Dear Mike: I can assure you I am not aloof or arrogant regarding my relationship with the Legislature. Sometimes, we disagree. So what? Isn't that part of living in a democracy?
I respect those who don't agree with me but that does not mean I will bend to the point of abandoning principle.
The political press is exclusively focused on the horse race aspects of life in the bubble. They don't write what they hear if it doesn't fit their template. Then this is read by the editorial page writers who don't do much more, it seems to me, than read their own paper to validate their already established views which, for all but one paper, are slanted to the left.
I don't expect you to agree with all of my actions but I hope you respect my desire to change the things that I have believed needed to be changed. Without my leadership, even though it might have been perceived to ruffle feathers, it wouldn't have happened.
Jeb Bush
Gee, we wonder what newspaper "Jeb!" is referring to when he complains that "all but one paper, are slanted to the left"?
On a different subject, the judges' questions in the fetal guardianship oral argument yesterday expose - no doubt inadvertently - some of the touchpoints of the choice debate.
The panel is comprised of Judges Orfinger, Thompson and Pleus; the latter was appointed by Bush and is relatively new. The questions from Orfinger and Thompson suggest that the state is being hipocritical in seeking a guardian for this fetus, but failing to seek guardians for fetuses subject to other - more typical - forms of abuse:
Orfinger asked which pregnancies should include fetal guardians and which should not. Orfinger and Thompson both used examples of pregnant women who smoke or drink while pregnant. They asked whether those fetuses should be provided guardians to monitor the prenatal behavior of the mothers. "If you're interested in children, you should be interested in all children," Orfinger said.
To The Victors Go The Spoils -The federal government is threatening to cut off millions of dollars needed to run Florida's educational computer system because the state did not follow federal rules in hiring a private company to run it.
The state Department of Education, which awarded a vendor a $9-million contract last spring, is appealing the federal ruling. It penalizes Florida for not making price the major factor in choosing the company to take over the network.
The state calls the disagreement a "misunderstanding" and defends using competitive negotiations, in which factors other than cost are taken into account, such as a firm's technical skill or whether it is minority-owned. "School computer funds may be cut".
The unmentioned factors "taken into account" are of course the old stand-bys, like whether the firm is a heavy GOP contributor (like the "politically connected "company with "strong Republican ties." that was awarded the recent FCAT evaluation contract) " or offers jobs to the wayward children of GOP elected officials.
Bush's DCF Fails Federal Standards -Florida's child-welfare services aren't up to snuff. No surprise there. That's been the ongoing story of the state's Department of Children & Families, despite a slew of top administrators and countless reorganizations. Now come the test results from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that verify what many have been saying for years -- Florida's social services for children flunk acceptable standards to measure how well youngsters fare in state-run programs. "Florida Must Improve".
Our Education Governor Is At It Again . . . As we read that "Florida's 2 million-plus schoolchildren, teachers and principals soon may find that their path to the Internet has been shut down unless the state agrees to spend millions more during a tight budget year."
"The Liquid Looting Of North Florida" -A powerful group of downstate business, agricultural and development interests are making plans for North Florida's water.
Quite simply, they desire to privatize Florida's most public natural asset and pave the way for massive water transfers from north to south. The idea is to continue to fuel South Florida's explosive growth and development with cheap water.
All of this, of course, is in the "talking stage." Actually, it's been in the secret talking stage for about a year. A task force of the influential Council of 100 - headed by a major Republican fund-raiser - has reportedly recommended to Gov. Jeb Bush the creation of a statewide commission to begin regulating water transfers.
Former South Florida developer Bush - who never met a privatization scheme he doesn't like and who prefers behind-closed-doors deal-making to government in the Sunshine - likely will go along with the liquid looting of North Florida. "Resistance front".
GOP Bad Boy -House Speaker Johnnie Byrd used state money and a list of ''Choose Life'' license-plate owners to push a proposed constitutional amendment that would require girls seeking abortions to tell their parents. "House speaker used state's 'Choose Life' list for mailing". The Tallahassee Democrat explains the uproar:
Democrats and abortion-rights advocates Thursday criticized House Speaker Johnnie Byrd for mailing owners of the state's "Choose Life" license plates letters promoting a constitutional initiative requiring parental consent for minors' abortions. The letters, paid for with about $14,000 of state funds, went to 30,000 people who have purchased the tags since they were first offered about three years ago. Signed by Byrd, R-Plant City, and Rep. Sandra Murman, R-Tampa, the letters urged constituents to show their support of the constitutional amendment by contacting their elected officials. "We also encourage you to send back the enclosed postcard to let me know you support our cause so that we can keep you apprised of the progress of the constitutional amendment," the July 18 letter said.
Byrd and other conservative Republican legislators are working on a bill to put the proposed amendment on the 2004 ballot. Their action follows a Florida Supreme Court ruling last month that said the state's 1999 parental consent law violated constitutional guarantees of privacy. "Byrd criticized for abortion letters".
Big Of Them - The private schools feeding at the corporate voucher trough have deigned to fill out a short form telling the government a little about themselves, like whether they really are an educational institution, you know, little things like that; that's big of them, isn't it. See "Private schools accepting of questionnaire".
With its 38 questions asking for all kinds of details, the five-page form unveiled last week by Gov. Jeb Bush and Education Secretary Jim Horne for private schools receiving taxpayer-financed vouchers was presented as something new and tougher than before.
The form, Bush and Horne emphasized, would have to be signed and notarized. If administrators do not do so, they would risk losing money.
But is it really a rigorous, new requirement on private schools to increase "accountability?"
Not exactly. The new form has exactly five questions on it that aren't already on an existing notarized form that private schools must fill out annually or that aren't otherwise required of schools under existing school, health and safety laws, according to a review of state requirements by The Palm Beach Post.
In other words: "We're requiring you to give us what we're already requiring you to give us," said Bob Metty, a department administrator who was transferred from his Office of School Choice job overseeing voucher programs after filing a whistle-blower complaint. Metty accused a fellow employee of altering public records related to the state's corporate tax credit voucher program. 6:22 AM
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