Check the new WhoseFlorida for updates Study:
Seniors mean $1.4-billion to the state Elected officials need a Truth in Telling Law...For the last six months, the Office of the Auditor General and the Department of Elder Affairs' Office of the Inspector General have uncovered expenditures not necessarily connected to the provision of services to the frail elders it intends to serve. As one reporter commented, the stack of documents identifying the problem reached a foot high. But no one, not even that reporter, took the time to analyze what those documents revealed. Firing of DOEA Secretary
Thanks Whose Florida for your persistence and
dedication to bringing the "real" news to those who will
listen. I want to make just a few comments about Jeb, his administration
and Florida's future.
When Jeb fired Gema Hernandez as Secretary of
the Department of Elder Affairs, he cited her lack of management skills,
her lack of people skills and her general lack of ability to communicate
effectively with the agencies, organizations and people with whom
communication was critical for the success of her agency and for meeting
the needs of the elders of Florida. My question is this: Why doesn't Jeb
fire Secretary Moore of Corrections, Secretary Struhs of DEP, Secretary
Henderson of DMS, among others? These people are as ineffective as
leaders and communicators as anyone in such positions that I have seen
in state government in years. And they are not alone.
Could it be that Ms. Hernandez was telling
the elders of Florida and those who serve them like it really is - that
their futures are more precarious and unstable as ever because of the
mess Jeb and his ilk have made? Could it be that Ms. Hernandez was going
against the grain - holding regular face-to-face meetings with executive
staff and openly communicating with them rather than hiding in her
office and conducting meetings secretly, by email or through staff
members? Could it be that Ms. Hernandez was fired because of her
outgoing leadership ability, her excellent performance at her job, her
dedication to the public, her commitment to excellence for her staff and
others and not just herself, rather than because of her willingness to
blindly follow, her physical appearance, or her connections to the First
Family of late-twentieth-early-twenty-first century politics and their
questionable shenanigans?
Florida is in economic straits as dire as any
we have encountered in years. With budget shortfalls occurring with more
frequency and in greater amounts (while at the same time, private
contractors fill their pockets), with legislators voting only with their
immediate interests and contributors in mind, with Florida's citizens
expected to smile, say thank you and bear more and more of the economic
burden as a result of leaders barren of true "public"
interest, our ship of state has been sailed into the lowest doldrums for
categories relating to the state's infrastructure.
According to a recent editorial in the St.
Petersburg Times, Florida currently ranks 44th in the percent of its
personal income spent on public schools, 47th in higher education, 41st
in total spending, and 47th in state employees per capita. It is sad to
say, but Florida is not to be considered "on the cutting
edge," or a "leader among states" as Jeb spins and would
have us all believe. Unfortunately, after merely three years under Jeb's
brand of economic hegemony, our great state is nothing more than below
average, and well below at that.
I can only hope that Jeb opens his doors to
substantive, equitable multi-lateral dialogue during the upcoming
special session that will address Florida's budget needs for the next
few years. Now is the time to increase assistance for medically needy
adults, at a time when more people will be out of work and without
insurance.
Now is the time to enhance funding for
substance-abuse treatment for people on probation, at a time when agency
statistics reflect lower rates of recidivism due to expanded treatment.
Now is the time to reduce the number of juvenile offenders in adult
prisons and save a life rather than allowing it to waste away and cost
the state infinitely more money over time.
Now is the time to spend more on child
support enforcement, at a time when deadbeat parents are likely to be
out of work because of budget shortfalls. Particularly, now is the time
to challenge Jeb. Regardless of what he or the mainstream media might
say, it is never unpatriotic to question our leaders, especially in
times of uncertainty and fear. And if anyone says so, then I'm sure Jeb
has a state job waiting for them.
Let us hope that just because Jeb and his
administration are bankrupt of compassion for the majority of the people
of Florida they do not further damage a near if not already bankrupt
state budget. The people of Florida did not vote for this kind of
leadership. More dynamic and personable leaders such as Ms. Hernandez
are needed. Leaders who are willing to communicate with all people in
Florida. Leaders who will leave their doors open to the public at all
times. And leaders who will ensure that the state's rewards and
successes are shared with all of its citizens.
.... Jacob Lerner, 10/9/01
email info@whoseflorida.com
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