An editorial in the Gainesville Sun today underscores Bush's arrogance and disingenuousness in vetoing the funding for high-speed rail. It seems that, before the session, Bush told legislators who supported the constitutionally mandated rail system that he opposed a provision giving tax breaks to businesses that built near bullet-train stations. So, rail supporters sponsored language to eliminate it. And "they found an odd source of opposition: 'The governor's staff was lobbying to keep the tax break,' Dockery said. 'It appears they wanted it to remain in effect so the governor would have some grounds for objecting when he made his veto.'" And that is precisely what happened: Bush vetoed the $7.2 million rail appropriation, and said he did so because the Legislature failed to repeal the provision giving tax breaks to businesses that built near bullet-train stations (the very tax break the Gov. lobbyied to keep).
GOP Social Promotion - The GOP decries what it calls "social promotion" for students - you know, giving grades and passing students on to the next grade for reasons other than pure merit. Now we learn that the FCAT school grading system does precisely the same thing when it comes to grading schools. "A Times computer-assisted analysis of this year's FCAT results found:"
"- Nearly half of all Florida schools, 1,229, are now A schools. That total is higher than the combined number of B and C schools. There are 508 percent more A schools than in 1999, when the current grading system started."
"- If FCAT scores were based only on achievement and graded like classroom work - 90 to 100 percent for an A, 80 to 89 percent for a B and so on - there would be 77 A schools instead of 1,229."
"- Of Florida's nearly 2,600 public schools, 888 relied more on improving test scores than on high test scores to get their grade."
"- Ten schools were awarded A's even though most of their students scored below reading standards. A dozen other schools received A's even though more than half of their students scored below standards in math."
"The FCAT grading system rewards both high-performing schools and schools where students are making progress. If just 54 percent of all students perform at grade level and at least 54 percent improve their test scores, the school is nearly guaranteed a C."
Florida Times Union Goes Over The Deep End - Why on earth would the editorial board of an alleged newspaper waste resources praising the nutty new Coulter book? Because it's the Florida Times Union, that's why.
Up And Coming Dem - Read his profile here. What they don't mention is that he spent the bulk of his legal career, not as a prosecutor, but as a lawyer representing labor unions; he is a bona fide progressive, despite the moderate image he has so successfully cultivated.
McBride - As many of you know, Bill McBride is getting out and about again. Wonder if he has thoughts about a run at something else?
Government Sanctioned Pollution - "The state agency didn't pollute the water. But it moves polluted water from one place to another and dumps it into clean water, such as the Everglades. Is the agency a polluter? The South Florida Water Management District, which moves and dumps polluted water into cleaner water daily, wants to know. Unhappy with lower court rulings that hold the water district responsible, the district appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which last week agreed to consider the case." See "No permit to pollute".