Lake County Fiscal Rangers

Officials Attend 4 hour Lake County FL Eco-Tourism Summit on North Lake Apopka

Mount Dora, FL (Lake County)  -  Feb. 8th, 2013

Yesterday, the Lake County Board of Commissioners Chair Leslie Campione hosted a 4 hour "Regional Summit on Land Issues Impacting the North Shore of Lake Apopka".

 

The main reason was to disclose plans for developing the North Shore of Lake Apopka (partially in Lake county plus Orange County) into an "eco-tourism" attraction, AND to discuss issues affecting those plans caused by a planned expansion of a nearby "Orlando North Airport", located on Long & Scott property.

 

The Lake County and Orange County governments have been discussing these issues for months due to the proposed airport expansion which would cross County borders and affect local bird populations due to "bird strike" situations.

Below is the two part agenda.

View this photo  - Agenda cover
View this photo  - Agenda with speaker names and topics

Here is the press release:   http://www.lakecountyfl.gov/media/news_releases/news_release.aspx?id=2047 

You can see our three part VIDEO of the event at our Youtube "FiscalRangersFlorida" .   The first video is here:  http://youtu.be/9snmO6VVFv0  (Note:  Part 2 & 3 are in process of downloading - probably not active until tomorrow  - Sunday).

See Orlando Sentinel article by Steve Hudak here:  http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/os-lake-apopka-north-shore-summit-20130208,0,5073878.story     

See the Daily Commercial article by Greg Jones here:  http://www.dailycommercial.com/News/LakeCounty/09feb2013ecotourism  

Channel 9's Berndt Petersen was at the Summit, and this report is related to the concerns regarding the proposed airport expansion.  If you search on the Channel 9 website on "Apopka", you will find more of his reports on this issue:  http://www.wftv.com/videos/news/residents-near-lake-apopka-concerned-with-airstrip/vqFfX/

You can find the Powerpoint presentations here:   ftp://ftp.co.lake.fl.us/InfoOutreach/020813_RegionalSummit/ 

No decisions were made but all the parties attending learned different perspectives. 

The one negative issue is when an Audobon Society representative recommended they also involve the US Fish & Wildlife Service and plans to make the area a Federal Park.   I objected because the Feds are too intrusive and the FWS is known for taking land rights and land away from farmers and other groups due to excessive environmental restrictions, including endangered species acts.  We should retain local power of the area.

Vance Jochim

EPA Delays Excessive Regulations Until AFTER Election Day so Obama Doesn't Look Bad

Tavares, FL - Oct. 24, 2012

The Federal EPA is delaying onerous new, costly water & other regulations until the END of November, AFTER elections, so voters don't find out.  Water and sewer bills could increase by $700 per year, according the the analysis below.

Here is another reason why we can't afford Obama or his EPA.  From Andy Dubois, President of the North Lake Tea Party (FL) and the Tri-County Association - a group fighting excess environmental restrictions like the recent septic tank inspection regulations.

Vance J.

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Subject: Editorial - The Sludge Report - “The Domino Effect” - EPA rules have been postponed until after the election

 Vance, important FiscalRanger posting - Why has the Obama-EPA postponed implementing crushing rules until after the November 6^th election?

Andy Dubois

http://www.thesludgereport.org/reports/sludgereport-10-22-2012.html

http://www.tricountyassociation.org/

 

Report for 10-22-2012

By Andrea Samson

President, Tri-County Association – Health Environment Legislation Policies (H.E.L.P.)

The Domino Effect 

We are all about to get blindsided! It’s not rocket science. It’s simple cause and effect. The EPA has postponed until after the election implementing rules that will literally crush us….not an overstatement. Economically devastating is the only way to describe the impact of those rules on families, local and county governments, schools, businesses as the EPA tries to force costly, unnecessary, and unachievable standards on all our waterways, our industries, our fuel resources, and on our farmers.

