RISEOFTHECENTER.COM makes for an interesting read. Headlines include:

Moderates Fed Up with Two Party System Should Focus on Local and State Organizing (FWP Agrees).

Government Assistance Should Come With Responsibilities As Well (FWP Agrees).

Then the Modern Liberal leanings come out in full force:

 Rick Perry – Just the Kind of Wingnut the GOP Loves (Here we go again with name calling).

 Republican Presidential Primary has Become a Right Wing American Idol (And there’s another sign).

 The Right’s Effort to Confuse Warren Buffet’s Argument for Fair Taxation of Regular Income vs Investment Income (If you don’t agree with me, you’re a right-wing wacko).

 Constitution is a Living Document, Even to Those Who Try to Pretend They Don’t Think So (The FWP Classical Liberal and Constitutional positions must upset this author up the wall).

 There are a lot of solid ideas on the RISEOFTHECENTER.COM website, unfortunately, as we have experienced, there are a few who continue to attack those who agree with a large segment of what they have to say because 100% agreement is not in the cards.

For example:

Just Sticking People in Jail Doesn’t Solve Problems with Crime (The FWP has been talking about this for years and your executive board has a lot of real life experience and ideas on the subject).

 Why Won’t Obama Just Tell Us What His Jobs Plan Is? (The FWP does not support any more jobs program, instead, we need a federal government that is pro-small business and pro-manufacturing where permanent employment needs are true long-term permanent needs).

 No Good Reason to Have Stay in Iraq Past Current Year End Agreement (The FWP thinks a cut and run approach is immature and unrealistic in a world of advancing technology, terrorism with a return to intolerant religious zealots in control of large segments of the world’s population).

 Solomon Kleinsmith, runs the RISEOFTHECENTER website and has a set of RULES for submission; however, he does not always abide by them himself or while on FACEBOOK when he finds something objectionable. Terms such as wacko, fringe, and arrogant spew freely from but shall not be directed to. Those who seek to end the duopoly of the Modern Tories continue to divide and die rather than embrace mutual tolerance of differing opinion in order to unite and obtain a seat at the table.

As CASUALOBSERVER commented:

“Some moderates pretend to be unbiased observers to ‘petty partisan politics’ & equally delegate blame to all party participants, leaving none for themselves, effectively self-anointing themselves onto the moral high-ground of judgment.”

CASUALOBSERVER is spot on. Talk is cheap. Keyboarding is simple. In the streets working with people on a one-to-one basis is where it's at.

Mike McCalister, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate, violated U.S. Army regulations by wearing his uniform to a political fundraiser — a move that further fuels the criticisms of veterans and service members who say he’s misleading voters to seem like more of a soldier than he ever was. A retired colonel in the Army Reserve, McCalister has made his military record central to his campaign, launching the political newcomer into the top tier of Republican candidates.

A coalition of voting-rights groups, led by the League of Women Voters and supporters of the Fair Districts amendments, is pushing legislative redistricting committees to move forward with drawing proposed maps as quickly as possible. Critics of the Legislature's somewhat vague timeline say mass chaos could follow if lawmakers don't approve maps soon enough to give the attorney general, Florida Supreme Court and Department of Justice enough time to review the plans well in advance of the June 18 opening date for qualifying.

The recession appears to be over for Tallahassee lobbyists. Casino operators, utilities, health care companies and agricultural companies shelled out millions of dollars during the first half of the year to lobby the Florida Legislature, Gov. Rick Scott and other top state officials. Many of the corporations that spent the most were those seeking help from the Republican-controlled Legislature to either pass or kill bills during the spring legislative session. Lobbyists were required to file new reports by Sunday that disclosed how much they were paid during the second quarter of 2011. The new totals show that legislative lobbyists earned as much as $64.8 million in the first six months of this year. That's an increase over 2010 when reports showed lobbyists were paid nearly $62.6 million.

Comment:

When you hear Republicans moan about wheeling and dealing, smile, nod your head, turn around, and walk away. Hypocrites never cease to amaze everyone with the ability to lie like a plank on a smooth cement floor.

