Looking for complaints, Rick Scott instead finds praise for Obamacare

Gov. Rick Scott visited a senior center Tuesday to warn about cuts he said Obamacare is forcing in a popular version of the Medicare health program and to collect their horror stories.

What he found was a satisfied group with few complaints.

The 20 seniors assembled for a roundtable with Scott at the Volen Center were largely content with their Medicare coverage and didn’t have negative stories to recount.

And some praised Obamacare – a program that Scott frequently criticizes.

“I’m completely satisfied,” Harvey Eisen, 92, a West Boca resident, told Scott.

READ MORE

After 40 deaths, Rick Scott fights to WEAKEN child safety bill "to save money"!

#117 of My Stupid State

The Department of Children and Families has had a rough couple of years. The guy Scott appointed to run it resigned in disgrace. (One of 17 record resignations under Scott, BTW). The agency was woefully mismanaged and is severely underfunded. In just the past few years hundreds of children have died preventable deaths due to failed background checks, no oversight, and poor social worker training.

Rick Scott responded by laying off HUNDREDS in of critical positions in the DCF. His budget also completely eviscerated children's welfare, even beyond what the teapublican FL Senate wanted.

Scott told critics that he believed in the "power of prayer and hope". So they don't need money.

Simultaneously, I will point out, this complete asshat asked to increase HIS office by $343 million and add 91 positions to HIS staff. Recently, he had no problems asking for 100 million in taxpayer money to be donated to the very powerful tourism industry. (Coincidentally, 100M is the same number Rick said he plans to spend on his re-election campaign.)

But Rick Scott thinks powerless children can survive on prayer and hope. The result: 40 children were killed under DCF JUST last year. Atrocious.

Asphyxia, drowning, physical abuse, and the list goes on. They were preventable. The red flags were glaring. Rep. Perry Thurston (D) wrote to Scott that many of the system failures noted in the report are linked to "diminished resources."

It would horrify a normal person. But Rick Scott is not normal.

Because of public outrage, the Senate tried to tweak the state's child welfare laws (SB 1666).

On Friday, Rick Scott weighed in. He has an election coming up. So one would think he would at least give the appearance of giving a damn. What does Sick Rott do?

At the very last minute, Rick Scott tried to sneak in seven different ways to weaken the DCF even further!!! It was all about cost-cutting:

The "strike-all" amendment would make several significant changes aimed at tamping down some of the provisions and oversight over the department, according to a document obtained by the Herald/Times. The summary of the amendment says many of the reforms would cost too much money. The proposed amendment would do the following:

* Eliminate the requirement that members of DCF's Rapid Response Teams travel to the site of a child's death in order to conduct a case review. The idea is to save money.

* Give the response teams more time to conduct the review and eliminates an outside review committee intended to provide oversight to DCF's work. The department says this is "redundant."

* Eliminates the requirement that the Death Review Committee provide training. The department considers this an onerous requirement since the committee is made of volunteers.

* Eliminates a loan forgiveness program intended to encourage people with social work and other social services degrees to work as child protective investigators. The department and governor consider this "expensive and will require additional staff and infrastructure within the department."

* Deletes a requirement the Community Based Care organizations post their executive salaries on the web site.

* Changes the liability limits on CBCs by requiring them to obtain less insurance in the event they get sued for malpractice, . The measure reduces the caps on liability to their 1999 levels by resetting them form $1 million per person, $3 million per incident for economic damages, $200,000 for non-economic damages and removes the cost of living adjustment that allows damage caps to rise according to the consumer price level industry. The current bill sets the damage caps at $2 million per claim; automobile liability cap at $200,0000 per claim and the non-economic damages cap at $400,000 per claim.

* Eliminates the Institute on Child Welfare at FSU because it "will drain resources from child welfare services."

Scott defenders say there are "charity groups" that can handle this (and NO, there aren't) or, like Scott, just don't give a damn. (For crying out loud, he let a man who oversaw the physical and mental abuse of 100s of kids hold a fundraiser for him!!

Scott may not give a damn, but we do. If you haven't already, please do something about this. These small, abused children are the most vulnerable people in the world. Unless they suddenly become rich, white campaign donors, you can't count on Rick Scott looking after them anytime soon.

ACTION ALERT! Let FCC know your stance on Net Neutrality

FCC has opened a new inbox at openinternet@fcc.gov for public comments on Net Neutrality. Tell them what you think.

