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FL Gov. Rick Scott’s budget plans: cut corporate taxes, turn the disabled into Soylent Green Because this is exactly how the Republican-Teaparty operates today: cut taxes by $2 Billion for your buddies and corporate benefactors, and make the poor, disabled, and middle-class pay for it. (Emphasis mine below.) Wall Street Journal: The 2012 spending plan reflects cuts of $4.6 billion over the fiscal 2011 budget, and Mr. Scott outlined more cuts for fiscal 2013. Ahead of Monday’s announcement, the Republican governor discussed slashing $5 billion from the budget, while cutting property and corporate income taxes by about $2 billion. Orlando Sentinel: …Scott ordered deep cuts Thursday to programs that serve tens of thousands of residents with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism and other developmental disabilities. Though a range of state services face cuts from this year’s Legislature, the governor invoked his emergency powers to order the state Agency for Persons with Disabilities to immediately roll back payments to group homes and social workers by 15 percent — an amount providers say could put them out of business and threaten their clients’ safety. […] But the governor said the Agency for Persons with Disabilities’ ongoing budget deficit — currently at $170 million — had reached a critical point and needed to be addressed immediately. The cuts go into effect Friday and last at least through the fiscal year, which ends June 30. Lawmakers are currently debating what will happen after that. Providers had not been informed of the cuts. For Gov. Scott, $170 MILLION is way too much to throw at care for the disabled (they probably didn’t even donate to his campaign). Especially when you’re trying to cut property / corporate taxes by $2 BILLION. Don’t you wonder what services wouldn’t have to be slashed if Gov. Scott didn’t give the wealthy and corporations $2B in tax cuts? This is an excellent example of the extremists who call themselves Republicans today.
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FL Gov. Rick Scott’s budget plans: cut corporate taxes, turn the disabled into Soylent Green

Because this is exactly how the Republican-Teaparty operates today: cut taxes by $2 Billion for your buddies and corporate benefactors, and make the poor, disabled, and middle-class pay for it. (Emphasis mine below.)

Wall Street Journal:

The 2012 spending plan reflects cuts of $4.6 billion over the fiscal 2011 budget, and Mr. Scott outlined more cuts for fiscal 2013. Ahead of Monday’s announcement, the Republican governor discussed slashing $5 billion from the budget, while cutting property and corporate income taxes by about $2 billion.

Orlando Sentinel:

…Scott ordered deep cuts Thursday to programs that serve tens of thousands of residents with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism and other developmental disabilities.

Though a range of state services face cuts from this year’s Legislature, the governor invoked his emergency powers to order the state Agency for Persons with Disabilities to immediately roll back payments to group homes and social workers by 15 percent — an amount providers say could put them out of business and threaten their clients’ safety.

[…] But the governor said the Agency for Persons with Disabilities’ ongoing budget deficit — currently at $170 million — had reached a critical point and needed to be addressed immediately.

The cuts go into effect Friday and last at least through the fiscal year, which ends June 30. Lawmakers are currently debating what will happen after that.

Providers had not been informed of the cuts.

For Gov. Scott, $170 MILLION is way too much to throw at care for the disabled (they probably didn’t even donate to his campaign). Especially when you’re trying to cut property / corporate taxes by $2 BILLION. Don’t you wonder what services wouldn’t have to be slashed if Gov. Scott didn’t give the wealthy and corporations $2B in tax cuts?

This is an excellent example of the extremists who call themselves Republicans today.

