Notes For Friday, December 27, 2002

IS THIS REALLY SOMETHING TO BRAG ABOUT. From the Enterprise Florida website (your tax dollars at work):

"Affordable talent: . . . Florida's average cost of labor is 14% lower than the national average.

A right-to-work state: Florida remains one of only 8 states with a right-to-work provision in the state constitution. Florida also has one of the lowest unionization rates in the country with about 6.5%, and the third lowest unionization rate in manufacturing at 3.7%."

Not mentioned by Enterprise Florida is the fact that the right to unionize has, since 1969, been considered by the Florida Supreme Court to be a fundamental constitutional right.
9:27 PM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

I'M SURE IT WAS THE SECRET SERVICE AGENTS WHO WERE LATE. "Thursday night's departure of the Disney Wonder was delayed for an hour because two unidentified Bush granddaughters were late. President George W Bush's daughters Jenna and Barbara were listed on the ship's manifest . . . ." How nice. 8:35 PM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

"'CHEAPER, NOT BETTER' IS NOT THE ANSWER", opines the Penasacola News Journal editorial about Bush's apparent intention to raid trust funds to make up for the looming budget shortfalls.

"Taking the money from those trust funds means making decisions about the programs they fund. And that raises questions: Do voters want to fund more classrooms by cutting back on elder care? Do they want to fund a new pre-K program by cutting back on grants to libraries and museums? Do they want to fund the bullet train by cutting indigent care or slowing road repaving? In tight times, unsexy programs like aquatic weed control look like easy targets. But a few years down the road, when fishermen and boaters can't use lakes and streams because of weed growth, we go back to the cycle of management by crisis."

In a tip of the hat to Bill McBride, the editors close the piece with the following: "to borrow a phrase from the recent elections, Floridians understand that "cheaper, not better" is no bargain." Let's hope the message is heard this time around. 9:13 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

FAMILY PLAN. "A perfect plan: The guv could appoint 'P'". Nancy Cook Lauer. 7:53 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

BUILDING A DOOR IN THE WALL BETWEEN CHURCH AND STATE. "Governor putting 'faith-based' mentors into public schools". Sun-Sentinel article. 7:53 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

WHICH PUNDITS? "'Jeb Bush, visionary leader or arrogant purveyor of privilege?' pundits asked after November's mandate," says the guest columnist in the Orlando Sentinel about the exploding growth in the Wekiva Basin. 7:53 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

LEXICON OF LOVE. In "'Field hand' comment offends GOP official", we see more evidence of a developing political correctness problem in the GOP. We can expect to see more of this - as Blacks accept the invitation to join the "party of Lincoln", and then rocket up into party leadership, the old line Repubs are going to react and screw up. 7:53 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

DYER TO RUN FOR MAYOR OF ORLANDO. Politics just got interesting again in central Florida. Read "Mayor's job lures a former senator".

Dyer versus Sublette, a very prominent Dem versus a has been, but still young, Repub. But the party structure isn't behind Sublette, they like former Dem and Cuban American Tico Perez. The former Democratic - now Republican - Mayor Bill Frederick (who supported McBride), supports someone else.


7:53 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]