Notes For Friday, November 29, 2002

Toronto Star Agrees That George Bush Is Not A "Moron". The Toronto Star reports that George Bush is "anything but moronic". Rather, Bush is "a sociopathic personality . . . incapable of empathy . . . [with] an inordinate sense of his own entitlement . . . ." [article.] The Star's rejection of the moron moniker strongly supports Prime Minister Chretien's earlier insistence " that Mr. Bush is not a moron". [earlier article.] 9:02 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

National Century Scandal - Jeb Backer Poulsen Had A Checkered Past: A little piece in the Palm Beach Post yesterday about the National Century scandal. The Post reports that Years before Lance K. Poulsen became a big-time executive and Republican political player who contributed $44,000 to the Florida Republican Party and loaned Gov. Jeb Bush a National Century jet for "a campaign trip", he headed a struggling tire company based in Lake Park and even ran afoul of police. [Article.]

There seems to be a disagreement between the Miami Herald and the Post on how many plane trips John Ellis Bush took on the tainted plane(s). The Herald says "Seven times during his reelection bid, Gov. Jeb Bush climbed aboard a private jet owned by National Century Financial Enterprises", while the post reports only that "loaned Gov. Jeb Bush a National Century jet for a campaign trip in September".

Was it "seven" trips" or "a" trip; I am sure the Florida Legislature's investigation and/or the Florida Election Commission inquiry will sort this all out. 7:53 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

I am shocked . . . shocked! "State Finds Problems With Child Welfare" [Tampa Tribune article.] Even though "Children are being placed in unlicensed homes, reports needed to track children's' progress are missing, and staff turnover has soared to more than 60 percent . . . [and] the level of care has gone down since privatization occurred ", John Ellis Bush insists on giving it all to the vaunted private sector. [Daytona Beach News Journal editorial.] 7:48 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

He's No Tom Feeney: Incoming state House Speaker Johnnie Byrd is backing two "reforms": (1) allow Floridians to vote on a constitutional amendment requiring purchasers of political advertisements to file reports with the state (ensuring that political groups that buy ads attacking candidates are identified); and (2) an amendment that would require bills to "cool off'' for 48 hours before being approved by the House or Senate, and during that time no amendments could be added. The Tampa Trib editorializes in favor of these relatively mundane proposals.
7:43 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

Broward School Overcrowding "Much Worse" Than Suspected: "Anyone visiting Broward campuses can see schools are overcrowded: students jammed into classrooms, triple lunch shifts, closets doubling as teaching spaces. But the crowding is actually much worse than anyone realized, according to the first reliable figures the school district has ever compiled." [Article] 7:36 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

Too little too late. The Miami Herald editorializes on local election reform.. 7:23 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

The Orlando Sentinel could use a new columnist; how about the author of this "my word" column in Today's Sentinel. 7:20 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]