How else to explain the school's con job to get people to burp up $300 to spend "An Evening With Jeb Bush," which has to be a bit like finding one's self passing the night with a bucket of warm spit - and paying for the privilege.

If you didn't know any better, you'd think the former governor's upcoming appearance on campus Friday night was being sponsored by the Robert Vesco Chair within the Hustler Department of Advanced Stings.

Bush's $300 scam is part of the school's 2008 National Leadership Forum, where a bunch of big shots weigh in on "an innovative and creative approach to teaching the servant leadership concept not only in the academic community, but in the business and church communities as well."

Leadership!

It was during the Bush Junta that the governor secretly negotiated to buy 61 miles of CSX Transportation tracks in the greater Orlando area, which in turn will permit the rail company to shift a huge chunk of its freight business to a massive Polk County hub. ...

Somehow the backroom arrogance of power associated with the CSX deal was emblematic of Bush's disdain for public accountability during the eight years of his regime.

Here's the ultimate hypocrisy of Bush's performance at the home of the Fighting Lemmings.

The Boss Hogg of Kennebunkport's schedule is handled by the Washington Speaker's Bureau, which does not publicly list Bush's fee for blowing smoke up the bloomers of unsuspecting audiences.

Bush's sister Doro is handled by the same company with fees from $15,000 to $25,000 to give speeches about the wonders of being born a Bush, so you have to figure her brother commands even more moola for, what, being taller?

33 year old spoiled Bushco frat brat huffs and puffs

That's our Adam, Bushco puppet, and all round "Howdy Doody-looking nimrod".

Jebbites "Leading the charge against common sense"

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, "which must recommend statutory or constitutional changes by May 8, could position the state for a new period of growth with some common sense."

Leading the charge against common sense, though, is Patricia Levesque, executive director of two education foundations established by former Gov. Bush. Ms. Levesque took a reasonable proposal from former Senate President John McKay that would have tapped the potential of a sales tax on services, and turned it into that trust-us, tax-cutting suggestion.

Mr. McKay advocates taxing services, which make up nearly half of all consumer spending. It could produce about $24 billion a year, matching existing sales tax collections. But Mr. McKay's proposal, calling for just $2 billion in service taxes, was derailed by Ms. Levesque. The argument that customers of lawyers, accountants and architects will go to Georgia to avoid a 6 percent tax has achieved almost magical reverence in Tallahassee. One of the true believers is House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami.

The Taxation and Budget Reform Commission is supposed to be more removed from politics than the Legislature, but this commission seems driven by politics. The hostility toward Mr. McKay's idea is a new version of the cowardice shown in 1987, when Gov. Bob Martinez and the Legislature repealed a services tax six months after passing it - and increased the sales tax to 6 percent.

Big of 'em

"Lawmakers come up with budget plan to avoid court closures". See also "Florida lawmakers find $12.5M to keep courts open".

Will Dems halt "Mr. Cellophane" history of falling upward?

Poor Mel, "if his approval ratings through the first half of his term are any indication, most Floridians haven't seen his good days. A poll last fall showed his approval dipped to the mid-30s, and that makes Democrats smile as they think about the opportunity in 2010 to get back the seat Martinez won when Democrat Bob Graham retired.

Timothy Noah - Mel doesn't "do anything worth remembering"

"Nobody would mistake that for something Lincoln wrote on the back of an envelope while traveling to Gettysburg"

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "It should have been an easy question. On Tuesday, reporters asked Gov. Crist whether he would support a bill requiring Florida to issue a license plate featuring the Confederate flag. The easy answer should have been: 'No.' Or, better: 'Hell, no.' Instead, Gov. Crist said, 'Let's see if it goes anywhere before I have to weigh in.' Nobody would mistake that for something Lincoln wrote on the back of an envelope while traveling to Gettysburg." "Opportunity nearly lost".

Delegates

"The Florida Democratic Party is going ahead with plans Saturday to select delegates for the national convention, even though the state had no delegates at stake during the Jan. 29 presidential primary." "Florida goes ahead with delegate selection, despite sanctions". See also "Florida Democrats split over rerun of primary", "Florida Democrats select convention delegates today" and "Fla. Dems hope for party recognition".

Greedy bastard probably even has a pension

"A power outage that affected large parts of Florida this week was primarily the result of human error, the state's largest electric company said Friday. Florida Power & Light released a two-page preliminary report on the incident. It says that a field engineer was to blame for Tuesday's outage, which affected more than 584,000 customers or the equivalent of more than 1 million people." "FPL says Human error the cause of power outage across Florida".

Arrested while Black

"Tallahassee man spent 24 years in prison for crime he didn't commit".

"Rethink sites for commercial pads in refuge "

The Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "NASA and Florida officials have their work cut out for them before anyone builds a proposed $500 million private launch complex at Kennedy Space Center: more environmental impact hurdles, cost-benefit analysis, financing, regulatory hoops and a wall of opposition to scale if they persist in picking either of their two preferred sites that would sacrifice natural areas, wildlife and public access in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge for marginal prospects of space commerce." "Space to launch".

