Daily Clips for September 7, 2010

FEATURED STORIES Kick 'em right out of the 'Taj Mahal' By Howard Troxler St. Petersburg Times Every taxpayer at every forum and every pre-election event from now until November should say to their legislator: You blew $48 million of my money on this? And you expect me to vote for you? And here is what each member who voted for that 2007 budget, and the sneaky deal, will say: I didn't know. Which is even worse. Father of Senate candidate Marco Rubio dies in Miami Beth Reinhard Miami Herald Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio temporarily suspended his campaign on Sunday after the death of his father at Baptist Hospital in Miami. Republican foes, lobbyists now flock to Scott By Steve Bousquet St. Petersburg Times In the aftermath of a mean-spirited primary, supporters of vanquished Bill McCollum are eagerly boarding the Rick Scott bandwagon, especially those Tallahassee special interests Scott vilified in the primary. Governor candidates' job plans fuzzy on details By Mary Ellen Klas Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Bureau Republican Rick Scott and Democrat Alex Sink are both former business executives duking it out in an increasingly hostile race to be Florida's governor, but they agree on one thing: more jobs are needed. FIU gives downcast Labor Day report on state of Florida's work force By Jeff Harrington St. Petersburg Times Researchers at Florida International University are overflowing with numbing numbers that illustrate the Great Recession's destructive force. It's all about the money chase By Daniel A. Smith Miami Herald Members of Congress are taking a hiatus from the summer heat in Washington, D.C., on recess until mid-September. UF Muslims fear Koran burning may spark violence By Jaweed Kaleem Miami Herald Related editorial: Bonfire of hatred Before she left her Miami home to return to the University of Florida this fall, Wajiha Akhtar's parents gave her some unusual advice: stay indoors as much as possible and, whatever happens, don't go near the Koran burners. EDITORIAL CARTOON OF THE WEEK By Chan Lowe South Florida Sun-Sentinel Read the artist’s commentary here. FLORIDA POLITICS Democrats for Crist? Stick with party, not polls By Justin Snyder Palm Beach Post Some in the Florida Democratic Party have gone missing. In the middle of one of the most important election cycles in Florida and U.S. history, some Democrats have run from policies to play politics instead of sticking to the principles that make us Democrats. Rubio's image hides sham of a record By Stephen Goldstein South Florida Sun-Sentinel For the frenzy he brings to politics, Marco Rubio has been called the Energizer Bunny. Oh nevermind Editorial Gainesville Sun To provide political cover for refusing to do anything when Gov. Charlie Crist called a special legislative session in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon spill this summer, House Speaker Larry Cretul appointed some phony baloney committees to pretend to look into things the state ought to do to better protect itself against oil spills. Tallahassee's Taj Mahal Editorial Panama City News Herald Alex Sink’s decision this week to order an audit of a new courthouse under construction in Tallahassee likely will benefit her campaign for governor. So be it. POLITICAL RACES Scott tries to tie Sink to Obama in governor's race By Catherine Whittenburg Tampa Tribune Talking to GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott about Democrat Alex Sink can feel like flipping from local television news to CNN. As CEO, Scott urged private health care By Aaron Deslatte Orlando Sentinel Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Scott could have to do some explaining about his past this fall, and not just what he knew about the Medicare and Medicaid fraud at his former company, Columbia/HCA. If elected, Scott may find governor's chair an uneasy fit By Bob Rathgeber Florida Capital News The political landscape is littered with failures — successful business executives who went bust when they took residence in the governor's mansion. Rick Scott's pick for running mate doesn't look like GOP insider By Adam C. Smith St. Petersburg Times So what does state Rep. Jennifer Carroll bring to Rick Scott's gubernatorial ticket? A look at Scott's choice for GOP ticket By Aaron Sharockman St. Petersburg Times Trying to keep the outsider label that propelled him to victory in the Republican primary for governor, millionaire businessman Rick Scott announced last week that he had picked a fellow outsider for lieutenant governor in Jennifer Carroll. Running mates in Florida don't go anywhere after leaving office By Larry Hannan Florida Times-Union Jennifer Carroll became a statewide figure Thursday morning when she accepted Rick Scott's offer to become his running mate for Florida governor. On economy, who is best: Scott or Sink? By Lloyd Dunkelberger Gainesville Sun With the state's jobless rate at a historic high and one million Floridians unemployed, the biggest question in this year's governor's race