High Priorities
1. Two Americas: Major Corporations and local businesses have installed policies that are both racist and anti-poor. These policies are thriving in Orlando and are leading to the increasingly marginalization of minorities (black & Latino) and the poor. For example, Credit Based capitalism leads to two Americas, the rich America and the poor America.
Credit Based Capitalism can keep you from creating a bank account, buying a car, prevents individuals from having access to rental facilities or the ability to finance basic living amenities, including apartments, transportation, and thereby, directly influences living standards. The effect of Credit based capitalism can force an individual into a social caste system, where having bad credit prevents any possible mobility and opens individuals to predatory business practices such as, payday loans or excessive fees, which again can send an individual into a spiraling cycle of more bad choices leading to worst credit and a permanent caste stamp. This system effectively is creating slaves to the system.
2. Failure of Corporate Disclosure: In the State of California, businesses are required to inform consumers when their products knowingly cause harm. Not in Florida. If people could see the warning sign on the front door of each McDonalds restaurant, it would affect their choice eating habits. Since it is not required by the Florida State Law, businesses are allowed to perpetrate illustrious frauds and escape persecution from doing harm to people in this state. The time for Corporate disclosure is now!
3. There are businesses in this state (Covalence & Digi Labatories) conducting drug human trials on the most vulnerable populations in the state. Covalence Labs, known for their part in bringing the Ebola Virus into the US, as depicted in the movie, Outbreak (1995), opens up their office in the middle of a low income neighborhood. Then, they solicit human candidates with $5000 experiments. Like dangling gold in front of a poor man, but having the man sign his life away before you give it to him. Get these vultures out of Florida!
4. Recycling has gone backwards in this state. Many neighborhoods, apartment complexes, and housing developments do not recycle. This is a State money maker! When you don’t recycle in the State of New York, you pay a fine. The landfills are full or privatizing, when trash is a cash cow. Demand from our local officials, a recyclable city.
5. Homelessness in Orlando, the City Beautiful, is a crime. It is a crime to be homeless. Yet in some of the city schools, over 10% of the students are without a home. We have put them in temporary housing in motels all over the city and forgotten them. A motel is no place to raise a child. That is a crime! The city granting millions of dollars in subsidies to professional sports organizations, but denying basic human rights to the most vulnerable citizens of the city, is a crime. Tell the county Commissioners not to forget our homeless!
6. Hunger in our community is growing. Programs like Blessings in a Backpack which send school kids home on Friday with a backpack full of food, is a sign. The people of this community are suffering from hunger. Evans HS had to set up snack centers in designated areas at the school, to prevent students from fainting from hunger. If the children are hungry, the adults are equally and hungry and stressed! 1 in 6 people in the US is hungry. When you have nurses, Accountants, and working professionals as well as the working poor, working but still not being able to provide food, you see how the American pie is being sliced, and who is getting the big cut and who is left with the scrapes. It is time our local officials get out of bed with Corporate America and come attend to the needs of the people who elected them.
7. High Speed Rail, will provide good paying jobs and access to parts of Florida, many Central Floridians have never dreamed. Get the Airline lobbyist out of our politics and build our damn high speed rail! Connect our city, let Central Florida thrive, not starve. High Speed Rail Today!
8. Economic boycotting is our weapon and we shall use it. Until our demands are heard, families should start staying home. Don’t go to the big grocer, Walmart, or the Hollywood Movies. Let Victoria stay secret, and let the bars & clubs close early. Instead, visit the small family stores for your needs. Boycott Saturdays in Central Florida will help our voices be heard. Boycott Saturdays!
9. Say No, To “No-Zero Grading Policies,” in OCPS. Schools using the No Zero Policy are unfairly graded and compared to schools not using the No Zero Policy. This policy also allows students to work less harder and produces an atmosphere of entitlement to good grades. Studies show, school using this policy do not perform any better on State Standardized test, which would explain the dismal scores of students from all OCPS schools on the FCAT. Say no, to “No-Zero Grading Policy.” And show our students there is no substitute for hard work!
