The victims, families, first responders and all who continue to help in the tragic Champlain Towers South condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida.
Governor DeSantis who has been in Surfside almost every day since the tragedy happened, working with state and federal emergency personnel. There is so much work to be done to get closure for families. And then there will be a deep look at what went wrong to ensure it never happens again.
REPUBLICANS INTERVENE IN DOJ LAWSUIT AGAINST GEORGIA
Two national GOP organizations came to Georgia’s defense last week in a Department of Justice lawsuit that alleges a recently passed election law violates voting protections for minorities.
The Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee announced they are intervening to defend Georgia against the "politically-motivated lawsuit."
"The RNC is intervening in this case because the security of the ballot is more important than Democrat power grabs," chair Ronna McDaniel said, adding in a statement that Democrats are "weaponizing the Justice Department by trying to strong-arm the state of Georgia into making its elections less secure."
NRSC chair Florida Sen. Rick Scott charged that "Democrats in Washington are fighting tooth and nail to strip states of all local election control, and Georgia is their number one target."
Republicans argue the election overhaul bill signed in March by GOP Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp puts common-sense voter protections into law, and reduces voter fraud while leaving voting options in place.
But Attorney General Merrick Garland, who announced the lawsuit in late June, accused Georgia of enacting the law "with the purpose of denying or abridging the right of Black Georgians to vote on account of their race or color."
The DOJ, in its complaint, cites the law for imposing new restrictions and additional steps on the process of casting absentee ballots — changes that come in the context of a "dramatic increase in Black Georgians’ use of absentee voting" in the 2020 election cycle.
After the 2020 elections that put Democrats in control of the White House and Congress, Republicans in numerous states put forward election-reform proposals that mirror parts of Georgia’s law.
McDaniel and Scott said they’re confident of victory, citing the July 1 Supreme Court ruling that upheld two Republican-supporting voting rules in Arizona that critics had argued were discriminatory.
RPOF CHAIRMAN JOE GRUTERS' MESSAGE
Florida Revenues Up
Florida’s monthly revenues continue to soar past expectations, driven by a strong state economy and an increase in tourism-industry tax collections, according to a new report from the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research.
The May general-revenue collections were $3.6 billion, just roaring past expectations for the month by $573.8 million, or 18.9 percent.
“Most remarkable, almost 72 percent of the total gain for May came from sales tax GR (general revenue),” the report said. “For context, May 2020 was the lowest sales tax collection month during the entire pandemic.”
The May numbers marked the 10th consecutive month of exceeding revenue expectations as Florida recovers rapidly from the economic fallout of the response to COVID-19.
ICYMI
Florida Politics’ Joe Henderson: Gov. DeSantis gets an ‘A’ for leadership in a crisis.
The political news site Florida Politics is no right-wing outfit by any stretch. But even they see the strength in Governor DeSantis’ leadership in multiple crisis:
“I think most people would agree the last couple of weeks in Florida scored high on the stress meter, what with the Surfside calamity and Tropical Storm Elsa. In times like this, politics should go out the window while leaders step up and, well, lead. That’s how we judge them."
“We don’t grade these things on the curve, though. The difference between success and failure can hinge on the choice of a word, good or bad. With that in mind, whatever your political leaning, if you’re scoring fairly, then Gov. Ron DeSantis gets an “A” for his handling of this twin crisis."
“He thankfully kept politics out of the mix at the condo collapse and struck a welcomed bipartisan tone with President Joe Biden. He worked well with federal relief efforts and was the compassionate, focused Governor all Floridians needed him to be."
“DeSantis quickly responded when Elsa started heading for Florida.”
AMERICANS CALLED TO CHANNEL JOHN HANCOCK
From Trib24/7.com
What happened in November 2020 and the swift implementation of leftist policies by the Democrat/Big Media/Big Tech axis that followed has thrown America into the "abyss," radio and TV host Mark Levin notes in his latest book.
In "American Marxism", Levin says that his years of warnings are over and issues a “call for action” to fight back.
“If you love individualism and freedom, if you love opportunity, capitalism, if you love this nation, and you appreciate everything that's come before, the shoulders that we stand on, then it's time to step up, it’s here and it's now and they are devouring this society,” Levin said.
"What we're confronting is not a temporary fad. It's not part of a cycle. It is an iron fist or a wrecking ball that has already done enormous damage to this society and to this country," Levin said. "And it's going to take a tremendous amount of work. It's going to take tens of millions of us. And it's going to take individuals who never thought they could be heroes and patriots to say, you know what, 'My children and grandchildren are going to face a hellish impoverished future if I don’t stand up now.' "
Levin's 1776-style call for action was echoed by Ray Nothstine, opinion editor for the Carolina Journal.
"Nearly everything that’s happening in the political culture today should reorient us toward first principles and possess spirit and courage," Nothstine noted in a July 1 op-ed.
Courage like that of John Hancock.
As president of the Second Continental Congress, Hancock "used much of his wealth to help finance the American Revolution when it was in desperate need of supplies," Nothstine noted. "As an import-exporter, he may have been the richest man in the colonies. In fact, most of his money was made from the colony’s close relationship to the British Crown. Yet, from the outset, Hancock wanted to play no part in their tyranny."
Nothstine continued: "Whether it is the mob’s intent on canceling people for differing opinions, repackaged racism – and yes – I mean critical race theory – or economic plunder through endless tax and spending policies, we must have the courage to stand against it. After all, the entire theme and text of the Declaration of Independence is a reminder to put tyrants on notice."
As Americans, Nothstine added, "we should always strive to live up to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. It offers us the framework for equality and freedom unlike anywhere else in the world. Also, its high ideals reinforce to us we aren’t merely free because we choose our own representatives. Instead, we are reminded the government is implemented to secure the rights of the citizenry and when it fails in that core mission, it is no longer a worthy and valid government."
Nothstine concluded: "Again and again, the human person and his or her destiny are placed above the government. And most of all, don’t ever be afraid to push back and channel a little John Hancock against the anti-American hysteria that has caused so many to lose their mind."
HAPPENINGS