Private school cash

The libruls on the St. Petersburg Times editorial board: "No scholarship that Florida offers to university students should be immune from budgetary pressures, but the swipe Gov. Charlie Crist would take at private college grants this fall is too abrupt and could leave some high school seniors out in the cold." "School of hard cuts".

"'The whole thing is lunacy'"

"One of Gov. Charlie Crist's education priorities when the legislative session opens Tuesday is something few educators support and many call a gimmick."

It is also one that died in Florida's Legislature two years ago.

Crist is proposing that 65 percent of school districts' operational funds be spent in the classroom, increasing to 70 percent by 2010 -- an effort he says will protect teachers and students from deep budget cuts facing schools this year. ...

But educators say the 65 percent solution has the potential to shortchange students by forcing the elimination of positions such as assistant principals, guidance counselors or librarians.

In some areas where discipline is a major challenge, reducing the number of administrators who help keep order could create major problems.

"The whole thing is lunacy," said Al Weidner, Sarasota County School District budget director, of Crist's plan.

Florida's booming economy

"State leaders this legislative session will grapple with the worst budget crunch that Florida has seen since the early 1990s. The reason is no secret: Florida, which depends heavily on tourism and real estate sales, is suffering the effects of the country's deteriorating economy." "Legislators Open Session".

The good 'ole days of right-wing fascist dictator Fulgencio Battista

Miriam Leiva, an independent journalist in Cuba writes: "The New York Philharmonic has performed in Pyongyang, capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. That's the North Korea that has been immersed in major conflicts and the home of the totalitarian dictatorship of Kim Il Sung and his heir, Kim Jong Il. A beautiful initiative!

The authorities in the south have maintained a patient policy to reduce tensions and promote unification. At the same time, the United States has made moves to dissuade North Korea from aggression by delivering humanitarian assistance and other forms of aid in exchange for a halt in the construction of nuclear power plants. ...

All of which raises a question: Why can the United States come to an understanding with a bloody dictatorship that has lasted for 60 years, on a land where American citizens have died, yet it is not capable of assuming an intelligent position toward a small island 90 miles from its shores, to which its businessmen sell an appreciable quantity of food?

The policy of isolation and unilateral embargo maintained for 49 years against totalitarianism in Cuba has only encouraged the hardening of the regime and the repression of oppositionists, under the pretext of the danger posed by ``Yankee imperialism.''

The Legislature and all that

Steve Bousquet: "Sasso is the ninth Democrat to win a House seat formerly held by a Republican since November 2006. A Cocoa Beach city official and a Boy Scout leader with an A-rating from the NRA, Sasso ran as a conservative and is the latest example of a Democratic candidate who matches up well with the makeup of the district."

Democrats stole the issue of illegal immigration away from Republicans and used it against Republican Sean Campbell, who ran a day-labor staffing company.

Sasso will be the newest face in the House chamber when Speaker Marco Rubio pounds the gavel Tuesday morning to open the 2008 session.

Over the past 15 months, Democrats have put together an impressive winning streak, and in this race they beat the GOP on its turf. But it has to be put in perspective: the Republicans' high-water mark was 85 seats of 120, and that's a level of dominance that was not sustainable.

The margin is now 77 to 41 with two safe Democratic seats currently vacant.

"Florida should level the field for consumers battling business"

The Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "In Florida, businesses don't have to make the binding-arbitration requirement plain to you when you're signing paperwork. It's up to you to find out. That's one more slam against the consumer's rights. Arbitration 'agreements' should be made clear up-front, and the process rendered more fair to consumers. The Florida Justice Association (the state's trial lawyers' association) is behind a bill to be submitted to the Legislature that would do just that -- by requiring arbitration agreements to be made explicit, with time for consumers to prepare; requiring arbitrators to disclose any kind of interests that may bias their decision; requiring that costs of arbitration not be shifted to consumers; and requiring that the process follow the rules of civil procedure (in record-keeping and the use of witnesses) more closely. None of those standards are unreasonable. Only their absence is." "Can't sue? Read the fine print".

Those icky poor people keep getting in the way

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "With the fourth-largest Medicaid population in the nation and growing expenses that threaten to consume 59 percent of the state's general revenue budget by the year 2015, Florida cannot afford cuts proposed by the Bush administration to the state-federal health program for poor people." "Block Medicaid dump by Congress onto states".

'Tees

Martine de Wit "is a medical examiner, for manatees. If one of the endangered animals is reported dead anywhere in Florida's waters, it's brought to de Wit, who helps determine and duly record its cause of death. About 250 of their bodies arrive at her lab every year." "Florida has a medical examiner for endangered manatees".

Gov. Charlie Crist remains wildly popular and fellow Republican, Arizona Sen. John McCain, would beat either of his two leading Democratic presidential rivals, according to the poll. ...

