Sarah Palin seems energized by the latest events in Republican politics. She’s touring historic sites on the East Coast this weekend in a big bus tour, and it’s being rumored she will announce her presidential candidacy.
Funny, if she runs, she might face Michele Bachmann, the congresswoman from Minnesota who is just as nutty a tea party holler as she is.
Poor GOP!
Party members are scrambling to get out from under tea party kidnapping.
Remember the Christian Coalition, the arm of the Religious Right organized to further their anti-abortion agenda? It effectively ruined the Republican Party and helped elect Democrat Bill Clinton in 1992.
The very same thing is happening today.
Not that I care.
I’m actually glad some lunatics are going to run against Barack Obama, assuring his victory at the polls in 2012.
I thought it amazing that Newt Gingrich outright rejected Rep. Paul Ryan’s Medicare plan on NBC, although he later recanting his objection.
Yet, a few Republican senators voted against “Ryancare” this week.
In a special election for a U.S. House seat, in a predominantly Republican district in New York, voters rejected GOP candidate Jane Corwin and voted for Democrat Kathy Hochul. Corwin campaigned in favor of the Ryan Plan.
Now, while one could finger the Ryan Plan as the culprit, what really happened is that Independent candidate Jack Davis (tea party proponent) came in with 9 percent, stealing votes from Corwin, who got 43 percent.
Florida Legislature Republicans are scrambling with these same divisions in open challenge with their own tea party governor, Rick Scott.
I’ll say, let ‘em fight. This is the only way the tea party’s real agenda — make abortion effectively illegal — will never advance.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Serious attempt to turn Florida into a Taliban-like state
With the passage of the Religious Freedom Act (HJR 1471) by the Florida Senate on May 6, a proposal to amend the state Constitution to allow the state government to allocate taxpayer money to religious organizations will be on the ballot November 6, 2012. The House passed HJR 1471 in April.
The amendment essentially removes Article 1 Section 3 of Florida’s Constitution, known as the Blaine Amendment.
The Blaine Amendment refers to amendments that exist in 40 state constitutions that forbid direct government aid to educational institutions that have any religious affiliation.
In 1875, Republican Congressman James G. Blaine proposed an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to prohibit government funding to sectarian schools run by religious organizations. The amendment passed by a vote of 180 to 7 in the House of Representatives, but failed by four votes to achieve the necessary two-thirds vote in the Senate and it never became law.
But some states, including Florida, decided to incorporate the language of this amendment into their own constitutions.
The proposed language to repeal the Blaine Amendment reads as follows:
“Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to provide that no individual or entity may be discriminated against or barred from receiving funding on the basis of religious identity or belief and to delete the prohibition against using revenues from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution.”
The Florida Legislature sought to overturn the Blaine Amendment because they claimed it was an attack on “religious freedom.”
What were they thinking?
This is a blatant attempt to incorporate religious dogma into public affairs in total disregard of the First Amendment’s separation of church and state.
Anyone who thinks the Blaine Amendment is antiquated is wrong. The antiquated ones are the members of the Legislature who are trying to make Florida a Taliban-like state!
On November 6, 2012 vote NO to this amendment.
The amendment essentially removes Article 1 Section 3 of Florida’s Constitution, known as the Blaine Amendment.
The Blaine Amendment refers to amendments that exist in 40 state constitutions that forbid direct government aid to educational institutions that have any religious affiliation.
In 1875, Republican Congressman James G. Blaine proposed an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to prohibit government funding to sectarian schools run by religious organizations. The amendment passed by a vote of 180 to 7 in the House of Representatives, but failed by four votes to achieve the necessary two-thirds vote in the Senate and it never became law.
But some states, including Florida, decided to incorporate the language of this amendment into their own constitutions.
The proposed language to repeal the Blaine Amendment reads as follows:
“Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to provide that no individual or entity may be discriminated against or barred from receiving funding on the basis of religious identity or belief and to delete the prohibition against using revenues from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution.”
The Florida Legislature sought to overturn the Blaine Amendment because they claimed it was an attack on “religious freedom.”
What were they thinking?
This is a blatant attempt to incorporate religious dogma into public affairs in total disregard of the First Amendment’s separation of church and state.
Anyone who thinks the Blaine Amendment is antiquated is wrong. The antiquated ones are the members of the Legislature who are trying to make Florida a Taliban-like state!
On November 6, 2012 vote NO to this amendment.
