Check the new WhoseFlorida for updates

 
 

Florida Employees:  Your Potential Retirement Benefit is being KNOWINGLY and PURPOSELY OVER-estimated by up to 20% 1/19/02

Please try and make your responses as factually based as possible.  Don't just blow off steam. Information is vital if we are to survive in the post 2001 legislative world.

 

For those of you who would like to be sure the IP address of your computer can not be found out use, www.safeweb.com, good luck to all, the truth is out there.
...dogsrunning 3/26/01

PEER's Florida archive  

When are you going to start living up to your promises? 3/23/02

FCAT has sent our schools into test-driven lunacy 3/4/02

Florida House Speaker Tom Feeney scandal goes national 3/1/02

Stopping Spam 2/21/02

Are the prison drug programs funded again or not? 2/12/02

Drug treatment is a priority, much needs to be done 2/6/02

Will Noelle Bush's drug bust wake JEB up? 1/29/02

Reflections on the State of the State address 1/26/02


The rest of the story on OPPAGA and SAG- or no more government watchdogs for Florida 1/23/02

Sh! It’s A Secret Why OPPAGA And SAG Must Go 1/21/02

Computerized face recognition a bust 1/5/02

Privatizing rehabilitation: Florida's Titanic 1/2/02

This column brought to you by . . .  12/23

Let's get back to "Whose Florida is it Anyway?" 11/20

More...
 

How DCF Chief Kathleen Kearney did the impossible and made a terrible situation worse

The link http://www.nccpr.org/reports/lengtheningshadow.htm is to a long white paper by The National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, a non-profit foundation funded by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Open Society Institute, a part of the Soros Foundations Network.

The paper could be re-titled "How DCF Chief Kathleen Kearney did the impossible and made a terrible situation worse". In a nutshell, the paper is an indictment of Florida's child welfare policies. as I am sure you know, Kearney is a former Broward County District Court Judge who was known as the "terminator" because she was quick to terminate parental rights at the first hint of abuse. Her reputation as an advocate of "take the child and run" child welfare policies was the reason JEB Bush appointed her head of Florida's DCF. 

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Jibbering at the news 

Today in Tallahassee a bunch of people met at the Meyers Park Community Center and kids put on skits and sang songs in support of cleaning up an old landfill and some sort of old fuel oil plant that have polluted a string of slopes along a natural stream-an area ironically named Cascades Park. Were it still so beautiful as that. To community members and their children it can be, sentiments certainly supported by the local and county school leadership, certainly by a strong, active PTA. The very sentiments stimulated by a full century's worth, and more, of environmental fervor.

But, this story wasn't meant to be about the simple hope stemming from the dreams of childhood. What triggered me to get tapping this keyboard was the result of my stopping by the Whose Florida site April 1, the Day of Fools. Yes, the stalwart web master, never faltering at the task, faithfully pulling together a full load of daily news accounts and commentaries, coaching clumsy contributors, such as yours truly, and maintaining anonymity and very high standards the while, we frequenters owe you thanks.

What I saw in the clips on Fools Day nearly set me a' jibbering.

Chaos! The world turned upside down

Talk about your terrorists! The triumvirate of DuPont (St. Joe Co,Arvida), the Committee of 100 (AKA Associated Industries), and Big Oil (JEB-GWB-GPB owners) are the only strong enough to have engineered the horrors portrayed by newspapers across the state.

There was a real scary story about Black Water around the tip of the peninsula killing everything. The suggestion was that dirty water flushing out of the nasty farming that has been killing the Everglades is killing the fishing grounds. Pictures in an article out of Naples showed the dying coral. JEB's paid flacks tried to put a lid on this one, but, it's too scary to fade away as the day he hopes to be reelected gets nearer and nearer, a hope shared by his keepers and brother George.

Who will profit most? Who will lose?

Another story, this one in an editorial out of Miami, had the locals howling against a scheme by this very clumsy gang to use toll road revenues from South Florida to build new toll roads through the relatively pristine Panhandle. 

You see, it isn't as though millions are eager to get from Jacksonville to Pensacola who can't already get there via Interstate 10, no, the essence of the scheme is to use the new roads to open up the land for more urban-sprawl development, with incentives for building at intersections with other highways.

Guess who owns more acreage in the Panhandle than any other? Yep, Katy's mentioned this before, DuPont/St.Joe. Do I have to tell you who will lose? Naw, it goes way beyond just the people of Florida.

What do you bet that JEB will sign the legislation?

The editorial--and remember this was out of Miami where they ought to know him-- opined: "Gov. Bush should veto it (the legislation) as a stern message to lawmakers to curb the cynical practice of linking awful laws with good ones." Hey, these sleazy games long have characterized the Florida political scene. JEB certainly isn't the first sleazoid to prostitute himself and the state. But, boy is he eager to make a large, bloody mark on our fragile Florida in the time he has to do it. Let's hope his time ends next January.

The editorial writer seems to have missed the target a mile and a half. He aimed at the cheap shenanigans of the politicians and the monitory toll revenue losses from South Florida, when the elephant of a paved over Panhandle seemed to be of lesser concern.

We'd better get with the kids.

I say we'd better get with the community groups, the PTAs and PTOs, get with the kids. Let's write some jingles and set up competitions for the best schools and classes, and volunteers and moms and dads. Bake sales to buy the kiddies team uniforms for when they march for more spending on restoration and beauty and less spending for development and devastation.

And, although I can't claimed to have had these thoughts first, I do claim they came to me before I read of the real, life example that took place in Meyers Park of my Home Town, Tallahassee, this day.

Thank you folks.

