This is a Paid Political Advertisement. Paid for and approved by Linda McKinney 6025 Keystone Ave. Port St. John, FL 32927. Independent of any group, organization or committee.
Note: This webpage was first put up back in the PSJ Incorporation battle days. Thus, not all links will still be able to send you to the page intended.
PSJ4T is trying to get you to sin. How's that, you ask. Consider the seven "deadly sins" that are listed below and you will see that PSJ4T is using things in their "sales technique" of the PSJ City idea that bring out the worst in us. Then ask yourself, is this the kind of thing you want to fall for? If it is not, then you must vote against incorporation on November 5, 2002. What are those deadly sins? Here is the list:
Note: The following definitions appear in Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, published by Portland House, a division of dillithium [sic] Press, 1989.
AVARICE -- insatiable greed for riches
SLOTH -- laziness
ENVY -- a feeling of discontent or jealousy, usually with ill will, at seeing another's superiority, advantages, or success
LUST -- a passionate or overmastering desire (usually followed by): a lust for power
GLUTTONY -- excessive eating or drinking
PRIDE -- a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as scherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.
WRATH -- strong, stern, or fierce anger; deeply resentful indignation; ire
And how are these sins related to the tactics of PSJ4T? Let's examine that question.
Envy: In the July 2002 Happenings, PSJ4T decided to "come out" in favor of incorporation. They released a statement that said in part, "1. Autonomy. The residents of PSJ deserve to decide their own future." Deserve? Look "deserve" up in the dictionary. My dictionary says, "to merit, be qualified for, or have a claim to." We "deserve" autonomy? And what exactly is PSJ4T saying about autonomy? Does that mean we "deserve" to pay higher taxes? Or that we "deserve" to decide our own future? Weren't we deciding our own future until they interfered? Who said they "deserve" to speak for us, to decide for us, to ask our State Representatives to present a bill for us to make us vote on incorporation? Who asked PSJ4T to do that? What did we do to "deserve" that, and what did they do to "deserve" that? Most importantly: Is this assertion of PSJ4T's based on their envy or ours? Is this something they used because they knew it would hit that button in you that says, "Yes. We deserve that. We deserve to be like....."? Is that envy? Look at the definition above. We are not a city, others live in cities, we are as good as they are, aren't we? Don't we "deserve" to be a city because we are just as good as anyone else? Envy.
Pride: This word, "deserve" is all the way through their releases. What do we do -- as a community, or as individuals -- to "merit, be quailified for, or have claim to" anything we supposedly "deserve?" Are we that good? Or are we that bad? Were we that bad off without being a city? Later in the same handout they say, "Only by having local government, directly answerable to the residents of PSJ, can we maintain the quality of life PSJ residents enjoy." If we enjoy that quality of life now, without being a city, I ask you again: why would changing things make it better? Why should we worry about what we "deserve" when even PSJ4T admits we already have the quality of life they want you to think you deserve? Pride.
Avarice: Also from the July 2002 Happenings: "Taxes. The residents of PSJ deserve to have taxes collected in PSJ pay for services in PSJ. This is demonstrated in the proposed budget showing how taxes we pay currently could be better used to meet the residents' needs." We "deserve" our tax monies to be spent here. Why should someone else get a dime of our money? We earned it, we should get to spend it: ON US! Are you "greedy" for our tax monies to stay right here? Are you greedy for them to be spent on you and only you? Are you feeling that old pull of want, desire for riches to be spent on you? Did you know that our tax dollars do go to work right here in PSJ? Just call your County Commissioner and ask him how if you don't believe it. Also, of the $750,000 spent on Roads and Bridges for the five districts, we got more than our fair share: $750,000 ÷ 5 districts = $150.000. That means we got $60,000 more than the other districts. Palm Bay, Rockledge, etc., should be complaining, not us. Avarice.
Lust -- for power: Their "coming out" release in the July 2002 Happenings says, "Local Election of All Government. The residents of PSJ deserve to have local government directly responsible to 'We, The People'. Our unincorporated area called Port St. John does not have government 'Of the People, By the People, and For the People'. The one official we elect competes against 4 other people that [sic -- it should be who] want to satisfy the people who voted for them, not the people of PSJ." Lust for power. They want you to want to lust for the power to elect "the 4 other people". PSJ4T wants you to lust for the four other positions. They want you to be envious of the people who live in incorporated cities who supposedly get to elect everyone who represents them. Problem is: that's a false premise. Most cities use districts, just like the County does and most cities elect one council member per district. Remember, you'll be electing seven people who might have lust for power, too. Who says they will represent what you want? Do Democrats represent what Republicans want? Do pro-life people represent what pro-abortion people want? No. These elections -- by the City Charter that will be adopted by law if we become a city -- will be nonpartisan. That means there will be no labels to tell you what party affiliation a person running for City Council may have. You will not know for certain -- unless asked directly and admitting to it -- what party affiliation the candidate has. So you really don't know what kind of representation you'll be getting until it's too late, will you? Lust for power.
