WHO PAYS FOR THE BOOZE AND BALLOONS?

In several days, the Republican National convention to nominate its candidate for President will begin. Soon thereafter, the Democratic Convention will be held.

The two events costly. Multi millions of dollars. All those balloons that come down upon the Presidential nominee and delegates cost money.

The national conventions have been referred to as summertime parties. And parties they are. Think back at the happy faces you have seen on television over the years.

The Nixon era focused on corruption in government. Political corruption. The evil of monies from major corporations and the wealthy.

At that time, the conventions cost reach party roughly $2 million. Congress came up with a scheme whereby taxpayer monies could be used to pay the cost of the conventions.

Taxpayers themselves would decide if they wanted their tax dollars used. The annual taxpayer form was amended to add a box. If a taxpayer wanted $3 of his tax dollars to go to pay for national political conventions, the box had to be checked.

The first year for those tax dollars to be used for the conventions was 1976. Each party received a little more than $2 million. Since that time the fund has grown.

Through the 2012 nominating conventions, the number contributing $3 grew to 33 million. The amount to each political party rose similarly.

The 1976 $2 million became $18,248,300 to each political party. A total of $36.5 million.

On top of which (there is always more), each party received directly from the federal government $50 million for security. Generally, for the streets outside the convention halls.

This brings the total the parties received in 2012 for convention purposes to $136 million.

The desire for a corruption free process to nominate Presidential candidates eroded over the years. In 1976 and the early years thereafter, convention costs were able to be paid out of taxpayer monies.

Then came a politically free spending Congress and a Supreme Court that held corporations are people. As such, they could contribute as much as they wanted. Even in the billions. Called free speech. Likewise, the very rich. Through PACs and corporations set up for that purpose.

In 2012, the Republican convention cost $74 million. The Democratic one $66 million. Note again only $18.2 million of taxpayer monies was available to each party. The almost 100 percent percent public funding of the conventions in 1976 became significantly lower in 2012. The 2012 tax dollars paid for 25 percent of the Republican convention and 28 percent of the Democratic convention.

The balance of monies needed came from big corporations and the very wealthy.

Prior to 2012, a simple rule was invoked as to how the taxpayer dollars were to be used. Generally, the dollars could be spent for anything inside the convention hall. Outside was the headache of others. The delegates, corporations and the wealthy.

Examples of the inside convention hall expenses included payroll for staff (in the millions), lodging (close to the million mark), catering, airfare, film production, banners, promotional items, photography services, floral arrangements, communication consultants, political consulting fees, music, production podium, gifts/trinkets, make up consultants, and entertainment.

The booze and balloons part of the above.

Now came 2014. Not a Presidential election year. Obama recognized that the conventions really did not need the taxpayer dollars any longer. Corporate and wealthy donors were more than sufficient to pay all convention costs.

Congress agreed with him. A bipartisan law resulted.

Obama signed a bill doing away with taxpayer monies coming out of the fund to pay the costs of national political conventions. The monies hence forth would be earmarked for pediatric research: Cancer, autism, fragile X syndrome, and other childhood diseases.

A noble effort on the surface.

Congressional Republicans said they wanted to ditch the political money and put children first. A joke. It would have been one of the first times in recent years if it were true. Think how many child programs were cut or eliminated by Republican majorities in recent years.

The monies were to go to the National Institutes of Health to distribute and oversee. The problem was Congress never authorized the money. Remember, the taxpayer dollars used for the conventions came from the $3 check off box. Pediatric research required direct Congressional appropriation.

Thus to this day, no monies, not one penny, have gone to pediatric research. Cause there ain’t no monies! None ever legislatively appropriated.

To answer the question raised in the title as to who would be paying for the booze and balloons this year, Corporate America and the very rich. Those that can afford it.

By so doing, the big corporations and very rich acquire additional influence over members of our government. Whether Republican or Democratic.

BLACK LIVES MATTER / PLAY TOUGH

Republicans do not have a monopoly on wealth. There are wealthy persons on the Democratic side of the ledger, also.

 

Whereas wealthy Republicans generally make political donations to further selfish business interests, wealthy Democrats tend to support a cause rather than a monetary interest.

 

A noteworthy Democrat is Gorge Soros. Soros made his fortune in the stock market. He is a recognized American business magnate. Forbes lists him as the 17th richest person in the world. His wealth is estimated at $24 billion.

 

Soros is a supporter of progressive liberal causes. He believes in social justice and supports organizations so inclined. His donations are  in the millions.

