7/11/03
E
Messenger
The
Electronic Newsletter of the
Florida
AFL-CIO
New
Members according to the AFL-CIO Work in Progress
This
week's WIP: 610
Year
to date: 87,731
WE
NEED YOUR LABOR DAY NEWS
Labor Day is OUR
holiday! The
Florida
AFL-CIO is compiling a press packet
to send out to state-wide media to help promote your Labor Day events.
This is the best time of year to discuss the working families
agenda and the press is already calling us looking for information about
labor day events across the state. As
you plan your events please let us know and we will include it in our
press packet. Also, we will
advertise your events on our website so that others can find out about
them and help you celebrate. Resources
and flyer toolkits are available at www.aflcio.org
and as always the state fed will be happy to help you plan for the media
at your event. Send your
information or requests for assistance to rtemplin@flaflcio.org.
Thanks!
Jeb
gets nasty…newspapers notice…
Malpractice
crisis ends when Bush stops pouting
(07/09/2003 © Palm
Beach Post)
Gov. Bush can have
a deal on malpractice insurance in hours if he gives a little to get it.
Writing surly letters to Republican senators, as he did Monday, won't get
Florida
the good deal the state
needs. The special session that starts today is the Legislature's third
swing of the year at ...
Be
it wrong or right, Bush is always right. Always
(
07/09/2003
© St.
Petersburg Times)
You
may not disagree with Gov. Jeb Bush. No. You may not disagree. You are not
permitted. If you do disagree with Gov. Jeb Bush, then your disagreement
is not based on principle. No. Only the governor has principles. You do
not have any principles. Your thinking is flawed. Your intel...
Poisoning
the well
(
07/09/2003
© Gainesville
Sun)
Where did Gov. Jeb
Bush learn his leadership skills? From Genghis Khan?
The Florida Legislature is convening today for its third attempt at
addressing the state's medical-malpractice crisis. It's a complicated
issue, and it's apparent that there are some deep held, and legitimate,
differences of ...
Governor
s inflexibility blocks insurance solution
(07/09/2003 © Florida
Today)
In what should be
a cause of anger for Florida taxpayers in a state already cutting funding
for needed services, a third session of the legislature starts today. At a
cost of up to $40,000 a day, lawmakers will try again to pass
medical-malpractice insurance legislation. The problem could ha...
Bush
rips GOP senators on malpractice awards
(07/09/2003 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE - As a
weary Legislature returns today for a second special session to grapple
with Gov. Jeb Bush's insistence on medical malpractice reform, the
governor is lashing out at his fellow Republicans in the Senate, blaming
them for endangering Florida's healthcare system. In
an e-mail sen...
LOOK
AT THIS!
Jeb
Bush aide s e-mail targets GOP senators
(07/11/2003 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE - In a
move that would pit Republicans against each other in next year's
elections, an aide to Gov. Jeb Bush has suggested unseating two GOP
senators and aggressively coaxing others who oppose the governor's push
for caps in medical malpractice cases. A memo from Deputy Chief of
Staff...
E-Mail
Unveils Malpractice Plot
(07/11/2003 © Tampa
Tribune)
TALLAHASSEE - Gov.
Jeb Bush's deputy chief of staff used state equipment to help health care
industry representatives plot political attacks on Republican senators
opposing the governor's demand for caps on medical malpractice jury
awards. An e-mail from deputy chief Alan Levine on Tuesday to Dani...
The
Senate strikes back…
Crisis
and conscience
(
07/11/2003
© Daytona
Beach News-Journal)
In the
Florida
Legislature, 'debate'
more often resembles political theater: Carefully worded presentations,
hand-picked witnesses and impassioned but usually futile dissents. But on
the contentious issue of medical malpractice, things went off script --
spectacularly. This is no polished perf...
Governor
riles up GOP senators
(07/09/2003 © Bradenton
Herald)
Tensions are
riding high as state lawmakers begin a second special session today to
resolve Florida's medical liability crisis. Gov. Jeb Bush issued a
stinging rebuke Monday, blaming fellow Republicans in the state Senate for
disagreeing with him over how to lower medical malpractice insurance co...