Teachers, pay particular attention. If your union has told you the current administration in Washington is going to hand you the education wish list of your dreams, think again. In Florida, the Numeric Nutrient Criteria we have been tracking will cause individual families to endure increases in their water and sewer bills that could go as high as $700 per year. Can your personal finances afford that? Can your schools afford it? Schools will also be paying those increases. If you think your food and fuel costs are high now, think about this - pending EPA rules for coal, oil, and every other source of energy will also force even more increases in fuel schools use to transport students, heat and light buildings, prepare meals, and on and on. This will happen at the same time that every Floridian, including every individual teacher, will be struggling to pay their own utilities and buy gasoline to get to work. EPA fuel, fertilizer, dust control rules will cause huge increases in the cost of growing our food, not to mention the cost of transporting that food. EPA rules will make the education wish list another domino, in a long line of dominoes, poised to fall.

When every family’s budget is slammed to pay for the basic needs of food, light, and water, where will the money come from when schools and local governments call for higher property taxes when institutional budgets get slammed with these increases? If the current President cared about teachers and education, why would he allow the EPA to run wild with rules and regulations that will create financial chaos in our communities and in our schools?

There is a disconnect between what is being said by this President on the campaign trail and what in fact is happening- or about to happen. If you doubt what I’m saying is true, I interviewed a Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection attorney last summer about the EPA Numeric Nutrient rules that have been a topic of concern in Florida. I was told by this attorney the EPA was delaying implementing the Numeric Nutrient Rules for the state of Florida until November 30 (after the election). That is a simple verification that the summary below is true. Do you think the vitally important swing state of Florida would elect President Obama if these rules and the costs went into effect last spring as scheduled? The summary provided by Newsmax.com is a list of pending EPA regulations poised to take effect AFTER THE ELECTION! The list is long and crippling, not just for Florida, but for the entire country. Yellow highlights are mine.

“Obama ‘Punting’ on New EPA Rules Until Post-Election

The report from the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works’ Minority Staff, “A Look Ahead to EPA Regulations for 2013,” points to a “slew of job-killing EPA regulations that the Obama-EPA has put on hold until after the election but will be on the ‘to-do’ list for 2013.”

“As the economy has continued to falter over the past year, team Obama has been delaying rule after rule that will eliminate American jobs, drive up the price of gas at the pump even more, impose construction bans on local communities, and essentially shut down American oil, natural gas, and coal production.

The report goes on to state: “It’s pretty clear that if President Obama secures a second term, the Obama-EPA will have a very busy next four years, moving full speed ahead to implement numerous major rules and regulations that he has delayed or punted due to the upcoming election.

“As the nation struggles to recover from a lagging economy in the coming year, Americans could also be grappling with a regulatory onslaught from the Obama-EPA that will strangle economic growth, destroy millions of jobs, and dramatically raise the price of goods, the cost of electricity, and the price of gas at the pump.” The “punted” regulations include:

• · Greenhouse gas rules that will “virtually eliminate coal as a fuel option for future electric power generation,” and inflict new permitting costs on more than 37,000 farms.
• · New ozone standards that would cost $90 billion a year.
• · Regulations on hydraulic fracturing that will have “serious impacts on domestic energy production.”
• · Expansion of federal control “over virtually every body of water in the United States, no matter how small.”
• · Storm water regulations that could include “mandates on cities to change existing buildings, storm water sewers, and streets.”
• · Reductions in the sulfur content in gasoline that could boost prices by 9 cents a gallon.
• · Clean Water Act rules that “could require expensive new construction at power plants to lower fish deaths.” Other regulations would affect coal ash, farm dust, oil and gasoline spill prevention, and more.

“This report is a wake-up call on the economic pain that the Obama-EPA plans to inflict next year,” said Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, ranking member on the committee.

While I have made every effort to make The Sludge Report a non-partisan, non-endorsing publication, it is clear the current administration’s political promises are not supported by the facts – a point where “domino effect” is so painfully obvious, silence is no longer an option. What happens to food stamps and school meal programs to help the needy, if the cost of food and fuel creates more who are needy, or there are food shortages because farmers have been simply driven out of business? What will happen to our schools if parents cannot afford to support the increased taxes needed to cover the cost of utilities and fuel for busses when EPA rules are implemented? After spending hundreds of hours researching these issues over the past few years, I have come to one conclusion – it’s the humans in America who should be on the “endangered species” list. Vote for your survival.

By Andrea Samson

President, Tri-County Association – Health Environment Legislation Policies (H.E.L.P.)

http://www.tricountyassociation.org/   

 

Online Petition Started for Florida Property Rights & Anti-Agenda 21 Bill & We Analyze It

Tavares, FL (Lake County) - Oct. 3, 2012

(This article was first distributed to the FiscalRangers.com email list).

