1. Here is a short video about how we hire our leaders to do some of the most important jobs in the country on the basis of how many yard signs they buy. Campaign Signs 2010

2. This is a video done with me by the Hometown Democracy supporters in support of Amendment 4:

3. Chris Ramsey edited this campaign video captured from New Urban Cowboy:

Michael E. Arth for Florida Governor.

4. Chris also shot this video of my campaign video that plays homage to Bob Dylan in the 1960s documentary, Don’t Look Back.

Here are the lyrics to the campaign video:

“I am the Very Model of a Pragmatic Humanitarian”

Music by Gilbert & Sullivan / Arrangement by Howard Ferguson
Vocals by Lara Larberg and Michael E. Arth / Lyrics by Michael E. Arth

1.  My name is Michael Arth. This is why I’m running for Governor.
                              (Clears throat)

2.  I am the very model of a pragmatic humanitarian.

3.  I’m combination designer, philosopher and utilitarian.

4.  I know the presidents and can debate their merits rhetorical

5.  From Washington to Obama, in order categorical.

6.  I have some acquaintance, too, with matters mathematical

7.  Regarding ideas for family planning and taxes that are logical.

8.  I study things deep, arcane or even topical

9.  In application to helpful things that are quite practical

10.  Like build a house, design a town, or steer the ship of state.

                                    (chorus)

11.  He can build a house, design a town, or steer the ship of state.

12.  He can build a house, design a town, or steer the ship of state.

13.  He can build a house, design a town, or steer the ship of
Florida’s state

14.  And with electoral reform there will be positive synergy,

15.  To bring new leaders and ideas that will clean up our democracy.

16.  In short, I’m a designer, philosopher, and utilitarian

17.  I am the very model of a pragmatic humanitarian.

                                     (chorus)

18.  In short, he’s a designer, philosopher, and utilitarian.

19.  He is the very model of a pragmatic humanitarian.

20.  The two parties say that it’s about the power and the gold

21.  The rights and privileges we deserve have been sold.

22.  Campaign advisors say to speak nothing of this autocracy

23.  Keep voters clapping with compliments and pleasantry

24.  They say to tell people simple things they want to hear

25.  Or misdirect them with all kinds of things built on fear

26.  Like terrorism, socialism, death squads, and they’ll take your
guns.

27. Carry a cross, wave the flag, beware of the drugs-and the bums!

28. And  don’t forget to say that you going to cut the tax.

29. Remember that unless you lie about these things, you’ll get the
ax.

                                             (chorus)

30. Gimme your money, the power-keep the status quo-forget the
facts.
31. Gimme your money, the power-keep the status quo-forget the
facts.
32. Gimme your money, the power-keep the status quo-forget the
facts.

33.  No more spoilers, gerrymanders, vote strategizing or
first-past-the-post

34.  No unfair voting, pay-for-play or paid lobbyists to host.

35.  In short I’m combination designer, philosopher and utilitarian.

36.  I am the very model of a pragmatic humanitarian.

                                      (chorus)

37.  In short he’s a designer, philosopher, and utilitarian,

38.  He is the very model of a pragmatic humanitarian.

39.  We should stop building prisons and end the War on Drugs

40.  It’s unconstitutional, doesn’t work, costs a lot, and makes more
thugs.

41.  It’s a crime made of things not criminal, said Lincoln of
prohibition

42.  It’s a distraction from something truly bad, like a stinkin’
politician

43.  Or an energy policy based on war, pollution, debt and corporate
expropriation.

44.  Our growth policies have created a suburban nation.

45.  Our conglomerating media is based on tabloidization

46.  If it bleeds it leads and if it thinks it stinks beyond
recognition.

47. This happens because fairness is something we fail to
appreciate.

48. Therefore representative democracy is something we must
contemplate.

                                      (chorus)

49. Representative democracy is something we must contemplate.

50. Representative democracy is something we must contemplate.

51. Representative democracy is something we must
contem-contemplate.

52. The election is near so I will do my best to endure and strive

53. And even if I lose this time the ideas will remain and we’ll
survive.

54.  Because I am a designer, philosopher and utilitarian

55.  I am the very model of a pragmatic humanitarian

                                  (chorus)