Let's Help the Ku Klux Klan Rebrand! Fun Slogan Contest!

CNN thinks they can rebrand--so let's do this.

If you've got something better, lemme know...

Twitter: #RebrandingKKKSlogan

1. We're Today's GOP

2. Delightfully Bigoted, Yet Unrefined

3. We Are Like Clive Bundy, But Pay Our Bills

4. Melanin Should Count for Something

5. Killed Less People Than Your Republican Governor

6. Because America Runs on Hatred

7. Still Less Bigoted than Fox News

8. We Do Racism Right!

9. At Least We're Not the Tea Party

More that were posted:

• More hate, less lynching
  
• We are still inbred racist pigs, but our sheets are whiter now
  
• Yes, it DOES come in white!
  
• At least we aren't home breeding
  
• Come for the cross-burnings, stay for the hate
  
• In cest we trust. Right sis?
  
• If you liked us as a lynch mob, you'll love us as lobbyists!
  
• Not your granddaddy's Grand Dragon

Rick Scott's former #2 blasts him....

Former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll is angry with Gov. Rick Scott for being cast out of office without the same “courtesy” as the “good ol’ boys” in the Capitol.

Carroll who quit last year after her association with a fraudulent charity in an Internet café scandal, is demanding an apology from her former employer for being forced to resign after it was revealed she performed public relations work for Allied Veterans of the World, an organization that later became a target of investigators.

READ MORE

President? REALLY? 5 Things You Don't Know About JEB

I remember reading a conservative article in 2012 that yeah, the GOP is going to get roasted that year but just wait till 2016! Marco Rubio! Chris Christie! Rand Paul! Hooo boy! The pickin's will be good! Nowhere did the article mention Jeb Bush, which shows how far the GOP field has fallen.

Jeb is a has-been whose last campaign was 14 years ago. During that time he has not done anything productive or constructive--except try to get rich. What he considers his biggest legacy, education, has turned out to be a failure and liability. He also faces a changed country: it's a lot browner, and his potential supporters have gotten a lot more racist and crazier.

But suddenly, he is now the GOP frontrunner.

He may just win the primary because just like Romney in 2012, all of the other GOP candidates are imploding. This time earlier than usual. But another Bush in the White House? Against a Clinton? I don't see it.

I never thought I'd be writing about him again, but here we are. Most people outside of Florida only know him from his disastrous handling of Elian Gonzalez, the 2000 election (selection) of his brother, and the Terri Schiavo debacle.

So just a few quick things about W's brother:

1. Jeb was paid big bucks by Lehman Brothers on a scheme to save them. Lehman Bros, as you recall, was the shady firm engaging in toxic mortgages that was the catalyst for the 2008 financial collapse. They hired Bush in a desperate bid to save themselves on a plan code-named "Project Verde". Essentially, Bush was to go to Mexico and convince (trick) a telecom mogul into making a large investment. It failed spectacularly. "Project Verde was unsuccessful", Bush wrote back. This is one of many instances where his quest for money overtook his judgment. Which brings me to #2...

2. Greedy. Rushed into very shady deals to make money. Jebbie is always all about the money. He has been chasing dollars since his early years. During the 80s, while Jeb was working real estate angles in Miami, he told the Miami Times "I want to be very wealthy". Jeb actually felt slighted and whined openly about having to rebuild his wealth during all those years "serving" the public as governor. He was in such a rush that the NY Times notes that a lot of these deals were quite questionable:

The Times chronicles the efforts of the brother of President George W. Bush – both sons of President George H.W. Bush -- to recruit investors for InnoVida, a Miami-based start-up company, as a handsomely paid consultant and member of the board of directors.

Leaders of InnoVida, a manufacturer of inexpensive building materials, had faked documents, lied about the health of the business and misappropriated $40 million in company funds, records show, according to the Times. The nascent company went bankrupt in 2011, its founder eventually went to jail and investors lost nearly all of their money.

Jeb Bush also sat on the board of Swisher Hygiene, a soap maker, “at a time when, its executives acknowledged, their financial statements were unreliable and their accounting practices inadequate,” the Times reported.

