Tag Archives: Rick Scott

This Week’s Top 5 on ThinkProgr​ess: The Vagina Monologues Edition


If you’re looking for a progressive take on the current political news, ThinkProgress has you covered. Catch up on the biggest stories from the past week that you may have missed:

  –  Massive Crowd Gathers For Reading Of Vagina Monologues At Michigan Capitol

When two female legislators were banned from the Michigan House floor last week after saying the word “vagina” during a debate about an anti-abortion measure, people across the country spoke out for the right to discuss and defend women’s health.

–   Romney To Republican Governor: Discussing The Economic Recovery Will Hurt My Election Chances

  Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) is touting his state’s increasing economic growth and stability, but Mitt Romney doesn’t want to hear it.

–   Over Two Decades, Abortion Rate Dropped For Women In Their 20s Because Of Contraception Access

The growing accessibility of birth control is having a hugely positive effect on women’s health, contributing to a significant drop in unplanned pregnancy and abortion rates for women in their 20s.

–   The 7 Major Issues Mitt Romney Won’t Take A Position On

Immigration isn’t the only issue Mitt Romney is evading.

–   Members Who Supported Massive Giveaway To Big Oil Have Received $38.6 Million From The Industry

The House of Representatives just passed legislation catering to oil and gas interests at the expense of environmental concerns – and the members who voted for the bill are lining their pockets with oil and gas money.

Thanks for supporting ThinkProgress as we do this work!

Igor Volsky Deputy Editor, ThinkProgress

How to steal an election … Judd Legum from – TP


You don’t need a Ph.D. in political science to know that Florida could decide the election this November.

So it caught ThinkProgress’ attention when Florida Governor Rick Scott, a close ally of Mitt Romney, started a massive purge of registered voters from the rolls a few weeks ago.

The national media? They completely ignored it.

Not us. We broke the news that HUNDREDS of fully eligible U.S. citizens, mostly Democrats and Latinos, were being improperly targeted. We even identified two 91-year-old WWII vets who were about to have their voting rights stripped.

It’s not just Florida. We need to raise $30,000 by Monday to expand our coverage to other critical swing states where voting rights are under attack—Ohio, Colorado, and Virginia.

Please chip in $5—or whatever you can—right now so we can get to work before it’s too late. The outcome of November’s election could very well hang in the balance.

After ThinkProgress took the lead, the national media started paying attention. Our reporting was cited extensively on cable news networks like MSNBC and precipitated a powerful editorial in The New York Times.

Late last week, following extensive reporting throughout Florida by ThinkProgress, the Justice Department sent Rick Scott a letter declaring the purge illegal and demanding he put a stop to it.

We are making a difference.

But we can’t stop with Florida. This election, and our democracy, are just too important. We need researchers and reporters on the ground right now, reporting the truth.

Chip in $5 right now so ThinkProgress can investigate and expose voter suppression across the country.

Best,

Judd Legum
Editor-in-Chief, ThinkProgress.org

Florida Governor Signs Welfare Drug Screening into Law


 

By Amanda Geronikos
Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:11:56 GMT

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has signed new legislation requiring welfare applicants to take drug-screening tests.

The new law, which goes into effect July 1, will require the Florida Department of Children and Family Services to perform drug tests on adults applying to the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Welfare recipients will be responsible for the cost of the screening, but will regain the money in their assistance if they qualify. Those who fail the drug test may deligate another person to receive the benefits on behalf of their children.

Some Democrats are furious over the new legislation. CNN reports that one Democrat even deemed the bill “downright unconstitutional.” “‘Indeed, investigating people when there is probable cause to suspect they are abusing drugs is one thing,’ Rep. Corinne Brown said in a joint statement,” as mentioned by CNN. “‘But these tests amount to strip searching our state’s most vulnerable residents merely because they rely on the government for financial support during these difficult economic times.'”

Can a simple drug test truly be considered “strip searching” though? Employers perform drug tests on their most loyal employees all the time.

Gov. Rick Scott says it’s “’unfair for Florida taxpayers to subsidize drug addiction,’” as noted by CNN. “’It’s the right thing for citizens of this state that need public assistance. We don’t want to waste tax dollars. And also, we want to give people an incentive to not use drugs.’”

Do you think welfare applicants should be required to take drug tests? Sound off here.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of XFINITY.

thorny Thursday … who is sitting out 2010midterms?


An article from a popular online News service stating that “gay voters are weighing in on sitting this one out” and giving the Democratic Party a rude awakening was sad because the rude awakening or bad joke will be on all of us who want to move into the 21st Century.  It also tells me that the public needs to think about the bigger picture and this just seems to be ignored because of all the anger. I understand it – I get it, but why be so angry that you make whatever progress made thus far slide into the abyss with the possibility of ending any chance again for a long while because you “sat this one out.”  I have to say, that I do not get.  Anyway, my response to the article about gays sitting out for the midterms is below and to be honest I question the validity of the article though it uses the New York Times to frame the story. My response below is not just to the article about gays, but to another article as well with a list of folks thinking they might lean toward the GOP and those who have questions: Catholics, older individuals, so-called angry ex-Obama supporters, independents, Women and the less affluent.