The poll showed McCain would beat Illinois Sen. Barack Obama 47 percent to 37 percent if the vote were held today. Sixteen percent of voters were undecided. McCain would beat New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, 49 percent to 40 percent, with 11 percent undecided. ...

Mason Dixon Polling & Research surveyed 625 registered voters between Feb. 21-24. The poll has a margin of error either way of 4 percent.

Dems take a shot at Saint "Jeb!"

"In an unusual 13-page white paper and open letter filled with gloomy facts and statistics about Florida’s economy, education system and social services, Gelber said Florida was 'in a state of denial' and blamed Republican mismanagement and fiscal irresponsibility during the 1998-2006 Jeb Bush administration." Gelber argues that the RPOF's brain dead adherence to Bushco "ideological orthodoxy", has been ... you know ... less than great for Floridians who didn't wake up every morning fretting about intangible taxes and/or next to their youth pastor:

-- The state, Gelber says, is “is mired in its worst fiscal crisis in thirty years.” The housing market is “in free fall”; population growth, which drives the state economy, is slowing; unemployment is increasing and the state’s per capita gross domestic product is 34th in the nation. The state has exceeded national averages in producing jobs, but the jobs were low-paying. Median family income, adjusted for inflation, is less than in 1999.

-- The state has sought to shift the cost of education to property taxes—the “required local effort” property taxes the state makes counties collect. In 1996, education got a third of its budget from the RLE; now it’s 56 percent. Since 2000, RLE taxes have increased by $3.8 billion, while state education funding increased $41.7 million.

-- Billions in state tax cuts have benefited mainly the wealthy and businesses through corporate tax loopholes and abolition of taxes paid mostly by the wealthy – estate and intangibles taxes.

-- State debt has increased from $10.9 billion to $24.1 billion in 10 years. Annual debt service has gone from $801 million to $1.8 billion.

-- Windstorm insurance costs, which rose dramatically after a 2006 bill passed by the GOP legislative majority, are not decreasing and are placing a major burden on home ownership.

-- Florida trails the nation in health care. The state exceeds national averages in the percentage of children lacking health insurance coverage; the percentage of its population lacking access to primary care, and the percentage lacking health insurance – surprising in a state with many Medicare recipients.

-- Public education isn’t in condition to produce a well-trained workforce. Florida was 47th in the nation in 2005, and 45th in 2006, in per capita education expenditures. From 2000-2004, it was 50th in per capita higher education spending. The Legislature is about to debate whether to cut $1 billion from education, or spend reserve funds to avoid the cuts. Meanwhile, the state’s high school graduation rate is last in the nation for the third straight year, and SAT scores have dropped relative to national averages.

“The last decade of Republican control has left Florida families with diminished opportunities and overall quality of life,” Gelber concludes. He said change is needed, even if it “might conflict with some Republicans’ strict ideological orthodoxy.

Florida is “a state that is known around the world for its thriving innovation economy.”

Smears

"Barack Obama's campaign chairman in Florida said he won't let the Democratic presidential candidate be smeared by falsehoods that he's anti-Israel." "Obama backers try to reassure Jewish voters".

Are ultrasounds merely theories?

"Women would be required to get ultrasounds before having abortions under an antiabortion proposal that gained a powerful ally in the Florida Senate on Thursday." "Bill calls for scan before abortion".

Florida Forever

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "Florida Forever remains a prime example of investment spending, which the state cannot forgo even given the challenges of the estimated $4 billion shortfall. Investing in our economy is a survival strategy, and Mr. Crist has supported this program in particular, saying preservation is 'our duty' as 'stewards of the land and water.' Its reauthorization, which ensures a degree of stability during thick and thin, is an important and, as The Nature Conservancy puts it, 'tangible' way of carrying on with hope." "Forever hopeful". See also "" and "".

What to do?

"Florida Democrats can't agree on whether their primary should be rerun, a poll indicated. It also showed Republican John McCain ahead of both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in Florida." "Florida Democrats split over rerun of primary".

Restoration

"Advocates turned up the heat Thursday for restoring civil rights to ex-felons, calling for new changes to ease re-entry into the workforce." "Advocates call for civil rights for ex-felons".

Cuba

"Cuba's government signed two key international human rights treaties Thursday that Fidel Castro long opposed, but said it had reservations about some provisions and accused the United States of impeding the Cuban people's enjoyment of their rights." "Cuba signs rights treaties at UN, with reservations; blasts US".

Lie down with dogs

The United Teachers of Dade are lying down with some serious dogs:

A white paper commissioned by United Teachers of Dade calls for a nonpartisan discussion of long-term issues and options. It urges the participation of all stake-holders, including Florida's business community, under the leadership of Bush's successor, Gov. Charlie Crist.

