Let us create a balance of pressure in Tallahassee
By HOWARD TROXLER
Published March 25, 2004
Here is what is happening right now in Tallahassee. Your state legislator is coming under enormous pressure from telephone lobbyists to protect the huge rate increase the Legislature passed last year.
Do not underestimate how powerful the atmosphere of Tallahassee can be. Left alone, hundreds of miles from the voters, our lawmakers will stick together and vote for the phone companies all over again.
So, it's up to the citizens to make sure they are not left alone.
If it were me, I'd look up my state House member and state senator in the local phone book.
Or I'd look up their numbers on the Legislature's Web site, www.leg.state.fl.us which also lists their e-mail addresses.
If I were calling my legislators (Rep. Frank Farkas and Sen. Jim Sebesta, both R-St. Petersburg), I might say something like:
"Don't stand on a foolish consistency, based on what you did last year - do the right thing this year.
"Even I, a mere citizen, know that you were sold a bill of goods last year. You were told if you gave the phone companies hundreds of millions of extra dollars, that there would be more "competition.' But now that story is proven untrue. You have perfect grounds for voting for repeal.
"Some of your Tallahassee leaders also are trying to claim that repeal is premature, and we should let courts work it out. But that isn't true either. The federal courts have already told the FCC what it can't do. And the state's courts will have no choice but to uphold the rate increase - you made sure of that, in the very wording of your law!
"Besides, even if Attorney General Charlie Crist miraculously wins his fight against the first round of rate hikes, there are STILL lots more rate hikes allowed in the law. You made sure of that, too.
"So, the bottom line is you've voted to hijack somewhere between $355-million and $1-billion from the people over the next three years. Only you can fix that, not the courts or anybody else."
That's what I'd say.
If instead my senator was Dennis Jones, R-Treasure Island, I would stop him when he tried to defend his yes vote by saying, as he likes to say, "The Senate shouldn't be in the business of setting phone rates." I would answer, "But senator, the bill you passed DID set phone rates - and you voted to jack them way up."
(Do me a favor. When you call, be nice to the secretaries and assistants who answer. The nicer you are, the better a picture of public opinion they'll present to their bosses. (P.S. If they tell you not to believe the newspaper, then I ask you to consider this: Which one of us has been paid $5-million in telephone company campaign money?)
Now, here's a word about Johnnie Byrd, the Republican speaker of the House. He now is pushing for repeal. If you wish, you can say he reversed himself only because he is running for the U.S. Senate. But I don't care. I do not intend to peer closely into the mouth of the gift horse. What matters is the issue.
To help in your phone calls, yet again, here is the list of how our area's legislators voted on the phone law last year. Notice that both Democrats and Republicans were divided; neither party has more virtue.
Here's who voted yes in the House:
Kevin Ambler, R-Lutz; Johnnie Byrd, R-Plant City; Faye Culp, R-Tampa; Frank Farkas, R-St. Petersburg; Bob Henriquez, D-Tampa; Ed Homan, R-Tampa; Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa; Ken Littlefield, R-Wesley Chapel; Sandy Murman, R-Tampa; Frank Peterman, D-St. Petersburg.
Here's who voted no in the House:
Tom Anderson, R-Dunedin; Kim Berfield, R-Clearwater; Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor; John Carassas, R-Belleair; Charlie Dean, R-Inverness; Heather Fiorentino, R-New Port Richey; Charlie Justice, D-St. Petersburg; David Russell, R-Brooksville; Leslie Waters, R-Seminole.
Here are the senators who voted yes:
Dennis Jones, R-Treasure Island; Jim Sebesta, R-St. Petersburg.
Here are the senators who voted no:
Nancy Argenziano, R-Dunnellon; Victor Crist, R-Tampa; Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey; Tom Lee, R-Brandon; Les Miller, D-Tampa.
