Stuff you may have missed

I keep saving little bits of tid to use on the blog and then I manage to let it go because more timely things come up. Please allow me to clear my saved browsers and hit you with some knowledge about, well, how deranged the Right is in this country and this state.

First, everyone should read this op-ed by Neal Gabler, "Politics as Religion in America," from the October 2 Los Angeles Times. In it, Gabler neatly deconstructs why the wingnuts continue to push their destructive agenda even in the face of all factual evidence and sense to the contrary: they don't see it as politics anymore, but as a religion -- they believe the things Rush and Glenn and Sean and related gasbags say as a matter of blind faith:

When politics becomes religion, however, policy too becomes a matter of life and death, as we have all seen.

That is one reason our founding fathers opted for a separation of church and state. They recognized that religion and politics could coexist only when they occupied different domains. Most denominations, which preach and practice tolerance, have rendered unto Caesar what is Caesar's. Religious groups may have found a community of interest with a political party to further their aims; they have not, by and large, sought to convert the political system into a religious one. Until now.

The tea-baggers who hate President Obama with a fervor that is beyond politics; the fear-mongers who warn that Obama is another Hitler or Stalin; the wannabe storm troopers who brandish their guns and warn darkly of the president's demise; the cable and talk-radio blowhards who make a living out of demonizing Obama and tarring liberals as America-haters -- these people are not just exercising their rights within the political system. They honestly believe that the political system -- a system that elected Obama -- is broken and only can be fixed by substituting their certainty for the uncertainties of American politics.

As we are sadly discovering, this minority cannot be headed off, which is most likely why conservatism transmogrified from politics to a religion in the first place. Conservatives who sincerely believed that theirs is the only true and right path have come to realize that political tolerance is no match for religious vehemence.

So, no, it's not you. They really don't care that facts have a liberal bias. They'd rather believe their High Priests of Prevarication.

Meanwhile, here in America's Wang™, our old friend Jeb! Bush recently threw a little hissy fit because those mean American people keep picking on his big brother and they should just stop because he's been out of office for a whole 8½ months (or, as Fox News douchebag host Brian Kilmeade distorted said, "ten months" (emphasis added)):

KILMEADE: It’s been 10 months. Should Leader Hoyer be looking backwards, and is he accurate?

BUSH: I was on the plane coming up to Washington yesterday, and I heard someone complaining that their child’s acne was because of George Bush. Of course, last week the Olympics didn’t come to Chicago — that was my brother’s fault. And at some point, people are going to have to put on their big-boy pants and assume responsibility for the great challenges and opportunities our country has. I don’t know how much longer leaders — responsible leaders in Congress — can continue to say these things.

Well, Jeb!, excuuuuuuuse us if it takes longer than 8½ months to undo the eight disastrous years your brother had to fuck things up. I mean, think of it like the eight years you had to drive Florida into the ground, except we still have to wait another year-plus before our cleanup crew (led by Alex Sink) can get to work. It takes a while, y'know?

No, Jeb!, I guess you wouldn't know. Seriously, it's unconscionable to hear the same people whine "why hasn't Obama fixed the economy yet?" (or whatever the issue may be) and in the next breath speculate whether the Dow Jones hitting 10,000 is indicative of a "Bush recovery." You can't have it both ways, folks.

But it sure is hard to dissuade the religious zealots of the Church of Batshit Crazy.

About the FCAT ... there's good news and there's bad news

Longtime Blast Off! readers know that I'm no fan of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), particularly as it has been used as a measure -- really, the sole measure other than graduation rates -- of the quality of public schools in the state. Well, the good news is that beginning next year, Florida will be evaluating high schools on more criteria than just the FCAT.

The bad news, though, is that the FCAT still will be the sole factor for evaluating lower-grade schools, and it still will carry weight even in the high schools.

The grades will also reflect participation numbers in higher-level courses, scores from end-of-course exams, graduation rates and professional industry certifications earned by students. The way grades are assigned to elementary and middle schools will stay the same.

The outcome will be a more complete picture of how well high schools are preparing students to enter the work world or to pursue higher education, state education officials said.

The changes were approved by the State Board of Education Sept. 15, though they were required by a bill passed in the Florida Legislature in 2008. The old formula, which grades high schools in the state on a scale of F to A, was based on graduation rates and Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores.

“This new legislation is not the result of a dissatisfaction with the FCAT,” said Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Destin. “But, the FCAT only measures the proficiency of half the students in high school. If you look at who takes the FCAT, half the students in a high school take the FCAT, but a school’s grade and academic image is based entirely on the FCAT performance of half the students.”

Look, the problem with the FCAT is that, like any standardized test, it essentially shows how well students do on standardized tests -- not how well a student actually learns or how well a student can apply, or synthesize, learned material in new learning. In other words, it tests a student's ability to memorize stuff and regurgitate it on the day of the test ... period. Having just gone through (and passed) yet another mostly-standardized test myself just a couple of months ago, I know that my retention of the material is, well, limited at this point. The same is true for students who take the FCAT.

I know that standardized tests have their place, and they are a useful (albeit not fully determinative) way of assessing a student's academic performance. But that doesn't translate into an accurate measurement of a school's performance. Sen. Gaetz is half right, in that the FCAT reveals only part of the picture. But he's half wrong, in that it shouldn't be any part of the picture insofar as evaluating schools is concerned. Of course the changes aren't because of "dissatisfaction with the FCAT," Sen. Gaetz! You Republicans have loved the FCAT because it's helped you destroy Florida's public schools -- a longtime goal of former governor Jeb! Bush. You're undoubtedly not dissatisfied with your handiwork.

But at least saner minds are beginning to shed some light on the fact that the FCAT hasn't helped public education in Florida -- it's been detrimental. And any action that limits the test's impact is a step in the right direction.

Florida GOP Police Blotter #12: Longtime Republican operative sentenced for corruption

It's been a while since we've had an addition to the Florida GOP Police Blotter. But this one has special significance to me personally, as well as to all my pals in my old stomping grounds down in America's Glans™.