It was written by Antonio Villamil, who had chaired Bush's council of economic advisers. Bush, a Republican, was at loggerheads with teachers unions, which opposed most of his education policies including private school vouchers and high-stakes testing. Crist, although also a Republican, is on better terms with the teachers.

"Talent is the currency of economic development in the 21st century," Villamil said at a news conference with union president Karen Aronowitz. "We cannot continue falling back on educational investments and educational outcomes."

Villamil said the state could consider cost-saving or revenue-raising options such as allowing private companies to build and operate toll roads, privatizing the Lottery, repealing sales tax exemptions, taking steps toward taxing Internet and mail order sales, and easing class-size reduction requirements.

Cheap overseas labor

"UK rocket company is considering launch site in Florida".

Ain't gonna happin'

"Chancellor: no changes to Bright Futures scholarships this year".

Dopes

The comedians on the Tampa Tribune editorial board fall over themselves this morning with their usual master-servant garbage: "outlandish demands have become all too common among police and firefighter unions ... It's to the [Hillsborough County] deputies' credit that they sided with a sheriff who wants to reward professionalism, rather than a union that would safeguard the lazy and inept." "Police Union Sent Packing".

Like new

"A Tampa company will recycle or resell most of the 29,000 touch-screen voting machines in Florida after less than six years of use, the secretary of state said Thursday." "Touch-screen voting machines to be recycled or resold". See also "State to sell off old touch-screen systems".

Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement

The Sun-Sentinel editorial board: "It took a while, but the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission stepped up to the plate with an idea that deserves prompt consideration and passage by the Florida Legislature. The commission wants state lawmakers to approve a plan that would revise the Florida tax code to make it more uniform with those of 22 other states so the Sunshine State can capture up to $2 billion in currently uncollected revenues from Internet and mail order sales. Florida's participation in the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement would allow it to obtain revenue from 1,100 companies that voluntarily collect taxes for the participating states." "Florida's taxation commission has come up with a budget idea that works".

Expert

Yesterday, Florida Secretary of State Kurt Browning

announced the appointment of a Justice Department lawyer as director of the Division of Elections. Donald Palmer, a former Navy intelligence officer, has worked in the civil rights division in Washington since 2006.

Palmer has extensive experience in investigations and litigation involving the Voting Rights Act and federal Help America Vote Act, as well as other voting issues.

Before joining the Justice Department, he was a legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney of Oviedo.

One smile at a time

That's our Charlie, striding the world's stage and making the world a safer place one smile at a time: "Crist to meet with king of Jordan".

Back at the ranch, Charlie's stock keeps rising: "Tensions flare in Florida over the governor's rising national status. in Florida over the governor's rising national status." "Vying for Crist's attention".

That's why the call him the "Florida Frankenstein"

The Sun-Sentinel editorial board writes that "the wait-and-see policy is OK if you're Transylvania." "Waiting for the Castros to die can't pass for U.S. foreign policy in Cuba".

"A budget idea"

The Sun-Sentinel editorial board: "Florida's taxation commission has come up with a budget idea that works".

Florida's Iseman connection

"The lobbyist at the center of reports questioning her relationship with Sen. John McCain is a partner in a lobbying firm that has roots in Tampa. Vicki Iseman works for Alcalde & Fay, whose founder and chief executive officer, Hector Alcalde, is a University of Tampa grad who was chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. Sam Gibbons, D-Tampa, for a dozen years." "Lobbyist's firm tied to Tampa".

Kreegel

"A judge in Charlotte County has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by state Rep. Paige V. Kreegel, R-Punta Gorda, against the Florida Home Builders Association, lobbyist Richard Gentry and Kim Leebove, a secretary for Public Concepts, a Palm Beach political consulting firm."

The court found no evidence that could lead a jury to find that campaign literature published during the 2004 election was done with actual malice, according to a decision released Thursday by Judge Donald E. Pellecchia. Gentry, the builders group and Leebove never saw the literature before it was sent out, the judge determined.

The builders group helped finance the campaign literature prepared by Public Concepts owner Randy Nielsen and approved by Tallahassee lawyer John French. Brochures mailed to voters said Kreegel had been arrested on criminal mischief charges; in fact, though he was charged with criminal mischief, he was never taken into custody.

The judge said Kreegel's 2005 lawsuit can prevail only if he can prove that the literature was false and published with actual malice or reckless disregard of whether it was false .

French, Nielsen and Public Concepts remain as defendants in the lawsuit, which has not been scheduled for trial. West Palm Beach lawyer Martin said he plans to seek the dismissal of the lawsuit against the remaining defendants.

The same special interests that have bought the Legislature's protection from tax reform have made some new friends in the capital, and guess who comes out the loser again. When a committee of the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission chose Monday to spare accountants and architects at the cost of taxing the average Joe, it was repeating some of Florida's worst political history.

