Local Views: Joe McColloch

Attack on public education

The narrow failure of the "parent trigger" bill in the state Senate should put all concerned parents and taxpayers in Florida on notice that the Republican ideologues who dominate the Legislature will stop at nothing to dismantle our system of public education and hand it over to special interests, most of whom help to bankroll these same legislative lackeys as well as their GOP apparatus.

With virtually no public support whatsoever, the House GOP fell all over themselves to embrace this blatant theft of taxpayer-funded assets while employing shamelessly fraudulent means — including a joke of a petition containing a mere handful of signatures, many of which were apparently bogus — to make their case that there was any public support for this hijack of our public education system. Only the courage of a few Republicans in the Senate kept this idiotic and dishonest effort from happening.

The shameful legacy of Jeb Bush, with his grandiose schemes to privatize as many of our state governmental functions as possible — and education most particularly — continues to afflict Florida and its taxpayers, much to our collective detriment.

Tampa Bay Times Letters to the Editor: Joe McColloch, Tampa

Locals who voted yes. John Legg, R-Trinity; Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby; Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg;
Tom Lee, R-Brandon; Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton.

Local Censorship: Tampa May Day Rally

Where was our local media?

During a heavy Florida rainstorm, activists, undocumented immigrants and community members from the Tampa Bay area gathered under a pavilion in a local park. The different organizations and people united under a banner reading, “May Day: 11 million people need equal rights!”

It seems Tampa held a May Day Rally and not one of our local media outlets bother to tell us. I had to find it at Fight Back News.
Story here

Tampa Streets to Get Pedestrian, Cyclist Friendly Redesign

Mayor Bob Buckhorn announced today that four streets are set to get a pedestrian and cyclist friendly makeover with new installations of sidewalks and bike lanes or shared use pathways. The four streets to be redone are Palm Avenue, Willow Avenue, Bougainvillea Avenue, and Cypress Street.

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Congratulations Mr. Sapp

Take a good look at the last No. 99

'Parent Trigger' Bill Dies On Tie Vote

The chief advocate, former Gov. Jeb Bush, told reporters as late as February that he was confident the trigger would become law.

 Even though the bill was not the supported by the Florida Education Association and most Florida parent organizations, such as the Florida PTA. These bay area men still voted for it. Please remember them next time you go to the polls.

John Legg, R-Trinity; Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby; Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg; Tom Lee, R-Brandon;

Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton.

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Hypocrisy Of Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Here she is on CNN discussing why Cuba must remain on State Sponsor of Terrorism list.
This is a woman who is a member of the party that started a war that killed a million Iraqis,
4,488 Americans, 32,021 Wounded and gave safe haven to Luis Posada Carriles, the anti-Cuban terrorist jointly responsible for bombing a Cubana airliner, killing 73 people.
The Castro brothers might be alot of things but they are not mass murderers.
Help, end the war on the Cuban people, they are being held hostage by a small minority in South Florida.

Islamophobia In Florida

 Florida SB58, is rooted in the baseless and offensive idea that Muslim-Americans are plotting to impose Islamic law on U.S. courts, and that we need "anti-Sharia" protections to stop them. In reality, this discriminatory law is redundant, as the Constitution already prohibits U.S. courts from imposing religious law as civil law.
Tell your senator that you demand they stand up for American values and reject discrimination and intolerance!
Demand that your senator stands against intolerance and rejects this
Also after Abe Foxman, the ADL's (Ati-Defamation League) Drector OKs surveillance of American Muslims,   Liberal Democrat? Debbie Wasserman Schultz, attends his gala.
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Miami's Terrorism: Businesswoman Tired of being Victimized!

April 27, 2013 marked the one-year anniversary of the domestic terrorist attack.

Vivian Mannerud is one of Miami's most decent citizens and she is arguably South Florida's most respected businesswoman. She owned an airline -- Airline Brokers Company -- in the Miami suburb of Coral Gables. Her airline had all the legal licences to fly her eager passengers from Miami to Havana and back. She has lived in Miami long enough to know how dangerous it is for anyone or any business to remotely be involved in anything considered a positive for Cuba or for Cuban-Americans wanting to visit relatives on the island. And she is well aware that bombs -- car-bombs, house-bombs, and business-bombs -- are the weapons of choice for the Miami terrorists. She also believes it is time the authorities -- local, state, and/or federal -- protected and/or sought justice for honest citizens and legal businesses. Instead, she believes authorities are too afraid or merely unwilling to act.

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Tampa Bay Homeless

Homeless Living In Tampa
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West Tampa's China 1

What Stogie Had For Lunch
Shrimp with lobster sauce
With fried rice, egg roll and drink
$6.00 at China 1, 1901 N Howard Ave, Tampa