After All, He's The President's Brother

"Jeb Bush has clout in drilling battle":

"When Jeb Bush speaks, people are very quick to listen," said one congressional aide. "Especially when it comes to issues specific to Florida, he has one of the loudest voices even when he doesn't have a vote."

Problem is, he has so little to say worth hearing.




Gunnuttery

"Florida's schools struggle at the bottom of national quality rankings. More than 20 percent of working adults don't have health care. The property insurance market is imploding. Yet the Legislature still has time to indulge its obsession for guns, guns, guns and more guns." "Gun crazy".




That Bush Loyalty Thing

tends to run only one way; and the GOoper blather about about taking responsibility, well ...

James Crosby, who grew up in the shadow of Florida State Prison and led the nation's third-largest corrections system since January 2003, was ousted by Bush just a few months after the governor publicly expressed confidence in his leadership.

"Governor fires prison-system chief". See also "Governor fires prisons boss amid widening investigation", "Bush fires state prison chief", "State's chief of prisons is out of job" and "State prisons chief forced out amid probe".




More GOoPer Incompetence

"Florida Medicaid mistakenly dropped about 15,000 low-income cancer and transplant patients from a drug-subsidy program six weeks ago, the Agency for Health Care Administration said Friday."

And consistent with Florida GOoPer rock ribbed adherance to the grand principles of personal responsiblity Republicans trumpet during political campaigns, GOoPers "Alan Levine and spokesman Jonathan Burns blamed the Florida Medicaid program's antiquated computer system". "Medicaid Restores Subsidy For Drugs".




Silly

"State may tie teacher bonuses to tests". See also "State may link pay to FCAT", "State Requires Linking Teacher Pay To Student Success", "FCAT scores could pay off for teachers".




Whew! At Least "Taxes" Didn't Go Up

"Florida’s insurance regulator quietly agreed last month to allow Allstate to go forward with a rate increase that, for some customers, will mean premium hikes of up to 50 percent." "Fla. Allstate homeowners rates to go up as much as 50 percent". See also "Allstate to up rates".




Government Doesn't Work ...

When the politicians won't let it do its jobs; this story speaks volumes:

Farmworkers and consumers can't depend on the state to ensure that growers are following the law, so it makes sense for the industry to take credible steps to inspect and certify itself.

An industry group called Socially Accountable Farm Employers (SAFE) wants to use Intertek, a London-based auditing company with laboratories in Jacksonville and Tampa, to inspect farms for violations and recommend procedural changes that will keep growers in compliance with state and federal laws.

"Growers work to prove fields SAFE for workers".




Property Taxes

"It's rare when Florida Republicans warn that a tax cut goes too far. But members of both parties balked at a multibillion-dollar effort to place further limits on property tax increases on Wednesday, making its passage this year a long shot." "Bill to further limit property tax increases faces bipartisan heat".




Gallagher Restrains Knuckledraggers

"Amid lingering anger (and vitriol on this blog [The Buzz]) over the Broward County Republican Executive Committee's endorsement of Charlie Crist, Tom Gallagher released an unusual statement". "Gallagher Calls For Calm".




Not Funny Anymore

"It's time to pick a site." "Scripps".




The Liberty Counsel [sic] Brain Trust Is At It Again

This time they're going after another "religion":

Liberty Counsel, a conservative legal organization that specializes in religious freedom cases, asked the Florida Supreme Court on Friday to throw out a Wiccan challenge to a state law that exempts Bibles, religious publications and ceremonial items from sales tax.

"Liberty Counsel wants to oppose Wiccan state sales tax challenge".




Davis Picks Up ...

"Labor Support".




You Don't Think

"The fact that not a single incumbent in the state Legislature or Florida congressional delegation lost in 2004 - and that more than 72 percent of state legislative races had only one major party candidate - suggests that the deck is stacked in Florida." "Line drawing".




<Manatees

"Florida's manatees are in trouble, and the state commission charged with protecting them soon will decide whether to remove protections aimed at saving them and their habitat." "Keep manatee protection".




Brilliant

"Thirteen of 42 staff members at the National Hurricane Center in Miami would qualify for the early retirement plan." "Veteran forecasters cut under budget proposal".