estate outlook nationally and with a specific eye on charter schools around the US. He explained that charter schools are ‘….a very stable business, very recession-resistant. It’s a very high-demand product.’ Later on during his interview, Brain was asked about the most profitable sector in commercial real estate investment in the US right now. Considering the gradual death of retail, it was an important question at the time and remains so today.
“Brain’s response to this question was pretty shocking: ‘Well, probably the best place to invest right now is in the charter school business. It’s our highest growth and most appealing sector right now of the portfolio. It’s the most in-demand and the most recession-resistant. And a great, sustainable opportunity with 500 schools starting every year. It’s a two and a half billion dollar opportunity set in rough measure annually.’”
Stop the theft of our public tax dollars--oppose FL House Bill 1 / Senate Bill 202.
The scheme to profit off the backs of public schools students is being pushed today in the FL House with HB1 / SB 202
A universal school voucher plan to use tax dollars to pay private school tuition is ready for floor debate in the Florida House.
Friday, the House Education Quality Subcommittee amended HB 1 to match the Senate companion. SB 202 is one committee stop from consideration by the full Senate.
Tuesday in an opening day speech, House Speaker Paul Renner declared the Legislature “will deliver the largest expansion of school choice in the nation.” House sponsor Kaylee Tuck, R-Lake Placid, had introduced the proposal to provide private school vouchers for all in January.
Opponents complained the plan will divert billions of dollars from the public education system and fear it will lead to segregated school systems, with more affluent families leaving traditional public schools.
Sen. Corey Simon, RTallahassee, then produced a Senate voucher plan that inserted into the proposal a review of all education regulations on public schools, and a state Board of Education recommendation of which to repeal.
From Sarasota Phoenix, Issue 2, May 2018, by Jon Susce: “Orchestrated Chaos: Is local school board dysfunction part of larger scheme to discredit public schools?”
“David Brain is the head of a large real-estate investment firm called Entertainment Properties Trust. In 2012, Brain appeared on CNBC to discuss the real estate outlook nationally and with a specific eye on charter schools around the US. He explained that charter schools are ‘….a very stable business, very recession-resistant. It’s a very high-demand product.’ Later on during his interview, Brain was asked about the most profitable sector in commercial real estate investment in the US right now. Considering the gradual death of retail, it was an important question at the time and remains so today.
“Brain’s response to this question was pretty shocking: ‘Well, probably the best place to invest right now is in the charter school business. It’s our highest growth and most appealing sector right now of the portfolio. It’s the most in-demand and the most recession-resistant. And a great, sustainable opportunity with 500 schools starting every year. It’s a two and a half billion dollar opportunity set in rough measure annually.’”
Susce goes on to look at several key people taking advantage of this money making scheme in Florida: John Kirtley of Tampa is one. Susce reports, in 2018, that Kirtley, a Tampa-based venture capitalist, controls a political committee called “Florida Federation for Children” (FFC), which has channeled millions to favored candidates “who in turn are expected to promote his ‘Step Up for Students’ program.” And they in turn are expected to channel money away from public district schools into charter schools.
Fight back!--contact legislators at myfloridahouse.gov and flsenate.gov
Florida 2023 Spring legislative session—contact legislators and fight back! Email, phone and write letters, daily if you can. To hell with their supermajority
Bills to oppose re: Education
House Bill 1 / Senate Bill 202 “School Choice”—deceptive name. Implementation will devastate public school district budgets by diverting public taxpayer dollars to fund private schools and homeschooling. Could end up diverting $4 billion dollars from Florida public school funding in the first year alone (Florida Policy Institute—check out their website for more info on this and other bills).
Ultimate goal—ruin public schools, privatize education in Florida—no good can come from defunding public schools. Supporters want to make money off the backs of our children. Any family, no matter how wealthy, can get up to $8,000 a year to send their child to any school or just homeschool. Fiscally irresponsible, weakens separation of church and state.
Senate Bill 202 adds a nasty little twist—deregulation of public schools.
House Bill 999 / Senate Bill 266—Attack on higher education. Seeks to control viewpoint and content throughout all academic activity in the entire Florida higher education system. Outlaws spending any money to fund “diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Bills to oppose re: Women’s Healthcare
House Bill 7 / Senate Bill 300—Six week abortion ban. Just no. You know why.
Florida dems--follow and support FL House Rep. Anna Eskamani, dist. 42--inspirational.
She represents the Orlando area, but she's fighting for the whole state of FL, opposing DeSatan and his rabid supermajority of MAGA toadies. Follow her at AnnaforFlorida.com (Mark Hamill--yes, Luke Skywalker--is a supporter on her website). To get into the weeds of the latest legislative shenanigans, go to MyFloridaHouse.gov to track the progress of the many heinous bills being spewed out there.
Eskamani is smart, tough, very articulate and knowledgeable. And she's fighting for us, not the corporations or big money donors. She could be our future hope to replace R. "Voldemort" Scott or Marco R.
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