3. Tea party hates him. I mean really. He is the ultimate insider-establishment candidate. The tea party has little love for the Bush clan, and Jeb can't disavow all the spending his brother did out of family loyalty. Then there's the pandering. On his trip to kiss the ring of Sheldon Adelson, he gave the "act of love" immigration comment. (Re: Jeb's sudden interest in immigration means he is really running and he read Romney's showing with Hispanics). Although Jeb has probably shown sufficient contempt for blacks (in 1994, when asked what he would do to help the black community, he famously replied "probably nothing"), the tea party also hates brown. Jeb stabbed them in their racist hearts by not going with the "taking over our country" meme. (Speaking Spanish and marrying a Mexican is also tough for winning over the bigot caucas.) But the icing on their hate cake will come out when they learn that Jeb was on the board for Tenet, a company that aggressively encouraged Americans to sign up for *gasp* oBaMaCare!!!

You know you have your work cut out for you with your base when national joke Donald Trump has you booed at a tea party rally.

4. Jeb was the one responsible for Stand Your Ground. Compared to the incompetent, tone-deaf, and outright corrupt Rick Scott, Jeb looks good in comparison. But Rick isn't responsible for the most violent mistake in our state history (just for expanding it and now hiding it from public records). Bush turned Florida into an NRA meth lab, allowing them to draft awful bills like SYG and then celebrate passage with them. ALEC would then bring it to the rest of the nation. No one here asked for SYG; in fact, most of us fought against it--including law enforcement. There was not one instance in our entire state history that Jeb could point to where someone who shot in self-defense was prosecuted. But we did warn of the consequences. The media ran several stories saying it was a license to hunt and kill. Democrats in the FL House and Senate correctly predicted catastrophe if the bill passed. The blood of its many victimes, including 26 children, are on Jeb's hands. Speaking of children....

5. Ran the most dysfunctional Department of Children and Families in the nation. The DCF under Bush was beyond disgraceful. Rilya Wilson and Jami Cotter are just two horror stories involving two innocent children that should have sunk his campaign. They didn't. And since Rick Scott, the situation at DCF has only gotten worse. The fact that there is still no outrage is more a reflection on our apathetic citizens than these two men.

6. Bonus: His name isn't even Jeb. He calls himself that for the bubba crowd. Do you really think an elitist family would ever call their son Jebediah? His name is John Ellis Bush. Lawton Chiles, who defeated Jeb in his '94 bid to be Florida gov, made sure everyone here knew that.

I could go on with his "palling around" with terrorists, his imaginary Chinese friend, or any number of fails during his tenure, like eliminating our growth management, but I'll let others pick apart his record once he dives in. And he will.

I had really hoped Florida would at least learn something from having a Bush at the helm. Instead, we elected Rick Scott, who is so bad that even his supporters discourage him from seeking higher office. But Rick is also a man who Jeb Bush whole-heartedly endorses for governor. Knowing all that Rick has done to Florida, that says everything you pretty much need to know.

Jeb wasn't as dumb as W or as horrible as Rick Scott, but that's hardly something to build a campaign on. Unfortunately for the GOP, that's the best they have.

5 Questions to Ask People Planning to Vote for Rick Scott

Pretty soon I'll be heading out online to buzz bomb some Florida county Republican Facebook pages, asking them to answer the questions below, which I've designed to get to the heart of the problems with Rick Scott.  But feel free to use them on anyone you know who might be convinced to either vote Democrat, or Libertarian, or at worst, stay home and not vote for Scott.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Rick Scott supporters, I have some questions for you.

 

1) Scott has made it a talking point of his campaign that he cut the auto tag fees raised by Charlie Crist (and the Legislature). In light of this I have two questions. First, why did Scott wait until 2014 to cut these fees? You see, his criticism of Crist makes no sense unless he thinks it was unnecessary for Crist to raise the fees. But if it was not necessary for Crist to raise the fees, then why didn’t Scott cut them in 2011, 2012, or 2013? It would have been no more necessary in those years than when Crist raised them. Second, the Legislature under Crist, which voted in the fee increases, is much the same body that serves there now, which is mostly Republican. So do you plan to vote out your legislator, too, if they were there to vote the fee increase in?

2) For some time, Rick Scott has been touting the lowering unemployment rate. However, he has refused to acknowledge questions when asked how much of that lowering rate is due to people leaving the workforce because they cannot find jobs. This month, when trying to explain why the unemployment rate went up (6.2 to 6.3%), Scott explained the increase by saying it was because more people were entering the workforce. My question is, why did he refuse to acknowledge workforce participation when the rate was going down, but acknowledge it as a factor when the rate is going up?