Two decades ago, lawmakers faced a similar choice. First they embraced the fair, enlightened approach by making the users of services such as lawyers and accountants and advertisers and real estate agents pay the same sales tax as those who buy clothes, tools and other goods. Then the special interests went to work. Prodded by Republican Gov. Bob Martinez, who did not have enough backbone to withstand considerable political pressure, the Legislature reinstated the very exemptions it had lifted and raised the state sales tax by a penny. In 1987, Florida went from a leader in embracing a fairer, broader tax system to a backward tax policy that is regressive and far too narrow for a state with global aspirations.

Given that the state is not about to adopt an income tax, the only viable alternative is to apply the sales tax as broadly as possible. That way, at least, all parts of the economy pay a share. ...

Florida is stuck with a tax system designed mostly in the 1940s that has not aged well as the state's economy and population have blossomed. Yet those who enjoy the exemptions are not about to give them up without a fight. The Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission meets only once every two decades and is supposed to rise above it all. It is supposed to see through the usual scare tactics and consider the interests of all taxpayers. Proposing an extra penny of sales tax to help reduce property taxes is not reform. It is a sellout to the powerful, and the full commission has one last opportunity to look toward the future instead of back to 1987.

But increasing our narrow, distorted tax structure enough to pay for it puts too heavy a penalty on the middle class. Florida is known for having the most regressive tax system in the nation.

We depend on two basic sources of money: property taxes, and a sales tax on goods that is riddled with exemptions.

We used to have an intangibles tax on investments that targeted wealthier residents, often retirees. But Jeb Bush dumped it, costing the state billions and shifting more of the tax burden down to the families now fleeing the state.

A nice trend

Steve Bousquet: "Tony Sasso's victory Tuesday in a Space Coast-area state House seat marks the ninth time in 15 months that a Democrat has won a previously Republican House seat. Despite being outspent nearly 2-1, Sasso beat a Republican to win the seat vacated by the GOP's Bob Allen." "Democrats continue to take GOP seats".

Hill's last (Florida) breath?

"Two Tampa Democrats challenging the national Democratic Party's disavowal of the Florida primary will get a federal appeals court hearing on their lawsuit."

Hillsborough County Democratic Party chairman Mike Steinberg, a disabilities lawyer, and local political consultant Vic DiMaio filed the lawsuit in August.

A federal judge in Tampa had dismissed it in October, but the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta has now said it will hear arguments March 17.

"What this tells me is they find this an interesting case," Steinberg said. He said the defendant, the Democratic National Committee, asked for a hearing along with himself and DiMaio.

The two contend that the DNC violated the rights of Floridians by refusing to recognize the results of the state's Jan. 29 presidential primary.

DiMaio and Steinberg acknowledged their lawsuit could help New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton against Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

Clinton won the Florida primary with a margin of 38 delegates, and argues those delegates should be seated. Obama says that would amount to changing rules in the middle of the game.

But DiMaio and Steinberg denied they were trying to help either candidate.

All Charlie all the time

"Crist wants to raise the TV ratings for his State of the State speech, so he's moving the traditional high-noon report on Florida government to an evening hour next Tuesday." "Crist moves up State of the State".

Poll

"Homeowner-insurance costs rank high in poll of likely Florida voters".

Real states pay for infrastructure that works

"A 'massive equipment failure' that sparked a fire at a Florida Power & Light Co. substation in west Miami knocked two of the state's five nuclear reactors off line Tuesday afternoon, swiftly triggering a wave of outages that temporarily left about 2.2 million Floridians without power." "FPL equipment failure knocks out power for 2.2 million across Florida".

"An investigation into how a single switch and a fire at a substation led to massive blackouts across the state will include a look at why the problem wasn't contained and whether two nuclear reactors may have shut down prematurely, experts said Wednesday." "Experts say likely more than one cause for Florida blackouts".

The Miami Herald editorial board: "Residents throughout Florida were mightily inconvenienced by the blackout, but they should be reassured that the nuclear reactors were protected and the system worked as designed. Residents can consider this a realistic but bothersome test run. No one was seriously injured and everyone now is aware of how dependent our entire state is on an intricately connected electrical system. The job now is to make sure that nothing like this happens again." "A close call, but not the real thing". The Sun-Sentinel editorial board: "FPL needs to answer questions about how small incident became major power outage". The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "Something went right, but more went wrong".

'Ya think?

"A business economist warned that Florida schools need cash and need to be considered a higher priority if the state wants to meet its goals for economic growth." "Schools need more cash for state goals".

"Words are cheap"

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board:

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue is an amiable guy. Just a few weeks ago he came to Leon County to help Tall Timbers Research Station celebrate its 50th anniversary. All smiles and full of good wishes, he alluded to the ongoing water dispute among Florida, Georgia and Alabama with a hint of conciliation.

"We ought to get along as well on water as we do on quail and timber," Mr. Perdue said, "but hopefully that will come as well."

Words are cheap, apparently.

