Submitted by Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
Florida Governor Rick Scott (R-Fla) may be changing his name to Rick “Scoot” after his rousing speech at The Villages Retirement Center Town Square in central Florida. Crowing over budget cuts to programs for homeless veterans, meals for poor seniors, a council for deafness, a children’s hospital, cancer research, public radio, whooping-cough vaccines for poor mothers, and aid for the paralyzed, the tea-party darling decided the public square was the perfect place to squelch any dissent. Ordering sheriff’s deputies and that endless coterie of blonde Republican fresh-faced staffers to comb the crowd for Democrats and any other persons sporting “liberal looking pins and buttons,” the Governor banned them contending the event discussing the public’s money and re-enacting the signing of Florida’s budget was a very “private” affair among friends.
Perhaps it was because Gov. “Scoot” didn’t want to hear from state Democrats that his job creation bill actually eliminates 4500 state workers, or that the Department of Children and Families will lose a record 500 employees at a time when those groups are in dire circumstances. Ne’er a catcall to be heard from the in-attendance business community — who are equally bearing the sacrifice — as the guardians of the public trust in the Sunshine State somehow managed to find $300 million in public funds to pay for tax cuts to keep ’em around. Alas, Gov. “Scoot” did not realize his dream of $2.4 billion in tax and fee cuts for business, but 300 large is a start.
Not all is sweetness and light however in this Potemkin Village in the sun — even among Republicans. Miami Republicans took to the airwaves to decry cutting meals for poor seniors. Others were not impressed with Scott’s professions of love for education. Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, said Scott was “totally disingenuous” for calling for more education money when he initially wanted to cut more of it.
“It’s a bit hypocritical,” Fasano said. “Thank goodness we didn’t follow his lead because more teachers would have been laid off.” Fasano suggested Scott’s emphasis on education was a result of Wednesday’s news from Quinnipiac University, which released a poll that indicated he had the lowest approval rating of any governor, 29 percent. The poll also showed a majority of voters said the budget was “unfair.”
Ignoring the guarantee of “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances,” as Madison wrote. Cuts to funding for the poor, weak, infirmed, and the young to pay for the rich. Barbarians at the gate you may say; I say they have the keys.
Source: Miami Herald
~Mark Esposito, Guest Blogger
when will people realize that these clown-politicians are anti0-liberty and worshipers of geldt and nothing else?
Sometimes it’s hard to keep being appropriately disgusted day after day after day….
I would have thought that Rick Scott would be in prison somewhere…I guess money really does talk..
“amati1684
1, May 28, 2011 at 10:28 pm
I have never seen a group of politicians so proud of what they are doing to, as opposed to for, their constituents. I have a feeling they will have a deservedly far shorter shelf-life than they imagined.”
amati1684,your point is going to be applied to my current Governor and the national(they don’t live in Jersey)media trying to prop him up as Presidential material.Perfect example of his leadership:
Gov. Christie’s battle over scrapped ARC tunnel costing N.J. $225K a month in interest alone
Published: Sunday, May 29, 2011, 6:00 AM Updated: Sunday, May 29, 2011, 9:10 AM:
TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie’s fight with the federal government over abandoning a train tunnel under the Hudson has already cost New Jerseyans more than $1 million in legal fees and interest, records show.
For a month, Christie has been vowing to appeal a decision from the Obama administration ordering the state to repay $271 million for abruptly pulling out of what was the largest public works project in the country.
In the meantime, interest on New Jersey’s debt is adding up at the rate of $225,000 a month. In addition, bills from Patton Boggs, the Washington law firm hired by Christie in December to fight his battle, have averaged another $300,000 a month, invoices obtained by The Star-Ledger show.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/gov_christies_battle_over_scra.html
“Elaine M.
“Scott has tough competition as he vies to be the worst new Republican governor. I’d say he must be in the top two or three.”
Christie IMHO is doing his best to be in one of those slots.
