3/31/2005
2nd thoughts at Holland & Knight
Follow-up: The state's most powerful law firm changes it mind about promoting a lawyer with a controversial -- some say bullying -- manner. (See first post below.)
Good column by Times' biz columnist.
Good column by Times' biz columnist.
Top-down election management
Those small-government Republicans vote to take power from locally elected elections supervisors and centralize it in Tallahassee.
Last year, Hood's office was responsible for creating a $2 million felon purge list that elections supervisors were told to use when removing ineligible voters from the voting rolls. But some supervisors could and did elect to ignore the list, while others used it.
Hood ultimately scrapped the list.
"If this rule had been in effect, she could have ordered all supervisors to comply with it," said Florida Democratic Party attorney Mark Herron.
3/30/2005
Sports Welfare
For all the talk about difficult budget decisions in Tallahassee, these are still good days for sports owners --
+ The House Tourism Committee approved a plan that would commit $30 million over 25 years for the NASCAR Hall of Fame near Daytona International Speedway.
+ A $60 million state tax subsidy for the Marlins passed The House Tourism Committee along with tax subsidies for spring training ballparks in Fort Lauderdale, Winter Haven and Sarasota.
+ And money for the Orlando Magic.
+ The House Tourism Committee approved a plan that would commit $30 million over 25 years for the NASCAR Hall of Fame near Daytona International Speedway.
+ A $60 million state tax subsidy for the Marlins passed The House Tourism Committee along with tax subsidies for spring training ballparks in Fort Lauderdale, Winter Haven and Sarasota.
+ And money for the Orlando Magic.
Stetson Kennedy Park
Well, good on St Johns County for considering a plan to make the Fruit Cove home of author and civil rights activist Stetson Kennedy part of the parks system. Kennedy wrote Palmetto County and The Klan Unmasked and After Appomattox: How the South Won the War. He also worked on the WPA's guide to Florida.
3/29/2005
It's not a media circus without Jesse Jackson
Just when your think that the Schiavo case has peaked out as a total media circus, in ... walks ... Jesse Jackson. (BONUS: Find the Susan MacManus Quote. She finds this, no kidding, "a welcomed change.")
CNN version here.
Meanwhile, according to The New York Times -- the parents of Terri Schiavo have authorized a conservative direct-mailing firm to sell a list of their financial supporters, making it likely that thousands of strangers moved by her plight will receive a steady stream of solicitations from anti-abortion and conservative groups.
Whadda deal! $150 a month for 6,000 names, $500 a month for 4,000 e-mail addresses.
CNN version here.
Meanwhile, according to The New York Times -- the parents of Terri Schiavo have authorized a conservative direct-mailing firm to sell a list of their financial supporters, making it likely that thousands of strangers moved by her plight will receive a steady stream of solicitations from anti-abortion and conservative groups.
Whadda deal! $150 a month for 6,000 names, $500 a month for 4,000 e-mail addresses.
Corporate culture
Sexual harassment complaints at Holland and Knight? Dude! You're promoted! Bitchin' pipes, by the way. (Am I the only one who's reminded of Anchorman's Ron Burgundy talking about his "guns"?)
Too many watermelons
The LA Times sees Schiavo and Social Security privatization reform causing trouble for the GOP in Florida. "It may be that we tried to load the wagon with too many watermelons," said Tom Slade, Florida's former Republican Party chairman.
(Via The Note.)
(Via The Note.)
3/28/2005
Two hats (cont.)
Capital News Service's Mike Vasilinda responds to a story that appeared in the Sarasota Herald-Trib last Sat. The CJR weighs in, too.
3/27/2005
Slaughter High?
Slaughter High -- teen horror flick or name for a new school?
On a popular online forum, Flagler Online, some have equated Matanzas to calling the school "Slaughter High," with blood-red colors and cheerleaders chanting "redrum"...Funny how people forget how a place-name came about.
Two hats
He works for the state of Florida / he works for TV news. This is starting to sound familiar.
(Via Talking Points Memo)
(Via Talking Points Memo)
"looks like the skids are greased"
Dykeman write about the street-shooter bill and Bringing the Wild West to Florida. The amazing thing is the Democrats are so spooked by NRA that there wasn't a single senator in the place who voted "no" on this.
I wish there was an opposition party in Florida.
I wish there was an opposition party in Florida.