On Tuesday in Washington, where he met with Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley in their effort to resolve a three-way tug of war over water rights in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river basin, Mr. Perdue wasn't so conciliatory.

He basically told his counterparts that their states' needs weren't as important as Georgia's, and that they lacked resolve to reach a compromise because of that.

That's called chutzpah.

Restoration

"Civil rights advocates gather at the Capitol this morning to demand changes that would make it easier for ex-convicts to get state occupational licenses. The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which includes the American Civil Liberties Union, has called a 10 a.m. news conference in front of the Florida House." "Group fights for ex-felons to re-enter workforce".

"Untouchable"

"Florida's most expensive scholarship program is proving to be one of its most untouchable." "Don't change Bright Futures scholarships, officials told".

Lollipops, lollipops ...

"What's the ultimate price for illegally funneling $1,500 in campaign contributions in a city election?"

It will cost strip-club manager Sean Bishop his freedom.

Bishop, manager of Lollipops Gentlemen's Club in Daytona Beach, was sentenced Wednesday to six months in jail for the three $500 checks, written by others but reimbursed by him in cash. With time off for good behavior, he may serve five months.

Nevermind

"Haridopolos not enrolled since 2000, University of Arkansas says". For background see yesterday's "Course: Political Influence 101".

"Quiz Cubans"

"Quiz Cubans on their new president and you're as likely to hear about Hillary Rodham Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama as Raul Castro.
Many believe any changes the next American administration makes to its Cuba policy will be more important to their happiness than any reforms the island's first new head of state in 49 years may embrace." "In Cuba, US election resonates as much as new Castro presidency".

Raids

"Money paid into trust funds for specific purposes ranging from enforcing condo laws to providing affordable housing would be diverted to routine government expenses under terms of Gov. Charlie Crist's proposed $70 billion state budget." "Crist wants to raid $740 million from trust funds to balance budget".

"Florida's class war has ended"

An intrepid college professor takes a look at the silly claims - uncritically regurgitated in the Jebedia - that education has somehow improved in Florida over the last eight years; he points out that

Florida student Scholastic Achievement Test scores were 1,001 in 1998 compared to a 1,017 national average, before Bush became governor. In 2007, SAT scores were 993 compared to 1,017 nationally. More students are taking the test, but facts don't support the thesis that Bush's programs have improved K-12 education.

If Bush's programs improved student preparation, why is it that the number of community college prep students increased from 27,120 in 2001-02 to 27,351 in 2005-06, according to the Florida Department of Education's community college Fact Book?

Florida's schools and colleges and universities regressed under Jeb Bush because he defunded them, just as Charlie Crist and the Republican Legislature plan to do by gutting the property tax base in Florida. Jeb cut taxes for his rich friends, but eviscerated public school funding. The most recent U.S. Department of Education Center for Education Statistics report shows that in 1997-98 Florida spent $5,552 per public school pupil compared to the U.S. $6,189 average — a $637 per pupil funding deficit. In 2004-05, Florida funding increased to $7,215, but the national average rose to $8,701 — making the Florida funding deficit $1,486 per pupil.

In Florida, the class war is over. Our students lost.

Good luck

The Sun-Sentinel editorial board: "Florida's budgetary problems are fast becoming a crisis that can no longer be blown off as simply the result of a bloated bureaucracy or the product of wasteful spending. The challenge is to find new revenue -- fast." "State of Florida desperate for new revenue sources". More: "Florida to revise sales tax in hopes of snaring Internet, mail sales".

Another gift from the "value" laden RPOF

The Florida Legislature is shaping plans to slash more than $500 million from this year's $70 billion budget shortly after the 2008 session begins next week."

"This isn't a good year for education, or really any agency," said Bill Montford, chief executive officer of the Florida Association of School District Superintendents.

Education is in line for the biggest cut — about $357 million, most of it from K-12. It amounts to about $55 per pupil during the four months remaining in the budget year.

Country clubbers in a quandry

"Power executives were still in the dark Wednesday about how a glitch at a substation triggered a blackout that cut power to millions across Florida, causing gridlock at dark traffic signals and forcing hospitals to scramble for generators." "Reasons for a blackout in southern Florida remain a mystery". See also "Millions affected by power outages", "FPL equipment failure knocks out power for 2.2 million across Florida" and "Station fire, failure cause Fla. power outage, close nuke plant".

"Knife trained on public good"

The St. Petersburg Times editorial board: "Some Republican legislators are using the state budget crisis as convenient cover for renewing their partisan attack against public campaign financing. Their time would be better spent repairing the damage they already have done instead of asking voters to kill it." "Budget knife trained on public good"

"Will Cuban Americans support Democrats?"

"Three congressional races in South Florida test a theory: Will Cuban Americans support Democrats?"

Weeks after the 2006 election, two Democratic strategists in Miami began poring over the returns, paying particular interest to a Republican-held state House seat in Miami-Dade that fell to the Democrats.

