Today, I received an email (posted below) from Florida President Bernie Machen asking for my voice. Seems they have created a new organization to lobby the Florida legislature for issues important to the school. To me, I am always offended when someone making 750k a year (including bonuses), gripes about a lack of funding. Simply put, Machen needs to lead by example.

A good leader demonstrates by example. If you want to discuss a lack of funding, how about first disclosing that you are one of the highest paid educators in the country. A good leader does not lead by having behavior that indicates a lack of personal responsibility. But then again, I started thinking Machen was not cut out for the job when he didn’t bother to attend a summer commencement .

Here’s the email:

Dear Gator Nation,

The Florida Legislature begins its 2010 session March 2nd, with another tight budget year expected. I want to take this opportunity to ask you to reach out to your elected officials in support of UF – and to remind you that we have an excellent organization to assist you.

Gators for Higher Education, created in partnership with the University of Florida Alumni Association, is a group of volunteers who contact their lawmakers at our request when the Legislature is considering issues critical to UF. The organization was extremely helpful to UF last year, when lawmakers considered and ultimately passed the tuition flexibility bill that is proving so important to UF during this era of cutbacks in state funding.

Support for our base budget is likely to be an issue again this year. Other UF legislative priorities include securing recurring funding for graduate student health insurance and the Florida High Tech Corridor Council, and medical school funding.

Whatever the issue at hand, we hope and anticipate that Gators for Higher Education will be just as helpful this spring as it was last spring. Both Florida and out-of-state residents are welcome to sign up, and there is no cost for participation. To learn more and to become a member, please take a moment to visit http://gatorsforhighered.ufl.edu.

Your voice, your connection to your local lawmakers and your loyalty and love for UF can all make a huge difference to this university. Thank you very much for your consideration. I look forward to working closely with the members of Gators for Higher Education this spring.

Sincerely,

J. Bernard Machen

As expected, I did not receive a response and there was no mention of donations, declines, or anything else from Bernie Machen.

Fast Forward to 2009

Today the Gainesville Sun reports that Bernie Machen is donating $285,000.00 to a scholarship he created for students. Yes, it’s a nice thing, but is it the best thing and/or too little too late? Why did we need a new scholarship? Couldn’t any of the already existing scholarships have benefited from this money? And again, thank you Mr. Machen for donating this money– and yes, that’s an amazing tax write off you’ll get– but what about all the other bonuses you have received? It’s nice to hold a big press conference for this, but honestly, I still think he needs to do a lot more.

Norman Botsford, the current Police Chief of Gainesville, Florida, announced that he would be retiring from his position. Although the following Gainesville Sun article highlights his history, they don’t mention how in recent years he has helmed a department who’s morale has dropped faster than, well insert your metaphor here… it’s way low.

This is a good thing.

Here’s what the Gainesville Sun said:

The City Commission will discuss the decision at 6 p.m. in the City Hall Auditorium. There will be a presentation from City Manager Russ Blackburn about the decision.

There will be a nationwide search for a replacement, and Botsford will remain at the department until the search is completed. Blackburn said that transition period should take four months and will not go past November.

#Chief Botsford has been contemplating this issue, I think, for some time,# Blackburn said Thursday at a news conference. #It was his decision to submit his intent to retire, and to ensure that we have an orderly transition.#

Blackburn acknowledged recent issues at the department during his speech, but emphasized that Botsford retired of his own volition.

Last week the media reported about three officers within the Gainesville Police Department who, on three separate occasions while off-duty, drove through a high-crime area with the intent of harassing prostitutes and drug dealers.

#I am saddened, particularly our most recent incident, and I#m insulted to some degree by the actions of these individuals,# Blackburn said.

Botsford began his career in law enforcement in 1966 as a patrol officer with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. He spent almost 30 years climbing the ranks to become interim chief and then left for the Broward County Sheriff#s Office.

His next move took him to the college town of Columbia, Mo., where he was chief of police for three years.