3/26/2005
Constitutional near-crisis
The Herald cites three unnamed sources who said a state vs. local police 'showdown' over Schiavo was narrowly averted.
Hours after a judge ordered that Terri Schiavo was not to be removed from her hospice, a team of state agents were en route to seize her and have her feeding tube reinserted -- but they stopped short when local police told them they would enforce the judge's order, The Herald has learned.
3/24/2005
Sound-bites and fury over Schiavo
The right-right-wing is calling on Jeb to defy the courts. Like Fox's wild and car-ay-zee guy John Gibson and the combustible and quoteable Alan Keyes. (Now that Keyes is in Florida, maybe he'll run for Senate here next!) And Virtuecrat William Bennett says "It is a mistake to believe that the courts have the ultimate say as to what a constitution means." He essentially calls for executive nullification of any court ruling a governor doesn't like and calls on Jeb to disobey the rulings.
And Randell Terry tells Republicans there will be "hell to pay."
(Via Eschaton)
And Randell Terry tells Republicans there will be "hell to pay."
"I promise you that if she dies, there's going to be hell to pay with pro-life, pro-family Republicans...who have used pro-life, pro-family conservative rhetoric to get into power, and then when they get into power, refuse to use it," said Randall Terry, the founder of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue.Meanwhile Rep. Dave Weldon writes an outraged letter to the editor of Florida Today that is remarkable on several levels. It repeats the howlers about Dr. William Hammesfahr and refers to him as a "Nobel Prize nominee," which he is obviously is not. And it refers to the affidavit of a nurse that the court found to be "incredible to say the least."
When someone asked if that was a threat, Terry said it wasn't a physical threat. But, "you can bet there will be people who just might lose their jobs after this is over," he said.
(Via Eschaton)
More Schiavo comment
And unusually strong editorial from the generally conservative Tampa Tribune -- Schiavo Saga Is Degenerating Into Undignified Lawlessness.
Who is the governor to make a public judgment about Michael Schiavo's life? Gov. Bush is not the man who took care of Terri and hoped she would get well after her heart attack in 1990. He's not the man who gradually came to the painful realization that she would never get any better. The governor's not the man who has had to fight for years to realize what Michael Schiavo says is a victory for Terri.
This cruel, heartbreaking case is taking a lot out of everybody, but we must not let emotions or politics bring us to lawlessness. There will come a point soon when Gov. Bush, too, must realize he's done all he can for Terri.
Who is the governor to make a public judgment about Michael Schiavo's life? Gov. Bush is not the man who took care of Terri and hoped she would get well after her heart attack in 1990. He's not the man who gradually came to the painful realization that she would never get any better. The governor's not the man who has had to fight for years to realize what Michael Schiavo says is a victory for Terri.
This cruel, heartbreaking case is taking a lot out of everybody, but we must not let emotions or politics bring us to lawlessness. There will come a point soon when Gov. Bush, too, must realize he's done all he can for Terri.
More Schiavo
Rousing the kooks is a sure way to get your message out. The problem is that once roused, they stay roused. That's when they start to become a liability. And they'll turn on you in an instant. (Via Florida Politics)
For the political developments around Schiavo see Florida Politics from the left or Sayfie from the right. Abstract Appeal is your one-stop source for nonpartisan legal news. But even Conigliaro is alarmed at the treatment of the judge in the case by the "Save Terri" people.
For the political developments around Schiavo see Florida Politics from the left or Sayfie from the right. Abstract Appeal is your one-stop source for nonpartisan legal news. But even Conigliaro is alarmed at the treatment of the judge in the case by the "Save Terri" people.
3/23/2005
The new California
Ohmygawd Florida is considered "the new trendsetter." But these people forget: This is not a normal place.
(Thanks Bayciti)
(Thanks Bayciti)
3/22/2005
Schiavo poll
Strategic Vision has released a poll of Florida voters on the Terri Schiavo case. Respondents don't like Congress' actions by almost 2-1.
Do you approve or disapprove of the Congress and president intervening in the Terri Schaivo case? Support 33%; Oppose 64%; Undecided 3%.
Would you want to be kept alive if you were in a state similar to Terri Schiavo's? Yes 13%; No 81%; Undecided 6%.
"They just lie"
DeFede talks with U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz about the Schiavo case.
Other columnists --
+ Grimm on the person the activists call "the killer judge."
+ Troxler evokes Thomas More -- With all laws flattened, where will we hide?
