John Mica Trashes Our Nation's National Heritage

Here we go again. John Mica, AGAIN, wants to trash our nation's natural heritage. He votes NO to HR 146: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll153.xml

Today, the House passed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 by a vote of 285-140. But of course, as the true loyalist to the Party of NO, John Mica voted NO.

It took long enough. But the House has finally done it. Congress has cleared the way to protect two million acres of wilderness in nine states: California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Michigan, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
In addition to the new wilderness designations, it protects over 270,000 acres along more than 1,000 miles of rivers in Oregon, California, Idaho, Arizona, Wyoming, and Massachusetts, and adds 2,800 miles of new hiking trails in public lands.

How can we trust John Mica with our Florida Natural Resources?
Can we trust John Mica with our St Johns River or our beautiful coastal areas? NEVER!

Environmental groups and lawmakers in both parties long have pushed for the bill, which several called landmark legislation that will strengthen the national park system, restore national forests, preserve wild and scenic rivers, protect battlefields and restore balance to the management of public lands.

"After nearly a decade during which our parks were taken for granted and our range lands were scarred by a spider-web of roads and (drilling) well pads," the bill "represents a new dawn for America's heritage and American values," said Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.

How DARE John Mica represent NE, and Central Florida?!? Really outragous,.....I wonder if the Sierra Club will take notice? How about the Major newspapers in Florida? Will they be reporting on this?

No,......keeping voters in the dark is the name of the game.

John Mica fails to consider curing deadly diseases as "pro-life."

In the wake of Obama lifting the Bush stem cell research ban, it's appropriate to look at where John Mica stood on this issue. As the ultra-extremist right-winger that he is, he twice decided to snub the hopes of tens of thousands of people in his district, who are suffering from incurable and often deadly illnesses and injuries.

In 2007, John Mica voted NO on HR 3, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, which passed the House with an overwhelming majority of 253 to 174, but not enough to thwart a Bush veto.

In 2005, John Mica voted NO on HR 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, which passed the House by a vote of 238-194, showing more bi-partisan support than almost any other issue during the Bush administration.

His message to the sick and dying: Drop Dead!

John Mica Represents Winter Park and New York

Something is really seriously wrong with Florida,....gerry-mandered worse than Texas.

Thanks to carefully drawn lines, not a single congressional or legislative incumbent lost a re-election bid in 2004.

This maintained the forced lop-sided 7 Democratic to 18 Republican District split in Florida, a state which has more registered Democrats than Republicans!!!!

the controlling party did more than just gift-wrap Feeney a congressional district that year(2002).

It also stuffed so many Democrats into Brown's district that there were enough Republican voters left over to give GOP candidates the advantage in all of the others. Even though Democrats outnumbered Republicans overall in Central Florida, Republicans outnumbered Democrats in five of the six Central Florida districts.

A comment to Scott Maxwell's article says:

I grimace every time I see John Mica listed as "John Mica - R-Winter Park." The way the district lines are drwan, he actually represents maybe 400 out of Winter Park's 28,000 residents. It's disgusting, right along with his toupee, and his, "You don't want to get on the wrong side of John Mica" bullying for anyone with a different opinion than his. Everybody says the American political system is the world's best, but sometimes you really have to wonder.

Everyone wants to claim they represent Winter Park, and four Representatives actually can!

Winter Park, which is a little more than 3 square miles, is represented by 4 members of congress.(District 3,7,8 and 24).

In fact Mica's home used to be in District 8, Alan Grayson's district!

Here are some district trivia about John Mica, as another commenter remarks:

Remember when Bill McCollum was the Representative of District 8? It was a long standing joke because Mica (District 7) lives in Winter Park which at the time was not in his district yet when he was ever quoted in the news, it would say “Rep. Winter Park” and Bill McCollum who did represent Winter Park/Greater Metro Orlando would say “Rep. Longwood,” which was in Mica’s district.

Scott Maxwell has it right when he says:

They've turned this state into a psychopath's jigsaw puzzle, with misshapen legislative and congressional districts that split communities in two and can be longer than 100 miles and yet as narrow as a few hundred yards.