A proposed Florida legislative bill draft is being circulated by a group fighting government property rights transgressions in Florida, and they have started an online petition to be submitted to Senator Don Gaetz.  It is similar to one passed by the Alabama legislators recently which is already being enforced.

Here is a June 20 article on the bill by Florida Senate President-designate Don Gaetz (“ to strongly reject United Nations Agenda 21…”)

http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/don-gaetz-expect-anti-un-agenda-21-2013 

Agenda 21, initiated by the UN and implemented by the American Planner’s Association, is most known for rolling out extreme restrictions on private property, which reduces uses, values and freedoms protected by the US Constitution and Bill of Rights.   A simple example is

Invasion of Leesburg FL by Smart Meters Meeting & Our Video

Tavares, FL - Wed., July 22, 2012

Updated Jul 23 to add link to video of 8/22 presentation to citizens on Smart Meters. Update comments based on the 8/22 meeting are below in italics like this sentence.

Smart Meters are invading Leesburg, but the City and apparently the Daily Commercial don't want you to know they are "Smart Meters".

According to today's Daily Commercial article at the link below, a city representative will "offer tips" on using the "new meters" at 7pm at the Magnolia room at Lake Sumter Community College.  The "new meters" are really "Smart Meters" which have been castigated all over the internet for safety and privacy invasion reasons.

http://www.dailycommercial.com/News/LakeCounty/082212beatpeak 

UPDATE:  Here is our video of the Aug. 23 Presentation to Leesburg residents by City Manager Jay Evans about the Smart Meters - 1 hr 28 min.  Evans answered most issues described below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL6UlrwLjBg   

There was no discussion in the article on how much the conversion to Smart Meters will cost the city, Federal taxpayers or the Leesburg utility customers.   (However, on the video, the City Manager explained they got a $10-million Federal grant, and have generated savings to pay for the other $10-million of the cost, for a total of

Lake County Republicans Approve Resolution for County to Eliminate Onerous Septic Tank Regulations

Tavares, FL - July 25, 2012

Last night, the Lake County FL Republican Executive Committee (REC) voted unanimously to approve a resolution to be presented to the Lake County Board of County Commissioners recommending they eliminate a regulation requiring frequent Septic Tank inspections in Lake County.

There was a law that required all Florida Septic Tank owners to have expensive inspections every five years and other restrictions, and it was reduced in coverage by the Florida government to only apply to counties that had "First Magnitude Springs" and Lake County has one single spring called Alexandria Springs in north County.    However, County governments are now allowed to OPT out of that regulation if they want, so this REC resolution is asking the Lake County Board to do so.

Thanks go to REC member Andy Dubois for doing the research and presenting the resolution.  No one in the REC was AGAINST the resolution, and no one spoke against it  since the benefits were obvious. Former Lake County Commissioner Catherine Hanson described the history of the regulations and how excessive they originally were.  (Note - The resolution was not a surprise - it was emailed to all members 2-3 weeks before the meeting, following REC rules for presenting resolutions.)

Basically, existing regulations require repairs for any non-working septic tank, and as they said "the need to repair them would be obvious" when the "effluent" or contents seeps out on the lawn or into the house plumbing.  So why have mandatory, costly inspections instead of only acting when obvious repairs are needed?    This is a "green" program that has run amok since

Florida Tea Party Network Members Try, but Fails to get Adam Putnam to Fight $8-billion Energy Bill

Tavares, FL - June 12, 2012

Florida Tea Party Network representatives met with Florida Agricultural Commissioner Adam Putnam to understand why he supported HB-7117, an energy bill that will cost Florida taxpayers over $8-billion to subsidize "alternative" energy sources like wind and solar.  it became law on April 14, 2012 without a requested veto from Gov. Scott.  Thus your energy costs will go up more in the future to subsidize more costly wind & solar energy that is not reliable.

The bill shifts energy surtaxes to selected recipients of residential and commercial property owners who make retrofits desired by GOVERNMENT (not market based).   This is a typical Federal objectives "green" bill that uses tax funds to subsidize gvoernment desired "sustainable development" goals.  The bill should be killed.   Read BOTH of the Tea Party Network reports below and remember that when you are asked to vote for Adam Putnam in the future.

