Florida is now ugly to business - thank Bagger Rick

CNBC survey delivers jolting decline to Florida's attraction to business

Florida's standing as one of the top states for business just suffered a serious bruising, dropping 11 spots from 18th to 29th in a single year, according to an in-depth annual analysis by CNBC.

The dramatic drop is based on an overall state ranking gleaned from 10 separately ranked factors as diverse as education, access to capital and quality of life in the CNBC report calledAmerica's Top Business for States 2012.

The decline raises questions about the Pollyanna forecasts from Florida Gov. Rick Scott who this week insisted the Sunshine State has made a strong turnaround in the right direction.

Apparently CNBC analysts are looking at Florida without the benefit of rose-colored glasses. They smacked Florida with an 11-spot drop among the states driven by several specific category declines in the past year.

• Access to capital. Florida dropped to 24th from 9th.

• Education. Florida fell to 42nd from 35th.

• Infrastructure and transportation. Florida dipped to 11th from 8th last year.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/economicdevelopment/cnbc-survey-delivers-jolting-decline-to-floridas-attraction-to-business/1239854

Rick Scott, TB King

JACKSONVILLE — 

The CDC officer had a serious warning for Florida health officials in April: A tuberculosis outbreak in Jacksonville was one of the worst his group had investigated in 20 years. Linked to 13 deaths and 99 illnesses, including six children, it would require concerted action to stop.

That report had been penned on April 5, exactly nine days after Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill that shrank the Department of Health and required the closure of the A.G. Holley State Hospital in Lantana, where tough tuberculosis cases have been treated for more than 60 years.

As health officials in Tallahassee turned their focus to restructuring, Dr. Robert Luo’s 25-page report describing Jacksonville’s outbreak — and the measures needed to contain it – went unseen by key decision makers around the state. At the health agency, an order went out that the TB hospital must be closed six months ahead of schedule.

Had they seen the letter, decision makers would have learned that 3,000 people in the past two years may have had close contact with contagious people at Jacksonville’s homeless shelters, an outpatient mental health clinic and area jails. Yet only 253 people had been found and evaluated for TB infection, meaning Florida’s outbreak was, and is, far from contained.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2012/07/10/tb-outbreak-ignored-in-florida.html

Pants and scrotal sack on fire

Brother Penilers:

Here's your Governor, Liar Rick Scott, deducting 1 million jobs from his initial promise and then lying about it:

Heh

Scott and Koch with your Poverty?

In Seminole County, near Orlando, Fla., so many kids have lost their homes that school busses now stop at dozens of cheap motels where families crowd into rooms, living week to week.

American families have been falling out of the middle class in record numbers. The combination of lost jobs and millions of foreclosures means a lot of folks are homeless and hungry for the first time in their lives. more

Florida, Land of Slavery

Listen to this interview with a guy who bothered to look at why Florida tomatoes are like tasteless rocks, and under those rocks found slaves.

Naples! Listen up - this is your land - the land of Rick Scott - living off slaves.

Where on those god-fearing Teapippies on this? Fleeing to hell ahead of their DOOM?

Have a great Conquistador Celebration, Mr. and Ms. Asshat Penilstaters!

More here.

A Rally

It was a Tax Day Rally in Florida, held by teapartymanatee.org

So I attended, with a couple of friends, a tea party meeting in Bradenton. Here's a report on it from the press, followed by a few observations of yrs truly:

http://sarasota.patch.com/articles/local-tea-partiers-call-for-freedom-from-debt

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It was like an old church revival meeting, combined with a neighborhood fundraiser, combined with a small business card exchange, combined with a political campaign rally, combined with an ancestral worship service.

The dominant interwoven image used by nearly every speaker: fire.

None of which quite captures the odd "spirit" of the small crowd (I estimated about 150, dwindling to 80 after a couple of hours) that seemed both bored, easily aroused to vitriol, and capable of vigorously believing anything the numerous people taking turns at the podium had to say.

In some particular:

1. The MC for this circus was a guy who's an AM talk show host who calls himself "Captain America:"

The Captain

2. Evangelical fervor:

One guy, a Vice Pres. of Tea Party Manatee named Steve Vernon, got the crowd going simply by telling them to shout out their immediate feelings about a series of names:

Obama - Pelosi - Harry Reid - all brought boos, excoriations, execrations. Then, a few TP faves brought raves and cheers, culminating in RICK SCOTT - who is clearly the idol of this party.