Katy Bar The Door, 4/3/02 

(thank You, Katy -- WF)

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Tax Break for rich but leave the middle class out

 

H97      GENERAL BILL/CS by Fiscal Responsibility Council; Kilmer; (CO-SPONSORS)   Bean; Hogan; Harrington  
(Similar CS/S 0214, S 2186)   
Residents' Tax Relief Act of 2002; specifies period during which sale of
  clothing, certain other items, & school supplies shall be exempt from
  tax on sales, use, & other transactions; provides definitions; provides
  exceptions; provides for rules.  APPROPRIATION: $200,000.  EFFECTIVE
  DATE: Upon becoming law.
03/22/02 SENATE Died in Committee on Commerce and Economic Opportunities

S214     GENERAL BILL/CS by Commerce and Economic Opportunities; Cowin;
  (CO-SPONSORS) Crist  (Similar CS/H 0097, S 2186)
  Florida Residents' Tax Relief Act; specifies period during which sale of
  clothing, wallets, bags, & school supplies shall be exempt from such
  tax; defines terms "clothing" & "school supplies" for purposes of
  exemption; provides that exemption does not apply to sales within
  certain theme parks, entertainment complexes, public lodging
  establishments, or airports; provides requirements re proof of Florida
  residency; provides for rules.  APPROPRIATION: $200,000.  EFFECTIVE
  DATE: Upon becoming law.
03/22/02 SENATE Died in Committee on Finance and Taxation

S2186    GENERAL BILL by Wise  (Similar CS/H 0097, CS/S 0214)
  Florida Residents' Tax Relief Act; specifies period during which sale of
  clothing & school supplies is exempt from tax on sales, use, & other
  transactions; defines terms "clothing" & "school supplies" for purposes
  of exemption; provides for rules.  APPROPRIATION: $200,000.  EFFECTIVE
  DATE: Upon becoming law.

03/22/02 SENATE Died in Committee on Commerce and Economic Opportunities

NOTE:  The Intangibles tax was postponed in the last session (I believe). 
 
It was delayed by one year but not stopped.  I believe the Gov. said something like:  "Now is not the time add to tax" when it was proposed to
stop the Intangibles tax from continuing...
 
So the wealthy get a break but the working family pays tax on school clothing????
..... noname, 3/27/02 

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To the Governor and members of the state legislature: When are you going to start living up to your promises?

For 3 years state workers have heard how the Governor plans to attract the best and the brightest through higher pay and incentives. So far we have only seen our workload increase and our staffing decrease. 

Last year our pay raise was decreased from 3% to 2.5%, and we are still waiting for those meager one time $150.00 (average) bonus's that only a few will get. 

The Governor was proud to announce that OPS and employees who make a moderate income of $90.000 or more a year will not get a pay raise. I paid taxes on $21,000 dollars last year, if he considers $90,000 a moderate income, what am I considered, an indentured servant. 

I work at a facility were my boss was given a position upgrade (complete with a pay raise) because it was recognized that managing this facility has been grossly underrated. He has also received two significant awards, one of which he has been asked to meet with and give a speech to the Governor, his cabinet, our agency secretary and our division director. These awards recognize his achievements in managing such a difficult facility with only one FTE (full time position), that would be me. 

I have given 200% to this facility and my boss because I enjoy my work, and it is truly a pleasure to work for this highly respected manager. He has been an excellent mentor who sets a very high standard of excellence. He only asks of me only what he would do himself. He also recognizes that he did not achieve these accomplishments alone. He has fought to get my position upgraded as well, our division was due to get 6 position upgrades of the type he put me in for. However the Governor has put those positions back on the chopping block and we will likely not see them materialize. That was my boss's only mechanism to reward me for my hard work, that helped make him look so good. 

For the first time in my 7.5 year employment with the state I am considering joining AFSCME and for the first time in 24 years I am also considering changing my political party affiliation to DEMOCRAT! 

When are you folks going to start living up to your promise's. Do not just think of us as 600,000 state employees, rather you should think of as 600,000 voting constituents that have the power to influence our families, friends and in some case's the general public. You figure the math! 


Very Respectfully, LB , 3/23/03

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Certainly, by no means can one compare any of Florida's elected officials to Osama bin Laden and his ilk in terms of beliefs towards terrorism and violence.  On the other hand, while bin Laden hides in caves, on the run from the light of international justice, Florida's legislators are creating their own bunkers and fortresses in which to hide. 

Instead of coming to terms on a budget, reapportionment or tending to the other constitutionally mandated tasks before them, they have been avoiding doing the business of governing by gradually, inappropriately and stealthily repealing Florida's Sunshine Laws.  And this did not just begin in the current session or in only the Legislative branch.  

Just as bin Laden, al Queda and the Taliban don't want their actions known except to those in their own inner circles, so too it seems our public servants prefer their own levels of secrecy.  

In this election year, a good place to start shedding light again on our good state is at your local voting precinct.

 
Jacob Lerner, Tallahassee, 3/22/02

Here's the Tallahassee Democrat version:

Let's shed some light on secrecy in Legislature

Instead of coming to terms on a budget, reapportionment or tending to the other constitutionally mandated tasks before them, lawmakers have been avoiding the business of governing by gradually, inappropriately and stealthily repealing Florida's Sunshine Laws. And this did not just begin in the current session or in only the legislative branch.

It seems our public servants prefer secrecy. In this election year, a good place to start shedding light again on our good state is at your local voting precinct.

JACOB LERNER
radintal2@yahoo.com

....  Jacob, 3/23/02

 

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Students often show us the way

I am disappointed that Steven Uhlfelder publicly scolded FAMU's student body about not choosing to have Gov. Bush speak there at commencement, saying "the students should listen." I am proud of the current FAMU student body for speaking out and showing themselves to be political activists. They feel Gov. Bush has not listened to them.

FAMU has a great legacy of political activism. The students there led the way toward bringing civil rights to public awareness in the 1960s. It took great acts of courage on the parts of individuals and collective student vision to do this. We cannot silence the students in this town. They often lead us where we need to go.
MJ R, letter to Tallahassee Democrat

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Agricultural Commissioner Bronson's propaganda activity

 

Now, that Bill 1926 is before the Senate, Mr.Bronson is writing to newspapers trying to justify the need for extended citrus canker eradication program.
He is trying to justify that all healthy trees should be eradicated within 1900 feet from an infected tree.
Mr.Bronson wrote that scientific proof justifies the 1900 feet cuttings: "The data from this research (he Gottwald report) has been peerreviewd and confirmed by scientists around the word. There is nothing questionable about this data."
Is Mr. Bronson so naive that he believes hat only one field test can be scientific proof? Is he so naive that he believes that "peer review" (reading a piece of paper) is equivalent with repeated researches on the field?
Is he so naive that if the findings of this theory (even if it would be acceptable) concludes that it can be only 95% effective, is enough to stop an epidemic? 
Mr.Bronson is maybe really naive, To a complaint about squandering public money for the program he wrote in the newspapers that it is not so: Florida does not pay all the expenses, It is shared with the US Department of Agriculture.
Is that not all public money?
Maybe Mr.Bronson just believes that all the members of the Legislature and all the public is so naive that they finally will accept all such propaganda and will agree that is right to kill all trees in private gardens, - just to satisfy the Citrus Moguls.  (see also Citrus Canker page)
Sincerely,
Peter Harsany, D.Sc. (doctor in agricultural economics.)3/5/02

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FCAT has sent our schools into test-driven lunacy

As I prepare my students for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, I think of all those legislators and our governor who daily espouse their compassion for kids, when what I see in front of me is test-driven lunacy. Simply put, policymakers are dead wrong to think FCAT is good for our kids or their education.

