Full speed ahead!

With Summer in full swing Florida public employees are now feeling the heat generated by a 3% reduction in pay (a tax by any any other name remains as onerous). Others face the reality that jobs will be lost as traditional governmental responsibilities, such as the operation of correctional facilities, will be turned over to private industry. Additional budget cuts loom and further threaten an already fragile and underfunded public school system, and infrastructure crumbles from years of neglect and overuse. Meanwhile corporate fat cats continue to take home enormous salaries and exhorbitant bonuses exacerbating an income disparity we have not seen since just prior to the Great Depression. What hope can be taken from these discouraging realities? Well, maybe people are finally beginning to see the need to get involved in the political process for one.

Thanks to Governor Scott and the extreme Republican agenda it seems that the people of Florida are beginning to stir and move in a new direction: a direction where the sacrifices of the middle class and working people will be acknowledged and rewarded. You can see it on the web, where countless grassroots websites, and new media outlets, are taking the fight to political lackeys that promote “corporate welfare” at the expense of real people. At BCO we continue our fight for real people, and will not rest until the tide is turned and the corporate oligarchs are defeated. In our estimation there is nothing extreme about the idea that government is “by and for the people”; when is stops functioning as such we have strayed from the principles that our Country was founded upon. So, what is a message that this new movement can agree on?

Let’s start by keeping it simple: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness! Has a certain ring to it don’t you think? These ideals require us to acknowledge a shared humanity and fundamental equality regardless of where you happen to fall on the income scale. It might be argued that the sole purpose of government is to provide a structure within which all citizens have an equal opportunity to enjoy these founding principles. Additionally, our founding document provides that the government shall promote the “general welfare” and ensure “domestic tranquility.” Shouldn’t these principles be placed on the scale when considering what government actions, if any, need to be taken in a given situation? Much of this seems lost in the partisan debates currently taking place over what entails good public policy. Let’s take this Country back from corporations and special interests and remake it in a way that reflects the vision of the Founding Fathers. We can start with some basic ideas.

People need to be able to earn a living wage regardless of the kind of work they perform. People also need access to basic affordable health care and educational opportunities. People need: safe water and food supplies; safe roads and bridges; safe and efficient transportation systems; public safety (police, fire, criminal justice and corrections); a fair civil justice system for the redress of grievances; and, people need a political process that allows for, and encourages, participation of all citizens while minimizing the impact of special interests. It seems to me that most people, regardless of political affilliation, agree with these ideas. They reflect a common understanding of basic government functions necessary to allow people to thrive and excell which in turn makes our Nation stronger.

In the coming months we will continue our firm outreach to all parts of this State to make sure that first responders understand their rights under existing law. We will take up the fight wherever it presents itself, and we will exhaust all available avenues to recover benefits for our valued clients. While this effort is focused and limited in scope, it will have a larger impact as it puts money in the pockets of middle class people who are fed up with the direction this State has taken politically. November 2012 is not far off. Get involved and vote in a way that promotes your own self interest: a stronger middle class and working class!Gefforey Bichler