Notes For Thursday, August 14, 2003

The malpractice cap thing is all the rage today. Wonder how long before it is being spun as a great victory for Bush. In the meantime, don't let this story - about GOP efforts to intimidate the Florida Supreme Court during the 2000 fiasco - slip under the radar: "Palm Beach County official fined for violations". A mere slap on the wrist. More on this story: "Taking on justices, official broke law" and "PAC actions net McCarty $2,000 fine".

Malpractice - See "Medical package heads to governor", "Legislature approves malpractice overhaul", "Malpractice Bill Awaits Bush", "Legislature limits pain, suffering awards for medical malpractice victims", "Malpractice bill heads to Bush" and "Medical awards bill gets OK, goes to Bush".

Details - "Highlights of the bill (CS SB 2D)". And "Few expect malpractice deal to benefit them".

Only After Being Caught . . . "Bush wants [private] schools to be accountable".

"Facing mounting criticism of Florida's loosely regulated school voucher programs, Gov. Jeb Bush conceded Wednesday that the programs need more state oversight and promised to demand more information from private schools that accept the vouchers." See "Voucher schools to answer questions".

Graham - "Graham needs lots of help".

"Skewed Priorities" - "Florida can't fund state universities adequately. Public-school students are being crammed into dilapidated portables and teachers are losing their jobs. Mental-health programs are closing down and seniors who need help paying for eyeglasses, hearing aids and prescription drugs have been told the cupboard is bare. But Florida can dump $66 million more into its prison system, literally on a moment's notice. If this doesn't make you mad about the sorry condition of government in this state, nothing will." See "Skewed priorities".

See also "Rise in prison population spurs move for new beds" and "Bill scoots through on last day, giving prisons $66 million raise".

Sales Tax - "Amendment on sales tax review merits support".

But see "Constitution can't give state new tax setup", a Palm Beach Post editorial: "Study after study shows that Florida must spend more to become a great state, yet Florida is starving itself on a system that lets too many people pay nothing and too many poor people pay too much. Voters have to change that with new leaders, not a constitutional amendment that asks their elected officials to behave responsibly."

Way To Go DEP - "Forida taxpayers are spending more than $140 million to clean up the radioactive byproducts of a Tampa fertilizer plant that went bankrupt in 2001. The still-contaminated effluent is being disposed of in the Gulf of Mexico and moving south with the current, toward the Florida Keys. If that's not bad enough, consider this: The cleanup cost and environmental threat would have been considerably less had the Florida Department of Environmental Protection acted earlier. . . .

"A statewide grand jury should be convened to find out how such lax oversight of Mulberry's holdings was possible and to review state laws so that legal remedies that require supervision of similar plants can be adopted. Florida taxpayers shouldn't have to foot the bill for someone else's disdain of the environment." See "A $140 Million Bungle". 7:54 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]