Under the category of It Just Ain’t Right

Why in the world do we have a pension system for members of Congress whereby if they voluntarily resign they still get their pension? Anthony Weiner is covered under the Federal Employee Retirement System — which is almost entirely funded with taxpayer dollars.

Anthony Weiner can start collecting a $25,000 annual pension as early as age 56, or $35,000 if he sticks it out to the ripe old age of 62. On top of that, the guy will get cost-of-living increases.

Seriously — if a member of Congress resigns his or her post, I don’t think they should get paid this pension.

There oughtta be a law!
(Source: smartmoney.com)

Reasons to avoid downtown Sarasota!

So, I was asked to go out the other night for dinner — to celebrate some good news I received earlier this week and my date asked me where I wanted to go. It was a toss-up for both of us between Caraguilo’s Restaurant on Palm Avenue (a favorite of mine for years) or another place not situated in downtown. It took less than a nanosecond for us to both say the name of the non-downtown restaurant — no cost for parking! It wasn’t a drawn-out decision, no big debate — just a no-brainer.

It’s not just paying for parking. Here are the two things that put the nail in the coffin for me as far as downtown goes:

“Those who choose downtown’s sidewalks and parks for their front yards deserve the same consideration as a gated community,” said Peter Fanning, president of the Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association. “We should be able to walk unmolested by catcalls, panhandling and unwanted approach.” Yup, you read it right. The downtown residents should have the experience of living in a gated community — hmmmm …. at taxpayer’s expense, I guess. We can pay for the parks and the pretty twinkling lights …. just don’t go downtown to enjoy them if you don’t live there! Source: SRQ Daily 6/8

Then I picked up the Pelican Press and read an article about how the Downtown Improvement District just decided to support the City Commission’s removal of the park benches at the Five Points park.

I absolutely won’t shop or eat downtown now as much as I can avoid it — which will be pretty much always. The meters were bad enough, but now to know that the folk who are supposed to be in charge of improving our downtown for all of us to enjoy are actually supporting this crazy bit of bench business — it’s too much. There are too many other places to go in Sarasota County.

I’d LOVE to hear how anyone else is experiencing the new meters, the park bench removal — wherever you fall on the issues, pro or con or somewhere in the middle — I invite you to post your comments here.

Jeremy Wallace Looks into the Political Crystal Ball … this Saturday

Saturday — June 11 — local political insight provider/writer Jeremy Wallace (of the Sarasota Herald Tribune) will be speaking at the Laurel Oak Country Club talking about “What lies Ahead for 2012.”

I like Wallace’s demeanor: serious but not too serious. And seriously informed about the rumblings and machinations of Florida politics.

If you haven’t read his blog, you might want to check it out at Political Insider. For more info about why Wallace is worth listening to, click here.

The event is hosted by the Democratic Club of Sarasota and includes lunch; program begins at noon. For reservations call 379-9233 or e-mail reserve@sarasotadems.com. The cost for members is $23 and for non-members and walk-ins is $25

Shame, shame on Sarasota City Commissioners

Read my column in today’s Sarasota Herald Tribune Op/Ed Section (page 9A) or read it online by clicking this link: Shame, shame on Sarasota City Commissioners

Here’s an excerpt:

Even if our commissioners didn’t have the intellectual breadth to deal with this problem in a less knee-jerk fashion, I’m surprised they didn’t have the necessary selfishness to consider that it’s a very thin line that separates the haves from the have-nots and that one day, they too, might one day find themselves sitting on a park bench.

You also might want to check out Eric Ernst’s excellent column on the same subject — front page of the B section or here: Childish to Remove Benches

It’s the economy, smartypants — can’t miss Economic Forum on Monday night

Monday night (May 23), there’s going to be a great forum on the economy … right here in Sarasota! With folks from the Poynter Institute, Rob Lorei of Florida This Week, and and our own backyard … including Kelly Kirschner and Raul Elizalde. Read my column in today’s Sarasota Herald Tribune TICKET (next to last page) or click below to read it online.

Economic Forum Will Answer Your Questions … (um, will they tell me how I can retire with no worries and money in the bank!?)

“Uncivil liberties” — my op/ed in today’s Sarasota Herald Tribune

If you have the time, I hope you’ll take a moment to click on the link for this opinion piece that I wrote that appears in today’s Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Main Street youths take uncivil liberties.

