Tuesday, November 11, 2008

The Election is Over

The election is over. I’m sure the Post office is happy about that! Congratulations to Ms. Mason and the Republican Party for a clean and well run campaign. Congratulations to all the voters who exercised their right to vote and fulfilled their civic duties.

I wish to thank all of the 12,000 people who voted for me. My position was and still is fiscal responsibility in government. We may not have won the election but I firmly believe that the Board of County Commissioners is highly aware of the shot we fired across their bow. I have received a multitude of wonderful emails from friends and strangers alike all with a common theme. Your comments are heart warming and very appreciated. I will post a sample.

The last few days were spent taking down all the campaign signs. At least they came down easier than they went up! If you notice any of my campaign signs still out there please remove them or send an email so that I can remove them.

This was a historic election in every sense of the word. As a first generation American I am extremely proud to have been an active participant. Thank you again for your efforts and support.

God Bless America,

John E Mullarkey




Dear John,


Had planned to email you as soon as I got to work today---and then it was
one of those crazy days! **** and I were there tonight until 9pm.!!

Anyway--what I want to say is that you are both winners in my book. What
you did John was awesome and I hope you are proud. Most importantly, is that
you took the risk and were an inspiration to those of us who watched and were
able to see firsthand that indeed, when committed people get involved, ideas
are shared, people are excited and everyone walks away wiser and with new
insights, knowledge and a respect that there are people who act morally and
responsibly and with the best interests of others...not themselves or their
careers.

with much respect and pride in wonderful friends,

****

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Early Voting and the Independent Candidate

Today was the culmination of early voting. I was at several polling places and was extremely pleased to see the turnout. My travels throughout the world in the U. S. Navy have taught me to appreciate the democratic process and I was delighted by what I saw today.

We also waived signs on US-41 and Stickney Point Rd. On the other side of US-41 were a group of supporters for Senator McCain. Numerous drivers showed their support for both groups by honking their horns and giving the "thumbs-up" sign. Our political process began many years ago by other independents by the names of Jefferson, Washington, and Adams. These men were considered outsiders to the British crown and British parliamentary process, but fully believed in their positions as I believe in mine. The independent candidate has always sailed into stronger headwinds with the knowledge that their course is true.

We have had thousands upon thousands of hits on our website, www.mullarkey08.com, and thank you all for your support. I ask that my supporters, both Democrat and Republican, continue their support and continue to spread our Independent message. Please be sure to have your friends and colleagues who have not yet voted to do so on November 4th, and to strongly recommend that they vote for what is best for America and Sarasota County, and not for any political party. Thank you for your participation in the American electoral process.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Political Pirate

It has been a very good week.  I have officially gone from long shot to
underdog to wildcard and now political pirate. Could it be that this political
pirate (Herald Tribune 10-24-08) is stealing votes from the would be King
makers? If this email is any indication of the depth of discontent within
political parties, then the answer is an overwhelming YES! The email has been
edited to protect the identity of the author.


In a message dated 10/24/2008 9:40:03 P.M. Eastern Daylight
Time************@mail.usf.edu writes:
John,
I met you previously this week. I had not really heard your name before the
meeting but since then you have won my vote. I did a little more research on
the race (being a democrat, I thought I knew who my candidate was) and found
that I had been wrong. I want a candidate that doesn't "put down the green
crayon" when convenient.
So, thank you for showing up to the meeting and it was a pleasure to meet
you. I will be checking your name at the polls!

Kindly,
**************

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Jim Ley's Proposal

Today  I received a very good question from a local businessman.   Here it is
with my reply. There was a story about this in today's Sarasota Herald
Tribune which you can read here.
_http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20081023/ARTICLE/810230383/2055_
(http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20081023/ARTICLE/810230383/2055)


In a message dated 10/23/2008 12:36:35 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
_jeff**********@******.com_ (mailto:jeff**********@******.com) writes:

Mr. Miller, Ms. Mason & Mr. Mullarkey,
I have a choice to make in the upcoming election regarding the best
candidate to fill the seat for County Commissioner – District 1.
A deciding factor for me may be the candidate’s stand on Jim Ley’s recent
proposal to help Sarasota County residents avoid foreclosure as reported
today in the Sarasota Herald Tribune.
I would like to know your thoughts on this proposal.


