Politics and Indie Business
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Hello indiegainesville, I posted the below message elsewhere and I’ve reposted it here because (a) concerned readers of indiegainesville would want to know the relayed information, (b) Gainesville is central to the issue addressed in the message, and (c) the message pertains to a serious issue involving the 2012 election process. Thanks
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First the corruption report last month that showed Blagojevich’s own Illinois (and Chicago) leading the pack, and Florida trailing not far behind…now this State Integrity report. I’m sure Florida and the previous month’s other “winners” are glad to have not taken the crown this time around. But seriously, I truly hope these reports lead to much needed change. If the public takes these findings seriously and subsequently starts demanding that our leaders be held accountable then I’m sure some long-lasting improvements may result from the harsh truths revealed by the data presented in these reports. The corruption, lack of integrity, and lack of accountability is both sad and endemic. On a related note, a jurisdiction in Florida is now inadvertently setting itself up for an election fiasco that involves a corrupt judge who has several co-conspirators. You can’t make this stuff up…unfortunately it’s 100% true and corroborated by two reports and extensive irrefutable evidence that is in the possession of agencies, including those within Florida’s 8th Judicial Circuit (and Chief Judge Martha Lott and Chief Investigator Spencer Mann). The judge, and former prosecutor, at the heart of the issue is David P. Kreider. Take a look at
http://www.complaints.com/2012/march/14/Corrupt_Judge_David_P._Kreider_now_taints_the_ele_264712.htm
for more information. I say prison sentences for all those who think they are above the law, especially public servants whom we should be able to trust. Then and only then will the governmental paradigm undergo the shift that is so dearly needed. Unfortunately the lack of ethics, lack of honor, and lack of concern for one’s fellow man has infected governments worldwide on both an institutional and cultural level.
Hello Indie Gainesville,
I’d like to take a few minutes to catch you up on what Gainesville Loves Mountains (https://www.facebook.com/GainesvilleLovesMountains) has been working on, since I believe that we have some shared interests that we can hopefully collaborate on. Please take a moment to review our activities and let’s try to have an in-person conversation soon.
I. Clean Energy for Gainesville
As you may already know, over the past 1.5 years we have been campaigning against coal mined using the highly-destructive practice known as mountaintop removal (MTR). This has included lobbying efforts at the federal level, but we have also urged GRU to stop purchasing coal mined in this fashion. Over the past year, we have brought two residents of Appalachia–Larry Gibson from West Virginia, and Kathy Selvage from Virginia–to Gainesville to tell their stories. These folks’ communities have been directly impacted by the devastation of MTR, and they have pleaded with us to end our purchases of coal mined using MTR. While GRU claims to be purchasing 0% MTR for their 2012 contracts, the leadership there still considers themselves “agnostic” with regard to the source of their coal and have made no commitment to permanently discontinue their purchase of MTR coal. Our efforts to change GRU’s mind continues, and will heat up this autumn when they undergo their next round of coal contract procurement.
II. Reducing Utility Bills for Gainesville-Area Businesses
In an effort to reduce our community’s fossil fuel consumption and help those most adversely affected by high utility bills, we have been researching the range of options that have been undertaken in other communities. We support a Residential/Commercial Energy Conservation Ordinance which consists of a set of building performance requirements, applied evenly across a sector of targeted property owners (i.e., landlords), that can help us achieve the benefits of an energy efficient community such as :
*lower total rental costs
*stronger, more resilient local economy
*more effective utility
*cleaner environment
We gave a presentation on this topic to the Regional Utilities Committee at one of their recent meetings, and have been discussing it with numerous Commissioners. We would like to discuss it with you to hear your thoughts as well.
Thanks for taking the time to review this message, I look forward to talking with you more soon.
Sincerely,
Jason Fults,
on behalf of Gainesville Loves Mountains