The entire thrust of the governor's "A-plus Plan" is the FCAT. Yet how can one judge schools, teachers and students by a single test? If we held our legislators accountable under similar conditions, they'd fail miserably. The reality is that standardized tests do not measure academic ability, but only ability on a particular test. As such, don't blame teachers who "teach the test," especially when parents and politicians hold this score as the only measure of their worth.

If teaching the test is going on in a lot of classrooms, you can bet teachers are doing so by neglecting what brought them to the profession. In my classroom, rather than teaching students to love and cherish literature, I'm covering standardized test skills. This is not why I became a teacher, yet I can't ignore it, because I'd be hurting students who want a diploma. What is more, school funding is dependent on these scores, so I'd be hurting my co-workers and the school as a whole. Consequently, veteran teachers who love their subjects are losing their desire to teach, while future teachers are changing majors while there's still time. I wish policymakers good luck in attracting the 160,000 new teachers Florida will need in the future.

But don't feel sorry for teachers. Rather, feel sorry for students who will endure eight hours of testing this week. Feel sorry for kids who, under revised testing guidelines, can't read a book or do anything productive once they've finished, but must sit quietly until time has expired. What is more, feel sorry for those students who won't pass, who'll endure the humiliation of failure, who'll have to do it all again, and who won't be allowed to take elective courses next year because they'll be scheduled into classes to -- you guessed it -- work on the FCAT.

I wish I saw a light at the end of the tunnel, but with the coming of the science FCAT, things will get worse. At my school, where funding was already cut despite an "A" grade, we will probably lose staff and see our class sizes go up because of the budget. Next year, when school grades fall across the state, you can count on politicians using this as proof of what they've been saying all along -- public schools are lousy. I won't be listening, of course, because I, like many of my devoted colleagues, will be too busy preparing my students for FCAT.
-- Marlow, Tallahassee  - letter to St Pete Times

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Net Ban Law Unjust

The FWCC just lost a court battle against it's net law and soon the matter will (hopefully) be taken to FL Supreme Court through appeals by the state lawyers. 

WIthout going over all the details, local fisherman sued the state for use of a net (500 sq ft) some 20 times smaller than they used prior to the law. Except the net has a mesh size larger than the law permits, 2 inches or more. The contention of the fisherman, and anyone who has used any sort of net, is that smaller mesh sizes capture smaller fish. The smaller fish being killed with smaller mesh sizes are contrary to the intention of the law, which was to conserve the resource. 

The FWCC arrogantly refuses to recongize this fact or that the agency and law are in extreme error. 

In turn, they are not only hurting the local economies, but causing detriment to the very resource they are charged to manage! Let's support our local fisherman on this issue and allow them to supply us with fresh seafood that is big enough to eat.
...lacyfish, 3/2/02

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Florida House Speaker Tom Feeney Scandal Explodes

Florida House Speaker Tom Feeney (R) won national infamy after the 2000 election by appointing Florida's 25 electors for Bush, even if Gore was proven to have won more votes. Now Feeney is fending off a scandal - ... "A top legislative aide to House Speaker Tom Feeney has been working on his congressional campaign from his Capitol office, a possible criminal violation of state election laws. Bridgette Gregory, a 27-year-old former [Hooter's] waitress and more recently a fund-raiser for the state Republican Party, is paid $55,644 a year even though she has neither the bachelor's degree nor the technical experience that the state's job description for her position requires. Feeney's congressional campaign also has paid Gregory $11,000 to persuade lobbyists to give him the maximum $1,000 per person and $5,000 per political action committee to aid his bid for a congressional seat he hopes to carve for himself in east-central Florida."
....demdailynews, 2/28/02

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Governor Bush wants to spend almost $100 million by 2012 to “retrain all elementary and middle school teachers in new methods of reading instruction.”  

The Governor echoed older brother George who said, in his announcement of the national education plan, “reading is the basics for all learning.”  A lot of questions undoubtedly will be asked about the Governor’s plan in the coming weeks and months.  Hopefully, some of the questions will include the relationship between the Bush family and the “major” publishers who have apparently already contracted with the state.  

These may include McGraw-Hill, Houghton-Mifflin and Harcourt General.  Members of the McGraw clan served on George W. Bush’s transition advisory team, as well as on Barbara Bush’s Foundation for Family Literacy and other prominent Bush endeavors.  The Bush and McGraw families have a history dating to granddaddies Prescott Bush and James McGraw, Jr., who frequented Jupiter Island as it was being developed in the 1930’s as a haven for the Northeast wealthy.  

While George was Governor of Texas, he frequently invited a small group of reading “experts” (most of whom, lo and behold, were McGraw-Hill authors) to testify about what they considered to be a “scientifically valid” reading curriculum.  As coincidence would have it, the scientific research supported the use of McGraw-Hill products.  

It would be nice to think that Governor Bush was acting on his own, forwarding his own ideas on education, and acting in the true best interests of our children.  Reading between the lines, however, it seems Jeb is acting only in the interests of family friends in the publishing industry who stand to make considerable profits.  

The rest of us, unfortunately, are led to believe that phonics and testing will compensate for depleted public education funding, low performing schools, underpaid teachers, the ranking and sorting of our children, reading comprehension and the general dumbing down of the public education system.

 
Jacob Lerner, Tallahassee, 2/28/02

(for more information see Reading Between the Lines)

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Stopping Spam

Last week the Federal Trade Commission sent out warning letters to the perpetrators of ``spam'' e-mails that it would crack down on scams launched through the Internet...While it is well and good that the FTC is going after fraudulent e-mail marketing, the problem of dealing with volumes of junk e-mail remains. ... pornographic mailings that are most invasive.... Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., says he wants to amend a 1991 law that prohibits companies from sending unsolicited mail to fax machines to include electronic mail. ...
Witsil suggests that e-mail users can do their part by not replying to spammers, as well as by reporting offensive messages to their Internet service provider. They can also file a complaint with the FTC at www.ftc.gov. For the time being, that is about all anyone ... can do.
....Tampa Tribune editorial, 2/21/02, Stopping The Spam Slam

 

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MIAMI -- Katherine Harris, Florida's former secretary of state, wanted a lawsuit against her thrown out, but a judge has decided to let the case go trial.
The NAACP and four other groups filed suit against Harris (pictured), a former state election chief, and the county elections supervisor. The suit charges that black voters were disenfranchised during the 2000 presidential election.
 
