Groucho Marx Ruled Freedonia With More Grace
DANIEL RUTH
Published: Nov 4, 2001For a more cogent, thoughtful, erudite analysis of the recent special session of the Florida Legislature, it is best to turn to the seasoned, policy-wonk, thumb-sucking punditocracy.
At the risk of being accused of superficiality with respect to the arcane process of legislating, I can't rid myself of the nagging conclusion this state is governed by complete, unmitigated morons.
I'll plead guilty. In spite of spending a lifetime of watching these legislative colonoscopies, I continue to believe that when tough times call for difficult decisions, elected officials will at least TRY to do the right thing.
As CBS golf analyst David Feherty would say, ``Well slap me silly, and call me Sally.'' Once more I've been proved naive.
For roughly two weeks during a rotten, stinking special session in Tallahassee, the Florida Legislature had one - count 'em, ONE - thing to do.
Any Adults?
One thing: Find a way to trim the state's budget by $1.3 billion, a shortfall brought about by the Legislature's and Gov. Jeb Bush's financial mismanagement and then exacerbated by draconian shortfalls in revenues stemming from the Sept. 11 attacks.
Did reason and compromise and statesmanship prevail? Was there an actual adult to be found anywhere within the shadow of the Capitol?
Dear reader, this is the Florida Legislature we're talking about. You'd probably find more intelligent life in an anthrax spore.
The Legislature did, however, approve two more specialty license plates. Now there's a buffet line of pols hard at work.
--snip---
more---> http://www.tampatrib.com/MGAXWEB7MTC.html
"...all Americans need to watch what they say, watch what they do, and this is not a time for remarks like that; there never is." Ari Fleischer, Bush Press Secretary ``We'll get him,'' he said defiantly into TV cameras. Then he mumbled beneath his breath,
``I hope.'' 10/25/01, Tom Ridge - OHS
"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors". - PLATO
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