Notes For Friday, May 23, 2003

Budget Deal: "the plan raids more than $830 million from state reserves and requires citizens to pay millions more in fees and college tuition" - "Florida raids its reserves for budget". See also "Senate and House leaders reach budget deal".

Please Read This: The FCAT Is A National Embarassment - Read it in the New York Times: "Republicans who control the [Florida]Legislature and made passing the test mandatory for promotion, have been happy to ignore the educational research. So what if hundreds of studies in the last two decades have concluded that holding children back has no long-term academic benefit, that within two years retained students once again lag behind classmates and that retained students are more likely to drop out of high school."

"So what if Florida's own Department of Education issued a report in the early 1990's warning against retention: "'Research on the subject is clear. Grade level retention does not work. Further, it would be difficult to find another educational practice on which the research findings are so unequivocally negative.'"

"So what if politicians insist on ignoring history. At a public hearing last year, State Senator Anna P. Cowin called the research 'gobbledygook,' and State Senator Donald C. Sullivan called those who questioned the new policy 'the bad guys.' In this manner, Florida has set a national precedent, giving the adults who know these third graders best — their teachers and principals — absolutely no say in who will be kept back."

And what does our "Jeb!" have to say? "Governor Bush keeps reminding [parents] that the new policy is for their own good, even if a record number are being retained. 'That breaks my heart,' he said. 'But if we don't deal with it now, going forward there are going to be a whole lot of shattered dreams.'" More.

The Republican response to all this? It's just a "political attack on Bush" as the Florida GOP claims. See "Dump the test, thousands demand".

On Bush Starting An Abortion Fight - "One guardian too few, and one too many"

"Foley: My sexuality is private" - "U.S. Rep. Mark Foley took the offensive Thursday to address a question he acknowledged may affect his bid to become the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate: Is he gay? The answer, Foley said, is that it's nobody's business but his own. He called the innuendo about his private life 'revolting and unforgivable,' and blamed it on Democratic activists who fear his strength as a candidate." . . .

"Ken Connor, executive director of the conservative Family Research Council, said in a recent interview that he doesn't care whether Foley is gay or not, but that his record on gay rights `represents the radical homosexual agenda, and I'm not sure that's the path our party needs to take.'" See "Foley: My sexuality is private".

Although Foley's Palm Beach district may be "unconcerned" about sex issue, wait until he starts stumping in the rest of the state. Foley will feel the repercussions of the GOP that "Jeb!" built - an amen chorus of goose steppers. Foley's campaign is officially dead, though he may not know it yet. 6:16 AM


Notes For Thursday, May 22, 2003

Budget - Byrd may have dropped his $45-million Alzheimer's research center thereby clearing the way for a budget agreement. See "State budget obstacle vanishes".

Mike Thomas - "This certainly is turning out to be a legislative session for the history books. Big Sugar gets to keep polluting the Everglades. Phone companies get to double our rates. Developers get to plunder the Wekiva region. . . . Meanwhile, House Republicans approved $350 million in pork-barrel projects. Jeb Bush and Republicans in both houses have approved $300 million in tax cuts." And "[n]ow lawmakers literally want to poison the future for thousands of Florida children. In this latest installment of Florida for Sale, Republican lawmakers want to whack the state's anti-smoking 'Truth' campaign. . . . It's interesting that it's always the Republicans who try to kill anti-smoking efforts -- after getting the bulk of tobacco contributions." See "Gutting Truth campaign will poison our kids". Readers will recall that Thomas wrote that he voted for "Jeb!" We look forward to hearing him say that he was wrong.

New York Times Must Read - "Republicans who control the [Florida] Legislature and made passing the test mandatory for promotion, have been happy to ignore the educational research. So what if hundreds of studies in the last two decades have concluded that holding children back has no long-term academic benefit, that within two years retained students once again lag behind classmates and that retained students are more likely to drop out of high school."

"So what if Florida's own Department of Education issued a report in the early 1990's warning against retention: "Research on the subject is clear. Grade level retention does not work. Further, it would be difficult to find another educational practice on which the research findings are so unequivocally negative."

"So what if politicians insist on ignoring history. At a public hearing last year, State Senator Anna P. Cowin called the research "gobbledygook," and State Senator Donald C. Sullivan called those who questioned the new policy "the bad guys." In this manner, Florida has set a national precedent, giving the adults who know these third graders best — their teachers and principals — absolutely no say in who will be kept back." See "A Pupil Held Back, a Heavier Burden".

Hubris - "Last month, a reported test flight by the governor in a Lear jet set off speculation about making upscale changes. Last week, however, there was talk of merely leasing, not buying, a 20-seat commuter airline jet for $2 million to $3 million a year." See "It's not the time to get Jeb a jet".

Bush Enviromental Politics - "The brothers Bush have the science of political environmentalism down pat; as long as one pays lip service to protecting the earth, one may raffle off America's natural resources to the highest bidder." See "Green lip service".

The Joys Of The Private Sector -

- "Imagine the state gave you $75 million in tax money to invest in new businesses to create jobs."

- "Imagine that, rather than creating jobs, the companies you invested in lost 174 jobs in the first four years."

- "Imagine you got to keep all the money anyway, without ever having risked a penny of your own."

"Sound too good to be true? For three venture capital firms, it's all true but still not good enough. They are pressing for a second round of tax credits to get as much as $75 million more among them. One, New Orleans-based Advantage Capital Partners, which wrote the law creating the program in 1998, actually has threatened Gov. Jeb Bush with a lawsuit if the money isn't forthcoming." See "Nothing ventured, millions gained".

"Earth To Jacksonville, Earth To Jacksonville" - "House Speaker Johnnie Byrd has been an effective leader throughout the regular session and special session of the Legislature", says the Florida Times Union in "Stalwart speaker".

Another Fine Florida Export - "Florida’s DEP head could replace Whitman".

"Glades Sellout - "U.S. Rep. Bill Young, the Florida Republican who heads the House of Representatives' Appropriations Committee, and three committee members said in a statement released late Tuesday that the measure Bush signed into law 'does not represent collaboration or consensus' with the federal government or environmentalists." See "Senate backs Bush on Glades bill". Let's be blunt about it: "If Gov. Bush and the Legislature wanted to reassure Floridians that they really do care about the Everglades, they failed." See "Changes didn't improve bad bill for Everglades".

The Orlando Sentinel perhaps put it best: "Bush's changes to the faulty Everglades bill still bow to the sugar industry. Gov. Jeb Bush sacrificed the Everglades to wealthy sugar barons this week, imperiling billions of dollars worth of federal aid, ignoring public sentiment and delaying for another decade long-overdue plans to rid the fabled River of Grass of farming pollutants. No amount of political spin can deny that unmistakable truth." See "Not good enough".

In the meantime, Bob Graham "accused the Bush brothers of ''malfeasance'' for backing controversial Everglades legislation and predicted that Florida would punish the president for it next year. The scolding from the typically measured senator came days after leading environmentalists accused Graham of failing to forcefully oppose the sugar industry-backed bill even while some of his primary opponents and leading Republicans in Congress demanded a veto." See "Graham gives the Bushes a scolding".

"Sherman's March" - The Gainesville Sun argues that "Bush must veto a recent bill that would allow for DOT to not bother with local government regulations."

Bush Hates Lawyers, Especially Good Ones - "In one of the most short-sighted and callous moves yet in this year's budget process, Gov. Jeb Bush and Republican leaders in the House have begun to dismantle the state offices that provide legal representation to death-row inmates. In his budget proposal, Bush recommended defunding the three Capital Collateral Regional Counsel offices and replacing them with attorneys in private practice willing to take these complicated post-conviction death penalty cases - a move that, in most cases, would guarantee prisoners less qualified, less experienced and less commited counsel. Last weekend, weary Senate conferees agreed to part of Bush's plan. The Tallahassee CCRC office would be closed and the 64 cases currently handled by the 29 staff members there would be transferred to private-sector lawyers. But CCRC offices in Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale, which currently handle 78 and 74 cases respectively, would remain open (the handshake understanding is that those offices would be untouched for at least the next three years). This is a done deal, but it is a bad one for Florida. The CCRC is without question the most effective way to provide competent representation to indigent prisoners on death row. Eliminating even part of this program will further weaken Florida's commitment to fairness in its criminal justice system." See "The wrong counsel".

Go Get 'Em Charlie - "A landmark civil rights measure that gives Florida's first Republican attorney general ['Chain Gang' Charlie Crist] more power to fight discrimination passed the Legislature on Wednesday and is headed to the governor for his signature." See "Civil rights bill passed, sent to Bush". 6:42 AM


Notes For Wednesday, May 21, 2003

THIS SAYS IT ALL - "Under the proposal, losing an arm or an eye in an accident at work would no longer be considered enough to get permanent 'catastrophic' disability benefits. A worker would have to lose both arms, legs, or eyes to get full benefits. Injured workers also would face a tougher time hiring a lawyer. And people with permanent injuries would lose all benefits when they turn age 75.""

"Republicans were pressured to vote for the bill by the governor and Senate President Jim King."

Workers' comp fix won't work, critics say"; see also "Workers’-compensation bill draws criticism"

Budget News- "Lawmakers map way out of session swamp". See also "Schools funding formula focus of debate in Capitol".

Malpractice Deform Dead? "Malpractice reform not likely to survive". And the Florida Times Union Ain't Happy.

Housing Trust Funds - "First, the good news: It now appears that lawmakers won't kill affordable housing trust funds that earlier budgets of the House and Gov. Jeb Bush had deleted. Now, the bad news: Like many other Florida trust funds, these are on the verge of being plundered by transferring nonrecurring revenue to the state's general revenue coffers." See "Housing trust funds: saved but savaged".

Don't Tell Ashcroft - "The people of Pinellas County can relax. It is not a jailing offense anymore - at least not for now - to speak 'disrespectfully' to the County Commission. Neither will the commission have you removed and thrown in irons, as it did to a citizen at its May 6 meeting, for being 'boisterous' or saying something 'irrelevant,' 'impertinent' or 'slanderous.'" See "Insulting speech is free speech after all".