U.S. District Judge Alan Gold cited "the importance and immediacy of the claims" as he rejected attempts by two state agencies and a company that helped purge voter lists to get out of the case.
 
The lawsuit cites the state, several counties and the contractor over procedures for voter registration, voter lists and balloting.
 
The trial is set for August.

  State Employees' Pension Fund Malfeasance

  I keep hearing reports on the Enron collapse as it relates to the Florida Retirement Fund. Something kind of related to this:  in the last month or so all employees in the regular state plan got their benefits projection / estimate -- but it was a flawed projection.

  For years they (Florida Retirement Services) have been doing the projections based on the (historically incorrect) assumption that a state employee can just sit in their current position class and get a 3% annual raise. So the "average final compensation" of the five highest years of salary is (in the instance of someone who has more than 15 years in but can't retire until having over 40 years in) is actually somewhere around 15%+ inflated ( 3% [projected average yearly salary increase] minus 2.5% [average REAL yearly salary increase] = .5% [difference] TIMES your number of years [30 on average] 30 = 15%). Here's the actual text from the Florida Retirement Services website benefit estimate section:

Service Projected Estimate:

Assuming you are continuously employed in your current plan until you reach 30 years of service and your current AFC increases 3% per year, your monthly benefit based on 30 years of creditable service and retirement effective XX/XX/XXXX, would be:

 It's a secure site so you'd actually have to log in and be a state employee member to view it.
 Of course I wasn't a Finance major so my math may be wrong--but when I called the Florida Retirement Services division they laughed and said they were aware of the incorrect estimation formula but had no intention of correcting the information (in the mailout or on their web page) until next year.

  I immediately thought conspiracy when I realized that this year is the year that all state employees have to decide to keep the regular retirement plan (which has just issued them an inflated benefits report) or opt for the optional plan which is similar to the State University plan in its portability.

  Now, if you were faced with a decision of that magnitude--going with an established plan that was projecting a 15% higher than actual estimate (but you did not KNOW it was off by 15% ) or trying an unknown new plan, as the average state employee what would you choose?

  I don't think many state employees are aware of the situation--in fact I KNOW the ones I work with are oblivious--and I doubt if it will get addressed by the Division of Retirement Services in all the mailings they are supposed to do to educate us on the new optional retirement plan this Spring--even though they have been asked several times by myself and other concerned employees to correct it.

  Since the FRS people REFUSE to correct the erroneous information, please do something right for the state employees (at least those that are left after Bush's mad dash to get rid of us and give jobs to his friends) and investigate this.

  This e-mail has been sent to other individuals who have the ability to address this malfeasance and misinformation (read that "lies" if you'd like) and I'm curiouis to see where it sees the light of day....
...citizencain, 2/12/02

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Which is it guys? Are the prison drug programs funded again or not? The head of your Dept of Corrections says the programs are back, but the head of your Office of Drug Control says only the probation programs are restored.  
.... Slovick, NYC, 2/12/02 (re:jointogetheronline)

More money for treatment pays off in the long run

As you have recently reported, funding for residential and outpatient drug abuse treatment programs was cut severely during a special session of the Florida Legislature. Lawmakers weighed heavily the decision to reduce funding for these programs against the core functions of the Department of Corrections, such as security and public safety.

Gov. Bush's executive budget (released in early January) outlined a $7.3 million restoration of substance abuse treatment funds. His recent supplemental budget included an additional $3.1 million to restore fully the residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment programs.

Under Gov. Bush's leadership, funding for residential and outpatient substance abuse programs has increased steadily. In fact, we have seen a 33-percent funding increase since fiscal year 1997-98.

The governor and I recognize that to fight crime effectively, we must do all we can to make sure offenders don't return to prison. Substance abuse treatment programs help reduce recidivism and the cost to taxpayers for repeat incarcerations. I fully support the governor in asking the Legislature to restore these programs, which have been an important tool in fighting crime on our streets, in our communities and in the neighborhoods we call home.

MICHAEL W. MOORE
Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections
.... see article here (Tallahassee Democrat, 2/11/02)

Drug treatment is a priority, much needs to be done

Re: "Wrong direction on money for drug treatment" (Our Opinion, Feb. 3).

We agree with the Tallahassee Democrat that lowering drug abuse in general and expanding drug treatment is a priority in Florida. That is why Gov. Bush has been so strong on these issues, appointing a state drug control coordinator, publishing a balanced strategy and increasing funds for both treatment and prevention each year of his administration.

When a recession and a terrorist attack combined to impact Florida's revenue, the Legislature was required by law to put the budget back into balance. This meant that many areas of high priority took proportional cuts, drug control being no exception. What's interesting is that when Gov. Bush put forward his budget for this session, the first thing he restored was drug treatment funding for Department of Correction probationers.

We certainly have much more to do to address the massive problem of drug abuse in our state, but in his three years in office, Jeb Bush has put in place programs for lowering drug abuse that emphasize prevention, treatment and respect for the law. He has more than doubled the number of drug courts, expanded the state's annual treatment and prevention budget, visited countless treatment and prevention centers and led the rallying cry of concerned parents and neighborhoods to turn their children away from drug abuse and bring help to the afflicted.

We have a ways to go to meet our objective of cutting drug abuse in half. We also need to bring down youth drinking, the greatest substance abuse by our children. But we have a strategy in place to get us there, and a sustained budget to fund it. Most important, we have a governor committed to this effort.

JAMES R. MCDONOUGH
Director, Florida Office of Drug Control -- 2/6/02 letter in Tall. Democrat

Whoseflorida Note: To the best of our knowledge, the drug programs in the prisons are slated to remain closed.  As reported in the Orlando Sentinel editorial 2/5/02:

"...Gov. Jeb Bush and lawmakers should work with corrections officials to make the restoration of those programs a priority. Although Mr. Bush proposes restoring $5 million for community-based programs, his budget wouldn't restore the $11 million spent on in-prison treatment."

