Jeff Kottkamp, our Lt Governor, billed taxpayers $425,000 for 365 flights on state planes during his first two years in office, according to the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel. Flight Records show that Two-thirds of the flights involved getting Kottkamp to and from his $1.4 million house he and his wife own in Fort Myers. The records also show state planes flew empty one-way 70 times to pick him up or drop him off. The problem is Florida law previously barred public officials from using state airplanes for commuting. Lawmakers however, squeezed the language in under the radar into a massive budget bill back in July to allow it to happen. State rules require payment, however, for travel by a state official's family. Also, Kottkamp's wife and son flew for free on about trips. Those flights cost taxpayers $12,974, which only after the Sun Sentinel inquired about 27 flights made by Kottkamp's wife and by his young son, he said he would reimburse the state.
State Bureau of Aircraft Operations Mike McClure claim that Kottkamp was not charged due to a “billing error” and they were not found until last summer. On June eighteenth a memo was sent to State executives reminding them that family must pay for flights. According to the Palm Beach Post, “Six days after the memo went out, Kottkamp took his wife and son on a state plane from Fort Myers to Miami and made a return trip two days later. State records show they were not charged for the flights, and his family has not boarded state planes since.”
When asked for a comment on the topic, Kottkamp said "We have started driving a lot to try and save as much money as we can,"
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sarah Palin back in the Cross Hairs
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is back in the news under not the best circumstances. This time it is not the Democrats that are after her but the wildlife conservationists. The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund released the following statement:
Palin’s Extreme Anti-Conservation Agenda to be Exposed in National Campaign
The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund today launched a national campaign to expose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s renewed anti-conservation agenda. The Action Fund first highlighted Palin’s record in Alaska during last fall’s presidential campaign when it ran TV ads across battleground states, highlighting Palin’s championing of the brutal and unnecessary aerial killing of wolves and other carnivores.
Governor Palin is an active promoter of Alaska's aerial hunting program whereby wolves are shot from the air or chased by airplanes to the point of exhaustion before the pilot lands the plane and a gunner shoots the animals point blank. The program also targets bears.
In response to the accusations, the Governors office released their own statement claiming that “This is about feeding Alaskans.” The facts however are not necessarily so much pointing in the same direction. According to the site eyeonpalin.com, the Palin administration allows out of state hunters to hunt and directly compete with rural hunters for supposed limited resources in most of the areas where aerial hunting is done. They continue on by pointing out the sport hunter groups are the biggest advocates of aerial hunting and most are opposed to advocates for the poor or hungry. Huffingtonpost.com points out that the wildlife viewings bring far more tourist dollars to the state, where only 11 percent of the population hunts.
As far as her time in office, Gov. Palin has done the following involving aerial hunting:
Palin offered a $150 bounty for wolves to entice hunters to kill more wolves in certain parts of the state, with hunters having to present a wolf's foreleg to collect the bounty.
She actively opposed a ballot measure campaign seeking to end the aerial hunting of wolves by private hunters and approved a $400,000 state-funded campaign aimed at swaying people's votes on the issue.
She also introduced legislation to make it easier to kill wolves and bears and which would have also removed the aerial hunting initiative from the ballot and block the ability of citizens to vote on the issue.
The Board of Game, which she appoints, has approved the killing of black bear sows with cubs as part of the program and expanded the aerial control programs.
The media and state officials are currently looking into reports that state officials implementing one of the aerial wolf killing programs illegally killed five-week old wolf pups just outside their dens.
Palin’s Extreme Anti-Conservation Agenda to be Exposed in National Campaign
The Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund today launched a national campaign to expose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s renewed anti-conservation agenda. The Action Fund first highlighted Palin’s record in Alaska during last fall’s presidential campaign when it ran TV ads across battleground states, highlighting Palin’s championing of the brutal and unnecessary aerial killing of wolves and other carnivores.
Governor Palin is an active promoter of Alaska's aerial hunting program whereby wolves are shot from the air or chased by airplanes to the point of exhaustion before the pilot lands the plane and a gunner shoots the animals point blank. The program also targets bears.
