An Outrage For The Ages

My blood boils every time I think about it, so the only way I know of, to decompress my anger is to write something about it.

Even after you read this, I'll probably by steaming -- but at least I'll have gotten it off my chest.

I'm not even going to start with the Florida GOP-Dominated Legislature's stated goal of wiping out the state and municipal unions, including all police, fire and teacher labor organizations. A bill to decertify them all is moving through committees without even as much as a Peep being reported in the Press.

I'm even going to elide over what this Crew did to ObamaCare. In less time than it would take for you to say Health Care Reform, the legislature rammed through a Referendum Question to Opt Out of National Health Care Reform, one that will appear on next November's Ballot.

In order to remain in a National Health Care Program, 60 percent of the voters will have to sign off on it. That's how the Neo-Con/Tea Bagger Gang ginned the Question!

You see, it's about our Freedom To Choose and the Tenth Amendment: State's Rights.

Enough of that.

Here's where I really want to start, and boy, it's a Doozie!

Earlier this week, the Republican, Tea Bagger, Neo-Con Controlled Legislature passed a bill to sharply reduce the sales tax levied on luxury yachts. The governor says he'll sign it.

You see, the GOP really, really believes that this measure will create "jobs."

This came down less than a day after the governor and the legislature had taken an Oath to cut the business/corporate tax rate in half this year -- with a Pledge to totally eliminate all business taxes in 2012.

Did I also mention that the legislature cut jobless benefits -- paid by businesses on a sliding scale based upon their employee turnover -- by six weeks, from 26 to 20? And that all kinds of regulations to prevent businesses from polluting rivers and lakes, and minimizing workplace injuries, are about to go the way of the Dodo Bird?

You Got It, Chester!

If anyone South of the Canadian Border and East of the Pacific Ocean really, really believes that these measures will add jobs to the economy, well... I have a Bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

We heard this Bazonga before, when the Intangible Tax (IT) was eliminated by the previous generation of Neo-Cons to control The Show in Tallahassee.

Neo-Cons -- Compassionate Conservatives as they called themselves back then -- said that all of the money saved by not taxing investment income would be plowed back into the economy in the form of Job Creation.

In a bit, I'll tell you what really happened...

But first ...

The IT added billions to the Florida State Treasury, money that supported programs for the elderly, disadvantaged children, and the poor. At one time, under Lawton Chiles and Bob Graham, Florida paid attention to the plight of the less-fortunate among its citizens: it ranked in the top 10 percent of program service delivery by state in the nation.

Today, Florida ranks in the bottom percentile in providing services to its elderly. its kids, and its needy -- right there with Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Texas.

... Now, here's what really, really happened.

Instead of hiring more employees, owners pocketed their IT savings and "invested" in new cars for themselves and their corporate-officer family members. If the cars were Big Enough and Cost Enough, they even got a break on their federal income tax through accelerated depreciation allowances!

Other businessmen used the IT savings to pay themselves bonuses -- or they "invested" in even more equities or stock in their own companies!

In a few weeks, thanks to the Neo-Con Show in Tallahassee, they can now buy luxury yachts and Duck the sales tax.

The job-seekers, the jobless, the elderly poor, the disadvantaged kids, and the poverty-stricken will suffer even more in the hands of Neo-Con Ideologues and their Tea Bagger Allies.

Instead of "The Sunshine State" as the Florida State Motto, how about "The Selfish State?" At least that motto has a ring of truth to it...