Senators
hammer governor on doctor liability
(07/10/2003 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE - Gov.
Jeb Bush on Wednesday endorsed a $1 million cap on medical malpractice
awards in an effort to end a bitter fight with the Senate Republicans over
how to curtail rising insurance rates for the state's doctors. But the
proposed compromise offered little hope of resolving the wran...
Bush,
legislators square off
(07/09/2003 © Daytona
Beach News-Journal)
TALLAHASSEE --
With Gov. Jeb Bush and Senate leaders in a bitter feud about fixing
Florida's medical malpractice system, a special legislative session set to
start this afternoon appears doomed before it begins. Key senators already
have said the second special session in the past month to deal w...
Malpractice
collision looms in state
(07/09/2003 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
TALLAHASSEE·
Locked in a nasty war of words with Gov. Jeb Bush over medical malpractice
legislation, state senators are preparing to take extraordinary steps --
such as taking testimony under oath and subpoenaing secret insurance
industry documents -- to get to the bottom of insurance premium ra...
Lawmakers
threaten long, painful debate
(07/09/2003 © Orlando
Sentinel)
Republican Gov.
Jeb Bush ripped into GOP state senators once again for siding with trial
lawyers in the debate over medical-malpractice insurance reform as
lawmakers headed into what's expected to be yet another rocky special
session starting today. Angry senators responded Tuesday by threatening...
Bush
s rebuke incenses senators
(
07/09/2003
© St.
Petersburg Times)
TALLAHASSEE
- The governor's latest
attempt to have his way in the medical malpractice debate blew up the
special legislative session Tuesday before it even began. The spark was an
e-mail Gov. Jeb Bush sent to political supporters accusing Republican
senators of caving in to trial lawyers and 'je...
…And
Special Session C limps on.
House
OKs $1 Million Cap on Awards
(07/11/2003 © Miami
Herald)
TALLAHASSEE --
With the blessing of Gov. Jeb Bush, the Florida House voted Thursday for a
$1 million cap on medical malpractice awards in an effort to break an
impasse with the Senate over the legislation. 'It compromises where it
should, but it does not compromise on principle,' said Bush, who h...
Senate
approval not an overnight kind of deal
(07/11/2003 © Daytona
Beach News-Journal)
TALLAHASSEE -- The
Florida House moved quickly Thursday to pass a bill aimed at lowering
medical malpractice insurance rates, but a skeptical Senate promised a
painstaking review of doctors' insurance problems. The Senate likely will
pass its version of a malpractice bill today. But
before negoti...
Special
Session C Preview
(
07/09/2003
© Capitol
News Service)
1967 was perhaps
the most tumultuous year for lawmakers in recent history...sessions ran
from April to September. Mallory Horne was a freshman senator and says the
extended session took a personal toll on law makers. 'Nothing
to do, too much time on their hands. Too much attention from
lobbyists, it...
Recriminations
fly as session starts
(07/10/2003 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
TALLAHASSEE · The
Florida Legislature's medical malpractice melee grew feistier Wednesday as
state senators opened another special session by blaming Gov. Jeb Bush for
politicizing the issue and questioning whether insurers have misled them
about why doctors' liability insurance rates have skyrocket...
House
floats compromise malpractice proposal
(07/09/2003 © Naples
Daily News)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
- House leaders proposed a compromise plan Wednesday to lower malpractice
insurance rates that would let victims of medical mistakes and their
family members collect up to $1 million for noneconomic
damages like pain and suffering. Gov. Jeb Bush, seated right, meets wi...
The
true crooked face of politics in
Florida
and the
US
.
What do both governments have in common? (READ THESE)
McCarty
facing $450,000 in fines
(
07/10/2003
© Palm Beach
Post)
Fallout continues
to rain in
Palm Beach
County
from the 2000
presidential election. Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty's brief
post-election campaign to oust three 'left-wing' Florida Supreme Court
justices may cost her as much as $450,000 in fines for state campaign law
violations....
