Before getting to the news, we wanted to refer you to a piece in the New York Times today that is a little off topic: "What Would Jesus Do? Sock It to Alabama's Corporate Landowners" Alabama's "Governor Riley has stunned many of his conservative supporters, and enraged the state's powerful farm and timber lobbies, by pushing a tax reform plan through the Alabama Legislature that shifts a significant amount of the state's tax burden from the poor to wealthy individuals and corporations. And he has framed the issue in starkly moral terms, arguing that the current Alabama tax system violates biblical teachings because Christians are prohibited from oppressing the poor."
"If Governor Riley's tax plan becomes law — the voters still need to ratify it in September — it will be a major victory for poor people, a rare thing in the current political climate. But win or lose, Alabama's tax-reform crusade is posing a pointed question to the Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family and other groups that seek to import Christian values into national policy: If Jesus were active in politics today, wouldn't he be lobbying for the poor?" Believe it or not - and its not hard to believe - the Alabama Christian Coalition is trying to figure out how to oppose the reduction of taxes on the poor, thus exposing itself yet again is nothing more than a GOP apparatchiks.
Jennings Eyes Gov. Mansion - "Asked about running for governor, Jennings responded: 'I didn't go up there with that anticipation. But give me about a year, year and half, and then we'll think about that.' That's a long way from: `No.'" See "Happy to be No. 2 -- for now". A "year, year and a half", and folks will begin the scramble for Gov. in 2006? It never ends.
During The Campaign, Bush Overstated Cost Of Class Size Reduction - "Its price tag for the new school year falls far short of economists' original projections -- which Bush cited frequently last fall in his campaign against the measure -- that first-year costs could top $2.4 billion, including $624 million to hire personnel." See "Governor signs class-cap bill".
Local Government Undercut Again - "Florida Farm Bureau has launched a lobbying effort to support a farm bill that opponents say would bar counties from regulating agriculture." See "Farm Bureau lobbies for bill". This is yet another example of arrogation of power at the state level, to the detriment of local control.
Good Question - "What's the point of giving college seniors one test on reading and writing skills, as Florida Board of Governors member Steve Uhlfelder proposes, other than to waste state money harassing public universities?" See "One more gimmick".
Sierra Club Wants Struhs Out - "The Sierra Club's Florida chapter is calling for Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary David Struhs to resign. Even as he has been rumored for the top post at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Sierra Club is asking other environmental groups to join a coalition calling for Struhs' resignation. But some North Florida groups are declining to join the effort. The Sierra Club has scheduled a press conference for Thursday to announce the effort against Struhs, said John Swingle of Fort Myers, the chapter's conservation chair. 'I think he is more interested in private enterprise than in actually protecting and doing what's best for the citizens of Florida,' Swingle said." See "Sierra Club wants Struhs to quit post". 6:47 AM
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