Fuck the legislature

Sorry, but it's come to that. I'm just so pissed off at the dumbfuck Republicans who run this state, I could scream. Or rant. Maybe I'll just rant, then.

If you've been reading this sucky blog, you know that Florida's fiscal woes are causing huge difficulties for local and municipal governments (among others) as they try to figure out how they're going to cut even further from budgets already strained to the max. I've been telling you that services are going to be cut and that it's ultimately going to affect every Floridian's quality of life in a very real sense. But the Republicans just smile and point to the few hundred bucks they're "giving back" to homeowners through the property tax cuts. Never mind the fact that law enforcement is going to be in the shitter very, very soon:

Palm Beach County's criminal justice system is in crisis as arrest rates soar and legislators are set to slash millions to the lawyers and court system that must process the cases, State Attorney Barry Krischer said Thursday.

Krischer, speaking before a group from Leadership Palm Beach County, depicted the 10 percent budget cut currently bandied about by legislators as an inevitability.

"On July 1, I will not be able to make payroll in my office without laying off an additional 12 attorneys," Krischer told the group.

Already, he has dismantled four key specialized units in his office that prosecuted economic crimes, crimes against children and the elderly and felony domestic violence cases. Those highly specialized prosecutors, who understand sophisticated DNA techniques for rape cases or forensic accounting for fraud cases, have been reassigned to help cover the crush of filed crimes, expected to hit 20,000 this year, he said.

"I cannot provide public safety. I cannot adequately represent victims if I don't have trained, experienced lawyers in the courtroom and they are slowly but surely moving out of the office," Krischer said.

Public Defender Carey Haughwout also spoke of the budget cut's impact on her office, which provides lawyers for the poor. Haughwout portended at some point this year standing up in court and refusing to accept new cases. She has a constitutional and ethical duty to do so, she said.

"I can't have a lawyer handling 200 or 300 felony cases. That's a joke to say that's effective representation. We're not going to cover up and just make do," Haughwout said.

The current budget cut will eliminate substance abuse education and treatment in prison, where as much as 80 percent of crimes committed are related to drugs, she said. "It's nuts as far as I'm concerned."

It's criminal, really, and I don't say that as an exaggeration. The legislature, or more accurately the Republicans in charge, led by chief dumbfuck wingnut House Speaker Marco Rubio, has well and truly fucked Florida. The beauty of what they've done, if you can call it that, is that the real effects of the tax service cuts trumpeted by Rubio won't be felt until after the 2008 election, when Rubio is term-limited out and people turn their attentions elsewhere. Besides, that Gov. Crist is just such a nice guy.

Well, fuck you, Republicans in the legislature. And anyone who voted for these asshats, you can just forget about complaining when you are a crime victim and can't get the suspect prosecuted, or you call 911 and it takes a little longer for the response -- just long enough for someone to die -- or your parks and community pools go to shit ... well, just shut the fuck up. You wanted these morons, you got 'em.

And the whole state has to suffer for your ignorance.