As a former resident of Palm Beach County, I'd followed the saga of one-time County Commissioner Mary McCarty with somewhat detached interest. She had been on trial for, and subsequently was convicted of, federal fraud charges arising out of her activity while in office, which may have been blogworthy in and of itself.

Well, today McCarty was sentenced to 42 months in the slammer -- the federal prison, that is. Fair enough, I suppose. But if I'd dug down a little deeper before, I would have watched (and covered) the case far more closely, given her background and experience.

You see, it turns out McCarty is -- you guessed it -- a staunch and active wingnut Republican. Just take a look at part of her pre-incarceration résumé:

1998: Is Jeb Bush’s regional campaign chairwoman in his gubernatorial bid.

March 1999: Forms an exploratory committee looking at the possibility of a congressional bid.

December 1999: With her husband, Kevin, is named a chair of George W. Bush’s presidential campaign in Florida.

November 2000: Allows two dozen Republican operatives [to] turn her commission office into a makeshift war room and watch the 2000 manual recount on closed-circuit television.

December 2000: Is elected chairwoman of the county’s Republican Party.

As I keep saying, I realize that corruption and malfeasance in office are not unique to the Republican Party. But, boy, it sure seems to follow that party around far more than the Democrats -- especially in Florida.

Oh, it gets better: McCarty's aforementioned husband Kevin, co-chair of Drunky McStagger's 2000 campaign in Florida, already is in prison for his role in covering up his wife's misdeeds. Heckuva job, Kevy.

Well, good luck in prison, Mary, and in getting help for the undisclosed substance abuse your attorney revealed today in asking for you to be placed at a specific federal facility in Texas. You say you're "humbled." Well, around here, you're just another name in the long list of corrupt Republicans. Welcome to the club.

Blast Off! endorses Alex Sink for governor

Earlier today, state CFO Alex Sink (right) announced her candidacy for governor of Florida in the 2010 election. Several months ago, she withdrew her name from consideration for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Mel Martinez, and that naturally led to increasing speculation regarding her candidacy for governor. With two major political plums up for grabs next year, all eyes have been on Gov. Charlie Crist as he mulled over his options; his announcement yesterday that he would run for Senate made today's statement by Sink almost anticlimactic.

I'm running for Governor.

Floridians from Pensacola over to Jacksonville and all the way down to Key West are facing enormous challenges. Each and every day, the global financial crisis tests our families, our economy and our resolve.

In unique and challenging times like these, our state needs a new and different kind of leadership.

Thousands of Floridians have told me they need leaders committed to protecting the middle class, strengthening our economy and giving our families a fighting chance. As a businesswoman and working mom, I couldn’t agree more.

Before the people of Florida elected me their CFO, I spent nearly three decades in business – creating jobs and economic opportunity in communities all across our state.

During my short time in state government, a couple of things have become crystal clear: Tallahassee’s tired old ways of doing business just aren’t enough to answer the urgent new challenges we face. And a state government influenced by narrow special interests cannot put the best interests of everyday Floridians first.

Today, I’m announcing I will be a candidate for Governor of Florida in the November 2010 election, and put my business experience and know-how to work restoring our economy.

And, as Florida’s CFO, I’ll continue using my business experience to cut wasteful spending, crack down on financial fraud and reform state contracts.

For too long, we’ve had to tolerate a state government that puts playing politics ahead of helping families. Together, we can change all that, and give our state a fresh start.

Alex

p.s. Watch my announcement on video here.

For some time, I've said here and elsewhere that whatever Charlie Crist runs for, he'll win (although I'm hedging my bets a little now, as his primary challenge may well be tougher than the general for him) and that I hoped Alex Sink would run for whatever Charlie didn't. Moreover, I've predicted that the non-Crist race in 2010 (between Senate and governor) will go the Democrats' way. Well, today my forecast officially became half right. Even though I publicly urged Sink to run for Senate, I look at it simply like she and Crist exchanged election races.

But regardless of the office, I have been impressed with Alex Sink every time I've spoken with her and seen her speak, whether it was to a few people or to a whole audience of Democrats. Not only is she the highest-ranking Democratic state official in Florida but, other than Bill Nelson, who already has a job (for a while at least), she's the only Florida Democrat currently holding office who has proven she can win a statewide election.

Alex Sink is the best hope for Florida to stem the tide of Republican malfeasance that has infected the state through Jeb! Bush's two terms as governor and, indeed, right on through the current administration of faux-moderate Charlie Crist. Because of that, and because of my deep respect for her and her proven leadership ability, I am pleased to give Blast Off!'s 2010 gubernatorial endorsement to Alex Sink.

Obama State College?

Probably not. But it is one of the suggested name changes for Palm Beach Community College, which seeks to take advantage of the Florida law allowing community colleges to change their names along with their missions when they begin offering four-year baccalaureate degrees.

"I kind of lament the loss of the community college moniker but we just have to work real hard so that the community knows that the community college mission won't change," said PBCC board of trustees member Ken Kirby.

The trustees are scheduled to review the survey results at a meeting Tuesday.

The survey had four suggested names for people to vote. The title Palm Beach State College was preferred by a majority - 40 percent - of respondents. But people were also given the opportunity to suggest their own names.

Those include[:]

• Alligator Community College
• Treasure Coast State College (of course, it's in the Gold Coast.)
• Juan Ponce De leon State College
• Mike is Awesome State College
• Colbert University
• The School of Intellagince (sic) and Performance
• The "Other" State College

The survey was open for about a month beginning in early April and was available on the school's Web site.

"Colbert University?" I love it ...

Lest anyone question PBCC trustee Kirby's allegiances, though, he chimed in with his own idea:

Kirby hadn't seen all of the proposed names on Thursday. He favors Palm Beach State College, but wasn't as partial to one respondent's suggestion of John F. Kennedy College.

"That's nice, but what about Ronald Reagan State College," he joked.