Here is a link to Putnam's Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services webpage:

http://www.myflorida.com/agency/1/

Here is a link to the Florida Senate Info page on HB-7117

http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2012/7117  

Here is the link to two reports from the Tea Party Network representatives, or read the entire text below.

http://theteapartynetwork.org/2012/06/meeting-with-commissioner-putnam-on-energy-bill-hb-7117/ 

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Report on Meeting with Commissioner Putnam on Energy Bill HB7117 – by John Collins

Norman Knighton of CLA, James Taylor of The Heartland Institute and myself of The Gainesville Tea Party met with Commissioner Putnam on May 15. He was to give us information that would tell us how Florida was going to be so much better off because of HB7117. Governor Scott did not

This is Bilderberg 2012 Week - We Tell you about a Secretive International Group Affecting Freedom

Tavares, FL - Tuesday, May 29, 2012  - (Updated June 3rd with video links)

Since this is a holiday week, neither the Lake County School Board or Lake County Board met last week, and the County Board is not meeting on Tuesday.

So, I decided to cover the secretive Bilderberg meeting in Virginia, with an article each day on our Facebook page (  FiscalRangers ) through the weekend on this secretive "One World Government" group behind many international decisions affecting our banks, freedom, support for sustainable development, etc.  The annual Bilderberg secret meeting will be held this weekend, May 31 to June 3 in Chantilly, Virginia.

Yes, normally you probably want to watch FoxNews or Glen Beck this weekend, but I suggest you also watch some of the online coverage on Bilderberg, which is one hub besides the United Nations in the One World Government plan.

Your local "mainstream media" outlets rarely challenge or cover Bilderberg, although many of their media leaders attend the actual meetings.

This will be educational, since many independent online videographers are attending the meeting this weekend and will be live streaming what they find.   After the "What is Bilderberg" section, I provide a link to just one videographer talking about his plans for this weekend, and how to watch his videos.

What is Bilderberg?

Here is the official Bilderberg website:  http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/index.php   "Bilderberg is a small, flexible, informal and off-the-record international forum in which different viewpoints can be expressed and mutual understanding enhanced."  About 130 attend each annual meeting.  Although the meeting discussions are held in secret, they do publish names of the attendees at each meeting.  An agenda for prior meetings is on the website.   If you look at Steering Committee members, you will see the names of international corporate CEO's, politicians, government officials from many countries, NGO activists, media representatives, etc.  A cynic like me would see that many liberals appear to be there to network with world leaders and sell their "vision".  You have to wonder who puts together the agenda, and what "facts" are presented and discussed.  

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June 3 Update on Bilderberg - videos available:

The Bilderberg conference demonstrations continue this weekend in Virgina. Bilderberg is a secretive meeting held annually where 130 committee selected "elite" Corporate heads and governnment leaders (many are liberals, which is a tip) from the US and Europe (only) discuss "common interests" and don't do it publicly. They then go back home and implement changes in government and economic and industrial policy without disclosing it. Now there are over 1000 demonstrators, led by internet news pundits, Ron Paul supporters, and others using Occupy tactics like bullhorns, etc. and you can watch many videos at the link. Google Bilderberg and read up on it to get educated. They are considered to be another group pushing "one world order" vs each country retaining its sovereignty. Many Canadians were there, with signs like "We are Canadians, not North Americans...". For instance the Bilderbergers are said to be pushing for a combined North America region with nationalized police. So, learn about them, be aware about them if you believe the US Constitution should define US laws and not the UN or Bilderberg actions. (Yes, I am thinking about getting a tin foil hat also, but research it for yourself...).

http://www.infowars.com/video-round-up-from-bilderberg-2012/

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HERE is the list of attendees at the 2011 Bilderberg meeting in St. Moritz, Switzerland  in June.  It included two reporters from The Economist magazine in Great Britain, but no one is allowed to write about the discussions.

HERE is the Wikipedia page on Bilderberg.  Apparently, they originally disclosed that Bilderberg was started by the German Nazis, but then history was revised somehow and that fact was removed from Wikipedia.

- Bilderberg was started in the Netherlands in 1954 as a means to get US and European leaders to develop mutual understanding.