Florida Governor Rick Scott’s “jobs budget:” 1,300 are officially unemployed today More wingnut economics brought to you by a Florida Tea Party darling, Rick Scott (R): [Effective today] 1,300 state employees [have been] put out of work by the new budget approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott on May 26. Scott kept his promise to reduce the size of the state government bureaucracy. But he did so at the expense of real people with mortgages, healthcare bills, college tuition payments and credit card payments. Many of them earned less than $30,000 a year after years of state employment. […] The state agencies that took the biggest hits are the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Department of Children and Families, which together account for most of the layoffs. Actually a total of about 4,500 state jobs were eliminated. But Scott did get some corporate tax cuts in there, totaling $37 million — which is much less that the $1.6 billion he wanted originally. How to pay for such a hefty loss of revenue when you’re over budget? Cut stuff: Vetoed from the budget Public Television and Radio Stations, $4.7 million Compulsive gambling and addiction treatment, $539,000 National Veterans Homeless Support Group, $12 million Senior Citizens Center grants, $1.4 million Florida Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs, $1.7 million Environmentally endangered lands, $350 million To see a complete list of Gov. Rick Scott’s budget vetoes, go to links.tampabay.com. Florida currently has a 10.6% unemployment rate and laid-off state employees will now add to that. Scott also turned down $2.4 billion in federal stimulus money to build a high speed rail (although he did accept federal stimulus money for other things). So where are all the ‘jobs’ in Scott’s ‘jobs budget’ going to come from? Well from those corporation that got the tax cuts, of course! Because that trickle-down goodness has worked SO WELL for American workers and the middle-class up to now. I’m sure the corporations won’t continue to bank that extra money or give their CEOs larger bonuses – this time. Remember this economic logic at the polls in 2012: the wingnut ideology of bottom-to-top income redistribution is exclusive to those who call themselves GOP, Republican or Tea Party. Vote accordingly.
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Florida Governor Rick Scott’s “jobs budget:” 1,300 are officially unemployed today

More wingnut economics brought to you by a Florida Tea Party darling, Rick Scott (R):

[Effective today] 1,300 state employees [have been] put out of work by the new budget approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott on May 26. Scott kept his promise to reduce the size of the state government bureaucracy. But he did so at the expense of real people with mortgages, healthcare bills, college tuition payments and credit card payments.

Many of them earned less than $30,000 a year after years of state employment. […] The state agencies that took the biggest hits are the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Department of Children and Families, which together account for most of the layoffs.

Actually a total of about 4,500 state jobs were eliminated. But Scott did get some corporate tax cuts in there, totaling $37 million — which is much less that the $1.6 billion he wanted originally. How to pay for such a hefty loss of revenue when you’re over budget? Cut stuff:

Vetoed from the budget

  • Public Television and Radio Stations, $4.7 million
  • Compulsive gambling and addiction treatment, $539,000
  • National Veterans Homeless Support Group, $12 million
  • Senior Citizens Center grants, $1.4 million
  • Florida Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs, $1.7 million
  • Environmentally endangered lands, $350 million
  • To see a complete list of Gov. Rick Scott’s budget vetoes, go to links.tampabay.com.

Florida currently has a 10.6% unemployment rate and laid-off state employees will now add to that. Scott also turned down $2.4 billion in federal stimulus money to build a high speed rail (although he did accept federal stimulus money for other things). So where are all the ‘jobs’ in Scott’s ‘jobs budget’ going to come from? Well from those corporation that got the tax cuts, of course! Because that trickle-down goodness has worked SO WELL for American workers and the middle-class up to now. I’m sure the corporations won’t continue to bank that extra money or give their CEOs larger bonuses – this time.

Remember this economic logic at the polls in 2012: the wingnut ideology of bottom-to-top income redistribution is exclusive to those who call themselves GOP, Republican or Tea Party. Vote accordingly.

… With an annual salary of $174,000, some members of Congress feel they aren’t paid enough A few lawmakers have suggested in recent months that despite a $174,000 annual salary, generous health care and pensions, and perks for things like travel and mail, being one of the elite 435 ain’t always what it’s cracked up to be. And when you calculate the hours they put in, the pay isn’t stellar either, they say. […] Are times really so tough that even members of Congress are struggling to get by? The numbers suggest otherwise. A recent analysis of congressional pay found that members of Congress earn about 3.4 times the salary of the average American worker. Using that standard, members of Congress are among the highest paid legislators in the developed world. Are members of Congress paid enough? Hilariously, the Congressman complaining the loudest is Teaparty Freshman Steve Southerland (R-FL). Way to go, teaparty… you know how to pick ‘em! He said his $174,000 salary is not so much, considering the hours a member of the House puts in, and that he had to sever ties with his family business in Panama City. Southerland also said there are no instant pensions or free health insurance, as some of his constituents often ask him about in Congress. “And by the way, did I mention? They’re shooting at us. There is law-enforcement security in this room right now, and why is that?” It’s a very sad tale. Maybe some celebrities will get together and do a telethon for Congress.
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With an annual salary of $174,000, some members of Congress feel they aren’t paid enough

A few lawmakers have suggested in recent months that despite a $174,000 annual salary, generous health care and pensions, and perks for things like travel and mail, being one of the elite 435 ain’t always what it’s cracked up to be. And when you calculate the hours they put in, the pay isn’t stellar either, they say.