Yeah, great idea there, Ken. I mean, if you're going to name it for someone who, like you, hates public education (not to mention minorities, alternative lifestyles, and sanity), why not go all the way and name it for the man who originally appointed you to the Board (before Gov. Crist reappointed you): "Jeb! Bush State College?" You could even call it "B.S. College" for short, which would be apt indeed ...

Blast Off! Radio today at 4:00 pm EDT: Days of swine and roses

Saturday marked the 135th "Run for the Roses," the Kentucky Derby, an event that Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Dementia) surprisingly missed, given that he's a Kentuckian presumably running for reelection ... although it looks more like retirement is in the offing. On the other hand, maybe the senator merely was being prudent and avoiding crowds who may be infected en masse with the swine flu. So, there's your "day of swine and roses" ... get it?

Well, what you really ought to get is in front of a computer at 4:00 Eastern today for another exciting edition of Blast Off! Radio. Today we'll talk about that crazy swine flu scare and how it reflects Republican strategy (believe me, there's a connection -- and it's not that the GOP caused swine flu, despite the pigs they keep choosing as officeholders), and we'll also see how those nutty Republicans, led by none other than Jeb! Bush, are trying to "restore the luster" to their increasingly marginalized party, especially following the defection of Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania to the Democratic side of the aisle.

Naturally, we'll discuss some topics of Florida interest as well, including a look back at the recent contentious budget struggles in Tallahassee: what passed and what didn't? And why exactly do Republicans want to keep the electorate stupid and ill-informed? (I'll bet you can answer that one on your own ...) And I'll have a look back at my trip last week to New Orleans, with some discussion of how the city is coping with life nearly four years after Katrina.

You'll get all that and more on the show today, plus of course your phone calls, emails, and chatting. And it's so very easy to listen and participate:

TIME: 4:00 pm Eastern TODAY

Click here to listen

Call in number: (646) 716-7543

E-mail: blastoffradio-at-gmail-dot-com

As far as I know, the swine flu can't be transmitted through the internets ... so there should be nothing stopping you from listening today to Blast Off! Radio! Hope you'll join me this afternoon ...

(cross-posted at FPC Blog)

Jeb! Bush: he's baaaaaaaack!

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

In an effort to boost their sagging tea bags reputations, Republicans are pulling out all the stops with their new PR campaign. And one of those stops is named Bush.

Specifically, former Florida governor, has-been, and all-around douchebag Jeb! Bush, who along with fellow shills for the selfish way of life like once and future presidential candidate Mitt Romney and congressional doofus Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), among others, is beginning an undoubtedly personally lucrative speaking tour to tell people that Republicans have a new message for a "New America," namely, that ... um ... er ... well ... we're not sure, but we know it's not what's happening now:

"You can't beat something with nothing, and the other side has something," Bush told a group of about 100 people at the Pie-Tanza pizza parlor. "I don't like it, but they have it and we have to be respectful and mindful of that.

"I hope across the country people will be excited about the prospect of sharing their ideas to bring about a better America," he said.

A hundred poor, misbegotten souls at a pizza place in northern Virginia to hear Jeb! talk about, um, I guess doing different things? Wow, that's an auspicious start to a nationwide movement right there, you betcha. Maybe that's because we already figured out how to bring about a better America, starting with electing Democrats to office? Geez, these Republicans are dense.

Oh, and speaking of "you betcha," failed 2008 presidential candidate Huggy Bear is a part of this group, as are sycophantic southern governors Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Haley Barbour of Mississippi, but notably absent is presumed 2012 presidential nomination front-runner Sarah Palin (and, for that matter, Newt Gingrich). You don't suppose there's just a smidgeon of internal dissension in the GOP right now, do you?

Nevertheless, the star of this Ship of Fools clearly is Jeb! himself. It tells you a lot about a movement when the frontman is a guy who, as governor of the nation's fourth-largest state, destroyed public education, contravened the law to put his brother in the White House, and haphazardly injected himself into an intensely personal debate over the fate of Terri Schiavo. What it tells me is that this effort is doomed from the start:

"He's really the perfect person to do it because he governed successfully for eight years in a swing state, a purple state, as a conservative and left office very popular," said Justin Sayfie, a former Bush aide who last year started his own group called "Rebuild the Party."

But Bush's brand of leadership is also associated with the rigid conservatism that some Republicans blame for repelling voters and most recently, veteran Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who switched parties.

[...]

"Jeb may be a better spokesman for the Republican Party than Rush Limbaugh, but that's a very low bar," quipped Democratic state Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach. "He wears the right-wing badge very proudly, and as governor he didn't have any appetite for moving the party to the center."

The new group also includes Republican presidential nominee John McCain, prompting the national Democratic Party to circulate a blogger's snarky observation that "things are really humming along when your 'rebranding' effort is led by your recently crushed presidential nominee and your discredited party leader's brother."

Sayfie called that a "cheap shot." He added, "People judge the governor on his record and the president on his record."

Sure they do, Justin, and it's precisely why Barack Obama occupies the White House right now, there are 59 -- soon to be 60 -- Democrats in the U.S. Senate, and your party has to launch a barely noticeable dog-and-pony-show to say, "Hey, America, we're still relevant! Really, we are! We're not just a bunch of aging white plutocrats who want only to preserve our power!" Only, that's exactly what the GOP is today. You see, Justin, "successfully" means something other than what you think it means ... and Jeb! only "governed successfully" if you're an aging white plutocrat -- or you want to be one.

Jeb! deserves full credit not only for destroying public education in Florida, but also for leading the charge to destroy public transportation by forging an altogether harmful agreement with rail conglomerate CSX, one that ensured the demise of clean, safe, efficient, speedy light rail for Florida for the foreseeable future. But, go ahead, Republicans, roll out another Bush to try to save the day. Only problem is: the barn door's already been open for far too long. And there's only one word to describe the GOP's current predicament: FAIL.