When you are a party of one…you usually become that….
pete, I hear ya & I love Carl Hiaasen! My family turned me onto him when I moved down here to be with them…they told me reading his books would help. Now I know what they meant.
culheath
throw in a couple of kicks about real estate agents and mickey world and i’ll agree with you.
if you’ve never read a carl hiaasen book, try one, any of them.
I have never seen a group of politicians so proud of what they are doing to, as opposed to for, their constituents. I have a feeling they will have a deservedly far shorter shelf-life than they imagined.
I’ve been in Florida for around 5 years now and it’s nothing but a citrus-monied and Baptist good ol boy playground catering to selfish snowbird retirees or the long running ex-Cuban still fantasizing about taking Havana back and killing Castro.
so much for the florida sunshine law
you have to remember florida once reelected JEB! the smart shrub
Can’t have nasty video clips coming out of public meetings … now if Scott can only find a way to silence those pesky poll-takers … and shut down the internet and …
That’s my Florida!
This state is populated by many transients and senior citizens (and all that that entails…). The place that is most in need of advocacy and we get the….well, you see…
Lottakatz,
There are ‘sunshine’ laws here to prevent that sort of nonsense….but laws only count if they are respected and non-selectively enforced…the Far right camp here in Florida has a ‘there is no spoon’ attitude to those campaign laws and no tolerance towards anyone who questions thier doings…which is why so many people are reluctant to question said doings and little outcry when they get ‘secretive'(ause it’s like , you know, scarey…). When the FTAA met in Miami in 2001 we were future shocked by the Darth Vader riot squads and the corralling of peaceful protestors into ‘free speech zones’ and other nasty stuff. I think it was Jeb that started buying up tanks for quelching the ‘mob’.
I think Florida has pretty much fallen…
shockedhttp://www.alternet.org/story/17267/fragments_of_the_future%3A_the_ftaa_in_miami/?page=1
Scott won as Governor for two reasons. His campaign was well funded and TV ads, that told little of his agenda ran constantly for many months prior to the election. His opponent was a terrible candidate with not much of a record to run on. Now, while one can make the argument that the Florida electorate is none too swift, in this case it was more his funding advantage and the fact that most TV/Radio media is Republican dominated.
Thanks, James M. Got it right this time.
eniobob,
the top three worst Republican Governors equals the scum of the earth.
Elaine M.
“Scott has tough competition as he vies to be the worst new Republican governor. I’d say he must be in the top two or three.”
YUP!!
This Scott character is just a felon in a nice suit. Will Floridians get rid of this corporate shill anytime soon?
What would you expect from Rick Scott–a great businessman whose company defrauded Medicare???
Rick Scott and his role in Columbia/HCA scandal
With Rick Scott now the leading candidate to be Florida’s governor, some are wondering about his performance as CEO of a hospital chain that paid $1.7 billion in fines.
Miami Herald
6/26/2010
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/26/1703036/rick-scott-and-his-role-in-columbiahca.html
*****
Scott has tough competition as he vies to be the worst new Republican governor. I’d say he must be in the top two or three.
It’s becoming apparent that the venue for public business is being carefully picked to justify suppression of citizens first amendment rights. Public business, town-halls and here, a bill signing, are being held in private spaces and then people that ask uncomfortable questions or just show up are being told to leave and in at least one case recently, arrested.
Not being a lawyer myself I’d like to know how this can be justified legally. This isn’t a private function like fund-raising or a private dinner, this is public business. How can this be legal? They would just have to arrest me, I would not leave voluntarily if asked under such circumstances.
This may be one reason:
Florida poll: Scott approval rate hits new low
BY BILL KACZOR
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Rick Scott’s approval rating dropped to a new low following Florida’s annual legislative session and passage of an austere Scott-supported budget, which also got low marks from voters in a poll released Wednesday.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/25/2233777/florida-poll-scott-approval-rate.html#ixzz1NftB1Rvg