 

He also supports those major political candidates who believe as he does. Hillary Clinton, an example. He has already given in the first six months of this year to two Clinton super PACs. Priorities USA Action and American Bridge 21st Century. $1 million each. It is expected similar sized and larger donations will be made as the campaign progresses.

 

Soros thought George W. Bush was bad for America. Especially Bush’s decision to invade Iraq. He contributed $20 million in the 2004 Presidential election to various groups in an effort to defeat Bush.

 

Soros donations to liberal causes and candidates are made personally and through his Open Society Foundations. Those receiving contributions are close to one thousand.

 

Soros assumes no direct control over the groups receiving the monies. He understands the liberal thought process of the groups receiving the money and leaves it to them to do the right thing. Soros does not mini-manage them.

 

The first anniversary of Michael Brown and Ferguson recently occurred. It is said Soros contributed $33 million to bank roll the demonstrations which took place a couple of weeks ago. Not to one group alone. Too many. Not at the time of the demonstrations, but months before.

 

The Chief of Police for St. Louis County said the demonstrations were not locally caused. He said outsiders were fomenting the trouble. I did not believe him at the time. I do now. $33 million adds a lot of inflamed protest to a situation.

 

Many of the recent Ferguson protesters were outside activists. Primarily from Washington, DC and New York. Professional organizer types. All on the payroll of the organization they represented. Most funded by Soros.

 

One of the Soros funded organizations at Ferguson was Black Lives Matter. They have been in the news frequently the past few weeks. Black Lives Matter is the group that has been interrupting Presidential candidates. One being a Bernie Sanders at a rally in Seattle on August 8.

 

Black Lives Matter is a grassroots activist movement. It was born in the wake of and in protest of George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2013. The 2014 shooting of Michael Brown and the choking death of Eric Garner enraged the group further.

 

Since Zimmerman’s acquittal in 2013, the Black Lives Matter group has conducted Black Lives Matter demonstrations 984 times worldwide.

 

Black Lives Matter is a growing force of influence. Politically and otherwise.

 

Mighty oaks from little acorns grow applies here. Black Lives Matter was started by three black ladies in 2013. Today it has chapters all over the U.S. and continues to open new chapters at a fast rate.

 

Black Lives Matter is full time paid persons. This is their work for which they are adequately compensated. A difference from other political movements. The monies primarily coming from Soros contributions.

 

Black Lives Matter representatives are hard ass people. Tough. They do their job well. Perhaps too well.

 

On July 15, they interrupted the Netroots Nation Conference in Phoenix. The cry was, “Burn everything down!” At the same event, the group interrupted the speeches of Democratic candidates Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley.

 

Bernie Sanders was in Seattle on August 8. There is no Democratic candidate further to the left. He has been a social and civil rights activist his whole life. He is an Independent seeking the Democratic nomination.

 

Black Lives Matter members stormed the stage. They physically took the microphone from Sanders. They took over the rally. Sanders walked off the stage.

 

Bullies in the pulpit.

 

Black Lives Matter representatives said Sanders was not doing enough to reform criminal justice and promote racial equality.

 

Republican candidates were not immune. On August 13, the group interrupted a Las Vegas Jeb Bush rally.

 

Following the Sanders Seattle rally, members of Black Lives Matter were asked by a media person….. Why Sanders? What about other candidates? The reply was they had something planned for everyone.

 

I was concerned. Sanders was moving up in the polls. He was about to overtake Clinton. He has recently in New Hampshire. I wondered whether favoritism was being shown Clinton. Recall Soros is a major Clinton contributor and expected to be even a bigger one as the campaign moves forward.

 

Was there concern by some that Sanders had to be brought down in order to help Clinton?

 

The question brought to mind the dirty tricks by Donald Segretti on behalf of the Committee for the Re-Election of the President in the famous Nixon campaign. The dirty tricks were considered questionable and unethical. Apparently illegal. Segretti was sentenced to jail.

 

Federal laws were passed post Watergate covering dirty tricks.

 

On August 11, Clinton was holding a public forum in Keene, New Hampshire. The topic involved mass incarceration. Boston chapter members of Black Lives Matter were on their way to attend the rally. I assume also to interrupt, as per their prior activities.

 

The group arrived as the rally was in progress. Clinton had not spoken yet. The door to the rally was locked. No further persons were permitted to enter. The Clinton people had been made aware that the group was on its way and intended to appear.

 

I never heard of people being barred from a political rally. Lock the door? Come on.

