I just saw a second misleading, sophomoric propaganda sheet about our upcoming March election.This vexes me to no end--these examples of voter misinformation.The first propaganda sheet contains a dazzling display of ignorance, or perhaps deception and scare tactics.The second, a great example of naive confusion or maybe purposeful yellow journalism, seems to think the voters are not paying attention.I think we are.
To expand:
Fear-mongering propaganda (“Protect Your Right to Vote on Height” PAC)
- Blatantly erroneous information
- Depicts bogus “if this, then that” fabrications
- Poorly attempts to educate the voters by instilling false fears based on sham claims
Misleading, sophomoric propaganda (“St Pete Beach Chronicle” PAC)
- Centers on the loopy “logic” that while the Court said the ballot language was bad and offered zero standards or requirements the “Chronicle” proposes: “let’s keep putting Comp Plans on the ballot.”
- Attempts to overlook both the November 2010 Hometown Democracy defeat AND the 2008 St Pete Beach voters’ approval of the City’s Comprehensive Plan--votes in which five (5) Comp Plan issues were approved by MORE than 55% of our voters.
- Attempts to continue to make the issue a SOLV versus CRG feud when it is really an issue of a few people not being happy with previous majority vote outcomes. Perhaps saying: “Let’s keep our right to vote, if it comes out the way we want it.”
- Starts out as if the issue is “misleading ballot language” but suggests a solution (“what should be done?”) only involving rewriting the Comp Plan.I think they might miss the facts that a considerable majority of SPB voters APPROVED THIS COMP PLAN, and that despite multiple challenges in court, the Comp Plan has NEVER been found lacking and that the Florida DCA considers the Plan the voters approved in 2008 the City’s current Comp Plan.
This is installment one examining the pseudo-facts presented by these propaganda publications. As always, I implore you to think for yourselves.I can only give you my opinion and what I find in my research and analysis. As always I welcome civil, logical discussion.