Hello Jeff,

A good question and a tough one. First a little basis for my decision.
I do not favor the Fed bailout program. It is telling the big financial's
that you can make stupid mistakes and there will be no economic consequences
and it is getting very close to socialism/nationalization of private
institutions. Just look at the mess with Fannie and Freddie. The proper course of
action would have been to allow Bear Stearns to fail. If that had happened we
would now know what all that paper is truly worth. Be it 10 cents on the
dollar or 70 cents on the dollar.

A lot of people who saved money for a 20% down payment to buy a house,
did full doc mortgages with conventional terms are being caught up in this
mess. Those people bought a home, not a house. I would be inclined to approve
such a program with a few caveats.

The home must be owner occupied, full financial disclosures, conventional mortgage and the home owner must agree to a second or third place non
tax lien by the county. As Ms. Patterson said, the funds should be used for
refinancing not making current payments, this way the banks still have skin in the
game. If the home is later sold with a profit greater than the amount of the
mortgage then the county should be repaid at the closing to satisfy the
lien. If the home is sold within 5 years the money becomes due and owing
immediately. This would motivate the homeowner to maintain the property and compel
him/her to stay in Sarasota and not just walk away.

This approach would help the honest people who might need a little and
protect the county at the same time. It would not be free money. In my talks
with people I detected a common thread, FEAR. This fear could lead to
paralysis of our economy. This is one of those occasions where a little help, not
a handout, can have a broad based positive return. Those being helped will
breathe a little easier and they will talk to their neighbors in a positive
way as well. I hope this answers you question and would greatly appreciate
any feedback you may have.

Sincerely,

John Mullarkey

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Sarasota Sailing Squadron

SNN 6 just ran a story about the Sarasota Sailing Squadron located on City Island adjacent to New Pass. Our City Commissioners desire to increase their rent from $40,000.00 to $130, 000.00 per year! Here is a group of people who teach sailing to our young children and encourage a lifestyle that is different than hanging out in malls. This facility also allows dockage and mooring facilities to many people who would not otherwise be able to enjoy our waters. They maintain and improve the facility, promote sailing, avidly protect the environment and preserve a touch of “old Florida”. I have been there more than once and you can feel a sense of Hemmingway in this place. This is truly one of our diamonds in Sarasota. Why destroy it, why impede or make it more difficult for mainstream Sarasota to enjoy our waters? Perhaps if there was one less consulting contract or little less waste there would be no need to raise the rent. As an independent to the County Board of Commissioners I could not overturn their decision to raise the rent but when the time came for the City to ask the county for help I will remember what they tried to do here. 70 Million for a stadium and government feels the need to “hammer” a great organization. All said and done, how pathetic is this!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

What Is An Independent Voter?

I found this piece in the Wall Street Journal describing what the Independent Voter is looking for in 2008. This appeared in the Journal on October 20, 2008 and was written by John P. Avlon.

What Independent Voters Want

October 20, 2008

They tend to be fiscally conservative and strong on security.

Independent voters, once a political afterthought, are now the largest and fastest-growing segment of the American electorate.

This shift led to the nomination of two candidates who ran against the polarizing establishments of their own parties, while preaching the need to reach across the red-state/blue-state divide. Now independent voters may determine who is elected president.

Forty-three percent of undecided swing voters are independents and 47% are centrists, according to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll. Independent voters have been on the rise while the parties have been playing to a shrinking base. This is a generational change. There are now six states where independents outnumber both Republicans and Democrats -- the swing states of Colorado, Iowa and New Hampshire as well as New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Key battleground states this year such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and North Carolina each have more than one million independent voters. In California, Florida and Nevada, the number of independent voters has increased more than 300% in the past 20 years, while Democratic and Republican registration has flatlined.

Back in 1954, only 22% of voters identified themselves as independents, according to the American National Election Survey. Fifty years later the number was nearly double. Now, two out of five Americans can't name anything they like about the Democrats, and 50% say the same about Republicans. What happened?

As the two parties grew more ideologically polarized amid the culture conflicts of the 1960s, centrist voters felt politically homeless. First, there was realignment in the form of Reagan Democrats, and then de-alignment as centrist voters declared their independence from the far-right and the far-left. The modern independent movement kicked into high gear with Ross Perot's 1992 presidential campaign. Promising to balance the budget and reform the corrupt partisan system in Washington, Mr. Perot briefly led in the polls and managed to win 19% of the vote.

