Add On: It's About Time - "Time to end voting ban for ex-felons". We agree that "Florida's invocation of penal objectives to justify its permanent voting ban should be seen for what it is: a pretext for perpetuating its discriminatory exclusion of blacks from the polls."
Add On: "There's Never Been A More Reckless And Fiscally Irresponsible Policy That Has Been The Fiscal Policy Of The State Of Florida" - Thanks to FlaBlog for directing us to this wonderful piece in the St Pete Times yesterday; we quote at length:
"The list of the disenchanted is growing almost every day. It includes big-city mayors, county and circuit judges, university presidents, school PTAs, corrections officers, librarians, teachers, the League of Women Voters, the Florida AARP, environmental groups, consumer organizations. These are people who want to make sure that state government provides for its residents, but they have witnessed a disturbing fiscal trend. In recent years, they have seen tax cuts, budgetary shell games with trust funds and a continuing shift of taxation to cities and counties. They have seen debt increasing, and a system of taxation that is growing more regressive and more unstable."
"'The real irony here is that this all has been passed off as a fiscally conservative approach to the state budget,' says Ed Montanaro, who retired last year as the Legislature's chief economist. 'In fact, it is the polar opposite. There's never been a more reckless and fiscally irresponsible policy that has been the fiscal policy of the state of Florida.'"
"Byrd and Bush are still smiling, though, behaving as though those around them are selfish and ignorant. Byrd calls the House's proposed 2002-03 budget 'wonderful' and routinely lashes out at his Republican counterpart in the Senate, President Jim King, for 'good ol' boy gamesmanship.' At least the governor and House speaker seem happy in their world. Too bad for Florida that it's a fictional one."
A "Himmler-With-A-Hangover Environment" - Bill Cotterell writes today about the working enviroment created by Bush's "Service Worst" Initiative. The work enviroment for state employees, at least in the Department of Education, boils down to this: (1) "'Keep your head down or you'll be sorry.'" (2) "'and even if you do everything our way, we might still privatize your job." See "Downside of Service First taking shape".
Bush Just Doesn't Get It - Peter Wallstein tells us how the "Florida GOP [is] divided over new push to ratify ERA". "One key strategist critical of Gov. Bush said that women, who make up more than half of the general-election turnout in Florida elections, are ''soft GOP voters'' who will `change their minds on one particular issue.'' ''The governor does not need to ridicule this, but should honestly and openly debate it,'' the strategist said. While Bush's bluntness has made some people uncomfortable, others in his party are squirming in the face of a wedge issue that so clearly divides the party's loyal, conservative base from its growing dependence on moderate voters."
"Jeb!" Picked Him, End Of Debate - "[M]any questions are still unanswered after Tuesday's [Regier] confirmation hearing before the Senate Children and Families Committee, chaired by Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach. Lynn earned the wrath of Senate Democrats when she abruptly cut off questioning during the hearing -- after curtailing several politically loaded and probing queries -- and refused to allow debate." See "The need to know - Valid questions about nominee deserve answers".
More Evidence That Bush Is Asleep At The Wheel - While Bush has spent the past few years pushing for tax cuts for Florida's wealthy folk, many Floridians have been going without health insurance. Indeed, in the Miami Herald article "Florida among top in number of uninsured residents" we learn that "Florida's population has one of the highest rates of uninsured in the country -- 17.5 percent -- because of its large immigrant contingent and its large service industry that often does not provide health benefits. If you only look at residents under 65, about 21 percent of Florida's population is uninsured."
Jennings Hipocrisy - Toni Jennings, who the media told us would bring a moderate voice into the cave inhabited by "Jeb!" and the rest of his neanderthal clan, actually "opposed the ERA in 1982, [and] now tiptoes around the issue and refuses to take a stand." We're sure the Lt. Gov. can't understand what the fuss is about, and why women would need the ERA; after all, Jennings "made it" through hard work and without help from anybody (just like "Jeb!") - She clawed her way to the top of her daddy's business. Yet another example of what the GOP calls an "achiever" (sorta like the GOP's mayoral candidate in Jax). 5:31 AM
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