I would like to know…Do these “gay voters” thinking about sitting this one out know that any movement on the right the “Republican Tea Party”  will probably keep DADT in place as well as possibly reinforcing bans on marriage? I would like to know if anyone remembers what Tancredo, Paladino and others have been saying for the last 2weeks and with tea party characters being put in line for positions of power just to spite Dems, it is possible that any move into the 21st Century will be placed on hold… for good? -The filibuster and the rule of 60 have done the dirty job so far but if more right of center folks get on the floor of Congress -the vote for repealing DADT or any other equal rights issue legislation will probably get voted down- and it won’t be because of the process needed to make sure it’s legal – but hey that’s just my take
-sitting this mid-term out or voting for Republicans to express anger is voting against your best interest and makes no sense to me …get angry but be pro-active and give President Obama two more years then vote otherwise…don’t get me wrong i believe President Obama deserves 2terms. What is a problem is how few people actually got on the phone to our members of Congress to tell them to do the peoples business and stop the stalling, blocking and making the Senate scale down bills so they only make a small impact.  I personally will support President Obama for the 2012 elections because the ditch dug by the last guy has made it impossible to correct in just one term. I know that people like Michael Moore have something else cooking and i see that as another troubling shoe ready to drop so this is my warning to the President that some parts of the progressive movement are probably behind the scenes organizing. The last 20 months have been filled with obstacles- Republican obstacles, the group that should be held accountable and be made to pay by putting more democrats on the floor of Congress ..again that is just me. I had hoped that both sides of the political aisle would work together but the rude awakening is that McConnell, DeMint, Pence and Cantor all have a different agenda and it has nothing to do with helping the American peopleThe Political Party of No as well as conservadems in some cases will continue to be the bane of our struggle to move legislation that is more geared toward 21st Century living and that includes finally moving equal rights for all of us into a reality. Vote …but Vote for DEMS. I will admit i do not understand why women feel the GOP would be the Political Party working for our needs -all of us working women ..some single women, single moms, married women with or without families all have over the last few years have suffered under Republican governing and while the air is filled with contentious rhetoric it should not …should not keep women from voting for the Democratic Party because if you were listening the family values platform is against women and has not changed.  In fact if more RTP get on the floor of Congress women our issues along with so many others will become game pieces on our move toward into the 21st Century .  I don’t know about other women but this scares me big time. The right says they want less government are constitutionalist yet lately not so much and when you find out what their family values platform really is you find out that they are social conservatives ready to make all of us abide by what they say not as they have done or are doing .  I have to wonder why those people who stood up and said we need a change in 2008 suddenly have turned away or just don’t get that the Republican Tea Party decided shortly after we voted President Obama into office that they would not cooperate or compromise on anything.

Gallup says …2010 mid-terms

56% of voters ages  18-29  —65%  ages 30-49     —58-66%  ages 50+ plan to vote on Nov.2nd

Overall those that plan to vote: Democratic Party 65% and Republicans 63% and indies 61%

 

 

testy Tuesday &some News


The weather has grounded just about everyone including President Obama.

****The media airwaves seem filled with comments stating that  messaging is a major issue for the Democratic Party …so, in response to an online article written about messaging at least in this guy’s opinion -a lack of or no coherent messaging by the Obama Administration.

I have to say just because some random writer puts the pen to paper about something does not make it true. The notion that any message from President Obama lacks coherence is questionable. In my opinion, the question is whether the message from the Democratic Party as a whole is being withheld by the various so-called fair and balanced News stations that have major corporate investments, which probably dictates whose message actually gets into the airwaves. If you watch CNBC you can see one CEO after another trotted  out  smiling it up on camera while saying  the GOP win is priced into the market -to win-to correct and or before they will cooperate if and or when they get President Obama out-of-the-way. That is just my opinion; you plug-in what you feel, it confirms the complicit relationship between the likes of Mitch McConnell, Fox News, Wall Street and the rest of the Republican Tea Party membership. It also implies and no real surprise that those in the market are still playing games, holding out on just about everything we need to get our financial issues corrected or on the way to improvement which would then create jobs but that is not happening until they get their way…how sick is that? It is my hope that people who need more convincing about whom to vote for get a chance to hear these folks from Wall Street “them” actually admit and yes i will repeat it -(they want President Obama out quite possibly before they will correct and or cooperate – that the GOP win is priced into the market performance) is beyond disgusting . It is offensive that any one station has this kind of information let alone “the Media”  probably has it as well but chooses to look the other way or just like so many other things these stories work against the best interest of those in charge at cable and or mainstream TV stations so the message actually never gets to the viewer or listener. The last 20 months have been contentious and because big money controls the airwaves, our President’s message cannot get out there to the extent that the lack of it moves to the background. I believe the  money is not allowing it by controlling the guests and topics. Though it’s not surprising it does emphasize the need to help -like the President says change is hard and he cannot do it alone. It does make me wonder just exactly how much of our President’s or even the Democratic Party message as a whole gets out to states right of center or that are totally Red States.

Other News …

“Cool Ruler” dead at 59 Jamaican reggae singer

A delay in delivery to Delta 18 787’s 1st delivery will be next yr

Ford will open at least 4 new Plants in MI to help keep jobs in the USA -12 thousand jobs

Rick Scott wants SB1070 in his State

Seattle Bank Fees are the highest at 2.60 and the average is $2.33

France could pass pension reform-strikes continue

Rand Paul supporters stomp on MoveOn.org  woman protester

Ground Stop at O’Hare airport

Tornado warnings …upper mid-west….Chicago

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