A spectacular column today by Mary Ann Lindley, editorial page editor of the Tallahassee Democrat. She observes that "[r]eading about the political turmoil in California, I realize that Florida's the other state where people want everything but are willing to pay for almost nothing that builds a better place to live." She writes that "it's only a matter of time before the shortsighted policies that Gov. Jeb Bush and our term-limited, dimwitted Legislature so love - and apparently many voters endorse when it's not in their interest to do so - will be painfully apparent." See "Florida's close behind California".
And don't miss this editorial in the New York Times today: "Politics and the Everglades". The editorial points out that "President Bush is barnstorming the country these days trying to burnish his meager environmental credentials. Mostly he's just talking. There is, however, one urgent matter that he could do something about while winning points in the process. The $8 billion plan to restore Florida's threatened Everglades is at a critical point." The editorial argues that "Mr. Bush's personal intervention could keep the project from veering off course. It might also send a useful warning to his brother Jeb, whose commitment to restoration has wavered since his re-election as Florida's governor." We are reminded that "two months ago when Jeb Bush caved in to the sugar interests and signed a rewrite of Florida's basic law governing restoration, the Everglades Forever Act. The revised law would delay for 10 years the cleanup of polluted water flowing from cane fields into the Everglades. Congress was so angry at these shenanigans — Florida is, after all, supposed to be a full partner — that it almost cut off federal funding. Congress has made it clear that future funding will hinge on Florida's compliance with the original deadlines."
Yeah, But We Elected Someone Named "Jeb!" - The Palm Beach Post thinks the Cal spectacle will make people forget Florida's role in the 2000 fiasco: "We'll sit back and enjoy the show. If you need Judge Charles Burton, Carol Roberts and Ms. LePore -- or maybe Katherine Harris -- just call. They know the drill." See "Chads fade into West". Unless there is gross illegality and right-wing politicization of the count (topped off with a Supreme Court intervention) the Cal situation is small potatoes compared to Florida 2000. Moreover, we are hardly in a position to crow, after all we elected a failed pump salesman and middling developer as our Governor. See "Bush and business: Fast success, brushes with mystery".
Bogus Corporate Voucher "Reforms" - "Gov. Bush has denied that his voucher programs need to be fixed. So it was strangely fitting that on Wednesday he announced "reforms" that won't fix them." See "Jeb's voucher 'reforms' don't apply to education".
Idiocy: No Guarantee That The "Schools" Getting Voucher Money Are Actually Schools - "Four years and $143.4-million into what is now the nation's largest voucher program, Florida Education Commissioner Jim Horne says he wants to send a survey form immediately to all schools receiving the tax dollars. One of his stated goals: 'I'm trying to . . . flush out those schools that aren't schools.' Give the commissioner credit for candor, but his new 'sworn compliance form' may not be as reassuring as he intends. Forget about whether the students in these schools are actually learning, and whether the teachers are qualified and students are taking standardized tests. The same commissioner who has boasted the vouchers are 'a model for the nation' is now having to confess he doesn't even know if some of the schools are real." See "School scrutiny".
Webster To Enter U.S. Senate Race - "State Sen. Daniel Webster is poised to announce his candidacy for U.S. Senate this week, ending months of speculation and adding another conservative Republican to an already crowded field, campaign advisers confirmed Saturday." See "Veteran GOP legislator to join crowded race for U.S. Senate".
Good Question - "Florida's crime rate, Gov. Jeb Bush points out proudly, is at a 30-year low. Yet inexplicably, the number of state prisoners has been rising sharply since March. In June nearly 3,000 new inmates were placed behind bars. That's the largest number to enter state prisons in one month since 1992, a time when Florida's crime rate was 34 percent higher. The state also locked up 30,000 more inmates in the last 12 months, a figure unmatched since Jeb Bush's father, George Bush, was president. Why? So far, no one, including Gov. Bush and Department of Corrections Secretary Jim Crosby, has been able to explain." See "Number of state prisoners balloons".
"Permanent Collision Course" - "For all the face-saving bravado and bonhomie that Gov. Jeb Bush and House Speaker Johnnie Byrd mustered with the Senate after passage of the medical-malpractice bill, the political fault lines for the future were evident. Unless the state's economy recovers fast enough to ease pressure for new taxes - or unless some miraculous solutions are found for shrinking class size in public schools, building a high-speed rail system and meeting the social and economic needs of a fast-growing state with an aging population - the popular Republican governor and the learned elders of the Senate seem to be on permanent collision courses." See " Bush, Senate clashes to return".
The Next Republican (In)Fight - "After a year of battling over first the state budget and then medical-malpractice insurance, you'd think Florida's ruling Republicans would be ready to hang the gloves on the wall for a while. Instead, come October it looks as though the Senate, House and Gov. Jeb Bush will duke it out again -- this time over parental notice for abortions." See "Another fight looms -- this time, abortion". See also "Legislators seek notice provision on abortion".
No Bright Future For The Bright Future Program - "One of their biggest worries is that some in the Legislature, egged on by Jeb Bush — the man who campaigned last year as "the education governor" — will succeed in destroying Bright Futures to save money. The Bright Futures program pays 75 percent of tuition and fees to Florida students who maintain a B average in high school and score 970 or better on the SAT." See "Students want Bright Futures intact".