Gelber red-flags a 'smelly' Dade amendment

It's that time of the session when special interests and their allies earn their money, as amendments fly fast and furious. A warning sign is usually the oddly-worded amendment filed as an otherwise innocuous bill nears final passage or third reading as it is known. That requires a two-thirds vote, which means Democrats can slow things down by objecting.

At a House Democratic caucus Thursday, Reps. Jack Seiler and Dan Gelber alerted members to such an amendment to a bill (HB 65) filed by Rep. Eddy Gonzalez, R-Hialeah, who replaced Ralph Arza in the House in 2006. The amendment, narrowly drawn to affect one school district, would limit how much money the Miami-Dade district can charge private for-profit providers that rent classroom space.

"This is smelly, O.K.?" Gelber told the caucus. "There's a dotted line somewhere. I don't know where it goes." He urged lawmakers to vote against it.

Comments

"Follow the money . . . " Take it to the next level, blogger, and tell the world who wanted this selfish amendment that couldn't possibly pass the smell test.

The stench leaves a trail right back to a smelly Cuban cigar.

[Crusader]

This illustrates exactly what's wrong with Tallahassee, and why we're a backwater.

Our GOP-controlled Legislature sticks our public schools with yet another costly unfunded mandate, further cuts funding, then later blames the school district for everything that goes wrong as a result.

Hey don't blame Tallahasee, they come from all over the state and you are the "people" who voted for them!

It either lines Gonzalez's pocket or a family member's pocket. After all, that is all the Repiglicans are interested in.

Who owns the land that CSX will need to buy?

Who owns stock in CSX?

Whose family members will benefit?

These Miami Cubans got more tricks than David Copperfield.

The rest of you folks in the State are just getting ripped at all ends of the game.

12:54 not really, their ringleader has been punk'd many times recently and is being watched like a bad little boy.

[Bob]

Please, I know the people involved. The Dems are stalling because of what they want to try to show with the budget. The put a freeze on any school bill. Some dems were on board until the freeze was started. My friends company will save money and then put it back towards expansion. Capitalism is not about hoarding money, it is about putting capital to work.

In a happy clappy world it is Bob, but with the GOP, it's "let's put that capital to work making money for us, but if we make a big mistake - let's put the tax revenue to work bailing us out."

aka Corporate Welfare

[EXPERT]

yOU HAVE NO IDEA, MIAMI DADE CHARGES PROVIDERS FOR 3 HOURS MINIMUM WHEN YOU ONLY USE 30 MINUTES, THEY POCKET THE REST AND IT GOES FOR RUDY CREW'S SLUSH FUND, ISNT 200 MILLION IN THE HOLE ENOUGH, WHERE DO THESE DEMOCRATS STOP PROTECTING BAD BUISNESS DECISIONS, STOP RAPING HONEST COMPANIES, MIAMI DADE NEEDS TO CUT SPENDING AND SPEND MORE ON CLASSROOM, THIS BILL IS FAIR, IT CHARGES PROVIDERS FOR THE TIME THE CLASSES ARE USED, INSTEAD OF HEY PAY 3 HOURS EVN THOUGH U ONLY USE 1. THAT IS A VIOLATION OF THE NCLB ACT.. MIAMI DADE SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED.. GELBER GET A CLUE BUDDY! THERES NO LOSS OF REVENUE THERE, UNLESS YOU COUN PIRACY AS LEGAL REVENUE

[JIM]

THIS IS NOT TAX REVENUE BY THE WAY, THESE ARE TITLE 1 FUNDS ALLOCATED FOR THE TUTORING OF LOW INCOME CHILDREN, MIAMI DADE IS TRYING TO GET BACK THE MONEY BY OVERCHARGING PROVIDERS!!
WHERE ELSE DO YOU PAY FOR 3 HOURS WHEN U ONLY USE ONE!! WHO SUFFERS HERE ONCE AGAIN THE KIDS!! AND CARPET BAGGER RUDY CREW CONTINUES HIS SMOKE AND MIRRORS, DOUBLE THE F SCHOOLS, 200 MILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT, BUT SUPT. OF THE YEAR WWWWWWWWWWWWWOWO

[art]

This is a perec example of ignorance, miami dade charges 3 hours for the use of 1, no other county in the statedoes that, but gelber says its a loss of revenue,its a stop to thievery, rudy crew has been caught dipping into the capita funds to fund unworthy programs and is 200 million in the hole, nobody ses that, this is about being fair! wake up democrats every bill doesnt have a trick to it