+ Ruth: So what might we call this piece of emotionally manipulative jackbooted political opportunism at its most craven?
+ My column last Sunday.
"They don't care; they just lie,'' she said. ``That's what is the most shocking about this. In the Florida Legislature, they would twist the facts or use certain facts to their advantage; here they just have no qualms about lying, about making it up.
Other columnists --
+ Grimm on the person the activists call "the killer judge."
+ Troxler evokes Thomas More -- With all laws flattened, where will we hide?
+ Ruth: So what might we call this piece of emotionally manipulative jackbooted political opportunism at its most craven?
+ My column last Sunday.
3/21/2005
Slots were never about education
Fred Grimm has an excellent column about the rough treatment Broward School Board member got in Tallahasse for daring to ask that 50 percent of slots proceeds go to schools.
Suddenly Steve Geller ripped into Gallagher as if this notion of extracting a higher return on behalf of education was an affront to him personally. Perhaps it was. Sen. Geller, a Democrat from Hallandale Beach, has become the parimutuels' very own scullery maid in Tallahassee. On Wednesday, he became the gambling industry's bully boy.
''It's clear to me you have no idea what you're speaking about when you're doing this,'' Geller said. ``I don't know why the School Board is interjecting itself into something they clearly know so little about.''
. . . The bully boys' performance in Tallahassee destroyed the marketing facade. This was definitely not about education.
3/19/2005
Schiavo editorial roundup
+ Daytona Beach News-Journal: Legislature should stay out of Schiavo case. It's time for Gov. Jeb Bush and the Legislature to step back and treat Terri Schiavo's case as the private family matter it should have been all along.
+Gainesville Sun: Cruel and unusual. For more than a year now, Gov. Jeb Bush and the Florida Legislature have been playing a cruel game of political cat-and-mouse over the comatose body of a helpless woman who has been on life support for a decade-and-a-half. But now, the grotesque struggle over Terri Schiavo's fate threatens to have an intrusive impact on the private lives of potentially thousands of Floridians.
+ Miami Herald: Lawmakers' rush to judgement exploits familiy tragedy. The furious rush by state lawmakers and Gov. Jeb Bush to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case is a shameless exhibition of political grandstanding. It is an example of government at its very worst.
+ Palm Beach Post: Political exploitation worsens Schiavo tragedy. In a disgraceful display of affection for mob rule, congressional Republicans on Friday turned the tragedy of Terri Schiavo into exploitative political farce.
+ Herald-Tribune: A tragedy compounded. . . . a tragedy. Congress shouldn't compound it by turning Terri into a Washington spectacle.
+ St. Pete Times: Dangerous demagoguing. Of all the twists and turns in the Terri Schiavo case over the years, the most ridiculous is the grandstand play by Congress to issue subpoenas for her. It was a gross misuse of power by conservative Republicans who have no respect for the law, the courts or the rights of individuals.
+ Tampa Tribune: Rushing To `Save' Terri Schiavo May Not Be Helping Her At All. We do not doubt that the Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush want to do the right thing. We respect their regard for life. But the courts have carefully reviewed the case. Is it, as one doctor puts it, in the best interests of Terri Schiavo to subject her to protracted unconscious existence, a fate that most of us would not want for ourselves?
+Gainesville Sun: Cruel and unusual. For more than a year now, Gov. Jeb Bush and the Florida Legislature have been playing a cruel game of political cat-and-mouse over the comatose body of a helpless woman who has been on life support for a decade-and-a-half. But now, the grotesque struggle over Terri Schiavo's fate threatens to have an intrusive impact on the private lives of potentially thousands of Floridians.
+ Miami Herald: Lawmakers' rush to judgement exploits familiy tragedy. The furious rush by state lawmakers and Gov. Jeb Bush to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case is a shameless exhibition of political grandstanding. It is an example of government at its very worst.
+ Palm Beach Post: Political exploitation worsens Schiavo tragedy. In a disgraceful display of affection for mob rule, congressional Republicans on Friday turned the tragedy of Terri Schiavo into exploitative political farce.
+ Herald-Tribune: A tragedy compounded. . . . a tragedy. Congress shouldn't compound it by turning Terri into a Washington spectacle.
