Notes For Wednesday, December 18, 2002

DOES GOV BUSH THINK THE SENATE SHOULD THROW LOTT'S "ASS[ ] OUT"? My, my. John Ellis Bush offers his two cents on the Trent Lott situation. The national media is all over it (that's twice today our Governor has been in the national spotlight (see the preceding note)). The AP Wire story has been picked up nationally.

Is Gov Bush delivering a message on George's behalf, or is he simply promoting himself. Kinda ironic to hear the man who ordered a subordinate, when confronted with a sit in by two Black legislators protesting his dumping of affirmative action in the Lt. Gov's office, to "throw their asses out". 5:59 PM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

FLORIDA IN THE NATIONAL MEDIA (AGAIN). MORE MISSING KIDS On December 3, an AP wire story reported Gov "Bush said 'a majority of the [missing 393] children were found' but he didn't give specific numbers. Officials with the FDLE and DCF would not discuss specifics until their report is completed later this month." As we noted at the time, this statement by Bush begged the obvious question - "Does that mean that a minority of the 393 missing kids - say 185 remain 'lost'?" Well, as reported today throughout Florida, and as far away as LA and DC, somewhere between 88 and 102, or is it 103, kids remain lost.

Incredibly, John Ellis "Bush and his new child-welfare agency chief used a news conference Tuesday to tout success in tracking down 75 percent of nearly 400 children reported missing from state care as of mid-August." Aside from failing to account for 25 percent of the missing kids (and claiming success!), the problem is getting worse: "hundreds more have gone missing from state care since the task force was created in August as a response to the disappearance of Rilya Wilson, a 5-year-old Miami-Dade girl in state custody. Bush, though, declared the effort a success. . . ." Source.

Bush's "solution" will no doubt be more of the same - privatization. 6:30 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]