Conservative Guide to Florida

Conservative Guide to Florida Welcome to the resource page for conservatives in Florida. Here, you will find a comprehensive list of people, groups, laws, and other items of interest to conservative Floridians. Whether you want to get involved with conservative politics in the state or are just trying to learn more, this will be the place for you.   Florida: Purple State Politics Florida is a center-right state where conservatives have dominated state-level politics since the late 1990s. Jeb Bush became governor in 1999, starting a string of GOP control of the governors mansion through at least 2019. Rick Scott is the current Republican Governor. As of 2013, Republicans control more than 60% of the seats in both the state house and state senate. The story is quite a bit different when it comes to national politics. Presidential elections are almost always close. Florida gave two close victories to both George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004 and to Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. Since 1981, the US Senate seats have been split between 1 Republican and 1 Democrat in all but four years. Democrats usually run as moderates in the state, while Republicans run moderate to very conservative in statewide elections. Democrats and liberals tend to populate the heavy population zones including the southeastern part of the state near Miami and Palm Beach County, Tampa in the northwest, and Orlando in the middle of the state. Republicans and conservatives do well in the many low-population and rural inland counties, the gulf coast region on the southwest, and throughout the military-friendly Florida panhandle. Duval County (Jacksonville) is one of the few large cities in the state where Republicans also do well, relatively speaking. Snowbirds and retirees have a major impact on the political scene in Florida. A large portion of these residents often flock from liberal northeastern states and bring their votes with them. Key Laws of Interest Florida is a very strong 2nd amendment state with strong gun rights. The Stand Your Ground law enables Floridians to defend themselves without the threat of a lawsuit. Florida also has a three strikes law which has severe punishments for repeat felons. Florida is one of just six states to have no state income tax while also having relatively low state sales taxes. Food purchases are non-taxed. In regards to abortion, parental notification is a requirement and an ultrasound is required prior to an abortion being performed and the provider must offer to let the patient see the ultrasound. Same-sex marriage is banned in Florida, with 62% of voters having approved a constitutional ban in 2008. Important Conservative Figures From the State Marco Rubio: US Senate 2011-2017 and 2016 presidential candidate. Allen West: US Congressman 2011-2013. Jeb Bush: Governor 1999-2007 and 2016 presidential candidate. Rush Limbaugh: #1 Talk Radio Host nationwide and Palm Beach County resident. Tim Tebow: NFL Player, motivational speaker, and conservative role model. Will Weatherford: Florida House Representative 2006-Current and Speaker of the House 2012-Current. Florida Organizations, Websites, and Thinkers The James Madison Institute: Operates with a mission to keep the citizens of Florida informed about their government and to shape our state’s future through the advancement of practical free-market ideas on public policy issues. The Republican Party of Florida: The GOP team that works to promote the Republican party agenda and Republican candidates in the state. BizPac Review: Florida-based news and information site for conservatives. Features both original reporting, editorials on local issues, and information on Florida elections. Conservative Radio Stations (Major Cities) A listing of major-market radio stations in the state of Florida. Personality lineups are as reported by the stations as of May 2013. Ft Myers - FOX 92.5 (Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity) Miami - WIOD AM610 (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck)Orlando - WFLA 104.5 (Glenn Beck, Dave Ramsey, Rush Limbaugh) Jacksonville - WBOB AM600 (Laura Ingraham, Glenn Beck, Mike Huckabee)Jacksonville - WOKV FM104.5 (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Herman Cain)Naples - WGUF 98.9FM (Jim Bohannon, Laura Ingraham, Dennis Miller)Naples - WNOG 1270 (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck)Pensacola/Panhandle: WPNN 790AM (Laura Ingraham, Burnie Thomspon/local, Mike Gallagher)Pensacola/Panhandle: WCOA 1370AM (Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity)Pensacola/Panhandle: WCOA 100.7FM (Mike Huckabee, Phil Valentine, Mark Levin)Tampa - WFLA AM970 (Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Todd Schnitt/Local, Sean Hannity)Tallahassee - WFLA 100.7 FM (Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity) West Palm Beach - WJNO AM1290 (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin)

