Notes For Monday, August 18, 2003

Florida Grassroots Project - From MWO (scroll down): "A group of us have recently formed a nonprofit group called, The Florida Grassroots Project. Our goal is to motivate younger people to become more educated and active in the community by giving them very results oriented things to do - much like Moveon.org does so effectively on the net. Our volunteers will be registering people to vote on high school and college campuses, rock concerts, and community events. We also hope to get funding to produce a CIVICS curriculum for high schools, much like the one that the State of California promotes."

"While we may be getting upstaged at the moment by California, there is still much work to be done here in Florida. Our website goes live September 1st (floridagrassrootsproject.org), and we're having an all day voter registration marathon on October 11th at Borders Books in Palm Beach County, Broward and Miami Dade. We already have an army of volunteers who want to get to work!"

The website is not up yet, but we'll try to learn more about the group.

6:19 PM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

The Gainesville Sun has an interesting editorial today on Florida's sales tax: "Florida, unlike most states, does not have a state income tax. The state constitution prohibits it - a prohibition the voters aren't likely to remove any time soon. The state basically runs on its 6 percent sales tax, a $16 billion contributor to the state's coffers. The problem is, however, that the Legislature has passed so many exemptions that more than half the transactions in the state are exempt. For each $1 of tax, the state has granted $1.35 in exemptions."

Service Worst - "Service First makes bad situation worse".

"Jeb!" Hipocrisy - We read today that "Florida's sudden upsurge in inmates imprisoned on drug-related charges comes after two years of state budget cuts that have dramatically reduced treatment dollars for drug offenders behind bars." See "Drug offenders lead the pack as prisons swell". The unfairness is manifest. As pointed out in Salon last year, "Noelle Bush gets rehab, the poor and black get hard time". What makes it worse is, as put by Ariana Huffington, "Jeb!"'s "galling hipocrisy" on the issue: "While Noelle has been given every break in the book -- and then some -- her father has made it harder for others in her position to get the help they need by cutting the budgets of drug treatment and drug court programs in his state. He has also actively opposed a proposed ballot initiative that would send an estimated 10,000 nonviolent drug offenders into treatment instead of jail. I guess what's good for the goose gets the gander locked away."

The Education Governor - "Prisons get $60 million; universities get lectures".

And the risks of "Jeb"'s hypocritical "get tough" mentality are plain: "Student raped in jail; workers fired in inquiry". The college student was "serving a weekend sentence on marijuana charges."

Graham - "Adele Graham emerges in vital role".

"Jeb!'s" Point Man On Children Needs To . . . "Keep Florida children in focus".

To Be Continued . . . "There they were: All smiles and superlatives, congratulating each other on bringing a most controversial medical malpractice plan in for a landing. As camera's flashed and the videotape rolled last week, Gov. Jeb Bush, Senate President Jim King and House Speaker Johnnie Byrd were, for a time at least, the 'Three Amigos,' stalwart companions who had prevailed in a fight that had rattled the foundation of the Republican-dominated capitol. But in the oft-used phrase of King, don't expect the governor, the House and the Senate to be singing Kumbaya for very long. With pressing needs and another tight budget ahead, Bush and Senate leaders will clash again soon on the direction Florida government should take and who should pay for the trip." See "Bush and the Florida Senate will continue to spar". See also yesterday's, "Senate revels in its role in medical deal".

How compassionate - "New DCF rates imperil disabled care".

Guess Who Wrote This Silliness: "What is worth noting is that there is an ongoing effort to protect public schools from accountability, yet force it upon the private sector." The answer is here, and it of course is no surprise.

Webster - "Winter Garden legislator poised to run for U.S. Senate".

We Agree That . . . "The testing game is a sham. And it's time to expose it."

The Quotable "Jeb!": "I'm glad that Gary Coleman lives in California. A guy like me that believes in limited government probably would have a tough time against a fellow like that because he probably symbolizes smaller government." See "Current Quotations". 8:13 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]