Forbidden?: Photographing Farms in Florida

Sometimes Law is all about Justice (with a capital J). But sometimes Law is all about petty overreaction. Consider, the case of a new bill SB 1246 written by Sen. Jim Norman (R-Tampa). The bill would outlaw taking photographs of any farm without the express written consent of the owner. Suddenly, beautiful agricultural vistas would literally be a felony.

But there must be a really good explanation, right? One having to do with National Security that clearly justifies this incredible violation of Free Speech and Press Right. Maybe not.

Simpson, president of Simpson Farms near Dade City, said the law would prevent people from posing as farmworkers so that they can secretly film agricultural operations.

He said he could not name an instance in which that happened. But animal rights groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Animal Freedom display undercover videos on their web sites to make their case that livestock farming and meat consumption are cruel.

Someone please tell Senator Norman to drop this travesty of a bill now. It is a bad idea on so many levels.

Florida is a "Ponzi Scheme"

CRChair found this first, but let me have the honor of posting it. NPR has up an interesting story claiming that the economy of Florida is one big Ponzi Scheme that has been relying on constant immigration into the state by tourists and new residents. Now that the Recession has hit, and Florida has seen its first net loss of residents since World War II, the state is wondering if it can survive with its current policies

It was bound to catch up with us. Gary Mormino, a distinguished historian of Florida, says our whole economy is more or less a big Ponzi scheme. The state funds its roads and schools by bringing in new investors — that is, new residents — to pay sales taxes and property taxes. When nobody can afford a condo in Boca, when tourists stop coming even for a week at Disney World, the Ponzi scheme collapses.

Now it seems as though everybody here knows somebody who has left, is leaving or wants to leave. Even the governor wants to leave — for Washington, D.C. He's running for the U.S. Senate after one term.

I have only been to Florida once for a Christian youth conference. I loved EPCOT and enjoyed the many anoles (small chameleon lizards) that infested the hotel windows. Otherwise, I never really understood the charm of living somewhere that is hazy, hot, and humid 365 days a year.

You Have No Right to Vote in a Primary

I think what everyone forgets about when talking about the Michigan and Florida delegates not getting seated at conventions is that this is a Party Primary. There is nothing in the Constitution about voting in a party's primary or caucus. It is a privilege we get for identifying ourselves as part of a political party. If political parties wanted to do away with this, they could. The national government and state governments should not interfere.

That being said, it is in each party's best interest to appear as fair as possible as to not alienate potential voters in the November elections.