Time for a call

Dear Friend,

Over the last couple weeks, serious and disturbing revelations have come to light over the management of the Republican Party's budget. It's an issue that strikes at the core of the leadership of our state government and the will of Republican elected officials to do their job and investigate.

Newspapers from across Florida have reported about the excessive payments to Republican Party officials, politicians using party funds for their own benefit, and schemes to hide these dealings from public scrutiny.

However, Florida's chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Bill McCollum, has refused to investigate the alleged criminal activity within the Republican Party. Like the career politician that he is, McCollum recently paid lip service to cleaning up corruption by setting up a hotline for taxpayers to call and report alleged corruption so it could be investigated

So it's time for you to take action by picking up your phone and calling that hotline.

Let Attorney General Bill McCollum know that Floridians believe he needs to investigate the RPOF AmEx slush fund now. It'll just take a minute for you to leave your message and let him know you feel he should do his job and investigate.

Call the hotline now at 1 (800) 646-0444, right now. Then click on this link to let us know you did so we can follow up and let you know the outcome.

Last week, State Senators Dave Aronberg and Dan Gelber joined together to send a letter to Attorney General Bill McCollum calling for him to stop delaying and open an investigation:

"As Florida's chief law enforcement officer, it is incumbent on you to formally request an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement into the possible criminal activity and public corruption surrounding the RPOF's secret contracts and credit cards."

Even the Republican Party's own former General Counsel Robert Sechen was paraphrased as saying these secret dealings "might also run afoul of a state law governing Florida political parties that makes it a third-degree felony for a chairman or treasurer to knowingly make 'a false or improper accounting for' political money."

We need to let Attorney General Bill McCollum know that the people of Florida want to hold politicians, including McCollum's cronies, accountable by demanding an investigation.

Please, take minute to make a call and let Attorney General Bill McCollum know that he's waited long enough, Floridians expect action, and that means an investigation.

Call the corruption hotline now at 1 (800) 646-0444 and let them know they should investigate. Then click on this link to let us know you did so we can follow up and let you know the outcome.

This is not just a political scandal. There is a serious issue that that reaches the highest level of our state government.

Sadly, the way the Republican Party has managed their own budget isn't too different from how they have managed the state's budget: private slush funds, secret contracts and pay offs for friends. But it's not their money; it's the people's money.

Former Speaker Ray Sansom's scandal has revealed how the Republicans treated the budget as a personal business plan and now the Republican Party's scandal has revealed that literally dozens of GOP legislators treated themselves to private partisan slush funds.

We can't sit by while this lack of leadership continues to be the norm from the Republican political elites of our state. We need to make the call and let Bill McCollum know it has to stop now.

This needs to stop - it's time for you to make a call.

Take a minute to call the corruption hotline now at 1 (800) 646-0444 and let them know they should investigate. Then click on this link to let us know you did so we can follow up and let you know the outcome.

Thank you for standing up and making a call today. With your help, we can make sure that the people know the truth.

Sincerely, Karen L. Thurman