+ St. Pete Times: Dangerous demagoguing. Of all the twists and turns in the Terri Schiavo case over the years, the most ridiculous is the grandstand play by Congress to issue subpoenas for her. It was a gross misuse of power by conservative Republicans who have no respect for the law, the courts or the rights of individuals.
+ Tampa Tribune: Rushing To `Save' Terri Schiavo May Not Be Helping Her At All. We do not doubt that the Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush want to do the right thing. We respect their regard for life. But the courts have carefully reviewed the case. Is it, as one doctor puts it, in the best interests of Terri Schiavo to subject her to protracted unconscious existence, a fate that most of us would not want for ourselves?
3/18/2005
Thanks, Mel
St. Pete Times editorial on oil drilling:
When the first oil rig is erected in the eastern Gulf of Mexico off Florida's coast, it should bear this plaque: "Thanks, Mel." Florida's freshman U.S. senator, Mel Martinez, cast a deciding vote in favor of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Despite his assurances, the 51-49 vote could leave the Florida coast more vulnerable than ever to drilling.
Schiavo case
This is a really an amazing thing. The usual party discipline broke down in the Florida Senate and nine Republicans voted with Democrats not to pass a bill that could keep future patients hooked up to hydrating tubes against the wishes of theirs families. This is not a repeat of the 2003's 24-hour insta-bill when Republican legislators who did not like the legislation voted for it anyway out of loyalty to the governor and fear of the Christian Right. (See the Flablog Vault of Memory here and here. Sadly, most of the links are dead.)
For best, rhetoric-free news, links, documents and explanations of this case always look to Abstract Appeal.
+ St Pete Times editorial: Thanks to the courage of 21 state senators, the Legislature is less likely to impose its will upon Terri Schiavo and other Floridians in her situation.
+ Tallahassee Democrat op-ed piece talks a little bit about the realities of feeding tubes and even objects to the term. (Web page has the italics all messed up.)
+ St. Pete Times overview here. It notes that in Congress:
+ Palm Beach Post coverage notes the problems with the "interested party" clause --
For best, rhetoric-free news, links, documents and explanations of this case always look to Abstract Appeal.
+ St Pete Times editorial: Thanks to the courage of 21 state senators, the Legislature is less likely to impose its will upon Terri Schiavo and other Floridians in her situation.
+ Tallahassee Democrat op-ed piece talks a little bit about the realities of feeding tubes and even objects to the term. (Web page has the italics all messed up.)
+ St. Pete Times overview here. It notes that in Congress:
Members in both chambers were clearly not familiar with all details of the case. They mispronounced her name. They proclaimed she was not in a vegetative state, even though experts say she is and a court agreed. They claimed she did not receive certain brain scans when she had. They wrongly claimed no judge had even granted a family member removal of a feeding tube.
+ Palm Beach Post coverage notes the problems with the "interested party" clause --
In such cases, it would then require that the patient had explicitly and specifically asked that such life support be withheld, and if a judge did allow the removal and the tube was removed, it would allow an "interested party" to subsequently ask a court to decide again whether food and water should be withheld.
But the "interested party" clause caused many to balk. Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, said that could mean anybody could intervene, including "some crazy group in Seattle.
3/17/2005
More bad bills
+ The Political Control of Universities Act , formally "An act relating to governance of the State University System" -- HB 1001 (PDF here).
WHEREAS: voters didn't know what they were doing when they passed that stupid little constitutional amendment. So, we'll ignore it and continue running and funding universities the way we, The Republican Party, our donors and the lobbyists want to. And they will build a damn chiropractic college if we tell them to. Heck, they'll build a College of Creation and Barbecue Science if we tell them to. So there. Neener.
Continued...
WHEREAS: voters didn't know what they were doing when they passed that stupid little constitutional amendment. So, we'll ignore it and continue running and funding universities the way we, The Republican Party, our donors and the lobbyists want to. And they will build a damn chiropractic college if we tell them to. Heck, they'll build a College of Creation and Barbecue Science if we tell them to. So there. Neener.
Continued...
3/15/2005
Demon rum
The Florida Prohibition Party is now a recognized political party. (Also see last item here.)
Yup, you can now be a registered Sunshine State Prohibitionist. It's chairman, Bill Bledsoe, used to be a Republican committeeman and lives in a dry county in the Panhandle. (That's right, Santa Rosa County is dry despite seven referendums on the issue.
