Political Discussion

[tobee43]

as HRx requested i'm posting this here all those i'm NOT political.




here's the finals in all of florida's amendments:


Florida Amendment 1: Health Care Services – Fail

With most of Florida’s precincts reporting, this amendment did not meet the 60 percent requirement to pass.

The amendment would have given Florida the ability to opt out of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.


Florida Amendment 2: Veterans Disabled to Combat Injury; Homestead Property Tax Discount – Pass

With most of Florida’s precincts reporting, this amendment met the 60 percent requirement to pass.

This amendment gives disabled veterans who did not live in Florida when they entered the military a break on their property taxes. It essentially extends the homestead property tax discounts to include them.


Florida Amendment 3: State Government Revenue Limitation – Fail

With most of Florida’s precincts reporting, this amendment did not meet the 60 percent requirement to pass.

This amendment would have set the state’s revenue limit based on a formula that takes inflation and population growth into account.


Florida Amendment 4: Property Tax Limitation; Property Value Decline; Reduction for Non-Homestead Assessment Increases; Delay of Scheduled Repeal – Fail

With most of Florida’s precincts reporting, this amendment did not meet the 60 percent requirement to pass.

This amendment would have limited the allowable growth in the assessments on certain non-homestead properties from 10 percent to 5 percent. It would have also prohibited increases in assessed value on homestead properties and some non-homestead properties when market values decrease. It also intended to give first-time homesteaders an extra exemption. The amendment would have provided homestead tax exemption benefits to out-of-state residents.


Florida Amendment 5: State Courts – Fail

With most of Florida’s precincts reporting, this amendment did not meet the 60 percent requirement to pass.

This amendment would have required that Supreme Court justices appointed by the Governor also be confirmed by the Senate. It also would have enabled the court to repeal a rule through a simple majority instead of requiring the two-thirds majority vote that is now in place. In addition, it would have given the Florida House of Representatives the ability to review all files of the Judicial Qualifications Commission.



Florida Amendment 6: Prohibition on Public Funding of Abortions; Construction of Abortion Rights – Fail

With most of Florida’s precincts reporting, this amendment did not meet the 60 percent requirement to pass.

While federal law already prohibits the use of federal funds for most abortions, this amendment would have added the prohibitions into the state Constitution. The amendment would have disallowed the use of the state Constitution’s privacy clause in cases related to abortion, which means this clause couldn’t be used to defend abortion rights.



Florida Amendment 8: Religious Freedom – Fail

With most of Florida’s precincts reporting, this amendment did not meet the 60 percent requirement to pass.

This amendment would have repealed a provision in the state Constitution that bans taxpayer funding of religious institutions. The measure would have enabled the state to provide financial support to religious schools and institutions.


Florida Amendment 9: Homestead Property Tax Exemption for Surviving Spouse of Military Veteran or First Responder – Pass

With most of Florida’s precincts reporting, this amendment met the 60 percent requirement to pass.

This amendment gives full homestead property tax benefits to the surviving spouses of military veterans and first responders who are killed in the line of duty. The new rule requires that the deceased be a Florida resident as of Jan. 1 of the year they died.



Florida Amendment 10: Tangible Personal Property Tax Exemption – Fail

With most of Florida’s precincts reporting, this amendment did not meet the 60 percent requirement to pass.

This amendment would have raised the tangible personal property tax exemption for businesses related to furniture and equipment from $25,000 to $50,000.

Florida Amendment 11: Additional Homestead Exemption for Low-Income Seniors who Maintain Long-Term Residency on Property; Equal to Assessed Value – Pass


With most of Florida’s precincts reporting, this amendment met the 60 percent requirement to pass.

This amendment would grants full homestead property tax relief to seniors in the low-income tax bracket who have lived in their homes for 25 years or more.



Florida Amendment 12: Appointment of Student Body President to the Board of Governors of the State University – Fail

With most of Florida’s precincts reporting, this amendment did not meet the 60 percent requirement to pass.

This amendment would have changed the way the state selects student representatives to serve on the state university system’s Board of Governors.

Results are considered unofficial until they are certified by the state of Florida.


When ever that will be?????? but this was published as what has passed so far all though apparently not quite "official" until the presidential votes are completed. maybe by next year?

[dgtxpride]

So, does anyone here care about the recent Supreme Court ruling that rejected part of the Voting Rights Act as unconstitutional? I'm in favor of the ruling; it doesn't make sense for the federal government to have additional regulation on certain states based on voting statistics from 1972.

[msm859]

Yes. The decision was a travesty of justice. The VRA was last renewed only 7 years ago in 2006. Congress heard significant testimony about the continued problems some states were still engaged in trying to keep minorities from voting. The law passed in the senate by a 98 - 0 vote!! In the House only 33 members voted against it. It was signed by a Republican president. A deaf, dumb and blind person can readily see what several states are doing - including Texas - to still try to disenfranchise voters. The gerrymandering going on in many states - including Texas is beyond pale. Today the House is controlled by Republicans yet in the last election more people voted for the Democrats then they did for the Republicans. The SCOTUS has become a tool of corporations insuring the Oligarchy stays in power.