#Chief Botsford has done some remarkable things in his career,# Blackburn said. #The Reichert House is really one of the best examples in the nation of how a city can be proactive in trying to address the issue of crime. He worked together with other law enforcement agencies, including the Alachua County Sheriff#s Office # in ways that are atypical for other departments.#

Blackburn emphasized that there would be a nationwide search for a new chief.

#Certainly we have a number of people in the department who will be interested in being police chief # I would encourage those people to apply,# Blackburn said.

Details will be forthcoming about how the search will be conducted and Blackburn said #it will certainly include opportunities for the public to be involved.#

Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell, who had served for years with the police department, declined to comment on the announcement Thursday. Lt. Steve Maynard, a spokesman for the Sheriff#s Office, said his agency was prepared to assist with the transition of a new police administration in any capacity the police department requests.

Some higher-ranking GPD officers learned about the announcement at a meeting held shortly before the 12:30 press conference. The announcement also was being at a shift change this evening, according to some officers. But police also said rumors had been rampant for some time before reports that some officers had been involved in an egg-throwing incident that Botsford was planning to leave the agency in this fall. Talk had already started about in-house candidates for the job.

“Our job pretty much is almost not really impacted,” since Botsford will remain at the agency at least for several months, said Capt. Lonnie Scott. He said the agency must continue to “re-establish credibility and repair our image with the community.”

“We’re more focused on that than other items like the politics and other items we can’t control,” he said.

Staff writer Lise Fisher contributed to this report

http://www.voiptechchat.com/tech/245/university-of-florida-security-strikes-out/

I like ranting now and then

Fred with family at Thanksgiving

Good morning world and welcome to the snowed in Monday morning edition of Fred Posner dot com. Let’s discuss the weekend…

Not much happened. Let’s see, in random order:

• Yeni and I had Pizza so good I reactivated Fat Freddy Says
• The Gators beat Alabama and are headed to Miami for the Championship Game
• My Harley is back from the dealer… and is pretty much packed away until March (but sounds GREAT with my new pipes)
• Thanksgiving Pictures were posted
• Blogged about an idiotic FBI Warning
• Yeni and I started on the Holiday Vegitation
• and the Chicago Tribune filed for bankruptcy.

And how’s your day? Feel free to comment

Fred enjoying Dunkin' Donuts

Yeni and I started early — very early — Saturday morning. After loading the truck and topping off the tank, we hit I-94 somewhere around 4 am. It was BEYOND cold with the truck showing outside temperatures ranging from 10 – 15 degrees. Normally, I make as few stops as humanly possible; combing fuel stops with rest breaks (and yes, “rest breaks” means exactly what it sounds like). I learned quickly, that while traveling with someone else (aka Yeni) brings great joy, it also requires more frequent “rest breaks.”

Our first break was near Dayton, OH. Finding a Dunkin’ Donuts, we stopped for “rest,” coffee, and an egg bagel. Mmmm, egg bagel. After topping off the tank, we heading back on the highway hitting a major traffic jam in Cincinnati, OH. After staying in place for the better part of an hour, we were able to cross the bridge, enter Kentucky, and put Ohio behind us.

When we reached Lexington, KY, we got off the main road and visited a college friend of Yeni’s (Maria Fernanda and her husband Diego). After a nice visit and a great breakfast, we dropped Mafe at the Univeristy of Kentucky and continued south. I’d never been to the University, and it’s always nice to visit a place where the Gators have dominated (this year we destroyed Kentucky, but that was a home game).

My favorite part of driving to/from Michigan is the leg from Lexington, KY to Knoxville, TN. The trip takes you through the Cumberland Mountains (southeastern section of the Appalachian Mountains) and provides beautiful climbs, views, and scenery. Although best experienced riding on a Harley, the trip is still enjoyable from the truck.