56.  Because he is a designer, philosopher and utilitarian

57.  He is the very model of a pragmatic humanitarian.

58.  Democracy! Yes! Michael Arth! A leader and ideas we deserve.

59.  It’s up to us, after all! This time we have a choice!

60.  Michael Arth for Governor!

Other portals:

Personal Facebook page

Campaign Facebook page

I have had careers in fine art, building and urban design, construction and currently work as an urban designer, community activist and policy analyst. My latest book is Democracy and Common Wealth: Breaking the Stranglehold of the Special Interests.  An award-winning documentary, New Urban Cowboy: Toward a New Pedestrianism, tells the story of how I rebuilt DeLand’s “Cracktown” into The Historic Garden District. The headline in a front-page article in the Daytona Beach News-Journal sums it pretty well: “He turned Cracktown into a gem, now he wants to remake Florida.”

I entered the gubernatorial race fifteen months ago because, with my experience and knowledge of how our system works, I considered it my duty to initiate reforms that could quickly turn around the state’s economy and solve the major problems in our society.  The two-party candidates want to prop up the status quo with Band-Aids when what we need is fundamental, systemic reform that will get the heart of the problems. 

The 2011 Florida State Budget Deficit is $6 billion to $8 billion, with a total budget of $70.4 billion, an increase of almost $4 billion from the previous year. I have a plan to eliminate this deficit, end corruption, and bring Florida into the future as an innovative powerhouse of clean energy and information-based technology.  

1. Tax and economic policies should favor the vast majority. We already proved that progressive taxation and more equality is good for the country. The top federal tax income tax on the very rich from 1951 to 1963 was over 91%, and the corporate rate was 52%, yet this period was incredibly prosperous and productive. It was the heyday of the middle class when one breadwinner per household was the norm.

Both of the two-party candidates, Alex Sink and Rick Scott, are millionaires working for millionaires, and this why both of them support extending the Bush tax cuts for themselves and other members of the financial elite.

Supply side economics does not work and even some conservatives have stated so publicly. George Bush Sr. called it “Voodoo Economics” before he agreed to self-censure and become Reagan’s running mate. Later, George Bush Jr.‘s economic advisor, conservative Harvard economist Gregory Mankiw, in a textbook on economics, described Ronald Reagan’s supply siders as “cranks and charlatans”. Conservative political economist Francis Fukuyama, who contributed to the Reagan doctrine (also called “Reaganomics”) later changed his mind and concluded that tax cuts create deficits.  Supply side economics is widely known as trickle down theory— the idea being that you feed the fat cows so the flies can eat.

I prefer the term “tinkle down economics” because it’s obvious the fat cows are peeing on us while asking us to believe it is raining liquid gold. 

They claim it works even while asking us to tighten our belts and attacking Medicare, national health insurance, and Social Security.  Both Sink and Scott, being among the richest 1% of Americans, have benefited the most from tax cuts, and this is why they want to continue them. We need to reverse this trend to benefit the vast majority of us.
 
Florida’s state and local tax burden is 47th in the nation at 7.4% of income. For 90% of Floridians this should stay the same. However, we should institute a graduated state income tax on the top 10% of income earners, and slightly raise the corporate income rate so that Florida’s collections are close to the average rate of 9.7%.

2. Create a State Bank: North Dakota is the only state to have one, and it is also the only state with a budget in the black. The Great Recession never happened in North Dakota. Unemployment is 3.6%; foreclosures are low; the economy is humming. A state bank in Florida, which incorporated the FL State Board of Administration’s $138 billion fund, the state’s payroll, and its employees bank accounts, could put a $3 billion annual dividend into Florida’s Rainy Day Fund. If we had done this ten years ago, Florida’s deficit would have been covered, and would have had a huge reserve going into the recession. A state bank would be answerable to the people instead of stockholders.