You Call That A Compromise? "The state House offered to compromise Tuesday on tuition rates: Rather than giving state universities the power to increase tuition by 12 1/2 percent, the House proposed a 12 percent cap. Half a percentage point. That's still a far cry from the 7-1/2 percent tuition increase contained in the Senate budget plan. So consensus on tuition — one of the biggest differences between the Senate and House — continued to elude state lawmakers, who are struggling to reach agreement on a $52 billion budget for the fiscal year that starts July." Associated Press: "Lawmakers continue negotiations on budget".

Question - Will "Jeb!" Get Any Heat On 'Glades Bill? "Deriding the 'political science' of Everglades restoration, Gov. Jeb Bush engaged Tuesday in rhetorical contortions to justify his support for legislation despised by environmentalists. By signing the bill into a law that critics fear will delay Glades cleanup, Bush stuck to his conviction that the measure was sound policy built on smart science. By demanding that the Legislature come back to tweak it, he could tell environmentalists that he felt their pain." See "Governor tries to prevent a potential publicity nightmare".

Answer: No - When Bush signed the 'Glades bill, we are told he "was, characteristically, stubborn. Jeb Bush is a politician who, after all, has made a career in Tallahassee of pushing hard for ideas that are not always popular -- but retaining the public's approval. Consider his creation of school vouchers and his opposition to mandatory reductions in class size. He signed a bill that will most likely raise telephone rates, rolled back affirmative action, and is privatizing much of state government. He has even survived child welfare scandals and a souring economy. But as recently as this month, polls put his approval ratings in the high 50s." See "Governor tries to prevent a potential publicity nightmare".

'Glades Bill Coverage - See "Gov. Jeb Bush quietly signed into law Tuesday a controversial bill that critics fear could imperil a massive Everglades restoration project. The signing had none of the pomp of landmark legislation: Bush signed it behind closed doors -- as environmentalists outside his office unfurled a banner of 17,000 signatures demanding a veto." See "Criticized Glades bill signed by Bush - Proposed changes do little to placate its critics", "How the new Everglades law may change cleanup", "Everglades cleanup bill vs.federal court consent decree", and "Marketing the Everglades bill".

The following articles are by the same writer, Mark Hollis, (the former in the Orlando Sentinel and the latter in the Sun Sentinel):

- "Governor calls new Everglades law 'wise choice,' asks for improvements"

- "Critics assail Gov. Bush for weakening Everglades cleanup".

A different perspective.

Remembering "Jeb!" - According to Alan Farago, a Sierra Club official in Florida: "'When voters visit the Everglades and see a river of cattails instead of a river of grass, when they see more birds circling municipal waste dumps . . . they should remember Jeb Bush'".

Here We Go Again - "President looks to state to fuel re-election bid".

Really, Here We Go Again - "Report blasts voting machines".
7:43 AM


Notes For Tuesday, May 20, 2003

Budget - The Associated Press reports that "Lawmakers work on nuts and bolts of budget deal". Unfortunately, the "Speaker's hand [is] very much in [the] budget talks". Not surprisingly, "School funding [is the] biggest obstacle to state budget agreement". In any event, "[o]nce conferees hit today's deadline, whatever matters are unresolved will go to Pruitt and House budget chairman Bruce Kyle, R-Fort Myers. A day later, the remaining differences will be decided by Byrd and Senate President Jim King, R-Jacksonville, as legislators race toward finishing the budget Thursday."

Everglades Sellout - Bush will sign the bill extending the time frame for cleanup, to the chagrin of all except big sugar and its GOP lapdogs. See "Bush to sign Everglades bill". However "[i]n an unusual bit of political gymnastics . . . [Jeb!] then directed lawmakers to draft a new [additional] bill to 'clarify' some of the wording that was most alarming to his critics." See "Glades bill needs fixing, Bush says".

This "gymnastics" has already worked - the headlines today do not say "Everglades Sellout", but instead say things like "Bush to sign Everglades bill" or "Glades Bill Needs Fixing". Then, when the Legislature fails to "fix" the bill, Bush can blame the Legislature and the headlines will read "Bush Criticizes Legislature For Everglades Sellout". Can we expect anything else from the Bush courtesans in the media?

Graham - Graham has (finally) demanded a veto of the Big Sugar - Bush Everglades Sellout legislation.

Marquez - Bush Waves Anti-Choice Flag As Precursor To White House Run - "Bush's motivation to challenge a 1989 ruling [that a fetus is not entitled to a legal guardian] seems timed for political benefit -- a way to gain credentials among his Republican Party's anti-abortion forces and set the stage for a future bid to the White House. Whatever way the courts rule -- and conservatives appointed by the governor to the state Supreme Court make it possible that his position would prevail -- Bush wouldn't lose much. To on-the-fence abortion-rights supporters, he can claim he's simply trying to clarify the state's role. Nothing more." See "State plays politics with throwaway, afterthought". As Peter Wallsten pointed out over the weekend, the "Fetus case proves that governor is no moderate". So nice to see the media noticing.

"Hogwash. Nothing But Political Hogwash" - "Does he care?".

Vouchers - "The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether tax money can be spent on religious education in a case that could affect Florida's controversial school voucher program." See "Case could test Florida vouchers".

Castor In The Mix - "Castor Says She'll Run For U.S. Senate Seat If Graham Bows Out".

Boater Madness - "A loudly obstructionist minority is looking to drown protections for endangered manatees under a flood of sound and fury." See "Bluster from boating minority". 6:43 AM


Notes For Monday, May 19, 2003

Budget Clock Is Ticking - "Although the House and Senate approved separate $52-billion spending plans Friday, they remain at odds over numerous other issues. Those include the $45-million Byrd wants for an Alzheimer's center at the University of South Florida, the $120-million Bush wants for his school reward program and the fate of a sales tax holiday. The House budget includes all those items; the Senate budget includes none of them.

What the conference committees can't resolve by Tuesday afternoon will be referred to the budget chiefs of both chambers, Sen. Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, and Rep. Bruce Kyle, R-Fort Myers. What they can't agree on will be handled by King and Byrd.

By Friday, the budget must be printed and distributed to lawmakers, who must wait 72 hours before taking a final vote. That vote is scheduled for May 27, the final day of the special session." See "Budget rift looms as special session nears end". See also "Clock ticking in budget duel" and "Joint group begins its budget work".

Troxler On Vouchers - "The Legislature, in its zeal to pump public money into private schools as fast as possible, has not required the most basic accountability. There are no rules in place, and no enforcement, concerning the law's vague requirement for audits. Now lawmakers are talking about doubling the program to $100-million a year. Even some - not all - of the scholarship groups are begging for tougher rules, so the program will not be discredited. What would the Republican response be if Democrats were handing out $100-million with no controls whatsoever? This is a young, willy-nilly, Wild West world." See "Vouchers' virtues don't preclude need for accountability".

More On Voucher Accountability - "Add FCAT requirement to tax write-off vouchers".

Why Have Public Meetings At All? "It took Florida lawmakers just four days last week to agree on several issues they couldn't resolve through a 60-day regular session, but you wouldn't know it from attending public meetings. Legislative leaders relied on what open-government advocates called shameful secret deals made in private to hammer out compromises on a list of the most-pressing issues for the state during the ongoing special session." See "Secrecy still rules proceedings at Capitol".

Graham - "Sen. Bob Graham suffered a political setback last week when he found himself in the unlikely position of having to defend his commitment to restoring the Everglades. But after the furor died down, a potentially more troubling question remained for his presidential campaign: Is Graham politically adept enough to make the transition from Senate insider to presidential candidate, especially given that Democratic primary voters tend to be left of the political center?" See "Bob Graham faces next challenge".

This Is One Money Saving Idea With No Chance Of Seeing The Light Of Day - "Florida cannot afford the death penalty".

No Fault - "Lawmakers who were close to scrapping Florida's 32-year-old no-fault auto insurance law have agreed to give the concept another four years to work. But if the state can't get a handle on rampant insurance fraud, especially in South Florida, no-fault auto insurance could be junked in 2007. To keep that from happening, lawmakers have settled on compromise legislation that gives investigators more power to attack fake claims, which drive up auto-insurance costs for honest consumers." See "Four more years for no-fault insurance". 6:46 AM


Notes For Sunday, May 18, 2003

Yes, Florida, John Ellis Bush Is An Extreme Right Wing Conservative - In an article today, Peter Wallsten reminds us - as he has several times in the past - that our "governor is no moderate".

"Gov. Jeb Bush is already a hero to the nation's conservative movement for his sweeping rollback of affirmative action, massive tax cuts and a status-quo-crumbling push for school accountability through standardized tests. Florida's Republican governor, who once cast himself as a moderate to win office in this divided state, is now a hero again to his party's ideological base -- this time for his provocative move requesting a legal guardian for a fetus."

"'New Democrats To Watch' List" - The Tallahassee Democrat has this blurb on the (neo conservative) DLC's Dems to watch list; including five in Florida: Reps. Loranne Ausley of Tallahassee, Ron Greenstein of Coconut Creek, Bob Henriquez of Tampa, Stacy Ritter of Coral Springs, and St. Petersburg City Council member Rick Kriseman.

"Glades - "An Everglades breather"

Public Education "Crumbs" - "Having already decided a half-loaf will do, Florida lawmakers begin to distribute the public education crumbs today. One rational approach for appropriations conferees would be to feed today's children before giving birth to more, but, once again, House Speaker Johnnie Byrd has something else in mind." See "Fighting over the crumbs". See also "Blame the Legislature for painful school cuts".

Hasterok - "Class sizes just might be reduced"

We Hope Not - "In session, is anyone safe? by Martin Dyckman.

Role Reversal - "A St. Petersburg Times poll earlier this month found more than 60 percent of Pinellas County voters would support raising taxes to reduce class sizes. But in Hillsborough, 60 percent oppose such a tax increase. In Pinellas, Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Graham would trounce President Bush. But Graham would lose to the Republican incumbent in Hillsborough. Hillsborough, once a Democratic stronghold, increasingly leans Republican. Pinellas, a GOP bastion that once sent the first Southern Republican to Congress since Reconstruction, is a moderate swing county." See "Political winds shift across bay".

Wonder What "Jeb!" Will Do? - Will John Ellis Bush Veto bills that bar local government living wage laws or a bill that "would prohibit all Florida counties except one from using their authority to regulate the activities on land used for agricultural purposes when some other agency -- state or federal -- also has jurisdiction"? The living wage legislation, if not vetoed by Bush, will result in as "many as 2,000 workers at MIA -- including baggage handlers -- could see their paychecks considerably reduced".