Ethos, Logos, Pathos for Persuasion

Ethos, Logos, Pathos for Persuasion You may be surprised to learn that much of your life consists of constructing arguments. If you ever plead a case to your parents- in order to extend your curfew or to get a new gadget, for example- you are using persuasive strategies. When you discuss music with friends and agree or disagree with them about the merits of one singer compared to another, you are also using strategies for persuasion. Indeed, when you engage in these arguments with your parents and friends, you are instinctively using ancient strategies for persuasion that were identified by the Greek philosopher Aristotle a few thousand years ago. Aristotle called his ingredients for persuasion pathos, logos, and ethos. Persuasion Tactics and Homework When you write a research paper, write a speech, or participate in a debate, you also use the persuasion strategies mentioned above. You come up with an idea (a thesis) and then construct an argument to convince readers that your idea is sound. You should become familiar with pathos, logos, and ethos for two reasons: First, you need to develop your own skills at crafting a good argument so that others will take you seriously. Second, you must develop the ability to identify a really weak argument, stance, claim, or position when you see or hear it. Logos Defined Logos refers to an appeal to reason based on logic. Logical conclusions come from assumptions and decisions derived from weighing a collection of solid facts and statistics. Academic arguments (research papers) rely on logos. An example of an argument that relies on logos is the argument that smoking is harmful based on the evidence that, When burned, cigarettes create more than 7,000 chemicals. At least 69 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, and many are toxic, according to the American Lung Association. Notice that the statement above uses specific numbers. Numbers are sound and logical. An everyday example of an appeal to logos is the argument that Lady Gaga is more popular than Justin Bieber because Gagas fan pages collected 10 million more Facebook fans than Biebers. As a researcher, your job is to find statistics and other facts to back up your claims. When you do this, you are appealing to your audience with logic or logos. Ethos Defined Trustworthiness is important in research. You must trust your sources, and your readers must trust you. The example above concerning logos contained two examples that were based on hard facts (numbers). However, one example comes from the American Lung Association. The other comes from Facebook fan pages. You should ask yourself: Which of these sources do you suppose is more credible? Anyone can start a Facebook page. Lady Gaga may have 50 different fan pages, and each page may contain duplicate fans. The fan page argument is probably not very sound (even though it seems logical). Ethos refers to the credibility of the person posing the argument or stating the facts. The facts provided by the American Lung Association are probably more persuasive than those provided by fan pages since the American Lung Association has been around for more than 100 years. At first glance, you might think that your own credibility is out of your control when it comes to posing academic arguments, but that is incorrect. Even if you write an academic paper on a topic that is outside your area of expertise, you can improve your credibility- using ethos to persuade- by coming across as a professional by citing credible sources and making your writing error-free and concise. Pathos Defined Pathos refers to appealing to a person by influencing his emotions. Pathos is involved in the strategy of convincing the audience by invoking feelings through their own imaginations. You appeal through pathos when you try to convince your parents of something. Consider this statement: Mom, there is clear evidence that cellphones save lives in emergency situations. While that statement is true, the real power lies in the emotions that you will likely invoke in your parents. What mother wouldnt envision a broken-down automobile perched by the side of a busy highway upon hearing that statement? Emotional appeals are extremely effective, but they can be tricky. There may or may not be a place for pathos in your research paper. For example, you may be writing an argumentative essay about the death penalty. Ideally, your paper should contain a logical argument. You should appeal to logos by including statics to support your view such as data that suggests that the death penalty does/does not cut down on crime (theres plenty of research both ways). Use Appeals to Emotion Sparingly You may also use pathos by interviewing someone who witnessed an execution (on the anti-death penalty side) or someone who found closure when a criminal was executed (on the pro-death penalty side). Generally, however, academic papers should employ appeals to emotions sparingly. A long paper that is purely based on emotions is not considered very professional. Even when you are writing about an emotionally charged, controversial issue like the death penalty, you cant write a paper that is all emotion and opinion. The teacher, in that circumstance, will likely assign a failing grade because you havent provided a sound (logical) argument. Source â€Å"Whats In a Cigarette?†Ã‚  American Lung Association,