3) Scott has made it a talking point of his campaign that Crist “oversaw” a large jump in unemployment, bad economic performance, etc. and for this reason, we should not elect Crist. By this logic, why isn’t Rick Scott in jail because he “oversaw” what was the largest case of Medicare fraud in history?

4) Rick Scott has touted his sale of the state jets, and use of his own private jet for state business, as a cost saving measure. My question is, what does Scott expect the next governor (whether in 2015 or 2019) to do about a state jet? He obviously thinks one is needed for the state’s business, since he still uses his own. The new governor will have to buy a new jet, which will cost taxpayers more. Or will Scott be donating his personal jet to the next governor?

5) What does it say about Scott’s character that he has a personal friend managing his “blind” trust while he is governor – a trust that is supposed to prevent him from profiting off of his term as governor?

I would appreciate answers to these questions, as no one seems able to answer them. Thank you.

One Place I Need You to Visit in Longwood, FL

My wife laments sometimes about the lack of minority authors in our library.

The owner of DARE books apparently had the same issue when he noticed the lack of books in his children’s school which reflected the experiences and the contributions of people of color, especially African-Americans. DARE Books was born. They provide books for all ages and all ethnicities, although they specialize in African American literature. They also welcome new authors to submit their books, as long as they fit the general criteria of being educational, informative, historical and family oriented.

We discovered the store existed when my wife and I visited the UCF book festival a few weeks ago. My wife was thrilled at their selection. If they don't have it, the owner has quite a few connections and can track down book for you.

We want to support this locally-owned African-American business. I am advertising for them at no cost.

The store is located at 245 N. U.S. Highway 17-92, Longwood, FL 32750 (407-673-3273). They are open for business from Monday to Friday, 10:00-6:00, and on Saturday, 11:00-5:30. Their website is on the left-hand column of the blog or you can go to http://www.darebooks.com .

FL GOP: Puerto Rico is "foreign" and "a terrible basket case"

#CXVI of My Stupid State

It's sad that a newspaper columnist has to devote a column explaining to republicans that Puerto Rico is not a foreign, socialist country.

But this is the Florida GOP we are talking about.

The same GOP where not too long ago Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite called Puerto Ricans living here "foreign citizens." She was even offered a chance to correct her statement by the newspaper after being told that they were, in fact, US citizens. Her spokesperson got back and said she stood by her statement.

Just this past week, FL GOP Chair Lew Oliver was asked why Hispanics aren't joining the GOP. (Gee, I wonder). His response:

If you like a semi-socialist government where the highest aspiration is a nice secure government job, Puerto Rico is heaven on earth, PLUS nice weather! Sadly, it is also a terrible basket case.

No, it isn't. Its not socialist. They don't have a high-rate of government jobs. And 1 in 20 people in Florida are Puerto Ricans, you idiot.

And no, Oliver has not been asked to resign. The Fl GOP is just happy he "apologized".

Pablo Pantoja, a native of Puerto Rico, was the RNC's Florida Hispanic Outreach Director. He quit last year and became a Democrat. His resignation explained it was due to all of the bigotry and intolerance he faced in his party. Florida Representative Anna Rivas Logan also switched not too long ago for the same reason.

To be fair, Rick Scott hasn't insulted Puerto Ricans directly. His campaign insults Mexicans. His policies insult all Latinos evenly.

The Florida GOP is unable to change. Unfortunately for them, Florida's electoral makeup doesn't have that problem.

NICE!! Charlie Crist Drops the Mike On Rick Scott Lackey (video)

Charlie gave a speech at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches. He slammed Rick Scott, saying that besides pandering to the fringe and his cronies, Scott is notorious for hiding from the public and the press.

So what does Rick Scott do? Hides from the public and press. He sent his Lt. Gov.to rebut Charlie. Bad move.

At this point I'll remind everyone that the Florida Lt. Gov job is the most useless job on the planet. You have no responsibilities whatsoever but to sit in a chair and take over if the governor dies. And Rick Scott's last one somehow even managed to screw that up.

The new LG, Carlos Lopez-Cantera, wasn't picked for his quick wit and certainly is not part of Rick Scott's inner circle--he was a pander pick for his last name. (And that just can't fix the Hispanic bigotry in Scott's campaign. Or the FL GOP for that matter.)