Last week the St Pete Times published this we all love "Jeb!" and wouldn't he be a great president piece by this right wing nut. The trusty readers of the St Pete Times responded with ferocity.

Jax Election - The Florida Times Union shares its wisdom with us about the mayoral election: "When a conservative wins office, the liberal side insists upon a healing process, during which the winner essentially apologizes for winning and promises to give liberals a lot of jobs in his administration.

Conversely, when a liberal wins, there is no need for the healing process. It is announced that the people have spoken, evil has been vanquished and justice has triumphed. Plums and perks go to the followers of the successful liberal candidate. He does not 'reach out' to the conservative voters."

Graham Allegation Of A 9-11 Report Coverup - In connection with Graham's 9-11 Report coverup allegations, we are told that "The report details failures of `senior administration officials' - National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and possibly President Bush - to heed warnings in August 2001 of a possible attack on U.S. interests somewhere in the world, possibly involving al-Qaida hijackings of airplanes."

However, "the warnings are said to have been too unclear for authorities to take decisive steps, at specific locations, at precise times or against identified individuals to conceivably prevent the terrorist attacks." No surprise there, considering who "wrote" the report.

Who Will Replace Graham - "Graham's bid kindles GOP aspirations" describes the domino effect in the Florida GOP of Graham's decision to seek the Dem nomination for president. And what are the Dems up to? See "Penelas, Deutsch court Orlando Democrats". See also "Democrats urge unity in Orlando".

Where Is The Headline? In "Democrats urge unity in Orlando", mentioned above, we read that " Orlando City Commissioner Betty Wyman, who bolted to the Republican Party more than two years ago, used the occasion to announce her return." When a Repub of this stature converts from D to R, it is always accompanied by a headline; here, the info is buried in a story about the Jefferson-Jax dinner in Orange County. 7:27 AM


Notes For Saturday, May 17, 2003

Budget News - A number of stories on the budget today, including "House, Senate Agree On Budget", "Rivaling budget proposals advance", "House, Senate close in on budget", "Lawmakers get closer to negotiating budget deal", "Senate chief: 'We're getting things done'", "Within similar budgets, sharp differences linger", "House, Senate approve budget proposals", "Lawmakers closer on budget" and "House, Senate pass budget bills".

Senate Boots Vouchers In Class Size Bill - "The original House proposal included an expansion of vouchers; the Senate did not. The House measure also would let parents opt for a three-year high-school diploma for their children. The Senate refused to agree to the vouchers but did accept the three-year high school diploma. The provision generated some debate Friday. Minority Leader Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, said he was worried about whether out-of-state universities would accept students who opted for a three-year program." See "Senate passes class size bill, expects House to agree".

What Will The "Education Governor" Do About This? "Rather than focus on ways to increase much-needed revenue, Florida legislators are stuck on being able to claim that they didn't raise taxes. It appears that the Legislature will continue its miserly trend of shortchanging state universities this year by cutting the 11 campuses a collective $40 million. In addition, the 'new money' legislators will claim to have spent on higher education will come from a hefty tuition increase." See "Students deserve more than higher tuition".

Everglades Option "A special master would remove an onerous burden from the governor and his team of environmental advisers who are in dire need of a neutral forum to promote their plans for cleaning up the Everglades. Right now, the governor is in a quandary. At first he insisted on signing a controversial bill that would change the law that governs the reduction of phosphorous in the River of Grass. Now he appears to be having second thoughts, and says he will study the matter."

"The bill would change the state's Everglades Forever Act and delay deadlines for meeting strict phosphorous pollution standards. Bush's stance hasn't helped his "environmental governor" image at home, nor has it played well in Washington where several influential members of Congress have threatened to withhold $4 billion if Bush signs the law. The money would be used to help finance a huge project that would redirect the flow of water within the Everglades." See "Welcome Special Master".

Don't You Love Self-proclaimed "Uniters" Like Our "Jeb!"? "Gov. Jeb Bush's fight to assign a guardian to the fetus of a severely disabled Orlando woman will likely go to the Florida Supreme Court, where legal experts say an increasingly conservative crew of justices awaits and may be willing to erode abortion rights that the court once protected." See "State's top court may hear case of rape victim, fetus". The St Pete Times' take on the issue is here.

So Very Compassionate - "Jeb!" Pushes Through A Bill To "Shave Benefits To Injured Workers" - "A House bill that promises to reduce workers compensation premiums by 15 percent but shave benefits to injured workers won the support of Senate leaders this week after some heavy-handed politics and a demand by Gov. Jeb Bush to put the deal in writing."

Florida Right Wing Radio - "Steve Kane, the radio talk host who shocked a high school audience by uttering the "n" word, repeated it again while talking about the incident as he dangled his son on his knee." This is one weird right wing radio hack. See "Radio show host comfortable in controversy, contradictions".

Childers Goes Down - "Escambia Circuit Judge Jere Tolton -- who once served in the Legislature with Childers -- somberly sentenced the 69-year-old career politician to 3 ˝ years imprisonment, 18 months' probation and 250 hours of community service for bribery. Tolton also denied Childers bail while he appeals his conviction. Childers is to begin serving the sentence as soon as he completes a separate 60-day jail term for violating Florida's open-meeting Sunshine Law." See "Pot full of money dooms politician".

Phosphate Politics - "Phosphate bill revival Compromise would help hold industry accountable".

Whatever - "The House approved a bill Friday that would rename an Alzheimer's research center after House Speaker Johnnie Byrd's father, then exempted some of its activities from open-government laws." See "Tallahassee Ticker".

Trial Lawters Will Not Be Happy - "House Speaker Johnnie Byrd and Senate President Jim King both said Friday that lawmakers may be able in the current special session to find a way to curb the cost of malpractice insurance." See "King, Byrd: malpractice may be addressed in this special session".

FCAT Reprieves - "High school seniors who have been accepted into college, but whose entrance to those schools remains in limbo because they failed the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, could get some help from Florida lawmakers after all." See "Some who failed FCAT could get a reprieve".

The Texas Thing - Molly Ivins' great piece on the Dem revolt in Texas points out that "The real reason Democrats are outta here is a session-long display of meanness and unfairness that finally became unbearable." And, doesn't the alleged human quoted below sound like she would quickly rise to a leadership position in the Florida House:

"During a committee meeting, Rep. Debbie Riddle (R-Houston) demanded earnestly, 'Where did this idea come from that everybody deserves free education? Free medical care? Free whatever? It comes from Moscow. From Russia. It comes straight out of the pit of hell.'" 6:40 AM


Notes For Friday, May 16, 2003

"Worse Than Taxes" - "The next time your state legislators say they held the line on taxes and protected your pocketbook, tell them this: Baloney! Remember the legislative rallying cry that we must 'live within our means'? Phooey!" According to the St Pete Times, "While they brag about not raising your taxes, lawmakers sneakily approved expensive new fees, including a big giveaway to the insurance industry". See "Worse than taxes".

What Did They Expect? - The Orlando Sentinel argues in a brief editorial that "[c]utting Florida taxes at a time of dwindling services doesn't make sense. How much is enough?" See "Stop the bleeding". The Sentinel, after endorsing "Jeb!", is hardly in a position to be surprised or disappointed that tax cuts for the wealthy is the essence of our Governor's agenda. How about an admission that the endorsement was wrong and endorsing "Jeb!" was a mistake?

This Is When The Bad Stuff Happens - "Stung by a failure to produce a budget in a regular 60-day legislative session, and the angry response from voters that followed, House and Senate leaders reached a series of compromises on Thursday in a flurry of dealmaking. On the fourth day of a $40,000-a-day special session, the House tentatively approved sweeping measures to reduce class size and reform workers compensation and no-fault automobile insurance laws. The Senate is expected soon to follow suit. 'It may be the most productive three days that the legislature has had,' said House Majority Leader Marco Rubio, R-Miami. 'I think people may be tired of being up here.'" "Legislature pushes through flurry of bills".

In "Lawmakers scramble to crack stalemate", we read that "Democrats [have] lashed out at the Legislature's GOP leadership for trying to push too many issues through in too little time. 'It's a rush to pass bills, rather than bills to solve Florida's problems,' said Senate Democratic Leader Ron Klein of Boca Raton".

Looks Like Smoke And Mirrors - "Six months after Florida voters endorsed a statewide mandate to shrink public school class sizes, state lawmakers have reached an agreement on how to put it in place. House legislators are expected to approve a measure today that gives local school districts several options to shrink class sizes, including shifting staffers, reshuffling class scheduling, reconfiguring school attendance zones and accelerating some high school students' graduation." See "Plan set to cut class sizes in state".

A History Lesson - We missed this yesterday: "Missing Texas legislators have nothing on Florida 'babes'"

"Trust Big Sugar" - "The Everglades restoration is in jeopardy of losing needed funding because of a bill going through the Legislature. The Florida Legislature's bill sent to Gov. Jeb Bush revising the state's commitment to help restore the Everglades won't affect billions of dollars in federal money. How do we know that? A sugar lobbyist says so. And if this Legislature can't trust a sugar lobbyist to advise it what to do about the Everglades - well, who can you trust?" See "Trust Big Sugar".

The Tallahassee Dem urges Bush to "Swamp 'glades bill".

Bush Accuses FCAT Opponents Of Being "Politically Motivated" - "Gov. Jeb Bush lashed out Thursday at critics who are threatening a boycott over the standardized tests that could keep hundreds of black students from graduating from high school this year, calling the effort `politically motivated.'" See "Gov. Bush calls FCAT protest `flawed'". This, from a man whose every move is part and parcel of a political script.

Jax Mayoral Race - Ron Littlepage asks: "Is it normal for 'true conservative Republicans' to buddy up with labor unions?"

Up In Smoke - "After wrapping up one of the most unproductive sessions in recent memory, the House and Senate returned to the capital Monday to try to resolve their differences over the state budget. So far, the results are uninspiring -- and downright wasteful." See "Snuffing out an asset Anti-smoking campaign, unlike Legislature, is highly effective".

Workers' Comp - "Bush added workers' compensation reform to the special session agenda Thursday, saying he was encouraged by progress that legislative leaders were making on the issue. . . . Bush's statement came shortly after House leaders shut down attempts to make the workers' compensation reform bill more favorable to injured employees, cutting off a series of pending changes to the legislation." See "House cuts off proposed workers' compensation amendments".