 

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"People Have the Power" tour coming to Florida

Breaking News... Democracy Rising and Florida activists will bring Nader's "People Have the Power Tour" to the Tampa Bay area in April. For more information write to democracy_rising_fla@yahoo.com . This article about Saturday's DR event in Austin, which was co-sponsored by the Campus Greens, is from the Daily Texan, the student newspaper of the University of Texas at Austin. The Sunday edition of the daily Austin American-Statesman virtually ignored the huge rally.]

 
Nader: Democracy works, get involved
Crowd of 5,500 hears former presidential candidate's message on political activism
By Miguel Liscano, staff writer
Daily Texan - January 28, 2002

Civic action is the key to governmental change, consumer advocate and politician Ralph Nader said Saturday at a rally uniting grassroots activists at the Tony Burger Center.

Speaking to a sold--out crowd of about 5,500, Nader, former Green Party presidential candidate and long--time activist, offered his views on campaign finance reform, a living wage for workers, corporate welfare and how citizens could cause reform by joining together.

"Democracy works. That's one of its secrets - it actually works," he said. "The greatest power that the few have over the many throughout history is the deep feeling by the many that they don't count, that they can't really turn things around, that they don't have any power."

Nader said people have power when they join together, and if they organize, then they can make democracy work and change what should be changed. The rally, he said, was designed to get different activist groups to work together.

Austin was the eighth stop on Nader's "People Have the Power Tour," and featured speeches by syndicated columnists Jim Hightower and Molly Ivins and musical performances by Jackson Browne and Patti Smith.

During his speech, Nader endorsed the Austin Fair Elections Act, which seeks to help political candidates garner grassroots support, giving them a better chance to run against someone with a large amount of money.

"There are certain things in our country that should never be for sale. Our elections should never be for sale. Our democracy should never be for sale. Our government should not be for sale," Nader said.

Mike Blizzard, spokesman for Clean Campaigns for Austin, said the act, which is on the ballot in May, would give the average person a better chance at running for local office by giving candidates access to a certain amount of public funds for campaigning.

"These days you have to be either independently wealthy or have a lot of wealthy friends to run for office, " he said. "[The Austin Fair Elections Act] allows grassroots candidates to get their message out without catering to and then being beholden to special interests."

The act of corporations seeking subsidies and "handouts" is also a problem that should be faced by citizens because "corporate welfare" hurts workers as corporations put profits before the needs of employees, Nader said

He also used the collapse of Enron as an example of how corporations seek help from the government. Investigations will be thorough, prosecutions will be numerous, but no reform will take place unless citizens inform their representatives in Congress that their state wants change, he said.

"Enron inadvertently may be the greatest engine for reform in Washington that we've had in decades," Nader said.

Nader also criticized politicians who "eroded" American's civil liberties after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Catherine Cunningham, member of the UT Green Party, said student movements and anti--globalization activists were silenced in the wake of Sept. 11. However, she said the climate is changing as more political action groups begin to speak out again.

"I see a resurgence with something like this here in Austin, and I see people becoming more and more receptive to our thoughts and ideas. I see less and less blind patriotism, and I think that's a good thing," Cunningham said.

Nader also said the lack of affordable health insurance for many Americans causes the nation to lag behind the rest of the Western world. A national health insurance plan could help, only if money wasted on bureaucracy was redirected to health care, especially preventive health care.

He added that the minimum wage should be raised.

The current minimum wage is $5.15 per hour, which Nader said is not adequate for a normal person to live on.

"More and more people are sinking into homelessness and into poverty because they can't make it in Wal--Mart or McDonald's and the other corporations who are reaping enormous profits on the back of these workers," Nader said.


http://www.dailytexanonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/01/28/3c54fff73b731

 

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Noelle Bush- isn't it clear the system in Florida treats people differently depending on who they are?
Noelle Bush:  drug arrest, 7 recent traffic tickets and 4 auto accidents (since 1999), one leaving the scene of the accident, one shoplifting, etc.    Still has drivers license and faced no serious penalties.  When stopped for leaving the scene rather than do drug test (onlookers said she was zonked) or arrest her, the Gov. was called to pick her up. 
Heard of anyone else with such a record and no penalties?  

Petition to prosecute Noelle Bush  http://www.petitiononline.com/BB46/petition.html 
Should Noelle Bush be getting favorable treatment because she is the daughter of Governor Jeb Bush and niece of President GW Bush?
...jkeel, 2/14/02

What about this case? Jail time here... for a misdemeanor...
TALLAHASSEE City manager's son sentenced to jail The son of Tallahassee City Manager Anita Favors pleaded no contest Monday to misdemeanor possession of marijuana and paraphernalia charges. Ahmad K. Favors, 24, was found guilty and sentenced to six months in the Leon County Jail, to begin Wednesday. In June, Favors reportedly had marijuana in a backpack when officers stopped to question him about a reported domestic disturbance in a restaurant parking lot. He told police he was dealing drugs because "times are tough," reports said. (Note: this link no longer works)

No jail time for governor's daughter - TALLAHASSEE -- The state attorney's office won't seek jail time for the daughter of Gov. Jeb Bush, after she was arrested this week on a felony charge of prescription drug fraud, State Attorney Willie Meggs said on Friday.-- Instead of the maximum five years in prison, Noelle Bush, 24, is facing mandatory attendance at a Leon County drug court for up to 18 months, Meggs said. -- ... "Did she pull a fraud on us?" he (Meggs) said. "No. Are we going to look into it? No. I think she has enough problems to worry about."


http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/2002/01/30/news/

Noelle Bush, daughter of Gov. Jeb Bush, told Tallahassee police after a September 2000 car crash that she'd taken prescription medication before the wreck.

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/bushdaughter020129.html

.... BernieW, 1/2/02

Gov. Bush's daughter not present for arraignment - The attorney for Gov. Jeb Bush's daughter, Noelle, filed papers in Leon County Circuit Court Thursday serving as the 24-year-old's initial appearance on charges that she tried to buy the sedative Xanax with a bogus prescription earlier this week.-- Noelle Bush was released from county jail Tuesday under a pretrial program designed to lessen jail crowding. In exchange for not having to post $1,000 bond, Noelle Bush agreed to seek permission to travel outside the county, contact the pretrial release office weekly and submit to urine screenings for drugs when requested.

JEB's daughter busted

How ironic.  Not even a month after JEBush's legislative budget cuts forced the closure of 90% of the Florida prison drug programs, his daughter (Noelle) is busted for prescription drug fraud (see arrest report here and links to articles below).  Some of the very programs that divert non-violent offenders (such as Noelle) to treatment rather than prison suffered under these cuts. I wonder how JEB's daughter will fare in our Florida legal system? Better than your's or mine no doubt.