After Charlie's speech, reporters were hovering around the LG to ask about it. Carlos was talking much smack until Crist came up from behind to greet him. As he walked away, reporters were shouting questions on all the garbage Carlos was spewing and asked him to respond.

Charlie:

"He's just gonna get to debate the lieutenant governor candidate,'' Crist said. ``Give me Scott.''

Carlos:

*stunned*

Mike:

SPLAT!

Another link that isn't youtube

The List Hits 210!

With a story I found today, the list of non-partisan reasons to boot Rick Scott has hit 210. To think I had thought it would be hard to reach even 77 of them when I first started the list.'

The story that made it hit 210 is worth quoting:

The administration of Gov. Rick Scott is making a unique legal argument when it comes to handing over public records: Get it from the employees, not us.

As part of a bitter ongoing legal battle, attorneys who work for the governor late last month declared that both current and former employees are the "custodians" of any text messages or emails done on personal accounts even if they cover state business.

The Scott administration and state agencies generally require that employees turn over emails and text messages from personal accounts if they covered state business. Past requests made by media organizations, including The Associated Press, as well as open-records advocates have shown various Scott administration employees using personal accounts to conduct state business.

Tallahassee attorney Steven Andrews, a persistent critic of Scott caught up in a land dispute with the state, last fall filed a series of public records lawsuits maintaining that Scott and other state officials weren't complying with the state's Sunshine Laws. Florida has some of the broadest public records laws in the nation.

In a court filing made in late March, Scott's assistant general counsel argued the administration had turned over thousands of relevant records but then added the office "does not have control over employees private accounts, and devices, and therefore, it does not search those accounts and devices for public records."

The filing then stated that both current and former employees are "the records custodians of public business contained on private accounts and devices."

That means that in order to obtain certain records the press and public would have to ask those employees directly and then potentially sue those state workers if they do not comply with the request.

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2014/04/18/5109599/scotts-office-ask-employees-for.html?sp=/99/179/#storylink=cpy

The Rick Scott Facebook Page Experiment

I’ve spent about two weeks now at Rick Scott’s Facebook page doing word wars with the Scott supporters, and as I close out the experiment, I can say this: I have not seen so many thoughtless, angry, and ignorant people gathered in one place in a long time.

I mentioned last time about the false quote of Thomas Jefferson. In response to my pointing that out, one of Scott’s supporters said:

"Pretty sure you missed the point Indie. I happen to believe it to be a true statement and from the likes, so do many others and I don't think there has been a American Gov in my lifetime of 50 years where the people distrust the gov. as much as they do today. When the Gov excludes itself from the law, there is no law."

At last check that statement had gotten 19 likes.  What does that say? It says that to them, the facts don’t matter, as long as you “get the point.” As I said in reply to that Scott supporter:

"Whether it's true or not isn't the point. Scott posted this quote to celebrate Jefferson's birthday, not to celebrate the sentiments of the quote. The least he can do to honor the man properly is use a quote that's genuine. If he wants to celebrate the sentiment, he can do that anytime, and attribute it to the person who did say it (Barnhill). As it is, it reflects the thoughtlessness and carelessness with facts that so characterizes Scott and his regime. You speak of a government that excludes itself from the law -- it's not much better to have one that excludes itself from being responsible and accurate with facts. But maybe that's why Scott supporters don't blink when Scott affirms that the '300,000 people lost insurance' ad is correct in spite of the obvious fact that it is a lie."

It’s also a place where they really don’t want to hear contrary views. This comment is typical:

"What's with all the negative talk,if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all. I am voting to keep our Governor IN!"

Don’t disturb us, they say – we’re comfortable. The same person spoke up when I asked Scott supporters to defend Scott’s boneheaded plan (the words of Golf Week magazine there, not me) to put golf courses in state parks. They said:

"I am defending it Indie Thinker,there are people who like to play golf on vacation"

To which I said:

"So why can't they play it now? FL already has more golf courses than any other state. Why ruin state parks? And do you also defend the no bid contract for Nickalus?"

They didn’t answer, so I added this later:

"While you think that over, here's something else. (Don't forget to address the Golf Week criticisms of the plan, including that is it 'boneheaded'.) Your sole reason given to defend this plan is that "there are people who like to play golf on their vacation." Okay. According to stats, 5.1 million people a year come to Florida to play golf.Some just for golf, some as a sideline. http://www.politifact.com/.../rick-scott-talks-floridas.../ But stats also show that FL state parks get visited by 25 million people a year. http://www.floridastateparks.org/resources/aboutus.cfm So by your own logic, instead of ripping up state parks to make more golf courses, we should be ripping up golf courses to make more state parks. Maybe you want to think a little harder about that one?"

