8/19/03
E
Messenger
The
Electronic Newsletter of the
Florida
AFL-CIO
New
Members according to the AFL-CIO Work in Progress
This week's WIP: 1,198
Year to date: 100,554
Education
in
Florida
…it’s A+!
Failed
testing
(08/18/2003 © Daytona
Beach News-Journal)
The federal No
Child Left Behind Act, which was supposed to disaggregate state
achievement test scores in order to show how well schools are serving
minorities and others, has left a lot of folks frustrated. Only eight of
Volusia
County
's schools won
favorable ratings under the federal guidelines...
EDUCATION:
Newfound fear
(
08/18/2003
© Florida
Times-Union)
It is good to
see members of the Legislature take an interest in how money is spent on
education. 'For an administration constantly preaching accountability,
we'd like to know where the accountability was in the decision to
dispense tens of millions of tax dollars to schools that may or may not
h...
The
Legislature
GOP
Leaders Work to Mend Rift
(
08/18/2003
© Lakeland
Ledger)
TALLAHASSEE
-- It was supposed to
be easy. Republican Gov. Jeb Bush would declare his support for a
$250,000 cap on medical malpractice lawsuits. Loyal GOP lawmakers would
happily hand him legislation that would cut into the income of trial
lawyers, the bread and butter of Democrats everywhere. ...
Bush,
Senate clashes to return
(08/18/2003 © Tallahassee
Democrat)
Senate President
Jim King joked last week that if he didn't have two years left in office
after he gives up the gavel, he would gladly pay admission for a
ringside seat at the 'Governor Bush-Tom Lee show' as the governor winds
down his second term. For all the face-saving bravado and bonhomie tha...
Michael
Peltier: Bush and the Florida Senate will continue to spar
(
08/18/2003
© Naples
Daily News)
TALLAHASSEE
- There they were: All
smiles and superlatives, congratulating each other on bringing a most
controversial medical malpractice plan in for a landing. As camera's
flashed and the videotape rolled last week, Gov. Jeb Bush, Senate
President Jim King and House Speaker Johnnie Byrd we...
Another
fight looms -- this time, abortion
(
08/18/2003
© Orlando
Sentinel)
After a year of
battling over first the state budget and then medical-malpractice
insurance, you'd think
Florida
's ruling Republicans
would be ready to hang the gloves on the wall for a while. Instead, come
October it looks as though the Senate, House and Gov. Jeb Bush will duke
it out again -- t...
A
frivolous amendment
(
08/18/2003
© Palm
Beach Post)
Why is it so
hard to take House Speaker Johnnie Byrd's abortion amendment seriously?
For one thing, because it's Johnnie Byrd's. Rep. Byrd,
R-Plant
City
, is irked that the
Florida Supreme Court struck down the 1999 parental notification law. He
proposed a new constitutional amendment that wou...
Florida
…the home of
first class prisons and second class schools.
Prisons get $60 million; universities get lectures
(
08/18/2003
© Palm
Beach Post)
As university
presidents plan for 22,000 new students for 2004, Education Commissioner
Jim Horne tells them to be flexible with what money they have. As
Department of Corrections Secretary James Crosby faces an unpredicted
2,695 increase in prisoners, Gov. Bush tells him, 'Here's $65.9
million.'...
Drug
offenders lead the pack as prisons swell
(08/18/2003 © Orlando
Sentinel)
TALLAHASSEE --
Florida's sudden upsurge in inmates imprisoned on drug-related charges
comes after two years of state budget cuts that have dramatically
reduced treatment dollars for drug offenders behind bars. Experts say
that may have contributed to the need for state lawmakers to dip into
reser...
Service
Worst
Service First makes bad situation worse
(08/18/2003 © Tallahassee
Democrat)
A long-ago
Tallahassee legislator used to tell of two campaign volunteers who came
to see him about state jobs after his first election to the House.
'Well, I hear the Highway Department is always hiring,' he said with a
shrug, thinking nothing of it. When they came back to thank him for
getti...
Can’t
wait to donate to this one!
McCarty
setting up defense fund
(08/18/2003 © Palm
Beach Post)
Facing an
estimated $50,000 in attorney fees from her fight with the Florida
Elections Commission, Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty is
taking a cue from Ollie North and Bill and Hillary Clinton and setting
up a legal defense fund. McCarty says she decided to set up the account
afte...
Election 2004
To
Win, Dems Need to Boost Link to Unions
Long Island
Newsday
8/19/03
State
senator poised to seek Graham s job
(08/18/2003 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
TALLAHASSEE ·
State Sen. Daniel Webster is poised to announce his candidacy for U.S.