Another guy, Eddie Adams Jr., was the sole black - not just sole black speaker, but sole black - at the gathering. He's a conservative AM radio talk show host, and his topic was jobs and the economy. His analysis went basically:

"This is a godly country" (crowd happy)

"A godly country!" (crowd happier - but, because there are no blacks, there is a fatal shortage of "yeah"s "say it"s "praise the Lord!"s and foot stomps.)

"This is the only country on earth that figured out that if you help others it allow us to win!"

"We have a great governor" (YEAHHHHHH!)

"The government doesn't make jobs - people make jobs" (YEAH!)

"The Pet Rock!" (YEAH!)

"That's called Capitalism!" (huzzahs)

3. Dignitaries

A svelte blonde is called out from the podium, identified as an aide to Vern Buchanan, Republican Rep. from Sarasota -- Ford Dealer, All-Around Rich Fellow. She's sitting with a guy who looks like a somewhat less crinkled version of Neil Young if Neil Young were a Tea Party eminence grise and a pundit.

Robin Steublen is called forth and identified as a founder. One who was there at the beginning, way back in 2009. I happen to have known Steublen when he was a verbally outspoken lawn maintenance guy in Punta Gorda trying to run for County Commission back in, like, 1996.

His big thing this evening was "E-verify" - a means of making sure illegal aliens are detected and evicted.

Steublen also advanced the idea that the Tea Party don't need no stinckin' Republicans:

"The RNC thinks we are irrelevant!"

4. Don Baldouf, candidate for something or other:

"States can nullify anything"

A fine point of Constitutional law:

"Feb. 3, 1913 was a turning point in Amurikan History - do you know why? Congress passed the Income Tax - the 16th amendment - It's unconstitutional."

States' Rights is big with the Tea party:

- just create a board of Governors, nullify the 16th Amendment, and say to Iowa, "Florida won't pay for your corn crop storm damage!" etc.

5. Crissie, a founder of 13 Patriots, a Sarasota organization, says fiscal matters matter most, but social things aren't unimportant. We have voters who are ignorant and immoral - they know nothing about Capitalism! They're Athiests!

Crissie invited us to a film called "Agenda: Grinding America Down"

Trailer starts with Reagan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH8LkIqu1c8

6. A Young Republican ("I'm Young!") named Bryan Tupper ("a rising star" according to Capt. America) said we need to stop "the Obama Machine." He tweets here.

"I was actually in favor of the government shutting down."

Rising Star

On Facebook:

BeeSure Financial Services Administrative assistant, Marketing · Feb 2011 to present ·Bradenton, Florida Basically, I help out around the office and help with the marketing of the business.

7. Paul Galvano, former State Rep., revealed that our tax dollars are being taken by the government.

"We're tired of it" he said, in his best Network imitation. The crowd, having heard this so much it is numb, valiantly tried to rouse itself to care.

"I served on Gov. Scott's transition team"

his closer:

"Frankly, I choose freedom."

8. Robin DiSabatino, Manatee County Commissioner,dist. 4:

"We have to light a fire" (another school board member was introduced as "a little firebrand.")

Small businesses got named in great numbers.

"We've got a railroad!"

9. Dr. Julio Gonzalez MD

Obamacare - sucks.

10. Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater

The Big Gun.

There's a yellow flag over there with a snake on it - you see it? That's a rattlesnake - it has keen eyes - and in 1776 etc. 13 rattles "Don't tread on me"

Ben Franklin, Geo. Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams - yep, all Tea Partiers.

Good storyteller - wonderful, absolutely apocryphal story of small biz guy teaching him the truths of Tea.

Debt exceeds 90% of GDP - "Fall of moral strength"

Start brushfires - we're starting 'em

The only book on display:

UNDERDOGMA

http://www.under-dogma.com/

By Michael Prell

“Michael Prell skillfully exposes how our misplaced emphasis to cheer on the underdogs, especially in the international community, will erode America’s status not only as a superpower, but also as the greatest nation in the world. A must read for anyone who believes in maintaining America’s presence as a global leader."
- Congresswoman MICHELE BACHMANN, (R, MN-6), leader of the Tea Party Caucus

“Underdogma is the Rosetta Stone for our time’s most portentous puzzle: Why do so many in this country — including some in leadership positions — abhor our national greatness and seek to diminish it at every turn? Michael Prell has ‘broken the code,’ and in so doing made an invaluable contribution to preserving and strengthening American exceptionalism.” - FRANK GAFFNEY, Founder and President of the Center for Security Policy, Ronald Reagan’s Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy

“Clever, accurate, droll and timely: The meek shall inherit contrariness.” - JOHN BATCHELOR, nationally-syndicated radio host

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Faces of Penility

Rick Scott's policies favor his family business?
Jones burns Koran.