Republicans actively oppose education ... AGAIN

It would be astonishing, unbelievable, even disturbing to see that Republicans in the Florida legislature are so vehemently opposed to education ... if it weren't so typical of them. It really goes back to the damaging legacy of Jeb! Bush, whose incessant crusade against public education I've covered here before, but it is truly upsetting to be reminded constantly that the GOP just doesn't want people to learn, to be educated in any way. It's how they keep their base uninformed and blind to facts, of course, but it's still distressing.

Yesterday the House and Senate Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Conference Committee recommended cutting all state funding from Florida's libraries, to the tune of $21.2 million.

Over the weekend, that decision will be reviewed, and could possibly be changed, at two levels. It goes first to the chairmen of the ways and means committees, state Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, in the Senate, and state Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, in the House.

The proposal then goes for review to Larry Cretul, speaker of the House, and Jeff Atwater, Senate president.

Alexander said the elimination of state library funding could be reversed before Monday's expected adoption of the state budget, but that appears unlikely.

"The concrete has been poured and it's hardening, but it's not finalized yet," Alexander said Friday from the state capital.

"That's one of the issues that are raising some concerns," he said. "We will take a hard look at it."

Alexander called restoration of library funding "possible," but added that the leadership "gives great weight to those conference committees."

Eliminating state aid will force the closing of branch libraries around the state and "have a particularly devastating impact on rural counties," said Faye Roberts, a spokeswoman for the Florida Library association.

State funding accounts for between 30 to 50 percent of the funding for rural libraries like the Highlands County system, Roberts said.

All funding for technology, including computers, in the Highlands County libraries comes from the five-county Heartland Library Cooperative, which is funded entirely by the state, Myers said.

"If the cooperative goes out of business, we won't have Internet unless the county could step up with the funding, but the county doesn't have the funding to do that," she said.

We're not talking about belt-tightening here; this is devastating to all Floridians, but naturally -- like most Republican legislative efforts -- the burden from these cuts falls disproportionately on minorities, the elderly, and lower-income citizens, who rely on libraries for everything from information gathering to Internet access.

Florida's GOP leadership must think no one's watching. First they try to keep otherwise eligible people from voting through dirty tricks and obfuscation, and now they add to their legacy of destruction with regard to education in the state. Isn't it time that the electorate woke the fuck up and realized that Republican legislators only care about themselves and maintaining their hold on wealth and power?

The battle isn't over yet. Folks like you are bombarding the legislators and the governor's office with phone calls and emails demanding that library funding be maintained.

A decision by House and Senate budget negotiators to wipe out $22.2 million [sic] in state support for public libraries, a program that has existed since 1962, may not be the final word.

Senate budget chief JD Alexander, meeting this morning with top budget lieutenants, said he will try to restore all or some of the money.

"We've had a lot of concern expressed over the funding for libraries," said the Lake Wales Republican. "I'm sure we'll get to that."

Gov. Charlie Crist, who showed up [at] the first round of budget conferences this morning, said he was already hearing from library supporters and said he hoped some money could be found.

Yeah, Charlie, we hope so, too. Someone has to stop the GOP-led War on Knowledge in Florida ... and this is where we draw the line.

Check out the Florida Library Association's (FLA) press release (.pdf) on this issue. Then find and contact your legislators at these links:

House of Representatives

Senate

Governor

Let them know that these indignities will not be forgotten. (And while you're at it, you might point out the irony of the image shown at right, taken from the "Government" page of the state's main Internet portal: "Sign up for your free library card?" Indeed ...)

Blast Off! Radio today at 4:00 pm EDT: Make sure to use a No. 2 pencil

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test -- or "FCAT" -- probably strikes more fear in the hearts of educators than it does the public school students throughout Florida who actually take the test. That's because the state uses the test scores to gauge the schools' performance during each year, at the end of which they get a letter grade -- A through F -- that defines how much funding they'll get the next year. As a result, teachers don't just "teach to the test," but they practically have to do so, in order to preserve their schools and their jobs. And that, in turn, makes Florida's public school system even worse, by forcing teachers into cramming rote facts into their students' heads rather than helping them, you know, actually learn.

This brilliant notion (sarcasm intended) was the brainchild of former Florida governor Jeb! Bush -- or it would have been, if he only had a brain -- and it is the crown jewel of what I call the "damaging legacy" of Bush's gubernatorial reign. And since the main part of the FCAT will be administered this week, it provides me with perfect, timely ranting fodder for today's Blast Off! Radio.

Indeed, I'll be spending much of the show talking about education -- and I actually do know a little about the subject, having been a high school teacher myself at one time, for four years. I also have a child in a Florida public school and another who will be when she enters kindergarten (likewise, Miss July has three kids in public school here, and I hear a lot about their trials and tribulations), so my experience is firsthand.

No, the show won't be all about the FCAT, as we have plenty of other education-related topics to cover: for one, kudos to the Obama administration for deciding that actual science, not ideology, will guide the government's approach to, well, science. And what about the Florida school board that hates gay students? All this and more will come to you in pure, full rantophonic© sound on Blast Off! Radio this afternoon.

How can you get a piece of the action today? As always, it's just a click away:

TIME: 4:00 pm Eastern TODAY

Click here to listen

Call in number: (646) 716-7543

E-mail: blastoffradio-at-gmail-dot-com

So get those pencils sharpened and get ready to bubble in your answer sheets for Blast Off! Radio. And remember: when in doubt, bubble "C."

(cross-posted at FPC Blog)

Ignorance, thy name is Bush

With all the hammering at this sucky blog on Jeb! Bush and his older, even dumber brother, Drunky McStagger, seldom do we have an opportunity to pick on another member of the Bush klan clan*. Yet here's a great chance for a double play, as Jeb!'s son George P. Bush proves not only how stupid he is, but how delusional Republicans are in general.

The other day, George P. spoke to the Hitler Youth's Young Republican National Federation's convention in Orlando, and he expressed disdain for Gov. Charlie Crist's support of the Obama stimulus package recently passed by Congress:

"There's some in our party that want to assume that government is the answer to all of our problems," Bush said. "I'm not going to name any names."