In response to the accusations, the Governors office released their own statement claiming that “This is about feeding Alaskans.” The facts however are not necessarily so much pointing in the same direction. According to the site eyeonpalin.com, the Palin administration allows out of state hunters to hunt and directly compete with rural hunters for supposed limited resources in most of the areas where aerial hunting is done. They continue on by pointing out the sport hunter groups are the biggest advocates of aerial hunting and most are opposed to advocates for the poor or hungry. Huffingtonpost.com points out that the wildlife viewings bring far more tourist dollars to the state, where only 11 percent of the population hunts.
As far as her time in office, Gov. Palin has done the following involving aerial hunting:
Palin offered a $150 bounty for wolves to entice hunters to kill more wolves in certain parts of the state, with hunters having to present a wolf's foreleg to collect the bounty.
She actively opposed a ballot measure campaign seeking to end the aerial hunting of wolves by private hunters and approved a $400,000 state-funded campaign aimed at swaying people's votes on the issue.
She also introduced legislation to make it easier to kill wolves and bears and which would have also removed the aerial hunting initiative from the ballot and block the ability of citizens to vote on the issue.
The Board of Game, which she appoints, has approved the killing of black bear sows with cubs as part of the program and expanded the aerial control programs.
The media and state officials are currently looking into reports that state officials implementing one of the aerial wolf killing programs illegally killed five-week old wolf pups just outside their dens.
OBAMA HITS THE WHITE HOUSE RUNNING
On January Twenty-Second, President Obama signed orders to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, shut down secret overseas CIA prisons, review military war crimes trials and ban harsh interrogation methods with hopes of changing the worlds view on America.
Obama said "The message that we are sending the world is that the United States intends to prosecute the ongoing struggle against violence and terrorism and we are going to do so vigilantly and we are going to do so effectively and we are going to do so in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals,"
Already suspending trials for 120 days while a review of military trials continue, the end game plan is to have the prison shut down within a year fulfilling one of his key campaign promises.
On the same day, the President signed official orders that created a task force to recommend policies on handling future terror suspects. One of the main jobs of said task force would to be to look into possible housing facilities for prisoners after the closing of the prison.
The orders also require all American personnel to follow the U.S. Army Field Manual during interrogation. The manual specifically states that verbal threats, coercion, physical punishment and waterboarding are not allowed.
"We believe that the Army Field Manual reflects the best judgment of our military, that we can abide by a rule that says we don't torture, but that we can still effectively obtain the intelligence that we need," Obama said. He continued "We are willing to observe core standards of conduct, not just when it's easy, but also when it's hard."
Obama said "The message that we are sending the world is that the United States intends to prosecute the ongoing struggle against violence and terrorism and we are going to do so vigilantly and we are going to do so effectively and we are going to do so in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals,"
Already suspending trials for 120 days while a review of military trials continue, the end game plan is to have the prison shut down within a year fulfilling one of his key campaign promises.
On the same day, the President signed official orders that created a task force to recommend policies on handling future terror suspects. One of the main jobs of said task force would to be to look into possible housing facilities for prisoners after the closing of the prison.
The orders also require all American personnel to follow the U.S. Army Field Manual during interrogation. The manual specifically states that verbal threats, coercion, physical punishment and waterboarding are not allowed.
"We believe that the Army Field Manual reflects the best judgment of our military, that we can abide by a rule that says we don't torture, but that we can still effectively obtain the intelligence that we need," Obama said. He continued "We are willing to observe core standards of conduct, not just when it's easy, but also when it's hard."
Holy Crap People
Well, What can I say, haven't blogged in God knows how long and to the two people that asked me to get back into it, I appreciate that. I have been busy lately (a combination of School, Wrestling, and future plans). I now have a new attachment in my life and she kinda has helped with the motivation as well so I thank her. At any rate, I have been doing the political thing with the Tallahassee Community College Newspaper. I will post some of the articles I still have on the computer. I hope to have more up for your comments really soon. Thanks again.
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