How many years, how many ways will Rick Scott rip off the state of Florida and the Federal Government for his personal political/financial gain?
As you know, he started in the 90s when his hospital ripped off state and federal tax payers for billions of dollars. I will never understand why this alleged crook (who pleaded the fifth 75 times) is not in jail for "dealing" billions in Medicare drugs and services while "Pookie Nem" are doing five for "dealing" a baking soda rock. But hey, that’s what justice looks like in America.
What follows are examples of how “Slick-Rick’s” policies can benefit him politically and/or financially:
Is this the reason "Slick-Rick" wants to force every state employee to take random drug tests up to four times per year?
“One of the more popular services at Solantic, the urgent care chain co-founded by Florida Gov. Rick Scott, is drug testing, according to Solantic CEO Karen Bowling. Given Solantic's role in that marketplace, critics are again asking whether Scott's policy initiatives - this time, requiring drug testing of state employees and welfare recipients - are designed to benefit Scott's bottom line.
The Palm Beach Post reported in an exclusive story two weeks ago that while Scott divested his interest in Solantic in January, the controlling shares went to a trust in his wife's name.” http://www.palmbeachpost.com/...
Inquiring minds are asking what does Slick-Rick gain from his plan to privatize Florida’s prisons?
“Corrections Corp. of America, headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., runs four prisons, and Management Training Corp., based in Utah, runs one. Those three companies are prime financiers of the Republican Party. GEO Group alone gave more than $400,000 to the party in the past election cycle and another $25,000 to Scott's inaugural bash.
Geo Group's lobbyist, Brian Ballard, hosted Scott at his Tallahassee home to watch the Super Bowl. He also helped raise $3 million for Scott's inaugural.”
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/...
I guess "Slick-Rick" believes, “you scratch my prison and I’ll scratch yours.”
Inquiring minds are asking, what does Slick-Rick gain from selling the state planes?
Much like Sarah Palin and other tea party favorites, Rick Scott sold the two state planes. Ahh, that’s so “fiscally cool” man, you know—saving a few dollars from the budget—but wait, you always have to look deeper with Slick-Rick:
“Existing rules allow private planes to keep their flight information private simply by filing paperwork with the Federal Aviation Administration. Scott, who announced plans to sell the state planes after taking office, is one of many private owners who elect to keep information blocked from Flight Aware, a website that tracks private and commercial flights.
Scott told the Tallahassee Democrat last month that he saw "no need" to release his flight information, even while on state business. "I've never done it," he said.” "I don't believe in it."
http://jacksonville.com/...
Umm—okay, so what is he trying to hide? Maybe trips like this one:
“Scott has taken advantage of the secrecy to take at least one unannounced trip before taking office, when he detoured during a trip to a Republican Governors Association Meeting in November to meet with Las Vegas casino executive Sheldon Adelson. The public learned of that trip more than one month after Scott took office.”
http://jacksonville.com/...
Inquiring minds are asking, what does Slick-Rick gain from rejecting federal funds for high speed rail?
• Who cares if the rails are paid for by the federal government?
• Who cares if they would provide a 2.4 billion dollar stimulus to a state with
explosive unemployment?
• Who cares if republicans and democrats in the state house are for the project?
• Who cares if over 24,000 Floridians would be hired to build the project and
thousands more indirectly.”
Actually, I care--deeply. Most logical Americans understand that he’s just playing politics. The Miami Times said it this way:
“Scott mentioned other infrastructure projects he would have liked to have seen the money go to, but he seems to have a juvenile understanding on how the federal budget works. Because Florida has now declined the $2.4 billion, it will be used to fund high-speed rails and create jobs in other states.”
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/...
Progressives, the bottom line is that "Slick-Rick" is a dangerous mixture of tea party nuttery, heartless business exploitation and an unethical edict that would make Blogo blush. Whether his new five-year waiting period before non-violent criminals are allowed to vote or his absolute assault on education, he has far eclipsed Scott Walker's war against the middle-class.
I honestly believe his goal is to privatize as much of Florida as possible so he can sit like a “Crooked CEO”—playing and paying with state and federal funds. Oh wait, didn’t that already happen with his hospitals?
I’m writing about this because he is getting away with all of this while most of us are rightly focusing on Wisconsin and Ohio. We no longer have Allen Grayson’s voice in Florida, but I applaud Representative Corrine Brown who is pounding him day and night on “all” of these issues.
I’m appealing to my fellow progressives to pay attention to Florida because something is definitely rotten and it “ain’t” Denmark!!
“In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican." H. L. Mencken