Ignorance abounds there in other ways. More than one person criticized Charlie Crist for hopping between three political parties. It was news to them to be told that “Independent” is not a party.

But maybe the most fun I had was with a character named Rich. This guy set a great example for you grammarphobes; he spoke of “fee’s” increased under Crist’s governorship, and got so upset at me that he accused me of being on “Charlies” payroll.  It’s amazing how he can try so many times to use an apostrophe correctly, and get it wrong so many times.

Anyway,  it was with Rich that I had the most incredible talk, about the auto fees raised by Crist, which Scott just reversed as an election year stunt. I’d like to reprint the talk, but for some reason, it was erased. So I’ll paraphrase it by memory:

Indie: So why didn’t Scott reduce the fees in 2011, 2012, or 2013?

Rich: Why did Crist raise them???

Indie: You’re not answering my question. But to answer yours, he and the Legislature – mostly the same people now under Scott, by the way -- raised the fees because the recession caused a budget shortfall. Now tell me, why didn’t Scott reverse those in 2011-2013?

Rich:  Those Democrats in the Legislature probably stopped it!

Indie: No, Rich. The Republicans had a majority and could have done what they wanted. In fact, from 2011-2012 they had a supermajority, and were unstoppable. Now do you have any statements by Democrats who spoke out against lowering the fees?

Rich: Well, all I know is, Crist raised them, and Scott lowered them, that’s good enough for me! That raise in fees hurt poor people and single moms!

Indie: So what you’re telling me is that Scott and the Republican Legislature decided to keep screwing poor people and single moms for three years by charging a fee increase that we didn’t actually need when Crist signed it into law? Then again I ask, why didn’t Scott reverse it sooner?

Rich: Ask him yourself! I can’t read his mind!

It’s sad to say that this exchange was probably the most substantial one I had with any Scott supporter on his Facebook page.  I would provide links to news items explaining things, only to have them ignored. I asked the question about fees multiple times (including just today) and was ignored by virtually everyone but Rich.

It seems my work there is done for now. And if Scott gets another 4 years, our state will be done for good. It means that people like Rich will be the majority of citizens here who decide what things should be like -- and that's a scary thought.

The plane truth: Florida Gov. Rick Scott travels in wealth, stealth

Miami Herald:

Scott’s air travel reflects not only his wealth, but his preference for stealth. Despite his oft-stated support for transparency, Scott keeps his flight itineraries off tracking websites and even blacks out arrival and departure details on official schedules after the fact, citing the need for security.

READ MORE

Rick Scott's Facebook Page Uses Fake Thomas Jefferson Quote

While I think about my next post talking about my experiences on Rick Scott's Facebook page, I'll present this amusing note. On Rick Scott's Facebook page this morning, they posted this (which I'm saving in case they take it down):

The sentiment is a very good one. Unfortunately, Jefferson never said it or anything like it. I searched for it and found this which is by the people who run the Monticello historical site. It appears to have been said by someone else in 1914, and somehow ended up up credited to Jefferson -- as well as a couple of other people.

It's not a big thing, sure. But it sure illustrates the incompetence that lies at the heart of Scott and his campaign.
 


 

Watch Florida Gov Rick Scott get video busted for his misleading Obamacare ads

H/t HoundDog

Janie Campbell describes Florida political ambush reporting at its finest in Watch Rick Scott Pretend He Hasn't Been Busted For Misleading Obamacare Ads. The Youtube video is below. Be sure to watch past the first 20 or so seconds, the section we're interested in is the second question.

This video shows local television reporters asking Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) about one of his election ads which falsely implies that 300,000 people in Florida have lost their health insurance because of Obamacae, he declares the ad is accurate.

Let's watch this beast in his native habitat:

"Clearly, the ad's accurate," Scott told reporters gathered outside a senior center in Miami on Wednesday.

