It's Republican Rules

Welcome Crooks & Liars!

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I love it when Republicans have hissy fits over people like Charlie Rangel yet their own crooks--cough*cough*Rick Scott*cough*cough--always wear Teflon.

So now Rick Scott is Florida’s Republican candidate for Governor. How is this possible? How did the hustler who let the largest healthcare fraud case in U.S. history go on right under his nose, who left Nashville’s Columbia/HCA in such tatters that they had to change the company’s name, who escaped with a $10 million golden parachute, manage to sell enough free market snake oil to make people forget he’s (in my opinion) a big, fat crook?

Only in Florida and only in the Republican Party. How can Democrats get that deal? If Mark Sanford can hike the Appalachian Trail with his South American mistress and not have to resign the governorship, then so can Eliot Spitzer. Oh I forgot, there’s always a higher standard for Democrats. IOKIYAR.


Even more amazing are all the Freepers claiming Scott was brought up on “trumped up charges,” which totally makes sense when you remember that a) Rick Scott actually wasn't brought up on any charges, and b) Columbia/HCA paid $1.7 billion -- yes that’s right, billion with a “B” -- in penalties and fines and pled guilty to various criminal charges. Sure, corporations would rather plead guilty and pay nearly $2 billion to make “trumped up” charges go away. Man you guys are pathetic.

So this week I hear a lot of folks wondering why Rick Scott is not in jail. Why wasn't he charged with any crimes, anyway? Good question. For that you can thank President Clinton’s Attorney General Janet Reno. Last year one of my readers posted a link to an interview with Reno (or maybe it was a news conference transcript, I don't remember) where she said something to the effect of, "Scott’s public humiliation was punishment enough." I can’t find the link now to save my life, and losing all of my old comments to the demise of Haloscan didn't help.

That Reno let Scott go always stunk to high heaven to me. Remember: Scott and Reno are both from Florida. Janet Reno ran for governor of Florida in 2002 but lost the nomination to Bill McBride. Bill McBride is married to Alex Sink, who is currently running for governor of Florida against .... Rick Scott. You know, Florida politics looks like one of our Kentucky family trees: no branches.

Anyway, Rick Scott was supposedly chastened by his "ordeal" and public humiliation. Oh wait, maybe not:

The man leading the Governor's race on the Republican side was deposed just days before he got into the Governor's race in one case and accused of medicare fraud by a former doctor.

Now Rick Scott is refusing to answer questions about the case against his current company.

[...]

Scott went on to call the ploy desperate and "Chicago style politics" but refused multiple times to release his testimony in the case. He's also been accused by a former doctor at Solantic of Medicare fraud and that case is now in the hands of the FDLE. No charges have been brought. Wednesday was supposed to be the final debate, and the only one to be broadcast statewide. Scott decided to skip that final debate. Bill McCollum will be here in Orlando today for the forum anyway.

Of course, we all saw Scott subpoenaed at a press conference.

I remember when politicians tainted by an ethics cloud were forced to set aside their political ambitions. Nowadays it's part of a Republican candidate's resume -- even for Vice President of the United States. Hmm.

I remember when Ronald Reagan was first labeled "Teflon Ron" way back in 1984. After more than 25 years of this, I guess we're just supposed to accept that Republicans are made of rubber and Democrats are made of glue.

Summer Of Oil

Lovely Destin, Florida, June 23, 2010, 3 p.m.:



I'm watching a toddler get this crap on the bottom of his/her feet and have to wonder at the people letting their kids play in this stuff. Do they not know that it's toxic? Their great solution is to pack Goo-Gone with them? Are you people insane? Goo Gone is petroleum based, for crying out loud. Even the manufacturer says to avoid repeated and prolonged exposure to the skin.

Is Florida's tourism business more important than people's health? Why in God's name has Destin not closed its beaches? This is incredibly irresponsible.

Is Charlie Crist Dumping GOP?

The rumor is that Charlie Crist is going to try to pull a Lieberman:

Two highly placed and independent sources, speaking strictly on background, tell me that Gov. Charlie Crist is preparing to leave the Republican Party and run as an independent in the race for the U.S. Senate.

Well, isn’t that interesting.

It would be a smart move -- it seems to me this would be Crist’s only chance of winning the Florida Senate race.

Wouldn't it be interesting if we had a Senate comprised of Democrats, Republicans and a healthy percentage of Independents? Seems to me that's where we're headed.

