Kenneth Quinnell

Winner and Loser of the Day — Clemens/Scott

October 19, 2011 by Kenneth

Winner: Jeff Clemens — He put forth a proposal to allow the voters to decide the fate of medical marijuana. Unlikely the legislature will pass it, but it’s still the right thing to do.

Loser Rick Scott — Wants to take federal money for education without complying with federal rules about how the money should be spent. In other words, he doesn’t want federal money but wants “credit” for pursuing it.

Around the State

October 19, 2011 by Kenneth

The most recent regular features and roundups from Florida progressive bloggers.

*Round-up of media coverage of redistricting for 10/19 | Saint Petersblog

*South Florida Daily Blog: The Cooler

*South Florida Daily Blog: Your Morning Sift

Post of the Day from Flog Folio

October 19, 2011 by Kenneth

Governor is a vengeful Santa Claus (and nobody knows what’s really in the wastewater):

During the meeting, dioxin levels weren’t debated. But the resolution was attacked as anti-business, and the work of wacko environmentalists. Councilmember Richard Clark characterized any any delays to the pipleine as arbitrary “what-ifs” thrown up by some conspiratorial “environmental lobby.”

State Rep. Lake Ray, (R-Jacksonville) — who just happens to be the new head of the First Coast Manufacturers Association, G-P’s trade group — told the committee members that they’d be creating a bad climate for business if they held up GP any longer. Indeed, Ray invoked the specter of a Scott turned vengeful against anything anti-business. If Love’s resolution passed, Ray predicted, Gov. Scott would punish Jacksonville by withholding money to dredge the St. Johns shipping channel.

NRA-Backed Policy Pushed for Despite the Fact That It Harms Children (Commentary)

October 19, 2011 by Kenneth

Lobbyist Marion Hammer of the National Rifle Association pushed through the so-called “Docs vs. Glocks” bill in the last legislative session that prohibited doctors from asking their patients about whether or not a gun was in their home. In addition to the clear affront the bill is to free speech, it also increases the likelihood that people, particularly children, will be harmed. That’s why U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke, an appointee of George W. Bush, blocked the bill’s implementation:

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked enforcement of a first-in-the-nation law that restricted what Florida physicians can say about guns to their patients, ruling the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s free speech guarantees and does not trample gun rights.

U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke said it was important to emphasize “the free flow of truthful, non-misleading information within the doctor-patient relationship.”