Tag: Florida
Government of One
Gov. Rick Scott’s used to getting his way,
He doesn’t care what the lawmakers say.
When he gets out of bed
The first thought in his head:
“Well, who am I going to piss off today?”
Verbatim
This is like holding a gun to our heads and telling the federal government, “Don’t give us this money or we’ll blow our brains out.”
— Florida State Sen. David Simmons (R-Orange County), on the precipitous decision by Gov. Rick Scott to refuse $2.4 billion in federal assistance for a high-speed rail line in Central Florida. Local and national office holders from both parties worked for years to bring in the bullet train, but the tea party rejects infrastructure spending. Scott, who has appeared on FOX News four times since taking office last month, is widely acknowledged to be using every issue in Florida to position himself against Obama for a tea party run for president in 2012.
Aren’t All Black People Poor and Uneducated? Florida’s New Governor Thinks So
Florida’s new tea party governor, Rick Scott, didn’t make any friends when he met recently with 20 of Florida’s black state legislators.
The luncheon was billed as a get-to-know-you welcome to Tallahassee from Scott, who has barely been in town a month. But the political novice wasted no time in offending his guests.
In discussing his own humble origins, Scott implied that all black lawmakers grew up poor.
“I grew up probably in the same situation as you guys,” Scott said to the group of 20 Democrats. “I started school in public housing. My dad had a sixth-grade education.”
Rep. Betty Reed, D-Tampa, said she was offended by the remark…Afterward, she said, “He assumed that everyone [in the room] was poor and that can only be because you’re black.”
Rep. Joe Gibbons, D-Hallandale Beach, said Scott’s choice of words was unfortunate even if he was trying to “empathize” with the black caucus.
“Some of us might be from the projects, but we come from all spectrums of life,” Gibbons said.
Rick Scott on refusing to call the health care reform act by its proper name instead of “Obamacare”: ‘You know, when I’m on Fox, they never call it that.’
Scott of all people should know there are rich African Americans. He chose as his lieutenant governor former state Rep. Jennifer Carroll despite her ongoing problems in reporting her net worth. When she was not trying to win minority small business contracts, she said was worth about $23 million. When she was applying for the set-asides, she said it was only $2 million and explained she got her zeros and decimal places wrong. Either way, it’s doubtful the Florida legislature’s first black Republican woman can empathize with those in public housing.
Nor any longer can Scott, who didn’t spend $75 million of his own money to buy the governorship without the expectation of a hefty return on his investment.
Behold! Florida’s CEO!
If Florida Governor Rick Scott stays his course,
The Sunshine State’s just going to get worse.
Those who sold him the election
Are now, upon reflection,
Experiencing an acute case of seller’s remorse.
Despite Florida Republicans’ queasiness,
Over Scott’s budget hatchet-job messiness,
It’s good for the corporation
To cut jobs, services and education —
That’s how you run government like a business!
Worth Its Salt
Florida’s government has its faults,
With back-room deals done in its vaults.
But when push came to shove,
Out of desperation or love,
It quickly banned cocaine-like bath salts.
Why Are Gun Rights Groups Putting Guns Ahead of Children?
With the shooting attacks on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona, as well as on law enforcement officers in Indiana, Florida, and Michigan, it’s hard to argue that one of America’s most pressing problems is not enough access to guns. Yet a proposed law in Florida would do just that, with a cruel bonus: it puts children at special risk of taking a bullet.
State Rep. Jason Brodeur (R-Sanford) is behind a bill that would make it a felony for a pediatrician to ask parents if there are guns in the house, and if so, how they are secured. If the doctor is found guilty of asking these questions, the penalty would be a $5 million fine and up to five years in prison.
Surely we have lost our minds.
A proposed Florida law would make it a felony punishable by a five-year prison sentence and a $5 million fine for pediatricians to ask parents if they lock up their guns
In a one-week period in my part of the state, close enough geographically for both stories to be reported by the same local news outlets, two children found guns that the adults who were responsible for them failed to secure. The first incident resulted in a 6-year-old girl shot in the chest.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, when officers first questioned Donnell Burney in the emergency room, he told them he was in front of the house when he heard the gunshot and saw his daughter outside the house holding her side.
According to the arrest report, Burney later told homicide investigators he was cleaning his handgun in the kitchen and left it on the counter when he went to another room.
Think It’s Bad in Your State? Visit Florida.
When you live in Florida, sometimes there’s just too much wacky to take in at one sitting. You have to just skim the surface because trying to go deeper would probably sink you.
Such is the case today, when a reading of the morning news brings so many little harbingers of doom. Read on for three examples.
- Look out innocent sea life! You’re what we call, “collateral damage.”
Boaters straying into restricted areas at Port Canaveral can soon expect to get a warning blast from the U.S. Coast Guard. The port is a test site for a new warning system to keep vessels out of security zones.
Officials would first try to radio an encroaching boat and give other signals to stop. If that doesn’t work, 12-gauge shotgun ammunition can be fired into the path of a boat. The plastic and aluminum projectile ignites after about 100 yards to create a burst of light and a loud sound.
But wait, there’s more.
Watch Out in Florida, Sen. Marco Rubio – Gov. Scott Supports Giving Authorities Power to Demand Proof of U.S. Citizenship from Latinos
Florida’s Republican Sen.-Elect Marco Rubio had better make sure he doesn’t leave home without documents proving he is a U.S. citizen when he returns to Florida from D.C. next year.
His state’s GOP Gov.-Elect Rick Scott says he backs legislation that empowers authorities to demand proof of U.S. citizenship from Latinos and others who are detained or arrested:
“We need to come up with an immigration policy that works for the country,” he said. “Finally, if you’re stopped in our state — no different than if you’re asked for your ID — you should be able to be asked if you’re legal or not.”
Under the proposed law, police and other authorities would not be allowed to detain or arrest people solely on grounds that they look Hispanic suspicious.