Yup, you can now be a registered Sunshine State Prohibitionist. It's chairman, Bill Bledsoe, used to be a Republican committeeman and lives in a dry county in the Panhandle. (That's right, Santa Rosa County is dry despite seven referendums on the issue.
Just-in-case fund
Despite all the talk about cooperation and harmony, Senate Pres. Tom Lee has quietly amassed a million dollar fund to defend himself and other senators should it come to that.
I missed this when it was mentioned deep in a story about Lee that appeared last week in the Herald.
Lee set up the account, which he now plans to use to campaign for his agenda and insulate himself from political attack, after a Bush staffer wrote an e-mail suggesting that an associate ''work on'' Lee for opposing the governor's plan to cap some damage awards in medical malpractice cases.
(See the Center for Public Integrity report on Floridians Uniting for a Stronger Tomorrow.)
I missed this when it was mentioned deep in a story about Lee that appeared last week in the Herald.
Lee set up the account, which he now plans to use to campaign for his agenda and insulate himself from political attack, after a Bush staffer wrote an e-mail suggesting that an associate ''work on'' Lee for opposing the governor's plan to cap some damage awards in medical malpractice cases.
(See the Center for Public Integrity report on Floridians Uniting for a Stronger Tomorrow.)
3/13/2005
Sunshine Sunday
It's Sunshine Sunday today. Almost every paper in the state runs Sunshine Law and Open Records-related editorials, columns and cartoons.
Toni Jennings
3/12/2005
Firefox 1.01
According to the nice folks at 1&1 Internet Hosting about a quarter of Flabloggers use Firefox or Mozilla browsers. Which shows what a technologically savvy audience this is.
Normally I don't bother with intermediate-level upgrades, but it is worthwhile to upgrade to Firefox 1.01 if you use version version 1.0 or earlier. It's a little bit faster, has obscure security patches and it won't crash on The Daily Show site the way version 1.0 did.
I never use IE anymore and sometimes forget that some people still deal with the annoyance of pop-up and pop-under ads.
Normally I don't bother with intermediate-level upgrades, but it is worthwhile to upgrade to Firefox 1.01 if you use version version 1.0 or earlier. It's a little bit faster, has obscure security patches and it won't crash on The Daily Show site the way version 1.0 did.
I never use IE anymore and sometimes forget that some people still deal with the annoyance of pop-up and pop-under ads.
More bad ideas
For now, the two easiest-to-ridicule bills are a proposed toilet paper tax would pay for new sewers and anti-droopy-pants legislation.
+ The Toilet-Paper Tax (Formal title: "An act relating to a toilet tissue use fee") -- S2544 (PDF here) Several papers come up with a variation on the The Sun-Sentinel's headline --"Pay as you go: Florida lawmaker seeks to tax toilet paper." Actually, this is something the state really needs to fund, but I'm not sure a user tax really makes sense. It would seem too much like money down the toilet.
+ The Droopy Drawers Bill (Formal title: "An act relating to the indecent wearing of below-waist underwear") -- S 2260 (Bill in PDF here.)
--
To be continued
+ The Toilet-Paper Tax (Formal title: "An act relating to a toilet tissue use fee") -- S2544 (PDF here) Several papers come up with a variation on the The Sun-Sentinel's headline --"Pay as you go: Florida lawmaker seeks to tax toilet paper." Actually, this is something the state really needs to fund, but I'm not sure a user tax really makes sense. It would seem too much like money down the toilet.
+ The Droopy Drawers Bill (Formal title: "An act relating to the indecent wearing of below-waist underwear") -- S 2260 (Bill in PDF here.)
--
To be continued
3/11/2005
Four Senate goals
I've heard a lot of bad speeches in the Fla. Senate, so it's always a surprise when you hear something there that kind of makes sense. Tom Lee gave a remarkably heartfelt and sensible opening day address. I certainly don't agree with him about vouchers, constitutional amendments or any supposed need for tax cuts but the four issues he emphasized could have been cited by anybody in either party who is thinking in the long-term.
+ "A full, healthy, cooperative relationship with our colleagues in the House of Representatives." (Translation: Not like Feeney or Bryd.)
+ "Long-term financial planning, to ensure we don't obligate future generations without conscience or consideration." (Translation: Don't commit money we won't see again next year.)
+ Managing growth before it manages us. (Translation: concurrency isn't dead. It's possible to say "no" to a developer and still be a Republican.)