But he said in Florida, there were Republicans who have endorsed the recent $787 billion stimulus plan that Democratic President Barack Obama signed into law. Bush was referring to Republican Crist, who lobbied hard for the bill, including an appearance with Obama in Fort Myers.

"You know who I'm talking about," Bush said, as the crowd attending the Young Republican National Federation murmured and laughed a little tensely. "That's problematic. We as conservatives have to ultimately balance the federal government's checkbook."

For some reason, thinking of George P. saying "You know who I'm talking about" reminds me of a movie quote ...

You know what he's talking about!

Anyway, the truly idiotic statement by GPB is that conservatives will "balance the federal government's checkbook." Perhaps, George, you were getting into your sister's stash during your uncle's reign of terror in the White House (not to mention Dad's governorship), but 21st Century Republicans are about as far from "conservative" as you can get. The profligate spending and irresponsible tax cuts of the Bush crime syndicate have gotten us squarely into the fiscal mess in which we find ourselves today, both as a nation and in Florida. Yes, George, it was your uncle who took the country from a budget surplus to a trillion-dollar deficit. Conservative? Not hardly ...

So don't tell me about balancing the checkbook, Georgie, because you don't know the first thing about that. You know what I'm talking about?

---

* Well, except for Noelle Bush, Jeb!'s daughter, and her issues with drugs.

Is it 2010 yet?

Hard to believe that 2009 has barely started and we're already getting into the silly season for 2010, particularly regarding the U.S. Senate race here in America's Wang™.

With Jeb! Bush and Alex Sink taking themselves out of contention, it's turned into a real free-for-all. Naturally, the Chief Wanger™, Gov. Charlie Crist, leads the way among Republicans. His popularity is as high as that of the President right now ... should Charlie strike while the iron's hot?

The poll found that 67 percent of Floridians view Crist favorably, 21 percent unfavorably. Obama is viewed favorably by 66 percent and unfavorably by 16 percent in the survey completed on the eve of his inauguration.

"No one has surfaced as a likely Democratic opponent for Gov. Charlie Crist and that's not surprising, given how well he is thought of by Floridians," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "It's impressive at this time of national Obamamania that Gov. Crist's favorability rating is slightly higher than that of the new president.

"Of course, it's still more than 21 months until the 2010 election, but Charlie Crist looks like a very strong candidate for reelection."

Assuming, of course, that Gov. Crist is seeking reelection as governor ... but what about the Senate?

The interesting thing that no one seems to have mentioned yet is that should Gov. Crist seek the Senate nod, that opens up the governor's chair. And one name that comes up repeatedly for that role on the Democratic side is ... Alex Sink. Currently the highest-ranking Democrat in state government, CFO Sink is a leading candidate to win the office her husband, Bill McBride, sought a few years back ... which probably would set up kind of a win-win situation. Stay with me on this one for a moment:

Say Crist seeks reelection ... then it's a decent bet, if not a certainty, that the Democratic candidate (maybe Rep. Kendrick Meek?) wins the Senate seat. But if Charlie goes to Washington (I'm assuming he's unbeatable right now, although I know that could change), then we quite likely could end up with a Democratic governor. I don't think in this current climate, the GOP wins both races.

So, look for the union label silver lining, folks: while we still may be stuck with Charlie, something good is likely to come of it, one way or the other.

Republicans celebrate Jeb!'s possible run for Senate ... well, most do

Merely by saying he was "considering" a run for the U.S. Senate in 2010, Jeb! Bush has the state GOP all in a lather. Thinking they've figure out how to placate the batshit crazy wingnut side of the party, the radical right is falling all over themselves to get out of Jeb!'s way.

The news also gave pause to at least some of the hopeful GOP politicians mulling a run. U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, who was among the potential candidates identified by Republican insiders on Tuesday, issued a news release titled "Jeb Bush Would Make an Outstanding United States Senator" Wednesday afternoon.

Interestingly, though, not every prominent Florida Republican is overwhelmed with excitement.

Gov. Charlie Crist's response to the possibility was a marked departure from the enthusiasm expressed by other Republicans.

He called Bush a "great Floridian" and gave a tepid response when pressed about whether he'd like to see Bush run: "I would like to see him do what he wants to do."

How's that for a ringing endorsement?

Actually, I see these Senate feelers a lot like Sunny does. She commented here yesterday, "I bet somebody got to Mel [Martinez]. These guys are setting the table for 2012 already."

Even more to the point, I'm sure it's no coincidence that a potential Senator Jeb! would be completing his first six-year Senate term in 2016 ... right when President Obama could be wrapping up his second term in the White House.

The Republicans just don't give up on the Bushies, do they? Well, they don't -- or they can't.

But, if the all-powerful Bush machine propels Jeb! to the Senate, we in the reality-based community can take solace in one historical fact: the only Republican President to be elected directly from the U.S. Senate was Warren G. Harding, in 1920. And, if you know your history, you know that didn't turn out very well -- for the country or for Harding personally.

Jeb! has the Senate on his mind

Out of the frying pan into the fire?

That's what we could be facing here in Florida, if you put any stock in this Politico.com report that former governor Jeb! Bush is considering a run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Mel Martinez. Apparently Jeb! isn't content merely with destroying Florida's education system, economy, culture, etc. .... he wants to go national.

Asked whether he was interested in running for the seat then, Bush told Politico by e-mail Tuesday night: “I am considering it.”

A source close to Bush said he'll be thoughtful and methodical about the decision-making process. He will consider the impact a race would have on his family and his business and whether or not the U.S. Senate is the best forum from which to continue his advocacy for issues such as education, immigration and GOP solutions to health care reform.

Terrific. Jeb!'s "advocacy" for education has made Florida a laughingstock in everything from K-12 education to the university level. And, of course, don't forget that the name "Bush" is poison pretty much everywhere -- except, of course, in America's Wang™, where stupid grows on trees.

