Foley's Hipocrisy - "Foley's effort to sidestep the issue was the pragmatic approach of a misguided politician desperate to deny the realities of his own party. I am stunned Foley thought he could run for the Senate -- as a Republican in Florida -- and not have this issue come up. And he's not thinking clearly if he believes his news conference is going to settle the matter."
"After the news conference, leading conservatives -- including House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Fla., and Gov. Jeb Bush -- issued statements of support. Foley had obviously brokered a Faustian pact with his party's right wing: He would stay in the closet and they would vouch for his conservative credentials."
"I'm more troubled that Foley was willing to climb into bed with these men to further his ambitions than I am with whom he sleeps at night." See "Foley's bedfellows: politics, hypocrisy".
Budget - "Capping off perhaps the most embarrassing performance of the Florida Legislature since Republicans took control in 1996, legislators convene in the state Capitol today for a marathon of deliberations to end a 16-day special session." See "Legislators' aim: Finishing work before heading home".
And when it's all said and done," three weeks late and about $2 billion short, Florida gets a budget. It short-sheets schools, counties, courts and the environment, but it shows what's important to Gov. Bush and House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, R-Plant City." See "Budget shorts state another year".
Let Them Read Vouchers - "Governor Jeb Bush and education officials want thousands of Florida third-grade students who failed a statewide reading test to hit the books in reading camps this summer. The plan calls for six to eight weeks of intensive reading instruction -- four days a week for more than five hours a day -- for about 40-thousand third-graders who failed the reading section of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test this year."
"But many districts don't have the money for the classes. They say the programs will likely be much shorter than the six to eight week recommendation and that they come at a time when their budgets are strapped." See "Florida Counties Scramble To Implement Gov. Bush's Reading Camps".
"Grotesquely One-Sided" Legislation - "Even by Tallahassee standards, this legislation, HB 25A, is grotesquely one-sided." See "Insult to the injured".
"The workers' compensation bill greased through the state Legislature is a dog. It bites injured workers, who lose benefits they need and the ability to fight for the few that remain. It deceives employers, who are counting on this legislation to reduce sky-high premiums."