You know Florida Common Cause has hit a nerve with its report (in pdf format) on big tobacco's influence in Tally when lobbyists are screaming that "'It's a fabrication. Listening to Common Cause is like listening to the Iraqi information minister. They have become the Baghdad Bob of the ultra left.'" A Gainesville Sun column, quoted in part below, explains the reason for the lobbyist's histrionics:
State lawmakers are quick to deny any connection between campaign donations and what happens in the Florida Legislature. But the watchdog group Common Cause Florida has put out a report this month that tries to connect recent legislative decisions, such as the near elimination of Florida's landmark anti-smoking program, to the flow of campaign dollars from "Big Tobacco." ''The tobacco industry is clearly using campaign contributions to influence the legislative process in Florida,'' states Common Cause Florida Executive Director Ben Wilcox.
Common Cause calculated that tobacco companies, along with companies such as Kraft Foods that are owned by tobacco companies, and what the group calls tobacco "allies," such as business lobbying powerhouse Associated Industries of Florida, have donated more than $3.77 million to legislators and political parties since 1995. Of that total more than $1.28 million was in the form of "soft money" that went to political parties. But Common Cause also found that plenty of hard money, or donations that are limited to $500 per election, has gone from tobacco companies and their "allies" to the campaigns of Gov. Jeb Bush, the three elected members of the Cabinet and 150 out of the 160 sitting state legislators. "Tobacco donations examined".
Whoopee -[R]esident Bush will bring his re-election campaign here next month for a fund-raiser that's expected to raise upward of one (m) million dollars. "President Bush in Jacksonville September 9th".
The Private Sector In Action -An officer of a bankrupt correspondence school won state Department of Education approval to collect "a few hundred thousand dollars" in corporate tax credit voucher money, despite failing to meet the department's own published rules. James K. Isenhour would not tell The Palm Beach Post how many vouchers, if any, he had granted with the money. Nor would he say which schools his voucher students attend, adding that he does not have to file any information with the state for months. "We don't have a track record until the end of the year," said Isenhour, whose for-profit Cambridge Academy correspondence school declared bankruptcy in March. The school, which quickly reconstituted as a Colorado corporation, is next door to Isenhour's Silver Archer Foundation office in an Ocala strip mall. "Voucher operation secretive about grants".
Miami Herald Opposes "Retreat" On Class Size Amendment -It is most unfortunate that the state Board of Education has decided to push for a repeal of the class-size mandate that Florida voters approved as a constitutional amendment last November. If the board's initiative gains momentum, i.e., garners the necessary 500,000 petition signatures or wins a three-fifths vote in the Legislature, the issue once again will plunge the state into a raucous, divisive debate about the merits of class size. "No Class-Size Retreat". The Democrat has a different view.
Just Do It -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".