Now, the fact is, of course, that if Jeb! runs, he wins, most likely. We can only hope as a state and as a nation that he decides that his family and business are better off with him staying in Miami rather than Washington. Otherwise, we'll have even more Bush-created mess to clean up in a few years.

Sink for Senate? Or governor?

Democrats in Florida are hoping to maintain some momentum in 2010 following Barack Obama's big win, and they're looking right at Sen. Mel Martinez.

With Dems already branding Republican U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez a top target for 2010, much speculation has focused on Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink as a potential Democratic challenger. Sink is also a hot commodity in the 2010 gubernatorial speculation market. Sink, for the record, says she's focusing on her job and not commenting on 2010 rumors.

If Sink doesn't run for Senate, U.S. Rep. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, will be among those attracting speculation. One of the most prodigious money-raisers in Congress, Klein has about $1.7 million left over in his campaign account. Klein says he's too busy dealing with the nation's financial meltdown and national catastrophe insurance to think about 2010.

Okay, first of all, let's be realistic here: Democrats in Florida have no momentum. Not really. Yeah, we went blue for president, but that was about the extent of the excitement. Democrats had a net gain of one -- count it, one -- congressional seat, and the Legislature remains deep red. And as far as ballot initiatives, one need only look at the atrocious Amendment 2, the constitutional ban on all non-one-man-one-woman unions, to see that Florida has far to go to consider itself even on the on-ramp to the progressive road.

But, let's fast-forward a couple of years. If President Obama is successful at restoring economic health in America (and, presumably, in Florida by association) and the Iraq War is over or nearly so, the Democrats might be able to make some gains in the mid-term elections. Besides, we have to have someone to run against Martinez, as well as against incumbent governor Charlie Crist who, despite being a Republican (or maybe because of it), remains highly popular. Martinez clearly is the easier target of the two, and Alex Sink is the Democrats' strongest statewide candidate at this point; she and Sen. Bill Nelson are the only Democrats presently holding statewide office.

As much as I like Ron Klein, though, I believe he would be a poor statewide candidate (as would his congressional colleagues Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Robert Wexler). Floridians outside of south Florida tend to distrust those from this area (the exception being Miamians like Jeb! Bush, Bob Graham, and Claude Pepper), and even though Klein is a prodigious fundraiser, I don't think he has the pedigree nor the experience to succeed in a statewide race.

So, for my money, Alex Sink should step up and take on Mel Martinez in 2010. Florida was a pioneer in sending a woman to the Senate (Paula Hawkins, elected in 1980). It's time for another one, but this time a Democrat. As for the gubernatorial race, it's going to be frankly tough to beat Charlie ... so let's not sacrifice a successful member of Congress for the cause.

When fundies attack: Florida gets two "In God We Trust" license plates

Unbeknownst to most, I would guess, a few years ago then-governor Jeb! Bush shepherded a bill through the Florida legislature that made "In God We Trust" the official state motto. Now that motto has made its way to our license plates. However, unlike the odious (and unconstitutional) "Choose Life" plates, you don't have to pay extra to go all holy on your license plate. That's right -- you can have a Christian motto on your license plate for no extra charge.

But here's the part of the new In God We Trust plan that makes it different from other specialty plates.

It's the cost-free option.

The license plate can be just like any other specialty plate. That is, you plunk down the $27 fee to have an In God We Trust plate, which would be a special-design plate featuring those words in the middle. That tag will be sold after the design is approved.

But starting today, you'll also be able to get another kind of In God We Trust plate that doesn't cost you any specialty fee, because the words will replace Sunshine State or your county name on the bottom of the plate. Hey, it's the state motto.

So the next time you get a plate, you'll have a new choice to make: God or sunshine.

If you happen to be religious, choosing sunshine might be inviting a lightning strike on your way out of the motor vehicle office.

So I predict that over time, atheists eventually will become known by their Sunshine State plates, and it will be up to them to spread the good word about Florida's earthly paradise.

The "official" In God We Trust specialty license plate, which became available yesterday; the fee-free version replaces the words "Sunshine State" with "In God We Trust" at the bottom of the standard plate.

Someone help me understand this: when exactly do we cross the line into unconstitutional state sponsorship of religion? Yes, I know you still can elect to have the traditional "SUNSHINE STATE" on your plate, so it's not mandatory to put a religious message on your car. But, as when Indiana produced their "In God We Trust" plates for no additional fee, it becomes a distinction without a difference. I mean, what are the chances that you could have "In Allah We Trust" on your license plate for no charge?

Truly, Florida deserves to be the laughingstock of America. We've got those aforementioned "Choose Life" plates, plus there were proposed plates (which we may yet see someday) for overt fundamentalist Christianity and Confederate (read: racist) pride. What's next? "Fuck the N*****s" or plates celebrating Neo-Nazis?

I wish my home state weren't so batshit insane ...

Bumper sticker

I like this one.

Seen outside a Starbucks in Tallahassee, Fla.:

The only Bush I trust is my own

Succinct and to the point, I'd say.

The damaging legacy of Jeb! Bush, Vol. 4: School spending next to last in U.S.

Blast Off!'s continuing series about the damage done to Florida by Jeb! Bush and his minions looks once more at education, where the former governor's scorched-earth strategy seems to have had the most effect.

A report in today's Palm Beach Post reveals that Florida ranks next-to-last among the states and the District of Columbia in school spending relative to wealth.

For every $1,000 of residents' personal income, Florida spends $33.51 compared with the U.S. average of $43.34. Comparably poor Georgia ranks 13th, spending $48.21 for every $1,000.

Residents in South Florida and parts of the Treasure Coast, also bear an uncommon share of the burden.

Though local school districts spend less on education per student than the national average, they tend to pay a much larger portion of the bill.

Local funding in property-rich Palm Beach and Martin counties accounts for 70 percent and 74 percent, respectively, of all education spending, compared with 48 percent for the average U.S. school district. St. Lucie County is closer to the norm. It ponied up 55 percent of total school funding in 2006.