"But it's not, governor!" insisted one reporter, who pointed out that the Blue Cross-run agency at the center of the claim had already debunked the numbers. A second reporter continued to question the assertion, which has been factchecked by newspapers across the state and discredited. Scott, however, remained unmoved before being "quickly ushered away by his media aide," according to CBS

READ MORE

FL Legislature Gives Utilities $1.5 Billion ...For NO Reason

Right after the Florida NRA, the most powerful force in Tally are the four energy companies. We pay a very high utility rate so we can give them a high rate of return on investment and regulation. In return, Florida law gives them a guaranteed monopoly.

I know that doesn't seem fair but that's what $18 million in utility donations buys you in Tally. (And that will no doubt rise thanks to the John Roberts Court.) There is now one lobbyist for every two legislators. Don't worry, they can afford them. After all, you are paying.

Duke Energy, one of the worst, was allowed to jack up rates exponentially to pay for a $1.5 billion dollar nuclear power plant. This included a built-in $150 million dollar profit.

Then they decided not to build it.

Did Tally make them give back the money?

Of course not. In fact, lawmakers refused to allow customers to know about the extra fees on their utility bills to pay for the ghost nuclear plant.

To add insult to injury, a utility spokesman said they are pushing to hide this massive fee from customers because they just don't want to know.

"Customers are not clamoring for this,'' he said. "They want to hear about utility poles in their neighborhood or other things."

Its much like when I sold my car to somebody and then decided not to give him the car, but told him he had to pay me in monthly installments anyway because I need to do stuff around the house. Oh, and I can't be bothered with itemizing this charge on a bill because f**k you.

Tally legislators and the utilities know that they can get away with pretty much anything.

90% of Florida voters support a constitutional amendment on getting a solar power tax break. We are the freaking "sunshine state" for cryin out loud.

Well, the Florida House isn't interested. (Its not about suppressing votes or abortion--which is what really matters to us I guess.) The electric power monopolies in this state hate, hate, hate that amendment. Since they have money to blow (thanks to us) they were able to kill it.

Integrity Florida put it best: “Increasingly, the Florida Legislature sets its agenda and policy outcomes based on the needs of large political donors.”

Our Founding Fathers would be so proud.

Hey Comedy Central, consider giving Aasif Mandvi a show to replace Colbert

I bring this up because if Aasif was white, non-Muslim, and didn't have an "odd" name, he'd be leading the pack because what he is is FREAKING HILARIOUS.

Not to mention witty, quick on his feet, and creative.

He was promoted to a regular correspondent on the Daily Show in 2007. If you are like me, you always perk up and smile when Jon introduces a segment with Aasif. You know its going to be really good.

The best segment I've ever seen on that program was his bit on third-word healthcare. The twist of that story, along with the 15 seconds of silence after he got the Fox business analyst to realize he insulted America, has got to rank as one of the best gotcha moments on TV.

Most of his stuff is pure gold. Americablog author John Aravosis, who also calls Aasif his favorite, rolled over laughing with his take on the Indian Miss America. I bust a gut at his fracking bit with the stupid free pizza. Even RedState featured his report on San Fran's ridiculous McDonald's Happy Meal ban.

I should have been furious at the North Carolina GOP executive's very racist rant about "lazy blacks", but Aasif played it perfectly and somehow made me laugh. (The guy was later forced to resign.)

I could go on, but the point is he is good. Damn good. His comic timing, quick wit under pressure, and his affable personality are all traits that would make him a comedic star to a broader audience.

If only Comedy Central would give him a shot.

New Front in War on Voting: Bathrooms Are Shut Down at Polling Places at Democratic Miami-Dade

An avalanche of voter suppression laws were not enough to stop Democrats from voting in 2012 in Miami- Dade. However, they did have to stand in line for 6-8 hours. A study showed this was enough to keep at least kept 200,000 voters from voting.

Yet Rick Scott is several points behind in the poll. What can he do to keep even more people from voting?

Not let them use the bathroom, of course.

In a written response to a disability lawyer's inquiry, the Miami-Dade elections office said the county will close all restrooms at polling places “to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not treated unfairly,”

This is ONLY being implemented in Democratic Miami-Dade. The adjacent GOP counties have no such stupid policy of not letting people go to the bathroom. By the way, disguising this as a way to be "fair" to the disabled is not only horrible, but illegal. You have to make "reasonable accommodations"---not stop everyone from peeing.

So now not only will you have to stand on your feet for hours and hours and hours... you will also need to wear a diaper.

January 2015 we either look to 4 more years of this nightmare, or start putting Rick Scott's florida behind us.

Rick Scott and Will Weatherford Killed a Woman....

