Florida’s junior U.S. senator, Marco Rubio, is taking led on the federal debt debate. According to the New York Times, in the space of 24 hours, Rubio penned an opinion article opposing…
Category: State & National News
Rhee strikes back at USA Today
Taking a lesson from Jeff Bergosh, former chancellor of D.C. schools Michelle Rhee says USA TODAY’s investigation of erasures found on standarized tests is an insult to teachers and children who worked…
House bill wipes out most consumer protections
The Florida House leadership, of course, has a different, grander purpose for its vast deregulation bill, HB 5005. They say they are after “Job-killing regulations.” What do they want to stop? Auto…
Scott pays his dept. heads more
Austerity, pay cuts and sacrifice don’t apply to Gov. Rick Scott’s new agency heads who are earning $20,000 more than their predecessors. Read Florida Tribune.
Manslaughter charges considered for BP managers
The Guardian is reporting that BP executives, including ex-chief executive Tony Hayward, may be charged by US authorities over the lost of lives caused by the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Read more.
Scott and lawmakers set to put growth in local hands
The Florida legislature doesn’t want local governments regulating fertilizer (Rep. Clay “Cow Patty” Ingram) or shooting rangers (Sen. Greg “Lock & Load” Evers). However, the lawmakers do want to repeal most of…
Scott’s advisor Rhee caught in possible cheating scandal
As the District of Columbia’s former public schools chief, Michelle Rhee rode soaring student test scores to a national reputation as a model education reformer. She is a counselor to Gov. Rick…
Scott signs bill tying teacher pay to test scores, ends tenure
At KIPP Impact Middle School, a charter school in Jacksonville, Gov. Rick Scott signed Senate Bill 736, ironically named “Student Success Act,” into law. The law phases out teacher tenure and it…
At least Pensacola is not Detroit
The City of Pensacola shrank last decade, dropping 8 percent from 56,255 in 2000 to 51,923 in 2010. Detroit, Michigan saw its population drop a whopping 25 percent. It was the largest…
New Senate bill lets Escambia kids go to Santa Rosa schools
A bill that would expand the public-school provisions of the Opportunity Scholarship Program moved through committees in both Florida legislative chambers this week. Students would be able to move from struggling public…
Ingram manure bill narrowly passes committee
Rep. Clay “What’s that Smell” Ingram’s bill to prevent local governments from placing restrictions on fertilizer use passed the House Community Affairs & Military Subcommittee 8-7 in a mostly party-line vote. The…
Move over Wisconsin, Florida union bashing begins
The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that state lawmakers have proposed several bills that are nearly identical to those proposed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker: SB 830, sponsored by Sen. John Thrasher, R-St….
Haridopolos stalls Senate ethics bill
Last year Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos co-sponsored a bill that would have cracked down on legislative voting conflicts of interest. This year, he had the bill pulled from the agenda of…
DOE Secretary resigns
Statement from Eric Smith who announced his resignation as the Secretary of the Florida Department of Education: This past weekend, I informed the members of the State Board of Education of my…
Education is the target for state budget proposals
In Escambia County, County Administrator Randy Oliver has got his board eyeing the Sheriff David Morgan’s budget as a way to balance their budget. In Tallahassee, Education is the target. Gov. Scott…
GOP double-talk
I find it ironic that Gov. Rick Scott professes that his budget cuts will create jobs and revive our economy, yet most local officials will tell you that they expect their revenues…
NPR sting producer refused to be videotaped
James O’Keefe, the conservative activist known for his hidden-camera videos that attacked ACORN and National Public Radio, refused last week to let a local newspaper videotape his speech to the Bayshore Tea…
Who guides Gov. Rick Scott
The St. Pete Times reports that Gov. Rick Scott is guided by three conservative think tanks: Cato Institute, Reason Foundation and Heritage Foundation. If you read the article, you will that big…
Truth about state pensions
Gov. Rick Scott wants the public to believe that teachers, law enforcement, firefighters and other public employees are getting rich off their pension benefits. The Miami Herald punctured that baloney in its…
D.C. teacher evaluation system
Washington Post: The District of Columbia’s new teacher evaluation system, IMPACT, is becoming a national model. Master educators observe, critique and evaluate teachers. Read more.