[…] Are times really so tough that even members of Congress are struggling to get by? The numbers suggest otherwise. A recent analysis of congressional pay found that members of Congress earn about 3.4 times the salary of the average American worker. Using that standard, members of Congress are among the highest paid legislators in the developed world.

Are members of Congress paid enough?

Hilariously, the Congressman complaining the loudest is Teaparty Freshman Steve Southerland (R-FL). Way to go, teaparty… you know how to pick ‘em!

He said his $174,000 salary is not so much, considering the hours a member of the House puts in, and that he had to sever ties with his family business in Panama City. Southerland also said there are no instant pensions or free health insurance, as some of his constituents often ask him about in Congress.

“And by the way, did I mention? They’re shooting at us. There is law-enforcement security in this room right now, and why is that?”

It’s a very sad tale. Maybe some celebrities will get together and do a telethon for Congress.

image: paxamericana … If the audiences at the Teaparty GOP debates won’t convince people to vote, NOTHING WILL. Mother Jones tracks the evil that is the modern Republican / Teaparty: At the Reagan Library debate in California, attendees memorably broke into a spontaneous round of applause in support of Rick Perry’s record on the death penalty. At last week’s debate in Tampa, a handful of audience members cheered the prospect of a man without health insurance being left to die. And [last night] in Orlando, a chorus of boos erupted when a gay Army veteran [of the IRAQ WAR] asked former Sen. Rick Santorum if he should still be allowed to serve the country. Got that? The teaparty Republican base cheers death and boos an Army vet. Look at what the people in these audiences value, and then consider this: they show up to the voting booth. ALWAYS. Every time. They also count on the left, liberal, progressive, moderate, “not them” voter to stay home because of whatever current idealistic boo-boo or disappointment or ‘statement’ is being announced by ‘liberal leaders’ such as Ed Schultz or closet PUMAs like Jane Hamsher. We can argue all day about what has possessed the people supporting the Teaparty GOP (*cough* Satan! *cough*), but this fact remains: these are the SAME PEOPLE who voted for George W. Bush. TWICE. They CAN do it again.
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image: paxamericana

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If the audiences at the Teaparty GOP debates won’t convince people to vote, NOTHING WILL.

Mother Jones tracks the evil that is the modern Republican / Teaparty:

  1. At the Reagan Library debate in California, attendees memorably broke into a spontaneous round of applause in support of Rick Perry’s record on the death penalty.
  2. At last week’s debate in Tampa, a handful of audience members cheered the prospect of a man without health insurance being left to die.
  3. And [last night] in Orlando, a chorus of boos erupted when a gay Army veteran [of the IRAQ WAR] asked former Sen. Rick Santorum if he should still be allowed to serve the country.

Got that? The teaparty Republican base cheers death and boos an Army vet.

Look at what the people in these audiences value, and then consider this: they show up to the voting booth. ALWAYS. Every time. They also count on the left, liberal, progressive, moderate, “not them” voter to stay home because of whatever current idealistic boo-boo or disappointment or ‘statement’ is being announced by ‘liberal leaders’ such as Ed Schultz or closet PUMAs like Jane Hamsher.

We can argue all day about what has possessed the people supporting the Teaparty GOP (*cough* Satan! *cough*), but this fact remains: these are the SAME PEOPLE who voted for George W. Bush. TWICE. They CAN do it again.

Never say Republicans aren’t Very Serious about creating jobs…

… and looking out for the little guy. Because that had to be said.

