SMOKEY WIST -- THE GUY WHO GOT IT ALL WRONG!

An Opinion By Jan Bergemann
President, Cyber Citizens For Justice, Inc.

Published September 14, 2010

I think we all agree that our country might be a lot better off if we would have an independent third party. Especially since it seems that our two leading parties are more and more taken over by the right-wing nuts -- or left-wing nuts -- that throw common sense overboard and are no longer serving the welfare of our citizens but the special interest groups financing them. We voters are often only left with candidates who give us the choice to pick the lesser of two evils.

Many folks -- for that reason -- welcomed the TEA PARTY, hoping that voters would be left with more favorable choices come election time. But a new party needs to establish credibility among the voters -- and that's what the TEA PARTY lacks. It's a great idea to let everybody join who is willing to join, but a new party has to establish certain regulations and guidelines in order to be taken seriously.

I still get a good laugh about their guidelines regarding candidates: The Tea Party states that they don't want to support candidates that are attorneys with a private agenda. So far, so good, right? But that opens up the question: Why are they endorsing Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate? Rubio is the poster-child of all of the above, as he clearly proved while he was Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.

There are many good folks who are honestly trying to do good -- and have really good intentions. But these good folks have to be really careful that their movement is not undermined by NUTS that no other party wants in the first place. And they surely need to watch that they don't use speakers, whose reputation is already shaky, to speak publicly on issues in the name of the TEA PARTY.

The latest example to be seen on YOU TUBE: SMOKEY WIST, a person who earned quite a while back the reputation of being a stooge for a developer. Smokey Wist was a developer-appointed supervisor for The Villages Community Development District 4. Wist was kicked out of office by voters in November 2006, as soon as the homeowners had the opportunity to vote for their Board of Supervisors when the developer lost control of this part of The Villages.

Using somebody with a reputation of being a stooge for the developers to explain the "downfall" of AMENDMENT 4 surely was a bad idea and surely left the TEA PARTY with some egg on their faces. Because Wist surely lived up to his reputation.

Take a look at this video of Smokey Wist -- as official speaker for the North Lake Tea Party. Give him credit for wearing a very patriotic shirt. But even that shirt can't cover up the serious shortcomings of his explanation about AMENDMENT 4.

Wist got nearly everything wrong he could get wrong -- after reading the wording of Amendment 4. At the end -- after reading the wording, he said: "OK. What it means ....!"
And that's where the facts stopped and the fairy tales started.

Wist started with the example of the sewer line -- showing that he has not the slightest idea what he is talking

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about. What does a little sewer line have to do with a comprehensive land use plan?

He makes great statements, like his great idea about the more than 2000 land use changes that will all appear on the ballot -- about that thick -- and he indicates about a foot! Throwing in a joke about Obama's health care plan gets him some laughs, but the folks laughing obviously didn't realize that he made up the whole story about the more than 2000 changes to the land use plans -- and the ballot that will be one foot thick!

Then he starts the often-debated story about St. Pete Beach. Good story he is spinning -- and he adds some disclaimers, knowing full well what he is saying is factually wrong. Starting with the party that initiated the whole disaster! He claims the wording was confusing. I guess the only one confused is Wist -- because he can't even get a simple story straight!

As an opposing example, he brought up the story of Yankeetown. Wist thinks it's funny, because the folks in Yankeetown didn't want any changes -- they were happy with the way their town was. Believe it or not, there are still people living in Florida who are happy with their way of living. Difficult to understand for a guy with a limited horizon like Smokey Wist!

Let's face it: Some people -- like Smokey Wist -- would be much better advised to keep their mouths shut. Or some people should talk only with a small circle of friends without a video camera taping every word they say.

And the public wouldn't see Wist for what he really is:

Another stooge for the developers who can't get the facts straight!

And in case you are wondering why we all need to VOTE YES ON 4?

HERE IS ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS: CORRUPTION!

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