Actual News Photo of the Present Governor of Florida, Rick Scott

Be very afraid.

Source: http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/state_news/032311-gov.-scott-overwhelmed-by-first-facebook-town-hall

Find an anti-Rick Gathering to Swell

Oh the places you'll go: Locations around the Penile State.

Take a Ride with Rick

On the Oxy Express:

EnlargeJoe Raedle/Getty Images

A pharmacy manager counts out the correct number of pills to fill a prescription in Miami.

text size A A A

March 2, 2011

Florida is the epicenter of a prescription drug abuse epidemic. Each day in communities from Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale, thousands of doses of powerful narcotics like oxycodone are dispensed in pain clinics — storefront operations also called "pill mills."

When he started at the Broward County Sheriff's department 30 years ago, Al Lamberti says, the department was raiding crack houses and busting junkies.

"Nowadays, the drug dealers are working out of strip malls," he says.

Lamberti heads the sheriff's office in a county that includes Fort Lauderdale. It's a city that has become a destination, not just for spring breakers, but also for addicts and drug traffickers.

"We have more pain clinics than McDonald's," he says. "They're taking their toll."

...

Florida does have a prescription drug database. After years of lobbying by law enforcement, the state legislature passed a bill last session to create one. It just didn't provide money to pay for it. A private foundation stepped in and began raising funds for the database.

EnlargeCliff Owen/AP

Florida Gov. Rick Scott says he is opposed to a prescription drug database because it is an invasion of privacy.

But recently, Gov. Rick Scott has come out foursquare against it. Scott hasn't said much about why he wants to kill it. When pressed at a recent news conference, he said: "I believe it's an invasion of privacy and...it appears that the money's been wasted."

Lamberti recently joined a dozen federal, state and local law enforcement officials at a news conference held to announce a major crackdown on Florida's pill mills. It was a series of busts, from Palm Beach to Miami, that included more than 20 arrests and the seizure of more than $22 million in cash, exotic cars and real estate.

It came from the swamp

The squamous GUV probably had no legal authority to sell the people's planes:

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2011/02/jds-new-letter-to-rick-scott-show-me-your-legal-authority.html

Can someone please send him back to his bayou?

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!

-- love my Serfs - rare, medium, or Wal-Mart well done!

Gov. Scott: Don't Pimp My Ride

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott on Friday authorized the sale of two state airplanes to out-of-state bidders for a total of nearly $3.7 million, fulfilling a campaign promise. StPeteTimes

Dear Governor Scott:

We understand your fatal attraction for billionaire perks, but you must understand: Florida, the Penile State, is not your personal Bunga Bunga room.

You are selling the public's airplanes and plan to ride around in your own, keeping your travel records secret while on state business.

This is like telling Florida: "My mistress doesn't need to drive, I'll send my chauffeur." Or, "Now you little girl just sit and look sweet while Sugar Daddy takes care of all your pretty little needs."

The public sector is not your private harlot, Governor Scott. Do not sell what we own, since after we toss you on your ear in 4 years (or before), we'll elect other folks, hopefully non-billionaires, who might occasionally do state business that could use a state plane.

While we're at it, don't sell our schools, our teachers, our community leaders, or our water, air, or underwater rights.

In fact, don't sell us, period. If we wanted to pimp our planes, we wouldn't need your teaparty illogic to do it.

Reptile Solace and Reinvigoration

Who's Dreaming Gov. Scott?

In his inaugural address today, newly installed Florida Gov. Rick Scott said "dreams are the stuff Florida is made of." He also fervently expressed his desire to remove every shred of regulatory oversight that he says hampers the private sector.

Below are some facts about fraud in Florida. Who is dreaming?

Florida Ranks No. 1 Nationally in Mortgage Fraud
Recent figures reveal that Florida ranks first in the nation as it relates to those whose mortgages are seriously delinquent. But that is not the only dubious distinction where Florida tops the nation. Now, reports indicate that Florida can also claim first place in the number of mortgage frauds.