But I wish the Bush's no ill.  Addiction is as class blind as it is color blind.  This is not just the Bush's problem,  not our irresponsible legislature's problem - it belongs to all of us.  We create it as much as we have inherited it.  And we must all become part of the solution. 

We must not allow JEB and his legislature's apparent lack of concern for  Florida's children (cuts in education, juvenile justice programs, community and prison drug programs) to determine our future. 

We must do more than hope that this experience will soften JEB's heart to the plight of all Floridians who suffer... that he will suddenly awaken to the higher calling of his office.... that he and his legislature will magically reverse the course they have laid out for us these last 3 years.

We must demand that the needs of the children, the students, the workers, the out-of-work- workers, the aged, the disabled,- all of us folks the Governor and legislature have so often referred to as "your average citizens" - be represented in our government.  

We must recreate our government so it serves all of the people of Florida.  

This is the challenge we must own up to this election year.

Articles:

http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/01/29/jeb.bush.daughter.drugs/index.html 

http://www.msnbc.com/news/695913.asp

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/2565294.htm

....quixote,1/30/02

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Mason Dixon Florida Poll 

Bush Blowout Report Untimely and Inaccurate.

An old journalists' adage is that one should report the news not make it.  Why then, since the campaign for Governor has not really started, does the Democrat find it necessary to report on the Mason Dixon Florida Poll that Jeb Bush is favored over his opponents for office.  

Your use of such decisive and divisive terms as blowout, trounce and liberal are particularly worrisome.  

The inaccuracy I wish to point out is that you reported Janet Reno was Attorney General at the time of the raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco.  She was not sworn into that office for another two weeks.  Indeed, she was not even Acting AG at the time of the raid.  

If enough people were polled, however, and enough media reported it, I imagine most Americans could be convinced that she was responsible for the raid.  Your reporter at the Democrat certainly believes it.  But, hey, who's watching the polls now anyway?  Right?

 
Jacob Lerner, Tallahassee, FL 2/2/02
 

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Equal protection violation re: ineligibility to select investment option for retired workers returning to state employment

The new FRS site says all classes of state employees are eligible to participate in the investment option benefit retirement plan, except for certain categories including retirees who have returned to state employment. Isn't this an equal protection violation? My colleague who is vesting her first retirement has the investment option. They won't piggyback my new state service onto my original retirement I have been receiving since 1998, requiring me to vest a second retirement, but deny me the option of participating in a 401k type plan for my second retirement.Chris Lindamood

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Workers' Compensation Trust Fund & Enron?

The Florida Workers' Compensation Trust Fund is the source for all opertions of the Division of Workers' Compensation, including such things as retrainining injured workers.  Except for basic payroll and office operations, all expenditures have stopped as of October 3, 2001.  DWC clients have been told they are on a waiting list for retraining but there is no money.  Other sources indicate there is $84 million in the fund.  Makes me wonder if monies were invested in Enron.  I'd like to know how to demand an accounting of the Trust Fund, a fund not generated from tax dollars.  ... Mk, 1/31/02

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Letter to Governor Bush on the Citrus Canker law

Dear Governor,
Now that an extension to the citrus canker law has been introduced into Legislation, I wish to ask you to reconsider the entire scenario. Hundreds of thousands of unhappy homeowners have become exasperated and even more outraged by the proposed extension which offends their civil rights.
As elections approach you may win the the hearts of millions by leading the revision of a governmental error, revoking the citrus canker eradication law.
I am sure that when this law was originally introduced you were just as much mislead, as were most of the members of the two Houses. The original eradication law that was introduced and voted for when untrue arguments, false figures were presented misled members of both houses. A law reached by misleading legislators cannot be considered constitutionally legal. 

1/ Referring to a 8.5 billion (now 9.3 billion dollar) impact to the Florida economy by the citrus industry: 8-times the value of the total citrus crop in one year is the result of a citrus industry employee's fantasy. No sane independent economist would calculate such figures 

2/ It is also a lie that the entire citrus industry is threatened

with the disease.
About 9/10th of the growers are not affected. To those who grow citrus
for processing (juices) cancer blemishes on the skin of the fruit have
no effect on their business.
There is no such experience, no scientific data that canker may kill the
tree itself. On the contrary: there are scientists who claim that citrus
canker is a self eliminating disease.
A law introduced with misleading false reasoning cannot be considered
valid. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been squandered and could have been saved if the eradication program would not have started. Further millions of dollars can be saved by revoking it.
Dear Governor, I ask you to take in serious consideration this matter, and I ASK YOU TO READ THIS LETTER INSTEAD OF AUTOMATICALLY FORWARDING IT TO THE DEPARTMENT.
Sincerely,
Peter Harsany, D.Sc.
(doctor of agricultural economics).

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Reflections on the State of the State address

On 1/22/02, Gov. Jeb did his State of the Union address to open the legislative session, and in effect to give his campaign speech for re-election, or to get thrown out from my perspective.

 
He promised $millions for Fla's domestic security, and told everyone his education efforts were" nothing short of amazing."
 
I watched him live on public t.v., and then wrote my reaction which I faxed to 1/2 dozen media who of course ignored me.
 
The Miami Herald had this reaction from the other candidates, and I'll give you my statement.
 
Reno: "When he took office, Gov. Jeb Bush ended six years of real increases in education spending per student...today's speech, Candidate Jeb Bush did not begin to meet Florida's education system needs."
 
McBride: "It was high on style and pretty low on substance. This program is a disappointment, with no challege to create what we really need, which is one of the best education programs in the country so we can get our economy back on track."
 
Jones: "What the governor says and what the governor does are two different things."
 
Frankel: "I heard a lot of spin on numbers, but what I didn't hear was a real commitment to find the resources we need for our children, for good quality schools."
 
Even St. Dem. Ch. Bob Poe was more exciting in his response in warning that Jeb risked using 9/11 attacks for political gain, while 'increasing level of cynicism".
 
HO HUM!
 
The Kunst response, none of the media wanted to address FOR A CHANGE!
 
After all, I don't have the monies like the others,, didn't take from the special interests, so I'm not qualified to even comment, let alone to be considered, and of course, not paying the media through ads, to warrant their giving me the time of day.
 
In spite of all that, this is what I said:
 
"Candidate Bob Kunst, from Miami Beach, attacked Gov. Jeb Bush's State of the Union speech as "Fantasy and Fluff", when "Failure and disunity is Fla's reality and most have been left behind."
 