Friday, May 13, 2011
2011 Florida Legislature Review
We have learned in the 2011 Florida legislative session that Republicans being the supermajority in both houses doesn’t really amount to much in regards to “conservative” legislation, except in what relates to abortion issues. That’s why they were elected. At least they were true to their tea party constituency.
The biggest loser of the Republican fiasco was Gov. Rick Scott. He didn’t achieve many of his top priorities. The Legislature only passed $308 million in tax cuts - hardly the $1.7 billion he asked for at the beginning of the session.
The biggest loser of the Republican fiasco was Gov. Rick Scott. He didn’t achieve many of his top priorities. The Legislature only passed $308 million in tax cuts - hardly the $1.7 billion he asked for at the beginning of the session.
Gov. Scott’s wrestling with public employee unions didn’t go anywhere. He did not even get a plan to ban automatic payroll deduction of union fees from public employees.
Issues like increasing health-care costs for state workers, a wage freeze and the 3-percent paycheck deduction for retirement were hardly winning issues for Gov. Scott. These issues have been on the legislative agenda for a while. Most public employees knew what was coming regardless of who was governor or what political party for that matter. This was simply economics.
It’s funny. The only job that legislators have in the 60-day legislative session is to pass a balanced budget. Yet, it was in the wee hours of the 60th day that legislators got down to a debate and actual confrontation between the House and Senate members in order to pass the $70 billion budget with no new taxes. It would have been much better for Florida voters to watch this confrontation throughout the 60 days instead of waiting till the last minute.
The Legislature actually passed several “liberal” issues like SB 1446/HB 449, allowing some ex-felons to apply for an occupational license and public employment before having their rights restored. SB 450/HB215 protects from civil litigation people who offer temporary housing, food, water or electricity to an emergency first-responder or immediate family member of an emergency first-responder.
The Legislature also dealt with several housekeeping issues. SB 1886/HB 1039 bans bath salts, HB 125/SB 344 bans abuse involving sexual contact with an animal. HB 61/SB 228 prohibits students from wearing saggy pants in school. SB 888/HB 75 decriminalizes sending sexually explicit text messages, photos or video via cell phone or other device by minors. SB 408/HB 803 allows insurance companies to offer comprehensive sinkhole coverage. SB 722/HB 4075 classifies as not dangerous dogs found as part of an animal-fighting ring. SB 476/HB 883 forbids local governments from treating “vacation rentals” differently than other homes. SB 818/HB 7095 limits ability of doctors to dispense prescription drugs. SB 330 makes it illegal for a candidate to falsely claim military service.
On the weird side, the Legislature tweaked Florida’s elections laws seemingly to favor the GOP constituency. (SB 2086/HB 1355). SB 155 limits instances when doctors can ask patients if they own firearms. SB 234 cancels the penalty for a concealed weapon permit holder if he/she shows a gun by “accident.” HB 45 prohibits local governments from legislating on firearms. SB 204/HB 30 outlaws synthetic marijuana.
On the Republican agenda, other than abortion, four main issues: teacher evaluations, tax cuts for businesses, local control of development and Medicaid reform.
SB 736/HB 7019 makes teachers’ evaluations based on student test scores. Administrators will be able to more easily fire teachers with weak evaluations. HB 7185 gives a tax break of $1,100 a year on average for 15,000 small businesses as the first step in an effort to cut the state’s annual $2 billion corporate tax. HB 7005 pays for a tax cut for businesses by cutting state benefits for unemployed Floridians. Instead of making the maximum $275 weekly benefit available for 26 weeks, the state would use a sliding scale based on the unemployment rate. Benefits would be available for no more than 23 week and no less than 12 weeks.
HB 7207 shifts review and regulation for development from the state to local governments with repeal of 1985 Growth Management Act. SB 1972/HB 7107, 7109 reforms Medicaid, placing the program’s 3 million recipients in managed care. HMOs and other large, managed-care networks will bid with the state on managing any of 11 regions in state. It also makes it more difficult for recipients to sue Medicaid doctors and hospitals. This law must get federal approval before implementation, which is probably unlikely under the current administration. Might have to wait until ObamaCare kicks in.
This session was surely a hands-on learning experience for Gov. Scott. I guess he’s realized government cannot be run like a business. The “let’s go to work” mantra didn’t amount to much. We’ll just have to wait and see if the tax cuts trickle down and create jobs.
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