The Florida Supreme Court handed Gov. Rick Scott a defeat Tuesday with a ruling that he exceeded his authority by ordering state agencies to freeze rulemaking and submit planned regulations to his office for review and approval before formally proposing them. The justices sided 5-2 in favor of a disabled woman who challenged Scott's freeze after it delayed the adoption of a rule making it easier for her to apply for food stamps. The Republican governor suspended rulemaking less than an hour after taking office Jan. 4. His executive order also set up the governor's Office of Fiscal Accountability and Regulatory Reform to review and approve existing and proposed rules to make sure they are in sync with Scott's campaign promise to expand business and jobs.

Standard & Poor's has lowered the credit rating for the South Florida Water Management District to AA+ from AAA, citing the tax cut that reduces how much money the district has available. The downgrade reflects recent changes by the legislature.

Comment:

The simple fact of the matter is this. After years of drunk spending, which includes many tremendous salaries and facilities that anyone in the private sector would want, the gravy train is coming to an end. Many heads should roll at several water management districts. The Florida Whig Party has been beating this drum since January 2009, and it appears to be paying off.

Federal agents appear to have stepped up checks for undocumented immigrants on public transportation, including Greyhound buses and Amtrak. The feds say they have the authority to check any public area.

Comment:

This should scare the heck out of everyone. Big brother comes onto a bus, demands to see your I.D.  If you refuse or do not have I.D., you, as a normal American citizen, can be detained without lawful authority. Removing illegal aliens is one thing, but restricting the free flow of commerce and people is another.

Florida is moving forward with a timetable to turn over prison operations in the southern half of the state to a private contractor, after the Legislature approved the plan designed to save millions of dollars. The change is not without controversy. There are competing claims as to whether privatizing prisons saves taxpayer dollars, and the Florida Police Benevolent Association — which represents Florida's unionized prison guards — filed a lawsuit in July to block the handover.

Sharpe, 51, a Republican Hillsborough County commissioner, announced his candidacy Monday for the U.S. House seat currently held by Democrat Kathy Castor. In a brief speech noteworthy for an absence of tea party talking points, Sharpe spoke of working with others to solve the nation's seemingly intractable challenges.

Passing an assessment in civics and government will be the difference between a student moving on to ninth grade or being held back in middle school. The district predicted that if the requirement stays the same, about 45 percent of Collier students wouldn’t pass the exam based on the 2010-11 FCAT reading scores.

Comment:

One of the problems in the nation is that we have far too many people voting who could not pass a 2nd grade civics exam let alone an 8th grade exam. Stop social promotion, but at the same time, teaching to pass the FCAT is stupid.

Layoffs prompted by state-required spending cuts are coming soon to the far-flung South Florida Water Management District. District officials said Thursday that they plan to cut nearly $28 million by reducing staff and salaries — just a part of a state-required $128 million budget cut.

Comment:

The FWP has been very vocal about the excessive wages and perks at the SWFWMD and the St. Johns Water Mangement District since January 2009. There have been an amazing number of positions that paid in excess of $100,000 (plus car and various benefits) at the Districts. Let us hope that those in lower wage, real working positions are not the ones made to pay.

Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado’s daughter Raquel, treasurer for his 2009 campaign, said she visited the bank Thursday to gather paperwork requested by law officers who are investigating possible “campaign-reporting irregularities.’’ On Wednesday, two Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents visited City Hall seeking financial documents. The mayor’s spokesman said they came at his invitation, and did not have a subpoena.

Comment:

Miami continue to be a problem; will it ever end?

 Workforce Central Florida should repay the state almost $39,000 in unapproved and "unreasonable" costs for buying 20 cars it did not need, according to a report from Florida's inspector general.

Comment:

The taxpayers of the State of Florida have been paying for far too many government vehicles. We need a cooperative effort by all media outlets in the investigative reporting as to the number of vehicles owned and taken home by all government workers in the state. We believe the number would shock the voters into revolution.