+ Restoring, and enhancing, the public trust. (Translation: operate openly, make the lobbyists register.)
With all eyes on the governor on the first day, this really didn't get the attention it should have.
+ "A full, healthy, cooperative relationship with our colleagues in the House of Representatives." (Translation: Not like Feeney or Bryd.)
+ "Long-term financial planning, to ensure we don't obligate future generations without conscience or consideration." (Translation: Don't commit money we won't see again next year.)
+ Managing growth before it manages us. (Translation: concurrency isn't dead. It's possible to say "no" to a developer and still be a Republican.)
+ Restoring, and enhancing, the public trust. (Translation: operate openly, make the lobbyists register.)
With all eyes on the governor on the first day, this really didn't get the attention it should have.
Before they were stars
Back in 1964, Florida wasn't funding its public universities. OK, Florida has never funded its universities and still isn't. But in 1964 they made a film urging support for public universities and it starred that wholesome young Florida collegian ... Jim Morrison. Yup, that Jim Morrison. You know, the one who was Circuit Judge George Greer's housemate.
See the Sun-Sentinel article.
(Via I Dig Answers)
See the Sun-Sentinel article.
(Via I Dig Answers)
Hit parade
What are some of the worst ideas floating around the Legislature?
So many to choose from in a busy session. Here's the first group, in no particular order:
+ The Muzzle the Profs Bill -- HB 837 (PDF version here) SB 2126. Part of national crusade by rightwing wingnut David Horowitz. Could be used to intimidate, harass, sue and fire professors with controversial views. Or who are simply not conservative enough for campus Young Republicans. As a St. Pete Times editorial reminds us:
+ The North Fla. Veto -- It's no surprise that legislators want to muzzle the citizen referendums. One of the changes that passed the House Judiciary Committee by a party-line vote would not only require a 60 percent supermajority, but would require passage in 60 percent (or 15) of the state's 25 congressional districts. Thus, conservative Panhandle and rural Central Florida voters could have veto power over anything that passes in urbanized parts of the state. Combine this with all other limits, and the citizen referendum in Florida will be, for all practical purposes, dead, dead, dead.
+ The Long, Slow Death Bill -- HB 0701 SB 2128. In reaction to the Schiavo case, lawmakers are moving a bill that presumes anyone who is severely incapacitated and in the end stages of life or in a persistent vegetative state would want a feeding tube. In other words, unless that person has written instructions, he'll be kept alive endlessly by artificial means.
Yup, to quote an old legal axiom: hard cases make bad law. Forget telling your wishes to the family, forget the family trying to act on what you would want. If it's not in writing and in the right legal form, you will kept hooked up to machines indefinitely. Will this be accompanied by more money so Medicaid can pay for more nursing home care after family savings and insurance limits are exhausted Oh, you know the answer.
To be continued. . . .
So many to choose from in a busy session. Here's the first group, in no particular order:
+ The Muzzle the Profs Bill -- HB 837 (PDF version here) SB 2126. Part of national crusade by rightwing wingnut David Horowitz. Could be used to intimidate, harass, sue and fire professors with controversial views. Or who are simply not conservative enough for campus Young Republicans. As a St. Pete Times editorial reminds us:
In the 1950s and '60s, Florida gained notoriety for a legislative witch hunt, known as the Johns Committee, that searched campuses for homosexuals, Communists and civil rights sympathizers. Surely lawmakers don't want to go down that road again.+ The Street-Shooter Bill -- HB 249 (PDF form here) Extends right of self-defense with a gun from home to car to "any other place where he or she has a right to be." Some see this as an overbroad license to kill. And a few legislators fret about "vigilante justice." Others worry about legalizing gang warfare. (Scroll down) It's a cinch to pass.
+ The North Fla. Veto -- It's no surprise that legislators want to muzzle the citizen referendums. One of the changes that passed the House Judiciary Committee by a party-line vote would not only require a 60 percent supermajority, but would require passage in 60 percent (or 15) of the state's 25 congressional districts. Thus, conservative Panhandle and rural Central Florida voters could have veto power over anything that passes in urbanized parts of the state. Combine this with all other limits, and the citizen referendum in Florida will be, for all practical purposes, dead, dead, dead.
+ The Long, Slow Death Bill -- HB 0701 SB 2128. In reaction to the Schiavo case, lawmakers are moving a bill that presumes anyone who is severely incapacitated and in the end stages of life or in a persistent vegetative state would want a feeding tube. In other words, unless that person has written instructions, he'll be kept alive endlessly by artificial means.