Fundraiser
comes after favor
(07/09/2003 © St.
Petersburg Times)
TALLAHASSEE - A
top Republican Party campaign contributor who won a lucrative legislative
exemption from hospital expansion rules is hosting a $1,000-a-person
fundraiser this weekend so lobbyists can play golf with House Republicans.
The overnight outing opens Friday with cocktails and hors d'oeu...
Official:
State altered voucher school records
(07/10/2003 © Palm
Beach Post)
TALLAHASSEE -- The
state Education Department tried to cover up lax oversight of a corporate
tax credit voucher program that channels $88 million to private schools, a
top department official has charged in a whistle-blower complaint. The
whistle-blower, Robert Metty, was relieved of
his duti...
Education
staffers told to clam up
(07/11/2003 © Palm
Beach Post)
TALLAHASSEE --
Employees of the Department of Education office in charge of voucher
programs are forbidden to speak with legislators, legislative staff or
even governor's office staff without permission -- a rule instituted the
day after the department began investigating a staffer's whistle-b...
All
in the family
(
07/09/2003
© St.
Petersburg Times)
It ought to be a
crime, but it's not even unethical by
Washington
standards. The Los
Angeles Times recently reported that at least 28 members of Congress have
children, spouses or other close relatives who lobby or work as
consultants, mostly in
Washington
. Many of these relatives
aren't qualifi...
The
death of government by a thousand cuts.
Many
Republicans have made no secret of their plan to choke off tax dollars to
force major government program reductions and shrink government in
general. Want to know what
life without strong, responsible government programs looks like?
Watch the new film out on video…”The Gangs of New York.”
Shun
Deduction While Ink Is Red
(
07/09/2003
© Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
Gee, Congress is
mulling a way to bring fairness to the tax system by letting people in
states like
Florida
deduct money they pay in
sales taxes. Too bad the idea wasn't floated $2 trillion worth of tax cuts
and hundreds of billions in budget red ink ago. But, alas, U.S. Rep. Tom
Feeney, R-O...
Feeney,
Keller: Equal treatment for Florida taxpayers
(
07/10/2003
© Orlando
Sentinel)
While toting up
your federal income deductions, you'll notice that state and local income
taxes are deductible. But that's worthless information since
Florida
-- like seven other
states -- shuns a state income tax. Instead, we rely on a sales tax to
fund our state government. So you search in vain f...
Florida
’s
A+ education system!
Crowd
criticizes 3-year diploma idea
(07/09/2003 © Sarasota
Herald-Tribune)
MANATEE COUNTY --
High schools across the county held meetings Tuesday to explain a new
18-credit diploma to students, doing their duty by state law. But school
officials barely concealed their disdain for the plan approved by the
Legislature this year. New Superintendent Roger Dearing said he ho...
District
to put out word on fast-track grads
(07/10/2003 © Gainesville
Sun)
Alachua County
school officials said Wednesday they plan to send letters to parents of
high school students asking them to attend informational meetings about
the new 'accelerated graduation' options to take place at each high school
before the end of the month. Area educators say they don't know...
Lawmakers
Want More FCAT Changes
(07/10/2003 © Capitol
News Service)
Angry legislators
and religious leaders say Governor Jeb Bush should use this week's special
legislative session to help the state's 43-thousand failing third-graders.
They want the Governor to extend the call of the session to include a bill
that would let 3rd graders who failed the FCAT still adva...
State
behind in matching college gifts, so donations drop
(
07/10/2003
© Florida
Keys Keynoter)
Florida
's 11 public universities
are losing private donations because the state's budget crunch is
preventing the Legislature from matching those gifts.
Florida
law requires the state
to match private donations above a certain amount. The backlog in matches
for about 500 donations ? totaling
$10...
A
new lesson for elementary civics classes…do what you want.
Has
anyone else notice a disturbing new trend in US politics?
You lose an election…steal it.
You don’t like a governor picked by the voters…spend millions
on a recall. You don’t like
a President…spend millions on a witch hunt then impeach.