 

The reason given was capacity. An overflow crowd. Too many. It was represented that the Secret Service had decided no further persons be admitted. Since, a Secret Service representative has verified that it was their idea to preclude further admissions.

 

I may be getting cynical in my old age. I find it hard to believe public officials. Especially the Secret service. A group that partied with prostitutes paid for by a drug cartel in a South American country, who have not been able to secure the White House, etc.

 

The Boston group were placed in an overflow room and required to watch Clinton on TV. The overflow group, including the Black Lives Matter people, totaled less than 20.

 

Afterwards, Clinton did meet with the group in the overflow room for 15 minutes. Black Lives Matter representatives said no pictures and no reporters. Clinton agreed. However, Black Lives Matter videoed the interview and intend showing it at a later date.

 

Following the meeting, kumbaya prevailed.  The group said they were satisfied with Clinton’s responses. Though they had further questions they would raise at a later time.

 

I do not believe Soros had anything to do with the Clinton rally. Nor the Sanders rally for that matter. He leaves those he funds alone to do their thing. Also, he is not as his wealthy Republican counterparts. He contributes money to further liberal causes. Not to add to a company or person’s bottom line. The contrast glaring when it comes to motivations.

 

I have to question the Clinton rally. The group showing up late, being barred because there was no room at the inn, having to watch on TV in another room, interviewing Clinton in that room afterwards, refusing reporters to be present or photos taken, coming out of the meeting saying in effect everything was A-ok, etc.

 

Fishy? Sounds that way.

 

The Sanders rally speaks for itself.

 

Black Lives Matter is here to stay. The group is sufficiently funded to live a long life. Their purpose is right. Admirable. Their methods wrong. Deplorable. Interrupting a speaker as they have done does not set right with me. Nor does the shooting of blacks by cops. Two wrongs do not make a right, however.

KEY WEST TOP LUXURY MARKET

Forbes reported that Key West is the top luxury market in the United States. Stated more simply, means Key West hotel rates are the highest in the United States. Hotel rates have increased every month the past 64 months. Record increases! Occupancy rates excellent.

Beware. Lest the hotels kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

The gay community revitalized Key West beginning around 1985. What is today was begun by them. Key West had become a ghost town of sorts after the Navy pulled out in the 1960s. The gays turned things around.

Key West’s gay community has been dwindling. Slowly, but surely. It has become a community of the older generation. Fewer young gays have been vacationing here or making Key West their home.

One reason is the cost of a hotel room and the cost of purchasing a home. Through the ceiling! So the gay community visits or settles now in Miami and Fort Lauderdale where prices are more reasonable.

The big hotels are no longer locally owned. They have been bought up by the huge corporate chains. The chains are profiting. The workers are not. They still worker for meager wages. Many leave. More will as they cannot afford to live in Key West.

We talk of the need for affordable housing. There would not be such a need if workers were paid a living wage.

A work day for me yesterday. Pleasure work. Other than an hour with Sloan, the day into the early evening was spent researching this week’s KONK Life column. I will write it today.

I have not decided on  the title yet. The substance will have to do with the rich financing elections. How big money today controls elections. We live in an era where elected politicians become the feudal serfs of the money class. Which means they no longer represent us.

Yesterday’s blog indicated a photo of Jenna and Dr. Chapman was part of it. No photo. I do not know how to correctly add and center a photo. Sloan does it for me. I forgot to ask her when she was here. Someday it will be entered for no other reason than to have everyone view the lovely Jenna and Key West’s icon Dr. Chapman, the victim of a raw deal.

Love women and their go for it attitude when there is something they support. Breast feeding in this instance.

August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month. No one has to be told of the health benefits to mother and baby. There was a time when breastfeeding was frowned up by the medical community. My four children were born in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Each time my wife advised doctor and nurses she wanted to breast feed. Each time they brought the new born to her saying…..Oh, we forgot…..the baby has been bottle feed…..you cannot breast feed.

No longer the case.

This month there are a number of Big Latch On events. A descriptive title. Women across the country will gather together in a certain area and all breast feed at the same time. Two such events are already scheduled for the Florida keys. It is hoped the Latch On’s will encourage further breast feedings.

Legionnaires disease back in the news. Sixty five recently reported cases in New York City. Four persons died this weekend already.

Legionnaire’s disease derives somehow from the water droplets in an air conditioning system. The disease is a form of bacterial pneumonia. In New York City, it has been traced to a Bronx hotel and a certain hospital.

Enjoy your Sunday!