Yup, to quote an old legal axiom: hard cases make bad law. Forget telling your wishes to the family, forget the family trying to act on what you would want. If it's not in writing and in the right legal form, you will kept hooked up to machines indefinitely. Will this be accompanied by more money so Medicaid can pay for more nursing home care after family savings and insurance limits are exhausted Oh, you know the answer.
To be continued. . . .
3/09/2005
Back from the session opening
3/05/2005
At least the azaleas are out
3/04/2005
A shame about Betty
Castor counts herself out in 2006.
(Via Fla. Politics. Check out the post about privatization if you're by there.)
(Via Fla. Politics. Check out the post about privatization if you're by there.)
3/03/2005
Worse than La.
A little comparative government from Fred Grimm: Proposed slots pay-off for schools in Florida would be less than W. Virginia and Louisiana.
But here are words a voter ought to ponder before going to the polls on Tuesday: even worse than Louisiana.
Racinos in Louisiana return 36 percent of their slot machine take to state government. And that's just not any old state. Louisiana is the unrivaled bastion of bad government, crippled by corruption and influence peddling and politicians utterly beholden to sleazy business interests.
Yet utterly inept Louisiana managed to wrangle a 36 percent deal out of the parimutuels. Which would make Florida's purported 33 percent worse than Louisiana.
That was then, this is now
Can three moderate Republicans are morph themselves into righties in time for the 2006 primary? Oh, of course they can. They're already halfway there.
3/02/2005
Tillie Fowler
I'd like to say I always voted against Tillie Fowler but the Dems ran a candidate against her exactly once. She sold herself as a pragmatic compassionate conservative but had a near-perfect record with the Christian Coalition, usually towed the Gingrich line and voted to impeach Clinton. And, more parochially, she pretty much ignored my end of her weirdly shaped district. But like Rogers Cadenhead at Workbench, I was impressed that she was true to her word and stepped down after four terms even though she didn't have to. Most term-limits advocates did not.
+ Times obit.
+ Washington Post obit.
+ T-U obit.
+ Times obit.
+ Washington Post obit.
+ T-U obit.
3/01/2005
One down
Chiles III is out of the race. Oddly, for a candidate who appeals to long-time Floridians, he could not meet the state's residency requirement. According to Art. V, Sec. 5(b) of the state constitution, a candidate for governor has to have lived here for at least seven years and be 30 years old.
[Update:
+ Steve Bousquet notes the origins of the residency deep in his story.
[Update:
+ Steve Bousquet notes the origins of the residency deep in his story.
The residency requirement, known as the carpetbagger provision, has been in the Constitution since 1885. It was changed from five years to seven after the modern Constitution was adopted in 1968.+ Cotterell's story quotes Chiles III:
"I was born a Floridian, I've lived as a Floridian, and I'll always be a Floridian, and I'm proud of that," said Chiles, who grew up in Lakeland. "This is clearly a carpetbagger provision in the constitution, and I'm not a carpetbagger. But I believe in the constitution, and a candidate for governor ought to uphold the law."+ Fla. News points to Chiles' web page statement. ]
Sports spending strikes out with voters
The U of Q finds 81 percent of Florida voters don't want to pay state money to build a NASCAR hall of fame. (Story here. Previous stories here.) And among NASCAR fans, only 63 support the idea.
More bad news for sports funding:
+ 84 percent of voters oppose spending up to $60 million to help build a stadium for the Marlins. Marlins fans oppose it 68 - 29 percent.
+ 85 percent oppose spending up to $40 million to help renovate an arena for the Orlando Magic. Magic fans oppose it 75 - 25 percent.
And most heartbreaking, when asked to name their favorite spring-training team, the Yankees won again with 17 percent support while the glorious Boston Red Sox received a pitiful 9 percent.
More bad news for sports funding:
+ 84 percent of voters oppose spending up to $60 million to help build a stadium for the Marlins. Marlins fans oppose it 68 - 29 percent.
+ 85 percent oppose spending up to $40 million to help renovate an arena for the Orlando Magic. Magic fans oppose it 75 - 25 percent.
And most heartbreaking, when asked to name their favorite spring-training team, the Yankees won again with 17 percent support while the glorious Boston Red Sox received a pitiful 9 percent.