- Bilderburg attendees discuss agenda topics, and if they reach a consensus on action, they use their considerable power to implement the actions, which are never disclosed publicly.

-Bilderberg pushes the "North American Union" (NAU) where Canada, the US & Mexico are combined into one country.   That means borders drop and non-citizens invade your country at will. "A recent article has shown how the RCMP (Canadian Police)  is openly admitting that Canadians are being conditioned to accept having American agents policing on Canadian soil."

- Bilderberg is considered by some to be a secretive alternative to the United Nations, but without inviting representatives from developing nations.  One 1977 author, Caroline Moorhead (see Wikipedia) "characterized the group as "heavily biased towards politics of moderate conservatism and big business" and claims that the "farthest left is represented by a scattering of central social democrats".  But, that was in 1977 before the Clintons and Obama were attendees.

- Is Bilderberg Left or Right?  "Some on the left accuse the Bilderberg group of conspiring to impose capitalist domination, while some on the right have accused the group of conspiring to impose a world government and planned economy.^{" (wikipedia)}

Click HERE to see a 9-minute video on what is Bilderberg by a Canadian videographer on how it affects Canada.  

- Bilderberg.org - a website started in 1996 exposing Bilderberg since then.  Vast amounts of information on past conferences.  This is the Bilderberg Conferences Reference Page.  The author focuses on the point that the attendees include many businesspeople who develop a consensus on some international action that may be in their interest and not in the interest of the public.  He lobbies for all decisions to be made public at press conferences.  "Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, who set up the annual Bilderberg Conferences, was an officer in Heinrich Himmler's elite SS or staff guard in Nazi Germany."

 

 

 

 

 

Agenda 21 Update: Florida Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida to be Abolished

Tavares, FL - August 9, 2011 -  Recently we wrote about the dangers of the UN Agenda 21 socialistic philosophy being rolled out into local government, with land planning restrictions that reduced property rights, with "planning" methods to push people away from CHOICE in where they lived to government decided central people pods (or "Employment Centers" in Green Speak). I don't really know what is the right answer to "growth" but stealth marketing of extreme Agenda 21 objectives needs to be monitored.

I mentioned the existence of a Florida State Commission called the "Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida", and some of its objectives which reek of Agenda 21 objectives.    But, a recent Florida law will apparenty abolish the 15 member Commission and they defunded it for year 2010-2011.

Today I was reading an analysis of a new law passed by the current conservatives in the State legislature, HB 7201.   The Lake County Board will get a presentation NEXT Tuesday on this bill and how it affects the County Comp Plan.

Effect of the Bill
This bill repeals s. 163.3247, F.S., and abolishes the Century Commission on June 30, 2013.

You can go HERE to read three analysis of the bill.   If you want to read the details of the bill and learn about all the changes to reverse regulations passed by environmentalists in the past, you can do it there.   For instance, a lot of burdensome regulations were removed, the power of the State to delay local comp plan changes is reduced or their oversight is eliminated.  More "power" on local land use planning is given back to local Counties.  

Another example is that the bill " Removes industrial areas, hotels/motels, and theaters from the list of developments of regional impact. "

HERE is the offical Bill Summary for HB 7207.

Here is what one of the Analysis reports says about the Century Commission and it's planned abolishment by 2013:

Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida
Current Situation
The Century Commission was created in 2005 as a standing body charged with helping the state envision and plan for the future using a 25-year and a 50-year planning horizon.37 The Century Commission must submit an annual report containing specific recommendations for addressing growth management in the state. The report, which must be submitted to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, must also contain discussions regarding the need for intergovernmental cooperation and the balancing of environmental protection with future development, as well as recommendations regarding dedicated funding sources for sewer facilities, water supply and quality, transportation facilities, and educational infrastructure.
The Century Commission consists of 15 members representing local governments, school boards, developers, homebuilders, the business, agriculture, environmental communities and other appropriate stakeholders. The Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives each receive five appointments to the commission.
The commissioners serve without compensation, but, with the exception of FY 2010-1138 may receive reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses while in performance of their duties. Meetings of the commission are held at least three times a year in different regions of the state to collect public input and the DCA provides staff and other resources necessary for the Century Commission to accomplish its goals. The Century Commission was not funded for FY 2010-11. In recent years, the commission has operated primarily on private funding.