[dgtxpride]

The Act was renewed in 2006, yes, but the formula hasn't changed since 1972, which is ultimately discriminating against states for their past history. Many states have been able to pass voter ID laws without federal preclearance; why should other states be forced to jump through federal hoops? Additionally, black voter turnout was actually greater than white voter turnout in the last election.

Now, I oppose gerrymandering as much as the next guy, and would prefer to see some proportional vote system in place, but recall that the court ruling only threw out the old formula. Congress can pass a new formula that takes modern statistics into account.

[msm859]

The Act was renewed in 2006, yes, but the formula hasn't changed since 1972, which is ultimately discriminating against states for their past history. Many states have been able to pass voter ID laws without federal preclearance; why should other states be forced to jump through federal hoops? Additionally, black voter turnout was actually greater than white voter turnout in the last election.

Now, I oppose gerrymandering as much as the next guy, and would prefer to see some proportional vote system in place, but recall that the court ruling only threw out the old formula. Congress can pass a new formula that takes modern statistics into account.

Actually I would be in favor of federal standards for federal elections - that would stop your concern for discriminating against individual states.. In 2012 more people voted for the Democrats in the House yet because of gerrymandering we have a Republican controlled house. As you point out black turnout may have been greater as was votes for Democrats but look at the results. You would think we were some third world country instead of the "light" of democracy.

[dgtxpride]

Federal standards don't necessarily prevent gerrymandering, either, unless it's a requirement to use a purely mathematical formula or algorithm for redistricting that doesn't leave any room for party influence. That or proportional representation would get the most accurate representation of the population in their government.

[AngelinaCatHub]

What is Credit, for dummy's

For those who may not understand how money is controlled and how we all have gotten ourselves to the point of bankruptcy, I came across this amusing clip.

For those who cannot take the literal words S.O.B. it is stated once in this clip. Avoid or proceed. I cannot edit it. 'Hub

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mII9NZ8MMVM

[spidge]

For those who may not understand how money is controlled and how we all have gotten ourselves to the point of bankruptcy, I came across this amusing clip.

For those who cannot take the literal words S.O.B. it is stated once in this clip. Avoid or proceed. I cannot edit it. 'Hub

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mII9NZ8MMVM

Love that one Cat. Here's another.

http://youtu.be/cgCjN0mFxHA

[sophieanne]

I normaly stay away form politics but I'm a little miffed today.

My Chapter13 BK was discharged Aug 2/16. We have an Adjustable Rate Mortgage that we cannot refinance (through traditional methods) for another year and a half. After numerous conversations about FHA in this room in November/December I decided to do some looking around. Hooray! We found someone we dealt with previously whose company does manual underwriting and on preliminary review said we qualified for an FHA refinance (3.5% for 15 years).

It took us through the end of December to get all the documentation required in and approved. The intention was to close mid-January.
Good News! Jan 9th there was a change made to FHA where the monthly mortgage insurance would be reduced...good news for us. It was almost a 50% decrease in that insurance
premium. The loan would not fund until Jan 27th, to coincide with the change to FHA.

We were supposed to sign papers today, but not happening today. WHY? The Trump administration signed to suspend the decrease to FHA mortgage insurance indefinately and it was done TODAY!!!

Thank you. Now we had to resign our closing disclosure, will pay the higher premium and have to hold off signing papers for 3 days. It's not that it's a lot of money, but itt's the principle.

I'm glad he's for the people - great way to make friends on Day1. Only 4 years less a day left!!!! (As I said the sarcasm is just anger)

[justbroke]

sophieanne I had to move this to the only place we allow Political Discussions. It has been so long that we had one, I had to search for it myself!

As for changing things Day 1... HUD had announced those changes just days before (11 days) inauguration. I know that in every business that I have worked, when a new boss/CEO comes in, the first thing they do is look at all recent changes and literally suspend all current projects until it can be reviewed. Maybe they'll review the change to make sure it pays for itself and un-suspend the change rather than entirely roll it back.

With any new administration it's going to be a roller coaster as we adjust to the, well, politics which drive our, well, politics.

[sophieanne]

justbroke - I know wht you're saying, tt just feels bad. Finally somethng good happens, and then boom, taken away. Like I said, i was just venting. I'm happy to be getting a 3.5%, 15 year mortgage.

[justbroke]

I was just reading about that change and apparently it was announced 1-09-2017. Apparently the Republican-led Congress didn't like it (because just 4 years ago, Congress had to bail out the FHA insurance fund0). It appears to me that the incoming HUD secretary, Dr. Ben Carson, wants to look at it closer and it reads as though he may think it's necessary (to re-instate this reduction in the mortgage insurance premium).