Expect major new busts in fighting $2.5 billion Florida fraud rings
South Florida easily ranks number one when it comes to healthcare fraud in the U.S., which is why the two are holding the first of several meetings across the nation right here.

Tampa Ranks First in Auto Insurance Fraud
Wondering where the highest cases of auto insurance fraud have occurred in the past year? Look no further than Tampa, Fla. According to the Tampa Police Department, the city is number one for fraudulent auto insurance claims.

Special Agent Ellen Wilcox
Florida ranks first in the nation in mortgage fraud, and the Florida legislature has passed stringent legislation facilitating the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators of mortgage fraud.

Florida Ranks Third for Identity Theft
The State Attorney’s Office says the latest statistics show Florida moving up on the list of states with high rates of identity theft.

Miami clinic owners arrested in PIP fraud sweep
The Florida Division of Insurance Fraud made more than 830 insurance fraud-related arrests in the last fiscal year.
According to a recent National Insurance Crime Bureau report, Florida leads the nation in staged accidents. In the first half of last year, Florida had 631 staged accidents.

Identity Theft Information In Florida: Don't Be A Victim!
Florida ranked 6th in identity theft rating in the entire United states. The most common locations of these thefts are Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Fort Lauderdale.

New Report Ranks Florida Number One for Mortgage Fraud

Florida AG Likens Mortgage Fraud to "State of Emergency"
Florida ranked second in the nation for mortgage fraud activity during 2008, after ranking first during 2006 and 2007, according to recent data released by the Mortgage Asset Research Institute, or MARI.

10 busted for auto insurance fraud; you're paying for it
Tampa, Florida -- The Tampa Bay area has earned a claim to fame we'd rather not have, ranking first in the state when it comes to staged auto crashes and second in the country behind Brooklyn, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.


Fraud Friendly Florida
"Retirees in Florida are losing their homes to foreclosure, not because they didn't pay their bills as required, but because the laws of Florida leave them unprotected."

Let's hear it for Rick Scott

Would anyone have any objections if we stipulate that he's a scumbag? (That's our interpretation - not necessarily that of the sender of the message that follows)

Republican Rick Scott announced two policy proposals if he is elected. One is to allow Citizen's Insurance to raise rates to encourage more private companies to get back into the Florida's insurance market. He believes that if we raise the rates of 1.2 million Florida households, more private insurance companies will be interested in coming back to Florida. This plan will allow insurance companies to raise rates without almost any limits or regulations (details here).

His second plan is to save money by gutting the prison budget by a billion dollars. Law enforcement, prison, and union officials warn that a billion dollar cut would force some prisons to close and some dangerous inmates to be released. Scott wants to model our prison system after Texas. This coming from the Scott who touts he will add 700,000 jobs to Florida's economy when he is actually planning to cut thousands of jobs. (details here)

As if this is not enough, HCA and the lobbyists for US Sugar Corp are hosting a fundraiser for Rick Scott at Yankee Stadium on Sunday at the Yankees-Red Sox game. Yes, the same HCA that was fined $1.7 billion for Medicare fraud under Scott's watch. And yes, the same US Sugar Corp that poured millions in ads trashing Rick Scott during the primary. All this fundraising for Rick Scott who was on TV every twenty minutes during the primary calling himself the "outsider" who could be counted on not to take lobbying money. Hah! (details here)

Weimar Election Parallel Strikes Penile State

Florida Land of Ersatz Genius.

The German federal election, March 1933 in the Weimar Republic was held on 5 March 1933. Thanks to the success of the Nazi Party and its allies in the poll, its leader and Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler, was able to pass the Enabling Act, which effectively gave him the power of a dictator.

The Nazis performed best in Eastern Germany.

Dems favor Meek, Rabid Reps lick Rick

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0810/41423.html

Wreck Scott

Way to go Rick! From the Florida Independent:

Rick Scott health care company accused of overbilling Medicare

Two weeks before Florida’s primary, new allegations of improper Medicare billing by Solantic, a health care company co-founded by Rick Scott, have surfaced, in addition to charges made by former Solantic doctors that their names and licenses were used without their consent. Within hours of being pressed for answers by The Florida Independent, Solantic officials and Scott held hastily arranged press conferences Tuesday to rebut the charges. more...