Chain Gang Charlie Wants To Be A Civil Rights Lawyer - "Broad new civil rights powers sought by Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist were revived in the Senate on Thursday, nearly two weeks after the proposed law died during the regular legislative session. The measure would allow Crist to sue businesses that discriminate. It died in the Senate on the last day of the regular session, but Crist and others fought during the break to bring it back. 'Everybody wanted to do the right thing from the beginning,' he said.Crist also was assured by Gov. Jeb Bush at a Cabinet meeting this week that the governor is willing to sign the bill after the the House and the Senate pass it." See "New life for broad civil rights bill".

Easy Solution: Have Him Stay In Tallahassee And Do His Job - "A day after a state plane carrying Gov. Jeb Bush lost communication with air traffic controllers on approach to Washington, D.C., Florida and federal authorities were still trying to determine the cause." See "Gov. Bush's plane mishap investigated".

While "Jeb!" Presides Over Tallahassee Meltdown, Adults In Rest Of State Carry The Water - "When Republican business leaders in one of Florida's most conservative counties push a tax increase, it's time to take notice." See "Another county comes through".

Off Topic - Ya Gotta Do What Ya Gotta Do - "Runaway Democrats boarded two buses and returned home to Texas, destined for the state capital early Friday after their self-imposed weeklong exile in Oklahoma that succeeded in killing a redistricting bill they opposed." See "Texas Dems End Exile, Declare Victory".

Ashcroft Can't Appeal This One - "A driver whose suspended license was discovered when he was stopped because his temporary license tag was unreadable shouldn't have been detained after an officer verified the tag's validity, the Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The court ruled that the deputy who charged Johnny Diaz with felony driving with a suspended license violated the man's constitutional rights. The Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy pulled Diaz over because he could not read the temporary license tag in the car's back window. But as he approached Diaz's car, he could clearly read the tag and found nothing improper. The deputy then asked for more information from Diaz, which resulted in the charges."

"'It would be a dangerous precedent to allow overzealous law enforcement officers to place in peril the principles of a free society by disregarding the protections afforded by the Fourth Amendment,' the court wrote." See "State high court sides with driver". The Bush appointees did not participate in the decision, but one suspects that if they had they would have joined the lone dissenter and upheld the police stop. 4:41 AM


Notes For Thursday, May 15, 2003

Budget - "Senate and House committees worked Wednesday on rival versions of a $52 billion budget, leaving college tuition increases and a tax break for shoppers as two of the key differences left to settle. The House and Senate planned to vote on their budgets Friday, clearing the way for joint committees to negotiate a compromise budget next week." See "Budget plan moves ahead". See also "Senate, House move slowly toward $52 billion budget".

GOP Class Warfare - "More than $300 million in state taxpayer money will likely flow to corporations, wealthier Floridians and private schools this year, even as lawmakers slash spending for the poor, elderly and university students." See "Tax deals defended by GOP legislators".

Early Winners And Losers In Budget Battle - "The special legislative session to iron out a new state budget is far from over, but there are already two winners. Programs to support affordable housing and buy environmentally sensitive lands will get to keep their guaranteed funding. House leaders, who had sought to end the guaranteed money for both programs, backed down Wednesday. But they did not relent on efforts to strip dedicated funding for cultural and arts programs, signaling there's little hope the programs will get anything close to the $25 million in funding they received this year." See "Special session saves housing, land funds from the budget ax".

Shouldn't The Gov Be In Tallahassee? "An F-16 fighter jet was sent to investigate a plane carrying Gov. Jeb Bush after it lost radio contact Wednesday on approach to Reagan National Airport in Washington." See "Jet Sent to Probe Fla. Gov. Plane". Actually, "Jeb!" went to DC to lobby for big sugar.

How Low Can We Go? "Dumbing Florida down".

Jax Disaster - The complete story (from the GOP perspective) is here.

Vouchers - "Under existing law, a company can get taxpayer-financed vouchers to help send its own employees' children to a private school. So could a private school owner for his own family. So could a religious cult for its own members."

"The tax-voucher law, passed in 2001, allows corporations to receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to $5 million against their state income taxes each year, with a total limit for the program of $50 million. The companies give the money to so-called 'scholarship funding organizations' that in turn decide which students get the vouchers at which schools, with a $3,500 limit per voucher."

"The two largest voucher-granting groups said they hand out vouchers on a first-come, first-served basis, but nothing in current law requires that or any other objective standard. Legislative experts said that nothing prevents a voucher-granting group from giving vouchers only to employees of a certain company or members of a particular religious sect or even members of a particular family." See "Voucher accountability".

Arts Funding On The Block - "State lawmakers still are gunning for the arts in order to raise revenue. Their aim is way off. They would be injuring an industry that pumps $1.4 billion into the state. Worse, they are bent on eliminating the trust fund that for 20 years has provided a dedicated source of revenue for the arts." See "Don't Raid Arts Funding".

National Right Wing Rags All Over Bush Wanting A Guardian Appointed For A Fetus - The wacky Washington Times and the ultra wacky WorldNetDaily are in a tizzy about Bush wanting a guardian appointed for a fetus. A more sober approach to the issue appears in the New York Times. In the meantime, the Judge has delayed his decision on the issue; this is a bit strange because there isn't a lot of discretion on the issue: "In a 1989 case, the Florida Supreme Court declared that it was 'clearly improper' to appoint a guardian for a fetus." See "Gov. Jeb Bush to Seek Guardian for Fetus of Rape Victim".

Bush Should Back Off - The "Jeb!"-endorsing Orlando Sentinel argues that "[t]here was no reason for the case of a mentally disabled woman, who was raped and impregnated at an Orlando group home, to become a political and legal spectacle. The blame rests on Gov. Jeb Bush. He seems to be using this case to re-ignite the national abortion-rights battle and, consequently, is exploiting the disabled woman."

"Indeed, Mr. Bush is taking a backhanded approach. He's calling for the courts to appoint a legal guardian to represent the 22-year-old victim's unborn fetus. That's an end run to have courts recognize an unborn fetus as a person and overturn the U.S. Supreme Court decision that gave women the constitutional right to abortion." See "Back off spectacle". See also "Fetal guardianship".

Graham - "Old friends say Graham is too close to Big Sugar". Can he be any closer than this?

Cotterell - "Special session a test for governor?"

For The Lawyers Among Us - "Kleman Should Act Quickly In County Attorney Fracas". 5:56 AM


Notes For Tuesday, May 13, 2003

"Mean-Spirited" Budget - "As the Florida Legislature returned to the capital Monday, Senate President Jim King warned that he might not have enough votes in his chamber to pass what he dubbed a ''mean-spirited'' budget that fails to give schoolteachers raises, cuts money for public hospitals and hikes the cost of college tuition. 'We're never going to be satisfied with this budget,' said King, whose chamber had pushed for new sources of money for state programs. `We're never going to compliment this budget. We're never going to endorse this budget as our own. It falls miserably short in some key areas.' It was not an auspicious beginning to a special session called by the governor because the Legislature failed to reach agreement on a budget during its regular session that ended May 2." See "Outlook grim for budget approval - Major spending cuts called `mean-spirited'".

Budget Discord - "If the first day is any indication, Florida lawmakers are in for a very long summer."

"The Legislature started its two-week special session Monday with Senate President Jim King admitting he probably doesn't have the votes to pass a $52.3 billion budget - a figure already negotiated between the House and Senate. 'We're never going to be satisfied with this budget. We're never going to look at this budget as our own,' said King, R-Jacksonville, 'because we think this budget falls miserably short.' Meanwhile, House Democrats torpedoed House Speaker Johnnie Byrd's plan to add 12 bills unrelated to the budget to the agenda, even though voters last year mandated some of them through constitutional amendments." See "Senate balks at budget; House argues agenda - Legislature resumes, as does discord".

A Bleak Budget - "The Florida Legislature resumed its lockstep march to destruction Monday, right on time and almost on script. Lawmakers seem to be blind to what's happening in this state. There's no other explanation for the short-sighted, often spiteful tone that dominated (especially in the House) the opening day of a special session to write the state's spending plan."

"The course -- negotiated in a series of secret meetings over the past week -- is already clear. This budget will hurt the most vulnerable residents of Florida. It will benefit some of the wealthiest and most politically connected. It will put even more cracks in the foundation of the state's fiscal security."

"There's still time to rescue Florida from the damage about to be inflicted. But it will take firm resolve from lawmakers, especially Senate President Jim King. At the end of the regular 2003 session, King succumbed to House Speaker Johnnie Byrd's demand that the budget be crafted from the existing (and inadequate) revenues. It's a decision that will probably come back to haunt all Floridians." See "Reality check - Budget session demands resolve".

Marquez - "Jeb & Co.: Always room for tax cuts".

Jax Election - "Early Jacksonville voters flocked to the elections office downtown, but officials and strategists still predict mediocre turnout in today's racially tinged city election". See "Voters get jump start, but final tally may lag". Petton is no doubt praying for a low turnout.

DCF Six - See "Pawns of politics - Hazards of public service in a politicized department became obvious when six DCF employees were fired, then reinstated".

Gutting Education - "State lawmakers returned to the Capitol Monday to try to hammer out the budget they failed to write in the recently ended regular session, quickly moving education plans through committees that would increase college tuitions 7.5 percent while simultaneously capping enrollments. 'Essentially, the open door will be closed,' Sen. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, said, referring to the state's community colleges, which have traditionally have offered classes to all comers." See "College tuition increases proposed".

Graham - "Rivals pounce on Graham poll results".

A "Glimmer Of Hope" - Tyler Bridges writes about the "glimmer of hope [that] has emerged for Florida's Democratic Party, following the devastating results of last November's elections, and it's not just the Republicans' failure in Tallahassee to pass a state budget. Democrats have won the only four big-city mayor races contested in Florida this year, and the next mayor of Jacksonville, a Republican city, could very well be a Democrat as well." See "Democrats savor mayor wins"

Good Move - "McBride's wife decides against run for U.S. Senate".

Sorry Glenda - "Department merger will have to wait".