Palm Beach County is more generous than Treasure Coast school districts when it comes to spending per student, but it still pays only $8,345 compared with a national average of $9,138. Martin spends $7,674 and St. Lucie $7,239 per child.

The U.S. Census Bureau this week released detailed public school finance figures for every U.S. school district from the 2005-2006 school year as part of an annual report.

Given the state's budget crisis, local school districts will be forced to cover even more of the cost to educate Florida's children, said Vern Pickup-Crawford, a lobbyist for Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie county school districts.

The state employs a Robin Hood formula, which takes money from districts with high property values and healthy tax rolls and feeds a portion to poor districts. There have been three lawsuits in the 30 years since the formula was enacted, Pickup-Crawford said. The courts upheld the formula in each case.

Meanwhile, on the same page of the paper, we see that the ludicrous and destructive Crist-Rubio revenue slashing has increased the burden on school districts profoundly.

The Palm Beach County School District will have to ax between $25 million to $30 million next school year under proposals released Wednesday by the Florida House and Senate.

It was no surprise for the district, which had expected next year's $1.5 billion operating budget to be the worst it's seen in more than a decade, but it comes at a time when the district has already made cuts to its budget and faces rising costs for utilities, fuel and health insurance.

"We have a challenge," Superintendent Art Johnson said at a school board discussion on the budget. "We do not have a crisis at this point, but it's not business as usual."

[...]

If passed, the budget would mark the first time in a decade the district is getting less money from the state than the year before. Just two years ago, the budget grew by $99 million.

The district is faced with making the cuts a few months before it opens three new schools, which will increase spending on electricity and personnel by $3 million. The interest it earns on investments is also decreasing, which will leave the district with $5 million less than a year ago.

Unlike in previous tough budget years, when the district could leave teaching positions unfilled to save money, the state's class-size amendment requires caps on class size, making it more difficult to make significant cuts in the budget.

I realize all of this has been a conscious strategy by Jeb! and his GOP sycophants, later folks like Crist and Rubio, to destroy public education in an effort to advance truly repugnant ideas like privatization and vouchers. However, the real damage is done to our children, who are left behind as always by Republicans. You see, needless to say, Republicans don't give a shit about children or education or the poor, no matter what rhetoric they might use to suggest otherwise. All they care about is making themselves and their cronies richer, and one way some believe they can do that is to privatize everything.

Republican rule has been disastrous for Florida, economically, educationally, culturally, and morally. As a former educator and one with two small children who are or will be in Florida public schools, I'm disgusted with the way education has been minimalized and compartmentalized by our state's leaders.

It's going to take years to undo the damage done by the Bushies, but we're going to have to start by kicking the idiots out, beginning this fall. A tall order, I know, given the social conservatives who dominate the state outside of the Glans™ ... but just as Howard Dean's 50-State Strategy brought gains in Congress for the Democrats, so too must we implement a 67-County Strategy in Florida. Our kids deserve our best effort ... and under GOP rule, they're getting far from it.

Blog Against Theocracy 2008: More assaults on church-state separation in Florida

Since Blog Against Theocracy has been extended through this week, the latest news from Florida on the subject of the separation of church and state is eminently apropos ... and really frightening, too.

Truly, America's Wang™ is a thoroughly fucked up state. Our schools are falling apart, both literally and figuratively; our community colleges and universities are facing unprecedented budget cuts; teachers, professors, and administrators alike all are concerned about layoffs; and our legislature, in its inimitable wisdom, is occupying itself with yet another batshit-crazy-fundie-led attempt to turn Florida, already a de facto theocracy in many ways, into an officially sanctioned one.

At a time when president-elect of the Florida School Boards Association Beverly Slough hasn't even had time in the last month to read the book I sent her due to what she has told me is the financial crisis facing Florida and its schools, you would think that the state legislature would be falling all over itself trying to find ways to make sure money got to where it really needed to go — to the [state's] failing universities and public school system.

You would be terribly wrong.

In fact, [a committee] of the state legislature's Taxation and Budget Reform Commission [(TBRC)] have a very different idea about where money should go. They're trying to get Committee Proposal 20 (CP0020) [(.pdf)] on the ballot in November at which time it could be placed by popular vote into the state constitution. What, you might ask, does this proposal do? According to the Committee's website, it's:

A resolution proposing an amendment to Section 3 of Article I of the State Constitution to repeal a limit on the use of public revenues in aid of religious organizations and entities, and to prohibit individuals and entities from being barred from participating in public programs because of their religion.

Who needs schools when you can have churches instead? Why not just hand over tax revenues to religious organizations with no limits at all?

The committee would have you believe that there are heathen atheists blocking the doors of public facilities and keeping people out of programs and activities purely on the basis of their faith (pretty much only Christian faith, I might add). Needless to say, this isn't the case. And yet, the fundies who have slithered their way into leadership positions throughout Florida's government, thanks to the insane machinations of their Chief Standard Bearer and Ass Kisser, Jeb! Bush, continue chipping away at the sacrosanct walls that separate religion from government.

Folks, this proposal is openly and unabashedly designed to funnel state monies to religious organizations, in violation of Florida's Constitution, the United States Constitution, and every responsible and sensible theory of American government ever advanced. But because the state is run by batshit crazy fundies, you just never know ... if the full Commission ends up putting the proposal on November's ballot -- something they are empowered to do and will decide tomorrow -- we could be voting on this at the same time we're voting on the reprehensible anti-gay marriage amendment. It's not going to be an election -- it's turning into a fucking revival.

One of the members of the TBRC committee pushing this proposal is one Patricia Levesque. Now, why does that name sound familiar to me? Hmmm ...

Oh, yes, now I remember. Levesque is the director of Jeb! Bush's Foundation for Florida's Future, the hyper-right-wing group that, among other things, advocates extreme politicization of the higher education system in Florida and, unsurprisingly, wants to Christianize our schools. Yeah, I really trust that committee to do what's best for the state. Right. [/snark]

This shit has to stop, now, before it's too late. If it passes, as the Palm Beach Post pointed out today,

Separation of church and state in the U.S. Constitution still would apply. But if the state charter is weakened, the Florida Legislature - which approved vouchers for religious schools with no meaningful oversight and intervened on religious grounds in the Terri Schiavo case - likely would fall all over itself to "outsource" services to religious groups. Only years of lawsuits would get things back on the right side of the church-state line.