“I’m on a quest to seek and destroy unnecessary burdens on the freedom and liberties of people. This is an example of Big Brother government. All that it does is prevent some dwarfs from getting jobs they would be happy to get. In this economy, or any economy, why would we want to prevent people from getting gainful employment?” — Rep. Ritch Workman, a REPUBLICAN wants FLORIDA to reinstate dwarf tossing

It’s Florida, so. Duh. But how comatose or mentally ill do you have to be to actually vote for some guy named “Ritch” who thinks gainful employment is being born small enough to be tossed around by drunk adults? That right there is some 100% preemo, Teaparty American Exceptionalism.

Teabagger base, we are still not laughing ‘with’ you all.

Current TV host Keith Olbermann called Florida state Rep. Brad Drake (R) an “asshole” on Wednesday for introducing legislation to replace lethal injection as a execution method with electrocution or a firing squad. Drake said he got the idea for the bill after talking to someone at a Waffle House.
Keith Olbermann calls Florida Republican lawmaker an “asshole”

GOP reality: to nominate Gingrich is to commit party suicide

“He is a candidate of talk-show hosts and local activists — and of course of Rick Perry and Sarah Palin — but not of those who know him best and have worked with him most closely. Gingrich may raise more money after his South Carolina win. But prediction: Romney will raise even more, among the great national network of Republicans who recognize that to nominate Gingrich is to commit party suicide.” – Why GOP leaders don’t trust Gingrich – David Frum on Newt Gingrich

However, in Florida — as in South Carolina — Newt is in the lead, clearly illustrating that the conservative ’principles’ of family values and the sanctity of marriage arefront and center with the GOP base:

… Henceforth, this will be my go-to GIF for headlines that say ‘Newt is surging’ in a poll It’s bad enough that Newt Gingrich, who resigned in disgrace 24 years ago, is now a Republican base favorite to run for president. But the image of Newt surging is just… nightmare material. Poll: Gingrich surges to lead in Florida primary - Fresh off his victory in Saturday’s South Carolina primary, a new poll shows Newt Gingrich surging into the lead in the next Republican battleground, Florida. An InsiderAdvantage poll released late Sunday shows the former House Speaker leading his main rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, in the Sunshine State with 34 percent support from likely GOP voters to Romney’s 26.
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Henceforth, this will be my go-to GIF for headlines that say ‘Newt is surging’ in a poll

It’s bad enough that Newt Gingrich, who resigned in disgrace 24 years ago, is now a Republican base favorite to run for president. But the image of Newt surging is just… nightmare material.

Poll: Gingrich surges to lead in Florida primary - Fresh off his victory in Saturday’s South Carolina primary, a new poll shows Newt Gingrich surging into the lead in the next Republican battleground, Florida. An InsiderAdvantage poll released late Sunday shows the former House Speaker leading his main rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, in the Sunshine State with 34 percent support from likely GOP voters to Romney’s 26.

President Obama vs. Space President “Panderbear” Gingrich

Remember that story earlier this week about why Apple manufactures its iPhones in China? This is a good idea:

President Obama announced Tuesday the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit, singling out China as a country that has had an unfair advantage over American competitors and requires more scrutiny. “I will not stand by when our competitors don’t play by the rules,” the president said in his State of the Union address. – Obama announces new unit to investigate unfair trade practices

Now here’s an idea Newt revealed today:

In a speech pandering to Florida’s aerospace community ahead of the state’s primary, GOP contender Newt Gingrich made a bold pledge to establish a permanent U.S. base on the moon “by the end of my second term.” He further promised that if he becomes president, America will get a man to Mars “in a remarkably short time.” – Gingrich Pledges To Establish Permanent Base On The Moon ‘By The End Of My Second Term’

Who’d pay for that? Like I said on the last post about Newt’s fake Twitter followers, if you’re going to fake it you may as well go big!

… Romney worries about the banks and how, like you, they’re “scared to death” Source First corporations are people and now banks are people — and not bad people at that. They’re just overwhelmed and scared to death — like all of us! If you cut them, will they not bleed? Actually, no they won’t bleed. Because corporations and banks are NOT people. They’re companies, they’re ideas, drawn up on paper with lots of legal language. And as Jed Lewison says (emphasis added), …They don’t stay awake at night worried about how to pay the mortgage. They aren’t worried about being forced to spend the night in their car because they’ve just lost their home. In fact,they aren’t feeling a damn thing. Because they aren’t human. They aren’t even robots. They are companies. And the last thing we need is a president who can’t tell the difference!
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Romney worries about the banks and how, like you, they’re “scared to death”

Source

First corporations are people and now banks are people — and not bad people at that. They’re just overwhelmed and scared to death — like all of us! If you cut them, will they not bleed?