Right Wing Hate, FL GOP Edition

It’s the Republican Party way. Even among their candidates for congress:

Fla. GOP members shoot Muslim targets at gun range

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. -- South Florida Republicans held a weekly meeting at a gun range, shooting at targets including cut-outs of a Muslim holding a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.

The GOP candidate to replace U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz fired at a full-body silhouette with "DWS" written next to its head.

Wasserman Schultz declined comment, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee called the Tuesday event "extremist" and "sexist."

Robert Lowry, who's vying for Wasserman Schultz's seat, initially described his target as a joke. Minutes later, he called it a mistake.

Others refused to apologize for the Southeast Broward Republican Club event, featuring assault rifles and handguns. A conservative activist said they should stand up for their beliefs in the heavily Democratic county.

This is a sick bunch of puppies, that's all I can say.

It was bad enough when a healthcare reform protester hung a Congressman in effigy. It was easy for groups like the GOP-supported Americans For Prosperity to distance themselves from the act (though that’s debatable).

But there’s no backing away from this. None.

Florida Eliminates State Funding For Libraries

[UPDATE]:

Library funding saved!
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This makes no sense, unless you live in a right-wing wackadoodle fantasyland where things like reading and libraries are “elitist” and the free hand of the market is supposed to somehow come in and provide the services of a not-for-profit:

ALL STATE FUNDING FOR PUBLIC LIBRARIES IS ELIMINATED

Florida Library Association asks Floridians to voice their opposition

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (MAY 1, 2009) – On April 30, an appropriations conference committee for the House and Senate agreed to eliminate all funding for Florida’s State Aid to Public Libraries program. This devastating action will result in some Florida library branches closing and will seriously cripple libraries’ ability to serve Floridians. It will be especially damaging to libraries in Florida’s rural communities, as these libraries rely heavily on provisions in the program that help communities with lower tax bases.

The Florida Library Association (FLA) is calling on Governor Charlie Crist to use his influence and ask legislative leaders to find a way to fund this critical program, which has helped support public library service to Floridians since 1962.

This makes absolutely no sense. The loss of funds will mean some branches will close completely, others will have dramatically reduced hours, and loss of funding for technology such as internet access and computers. In this economy, it’s the most short-sighted plan I’ve ever heard of.

As the Tampa Bay Tribune reported:

In this tough economy, she said, more people are depending more heavily on the libraries for services, including Internet access for job searches and applications, assistance programs and education.

Uh, yeah. Talk about your class warfare, when the “haves” can access information and the “have nots” can’t, you're sowing the seeds of disaster.

Here’s another report from Suwannee River:

“We’re at our all-time high usage because of the economy,” Hales said. “We’re hearing things like, ‘I’ve cut off my Internet because we’re on food stamps.’”



Hales said hundreds of people come to the library’s Live Oak branch daily to search the Internet for job listings or inquire about state or federal aid or veterans’ benefits. Students who require Internet access for homework assignments have also been showing up in record numbers.

Way to go, Florida. Cut back an important service just when people need it the most. Even folks in Tennessee wouldn’t do anything this stupid, would we?

Would we?

Florida, you’re going to be laughingstocks of the nation. Yet another reason to keep boycotting Florida.

Take action here.

The Gods Must Be Crazy

This would definitely get my attention:

Religious Book Seller Struck By Lightning

(CBS4) HIALEAH A man making a trip from Puerto Rico to South Florida to raise money for his religious education remains hospitalized Monday after he was struck down by a bolt of lightning which flew from clear blue sky on Sunday. He was selling religious materials when he was hit.

Hailu Kidane Marian was working with members of his religious group, selling religious materials door-to-door in a Northwest Miami-Dade neighborhood, when the bolt from the blue struck him down.

"I heard a boom, and I looked and the guy jumped back, and he just laid there, stiff," said witness Maria Martinez.

Paramedics say Marian was not breathing and his heart was not beating when they arrived, but they were able to revive him and rushed him to Jackson Memorial hospital, where he was in critical condition Sunday night.

Members of his religious group waited outside the hospital throughout the night for word of his condition.

"He's unconscious, he's in a coma," said Francisco Perez, leader of the Puerto Rico-based group. "It's difficult what happened, you know, but what can we do? Things happen in life, but we still believe in God."

This is the second incident in as many months of someone being struck down by lightning from a clear sky in South Florida.

Lightning from a clear blue sky has struck two people in two months? That’s crazy! I wonder why God would be mad at Florida? Hmmm ....