"As before, a million seniors have been thrown a bone, and barely got a mention," said Kunst, charging that Bush's home security is a farce in reminding all that a 15 yr. old flew a plane into a Tampa bldg., and planes scrambling to intercept few from Miami, instead of Tampa, as one example of cheap talk, with Fla. a target state."
 
"Last month Jeb and GOP cut $639millions from education, and today want to raise property taxes for $1billions in education, with their fuzzy math, while keeping Gays, Bisexuals and Heterosexual Floridians second- calss, who are then asked to pick up the tab. When election was stolen on 11/7/00, and paid for by ENRON, Bush's Bigots collected 50,000 signatures to 'repeal gay rights' on Sept. primary ballot, to divide and start a new cultural war, as a diversion from Bush's failures, flawed with greed and contempt for the people. This vote in Miami will repeat the Anita Bryant Battle of 1977."
 
"Taxation with representation is the law Jeb refuses to obey, while selling the state out to the highest bidder, giving relief to his money gang, and pushing the burden to the overtaxed already, while re-apportionment favors the minority GOP in Fla., again favoring the rich, over the rest of us."
 
"Meanwhile, Jeb's Citrus Eradication of Canker Farce is a disaster, while the Acquifer Reclamation and Storage scheme could threaten the Everglades, Jeb says he wants to save, while raping and pillaging of our Paradise is out of control, while Jeb caters to these development abusers."
 
"Florida's only hope is an aggressive campaign to replace Jeb, that sets the tone for 2004 and "W" also ousted, and Bob Kunst is the ONLY one who can do it. Stay tuned."
 
"Jeb's decision-making is best exposed in hiring an ex-ENRON person to manage State investment pension fund that just lost $306millions with ENRON stock. Shredding anyone?"
 
I covered the whole speech, and not just the education issue, but at least made the reference to this doublecross from Jeb, as well as rip off to taxpayers from this "Read my Lips" family of "No New Taxes" and "W"s statement in Jan. "not over my dead body would I let them raise your taxes,", but Jeb would raise local taxes, as I have reminded everyone.
 
Yours Faithfully, Bob Kunst 
 

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Why was the citrus canker eradication law introduced ?

RICK DANTZLER.S WITHDRAWAL FROM THE AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONER RACE EXPLAINS WHY THE ERADICATION LAW WAS PRESENTED. 

Rick Danzler, a former member of Florida Senate withdrew his candidacy to follow Commissioner Bronson as agricultural commissioner. 

He announced that 
"The reason that I am ending my candidacy is that modern day campaigns at this level now require things I seem to lack: 
The internal hard-wiring to raise shamefully high sums of soft-money for the party. 
(In the past) CONTRIBUTORS WERE DRAWN TO A PARTY BECAUSE OF THEIR PARTY'S POSITIONS. 
NOW A PARTY'S POSITIONS CONFORMS TO THAT OF THE CONTRIBUTORS and the emphasis is on protecting constituencies instead of solving problems." 

It can not be better characterized why exponents of the Florida Department of Agriculture are so anxious to satisfy the Citrus Industry. And why they initiated the introduction of the eradication law with untrue facts and misleading figures. 

Untrue fact: that canker may affect the entire citrus industry. 

Misleading figures: that if all the crop is lost it may cause a damaging impact to Florida's economy - $8.5 billion (now $9.3 billion) ). But this is in reality 8-times the value of the crop!
...Peter Harsany, D.Sc. 1/24/01

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Katy Got It Only Half Right (Actually, Not Even Half)

Katy’s Alter-Something

01/24/02

See, when you open the sewers, you go right down the slippery slope. (see Why OPPAGA and SAG must go - below)

Katy knew the rest of the story. More acronyms were involved besides OPPAGA (state Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability) and SAG (the state office of the Auditor General) involved in the demise of OPPAGA and SAG. There were EFI (Enterprise Florida, Inc.), the soon-to-be eliminated FDLES (Florida Department of Labor and Employment Security, and its DWC (Division of Workers Compensation), the PBIF (P B Incentive Fund, federal money siphoned from programs meant to help train a better workforce and doled out to businesses outside the fed regs. The feds are still interested in recovering the $11,000,000 Florida owes.

Then there’s WFI (Workforce Florida, Inc., the appointed state policy board involved with all education, training, placement, safety, employment and unemployment, and AWI (Agency for Workforce Innovation, a hybrid agency where all the unsightly federally regulated research and analysis units reside, which used to include the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.)

So far, every one of these additional acronyms had one thing in common. They all drew bottom-feeders attracted to the smell of green; none so prominent, nor so arrogant, nor so much the staff bullying crudite as Sen. George Kirkpatrick. Katy had that part right, as far as it goes.

But, the sewers collection from the earlier $11,000,000 misappropriation of general revenue funds—Kirkpatrick, by influencing the disallowed costs of the PBIF boondoggle created the debt, which must be repaid from general revenue funds—seem to hold a close attraction. Let’s see . . . the Vocational Rehabilitation Program doesn’t have to stay in Labor where the bureaucrats cannot be forced to think innovatively, let’s shift VR over to DOE and show these folks how to run it like a business. So, with former Senator Kirkpatrick providing the political muscle and vision, VR and it’s now infamous board of bandits are part of DOE.

And, you know what? OPPAGA also had the temerity to criticize Enterprise Florida, Inc., the mightily privatized hangover from the Old Department of Commerce, where JEB Bush was the agency head under Gov. Bob Martinez, described by some observer as: "Dracula." Who knows what continuing allegiances, if any, exist between JEB and the old gang. I’d guess they’re pretty tight, considering the major influence exerted on the EFI board by Associated Industries of Florida, Inc.

Seems OPPAGA found a big pot of money, something over $2,000,000 that EFI had stashed away for some high class traveling and entertaining. OPPAGA had a problem when it tried to identify the sources and destinations of the funds. Poor records on the front-end confused efforts to keep the funds separated by public or private source. That is, some of the funds could have been paid in by contractors with funding from EFI. Get it?

Oh, it’s all denied. Don’t worry about that. JEB, John Anderson of EFI, John Shebel of Associated Industries, WFI, George Kirkpatrick, Charlie Crist (He’s still heading up DOE, isn’t he?), Mary Hooks, held over for another year as Secretary of Labor (and a member of WFI board, along with Kirkpatrick). Yes, all the denials are in.

