Tuesday topics: Hillary, Barack, corporate welfare, no tax reform

Okay, happy Tuesday to everybody. No live chat today, remember. Just to get things started, these quick observations from the morning's news:

* I am already tired of hearing Hillary Clinton blinking her eyes innocently and saying Florida's votes "deserve to be counted," as in this morning's interview with Times political editor Adam Smith. She's the one who signed the no-campaign pledge, and went along with snubbing Florida in the first place. Does she think we're stupid? No, wait, don't answer that. At any rate, Barack Obama apparently does, given his observation the other day that folks who support gun rights or religion might just be "bitter." I don't say this often, but I thought George Will had an insightful column about this today, invoking memories of the intellectual superiority (and vote-total inferiority!) of Adlai Stevenson.

* See Theresa Blackwell's story about the Nielsen Co. laying off workers and outsourcing jobs to "consultants" from India, after receiving $3.1 million in state and local "incentives" to locate to Oldsmar. I assume the company will be paying back the money on a pro-rated basis?

* Hmm, is ANY further chance at tax reform in Florida dead for this year? That's the implication of the latest news from the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission. If so, it's a shame. I argued in a recent column that the commission already had failed to take a fundamental look at Florida's tax structure. Now, not even the proposed "tax swap" of school taxes for a higher sales tax might not make the 2008 ballot. Couple this with Florida's relative inability to do anything about insurance and this state's political leadership, over the past two years, will have failed to address the two fundamental problems of the state.

Comments

[get-smart]

Re: Nielsen
This is absolute treason what these CEOs, equity bankers and politicians are doing to our country. The USA is becoming a 3rd world country and we are letting it happen. These CEOs walk away with millions of dollars as they loot these companies while shipping our jobs overseas. The politicians have niched out there own way of robbing the taxpayers, through state funded retirement plans, double dipping,lobbing, etc.
Remember, the Rays' owners come from the same background.

[RB]

We are stupid. There's no question about it.

[guy]

Failure to pass a new tax program, the people can vote on, is irresponsible and shows just how incompetant our present they are in Talahassee.
I hope the newspaper buries those whos names will be on that same ballot in Nov.

[Don Mott]

TBRC is a joke. They were not supposed to be political but have proven otherwise. This has been a bigger farce than the legislature itself and that says a lot. Mr. Wills column speaks volumes. Nielson should be raked over the coals for what they are doing, not only to the taxpayers but to their employees as well. Hillary should get over the fact that she shunned us from the start and now needs us. You can't have it both ways honey. Guess you should of thought about that earlier huh, or should I say duh.

[ed]

"STATE'S POLITICAL LEADERSHIP"-YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING-IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO GET THE GOVERNOR'S & LEGISLATURE'S EVALUATION ON THEIR "POLITICAL LEADERSHIP"-QUESTION-HOW CAN YOU EVALUATE NOTHING????