No that is not my original title but it could have been (it is the Heralds). Daniel Shoer Roth wrote a column in the Miami Herald about Governor's Rick Scott's seven-step plan to create 700,000 jobs in 7 years (God forbid he is in that long). Shoer-Roth says:"Yet, judging from the winds now blowing in the state capital, his slogan should have been: “Let’s work for business” — a seven-step plan to leave 700,000 Floridians in poverty in seven years."
He then goes into the 7 steps Rick is actually doing to get those 700,000 into poverty. I like his step 2:
"Get $1 billion from consumers to return a favor to FPL."
Here is the comment I left on the Herald site:
Rick Scott is the worst thing to every happen to Florida and his willing ultra-conservative legislators will make his insane agenda happen. Our only hope is if the few moderate Republicans left get a backbone because the Dems are outnumbered. If electric and insurance bills go up...that tax reduction he was promising won't mean a thing. And, the tax reduction wouldn't help you and me anyway - tax reductions only go to the rich in Publand. All the business perks Scott is working on will hurt us all in the long run. Haven't we learned from giving Wall Street free reign?
Sadly, just as is happening nationally, union members are the new State scapegoat. That is a ploy to turn us against each other as business's rake in the extra dough and we are diverted. Guess what, businesses don't want to pay pensions so they turn it into a dirty word. The only beef I have with unions is they support bad candidates but they had enough sense not to support Scott.
18 comments:
This stupidly passive state of Florida – my home for the last 51 years – is beginning to remind me of Cuba, where Castro has stripped every citizen of every human right, including the one to have a piece on beef on their plate – and if they get caught, they will to jail and get a 30-year prison term, and no, I’m not kidding! Why can’t we take an example from the bold people of Wisconsin and learn to publicly demonstrate? If we continue to allow every politician to push us around without raising our voices, we are endangering all of our rights, even the most basic constitutional ones. I hate to imagine the cuts that both legislators and governor are trying to implement and no one is moving a finger. What’s the future? We are in danger of becoming a state of homeless people, with no resources to support them.
Why are you blaming Rick Scott for acts of the legislature? Put the blame were it belongs. You just want to demonize Scott at every opportunity.
Courtesy of the Sun-Sentinel. Numbers are scarey:
Florida legislators are debating a long list of proposed spending cuts to health and social programs, as one step to fix a $3.8 billion funding shortfall caused by the recession.
The House has passed its $66.5 billion plan, down from the present budget of $70.5 billion. The Senate is due to vote on its $69.8 billion version soon. Here are the major cuts, some of which differ between House (H) and Senate (S):
Hospitals: Reduce by 7 percent to 10 percent the rates Florida Medicaid pays to treat low-income patients. $298 million (H) to $438 million (S).
Nursing homes: Reduce by 5 percent to 7 percent the rates Medicaid pays to take care of low-income elderly. $144 million (S) to $202 million (H).
Hospice: Reduce by 5 percent to 7 percent the rates Medicaid pays for end-of-life comfort care. $11.9 million (S) to $16.7 million (H).
Health department clinics: Reduce by 7 percent to 10 percent the rates Medicaid pays to treat low-income patients. $10 million (H) to $14 million (S).
The House budget also would cut all funds for public clinics in counties where private clinics operate. $10.4 million.
Developmental disability programs: Reduce by 3 percent to 5 percent the rates Medicaid pays centers that assist and house developmentally disabled people. $6.3 million (H) to $10.5 million (S).
Senate also would cut the rates other state agencies pay to those programs by $42.8 million.
HMOs: Reduce the rates Medicaid pays insurers that provide health care to low-income patients. $90.5 million (H) to $141 million (S).
Healthy Kids: Freeze Medicaid rates to insurers that provide health care to low- and moderate-income children. $10.4 million (H and S).
Elderly, disabled: Senate would eliminate MEDS-AD, health care for low-income people who don't qualify for Medicare. Program would end March 31, 2012. $224 million.
Medically needy: Senate would eliminate most of a program that covers people who don't qualify for Medicaid but have huge medical bills, such as those who have had organ transplants and people living with cancer. Only doctor care and pregnant women would remain covered. $230 million.
Mental health: Senate would eliminate money for all outpatient programs for adult mental health, such as counseling, drugs, doctors. Only crisis care would be covered. $137.2 million.