Effect of the Bill
This bill repeals s. 163.3247, F.S., and abolishes the Century Commission on June 30, 2013.

vj

 

UN's Agenda 21 is Taking over Florida Public Lands in Lake County & Other Actions

Updated July 28 to add section at bottom on Agenda 21 foreign aid projects on DEVEX website.

Tavares, FL - July 25, 2011 - The UN has an initiative called Agenda 21 which is really aimed at reducing property rights and increasing socialism around the world.

Agenda 21 has affected Florida as well as Lake County.  Keep on reading...

But first, if you don't know much about Agenda 21, WATCH this 9-minute "Agenda 21 Video for Dummies" explaining it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzEEgtOFFlM&feature=youtu.be

This article link below clearly explains one part, which is the encouragement of "wildlife" corridors which then prohibit access by humans.   The article says now that 28% of Florida land is now taken up by such programs, and all of it funded with taxpayer money because no one challenged the concept.

Recently, last year, two environmentalists on the Lake County Board (now no longer on the Board) pushed through modifications to the Lake County "comp plan" which laid out land usage plans, so that property rights were taken aways from owners by tactics such as limiting the size of roads in their area, which then controls traffic, which then reduces the value of land that could have been used for housing.

However, at tomorrow's Lake County Board meeting, on the agenda are a number of reversals of those modifications to the comp plan because new Commissioners are more focused on property rights.

Agenda 21 is a way to reduce human footprints on land and increase government control over public lands.  As government controls more land, humans have fewer property rights and are pushed into central living sections.

Another objective, explained in the video above, is to REDUCE math literacy to reduce education levels because better educated people "consume more" which is not acceptable to Agenda 21 folks.

Read this article to understand it, especially about the government land purchases around the Ocala Forest, and then ask yourself why Lake County spent over $30-million to buy "public lands" but did nothing to make it accessible to the public until new Commissioners on the Lake County board pushed through adding parking spaces and trails in four of them.

http://www.floridapoliticalpress.com/2011/07/25/the-un-wildlands-project%E2%80%A6taking-over-america-starting-with-florida/ 

These type of actions  start in "planning departments" in government agencies and I am told several cities are implementing some Agenda 21 concepts as well.  One of the key tactics is to create regional "planning groups" which then take power away from local officials and push through changes with little public knowledge.   For instance, they regional groups push expensive government operated transit systems which are government subsidized (again, the government is the solution, rather than the free market) like trains, buses, etc. which focus on taking away public freedoms like driving cars where they want.

Do you doubt this?  Search on Google images on "agenda 21 logo" and see all the different logos from different countries.  Basically, the socialist countries that control the UN want to bring the US down to their level of government control over freedom.

Here is another article "The Horrors of Agenda 21 and ICLEI in Florida".  Read about ICLEI ( aka The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives), which has a commitment to “sustainable development” throughout the world which in essence results in a private property land grab veiled in warm and fuzzy terms. ICLEI comes up with regulations and other ideas that restrict property owners from using their land."

http://polymontana.com/2011/03/23/the-horrors-of-agenda-21-and-iclei-in-florida/ 

HERE is the ICLEI website.  Notice they no longer provide a list of member cities and agencies, because activists have been using it to lobby for their local cities to drop out of ICLEI.  BUT, I found the hidden page listing all 1200+ ICLEi members including the United States, which is HERE.  I SCANNED the list and didn't find Lake County, Clermont, Mount Dora (surprise), Tavares, Leesburg or Eustis in the member list.  But, there is Collier County, Tallahassee, South Miami, South Daytona, Seminole County, Palm Beach County, Ormond Beach, North Miami, and a few others.

HERE is another article about ICLEI and what to do about it.

For Lake County, can anyone say Metropolitan Planning Organization, aka MPO??

vj

More:

THIS blog posting explains that Florida's Sarasota and Pinellas County's have canceled their membership in ICLEI due to all the complaints.

 Update July 28 -

After the Agenda 21 presentation at the REC recently, I went to the website of the largest international “foreign aid” forum and “development professionals” organization, called DEVEX.  It is for finding projects in “developing countries” like the anti-corruption work I did in Iraq and Afghanistan (but I got mine through the State Dept or DoD, not Devex).

