The Florida legislature has put 11 constitutional amendments on the 2012 ballot, and they all suck.

Once again they are pandering to their base while attacking judges, women, the separation between church and state, and the ability of local governments to fund themselves.

The legislature is trying to cut taxes that they don’t get, while raising the fees that they do get, and holding the sales tax that they get at 6%.

A blogger at the Sun-Sentinel renders his opinion of them, but the most important point made is that the League of Women Voters recommends voting ‘NO’ on all of them.

The most egregious is Florida Religious Freedom, Amendment 8 (2012). This isn’t about ‘Religious Freedom’, this is about giving tax dollars to sectarian schools. It is supported by the ‘Clan of the Red Beanie’ because funding of Catholic schools by the state would free up more money to pay their lawyers and the penalties they owe.

Understand, the state can’t regulate religious schools in any way, so they are free to do whatever they want with the taxpayer funds. I can hardly wait until the first Muslim school receives the money. This is going to get so nasty and cause so many law suits.

They will be Federal law suits because the legislature is trying to stop the state courts from pointing out when they violate the state constitution. They want mob rule, as the Florida legislature has become a mob of angry, ignorant people thanks to the voters and creative redistricting.

This was the rainiest August in local records, and Isaac had almost nothing to do with it.

The Local Puppy Trainer reports that we got 21.05 inches of rain during the month, and even without the 3 inches we picked up during Isaac, it would have still been the rainiest.

This was also the fourth rainiest June, July, and August on record. The July record holder of 1994 will not be broken for a very long time, as it is based on the rain received from Tropical Storm Alberto, which was the heaviest rain anyone I know has ever seen, even worse than the week of Georges in 1998.

It’s to the point that the mushrooms on the lawn are getting mildewed…

Position: 25.9N 42.8W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: Northwest [305°] near 5 mph [ 8 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 35 mph [ 55 kph].
Wind Gusts: 50 mph [ 80 kph].
Minimum central pressure: 1012 mb.

Currently about 1390 miles [2235 km] West-Northwest of the Cape Verde Islands.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

Position: 24.0N 63.1W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: Stationary.
Maximum sustained winds: 65 mph [100 kph].
Wind Gusts: 75 mph [120 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 205 miles [335 km].
Minimum central pressure: 998 mb.

Currently about 585 miles [ 940 km] South of Bermuda.

The storm is essentially stalled and meandering in the Atlantic looking for something to steer it.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]

If you are a US resident I hope you enjoy this panicked and unsuccessful attempt to salvage the Democratic nomination for President by Grover Cleveland, the 22^nd and 24^th President. Having sent in Federal troops and marshals to break the Pullman Strike, Grover thought he could win back support from labor by giving them their own holiday before the bodies of the workers killed by said troops and marshals were cold in the ground, and to preempt the possibility of labor declaring May 1^st, the commemoration of the Haymarket affair, a day for labor action. [Zero wasn’t the first Democrat to attack the party’s base. Grover lost the nomination, BTW.]

It is rather unique, as it is the only holiday I’m aware of that was imported from Canada where it’s spelled Labour Day.

When I was young, Labor Day was the last day of summer vacation from school, but now schools start in early August, so it’s just a long weekend filled with annoying drunken boaters clogging up my little street with their trailers.