Pride and Lust for power: The current thing is "Legal Standing" and how good it would be for us to be a city because it would give us "legal standing" on anything and everything. If we were a city we would have legal standing on this issue, that issue and (to be sarcastic about it) the moon. Legal standing makes people lust for power; "If we were a city and had legal standing we could sue them and teach them a lesson!" Legal standing makes people proud. To quote Amy Tidd, "we are not allowed input in any comp. plan changes on the other side of Kings Hwy. The DCA did add one sentence that was not in Flagler's memo- 'It is apparent that Petitioner is not a local government'. So we have no say legally as we stand now to whatever Titusville decides to put North of Kings Hwy." Are you too proud to not have legal standing? Does it offend your sense of dignity that you can't have an input on this matter because it's not within PSJ's boundaries? Are you wanting to incorporate because you think it will give you a stronger voice? More (dare I say it?) power? Pride and lust for power.
Wrath: They want you angry. Not just angry, but angry enough to do something about it. They want you angry at Titusville because Titusville wants to do with their city what is best for them. Angry at the airport because it wants to do what is best for the airport and the pilots landing there. (On a side note: would you want the trees topped in the Enchanted Forest and the runway extended if it were your child going out of TiCo Airport on a lifeflight to the Shriner's Burn Hospital in Cincinnatti and the pilot had to make an instrument landing?) PSJ4T wants you angry at the Civic League and their supporters for exercising their free speech rights and saying what they want, too. Look at what PSJ4T's Bill Bender says in the transcription of the debate tape: "Why would a developer not want you to have the say so in how this community runs?" First, why would Mr. Bender allege that Mr. Messer wanted that if Mr. Bender didn't want you angry? Second, Mr. Messer lives in this community also and he has the right to free speech and free association. If Mr. Messer doesn't want to support PSJ4T and their ideas, Mr. Messer has the Constitutional right to not support them. Mr. Messer has the right to give money to whomever he wishes. But look at what Mr. Bender is doing. Look at the tactics. He's stirring up your hatred. He's making you angry. Wrath.
Sloth: They want you to be lazy. They don't want you to check the laws and finding out what they really say. They don't want you to make phone calls, ask questions, or even listen to the other side. Look at how much crud they have put in Happenings (Instead of being the "Voice of Port St. John" lately it has been the "Voice of PSJ4T"). Look at how much work they tell you they have done for you. Just look at my web site and how much information I have found that disagrees with -- and proves wrong -- the assertions of PSJ4T. I can only conclude that they want you lazy so that you will stay (please don't take offense at this) ignorant of the truth, of the facts and of the danger you are in if you support incorporation. Think about it. How many times have they told you that they have done the work? (Look at the list of things Mr. Bender gives them credit [or they take credit for] on the debate page in Mr. Bender's rebuttal period.) How many times have they told you that they have the papers right here (while Mary waves them wildly in the air)? Then ask yourself: Are you being spoon fed? Are you sure of what it is you are allowing into your mouth? Do the research for yourself. You haven't much time left. Sloth.
Avarice: Maureen Rupe. In my opinion she is the quintessential example of avarice when it comes to taxes. She not only wants to make Port St. John, Delespine, Frontenac, Hardeeville and Williams Point into a tax paying mechanism, but she also signs on the dotted line (so to speak) for an injunction against the County that has the effect of keeping your taxes at a higher rate. (I ask you: Has PSJ4T and its members EVER met a tax they didn't like? Check out PSJ4T Speaks to find out the answer on that one.) When the Brevard County Commissioners were considering cutting the taxes due to a possible miscalculation, Maureen Rupe and three other people, went to a judge and signed an injunction to stop them from lowering those taxes. Read it and weep:
September 25, 2002
Kay Burk, Melton E. Broom, Phil Williams and Maureen Rupe
Plaintiffs,
vs.
Board of County Commissioiners of Brevard County
Defendant.
Complaint for Declaratory Judgment, Supplemental Relief, and Injunctive Relief
Isn't that special? Someone you can count on to get every penny she can out of you, and into whatever layer of government she can put it. And she wants PSJ and the four communities to be a city. Thanks for nothing, Ms. Rupe. Avarice.
Gluttony: I wondered how this could be applied to this situation because
you can't eat money, an airport issue, nor another layer of government. But then
I realized, this is it. The whole enchilada. Gluttony is what we are talking about
here in every aspect. PSJ4T wants you to be gluttons. Gluttons in that they want
you filling up on anger at everyone who disagrees with them. Gluttons in that
they want you to be gluttonous for what you "deserve." Gluttons in that PSJ4T wants
to take our money away from us and give it to any layer of government. Gluttons
in that PSJ4T wants to be the powerful, the mighty, the leaders (the sheep or the
lions?), the people responsible for founding a city! It is their legacy! They
are building their own HALL OF FAME! What an amazingly gluttonous thing to do:
Forcibly incorporate Williams Point, Delespine, Frontenac and Hardeeville into
the City of Port St. John, so that PSJ4T's gluttonous egos can eat up the pride
and the power of having done all this! Gluttony? This is beyond gluttony: this
is an abomination!