Wrong, Wrong, Wrong - The Tallahassee Democrat simply has it wrong in asserting that "union clout is fading". Unions were key players in the defeat of George Bush in Florida in 2000, which was stolen by the U.S. Supreme Court. Unions bankrolled McBride; they were not the cause of the disasterous campaign, he was. Union's were central to the recent Democratic Party victories in Orlando, WPB and Tampa (two Dems in the runoff), which is part and parcel of the statewide takeover of the mayorships of virtually every major city in the state. The list goes on.
That AFSCME and the Florida NEA are under siege by "Gov. Jeb Bush And His Amen Chorus Of Goose-Stepping Legislators" is expected - if you take on the zealots of the Florida GOP and lose, you expect juvenile political payback; indeed, the ferocity of the Bush-Byrd response is a testament to the power of these labor organizations.
Ask yourself - without labor, with its money and its footsoldiers, where would Florida's Democratic Party be? Don't tell us that "union clout is fading".
Jim King - " After their devastating defeat in last fall's elections, Florida Democrats are now being kept alive by an unlikely ally: The Senate's most powerful Republican." See "Senate president a moderate" in today's Sun Sentinel.
Rove's Designs On Florida in 2004 - "White House political adviser Karl Rove and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez met last week to discuss challenging Florida Sen. Bob Graham in the 2004 election. Whether Mr. Martinez could beat the popular former governor and three-term senator remains doubtful, but that may not be the chief reason Mr. Rove wants the HUD secretary on the Florida ballot. What this really boils down to are three things: the state's huge Hispanic vote, Mr. Graham's refusal to break with the Democrats' filibuster against Miguel Estrada's nomination to the D.C. Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, and improving President Bush's chances of carrying a pivotal state he barely won [sic] in 2000." Read "Keeping 2004 in focus" notwithstanding its source, Rev Moon's Washington Times.
"A state representative from Orlando wants to ask Florida's voters for permission to ignore them. Is that OK with you? We thought not. But at the least, Rep. Randy Johnson (an Orlando Republican) deserves credit for asking first. Usually, when lawmakers hatch 'devious plans' to get around voters' wishes, they do so without so much as a by-your-leave."
"But the only award Johnson should receive is the top prize for sheer gall. He can share it with the governor and lawmakers who are proposing other, more devious ways to subvert the will of the voters and ignore the instructions they send to lawmakers through the constitutional amendment process -- like 'reduce the size of public-school classes' and 'create a high-speed rail system.'"
"Johnson's bill (HJR 437) proposes adding the following phrase: Amendments adopted, or which have previously been adopted, pursuant to this section must be implemented by the Legislature only to the extent the amendment does not require the imposition of taxes and the Legislature determines that the implementation will not adversely affect other state priorities." The rest of it.
Senior Citizens' Prescription Drug Bill - "The major criticism of the senior citizens' prescription drug assistance bill that the Florida House of Representatives unanimously passed the other day is that it is too modest." See "Legislative Triage" in the St Pete Times. 6:09 AM
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