is: Which candidate can get Florida back to work? Charlie Crist's strategy: Marginalize Kendrick Meek By David Cantanese Politico With the three-way Senate field set in Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist’s fall campaign appears to be increasingly dependent on peeling off Democratic voters and sidelining Rep. Kendrick Meek. Charlie Crist has had episodes of 'misspeaking' before By William March Tampa Tribune When a television interviewer asked Gov. Charlie Crist about the national health care reform bill last week, Crist responded quickly, "I would have voted for it, but I think it can be done better." Democrat's blog post exaggerates Crist's dip in approval ratings By Aaron Sharockman St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Politifact The man who ran President Barack Obama's successful presidential campaign in Florida has crunched the numbers in the state's high-profile U.S. Senate race and come up with a bold prediction: Charlie Crist, the state's governor and a no-party candidate, will not win. As midterm election nears, Obama on shaky ground By Alex Leary St. Petersburg Times The weekend in Florida was conceived to soothe one distraction — the gulf oil disaster — but only intensified another. Grady asks judge to rule complaint against Crist is a class action lawsuit By Aisling Swift Naples Daily News Two Republican campaign contributors to Gov. Charlie Crist’s U.S. Senate campaign filed a motion Friday that asks a judge to certify their lawsuit as a class-action complaint with more than 2,000 Republican donors. Many Democrats more anti-Rubio than pro-anyone By Beth Reinhard Miami Herald Remember the saying ``Anyone But Bush'' among Democrats in 2004 who feared a second term by George W. Bush? Marco Rubio: Charlie Crist has ‘six different positions’ on healthcare law By Amy Sherman St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Politifact The press has written extensively about Gov. Charlie Crist's flip-flops amid his independent bid for U.S. Senate -- including about healthcare. Will Dog Adoption Fight Hound Bondi? By Emily Nipps St. Petersburg Times Before she became the Republican nominee for Florida attorney general, Pam Bondi was a familiar face as a legal analyst on CNN and the Fox News Channel. Boyd 'makes no apology' for supporting Obama economic plan By Bill Cotterell Florida Capital News U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd told labor activists Monday he will "make no apology" for supporting Obama Administration economic plans that Republicans are attacking. Democratic donor seeks ethics probe of GOP candidate David Rivera By Patricia Mazzei Miami Herald A Democratic donor from Miami has filed a complaint against state Rep. David Rivera, asking the Federal Election Commission to investigate whether the Republican congressional candidate violated campaign finance laws by “coordinating” attacks on Democrat opponent Joe Garcia with a political committee intended to remain independent. Rematch of bitter rivals likely to be closer By Amy Sherman Miami Herald It's round two in the race between Republican Allen West and Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Ron Klein. BALLOT INITIATIVES Vote to repeal state's incumbent protection plan By Randy Schultz Palm Beach Post In poll after poll, voters rage against the "political Establishment." On Nov. 2, Florida voters can put this rage to good use. Amendment 4 lets voter decide land changes By Lesley Blackner St. Augustine Record Who's afraid of Amendment 4, the constitutional revision that will give voters more control over major projects and growth in their communities? Shameless, cynical politics Editorial Pensacola News Journal The Florida Supreme Court struck a blow for political ethics this week in striking down a blatant, disingenuous attempt by the Legislature to water down proposed constitutional amendments to make redistricting less political. ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY EPA gives Florida new Everglades cleanup guidelines By Curtis Morgan Miami Herald Federal environmental regulators on Friday laid out a detailed blueprint for how Florida can finally live up to its repeatedly postponed pledge to clean up pollution flowing into the Everglades. Making a high-stakes effort on behalf of manatees By Dr. Katie Tripp Daytona Beach News-Journal I've never liked Jenga, the game where wooden blocks are stacked to form a tower, then removed one by one until the tower collapses. US won't say if blowout preventer on way to shore The Associated Press Tampa Tribune The Justice Department won't say if the blowout preventer that failed to stop oil from gushing from BP's undersea well into the Gulf of Mexico is on its way to shore. Want to sue BP? No oil required By Louis Cooper Pensacola News Journal For some beach businesses outside Northwest Florida, the effects of the BP oil spill may have resulted from perception, not reality. LGBT The politics of coming out of the closet By Steve Rothaus Miami Herald You'd think with all the Republican support these days for same-sex marriage, that GOP stood for Gay Old Party. EDUCATION Racing to the top: Now the hard part begins for unions, educators By Leslie Postal Orlando Sentinel Florida's victory in the federal Race to the Top education competition was barely a day old when school superintendents learned the grant program's clock was running down — and fast. In Florida, scant oversight of private schools By Christopher O'Donnell Sarasota Herald-Tribune Bradenton Preparatory Academy owner Hendrik Lamprecht recently told parents the school had received a new accreditation from a “prestigious international accreditation body.” Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Requirements to Toughen By Richard Danielson St. Petersburg Times University of South Florida freshman Karsen Lonzo arrived this fall confident her Bright Futures scholarship would largely cover this year's $5,200 tuition and fees. S. Florida districts weigh policy for teachers using social media By Akilah Johnson South Florida Sun-Sentinel After people meet in the real world, their next step is often a visit to the virtual one, where they'll make a "friend" request on Facebook or MySpace. JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY New Florida International University report underscores the depth of Florida’s recession By Marcos Restrepo Florida Independent As President Obama unveiled his $50 billion program to generate jobs at the national level a Florida International University report released on Monday says the length and depth of this recession “means that it is likely to be a long time, if ever, before unemployment recovers to pre-recession levels.” Florida's budget gap has shrunk by nearly $3 billion By Gary Fineout Florida Tribune Florida’s projected budget gap for the coming year has shrunk by nearly $3 billion, a new forecast released on Friday shows. How to End the Great Recession By Robert B. Reich New York Times This promises to be the worst Labor Day in the memory of most Americans. Florida’s High-Speed Answer to a Foreclosure Mess By Gretchen Morgenson and Geraldine Fabrikant New York Times Ten days from now, a four-bedroom house on a cul-de-sac in Middleburg, Fla., is scheduled to be auctioned off at the Clay County courthouse, 25 miles south of Jacksonville. Florida slow to spend federal stimulus cash By William E. Gibson Orlando Sentinel Florida agencies have spent only about 40 percent of their share of federal stimulus money, a slow flow of funds that has made a limited impact on the state's dire job market. KSC workers refocus as cuts creep closer By Megan K. Scott Florida Today Jaci Remrey woke up early one morning and thought, "Five weeks. That's all that's left of my job." HEALTH AND SENIORS State-funded pregnancy clinics disseminate questionable science on abortion By Marcos Restrepo Florida Independent Crisis Pregnancy Centers, funded by the state of Florida, are distributing brochures that suggest abortion causes mental illness, including depression, addiction and suicide. Nursing home closure rare, weighed heavily in Florida By Deirdre Conner Florida Times-Union When state authorities made a move to shutter a Jacksonville nursing home for repeated problems, it was an uncommon step. Social Security Under Assault The Progress Report Think Progress This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Social Security Act, and despite its standing as arguably the most successful social program in the country's history, Social Security has come under assault from a variety of Republican lawmakers and candidates. CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES Afghans protest Florida church for plan to burn Quran on 9/11 The Associated Press Pensacola News Journal Hundreds of Afghans railed against the United States and called for President Barack Obama's death at a rally in the capital Monday to denounce a Florida church's plans to burn the Islamic holy book on Sept. 11. Gainesville pastor's plan to burn Quran draws protest in Afghanistan The Associated Press Florida Times-Union While hundreds of Muslims in Afghanistan protested a Florida pastor's plan to burn the Quran on the 9/11 anniversary, a Jacksonville man visited Gainesville on Monday in hopes of heading off more local, national and international turmoil. JUSTICE AND THE COURTS Florida panel takes aim at legal injustices By Susan Spencer-Wendel Palm Beach Post Across the country, 258 men and women - all wrongly convicted of crimes - have been exonerated by DNA evidence. Courts work to clear housing cases By Todd Ruger Sarasota Herald-Tribune When attorneys and judges complain that foreclosures are clogging the courts, this is what they are talking about: roughly 24,000 properties in Sarasota and Manatee counties are in foreclosure but have not been retaken, and many have seen no legal activity in almost a year. Why 2 Florida prosecutors left posts a mystery By Pat Gillespie Ft. Myers News-Press Two veteran prosecutors left the state attorney’s office last week, leaving it with the task of covering more than 300 juvenile law cases they were handling.