It’s about what happened to me and a date recently when we went out for dinner on Main Street in Sarasota. Well, it’s about a lot more than that … . (more…)

It’s fashionista to be a feminista

My Sense and the City column in today’s Sarasota Herald-Tribune (all photos courtesy of Cliff Roles Photography:

The Women’s Resource Center of Sarasota recently held its 4th Annual Frances Kraaymes Lecture. This year, the event was a panel discussion on “Men, Women & Relationships,” moderated by Dr. Willa Bernhard, who posed questions such as, “How have your relationships with the opposite sex changed since your 20s?”, and, “What has affected the balance of power in your relationships?”

I was one of the panelists, and while I can’t claim the professional bona fides of the others

– author Dr. Nancy Schlossberg; Ringling College of Art and Design President Dr. Larry Thompson; local physician Dr. Jon Yenari; the Honorable Larry Eger, Public Defender; and mental health therapist Lauren Alston of Coastal Behavioral Healthcare — I still had plenty to say about how physical attractiveness, financial ability, sexual viability, and aging can tip the balance of power in personal relationships..

The discussion was lively: opinions flew, and amid a lot of straight talk and good humor, the panelists shared personal experiences and perspectives about male/female roles, communication, child-rearing, money, housework, even online porn. It was a refreshingly frank conversation, slightly rare in Sarasota, but judging by the audience response, very welcome.

I learned a lot from the panelists, and I’d like to think I shared something as well. For example, after I commented that one of the reasons U.S. women continue to struggle for power in their relationships and within their communities is because they’re still earning under eighty cents for every dollar a man earns in comparable jobs, one panelist stated that he wasn’t aware of any such discrepancy. I muzzled my impersonation of Scooby-Doo’s quizzical woof of disbelief –“Huhrrrr?”, but wondered how anyone in the working world could be unaware of the pay gap between men and women. (To learn more about the Paycheck Fairness Act, visit www.whitehouse.gov/issues/women.)

Another interesting point was raised when one panelist said the word “feminist” was irrelevant in his work and home life because he’s already so egalitarian that self-describing as a feminist would be moot. I’ve heard that argument before – that women have come so far, there’s no longer a need for either sex to carry the “feminist” calling card.

The word has always carried a lot of “angry-female” baggage, exacerbated by Rush Limbaugh’s coinage of the term, “Feminazi.” I’m a feminist and don’t mind saying so, but in the past decade, fewer and fewer of my friends use the term. I’ve got girlfriends who pay half the mortgage and expect their husbands to help change the diapers, and men friends who gladly let their wives bring home the bigger slice of bacon and want their daughters to have every opportunity to grow up to be President, but in both groups, many say, “I wouldn’t call myself a feminist.” As if it’s a dirty word.

But judging by the comments made by my fellow Kraaymes panelists, there’s a new breed of modern-day feminists out there — the men on the panel talked about how they share responsibilities and chores with their wives, and the women talked about how they contribute their fair share financially to their relationships –even if none of them used the dreaded “F-bomb” to describe themselves specifically.

So, taking a page from the Limbaugh playbook, I’m coining my own term to describe anyone who believes in the “social, political, and economic equality of the sexes” (that’s the definition of feminism, by the way). This new word isn’t really new — it’s just the Spanish word for feminist – feminista. But just like the Italian word “barista” turned coffee servers everywhere into über-hip coffee designers, I’m betting “feminista” will finally make it fashionable to be a feminist. And in any language, I’d call that fabulous.

Rob Lorei and the “Conservative Assult on Public Broadcasting”

Where are you on Friday evenings at 8:30? If you’re like me, your probably often glued to your television set with the dial turned to WEDU/PBS Channel 3, watching Rob Lorei, moderate Florida’s political roundtable half-hour, “Florida This Week.” (more…)

Sniper love?

Yesterday, at a traffic light, I was in my car with a car in front of me. The bumper sticker on the car in front of me read:

Snipers are people who shoot from a long distance, from a concealed position, at someone usually unaware that they are in the crosshairs of a gunman.

The sentiment on the bumper sticker just struck me — why “especially” our snipers?

Talkin’ Civility with the Democratic Club of Sarasota

A week ago, I spoke at 1350 Main Street in downtown Sarasota, as the guest of the Democratic Club of Sarasota. The turnout was fantastic — maybe 80 people, which was so great to see. And, more importantly, the people in the audience were very engaged listeners and contributed to the after-talk dialogue. (more…)