Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Today Is Different, Because Today Really Sucks

On this day, January 4, 2011, the State of Florida is going to swear in a well-known MEDICARE FRAUD as Governor.

May God Have Mercy On Us All.  All because 2.5 million of my fellow Floridians didn't know (which is impossible, because GODDAMMIT WE KEPT SCREAMING ABOUT IT) or didn't care.

From Howard Troxler's article:

He did not mortgage himself for campaign money. He famously (or infamously) spent his own fortune.  (PERSONAL EDIT: Do I recall Scott still hosting fund-raisers to get people to cough up even more money to him?  I *was* too busy trying to ignore him in the godforsaken hope he'll disappear while I wasn't looking...)

He did not kiss up to interest groups to win. True, he is totally pro-business, but he came that way out of the box — they're kissing up to him.

He does not seem to care about offending, or how he looks in the media (which he largely ignores), or the critics. This is a good thing, since he starts with a 43 percent unfavorable rating.

Troxler's article tries to be fair and balanced... but dammit this is no time for that.

But Question No. 1 is how much his platform of creating jobs and cutting "red tape" will conflict with Florida's environmental and growth laws. At best, he will balance the two; at worst, he will be willing to sacrifice the second for the first — with a Legislature eager to help.

As soon as he gets started, Scott has to figure out how he would close a gap in next year's state budget that is growing toward $4 billion. It will be interesting to see his "business" approach.

If his "business" approach was anything like the business approach he had with Columbia/HCA - where he ran a corporation into BILLIONS of dollars worth of Medicare fraud so heinous that the company had to fire him and pay BILLIONS in records fines - we are... all Floridians are honestly screwed.

I do not trust Rick Scott considering the employment crisis.  He and his party are more focused on corporate tax cuts than on job growth: despite their snake oil salesmanship, the truth is that TAX CUTS DO NOT CREATE JOBS (investment in capital and business expansion does), so if they go that route I can guarantee you a flat job growth rate that cannot keep up with job losses.  Raising taxes isn't even a fix: there is sizable evidence that businesses and banks (that can loan money to businesses to expand and increase jobs) are just sitting on tons of money that can well be used to boost the economy and get businesses starting and growing again.  If Scott makes honest attempts to get private money plugged into the economy to increase jobs (if I were governor, I'd be calling those money hoarders every day to the carpet in front of live cameras and asking each one if they are investing that money into jobs), then and only then will I be impressed...

But I have no hope in his regard.  Scott is a crook.  His track record points to it, and his lack of accountability for the damage he's done suggests he thinks he'll keep getting away with it.  I've got a pool going on how soon Rick "MEDICARE FRAUD" Scott gets nailed with felony charges during his governorship.  Personally, I got him by July 14 of this year.  Any takers?  Winner gets first rights to travel cross-state to meet every 2.5 million voters who went with that bastard, and shout in each voter's ear "WE TOLD YOU!"

2 comments:

Bostondreams said...

I love how he is proposing to raise residential electric rates to lower commercial rates. And he is going to create jobs by firing public employees. And raise money by cutting property taxes. How is this man governor?

Paul W said...

Scott is governor because:
1) He avoided jail time for his fraud
2) He spent 75 million dollars to get elected
3) Not enough Democrats got out the vote
4) The Far Right Noise Machine stirred up enough bullsh-t about Health Care Reform and "Obama ZOMG Evil" to convince enough Republicans to get out the vote
5) Not enough moderates or independent voters have any lick of sense

It's amazing he is openly saying that he will raise electric rates on residents, even during this time of economic hardships. That he was going after public workers was no surprise. And you'd be stunned how many people are still suckers for the snake oil that is "tax cuts can RAISE revenues!"