Sunday, April 20, 2008
Intelligent Legislation
Just to drop in on the Florida legislature, vying for the title of stupidest in the nation, Michael Mayo of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel has a scorecard:Starting July 1, it will be legal to bring your gun to work, but you'll have to keep it locked in your car. No word yet on whether companies will replace Casual Fridays with Winchester Wednesdays.
It's still legal to hang fake bull testicles on the bumper of your pickup truck, but a state senator wants to neuter displays of the so-called "Truck-Nutz" by imposing a $60 fine.
It's still legal for Floridians to have sex with animals.
It's still illegal for gays to adopt, even if they've been a child's foster parent for years. ...
Very much alive are proposed bills that might allow the mention of intelligent design and creationism in science classrooms and a bill that would compel women to pay for and view an ultrasound before having abortions.
The real heavy lifting — finalizing budget cuts in a lean fiscal year — is yet to come.
Last year, the Legislature passed a $71.9 billion budget that shrunk to $70 billion because of the slumping economy and sales tax shortfalls. This year's budget will be in the $65 billion range.
That means a lot of pain, especially for those who can't afford good lobbyists. That's bad news for the infirm, poor and most vulnerable.