DEVEX is used by the World Bank, UN, USAID (the US foreign aid office), DFID (UK foreign aid) to find “development” staff for foreign aid projects.

I searched on the “projects” category and keyword of “Agenda 21” (has to be in quotes or you just get any document with “21” in it).

I got 15 hits at this search page (I hope it opens for you, it is also a dues paid group and I have paid dues):

http://www.devex.com/en/projects/search?keywords=%22AGENDA+21%22&reset_base=1 

Notice the first item is “Developing Agenda 21… for Chad” which is funded by the French foreign aid office.

The next two, funded by the World Bank are in Beijing, and if you open the document, you see that the ADDRESS of the funding organization at the bottom of the document is the “Beijing Agenda 21 Office.”

However, at least only 15 hits existed – I was expecting many more.   But, if I searched on “sustainability” or other Agenda 21 buzzwords, I am sure I would find many more, including ones funded by USAID.

Forward this to anyone who might be interested about the UN Agenda 21's insiduous backdoor method to reduce property rights, liberty, etc in the US or the World.

vj

Other Agenda 21 references:

DELPHI Meeting Technique - Agenda 21 supporters use community "visioning" meetings to gain "consensus" on a direction such as land use plans or even school policies.  The method they use is the "Delphi" meeting facilitation method developed at the Rand Corp. which is a structured method to get people in public meetings to be led to agree with a pre-decided conclusion.  The original use was a process to get EXPERTS together and evolve consensus, but a watered down version is now used to lead public meetings to pre-decided conclusions.    HERE is a GOOD article describing how the Delphi technique is applied to exclude knowledge experts or mute their testimony.   In 2006, I attended some MPO "visioning" sessions in Lake County, FL used to gain consensus on a comprehensive plan for locating population and other centers.  That is exactly the method they used to gain public "consensus" and claim public support when there WAS NO VOTE, only statements that a "consensus was reached".  Some people call it a brainwashing technique.  It seems to have been taught to professional "planners" in government so they can get the SOME of the public to agree with what THEY believe should be done.

HERE is the official United Nations page on Agenda 21

Radio show on A21:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/usatalkradio/2011/06/15/what-is-agenda-21-very-important-for-all-americans 

 Here is a great overview of Agenda 21 published in the Canada Free Press:

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/39875  

Here is a YouTube video explaining the Federal Government's plan to take over farm lands flooded near the Missouri River.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffbTBglMLHo&feature=share 

Another great Agenda 21 warning video - regarding a sustainability plot in the San Francisco area:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH5KYGV8314  

Here is a webpage from the Spruce Creek Patirots in Volusia County about Agenda 21 and Smart Meters.

http://www.sprucecreekpatriots.com/United_Nations_Agenda_21.html 

    The page includes links to two videos on SmartMeters and their privacy & radiation issues

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8JNFr_j6kdI 

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj0ANyjdBnk    

Corn Ethanol in Gasoline - not all it is "cracked up" to be & harmful to environment

The ethanol industry received huge subsidies from taxpayers for producing ethanol that is mixed in automotive gasoline.  Former Governor Charlie Crist decreed that WE in central Florida had to have gasoline with ethanol, which is less fuel efficient, runs hotter engines, and damages many small two cycle engines (lawnmowers, etc.).    As a car buff, and antique boat buff, I will never forgive Crist for that.  Ethanol fuel will not run well in my 1974 Mercruiser outboard engine, so I have to travel about 10 miles to get fuel that does not have ethanol and bring it back in five gallon cans for my boat.

We have written about it's harmful effects before, but here is more:

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From Roger Segelken :

Ethanol Fuel from Corn Faulted as ‘Unsustainable Subsidized Food Burning’

David Pimental, a leading Cornell University agricultural expert, has calculated that powering the average U.S. automobile for one year on ethanol (blended with gasoline) derived from corn would require 11 acres of farmland, the same space needed to grow a year's supply of food for seven people. Adding up the energy costs of corn production and its conversion into ethanol, 131,000 BTUs are needed to make one gallon of ethanol. One gallon of ethanol has an energy value of only 77,000 BTUS. Thus, 70 percent more energy is required to produce ethanol than the energy that actually is in it. Every time you make one gallon of ethanol, there is a net energy loss of 54,000 BTUs.