You don’t like the voters will on a constitutional
amendment…ignore it. Is
this really a democracy?
Insult
to voters
(
07/10/2003
© Florida
Today)
The
people have spoken, but apparently some of
Florida
's government officials
refuse to listen. That includes Sen. Mike Haridopolos,
R-Indian
Harbour
Beach
, who recently told the
Indian River County School Board he wants a revote on the class-size
amendment. Nearly half the House and the Sen...
GOP
redistricting maneuver nothing but a greedy power grab
(07/11/2003 © Charlotte
Sun Herald)
The current
attempt to muscle and maneuver five or six legally elected, and repeatedly
re-elected, Texas members of Congress out of their jobs is a greedy and
utterly transparent partisan power grab. Even the sponsors don't pretend
otherwise. U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay,
mastermind of th...
Recall
Vote Promises to Add to California Chaos
The
New York
Times
7/10/03
FEC
postpones decision that could affect Issa's
recall role
San Diego Union-Tribune
Election
2004 (if Byrd becomes Senator, I’m leaving)
Speaker
may be looking at Senate run
(07/11/2003 © Orlando
Sentinel)
TALLAHASSEE --
House Speaker Johnnie Byrd has been quietly raising tens of thousands of
dollars for a political committee he controls, fueling speculation that
he's edging closer to entering a crowded field of candidates for U.S.
Senate. Even as state lawmakers are engulfed in another special ses...
Newspaper
publisher to challenge Hastings
(07/10/2003 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
A Broward weekly
newspaper editor has launched a campaign against U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings,
saying the congressman has failed to improve the lives of his minority
constituents.
Hastings
, D-Miramar, is mulling
leaving his seat to run for the U.S. Senate. If
Hastings
does launch a campaign
for the...
Harrell
to seek Foley s U.S. Congress seat
(
07/10/2003
© Gainesville
Sun)
State Rep. Gayle
Harrell is entering the race for Congress. Harrell, R-Stuart, said
Wednesday that she will run for the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Mark
Foley of
West Palm Beach
. Foley is running for
the U.S. Senate in the GOP primary. Harrell, who will turn 60 this month,
said she is 'exc...
Dem.
Candidate Kucinich Gets Endorsements
San Jose
Mercury News
7/9/03
National
Med Mal…let the fundraising begin!
Malpractice
cap tabled by Senate Democrats
(07/10/2003 © Orlando
Sentinel)
Senate Democrats
succeeded Wednesday in blocking a bill that would have limited jury awards
to medical-malpractice victims, but in the process they handed Republicans
an issue ripe for next year's election campaigns. Republicans had taken
their malpractice-reform bill directly to the Senate floor...
Attacks
on overtime pay, 40-hour week continue
Proposed
Overtime Regulations at a Glance (washingtonpost.com)
The
Washington
Post
7/11/03
House
Defeats Democrats' Bid to Thwart New Overtime Rules
The
New York
Times
7/11/03
House
Backs Bush, OKs Rules on Overtime
(07/11/2003 © Ft.
Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel)
WASHINGTON --
Democrats and union leaders are lambasting President Bush for a proposal
they say would cost at least 8 million workers their overtime pay after
the House backed his drive to overhaul decades-old rules determining who
qualifies for the extra money. The Republican-led chamber...
House
votes to proceed with revised rules on overtime
(07/11/2003 © Daytona
Beach News-Journal)
WASHINGTON -- The
House voted Thursday to let the Bush administration move ahead with
proposed rules that could stop at least 644,000 white-collar workers from
receiving overtime pay, heeding a White House veto threat and taking the
side of business in its battle against unions. Lawmakers voted 2...
Bush
out to change OT rules
Miami
Herald
7/10/03
Bush
Administration To Congress: Leave Alone
Overtime Rule Change
Dow Jones Business News
7/10/03
Wal-Mart
Check
Plan
seeks to rule out Wal-Mart as banker
Chicago
Tribune
7/11/03
Ex-Wal-Mart
worker settles suit for $7,000
Orlando
Sentinel
7/11/03
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