We Didn't Think This Would Go Far, But It's In The NYT Times - "Critics of Graduation Exam Threaten Boycott in Florida"

Bush's Sacred Cow - "Before the Florida Legislature began a special session yesterday to formulate a budget, House and Senate Republicans maintained that "everything is on the table," according to a Herald-Tribune report. Gov. Jeb Bush didn't see things that way, however. Bush issued an unusual (for him) threat to veto any budget that fails to include funding for so-called school recognition awards. The awards, which are given to schools that receive "A" marks from the state or improve a letter grade, would cost about $120 million statewide."

"Bush thinks Florida's school recognition awards should be fully funded -- regardless of insufficient state oversight (as revealed in a recent Herald-Tribune news series), despite the lack of proof that the bonuses improve public education and notwithstanding the existence of more critical needs in education." See "Put bonuses 'on the table' - School recognition awards warrant legislative scrutiny".

Littlepage - "Popularity eludes the Legislature these days".

Off Topic: This Is Not A Joke - See "Troopers Sent to Find Texas Dems in Okla". 6:29 AM


Notes For Monday, May 12, 2003

"What Does Jeb Bush Have?" "Telephone rates and college tuition may go up, state services could be slashed, and lawmakers are mired in personality feuds -- but through it all Gov. Jeb Bush escapes blame. Even when his fellow Republicans in the Legislature earn humiliatingly low ratings, Bush is riding high with some of the most adoring numbers of any second-term governor in the nation. The striking contrast -- 56 percent of registered voters in a Herald poll published Sunday approve of Bush's job performance, while 58 percent object to the performance of his friends in the Legislature -- shows that the Florida governor continues to amass enormous political capital." See "Governor can do no wrong with Florida voters".

Peter Wallsten asks "what does Jeb Bush have that those other guys don't?"

What Does Dubya Have? "He may be Florida's most venerable politician, but even U.S. Sen. Bob Graham doesn't have the juice in his home state to overcome the popularity of a wartime president -- at least not now -- a new poll conducted for The Herald and two other newspapers shows." See "Graham lags behind president in Florida"; see also "Bush would beat Graham today".

What Do "Jeb!" And Dubya Have? The answer is plain: the Bushies have a media, that is:

"SUBSERVIENT, SERVILE, SLAVISH, OBSEQUIOUS mean[ing] showing or characterized by extreme compliance or abject obedience. SUBSERVIENT implies the cringing manner of one very conscious of a subordinate position [domestic help was expected to be properly subservient]. SERVILE suggests the mean or fawning behavior of a slave [a political boss and his entourage of servile hangers-on]. SLAVISH suggests abject or debased servility. OBSEQUIOUS implies fawning or sycophantic compliance and exaggerated deference of manner [waiters who are obsequious in the presence of celebrities]. " Source.

Back To Tallahassee - See "Insurance issues may creep into special session", "Lawmakers take aim at passing budget", and "Budget anxiety".

Troxler - "Half-empty, half-full. The voters are disgusted with the Florida Legislature in every way but one. Despite voters' support for smaller class sizes, you have to twist their arms - hard - to find support for higher taxes, even for education. Florida voters are furious at the Legislature for hurting them for the benefit of telephone companies. They want the governor to veto the bill monkeying with Everglades cleanup. They oppose school vouchers as a way of reducing class sizes. But when it comes to taxes, Florida public opinion still runs closer to House Speaker Johnnie Byrd's mantra that the government should "live within its means." See "Voters' voices rise in scabrous disapproval of legislative handiwork".

FCAT Boycott - See "Leaders threaten boycott on FCAT"

"FCAT Follies" - "FCAT follies continue - Bonus round of the state against third graders".

Dream On - "No child-welfare system is immune to tragedy, but one wonders what it will take for legislators to make more than a sound-bite commitment to their most vulnerable constituents. They must act courageously on the behalf of foster children when the special session begins, or more names of innocent victims will be enshrined in a Florida hall of shame." See "Foster care: Where is the commitment?"

Yes, Yes It Will - "Mayoral election results will say much about city"

That This Is Even An Issue Speaks Volumes - See "Universities should not be sacrificed". 6:20 AM


Notes For Sunday, May 11, 2003

"Jeb!" Shows He's Unable To Lead, Floridians Regret Having Elected Him - Sorry, no such news to report today. Instead we get pablum like this.

"Budget Shock" - "The Florida Senate's decision to drop its demands for additional spending for education and social services may turn out to be the best thing for the state. In the short run, it should facilitate budget negotiations during the $40,000-a-day special session that opens Monday. In the longer term the Senate's concession, and the bare-bones budget it presages, may awaken Floridians to the failure of their state government to provide for their basic needs." See "Get ready for budget shock Bare-bones plan may awaken Floridians to state government's failure"

Polling: Part One, The Legislature - "By a margin of nearly 4 to 1, registered voters across ethnic, gender and party lines said they disapprove of the job the Legislature has done -- or hasn't done -- so far this year. . . . 'It's eye-popping,' said Washington-based Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway, who conducted the survey with Democratic pollster Rob Schroth for The Herald, the St. Petersburg Times and the Palm Beach Post. `I have never in 15 years of polling seen a legislature graded so poorly.' The poll was conducted May 6-8, after the regular session ended, and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points." Consider:

- "Just 16 percent of respondents gave the Legislature their approval."

- "six in 10 voters believe Florida spends ''too little'' on its schools".

- "54 percent would vote for the same costly cap on class sizes that Bush wants to repeal".

- "84 percent -- said Bush should veto the phone legislation, even when told that it might foster competition."

- "Floridians [are] evenly divided on whether the state is `on the right track.'"

See "Do-little Legislature disgusts most voters" See also "Voters direct scorn at lagging Legislature" and "Legislature's gridlock provokes voter disdain".

Polling: Part Two, The Governor - "Remarkably, Bush remains a Teflon governor."

"He posts a 56-percent approval rating -- consistent with his past numbers -- suggesting his presidential brother's post-war popularity could immunize the governor from the Legislature's foibles. The number also underscores an ongoing frustrating reality for Democrats: Even if voters disagree with the governor, they generally like and trust him. While Gov. Bush cannot run for a third term, his ratings are an important barometer for his brother's hope of winning Florida in the 2004 presidential race, and his continued popularity is key for the state GOP's continued success. The governor is liked by both men and women -- a troubling sign for Democrats who rely on female voters -- and his ratings soar among the politically crucial bloc of Hispanic voters. And nearly one in three Democrats said they approved of Bush's job performance."

See "Do-little Legislature disgusts most voters"

Polling: Part Three, Our Thoughts - The good news in the story cited above is that the survey "suggests tepid support for the anti-spending, small-government philosophies championed by Gov. Jeb Bush and the House leadership just six months after their party made historic electoral gains by sweeping every statewide office and winning unprecedented legislative majorities." The bad news is that Floridians are still supportive of Bush even though: (1) Bush leads the Florida GOP, which controls both the house and the senate, which have the 16% approval rating; (2) Bush is the state's chief executive officer, and has shown absolutely no leadership during the session; and (3) Bush has pushed - albeit behind the scenes and through proxies - the positions that the survey says Floridians opposed (the telecommunications bill, the 'Glades sellout, revisiting the class size amendment). Why the dissonance? Why does the public direct scorn at the legislature, and not Bush?

Bush has managed, with the complicity of the media, to avoid being characterized as the far right conservative that he is. Johnnie Byrd and Bush have precisely the same political philosophies, yet Bush is permitted to cultivate an image of being something "different", when he in fact is nothing of the sort. Bush has been permitted to distance himself from Byrd, while at the same time have Byrd do his bidding. The media - with a few isolated exceptions - has sat on its hands, harshly criticizing the Legislature, but portraying Bush as above the fray. The media corporate are far too deferential to Bush, perhaps because of who his brother and father are; or perhaps because they see him as a nascent national figure who they do not want to offend. Whatever the reason, you can be sure that when the Bush led GOP Legislature (which the public strongly disapproves of) finishes work, and the legislation (which the public overwhelmingly opposes) is signed by Bush (with feigned reluctance), Bush will not suffer.

See "Do-little Legislature disgusts most voters".

Hasterok - "State lawmakers continue to ignore directives from Florida’s voters".

Everglades Sellout Looms - Bush's (Phoney) Enviromental Image On The Line - "'Glades ruling puts Bush on spot" is an absolute must read. The piece addresses larger issues related Bush's "ideology" (if you can call it that).

The House Has No Idea What It's Doing - "State lawmakers aren't known for their smooth finishes. Major legislation often bounces between the House and the Senate as the regular two-month session winds down and is resolved only in the final days and minutes. But they usually finish up and go home. That hasn't happened the past two years, and many believe term limits is a major reason. Florida was among the states that rode the term-limits wave of the 1990s." See "Term limits cited in sessions' collapse - Newcomers still learning ropes". And we can thank Bush's Buddy, Phil Handy, who spearheaded Florida's term limits movement a decade ago.

To be fair to the House, our esteemed Governor - who insists on the moniker "Jeb!" - likewise has no idea how to govern. But, what can we expect from someone who, prior to being Governor, had never held elected office, and had a career as a failed pump salesman and "developer", and rose to power on his family connections.

Tallahassee, I Presume? Tom Blackburn tries to explain Tallahassee, and the GOP meltdown.

"If you get hurt in Florida, die! . . . That's the only way to collect benefits." - An excellent review of the Workers' Comp issue - "Lawyers appear to have lost the battle, in which lobbyists and money shaped legislation overhauling the system".

Sugar Rules - "It was an impressive display of political power. When the sugar industry proposed state legislation to delay the cleanup of the Everglades, the idea was attacked by both Democrats and Republicans in Congress. It was denounced at the top of The New York Times' editorial page. A federal judge threatened to intervene. Yet the proposal passed overwhelmingly in the state House and Senate, in a testament to the enduring political clout of the sugar growers south of Lake Okeechobee." See "Sugar groups sway votes".

Shouldn't The State Be Emphasizing Keeping Foster Kids From Being Killed? Some are unnerved that a facility teaches Christian theology to state foster children. See "Faith-based foster care stirs debate"

Jax Race - The Florida Times Union endorses Peyton (no surprise there); "Jeb!" rallies for Peyton ("Jeb!" and Peyton are similar people, rich kids propped up by the parents who deign to start at the top); and a poll has Peyton ahead 54-44 among "probable voters. Coverage of the race from the GOP perspective here.

Not Gonna Happen - "State needs the Senate to confront House bully".

