The next time you hear a Jebbite bragging about Florida's job growth, please direct him or her to this: "FIU research finds Florida has jobs aplenty, but hourly pay lowest in nation". The fact is, "More than a quarter of all Florida workers, or 27 percent, are the "working poor" -- making less than $8 an hour or $16,640 a year, according to the study released Thursday by FIU's Center for Labor Research and Studies in Miami. That leaves many working Floridians below the federal poverty level of $18,400 for a family of four." Low hourly wages, together with Florida's dismal statistics on imedical nsurance coverage ("2.8 million Floridians are uninsured"), is a national embarassment. Remember that on Labor Day.
Promoting The Anti-Choice Agenda On The Public Dime -It's bad enough that House Speaker Johnnie Byrd wants parental notification for minors who have abortions to be etched into the state constitution. Worse, the idea is being promoted on the public dime. "Byrd mailings are inappropriate".
The Corporate Voucher Scam -Controls on a state voucher program that sends poor children to private schools would be further tightened under proposals announced Thursday by Florida Education Commissioner Jim Horne. The program, which lets corporations donate up to $88 million this year to finance scholarships, has been criticized by Democrats and public-school officials for a lack of oversight. "State may rein in voucher agents".
The proposed changes came days after The Palm Beach Post reported that the bankrupt officer of an Ocala correspondence school had collected a "few hundred thousand dollars" in tax-credit money after winning state approval to operate as a scholarship funding organization, or SFO.
Don't Expect Much Corporate Voucher "Reform" From Horne-Last week, when a Post reporter interviewing Mr. Horne by phone asked how the bankrupt school's owner was approved to distribute vouchers, the commissioner hung up. That's just one time Mr. Horne has not been up front. He told reporters he had "broad" authority to cut off vouchers in the correspondence school case. But Mr. Horne apparently admitted to Senate President Jim King, R-Jacksonville, that the law's lax oversight rules leave him "on shaky ground."
The deception underscores Mr. Horne's abysmal performance on vouchers. In a cynical stunt, Mr. Horne and Gov. Bush touted a five-page questionnaire voucher schools would turn in. It turned out, however, that the forms were a mishmash of data the schools already were supposed to provide. Then on Thursday Mr. Horne offered more reforms -- most so basic that they only emphasize how poor the monitoring has been. For example, the private groups handing out vouchers would have to undergo regular audits and verify that students meet income eligibility.
Like most of Gov. Bush's appointees, Mr. Horne successfully carries out the "Yes, governor" role required of him. That role precludes his $231,000-per-year official duty, which is to advocate for public schools. Following the governor, he makes excuses for the state's inadequate financing of public schools while agreeing that $88 million should be siphoned away from them and given without question to private schools. The policy hides behind a professed concern for low-income students but is driven by ideological worship of vouchers. Clearly, it is not driven by results. The voucher recipients fulfill none of the academic requirements public schools must meet. "Makeover for corporate vouchers".
DCF Hires Self-Described "Culture Warrior For Religious Conservatives -Florida Department of Children & Families Secretary Jerry Regier, still facing criticism over his efforts to appoint a guardian for the fetus of a disabled rape victim [and religious based training for DCF workers] , has hired a high-ranking attorney for the department who identifies himself as a culture warrior for religious conservatives.
James H.K. Bruner, the founder and former executive director of the conservative New York Family Policy Council, described public schools in a current newsletter as ''battlegrounds,'' and bemoaned how students are 'subjected to `diversity trainings' or 'tolerance instruction.' '' Bruner, who will hold the title ''special assistant to the general counsel'' and will be paid about $82,000, is not licensed to practice law in Florida, though he plans to take the state's bar exam quickly in order to obtain a license, Regier said Thursday. "DCF hires activist for religious right causes".
And Speaking Of DCF -DCF's religious-inspired training is off base for that workplace. The state Department of Children & Families went out of bounds when it used a religion-inspired training program to motivate its employees. The similarity between the "Character First!" program, which is being used to train DCF workers in Central Florida, and "Commands of Christ," the backbone of Christian evangelist Bill Gothard's teachings, are undeniable. Conservative Christian-inspired philosophy, regardless of how well-intended, has no business in a nonreligious workplace, especially a taxpayer-supported government workplace whose employees come from all religious backgrounds. This training program needs to go. "Over the line".
Flat Out Cynical Politics -The decision to indict three Cuban military men in the 1996 downing of two civilian planes is shallow politics and hollow justice.
Marcos Jimenez, the U.S. attorney in Miami, denied that the indictments were politically motivated, but the timing suggests otherwise. The week before the government filed charges, a group of 13 Republican state legislators -- 10 of them Cuban-Americans -- wrote President Bush to warn that his steadfast support among Cuban-American voters could be in trouble for next year's election. After the government had done nothing for seven years, Mr. Jimenez apparently was overcome with the urge to do something just as the legislators put their letter in the mail. "Political indictments".
Our Education Governor At Work -Tight budgets have forced school boards across Florida to shorten school days, eliminate guidance counselors and cancel after-school tutoring programs, school board members said Thursday. State lawmakers increased spending on schools this year but not by enough, according to Wayne Blanton, executive director of the Florida School Boards Association. "We got money but we surely didn't get enough to keep up with growth and reduce class size and keep up with insurance costs," Blanton told reporters. "Schools are cutting to the bone, leaders say".
That Silly Constitutional Amendment . . .Sen. Jim Sebesta is changing trains. The St. Petersburg Republican, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and a supporter of privately financed high-speed rail for the state, all but declared Thursday that the project approved by the voters is dead. Private investors have shown little interest in the idea, the Legislature is offering no money for it and the governor is determined to repeal the constitutional amendment that mandates a statewide high-speed rail system. Combined, those factors led Sebesta to conclude that high-speed rail "isn't going to happen any time soon." "High-speed off track; light rail new tack?"
Hucksters Stream To Florida - Thousands of Floridians have lost millions of dollars to fraudulent health-insurance schemes, and officials say they expect even more victims in the future. It's good to see regulators going after the blatant rip-offs, but Florida's leaders can't ignore the problems that are driving people into the arms of ripoff artists in the first place.
The seductive pitches for scam insurance would lose a lot of their allure if so many families and small businesses weren't frantic to find coverage they could afford. Mainstream insurance plan premiums continue to increase by twice the rate of inflation every year, forcing many employers to forego raises or other expenditures just to keep up. Many companies have stopped offering their employees health insurance.
As a result, 2.8 million Floridians are uninsured. A recent University of Florida study found that in Dade and Broward County, one out of every four people under the age of 65 lacks health insurance. "Meet the need". 6:00 AM
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