So, soon, when OPPAGA and SAG bite it, we won’t have to worry about all those disgruntled little state employees whining about this and that.

I did like Katy’s new acronym: ASSURA. 

But, for now:

Katy Bar The Door, 1/24/02

 

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Sh! It’s A Secret Why OPPAGA And SAG Must Go

Nancy Cook Lauer and David Twiddy of the Tallahassee Democrat reported Saturday that someone – it is not known who –dropped a little pill into the legislative process that would eliminate the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability and the State Auditor General as we have known them for years. Unless I’ve missed it, there has been little or no follow up among the usual copycat media.

I’m betting JEB pulled the strings that are meant to kill those two agencies, no matter who eventually has to bite the bullet and fess up.

We know John Ellis Bush’s distaste for acronyms, and we’ve got a couple of doosies here. Yep, OPPAGA and SAG have to go.

Oh, there will be some; though not Capital Curmudgeon "Nanny" Bill Cotterell of the same organization, who will suggest the actions have to do with some sort of ethical lapse of the Bush Administration. Many more will find that hard to imagine. "Nanny," for example tumbled in Monday’s edition for the party line that the $306 million dipped from the state retirement fund to make sure Kenneth Lay and other Enron executives had a green-golden parachute when they tried to disappear into the night would hardly put a dent into the fund. And, he was concerned that doubters might even suggest that opening the door to the pension fund for additional diddling is a bad idea. Those rats!

Must End Those Speculations

Nope, it’s those acronyms, coupled, of course, with JEB’s mantra about favoring smaller government.

For sure, the auditing function and the regular reviews by OPPAGA for the purpose of determining which state agencies the state can do without will make out just fine under the sorta nebulous banner of the "Something ‘n Something Else Unit of Research and Analysis (ASSURA)."

The new unit will ASSURA us that there’s absolutely nothing to a suggestion of conflicts of interests involving members of a semi-public Vocational Rehabilitation board who individually profit from federal and state dollars through contracting with their private businesses. (Notice how soothing, how the susurration lulls? ASSURA, ASSURA)

Now that you know why OPPAGA and SAG are to be eliminated, you can forget about the challenges to the VocRehab wheeling and dealing and the reports on that body by those negligible little units. I guess the Department of Education Inspector General will have to go too, sounds too much like AH GEE in southern. VR resides in DOE now, mostly ‘cause a former legislator, Sen. George Kirkpatrick, Democrat turned Republican in order to extend his power and profit following being term-limited out of office, made it so. This really sterling state leader, for whom the Rodman Dam and Reservoir is named and whom we owe gratitude for fighting every attempt to blow the dam and restore a natural rambling river, helped other board members not to be illegal when they voted him a no-bid $1,000,000 contract. If’n they’d had to bid, it would have been illegal, you see.

ASSURA, just keep saying that: ASSURA, ASSURA. You’re getting sleepy . .. 

For a Trip Down Memory Lane on the subject of ethics in the JEB administration, I recommend re-reading an article published elsewhere on this site by Mr. Daniel Ruth of the Tampa Tribune. Gov. Diogenes? Oh, never mind 
....Katy Bar The Door, 1/22/02 (back to Katy got it half right...)

 

Florida Employees:  Your Potential Retirement Benefit is being KNOWINGLY and PURPOSELY OVER-estimated by up to 20% 

(i.e. You'll get up to 20% LESS than they say you will)


Another interesting tidbit... Florida Retirement Services Department just sent out to all members a "retirement benefits estimate" in which an employee's "average final compensation" is determined by forecasting their salary to increase by 3% each year up to the employee's retirement date. It is historically demonstrable that this 3% yearly salary increase is a pipedream. FRS is aware of this but intends to do nothing until NEXT JANUARY to correct the mis-information which can artifically inflate employee's estimated benefits by up to 20% in some cases. 

All state employees are being forced to choose between the standard defined contribution retirement plan that has been in existence and a new optional plan in which they would have the ability to create something similar to a 401 k plan that is portable upon separation. 

The INCORRECT information being disseminated by FRS is misleading employees in their upcoming choice and FRS has stated they DO NOT INTEND NOR HAVE THEY PLANS TO CORRECT THE DISINFORMATION at this present time.

Why don't you do a story on that? For years state employees have been being mislead regarding their retirement. We need to complain. This is intentional governmental malfeasance and fiscal mis-management of OUR future.
....EmployeeX, 1/19/01

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ENRON scandal is like Nixon years revisited

Hey WF, I know its been awhile since my last e-mail. I, like most everyone else, have been sitting back waiting for all the smoke to clear from an incredible year. The Media is comparing the Enron scandal to Clinton's Whitewater. Personally I believe it is the Nixon years revisited, this is just the tip of the iceberg. I think that it is going to be more Like Nixon's Watergate.I wonder if this will wake people up, and see that "Government like a business" is more like "Government run by business". Enron was not handing out donations, the contribution list reads more like a payroll, handing out untaxable paychecks! What should we call this scandal, Enron's White Water Gate. Just trying to be politically correct and BI-partisan of coarse! Gee, I wonder how deep their fingers extend into Florida's political pockets.

 
The Rebellious Republican

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Citrus Canker decision upcoming in legislative committee

The Agricultural Committee of the Legislature will consider important decisions January 8. 
However certain details are dwarfed the facts, that It was untrue that 8,5 billion dollar economic impact may be the damaging effect of citrus canker (now 9.3 billion) -more than 8-times of the total value of the citrus crop in Florida a year. This figure has been provided by certain representatives of the industry, based on false calculations. 
It was untrue that the entire citrus industry is threatened by the disease. Most of the industry is processing the crop (for juice etc.,) are not affected by blemishes on the skin of the fruit: one more proof that the 9,3 billion dollar economic impact is a lie. 
This lie, misleading the legislature (and the public) resulted in squandering of several million dollars of public money, robbing private property, causing emotional damages to hundreds of thousands home owners. This damaging program based on lies should be stopped. 
Sincerely Peter Harsany,D.Sc. (doctor in agricutural economcs).1/5/02

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Computerized face recognition a bust

Computerized face recognition is not scary because it works; it's scary because it doesn't seem to work. It's been tried in Tampa since last summer The ACLU of Fla. looked at its use there and found it's shut down, hasn't nabbed a criminal yet and fingers the wrong people.
.... Visit Mark Lane's Florida blog, 1/5/02

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Privatizing rehabilitation: Florida's Titanic