Is This News? "Teaching children to read is key to preventing delinquency and behavioral problems, Gov. Jeb Bush said as he dedicated a new boarding school campus for boys who have been through the juvenile justice system." "Bush links reading, teen behavior".

Byrd Just Doesn't Get It - "Johnny Byrd, R-Plant City, talks endlessly about the need to pass a "live within our means" budge. But his self-righteous rhetoric aside, Byrd has no problem squandering tens of millions of dollars of taxpayer money to build an unnecessary monument to his own ego." See "Byrd's monument".

Graham - "'Tonight Show's' Graham cracker joke nothing new".

End Of The Road - "Childers: Hula Hoops to political power but jail may be next".

Hospital Certification Exemption - Why Have Rules? "Gov. Jeb Bush reads the staff analysis of a bill exempting certain hospitals from state certification to open heart-surgery units, he would find ample reason to veto it. In a word, the veto would save lives." See "Veto Hospital Bill".

Off Topic - Wonder if these workers are still cheering for Bush. 7:17 AM


Notes For Saturday, May 10, 2003

Good Luck! "Special session to craft state budget starts Monday".

Isn't That Asking For A Bit Much Of This Bunch - "T here are a lot of things lawmakers could do to make a success of the special session that begins Monday in Tallahassee. Foremost among them is to act like adults." See "Return Of The Legislature Is Opportunity For Redemption".

Our "Too Deep" Governor Was "Misled" - "In strong words Friday, a federal judge said the state appears to have withdrawn its support for cleaning up the Everglades and that Gov. Jeb Bush had been 'misled' about changes to a state law guiding the restoration. Senior U.S. District Judge William Hoeveler promised to appoint a special master to oversee the cleanup — something Everglades restoration advocates had sought for years to ensure it is carried out correctly."

"Hoeveler also scolded the Legislature for rushing to pass a bill that rewrites the 1994 state law setting standards for farm water washing into the Everglades. The legislation sailed through the House and Senate with little dissent, despite objections from environmentalists and a bipartisan outcry from Congress. 'While I am deeply troubled by the content of this bill, I am dismayed by the process that led to its passage,' Hoeveler wrote in a four-page order. 'The bill was moved quickly through the legislative process, reportedly at the behest of more than 40 lobbyists for the sugar industry. There was simply no acceptable explanation for the speed by which this was accomplished.'" See "Judge acts to protect 'Glades".

"Jeb!" Was "Misled" By . . . "'persons who do not have the best interests of the Everglades at heart.'" See "Judge rebukes lawmakers on Everglades". The Judge was obviously giving Bush cover - in our humble opinion, "Jeb!" knows precisely what he is doing, and himself is someone who does "not have the best interests of the Everglades at heart".

Lucy Morgan - In "Press heaps criticism on fractious Legislature", Morgan writes, among many other things, that "Byrd presides over a House that appears completely cowed by the leadership."

Graham - "His Hat's In The Ring". And you know this drives the Repubs nuts.

Bush Says, Trust Me - So sorry, but we'd rather "Florida's watchdogs" be left intact.

The Bush Budget: Who Will He Blame Next? "Will the Florida Legislature be able to accomplish much when it reconvenes Monday? Not unless there are some major shifts in attitude among the state's top leaders." See "Rhetoric Won't Balance Budget".

Don't You Know The GOP Is Feigning Support For This - The Florida "Legislature's black caucus asked Gov. Jeb Bush Friday to have lawmakers consider a bill giving the attorney general expanded powers to prosecute businesses for civil rights violations during an upcoming special session." In "Black caucus seeks civil rights bill", we are told that Charlie Crist is pushing and our Governor "supports the measure in general", but you just know this will never see the light of day.

Off Topic "Judges, Not Mullahs" - Although dealing with federal, rather than state, judicial appointments, this editorial is a keeper. 7:37 AM


Notes For Friday, May 09, 2003

Graham "Blasts Bush", Condemns Failure To Release 9-11 Report - In a press conference yesterday, Sen. Graham "continued to criticize the Bush administration's delay in declassifying a report on the Sept. 11 attacks written by a joint House-Senate investigations panel that Graham co-chaired. 'They don't want this report to come out,' he said of the White House. 'There has not been in my memory, and I would question whether there has been in modern American history, an administration that was so committed to secrecy as this Bush administration.'" See "Graham . . . condemns 9/11 secrecy" and "Graham blasts Bush".

Bush Allows His 'Glades Bill Critics An Audience - "Gov. Jeb Bush said Thursday that he is poised to sign a controversial Everglades bill into law unless his congressional critics can convince him that it will endanger an $8 billion restoration project. Despite overwhelming opposition from environmentalists and leading Republican congressmen, Bush said he's prepared to defend the sugar-industry-backed measure as a `path for continued water-quality improvement.'"

"But Bush said he has promised U.S. Rep. E. Clay Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale, that he'll hear him out before he signs the bill. Shaw has scolded Bush and the Legislature for pushing the measure, saying it could create mistrust and dampen federal enthusiasm for splitting with the state the cost of an $8 billion project to restore the polluted marsh. Bush said he plans to meet with Shaw next week in Washington, D.C., and said he wants to hear Shaw's concerns `in specific.' Bush said he's been inundated with e-mail, phone calls and letters on the measure, but that his critics lack details." See "Bush set to hear critics of Glades bill". See also "Bush sticks by new Everglades bill".

Jax Race Gets Nasty - "Campaign's race factor heats up"

"Political Demotion" - Among the any good points in the St Pete Times editorial today is this: "the state has given school districts no real way to provide better instruction for the students having trouble. Just three weeks ago, Horne wrote school superintendents around the state, essentially ordering them to "provide research-based intensive summer reading activities for students who have failed to meet third-grade promotion standards." Yet the state provided no money, and the Legislature has proposed cutting remedial programs by $100-million beginning July 1. And Horne's edict came within a month of the end of school for many districts."

"Is this any way to run an education system?"

Graham Offers Tax Cut Proposal - "Sen. Bob Graham takes his presidential campaign to New Hampshire today, armed with a new proposal for limited but immediate tax relief and aid to the states in place of some of President Bush's tax cuts." See "Tax-cut alternative taken to N.H." See also "Graham wants to block Bush's `wealthy' tax breaks". More here and here.

Troxler - "Struhs wins, cable sins, budget din, Paul grins"

Slashing Higher Education - "Florida's public universities would admit fewer students, offer fewer programs and slash a bevy of campus services if state lawmakers enact a proposed budget that cuts $140 million from higher education, the leaders of five of the state's largest schools said Thursday in Miami." See "University chiefs decry budget cuts". See also "Higher education set to take hit from Legislature".

"Wekiva's Demise" - The Orlado Sentinel reports that these men are to blame for the Legislature's failure to protect the Wekiva river basin.

Now, Can You Give Vets Some Real Benefits? "With the United States fighting in Iraq and patriotic fervor running high, the Legislature found it easy to pass bills to help the military during the session that ended last week. There were bills to make life easier for military personnel, relieving them of responsibility for housing and auto leases and preserving their Bright Futures college scholarships when they are deployed. Others protected them against discrimination when they rent homes and increasing the number who qualify for veterans' preference in hiring. Homeowners were given the right to fly service flags on patriotic holidays regardless of condominium association rules, license tags were created for the Army, Navy, Air Force, paratroopers and Coast Guard -- the Marines already had one -- and highways and bridges were named in honor of POWs and Purple Heart winners." See "Legislative session gives boost to military cause".

DCF Follies - "The problems with the Florida Department of Children and Families were clear when Jerry Regier became the agency's secretary on Sept. 3. DCF was suing a not-for-profit task force hired to help certain districts clear a backlog of more than 50,000 child-abuse cases. The agency had removed 46,000 kids from unsafe homes and placed them with other families. Five-year-old Rilya Wilson, discovered missing from foster care 16 months after her disappearance, had become the hauntingly vivid example of ineptitude in the state's child-welfare system."

"Gov. Bush's appointment of Mr. Regier added to the disbelief. Mr. Regier had once proclaimed that spanking a child to the point of bleeding or causing welts was OK. Just months before coming to Florida, he was running for governor of Oklahoma, but he quit after learning that he did not meet the residency requirement. He never had supervised an agency as large as DCF. He had little foster care experience and few answers."

"Eight months later, Democrats in the Florida Senate who tried to question whether Mr. Regier should be confirmed as DCF secretary were shut up by their Republican colleagues. His undebated confirmation, recommended by a Republican senator from Hialeah, appeared to be a reward for giving special attention to the senator's complaint about rudeness to a relative at a welfare office." See "DCF, a year after Rilya Wilson". See also "Foster care: Where is the commitment?".

What Do You Make Of This? "Environmentalists have issued an all-points bulletin for Benji Brumberg, the state's public advocate within the Department of Environmental Protection. Brumberg, who served as the ombudsman for the DEP in Tallahassee, left the office quietly and without fanfare last month. He did not respond to phone messages left at his Fort Lauderdale home or his Dania Beach optometry office. Gov. Jeb Bush said Thursday he was unaware that Brumberg had left. A DEP spokeswoman said the ombudsman's office had been reorganized." See "State's environmental ombudsman quietly exits post".

Foley? - "Out with the Truth" via Eschaton. [A question for readers - do you think it is appropriate to post this kind of story on this site? Please e-mail us with your thoughts] 6:42 AM


Notes For Thursday, May 08, 2003

Run, "Jeb!", Run - Get The Heck Outa Florida - In discussing Cheney's agreement to serve as the VP candidate for Dubya, the New York Post notes that "By keeping Cheney, 61, as his No. 2, Bush also avoids creating a GOP heir apparent for 2008 - leaving the door wide open in case his brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, wants to try to extend the Bush dynasty."

So-Called "Moderate" Senate Gives Up The Ghost - "Senate Republicans reached a deal Wednesday evening on more than $430 billion in tax cuts and aid to states over a 10-year period that salvaged much of President Bush's proposal while securing the crucial vote of a renegade GOP moderate."

"Eager to avoid an embarrassing defeat for Bush, Republicans grudgingly agreed to reduce the tax that individuals pay on corporate dividends by up to 20 percent. Bush wanted the tax eliminated. Other elements of the Senate GOP agreement are virtually identical to Bush's original request." See "Senate GOP reaches tax-cut deal".