 Some Floridians who applied for cash from the Florida Solar Rebate Program nearly two years ago are facing an 11th-hour hurdle.

Comment:

The State offered the rebates and encouraged people to install solar. The State is simply screwing those who follow the rules once again and have dragged their feet for two years. We wonder how many could use that money to make a basic mortgage payment.

Former state Sen. Nancy Argenziano said Thursday her plan to run for Congress as a Democrat next year is being thwarted by a “petty” obstacle put into a hotly disputed new election law that is now being challenged in court. “My belief is that any government measure which tends to limit, restrict or frustrate the exercise of the voting franchise requires a significant government interest, an overriding interest,” she said. Argenziano said the sweeping election-law changes made in the past legislative session fell far short of that standard.

OUR VIEW:

Those who hope from Party to Party in hopes of remaining or gaining office is something for the voters to decide as to right or wrong. The changes in the election laws are terrible and are designed to cripple third parties in the State of Florida. The Florida Supreme Court should overturn the recently passed law, if not, the United States Supreme Court should.

Legal or illegal, it makes no difference in this case. Read what is happening in New Orleans with Florida legislators.

A blistering internal feud in the Jon Huntsman presidential campaign is erupting into public view, with dueling camps trading charges and an exodus of campaign officials. And now, a longtime family friend tells POLITICO that Huntsman's wife and father fret that his presidential prospects have been threatened by the turmoil — and he places the blame on John Weaver, Huntsman's controversial chief strategist.

OUR VIEW:

Political campaigns and parties have the ongoing problem of strong personalities clashing. This is why the FWP is organized as it is with free-flowing coalitions rather that along county lines where people jocky for positions and in-fighting runs people off.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman again left open the idea that Congress could impeach the president for involving the US in the Libyan conflict without congressional approval. "Congress should do whatever Congress chooses to do," he said in response to a reporter's question about whether Congress should consider impeachment. "My position in Libya is pretty simple. We shouldn't be there."

OUR VIEW:

Huntsman is 100% correct. The violation of the War Powers Act by the Imperial Presidency of many administrations must end. The Libyan War was, is, and continues to be none of our business.

Central Florida's workforce-development board, an agency facing two government investigations, has been ordered to repay more than $739,000 that state and federal officials say was improperly used to settle a 2-year-old lawsuit. Workforce Central Florida, which is funded almost exclusively by federal tax money, was told last month that it was not permitted to use federal job-training money to pay a 2009 settlement with SunTrust over a broken lease agreement. Agency officials insist they've done nothing wrong and plan to appeal.

OUR VIEW:

Far too many in this state are spending tax dollars with lax oversight. Transparency is weak. There is no reason why many should not be required to publish their expenditures in real-time on the Internet. The Auditor General of the State of Florida should not be the only one looking over the shoulders of those who are spending our tax dollars.

Two anesthesiologists disagreed on the safety of a drug Florida plans to use in the execution of a man who killed a Coral Gables police officer. The Florida Supreme Court delayed the execution to hear testimony in Miami about the drug.

OUR VIEW:

Manual Valle needs to die for the murder of Officer Louis Pena in 1978. This has gone on long enough.

Attorney General Pam Bondi today asked a fellow Cabinet officer to lend her his inspector general for an inquiry into the firings of two former staff lawyers who investigated mortgage fraud. Meanwhile, two Democratic state legislators contacted the U.S. Department of Justice and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., about the ouster of Assistant Attorneys General June Clarkson and Theresa Edwards. They had very high performance ratings but were abruptly ordered to resign May 20 in the Fort Lauderdale office.

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan has launched an aggressive campaign to undermine the credibility of a once-trusted business partner who has accused the congressman of pressuring his employees to give illegal campaign contributions.

OUR VIEW:

Vern Buchanan is only one of many who need to be investigated for gross violation of campaign finance laws.

Florida's back-to-school sales tax holiday returns for the 11th time from August 12 through 14, with some modified rules. The state will forsake $30 million in sales tax collections over that three-day weekend on clothing, shoes and school supplies in hopes a 6 to 7 percent tax savings will stimulate business.