Troxler - "This year marked a decisive tipping point in the history of the Florida Legislature. This was the year that corporate money shut down the public interest and the majority wishes of Floridians on every front." Howard Troxler.
Bushipocrisy - "His political base may applaud the empty gesture. In his Florida, empty gestures are all the help children and the disabled get." See "Jeb likes political womb".
"Local Control"? - Empty GOP Rhetoric - "The conservative Republican legislative majority swept into office on a promise of less state government. But four bills heading to the governor's desk add to big government's authority at the expense of city and county control." See "State trying to stretch authority".
Right Wing Nuts Always Find Something To Hate - "The last-minute freak-out over a relatively innocuous update to Florida's civil rights law was bizarre and almost inexplicable" The usual suspects - Sen. Anna Cowin, R-Leesburg, and the dopes at the "ironically named Liberty Council" - are attacking a bill that merely "gives Attorney General Charlie Crist the right to sue businesses that show a pattern of illegal discrimination -- which is clearly limited by Florida law to cases based on 'race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicap, or marital status.'" See "Civil disturbance". Apparently unable to read, these folks think
Education Cuts - "Education bears brunt of state cuts". And how about this brilliant idea to reduce class size - cut the number of credits needed for graduation from 24 to 18 - there is that silly concern as to "whether students will be accepted into out-of-state universities with just 18 credits". The bright lights in the Legislature will vote on this tomorrow.
Workers Comp Scandal - "They fixed Florida's workers compensation law again. Oh, yeah. They fixed it real good."
"Die on the job, and you'll get enough money to help your relatives bury you. But if you survive an on-the-job injury, just think of it as a "bump that's the more challenging part of the journey," as Gov. Bush might say. The Legislature rewrote the law in 1979, 1990, 1994 and, as of final votes Tuesday, 2003. In every major rewrite, injured workers permanently give up some benefits in return for their employers temporarily not paying higher premiums. Then, as insurance companies resume raising rates, a new round begins. Workers compensation is not the genome project. Other states get it right while Florida gets the second-highest premiums in the country for the smallest benefits. Every time lawmakers touch the law, the benefits shrink."