Precinct, by precinct, they saw evidence that reliably Republican Cuban-American voters had crossed party lines and supported the Democratic candidate the pair had recruited to run. And with those findings, they sensed a more ambitious target: three Republican-held congressional seats in Miami.

'We were like, `Is this a freak of nature or is something happening here?' '' said one of the strategists, Jeff Garcia, referring to Democrat Luis Garcia's state House victory. 'What is it that compelled a bunch of Republicans in Little Havana to vote for a guy who has a `D' next to his name?''

Public grants, private colleges

The Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "Public grants to private college students pay off for Florida". "Covering tuition".

Job-training and education programs

"Black business executives urged Gov. Charlie Crist Tuesday to protect job-training and education programs as state lawmakers cut state spending in the 2008 legislative session." "Governor urged to protect job-training, education programs".

Woo Hoo!

"Ice cream cones and certain candy bars would be exempt from taxation under a new recommendation aimed at taxing Internet and mail order sales." "To tax Internet sales, tax code tweaks needed".

lawsuit

"Attorneys and the father of a 9-year-old girl slain by a convicted sex offender said Tuesday the sheriff's office missed several opportunities to save her by failing the search the trailer where she was being held and wrongly focusing on family members." "Attorneys talk about Lunsford plan to sue sheriff over slaying". You remember Mark.

Gettin' old

What do comments like this from the The Miami Herald editorial board - "The average age of the eight top members of the 'new' leadership is 70. Evidently, Cuba's leaders believe 'change' means a fading octogenarian giving way to a bunch of septuagenarians -- that and nothing more" mean for poor Johnny Sidney's campaign?

Another Jebacy of the "values" crowd

"Lack of money led the governor and Cabinet Tuesday to approve a conservation lands purchase list that places a priority on 21 projects statewide." "Crist, Cabinet OK lands purchase list".

Reserves

"Crist signaled Tuesday that he doesn't like legislative leaders' half-billion-dollar plan for cutting this year's state budget, saying they should use reserves to avoid education cuts." "Gov. Crist urges Florida legislators to dig into reserve funds".

Privatization follies

Bill Cotterell the other day:

The Department of Veterans Affairs, for instance, wants to take over some staffing at three nursing homes that were opened with private nursing-assistant and kitchen employees during the administration of Gov. Jeb Bush. This is the latest example of something that looked good at the time, but apparently didn't work out precisely as planned.

Bush always advocated the "cheaper and better" idea, but his private-sector background and barely concealed disdain for most things governmental tilted any evaluation toward the outcome he wanted.

Some of Bush's privatization trophies are legend around here — People First!, MyFloridaMarketplace, the defunct "Aspire" accounting contract. One of the first things Gov. Charlie Crist did, in his polite and noncritical way, was to create a Council on Efficient Government to look into state contracting — starting with those three.

The Department of Management Services is now renegotiating with Convergys for the massive personnel privatization, a $350 million, nine-year contract that was the biggest such project of the Bush years. The state is looking for options on the purchasing contract, and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink (who, you'll recall, ran on a promise to end the spending spree in Tallahassee) suspended the Aspire project last year.

Crist, hardly a big-government guy, has quietly and diplomatically made some changes to his predecessor's approach.

Dragging their knuckles to the polls

"In 2004, when President Bush won Ohio by a razor-thin margin, guaranteeing his re-election, conventional wisdom said a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage on the Ohio ballot was part of the reason."

Gay marriage bans on ballots were credited with helping Bush in other states and affecting other races nationwide, by driving conservative voters to the polls.

This year, Florida will have a similar amendment on its ballot, leading to speculation that it will affect voter turnout and maybe election outcomes - particularly since the apparent GOP nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, isn't popular with religious and social conservatives.

The amendment "absolutely" will drive conservative voters to the polls, said state GOP spokeswoman Erin VanSickle. "It's a Republican issue."

Opponents of the amendment even have suggested it was planned to help Republicans.

But political scientists who have studied the effect of ballot issues on voter turnout say that the conventional wisdom is probably wrong.

Tweaks

"Tax Tweaks Headed For Vote".

"It's all in who you know"

The Orlando Sentinel editorial board flags a great class at UF:

Instructor: Senate Finance and Tax Chairman Mike Haridopolos.

Content: This course covers the pitfalls of politics during lean budget years when otherwise prestigious and proud institutions -- including Florida's flagship university -- will stoop to amazing depths to curry favor with powerful politicians.

Prerequisites: None. It's all in who you know.

"Merit"?

"Crist's proposal to make the unpopular MAP merit-pay plan more, uh, palatable to teachers will get serious consideration in the state House, Rep. Joe Pickens (left), chairman of the House Education Council, tells The Gradebook." "Legislators want more districts to award merit pay".

Acute Florida anxiety

"Anxiety is especially acute in Florida, the country's most diverse battleground state. Not only do Sunshine State Democrats see potential long-term damage should Florida wind up with no voice in the Democratic nomination, but they also see the prospect that the politics of hope could be trumped by the politics of race, gender and ethnicity." "Party frets over fractious tone".