The committee also has a proposal to give people "freedom to choose among public and private providers of public services." Obviously another thinly veiled attempt to legalize government support of religious institutions. They aren't even hiding this shit anymore.

Let's see what the TBRC does tomorrow. But I've had it up to here with the Christianist hate-mongers trying to shove their faith down everyone's throats. This fall, the election is about much more than who will be president. It's about marginalizing the rabid Religious Right once and for all -- for nothing less than the survival of America.

(h/t Interrobang)

Today's Daily Schadenfreude: the owner of this building

This one just makes me laugh every time I pass by.

It's an office building beside the onramp to southbound I-95 at Atlantic Avenue in Pompano Beach. I first noticed it back in 2002, when it proclaimed "JEB BUSH FOR GOVERNOR," and I remember thinking how odd that was ... maybe just leased advertising space or something, or else campaign headquarters.

Nope.

In 2004, it read "GEORGE BUSH FOR PRESIDENT," and in 2006, "CHARLIE CRIST FOR GOVERNOR." I guess the owner was feeling cocky or something, because this year, the perfect record was broken -- and in no uncertain terms:

I'm sure the non-Republican tenants just love this place ... good thing there's still plenty of room for this deluded soul to emblazon the building with "HUGGY BEAR FOR PRESIDENT."

In the meantime, congratulations to the building owner, because today's Blast Off! Daily Schadenfreude is for you!

Governing Florida's universities: a glimmer of hope?

Ever since Jeb! Bush ruined Florida's system of higher education by trashing the old system, replacing the centralized Board of Regents with individual -- and gubernatorially-appointed -- Boards of Trustees at each of the 11 universities (a similar system was imposed on the 28 community colleges) and a central -- but weakened -- Board of Governors also appointed by the Governor, the state has seen increasingly dysfunctional university governance, a uptick in presidents chosen for their political savvy rather than their academic résumés, and a plunge in rankings when compared with universities outside Florida.

Finally, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. State Sen. Lisa Carlton (R-Sarasota) has introduced legislation that could return control to the Legislature, which by definition should have a better understanding of education than the governor.

The Senate Pre-K-12 Education Committee voted unanimously for a bill that would ask voters in November to give budget authority over the state's 11 universities to the Legislature, stripping it from the Board of Governors. Senate sponsor Lisa Carlton said lawmakers should control the debate over how to set tuition rates, not "some appointed board outside of this building."

Carlton ... said that every dollar increase in tuition requires an equal increase in two state-subsidized programs -- the Pre-Paid College Tuition Program and the Bright Futures scholarships. With every tuition increase, she said, the Legislature must come up with more money to pay for the programs, and more students could be priced out of going to college.

Seems to make sense, doesn't it? Well, as you might imagine, ol' Jeb! isn't happy about it:

But Gov. Jeb Bush told The Miami Herald he opposes the measure because he believes that electing an education commissioner will weaken the power of the governor, politicize education and give the Legislature less control over education policy. His view is expressed by the Foundation for Florida's Future, he wrote in an e-mail, referring to the non-profit education reform advocacy group he started.

The group's director, Patricia Levesque, told the committee Wednesday that "there should be a vocal advocate for education in the state of Florida. We just believe it should be the governor."

Oh. My. Fucking. God. (I keep saying that because I can't believe the crap Republicans sling these days.) Weakening the power of the governor, fine -- I have no problem with that. But the idea that an elected education commissioner would inject more politics into education is complete crap.

I can't fathom a more politicized structure than we have now. Thanks to Jeb!, we went from about a dozen or so gubernatorial appointees related to universities to well over 100, and when you add in the community colleges the number approaches 200. I have worked for two state universities and one community college. I have seen firsthand the effect that the political appointees have had on the institutions. The boards today are stacked with Republicans, largely people who gave large amounts of money, or raised large amounts of money, for campaigns for people named Bush, and most of them don't have a fucking clue about how to run an educational institution. As for the Legislature having less control over policy -- when they take over governance as opposed to the current situation -- how the high holy fuck is that even possible?!?

"There should be a vocal advocate for education in the state of Florida," says Levesque. And it should be the governor, she adds. Sure. I agree. Damn straight our governor ought to be a vocal advocate for education. But you can be a "vocal advocate" for universities without governing them. Hell, I'm a vocal advocate for Florida's universities, and I don't govern them -- nor would I want to. Because I'm not qualified.

Kind of like the current Boards of Trustees. Unqualified.

I think the Legislature might actually Get It and this proposed constitutional amendment has a good chance of getting on the ballot. Check out this little exchange:

The committee also heard criticism of the plan from State University System Chancellor Mark Rosenberg, who said that a third revamp of the university system in 10 years would continue to diminish the quality of the education that university students receive.

"It will make our education system weaker, not stronger," he said. "It will further erode our state credibility in national educations circles" and make it more difficult to attract faculty.

He said that higher education needs to rely on both tuition and state funding and "if we can get more state support, we don't need to raise tuition."

Rosenberg's comments irritated Sen. Don Gaetz, chairman of the committee. He asked Rosenberg why he wants to keep the current system if it's so bad -- "a system by the way which you just indicted, by saying it's not giving Florida students the quality education -- which is on your watch, by the way."

Ooooh, burrrrn.

I'd like to invite Jeb! -- and Rosenberg and Levesque, while I'm at it -- to kindly fuck off. Haven't you already done enough to destroy Florida? Seriously, shut the hell up and go crawl in a hole somewhere, you miserable cretin. You, Jeb!, are history. Go make your money and let Florida clean up your mess without interfering. Thanks in advance.

And thanks to the Legislature, or at least the Senate education committee, for taking steps to clean up that mess. Better late than never.