Substance abuse: Senate would eliminate money for programs treating adults. $43 million.
Companion care: Eliminate two-thirds of funds for programs that help developmentally disabled people live on their own. $34 million (H and S).
Human service state workers: House would cut 352 employees at local offices of the Department of Children & Family Services. $25.6 million.
Foster children: House would eliminate help for former foster children, those ages 21 to 23, to adjust to living on their own. $8.2 million.
SOURCES: House and Senate budget proposals
To Anon #2: I suggest you need to go back to first grade so they teach you how to read, IMBECILE. I did say the "governor and legislators," and now I'll call them his cadre of conspirators. It's the stupid ones like you who are destroying this great country. You are vying to abrogate the freedom that is giving you the right to express what you think, NO MATTER HOW STUPID YOU ARE. RESPECT THOSE RIGHTS!
To Anon #2; Thank you for the stats. Amen!
The legislature wouldn't be misbehaving so badly if they knew there was a veto. They are in lockstep with the governor.
Genius of Despair and Daniel Shoer Roth both need a civics lesson in which the differences between the legislative branch and the executive branch are explained. Nearly all of their complaints concern acts of the state legislature, not the governor's office.
None of those cuts are enough.
Cut more then force those "Caregivers" to make the choice between actually doing the work they are suppose to do or continuing the waste.
Sadly with their track record they will chose continuing the waste to line their pockets then actually caring for those who truly need help.
I don't need a civic lesson you turkey. The climate created by the governor has emboldened the legislature. It has made stronger the tea party legislators and weakened the moderates. He will not veto and they know it.
The reality is that cuts to many of these programs will shift the fiscal burden to county and private hospitals who will then shift this burden to the residents of those communities and the local governments (and the tax payers).
Florida could really tighten up our social welfare programs. This will cause a shift of population, perhaps, where other states will become the welfare states. Let's be honest, this is what they really want to do.
None of these things address the core of the issues of joblessness, the cost of a gallon of milk or our role in a global economy. The poor will get poorer and the middle class will move down a few rungs on the ladder as the rich will move up a few notches.
The wholesale theft of the commons in our country will ultimately rob us of our natural resources, our public education and even this blogosphere that we enjoy so much. Perhaps we need to revisit the Magna Carta again. We are off kilter and it's time for some reasonable adjustments to the paradigm. We have lost our way and the political discourse of our elected officials has become insincere and meaningless.
I am sick of it.
What burden?
You know as well as I do that the vast majority of people receiving entitlement aid do not deserve it.
I am all for helping those who truly need it when life hits them hard time and again but I am sick and tired of paying for Drug Addicts, Whores and those who are just going through life making selfish, shortsighted, stupid decisions.
I am tired of paying for people who won't make sacrifices to help their own families.
We live in a society where the "Homeless(AKA Bums)" have cell phones and cable TV.
Well, go tell Grandma, Anthony. Tell her to get a job. While you are at it, make sure those pesky foster kids know that they are on their own at 18.
Next time you upload something on Youtube, make sure you don't use licensed music. Next time you pay your cable bill, think about what you no longer own. When you can't get good news anymore, think about who is being crowded out. We don't own shit anymore, Anthony, and every time we turn around, something else is being taken away from us. Imagine when your water is privatized and your bill goes up four times what it use to be.
Anthony, of course there are people on social welfare who don't deserve it. There are also people not paying tax that should and lots of contractors getting cushy jobs from their crony friends.
Please do not bore me with your oversimplification of the issues. You are not the only conservative here. Please go find another blog. Your ass is showing.
Unlike most on the left I am not a hypocrite
I am 100% against all subsidies or tax breaks to anyone for whatever reason. Flat Tax...No Deductions is the only moral form of taxation.
I would never used copyrighted music, video, film or literature without permission. Private property rights is the cornerstone of freedom
Most Grandmas getting aid have children(duh) who live fairly comfortable lives. Why should i pay for their parents daycare...Besides the fact that if they are on assistance what the hell were they doing all their lives?
The Foster care system in Florida is a disaster. And despite what the left say it isn't because of not enough funding. It is because of unions, Lazy Civil servants and stupid, feel-good programs.
As I said before I have no problem helping the truly needy...The problem I have is the between 70-80% of the people getting entitlements who don't deserve it.
