Lucy Morgan: Must Read - "It feels like we are sliding backward down a slippery slope. The 'we' in this case is all of us. All of Florida."
"The budgets being debated by legislators in Tallahassee this week carve deeply into many of the things we take for granted. The things that are eliminated are likely to change our lives in many ways. Floridians who cannot get medical assistance could die. Teenagers who need the supervision of programs that prevent them from falling into a life of crime will fill our jails in the years to come. The child who might have been saved from drugs might live a very different life if he or she lives at all. Counties and cities will have to cut services or raise their taxes to meet the additional expenses tossed their way by a state that is passing the buck anywhere it can. The House, for instance, wants to discontinue a hallmark of Florida's most serious criminal investigations: the laboratory services of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement." Read the rest of it.
And Then There's Johnnie, Who Apparently Lives In A Different World - Byrd claims that the House has "'A real budget, based on real dollars, that helps real people'". See "House raids housing fund to avoid seeking new taxes".
Dumb and Dumberer - "House Bill 703, which -- among a moveable feast of other appalling ideas -- proposes that school districts fulfill their new class-size requirements by allowing teenagers to opt out of high school early." See "Don't cheat teens of class time".
Inexperienced GOP House Legislators Put Everglades Restoration At Risk - In their zeal to appease their sugar daddies (pun intended), GOP legislators in the House are working hard to pass a sugar-industry proposal that environmentalists say weakens pollution standards and puts off enforcement for another 20 years. However, "influential Republican congressmen [Porter Goss and Clay Shaw] warned their state House counterparts Friday to back off [the] proposal they say could ruin the nation's Everglades restoration project." See "House Republicans warned over Glades project". The Daytona Beach News-Journal explains the issue substantive aspects of this issue in a lengthy editorial today, "Raid on public water".
This is yet another example of why term limits don't work; lobbyists and the inexperienced idealogues they cause to be elected - like Bush and the zealots in the House - dominate.
And this is a scary thought: "Future of the Everglades depends on the governor" Let's make a prediction: Bush will push for the sugar bill behind the scenes, the bill will fail because it is so obviously bad that some Republicans will not support it, and Bush will claim he saved the Everglades. Then, most of the press will sit idly by while "Jeb!" and his brother pose for photo ops in the Everglades and pronounce themselves enviromental dudes; fortunately media some point out George Bush's rank hipocrisy on enviromental issues.
Really, Wasn't This Obvious? "State health officials pulled a Christian-themed AIDS brochure from circulation Friday, a day after a civil liberties group complained that tax dollars were going for a pamphlet promoting religion. " AP Wire.
Hood Fails Her First Assignment As Secretary Of State - "State lawmakers on Friday killed Gov. Jeb Bush's controversial plan to move the State Library's circulating collection to Nova Southeastern University . . . ." See "State library won't go to NSU".
Jax Mayoral Race - Is The GOP Using A Dem As A Spoiler? Ron Littlepage thinks Dem Betty Holzendorf may be being used by the GOP.
Tax Increases Bad - Take Money From Consumers And Transfer It To Business Friends Good -Bush supports a telecommunications bill that could result in phone rates being repeatedly increased up to 6% a year. Will the media let Bush of the hook on this one - like everything else?
"Mike Twomey, who heads the consumer group Florida Utility Watch, said the new version is worse than the bill Bush vetoed [last session]. Twomey said the commission would have no additional authority to stop rate increases and the bill would open up the possibility of repeated increases in basic rates. The proposal would allow basic rates -- now limited to increases of less than the rate of inflation -- to be treated on a par with nonbasic services such as caller ID. Nonbasic services can be increased 6 percent annually if there is no competition and 20 percent if competition exists in the marketplace." No surprise that the bill's lobbyist is Cory Tilley.
But This Fee Is Not OK With Byrd - "Florida House Speaker Johnnie Byrd will let his colleagues vote on a Senate proposal that would increase state fees on real estate sales -- a politically charged move that will play out on the House floor Tuesday. But Byrd made it clear Friday that he expected his overwhelmingly Republican chamber to kill the ''statewide impact fee'' proposal.'You all know how I feel about increasing taxes,' Byrd said. 'The only way for us to clear the air is to bring it up for debate and vote it up or vote it down.''' See "House poised to kill real estate fee".
Invade Us Here In Florida, Please! "See if you can guess what state will receive the following aid from the Bush administration over the next year:
* Access to basic health services for half the population, including maternity care for all of its female population.
* Books and supplies for 12,500 schools, including the rebuilding or renovation of 25,000 schools.