Becaue I like Dan Gelber

I'll post his latest plea for donations.

Friends-

Over the last two weeks, the Legislature was called into a Special Session to settle critical issues regarding mass transit throughout our state. The legislature bans fundraising during Session, but a loophole exists for “prescheduled” fundraisers. Because I felt it was only right to put my entire focus on my job as a legislator, I decided not to avail myself of the loophole and canceled all my fundraisers during the Special Session. I was the only candidate in this race to do so, and now I really need to make up for lost ground.

If you haven’t contributed to the campaign yet, I could really use your support now.

Fundraising is not a virtue, but in a state as large as Florida it is a necessity. Sorry for the hard sell but I’m proud of the way my campaign is conducting itself, and hope you are to. We need leadership that is not business as usual – and I hope you’ll support me because you believe that I will be different.

If you have already contributed please consider helping out again and passing this on to your friends and family.

Thanks again and have a terrific holiday season.

Dan

Email from Dan Gelber

It’s no wonder that Floridians are losing faith in their government. More public officials in Florida are charged with corruption than in any other state.

We have a state government that operates largely in the shadows; a campaign finance system that gives special interests way too much power; and too many of our public institutions seem totally beholden to everyone but everyday citizens. I spent the better part of a decade fighting corruption in Florida as a federal prosecutor, so I have seen this malignancy up close. There will always be those that find a way to skirt the law or engage in sleezy behavior, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t adopt measures intended to bring greater accountability and oversight to the operations of government.

Earlier this month, I introduced a series of measures that if adopted by the legislature, would go a long way toward that goal.

But - I can't do it without you. Help me lobby my colleagues by demanding reform!

As you can see below, many opinion makers in the state agree with me, but getting my colleagues in the legislature to make life tougher on themselves won't be so easy. We need to keep the pressure on:

"Corruption in Florida has become too prevalent in recent weeks for political leaders to ignore"
- St. Pete Times, 11/5/2009

"If there isn't enough outrage right now to justify strengthening anti-corruption laws, then when?"
- The Miami New Times, 11/6/2009

“A former federal prosecutor [Gelber] running for attorney general as a reformer...
- Tallahassee Democrat, 11/9/2009

“Mr. Gelber's reasoning makes sense...Floridians have a right to more transparency and better oversight at the SBA. It's their money, after all.”
- Orlando Sentinel, 11/17/2009

To help demonstrate to my colleagues that Floridians simply will not accept the way our government mistreats taxpayer dollars, I have launched an official petition.

Join me in demanding reform. Please sign my petition right now and help spread the word!

You can read more about the specifics of my reforms here. I'll keep you updated as this fight develops.

Thanks for all you do,

Dan Gelber

Toothpicks! We'll need toothpicks!

Dan Gelber gets it ---

The litany of problems facing our state is well known.

We are home to the worst high school graduation rate in the nation. One in five children lacks health insurance. Homeowners are paying way more than their fair share in property taxes and are faced with property insurance rates that are spiraling out of control. Family incomes have flat lined over the last decade, and declining sales tax revenues have caused multi-billion dollar deficits in our already stretched and tattered state budget.

So what did we spend seven hours talking about today?

Limiting a woman’s right to make a choice about her body and her health care.

Why the majority of my Republican colleagues believe they know more about a woman’s health decisions than does the woman is beyond me.

Unfortunately, the Florida House, in all its Republican-controlled wisdom, did not listen and has decided that all women seeking abortions must first be required to pay for --- and view --- an ultrasound of the fetus.

To top that off, they also passed a 'fetal homicide' bill that says anyone who caused a pregnancy to be terminated by assaulting or killing a woman could be prosecuted for murdering the "unborn child" — even if they didn't know the woman was pregnant.

Sure, the first one is being touted as a way for women to obtain health care, and that last one is being touted as a way to protect unborn children from drunk drivers, but in reality both of these measures are just two more of the many insidious ways that conservatives are trying to keep from women from having sex until the men in their lives decide that it's time for them to produce heirs.