Notes For Saturday, December 21, 2002
FLORIDA BLOGGERS. Looking at Daypop earlier, I discovered Flablog and, from that site, a listing of some interesting Florida based web logs. This prompted us to add a new "referrals" page on our site entitled "Florida Web Logs". We have also added Mark Lane, a columnist for the Daytona Beach News Journal to the Florida Pundits section of our site. Please notify us of any other Florida based blogs, particularly those incorporating political commentary, and we will link them. 2:40 PM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]TRIAL LAWYERS TO TAKE THEIR MEDICINE. "People who sue physicians and hospitals for malpractice would be limited in the amount of money they could recover under a preliminary proposal recommended Friday by a panel appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush" No surprise here; the panel was a set up from day one: the greedy trial lawyers were trumped by the greedy doctors and the, greediest of all, insurance industry. 9:11 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]
BUSH TO LOOT STATE TRUST FUNDS? Bush, having squandered the surplus left to him by Lawton Chiles, and compounded the fiscal problem by reducing the States's intangible tax (to the benefit of traditional GOP contributors), now looks to eliminate dedicated funds "that go to things like cleaning up beaches after an oil spill and training homemakers for work outside the home". It is really quite brilliant: Bush will limp along for four more years, sacking the State like a Visigoth (he is after all Texas shorewash), and leave office without raising taxes. To be sure, by 2006 when Bush leaves office, State services will have been reduced to a minimum and/or contracted out to GOP friends and contributors, but Bush will have given the appearance of having "held the line" on taxes. That will give Bush something to build on in 2007 and 2008 as he works to succeed his brother to the White House in 2008. 9:04 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]