Little Lil puts a smile on Fred's face

After reaching Knoxville, we called my good friend Patrick and met with him, his daughter, and wife (Jessi) at a local Italian restaurant. It was great to see their family and playing with lil’ Lil put a big smile on my face. After eating some pasta, rolls, and cannoli , we were back on the road — this time with Yeni at the wheel.

Chattanooga is only a few miles north of Georgia, and the drive through Georgia is long; very long. Did we mention construction? Georgia’s I-75 passage can be described in three words: Pecans, Outlets, Construction. Despite being on the road for more than 20 hours, Yeni was determined to drive through Georgia by herself. She made creative efforts to stay alert, such as talking to the GPS device, counting Juanes songs, and singing.

We reached Florida around 2am and I took over the wheel. When we arrived to the house in Gainesville, Yeni wisely suggested we inflate the bed, grab some shuteye, and rest for a few hours. We rested until around 7 am, loaded Grandma’s chandelier into the truck, grabbed breakfast at DD, and hit the road. Yeni had never seen Florida’s west coast or the Everglades, so I decided to take I-75 straight through to Fort Lauderdale.

Spider-bear at the Gulf of Mexico

When we reached Tampa, we took I-275 to visit the Tampa Bay and see the ocean. I-275 takes you over the Sunshine Skyway bridge (the world’s longest cable bridge) and the ocean view provides a great contrast to the snow we woke up to on the previous morning. Yeni seemed to enjoy the ocean, and Spider-bear was excited to play on the rocks (during one of the “rest” stops).

We continued driving (well, I drove while Yeni napped), and after crossing the Everglades reached the Casa de Parientes. I cannot wait for the rest of the family to arrive and celebrate my favorite holiday.

Yeni sleeps in the Everglades

Our day started at 3 AM in Ann Arbor, so a little rest will be nice. Yeni’s set on driving until she hits Florida so she can have driven all through Georgia.

It’s always nice to be in Gainesville after a big UF win. Go Gators.

Quote of the moment: “Georgia construction sucks. Literally. “– Yeni

Apparently my built-in entertainment center was something that made the house un-sellable, and according to the realtor impossible for anyone to imagine their furniture in my house. So, Ms. Realtor and her hired handyman remove the entertainment center, leaving some big ol’ holes in the wall and about 40 sq. ft. of hole in the wood floor. They start painting over the kitchen, because apparently the house should be a uniform color.

So, after about 2 weeks of seeing concrete in my wood floor, I start to stress. And stress hard. I call her and explain that I don’t know how the house will be ready for the deadline of 3 days. She goes nuts and literally starts yelling at me. Long story short — she says she cannot work with a client that won’t give her unconditional trust. And then she’s goes buh bye. Never gives me back the key… nada.

So after changing the locks (nice unexpected cost), I go to look for wood floor. No one makes the matching parque… NO ONE. I called Armstrong / Hartco (the manufacturer) who informs me they have discontinued the product and have not had inventory for at least 5 years. YAY!!!!

So, I’m now looking for carpet pricing and finishing painting. Trying to smile… thinking basically of Little Nemo and trying to “just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”

But, the great thing about Orange and Blue weekend, is that usually a good ol’ friendly alumni comes to town. This year, it was The Egan’s who graced our lovely town with their beautiful baby Grace.

Had a great time smelling the flowers, eating a burger at Cafe Gardens, and hanging out with great friends.

The rest of the weekend I spent catching up on films I never saw in the theater; which means I can scratch Dan in Real Life, The Dewey Cox Story, and No Reservations off my list.

My favorite of them? Clearly the chick flick was going to win.

For more pictures of the weekend, check out my photos at Picasa:

Fred’s Picasaweb Gallery

Anyway…. I don’t know if it were a set-up or whatever… but I can’t say it looks like the police handled this very well at all… and anyone who knows me, knows it’s very hard for me to be critical of law enforcement officers… Agencies? Sure (gpdsucks.com anyone?)… but not officers… except if it’s something as pathetically handled as this little taser incident.

Go gators.