Charlie Crist... you need to make sure everyone in Florida knows the name Charlene Dill///

Read the Full Orlando Weekly Article

Charlene Dill didn’t have to die.

On March 21, Dill was supposed to bring her three children over to the South Orlando home of her best friend, Kathleen Voss Woolrich....

Dill’s death was not unpredictable, nor was it unpreventable. She had a documented heart condition for which she took medication. But she also happened to be one of the people who fall within the gap created by the 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed states to opt out of Medicaid expansion, which was a key part of the Affordable Care Act’s intention to make health care available to everyone. In the ensuing two years, 23 states have refused to expand Medicaid, including Florida, which rejected $51 billion from the federal government over the period of a decade to overhaul its Medicaid program to include people like Dill and Woolrich – people who work, but do not make enough money to qualify for the Affordable Care Act’s subsidies. They, like many, are victims of a political war – one that puts the lives and health of up to 17,000 U.S. residents and 2,000 Floridians annually in jeopardy, all in the name of rebelling against President Barack Obama’s health care plan.

Tampa Bay Editorial: Rick Scott Heartless and Horrible

Remember when he was just a criminal?

This is the tin man as governor, a chief executive who shows no heartfelt connection to the state, appreciation for its values or compassion for its residents. Duke Energy is charging its electric customers billions for nuclear plants that were botched or never built. Homeowners are being pushed out of the state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and into private insurers with higher premiums and no track records. Federal flood insurance rates are soaring so high that many property owners cannot afford the premiums but also cannot sell their homes. The governor sides with the electric utilities and property insurers. He criticizes the president rather than fellow Republicans in Congress for failing to fix the flood insurance fiasco they helped create.

In Scott's Florida, it is harder for citizens to vote and for the jobless to collect unemployment. It is easier for renters to be evicted and for borrowers to be charged high interest rates on short-term loans. It is harder for patients to win claims against doctors who hurt them and for consumers to get fair treatment from car dealers who deceive them. It is easier for businesses to avoid paying taxes, building roads and repairing environmental damage.

READ MORE

FL Legislature: Three Liberal Justices on FL Supreme Court Kicked Off If Rick Scott Wins

Rick Scott and our tea party legislature have been OBSESSED with kicking off the three liberal justices on Florida's Supreme Court.

Our Court is perfectly balanced right now. They have repeatedly thwarted the worst of the worst (the minority voter purge, the craziest of gerrymandering, kicking off misleading amendments, stopping the assault on our teachers, etc.) Pam Bondi, our crappy AG, is as partisan as they come so no citizen can expect justice from her. Nor any other Florida official.

The tea party has already done PLENTY to harm Florida--the only thing stopping our state from devolving into complete tea-laden anarchy is our Court.

And friends, they have tried, tried, and tried again.

They tried an insane witchhunt to throw the three liberal justices off the Court, abusing law enforcement resources.

They failed.

They tried a bizarre ploy to split the Court into two... putting the liberal justices on a new "Criminal" court and leaving all legislative matters to the conservative justices.

That failed.

Then there was the unprecedented partisan assault during the three justices' merit retention last year.

The Koch brothers used AFP to spend millions attacking these justices.

That failed too.

Another ballot measure they forced upon us would have amended our state constitution to require that the state Senate sign off on judicial appointments.

That failed as well.

Four times. Four failures.

And four months later, fifth time being charm, they FINALLY may have done it:

The Florida Senate passed a bill this week that could raise the stakes of this year’s gubernatorial election.

The bill, S.B. 1188, would allow the winner of this year’s election to appoint three new Florida Supreme Court Justices—replacing three of the state high court’s most liberal members.

According to The Florida Current, the bill passed in the Senate along party lines on Thursday, 26-14.

The House (which is also packed with teabaggers) will likely follow according to their leader, Will Weatherford.

So if the amendment passes, and Rick Scott wins... the independent judiciary becomes another partisan wing of Teapartistan.

No rest here, folks. Sh** just got real.

Rick Scott HAS to lose. No governor should get to pack the Court... let alone a criminal one. We've managed to defeat these underhanded bastards four times. If Rick Scott wins, there will be no one to stand in the way of the brazen assaults on those with no special interest power.

Democrats, I know this a mid-term election. But if you think its bad now, imagine a Rick Scott with NO upcoming election and every branch at his disposal.

Don't get scared. Get active.