Throughout the 1990s, the independent movement kept growing while Democrats and Republicans warred in Washington. Three independent governors were elected: Angus King of Maine, Lowell Weicker of Connecticut and Jesse Ventura of Minnesota. All spread the same essential reform message: independence from special interests guided by a common-sense balance of fiscal conservatism and social liberalism.

The momentum continued this decade with the election of Sen. Joe Lieberman, New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, and the independent-in-all-but-name California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

This is the new mainstream in American politics, and it's growing among younger voters. More than 40% of college undergraduates identify themselves as independents, according to a summer 2008 survey by Harvard University's Institute of Politics (IOP). "Half of young Americans do not identify with traditional party or ideological labels -- they are the new center in American politics," says John Della Volpe of IOP.

This trend extends to 30- to 45-year-old Generation X voters as well, says the author of "X Saves the World," Jeff Gordinier: "Gen Xers tend to be pretty post-ideological and pragmatic, there is less allegiance to any one party or any one way of thinking."

For Americans who've grown accustomed to hundreds of cable channels and unlimited choices on the Internet, politics is the last place people are expected to be satisfied with a choice between Brand A and Brand B.

Professional partisans in Washington try to ignore this shift, perpetuating the myth that the independent movement is a chaotic grab bag. In fact, the movement has a coherent set of underlying beliefs: Independents tend to be fiscally conservative, socially progressive and strong on national security. They believe in putting patriotism over partisanship and the national interest over special interests.

One year ago, while Republicans named terrorism as their No. 1 issue and Democrats pointed to health care, independents were already feeling the squeeze of the economy. They want a return to fiscal responsibility.

A 2007 study of independents by the Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation showed they are not swayed by social-conservative issues. Independents were more likely than either Republicans or Democrats to agree that abortion should be legal in most (but not all) cases, and that same-sex couples should be allowed to legally form civil unions, but not to marry.

The top targets of independents' anger are illustrative -- hypocritical politicians, pork-barrel projects and a lack of bipartisan solutions in Washington, according to a 2008 national survey of independents by TargetPoint Consulting. Then there's the Bush administration. Independents believe the current president is the worst in recent history, but there is one area of policy overlap: 66% of independent voters believe that the U.S. has an obligation to establish security in Iraq before withdrawing.

Looking at this profile, it's easy to see why John McCain is outperforming the Republican brand. Mr. McCain's credibility with independents comes from his principled independence and record of forging bipartisan coalitions. Barack Obama's appeal to independents is rooted in his promise to transcend the left/right, black/white debates. He beat Hillary Clinton 2-1 among independents.

Throughout the summer, independents split their support evenly between Messrs. McCain and Obama, with high approval ratings for both candidates. After the Republican convention in September, independents broke for Mr. McCain by a 15-point margin and he surged in swing state polls. But the recent financial crisis increased economic anxiety among moderates and the middle class, making the election a referendum on the Bush administration. Independents swung to Mr. Obama. Colin Powell's endorsement will validate the decision for many independents.

The next president will inherit the oval office at a time of economic turmoil, with a combustible combination of high expectations and an angry electorate. But the next president can unite the country even in difficult times if he understands this truth: Americans are not deeply divided -- our political parties are -- and the explosive growth of independent voters is a direct reaction to this disconnect.

Mr. Avlon is the author of "Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics" (Three Rivers Press, 2005) and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Yesterday I attended two events, neither was a big rally or attended by many people and I knew this going in but they were very important to me. The first was sponsored by All Childrens Hospital. This is an amazing group of very dedicated people who are true miracle workers. Their ability and dedication is beyond what words can describe. We know this personally as our first grandson spent the beginning days of his life at All Childrens Hospital in St. Pete. Thanks to their efforts little Hendrix is home healthy and well. It was a little sad that there were only three candidates there. Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Jackson and myself.

Sadder still was the next one. A candlelight Vigil for abused spouses and children in North Port. There I heard the story of a woman who fought against the system for seven years, begging for help but with no results. Only after her husband murdered the two children did the authorities respond. I can think of little that is more heinous! The beginning of life to death………… while we talk politics and growth and taxes and all that seems so important. It is good to get a reality check now and then. Helps tell you what is really important.