Senate this week, ending months of speculation and adding another
conservative Republican to an already crowded field, campaign advisers
confirmed Saturday. Webster, of Winter Garden, has represented the
Orlando
...
Lieberman's
positions veer from his party's
USA
Today
8/18/03
High
Speed Rail
Target
(08/18/2003 © Lakeland
Ledger)
In his nearly
five years in office, this hasn't been Gov. Jeb Bush's most enjoyable
year, and it could be that an ex-best friend will make it worse. Bush
had to accept less than he wanted on medical malpractice award limits.
And now,
Lakeland
insurance investor and
father of the highspeed rail...
JobsJobsJobsJobsJobsJobsJobsJobsJobsJobsJobsJobsJobs
'WORST
POLICY IN 200 YEARS'--Rather
than stimulating job growth, President George W. Bush's millionaire tax
cuts are systematically sacrificing the future of this nation, according
to Robert Solow, a Nobel Prize winner in economics and professor
emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Solow was one of
several leading economists participating in an Economic Policy Institute
forum Aug. 12. Another Nobel Prize winner, George Akerlof, a professor
at the
University
of
California
,
Berkeley
, said Bush's
economic policies are "the worst in over 200 years." For more
information, visit www.aflcio.org.
Bush's
Neverland Economics
The
Washington
Post
8/19/03
For Bush, Loss of Jobs May Erode Support in
South
Carolina
Frustrated Republicans in one of the most conservative
areas in the
U.S.
reflect
trends that make President Bush vulnerable.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/18/national/18SOUT.html?th
Growing
with no new jobs
Cincinnati
Post
8/15/03
Job
losses hit blacks hard
Chicago
Tribune
8/17/03
Kerry
Rips Bush on Job Losses
New York
Times
8/17/03
Company
Loyalty and America's Loss of Jobs
New York
Times
8/18/03
For
Bush…every tragedy is an opportunity
Molly
Ivins: The All-American Blame Game
(
08/18/2003
© Naples
Daily News)
AUSTIN
,
Texas
- It's the
All-American Blame Game! A Finger-Pointing festival. A perfectly
circular firing squad of, 'Told you so.' Bureaucrats perfecting their
CYA moves. Politicians jumping on the opportunity to make points against
the other guys. And so's your old man.
U.S.
officials quick...
Federal Standards for Utilities Face Partisan Hurdles
Standards for electricity reliability on utilities have
been held up by disputes over the Bush administration's
desire to drill for oil and other environmental issues.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/18/politics/18ENER.html?th
California
Coup
Recall Defies All Election Logic
(
08/18/2003
© Lakeland
Ledger)
Call it 'the
Florida Supervisor of Elections Relief Act.' 'It' is the
California
gubernatorial recall
election, which has attracted candidates ranging from pornographers to
movie stars. The ballot will include at least 135 names. In cryptogram
fashion, election officials have rearranged t...
Demo
rival accuses Davis of sabotage
San Francisco
Chronicle
8/18/03
Bustamante
Criticizes Davis' Aides
LA Times
8/18/03
Davis
Turns On a Charm Offensive: Governor Reintroducing Himself to Key Calif.
Voters
The
Washington
Post
8/18/03
Davis
to Make His Case, but Not Plead It
LA Times
8/19/03
3
unions back Bustamante
San Jose
Mercury News
8/19/03
Ruling
Expected on Effort to Delay California Recall Election
New York
Times
8/19/03
Arnold's
campaign is flopping so far
Boston
Globe
8/19/03
6
Candidates Coming Into Sharp Focus
LA Times
8/19/03
Wal-Mart Watch
(OVER)TIME-OUT AT WAL-MART--Wal-Mart
loss-prevention workers investigate theft--and in a
Texas
lawsuit,
these workers claim Wal-Mart stole compensation from them by refusing to
pay overtime. On July 30, in order to decide whether to certify the
lawsuit as a class action, U.S. District Court Judge T. John Ward
ordered Wal-Mart to produce time records for all of its loss-prevention
workers in
Texas
and
Arkansas
. Wal-Mart
must also disclose the identities of and detailed time records for
workers at 15 of these stores.
Wal-Mart,
worry about substance, not image
Arizona
Republic
8/17/03
Building
Another WalMart
St. Louis
Post-Dispatch /
8/18/03
Verizon
Pressure seen growing to resolve Verizon impasse
The
Boston
Globe
8/19/03
If you have suggestions on how we may improve this online
publication or have information you would like to see posted please
contact our communications director at (850) 224 – 6926 or at rtemplin@flaflcio.org.
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Rich
Templin
Communications Director
Florida
AFL-CIO