Actually, no they won’t bleed. Because corporations and banks are NOT people. They’re companies, they’re ideas, drawn up on paper with lots of legal language. And as Jed Lewison says (emphasis added),

…They don’t stay awake at night worried about how to pay the mortgage. They aren’t worried about being forced to spend the night in their car because they’ve just lost their home. In fact,they aren’t feeling a damn thing. Because they aren’t human. They aren’t even robots. They are companies. And the last thing we need is a president who can’t tell the difference!

Gingrich’s chickens are coming home to roost: Adios, Newt

Newt Gingrich’s campaign admitted Wednesday that the former Speaker had not provided ABC News “witnesses” that would undermine his former wife Marianne’s claims that he had requested an open relationship, despite Gingrich having claimed to have done so in his widely praised debate performance last Thursday. — Gingrich campaign admits it provided no ‘witnesses’ to refute ex-wife’s claims

via: thedailywhat:

Lies Newt Gingrich Told Me of the Day: John King, not one to let things go, has successfully managed to compel the Gingrich campaign to admit that the GOP presidential candidate was “wrong” when he claimed that his staff offered up witnesses to debunk the claims made by his ex-wife on ABC’s Nightline. Watch video:

Interesting! What else has Newt lied about, I wonder… maybe his relationship with Saint Reagan?

via: afternoonsnoozebutton:

Gingrich: “I helped Governor Reagan become President Reagan”…”I developed supply side economics in the 1970’s”

(Also, Gingrich also possibly discovered electricity and formed man in his own image.)

Uh, oh. Drudge alert!

via: inothernews:

“Well,” said Ronald Reagan’s ghost, “it’s bedtime for Newtzo.”

Here are Drudge’s links:

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is hoping that firing up his own fans will nullify rival Newt Gingrich’s advantage at Thursday night’s debate. At a campaign event in Jacksonville, Florida, Romney joked that supporters without tickets should “just storm in” to the debate at the University of Florida to cheer him on. “If y’all can get there, we’d love to see you there cheering.

No debate tickets? Romney says, ‘just storm in’ | The Raw Story

“Y,all!” I guess Mitt’s picking up the language of the “real streets.”

image  … Newt Skywalker and his moon base If this isn’t panderbearing, I don’t know what is: Gingrich promises moon base that could become 51st state Speaking to Republicans on Florida’s Space Coast… […] “I said when we got — I think the number is 13,000 — when we have 13,000 Americans living on the moon, they can petition to become a state.” “By the end of my second term, we will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be American,” the candidate insisted. “We will have commercial near-Earth activities that included science, tourism and manufacturing.” “I accept the charge that I am an American and Americans are instinctively grandiose because we believe in a bigger future!” he exclaimed. “I want you to help me both in Florida and across the country so that you can someday say you were here the day it was announce that of course we’d have commercial space and near space. Of course we’d have a man colony on the moon that flew an American flag.” Newt intends to set up an open marriage type of society for his moon colony, because a bigger future should also mean bigger vows and bigger families — grandiose personal lives!
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Newt Skywalker and his moon base

If this isn’t panderbearing, I don’t know what is:

Gingrich promises moon base that could become 51st state

Speaking to Republicans on Florida’s Space Coast…

[…] “I said when we got — I think the number is 13,000 — when we have 13,000 Americans living on the moon, they can petition to become a state.”

“By the end of my second term, we will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be American,” the candidate insisted. “We will have commercial near-Earth activities that included science, tourism and manufacturing.”

“I accept the charge that I am an American and Americans are instinctively grandiose because we believe in a bigger future!” he exclaimed. “I want you to help me both in Florida and across the country so that you can someday say you were here the day it was announce that of course we’d have commercial space and near space. Of course we’d have a man colony on the moon that flew an American flag.”

Newt intends to set up an open marriage type of society for his moon colony, because a bigger future should also mean bigger vows and bigger families — grandiose personal lives!

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