Water war

"States' deal for water in trouble".

VP

"The Crist Veep-O-Meter nudges a tad closer to vice president this week, though it has less to do with Charlie Crist than some other prospects for John McCain's running mate. Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison pretty much took herself out of the running last week. Meanwhile, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, an early McCain supporter who has at least as much vice presidential buzz as Crist, took a bashing in an op-ed by a Minnesota antitax activist last week. Minnesota Citizens for Tax Justice director Wayne Cox wrote that the 47-year-old Pawlenty can't deliver the state for McCain, that Minnesota has become more Democratic-leaning under Pawlenty and he has done little to help the economy. " "Crist's VP prospects are creeping upward".

Meanwhile, over in Bradenton ...

"Even though the Democratic National Committee stripped Florida of its delegates because the state scheduled an early primary, about 25 local residents are still trying for a seat at the party's national convention in August." "Local Democrats caucus Saturday".

ABs

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "Political parties like absentee voting because it's an easy way to make sure before Election Day that the faithful have voted. The parties should be more concerned about error rates that disqualify more absentee ballots than any other type. Yes, absentee ballots cause more rejected votes than touch-screen machines. The irony? Both parties use wariness of touch screens to encourage absentee voting." "Reduce absentee voting".

Cracking down on out-of-this-world pensions

The Tampa Tribune editorial board reminds us of the joys of public employment:

Imagine collecting your full retirement pension while still earning your full paycheck from the same employer. To do that in the private sector, you'd probably have to retire and find a new job.

But if you're covered by the Florida Retirement System, as most government workers are in Florida, The St. Petersburg Times reports that a double salary is no fantasy.

If it were soaring investment returns that made such generosity possible, the situation would be less outrageous. But the fact is, taxpayers are covering the increased bounty.

The cost to the public of government pension benefits has soared 71 percent since the 2002-03 fiscal year. And the state now charges 9.85 percent of a regular employee's pay to keep the pension system funded. Five years ago, it was 5.76 percent.

Adding to the strain have been generous increases in salaries awarded by cities and counties as property values soared. Now that state and local governments are forced to make budget cuts, lawmakers need to rethink the merits of a pension system designed when government jobs were low-paying and many private employers offered pensions.

Now the private sector has virtually eliminated pensions for new employees and government pay is often higher than comparable jobs outside government.

In a time of economic strain, double dipping has become one of the fastest-growing parts of the Florida government budget, and lawmakers have only themselves to blame. The 8,000 employees who draw both a paycheck and a retirement check are just using the tricks that lawmakers gave them.

Limousine Librulls

The Librulls" on the Orlando Sentinel editorial board note that "the temptation among lawmakers next month to take a cleaver to Gov. Charlie Crist's proposal to spend $200 million on green technologies and practices could be great." "Not only is Crist's green initiative needed, legislators should go further".

Problem solved

"The House has hired Wall Street asset management expert Tanya Styblo Beder and Miami lawyer Thomas Tew of Tew Cardenas — the legal and lobbying firm led by former Florida GOP chairman Al Cardenas — to staff its inquiry." "Rubio hires 2 analysts for investment review".

Whatever

"With the state mired in a deep recession, then-Gov. Lawton Chiles took the unprecedented step of going on statewide television on the opening night of the legislative session in 1991 to make his case directly to Floridians. Fast forward to March 4, and Republican Gov. Charlie Crist plans to do the same thing, asking Floridians to stand by him as he helps dig the state out of its worst budget crisis in three decades." "Crist channels optimistic Chiles in plan to soothe nerves on TV".

Well ... at least we don't tax those "intangibles"

"FDLE might reduce crime scene analysts".

"The Jeb Bush Junta years"

Daniel Ruth: "It's hardly a big surprise that during the Jeb Bush Junta years, the former governor had about as much use for the public's opinion as Heidi Klum seeking out Courtney Love for fashion advice."

Ergo, Generalissimo Francisco Bush's penchant for Government In The Black Hole, which helped spawn hinky deals such as the $491 million public money giveaway to CSX Transportation to help the company enhance its freight-hauling business.

The nearly half-a-billion-dollar civic lap dance dreamed up during the Bush regime would be used to buy up about 61 miles of CSX track in the greater Orlando area, which would then enable the choo-choo company to shift train traffic to a proposed Polk County hub.

The end result, should Bush's air kiss to CSX be approved, could lead to Lakeland becoming a daily Chinese Fire Drill of crisscrossing rail traffic causing more congestion than Dick Cheney's arteries. It won't be pretty.

Footsie-Wootsie

Next week, the Florida Legislature will begin its annual oat-bag of political proceedings, and Bush's footsie-wootsie with CSX promises to be a significant item on the agenda.

'Ya reckon?

"Firefighters should hear such words more often."