It's all designed to stifle competition and stack the deck before you even get to the polls.

Want proof that our current districts are distorted and contorted? Well, consider the following about these U.S. House members:

•Republican John Mica lives more than 130 miles from many of the residents he represents. Much of the congressman's district is actually in Flagler and St. Johns counties. In fact, just about the only part of Orange County included in Mica's district is the swath of land around his Winter Park home.

Are we ready to change business as usual? Efforts are underway to work for Fair Districts instead of how it was done in the past:

"It happens in dark rooms at night with the computers," said Thom Rumberger, a Tallahassee attorney and Republican Party patriarch who was once part of the system he now wants to reform. "Both sides do it. That's why I'm trying to make this an issue of fairness rather than partisanship."

That's also why Rumberger is leading a bipartisan coalition that wants to give voters the chance to vote on fair-districting as a constitutional amendment next year.

The premise of the amendment: Florida's political districts must be compact, using geographic boundaries that can't be stretched far and wide for political purposes. And if legislators ignore residents' wishes and try to do themselves political favors, they could end up in court.

As Scott Maxwell says,...."This common-sense approach to democracy is way overdue."

Go to http://www.fairdistrictsflorida.org.

John Mica is an Ultra Right-winger, Loyal Member of the Party of NO

Americans already know that this economic crisis is too big for the "free market" to solve, after all it was the "free market" gone wild that caused our economic meltdown. So lets see how John Mica reflects 2/3 of the Americn voters:

64% favor giving aid to homeowners who are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. John Mica's position? Oppose.

59% oppose giving aid to U.S. banks and financial companies in danger of failing. John Mica's position? Oppose.

67% favor giving aid to state governments in serious financial trouble. John Mica's position? Cut that aid.

Yet John Mica is routinely given praise for delivering aid to his district, which clearly he votes against. He is AGAINST any AID to Florida:

NO on the stimulus, then is bragging about its passage.
NO on the appropriations bill, then is happy it passes.
No on Help for Families Losing their Homes to Foreclosure, while FL-07 is in the top 10 of all 435 congressional districts in the number of home foreclosures!

Is THAT how John Mica is helping Florida recover from our economic crisis. Just Say NO, do-nothingness?!?

Is John Mica just a place-holder for the Republican party? It sure looks like it.

John Mica voted Against Closing the Enron Loophole

Remember Oil prices at an all time high in 2008? We were paying over $4 at the pump due to unregulated Oil speculation that got started with Phil Gramm's insertion of the Enron loophole in 2000 which first caused havoc in CA with "rolling black-outs" due to extremely high energy prices, and later spread to the rest of the nation.

The Enron Loophole was finally closed in a measure that was included in the Farm Bill that was passed in May 2008.

The House vote to override Bush's veto was: 316-108

John Mica of course voted against lower oil prices, reflected by Mica voting NO on closing the Enron Loophole.

Guess he was just protecting the interests of his brother David Mica who is Executive Director at the Florida Petroleum Council.

John Mica Votes Against Helping Families Save Their Homes

One in five home loans in Florida was past due or in default at the end of last year -- out-ranking other states.

More than half of the nation's foreclosures last year took place in just 35 counties, most of which were in Florida.

Projected foreclosures by Congressional district shows 14 Florida Congressional Districts in the top 20 for the nation, with John Mica's district projected to see almost 20,000 foreclosures.

Surely Mica would want to level the playing field by allowing judges in bankruptcy court to require banks to rework the mortgage for homeowners who are about to loose their primary home due to bankruptcy, just like is already permitted under law for secondary homes. Not so.

The legislation, would let bankruptcy judges reduce the principal and interest rate on a home loan. That essentially would require mortgage companies to let debt-strapped homeowners reduce their monthly payments rather than lose their main residences.

As usual, Mica does not side with the average people, just those who were able to afford a second home.

Mica voted against help for homeowners in Bankruptcy court. Check out who else voted against this bill meant to help American Families stay in their Homes:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2009-104