Archive for November, 2009
Top Florida lawmakers are balking at Congress' plans to help more poor people get health care, though they've protected an entitlement of their own for years: free insurance premiums.
Taxpayers have been stuck with covering the premiums at an annual cost of about $45 million – even while lawmakers pledged to scrimp and save as they grappled with three straight years of budget shortfalls.
Florida doesn't limit the subsidies to statewide officeholders like Gov. Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, or to legislators like Senate President Jeff Atwater and House Speaker Larry Cretul. About 27,479 state employees – many of them high-level bureaucrats and political appointees – also get the break. So do their families.
" I think it's appropriate. I think it's part of the compensation package for a public servant,'' Crist said. "It's a policy that has been supported by the Legislature and I'm comfortable with it.''
The governor plans to add his wife of nearly one year, wealthy businesswoman and philanthropist Carole Crist, as well as her two daughters from a previous marriage to his health plan on Jan. 1. The girls attend an all-girls private school in New York and live with their father, who owns a jet-rental company.
"There is not a residency requirement for coverage,'' explained Crist spokesman Sterling Ivey.
Full story here.
"Jesus didn’t come to take sides. He came to take over." Senator Mark Pryor, Arkansas Democrat. Listening to Fresh Air on November 24 and its disturbing interview with Jeff Sharlet turned my thoughts to the struggle between Gov. Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush’s anointed one, for the next US Senator in Florida. Sharlet has done extensive research on "The Family"; an ultra-right wing group
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Here is a unique marketing strategy. Show up Dec. 5th to buy a Lennar property and get free crepes cooked to order. Be sure to RSVP for the event. I am getting hungry just looking at the reverse side of this flyer with a big plate of Blueberry crepes…no houses pictured…just the crepes with a dollop of whipped cream. Warning: They say it is a "Festive Reception" so you might want to dress
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Paul Krugman writes in the NY Times: "Should we use taxes to deter financial speculation? Yes, say top British officials, who oversee the City of London, one of the world’s two great banking centers. Other European governments agree — and they’re right. Unfortunately, United States officials — especially Timothy Geithner, the Treasury secretary — are dead set against the proposal. Let’s hope they
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Now in its seventh installment, Aquabooty’s infamous Art Basel special, Fuck Art Let’s Dance, is going down at the Electric Pickle on Friday night and headlined this time by the legendary D…
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A couple recent concert announcements bring a little something for people on both your naughty and nice lists this Christmas. If you or someone you know happens to be on the nice list, consi…
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The long weekend may be over but the busy season is just getting started. With Art Basel Miami Beach starting this weekend, you’ll be lucky if you’re alive come Sunday. But let’s not get ahe…
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Skinny Puppy Revolution, Fort LauderdaleFriday, November 27, 2009
Better Than: Hanging out at your local weekly industrial gathering
The Review:
One of the coolest things about Skinn…
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Borrowing an opening bit from Coffee Talk with Linda Richman, Manchester Orchestra is neither from Manchester, nor a real orchestra. Okay, talk amongst yourselves. They’re actually a five-pi…
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