Graham Alleges 9-11 Cover Up - "Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., knows at least as much as President Bush about what went wrong leading up to Sept. 11, 2001. The difference is that Sen. Graham wants Americans to know what did. Sen. Graham and Rep. Porter Goss, R-Sanibel, co-chaired the congressional study into 9/11. In December, they gave the Bush administration the report and recommendations to improve security. President Bush has held up the report, refusing to release the findings for action. Rep. Goss is 'very frustrated this has taken this long.' Sen. Graham said he thinks President Bush is 'covering up' intelligence lapses. Withholding the report, he said, 'denies to the people of America important information as to what happened before September the 11th (and) how well what we learned has been applied to protect the security of Americans.'" See "Graham offers answers; Bush stalls".

Jacksonville Mayoral Race Racisim - "Racially offensive graffiti was sprayed at Glover's campaign headquarters over the weekend, scrawled epithets in bold black and orange hues on all four outdoor walls of the office. 'NO N----- MAYOR,' the graffiti read. And a sign in front of the office of one of Glover's white Republican supporters was defaced to label him a `N----- LOVER.'" See "Old South racism appears during New South election".

Bad Bills - "Ripe for vetoes"

Now That The Election Is Over, Foster Children On The Back Burner - "Gov. Jeb Bush and Department of Children & Families Secretary Jerry Regier pledged to fix the child-welfare system after the disappearance of then-5-year-old Rilya Wilson made national headlines. Though some reforms did pass, child advocates say state leaders again missed opportunities to help the 35,000 children in foster care." See "Session little help for foster care".

The Education Governor - "State university enrollments could be frozen and the number of teachers could be reduced if the Legislature cuts $100 million from the higher education budget as planned, three school presidents warned Wednesday." See "University presidents: Budget cuts too deep". Contrast that with this: Senate Republicans "agreed to reduce the tax that individuals pay on corporate dividends by up to 20 percent. Bush wanted the tax eliminated". When are we going to hear Bush described as the "corporate dividend tax cut governor"?

Our Green Governor - "Environmental lobbyists, who fight an uphill battle every spring in a Legislature dominated by special-interest money, were particularly glum last week as the regular session came to a close". See "Session Stings Ecology Activists".

Misplaced Priorities - "[A]t the same time that DCF put six respected workers' families in financial peril, three children in DCF care were killed in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. The juxtaposition of the firings and deaths could not describe more clearly what DCF's priorities should be". See "Back on the job at DCF".

Come On In, The Water's Warm - "Weldon ponders run for Graham's Senate seat"

Hasterok: "Graham could win. Really." - "So Florida's favorite fellow doesn't stand a chance, right? He's a goner before the going even gets started? Not so fast. Graham could win. Really." Read how.

Contempt Of Crist - "Johnny Byrd to Charlie Crist: Drop dead. Johnny Byrd to the voters of Florida: Drop dead."

"If you haven't yet figured out that House Speaker Johnny Byrd (R-Plant City) holds Florida's Attorney General, and more significantly, Florida voters, in utter contempt, then you haven't been listening to Byrd's lawyer." See "An act of contempt".

Jax Race Update - "Glover and Peyton stage a disgusting peformance". 8:38 AM


Notes For Wednesday, May 07, 2003

Scramble Starts For Graham's U.S. Senate Seat - But here's the rub, if Graham's presidential bid "wilts, many expect he will seek the comfort of another Senate term." That would make it messy for the "list of starry-eyed [Dem] contenders [which] already includes U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch of Hollywood, U.S. Rep. Mark Foley of West Palm Beach and Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas. In turn, their campaigns are setting off scrambles for seats from Washington to Weston." See "Scramble starts for Senate seat -`It's a very dynamic time'".

Special Session Will Begin May 12 - "State lawmakers will return to the state capital Monday for a 16-day special session to again try to craft a $52 billion state budget and find ways to pay for it." Associated Press.

Killing Bills - "Lawmakers feel the thrill of the killed bill"

You Reckon Chain Gang Charlie Is Grandstanding? See "Strike political colors".

Jax Race - Race and the Jax mayoral contest, and a nasty debate.

SPT Editorial: No Recent Presidential Candidate From Either Party Can Match Graham - "None of the other Democrats in the race - in fact, no recent presidential candidate from either major party - can match Graham's combination of executive-branch experience and national security expertise. With the country caught in an open-ended war against terror and facing mounting economic and social crises at home, voters won't be in the mood for a fresh face and untested character in 2004. The times demand an intelligent, pragmatic grown-up such as Graham." See "A grown-up Democrat".

Graham Trails Bush - "Bush holds a 15 percentage-point advantage over Graham at this stage in his home state, according to a new statewide survey released Tuesday." See "President Graham: What are the chances?". 4:39 AM


Notes For Tuesday, May 06, 2003

"My Brother . . . Can Whip Them All" - "Republican Gov. Jeb Bush called Graham a formidable candidate, but said the president can win Florida again. `My brother can beat him . . .can whip them all,' the governor said." See "Graham raps Bush as he joins race for the presidency". In the meantime, "brother's" misconduct during wartime is being revisited - to the extent it receved much media attention at all - in mainstram media outlets (albeit by mere columnists). See "Playing 'Top Gun' for the cameras", "Media AWOL in noting irony of Bush's flight" and "Man on Horseback".

We Need To Get To The Bottom Of This - It was great to read that DCF has reinstated the six wrongfully ired workers; however, we strongly disagree with the Herald reporter's assertion that this "end[ed] a political scandal at the embattled Department of Children & Families, which fired the workers following a March complaint from an influential state senator." There now needs to be an independent investigation of this issue, including: (1) why a senator's assistant was, during working time, shuttling the senator's mother to a DCF office (the Governor of Mass. got hammered for using her assistant as a babysitter, didn't she?), and (2) what connections and communications were there between the senator's office and Regier's office about this issue. This outrage, that disrupted the lives of these working people should not be swept under the carpet.

Dyckman - "Did Republicans jump or were they pushed?"

Failure - Failure follows "two more failures".

And You're Being Generous - "It could be called the 'do-little' Legislature, and state lawmakers should be ashamed of their performance. Here's the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's capsule assessment of the regular legislative session, which ended Friday.". See "Shame On Lawmakers".

"One Of The Most Ineffective Legislatures Ever" - See "Agenda For Tallahassee".

"Budget meltdown scorches Floridians" - See "Painful choices".

Perhaps Some Adults Should Step In- "A Republican House member suggested Monday that the House speaker and Senate president should not take the lead on negotiating the details of the budget to avoid some of the acrimonious stalemate that plagued the legislative session." See "GOP lawmaker suggests leaders allow others negotiate budget ". Then agaim, exactly "where is the adult supervision in the Florida House?"

Well, Maybe He Is An Idiot? "Eviscerating your work-force morale is idiotic by any ideology", opines the Tallahassee Democrat in "State workers: so much to do; so little respect".

Don't Hold Your Breath - "Monumental failure Legislature should pursue funding for phosphate-waste cleanups"

It's About Time - "Graham officially launching campaign". He's "little-known but unfazed".

Everglades - "Gov. Jeb Bush's alliance with the sugar industry in softening water-quality standards in the Everglades has sparked questions from critics -- some of them in his own party -- about whether he miscalculated, imperiling federal money for one of the country's largest environmental restoration projects. The Legislature passed a measure -- all but guaranteed to receive his signature -- that would push back deadlines for cleaning up the polluted water that flows off farm fields and suburban lawns, forcing his administration into federal court Friday to defend the controversial measure before a skeptical judge who has overseen Everglades cleanup efforts since 1988."

"The issue is so explosive that leading congressional Republicans -- typically eager to flaunt their friendship with the powerful Bush family -- have not been shy about attacking the policies espoused by the president's brother and his leadership in a key political state." See "Bush criticized for compromise in Glades bill".

However this, Everglades double-talk is not fooling the federal judge. Marquez offers us her wisdom on the matter.

Who Knew? - "One of Florida's little secrets at the school bus stop is that children are hurting their own education by stepping aboard. The reason is that the state, while mandating transportation for public school students, won't fill the tank. Through an unseemly budgetary shell game, it forces school districts to take money from classrooms to operate buses each year. This past year, according to a recent report presented to the Legislature, school districts spent $725-million taking children to and from school but were reimbursed only $411-million. The shortfall, $314-million, came from the only budgetary source to which the districts could turn - the classrooms. Is this any way to treat schools?" See "Half-empty school bus tank".

Jax - The Florida Times Union begins to build its case against the Dem running for mayor.

We Need More Of This - "Maddox is getting some heat from his Republican counterpart for 'interfering' in the legislative process."

"Republican Party Chairwoman Carole Jean Jordan, in her first news release since taking office, blasted [Democratic Party Chairman Scott] Maddox for his recent disparaging comments about the Republican-led Legislature, in particular a recent remark that the difference between God and House Speaker Johnnie Byrd is that God doesn't think he's Byrd."

"Jordan demanded Maddox apologize to the speaker." See "Maddox proud to 'call it like it is'". 7:46 AM


Notes For Monday, May 05, 2003

Not Everyone Thinks The Session Was A Joke - "Telephone companies and Big Sugar are toasting a successful legislative season, even as many others involved consider the 60-day marathon a waste of time. From the latest Legislative session emerged the newest evidence for critics to suggest that money wins in Florida's capital.". See "Capital win for Big Sugar, phone companies".

Trifecta - The Palm Beach Post has three pieces on the "big three" issues in Tallahassee (aside from the budget: (1) "Malpractice reform left in waiting room"; (2) "Lawmakers: Workers comp will be fixed"; and (3) "Everglades dominate environmental issues".

State Workers In Trouble - "State workers brace for tough budget".

Oh Goody - "Bush says special sessions might last through the summer".

Graham - "Floodlights glaring, Graham opens to mixed reviews in S. Carolina".

"Political Relativity" - "Gov. Jeb Bush is so fond of the school bonus checks he presents at press conferences each year that he has threatened to veto the entire budget if they are eliminated, and he has invented a new standard to measure them. The standard is one of political relativity . . .." See "Random recognition".

Pithy - Mike Thomas writes that "Florida's Republican leaders couldn't be more embarrassing if they were preschoolers squabbling over a Bitty Baby. And this is despite having more control in Florida than the Baath Party had in Iraq. I'll put it this way: Name a Democrat in Tallahassee. But after two months, the R-Men can agree only on two things: One is to jack up our phone rates, and the second is to let sugar growers dump more crud in the Everglades. The things we can be sure they won't do are what they promised to do -- or what we asked them to do."