3. Transparency, Accountability and Efficiency: Make public agencies comply with the open records law, and require all records to be published online in an easily searchable data base that can be understood by the public. Let our citizens seek out the waste and fraud to hold our leaders accountable.  Apply these principles to streamlining regulations and business practices in both the public and private sector.

4. End rampant electoral fraud and corruption: Florida had 824 convicted public officials from 1998 to 2007, presumably with a much greater number getting away with their crimes. It is wrong for the top 1% to have as much as the bottom 90%, or for them to dictate to the rest of us what kind of government we are going to have through electoral chicanery. We should trade winner-take-all voting for majority choice voting, and PACs, paid lobbyists and private campaign funding with highly limited and regulated public campaign financing. This will enable us to elect leaders concerned about the issues and the economy, instead of fund-raising and power-brokering.

5. New Pedestrianism: Require that all new development in Florida follows the New Pedestrianism model, in order to ensure that we are building sustainable communities instead of dysfunctional automobile slums that create interminable social and economic problems.

6. To reduce crime, and save billions, end the War on Drugs: The War on Drugs has been a war on the poor and a war on society. It has destroyed millions of lives, fostered corruption and contempt for the law, and has spawned 49,000 gang members in Florida alone. Our state’s incarceration rate is eight times higher than Canada, and yet we have the second highest crime rate in the 50 states. 

To the extent it is possible, in consideration of the federal issues involved, we need to end the war on drugs, and create a treatment-centered approach to drug problems. The Feds have agreed not to enforce the federal statutes against states that allow medical marijuana. Florida should use this loophole to essentially legalize both the use and cultivation of cannabis. There has never in the entire recorded history of the world ever been a documented overdose death from cannabis, and it is less addictive than coffee. Any prohibition against it is irrational or based on competing business interests.

Ultimately the national solution is make drugs quasi-legal, with regulation and taxation similar to alcohol and tobacco, which are truly dangerous, but with highly restricted advertising for all psychoactive substances, including prescription drugs, alcohol and tobacco. The criminal element that sells drugs will not go away without ending prohibition. The simple fact that drugs are available inside prison demonstrates the impossibility of eliminating them from open society.

Study after study, and real life itself, has demonstrated over and over that prohibition causes far more problems than the substances themselves.

For example, a Rand Institute study showed treatment to be seven times more cost effective than incarceration. Reducing the harm caused by a failed law enforcement policies could save $4-8 billion a year in prisons, courts, juvenile justice, health care and law enforcement.  Huge savings would also result from crime reduction and improving family life. Taxes from cannabis and other drugs could pay for treatment and health care related issues. There will be more on why we need to end prohibition in the next blog.

8. End homelessness, Save Money: This can be done by building villages for the adult homeless that especially focuses on helping those who suffer from developmental disabilities and/or addictions. These villages for the homeless would be located outside of inner cities and they would consolidate inefficient and expensive agencies that are not currently solving the very specific problems related to homelessness. These would also be work centers that provide on site employment, and also provide employees with documented and certified workers. Please visit the website for the organization I founded at www.villagesforthehomeless.org.

9. Develop clean, alternative energy: The real cost of gasoline has been estimated in one study to be $11.35 per gallon because of various public subsidies, both direct and indirect, mostly to the oil and automobile industries, and to the military-industrial complex. This has resulted in global instability, environmental damage, economic distress, an imbalance of trade, and a dependence of foreign countries for energy. “The Sunshine State” should be a leader in solar energy development, and also in hydro-power.  By one estimate, about 0.01% of the hydrokinetic energy in the Gulf Stream (the strongest current in the world), captured with underwater turbines just off the coast, could supply one-third of Florida’s energy needs. This is equivalent to 4-10 nuclear power plants. These immense natural resources, which could create hundreds of thousands of jobs and great wealth, are being ignored because politicians let the oil companies dictate our energy policy.

Conclusion: All of the savings from the increased efficiency resulting from these nine steps could be used to create full employment, and make Florida a global leader in clean, alternative energy.