Anthony, you are so off base. Let me give you an example my brother-in-law worked for the State. He has a law degree he was making $28,000. His job was to send out letters to welfare mothers that their money would be cut if they didn't come in. When in they had to identify the fathers of the children. Once identified the State went after them for child support. I asked him if he thought any of the women he interviewed didn't qualify for welfare. He said no. He met with at least 1,000 women while working there. If you believe welfare moms are driving Cadillacs - like the Pubs say - you are an idiot. The pubs are making it impossible to get abortions but they don't want to help the moms feed the children. What hypocrites. And, next time I am not going to bother answering you.
AnthonyVOP, I suggest you move to Haiti as it's a libertarian's paradise. Nobody pays taxes. There's next to no regulations nor a social safety net. Everything is privatized (want a sidewalk, build it yourself!) so everybody is "free" as right-wingers put it.
Anthony, go bone up on your Haitian history. I think you are, most likely, clueless. France should have forgiven their debts years ago. Haitians don't grow anything anymore and they can't even afford the rice they import. They are subject to the kinds of bad economic development and lack the regulation that you protest against in this very blog. Just to be clear about that - they are deregulated as all hell.
Greed and corruption are imbedded deeply in the culture of their politics and the results are obvious.
In many ways, this is the growth model for Florida at present. THAT is why we are so angry. Take, for instance, this propensity to build, build, build, with no DCA or no regional oversight. Never mind that we are putting water resources at risk and overbuilding in a market where there aren't enough jobs to support all the homes and shopping centers. At the end of a few decades, we will have expensive water, seas of concrete, devalued homes and not enough jobs. We will have helped to cultivate a new class of poor. Look at the good side, though, Anthony. You will always be able to find cheap gardeners and housekeepers. You can invest in low income housing because I think that is going to really be a good investment.
On the other hand, we could ensure that our state colleges are funded, that our students of all ages have the opportunity to get a decent education. We could invest wisely in research and development, perhaps offer investment tax credits to encourage reinvestment and economic growth. We could support healthy trade relationships with our South American neighbors in fair and reasonable ways. All these things will promote growth from within but they are not going to make any one person rich over night. Maybe you are not so much about that?
Don't give me this fake patriotic crap. My ancestors came here in 1720 and fought beside Washington in 1770's. Six of my great...uncles were Minute Men. I come from gentry and from immigrants. Two of my ancestors were conservative congressmen. I am a patriot of the first order, but I am not an exploiter of people.
Don't make me out-American you, AnthonyVOP, who ever the hell you are. You throw around these statements, but I think there is very little substance to you. You appear to be more of a mouthpiece with no brains.
I have a larger vision. It is not based on social welfare for all, but it is based upon a healthy respect for the commons and the pursuit of reasonable opportunities for all who are willing to work for them. I do believe in reasonable regulation because it prevents us from being hoisted on our own petard.
If we crumble under the weight of immense greed, this experiment will not work. Swing too far left or right and it doesn't make sense. Please, Anthony, get a clue.
Anthony, let me tell you what my mom (grandma) did all her life. She was a war bride, she raised five children who are amazing and productive. Her husband was a chemical engineer after he got out of the Navy. "Grandma" is now a widow. Her investments went to hell after a deregulated banking system (courtesy of a Republican Congress and a Democrat President) almost crashed the US economy. She lives on her social security and investment income and lives cautiously so that she can make ends meet. Her husband, my father, paid into that social security. He was a conservative man, president of the Republican City Committee, honest and hardworking. Sure, if we need to help "grandma" we will, but "grandma" and "grand dad" did a lot for this country and I am guessing that was before you weren't born then, AnthonyVOP. I am guessing that you buy into this neocon stuff too, Anthony. What is the back story on you?
"Grandma" uses a private company to manage her medicare. She still drives, still votes and she even does some public service. It's not time to pull the plug on her, just in case you were wondering. I hope that is OK with you, Anthony, because she is 86 years old. That is what "grandma" has been up to.
I am assuming that your parents or grandparents have also made significant contributions to this country - but perhaps I am wrong?? I feel entitled that mine are not taking back more than they have given. How about you? Please do reply.
That is evident, but I still want to know about what great contributions he and his family have made to our country. I am so curious.
Hey Anthony, what did your grandma ever do for this country? We want to know because if she hasn't done anything, we want her to move in with you so we can save her portion for the people who have made a contribution. Please, a curious blogoshpere awaits your answers.
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