Mr. Pimentel concluded that "abusing our precious croplands to grow corn for an energy-inefficient process that yields low-grade automobile fuels amounts to unsustainable subsidized food burning".

Neither increases in government subsidies to corn-based ethanol fuel nor hikes in the price of petroleum can overcome what Cornell University agricultural scientist, David Pimentel, calls a fundamental input-yield problem: It takes more energy to make ethanol from grain than the combustion of ethanol produces.

At a time when ethanol-gasoline mixtures (gasohol) are touted as the American answer to fossil fuel shortages by corn producers, food processors and some lawmakers, Cornell’s David Pimentel, one of the world’s leading experts in issues relating to energy and agriculture, takes a longer range view.

"Abusing our precious croplands to grow corn for an energy-inefficient process that yields low-grade automobile fuel amounts to unsustainable, subsidized food burning", says the Cornell professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Pimentel, who chaired a U.S. Department of Energy panel that investigated the energetics, economics and environmental aspects of ethanol production several years ago, subsequently conducted a detailed analysis of the corn-to-car fuel process. His findings are published in the September, 2001 issue of the Encyclopedia of Physical Sciences and Technology .

Among his findings are:   An acre of U.S. corn yields about 7,110 pounds of corn for processing into 328 gallons of ethanol. But planting, growing and harvesting that much corn requires about 140 gallons of fossil fuels and costs $347 per acre, according to Pimentel’s analysis. Thus, even before corn is converted to ethanol, the feedstock costs $1.05 per gallon of ethanol.  The energy economics worse at the processing plants, where the grain is crushed and fermented. As many as three distillation steps are needed to separate the 8 percent get   ethanol from the 92 percent water. Additional treatment and energy are required to produce the 99.8 percent pure ethanol for mixing with gasoline.                                                                                                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Adding up the energy costs of corn production and its conversion to ethanol, 131,000 BTUs are needed to make 1 gallon of ethanol. One gallon of ethanol has an energy value of only 77,000 BTU. "Put another way", Pimentel says, "about 70 percent more energy is required to produce ethanol than the energy that actually is in ethanol. Every time you make 1 gallon of ethanol, there is a net energy loss of 54,000 BTU".                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Ethanol from corn costs about $1.74 per gallon to produce, compared with about 95 cents to produce a gallon of gasoline. "That helps explain why fossil fuels-not ethanol-are used to produce ethanol", Pimentel says. "The growers and processors can’t afford to burn ethanol to make ethanol. U.S. drivers couldn’t afford it, either, if it weren’t for government subsidies to artificially lower the price".                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Most economic analyses of corn-to-ethanol production overlook the costs of environmental damages, which Pimentel says should add another 23 cents per gallon. "Corn production in the U.S. erodes soil about 12 times faster than the soil can be reformed, and irrigating corn mines groundwater 25 percent faster than the natural recharge rate of ground water. The environmental system in which corn is being produced is being rapidly degraded. Corn should not be considered a renewable resource for ethanol energy production, especially when human food is being converted into ethanol".                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               The approximately $1 billion a year in current federal and state subsidies (mainly to large corporations) for ethanol production are not the only costs to consumers, the Cornell scientist observes. Subsidized corn results in higher prices for meat, milk and eggs because about 70 percent of corn grain is fed to livestock and poultry in the United States. Increasing ethanol production would further inflate corn prices, Pimentel says, noting: "In addition to paying tax dollars for ethanol subsidies, consumers would be paying significantly higher food prices in the marketplace".                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Nickels and dimes aside, some drivers still would rather see their cars fueled by farms in the Midwest than by oil wells in the Middle East, Pimentel acknowledges, so he calculated the amount of corn needed to power an automobile:The average U.S. automobile, traveling 10,000 miles a year on pure ethanol (not a gasoline-ethanol mix) would need about 852 gallons of the corn-based fuel. This would take 11 acres to grow, based on net ethanol production. This is the same amount of cropland required to feed seven Americans.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    If all the automobiles in the United States were fueled with 100 percent ethanol, a total of about 97 percent of U.S. land area would be needed to grow the corn feedstock. Corn would cover nearly the total land area of the United States. 

For further information, contact:  Roger Segelken 

Phone: 607-255-9736 

E-Mail: hrs2@cornell.edu