"Jeb promised to implement the class-size amendment during the campaign, then announced his intention to repeal it after being re-elected. Jeb also backtracked on his opposition to the phone increases and his vow to clean the Everglades."

"House Speaker Byrd, a recent Alabama immigrant, could not care less about the state's needs. He is in this for his political career. His 13-member communications staff is little more than a taxpayer-funded $600,000 campaign staff to get him to Washington." 6:30 AM


Notes For Sunday, May 04, 2003

Add On - Florida Retired General Says Dubya Would Have Won The Vietnam War - We don't normally do national politics, let alone international affairs, but there is a Florida connection in this story: "Retired Lt. General Jay Garner [a Florida resident], slated to [run postwar Iraq for Bush administration], declared yesterday, 'if President Bush had been president, we would have won' the Vietnam War', in which Garner served." See "History Lesson". This is over the top even for a Bush family sycophant, as Garner obviously is. Don't these vets care that Dubya was apparently AWOL - not a mere draft dodger - during the Vietnam war?

The Post Asks: "How did bodies of lawmakers evolve into raging packs of hacks and goons?" - "Floridians look at the remarkable caldron of anger and incompetence that calls itself the Legislature and wonder how the state could have gotten into a mess like this. When did this deterioration of statesmanship begin? How did bodies of lawmakers evolve into raging packs of hacks and goons? Exactly where did Florida go wrong?" And the answer is: A Florida GOP comprised of "thirtysomething angry white men of limited life experience, dubious achievement, vacant memories and uncompromising self-righteousness." And the leader of the pack may surprise you. See "Leader of animal House".

What To Expect From The Special Session - "Eyes on special session"

Just Work On The Budget Will 'Ya - "Gov. . . . Bush test drove a tactical training simulation tank and Humvee that were used by U.S. military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan as he toured a company on Saturday that makes equipment for homeland security." See "Bush tours homeland security technology plant in Orlando".

Graham - "Graham boasts, but can he escort Florida to the party?".

Can A Moderate Republican Exist In Tallahassee? - Pamela Hasterok thinks there is an emerging, though tenuous, group of GOP moderates. We would respectfully disagree, and point out that what is considered "moderate" by contrast to the Bush-Byrd wackos that run Floorida is conservative by any other name.

Commentary On The Session - See "What went wrong in Tallahassee", "A legacy of ideas and little success", "Bickering brings legislative gridlock to Tallahassee" and "Build state from top, not bottom".

You Lay Down With Dogs . . . - "Hispanic lawmakers disappointed".

What The Budget Impasse Really Means: Bush and Byrd Win - "All but lost in the final flurry of this year's lackluster legislative session is a simple financial decision that will affect millions of Floridians."

"The moderate Republican leadership of the Senate said by week's end that it would abandon its efforts to raise $1 billion in new money to soften next year's budget crunch, despite rising concerns from constituents statewide that the anticipated $52.2 billion budget is too little in an ever-growing state. The Senate first pushed to raise the money through new taxes or an expansion of gambling. But when the House leadership balked, the Senate settled for raising about half that, $475 million, from increased traffic fines and raiding state trust funds. But now, with the Legislature failing to pass a budget in its regular 60-day session, Senate President Jim King says he'll no longer push for any new dollars, period, when lawmakers return in a week to finish the job.". "Revenue impasse will have broad impact".

Poor Florida GOP - "Without obvious enemy, GOP forced to fight with itself".

Is Capping Damages Really The Way To Address The Health Care Crisis? See "Renewed focus on health-care crisis".

About Those Folks Bush Wants To Empty Out Of Those State Buildings - "Tallahassee-area state employees, [have] given $2.2 million - an average of $63 each - to United Way this year, the highest average in state capitals throughout the nation.". See "State workers show they're great givers".

Dixie Chicks - A sole protester shows up for Dixie Chicks first Florida concert, a sold out show.

Florida Dems Roll For Big Biz - "Away from home, Democrats bow to big business".

Voucher Lunacy - "Charter school woes show voucher pitfalls" 8:05 AM


Notes For Saturday, May 03, 2003

Are Mexican-Americans Next? In the 2000 "election", Katherine Harris used a company now owned by "ChoicePoint" of Atlanta to illegally purge thousands of eligible Blacks from voting lists (not surprisingly, the company was "paid $4.3 million for its work, replacing a firm that charged $5,700 per year for the same service").

ChoicePoint is now working with the government to identify supposed illegal aliens, and a scandal is brewing - "The American company that arranged the sale from a Mexican supplier to U.S. immigration and police agencies [ChoicePoint] said it might stop selling the data -- if it turns out the information was obtained illegally. The data sales caused a storm of criticism in Mexico, where many feared that corrupt politicians had sold voter rolls to U.S. agencies, who in turn used them to identify illegal immigrants." See "Mexican data acquired by ChoicePoint included more details than originally suspected".

"Where would Florida be were it not for the bloated, imperial egos of the state's top three elected officials, Gov. Jeb Bush, House Speaker Johnnie Byrd and Senate President Jim King?" See the Orlando Sentinel's "Bloated egos".

The headlines say it all:

- "Legislators go home: no budget, no class size cuts".

- "Session ends with little done".

- "Do-little state session reaches an end".

- "Legislative session closes without budget".

We Wouldn't Put It This Way - "Clash Of The Titans". "Twits on parade" would be more accurate. And the biggest twit of them all has the audacity to scold top lawmakers; this man's audacity is simply shocking.

Speaking of Twits - These twits blame the Florida Senate for not blindly following Bush - Byrd.

Myth Busting: Bush A Zero - One "myth is that Gov. Jeb Bush is the most powerful and influential chief executive in Florida history. If that's true, then Bush apparently decided to rest on his laurels while the Republican leaders of the two chambers duked it out this session."

"Bush seems to have exerted zero influence on resolving the major contentious issues of the session. Indeed, for most of the past two months he has been an absentee governor, traveling the state and nation for photo ops while the public's business withered on the legislative agenda. Apparently, Bush has been too busy giving speeches to the National Rifle Association and making other self-promoting public appearances to be bothered with what's been going on (or rather, what's not been going on) in Tallahassee.". See "Myth-busting session". Perhaps "Jeb!" ought to reconsider his career as a pump salesman (See last year's story, "U.S. fraud suit targets ex-partner of Jeb Bush" ("Gov. Jeb Bush's former business partner in a venture to sell water pumps abroad defrauded the U.S. government of more than $74-million, federal authorities contend in a lawsuit").

The Worst Session Ever? - Lucy Morgan thinks a case can be made that this is the: "Worst ever session? It's worth debating".

A Bright Spot - "Lawmakers didn't fulfill any of Bush's personal requests, such as putting to voters a repeal of class-size reduction or a Miami-to-Tampa bullet train, or combining state agencies that oversee cultural resources and land planning under his newly appointed secretary of state.". See the Miami Herald story (cited above).

No Living Wage For You - "As many as 2,000 workers at Miami International Airport, including baggage and food handlers, could soon take home less pay based on a proposal approved by Florida lawmakers Friday. The legislation, sent to Gov. Jeb Bush for his stamp of approval, wipes out a provision in the county's living-wage ordinance that had guaranteed that those workers make twice the federal minimum wage of $5.15.". See "State bill cuts in half MIA wages". This is an absolute outrage - where does the Florida GOP get off telling local governments they cannot establish a living wage in their communities.

They'll Be Back - "[T]he GOP-dominated Legislature [has been called] back into a 16-day special session, beginning May 12, to finish crafting a $52 billion state budget, the only bill lawmakers must pass each year." Story.

And Don't Forget The Everglades - "Glades legislation worries judge". See "Bush Should Veto Extension". Heck, why should the Republicans stop with the Everglades, when they can "do considerably more damage when they return to Tallahassee to write the budget, especially if they decide to balance it by breaking into trust funds set aside for land preservation and environmental cleanup"; see ""Dirty business".

GOP Desperate In Jax - "Candidates stake different positions on partisanship".

Graham - Goss Attack 9-11 Coverup - "Recent articles by MSNBC and Newsweek both outlined the outrage Graham, Goss and others feel after news leaked that the White House wants to classify what should be public documents concerning 9/11. Some of the information the White House wants to keep secret concerns public testimony and some of it has already been printed in newspapers." See "White House plan to keep 9/11 report secret is attacked".

Now We Can Now Breathe Easy - One of Florida's more prominent GOP politicos climbs another rung - She's no Katherine Harris, but she's close.. See "Hood OK'd as secretary of state".

Sweet - "Let's hope that Florida legislators were too busy last week to read the inside pages of The Washington Post". See the Sarasota Herald editorial.

"Advocates for Conservative Thought" - See "Shalala wants club reconsidered". 6:45 AM


Notes For Friday, May 02, 2003

WE'RE BACK - Due to circumstances beyond our control we were unable to post for the last several days. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

AWOL Governor Chides Legislature - After essentially being AWOL for the entire session (a Bush family tradition), Bush has the insolence to criticize otjhers for a lack of leadership. See Lucy Morgan's column today.

Earth To Bush - "Amid discord, governor sees 'peril' for Republicans' reign": "So far, only two major bills have passed -- a phone rate increase and loosened pollution standards in the Everglades -- and both enjoyed the backing of two of Florida's big-money industries: sugar and telecommunications. Bush will sign both bills, but the reality near the session's end prompted him Thursday to concede that 'this process has too much influence by lobbyists.''' In this, Governor apparently suggesting that officials other than he are under "too much influence by lobbyists"; what arrogance.

Dead Brain Society - "College headed by Clinton aide refuses to admit conservative club". How 'bout them Canes.

Don't Hold Your Breath - The Miami Hearld argues that Bush ought to "Veto the Glades Bill".

Thanks "Jeb!" - "The phone bill passed by the Florida Legislature on Thursday could more than double basic local phone rates in about four years if state regulators approve every increase requested by the state's major local phone companies, such as BellSouth, Verizon and Sprint." See "A higher calling: Phone rate hike passes".

Graham - If you are in the mood for a dip in the shallow end of the gene pool, see "Bob Graham -- nowhere man in 2004". 6:38 AM