Beach Peanuts

Rick Scott "Honors" Homeless Veterans By Cutting Their Benefits

On Friday, just one day after signing the Florida budget in which he cut and vetoed $615 million, Rick Scott put out a Memorial Day message. Below is part of that message, taken from the Governor's website:

“Americans are able to enjoy a life of freedom because of the valor and selflessness of those who serve in the Armed Forces, many of whom have given their lives in order to preserve these civil liberties. Our military has been essential in defending democracy, both for our nation and others across the world. It is important to remember, today and every day, what some have given up while making the lives we enjoy today possible.

“This is also a day for us to pay respect to those who are currently serving in the Armed Forces and to show our appreciation for their bravery and the sacrifices they continually make. Let us pray for the safety of the courageous servicemen and servicewomen who are overseas, as well as comfort and strength for their families here at home.

“I ask you all to join me in observing a Moment of Remembrance this Memorial Day at 3 p.m. local time. This will provide us all with a moment to honor those who have served in the military and reflect upon the ultimate sacrifice some have paid to help ensure our freedom.

“I would like to thank our military men and women, both past and present, for all that they have done and continue to do for us. May God bless you all.”

Scott asks that we "join him" and honor, respect and pray for members of the Armed Services past and present because of the sacrifice they've made for our freedom. 

That all sounds nice as a message from the Governor, but "his" words are just that: words. The message rings pretty hollow when you compare his words with his actions concerning his "respect" for those men and women. As for honor? The day before Scott released this message, he "honored" some of those military service members in a pretty strange and shameful way.

He cut $12 million from the budget for the National Veterans Homeless Support Groups. 

That's how Rick Scott honors homeless veterans. He cuts them off. On the eve of the Memorial Day weekend.

He did so on the "advice" of Florida TaxWatch, a business oriented group which listed the funds for homeless veterans as an item on it's "turkey list" of recommended cuts. A list which all but mirrors the actual cuts Scott eventually made to his budget, once again proving that if you're not a business in Florida, Rick Scott and his backers and advisors in the business community have no use for you. 

A homeless veteran in Brevard County summed up his feelings on the cuts this way:

"It's just too bad he forgot about the ones that are still alive."

There are an estimated 17,000 homeless veterans in the state of Florida, which ranks the state second only to California.

Facing Scott's $12 million budget cuts, the group will have to find other ways to raise money.

In response to Mr. Scott's veto, the group is launching a campaign to raise awareness and money. Through the March to a Million campaign, NVHS is hoping to get donations  from individuals and businesses. They said they will use the money to get homeless veterans off the streets.

Members of the group said they encounter many veterans who do not realize all the benefits they are entitled to.

NVHS member Dorothy Walsh said, "It's an absolute heartbreak. These men and women have put their lives on the line for us, so we can have our freedom."

"When you get in this cycle of living in the woods it is very tough to get out," Daytona said. "NVHS are the ones to help you get out, but they need help too."

So much for Scott's empty message in honoring the sacrifice of those in the Armed Forces.

Even if you're a homeless veteran, you still have not sacrificed enough for Rick Scott.

He wants more.

(Cross posted at Daily Kos.)

Scott Signs Forced Drug Testing Law For Welfare Recipients

With a stroke of Rick Scott's pen, welfare recipients will now be forced to submit to drug testing in order to get benefits. Scott signed the controversial forced drug testing into law today. Under the new law, Scott says taxpayers are protected from wasteful spending, his one size fits all talking point used to justify his spending cuts.

"The goal of this is to make sure we don't waste taxpayer's money," Scott said. "And hopefully more people will focus on not using illegal drugs."

Before they can receive benefits, recipients will have to submit blood, hair, or urine samples for the tests. They'll also have to pay for the tests themselves out of pocket until the results prove that they aren't drug users. Only then will the state reimburse them. Should they test positive, they will be banned from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families for six months, and three years if a subsequent second test is also positive.

The law is controversial for obvious reasons, and will face  challenges from ACLU Florida. The organization has suggested they may sue the state over the law.

ACLU Florida has suggested they might sue the state over the new law. A statement from the group's state director today did not mention legal action, but said they would have an announcement tomorrow about Scott's executive order forcing drug tests on state employees.

"Once again, this governor has demonstrated his dismissal of both the law and the right of Floridians to personal privacy by signing into law a bill that treats those who have lost their jobs like suspected criminals," Howard Simon said in his statement. "This wasteful program created by this law subjects Floridians who are impacted by the economic downturn, as well as their families, to a humiliating search of their urine and body fluids without cause or even suspicion of drug use."

According to Scott's new law, there is at least one way for applicants to avoid the drug testing.

Simply don't apply for benefits.  

Rick Scott Blocks Taxpayers, Democrats From Budget Signing Ceremony (UPDATED With Video)

(UPDATED with VIDEO below)

Original post 5-26-11:

Rick Scott claimed that he was going to The Villages for his budget signing ceremony in order to allow people to ask questions about his budget, and the veto items that were cut.

However, according to the St. Petersburg Times, taxpayers were actually blocked from the event, and those who had Democratic-leading signs were escorted away from the property:

Aaron Sharockman reports from Sumter County that some people aren't allowed into the event.

A group from The Villages Democratic Club was kicked across the street, told by Florida Republican Party staffer Russ Adams that the event was private. The event space was leased by the Republican Party and sheriff's deputies are escorting from the property people with Democratic-leaning signs.

The move raises questions about whether taxpayer money was used for the private event and why Scott would sign a budget that affects all Floridians at a private event.

"We came here to say what we support," said club president Lawrence Shipley, 68. "We support the police. We support public education."

"Signs that support the governor are allowed to stay, signs that don't are told to leave?" said Bud Webber, 73, of Orlando, who watched the event unfold. "Come on. That's ridiculous."

So much for Scott's claim praising "government in the sunshine" in his speech. This follows Scott's pattern of holding events that are a part of "doing the state's business" in private where only supporters of his, members of the Tea Party and businesses he favors are allowed to attend.

Taxpayers and voters who don't favor the Governor can apparently take a long leap off of a short pier into the Gulf as far as Scott is concerned.

UPDATE 5-30-11:

Below is video showing Democrats being thrown out of the budget signing ceremony:

 

(video h/t The Reid Report)

Slash And Burn: Rick Scott's Record $615 Million Veto List; Reactions

Rick Scott's veto list sets a record at $615 million, which he unveiled before a crowd of retirees and Tea Party supporters at The Villages in Central Florida.

Taxpayers, however, were blocked from the budget signing even though Scott had claimed he would answer their questions. Even those merely holding Democratic leaning signs were escorted off the property by sheriff's deputies, similar to recent Republican town hall meetings, where asking questions can even get those asking arrested.

The ceremony was more like a Tea Party campaign rally than a budget ceremony. Lots of talking points like Scott's tiring and ironic "Let's Get To Work" slogan, which he asked school children to chant who were gathered as a backdrop for the Governor as he made even more cuts to education.

Scott instead placed the blame for the education cuts on the Florida legislature.

Among the cuts: 

$10 million for the University of South Florida Health School of Pharmacy and $100,000 for the Family Justice Center in Hillsborough County. 

The budget, which takes effect July 1, reduces state spending on K-12 public education by $545 per student, eliminates funding for affordable housing and pays hospitals 12 percent less to care for the poor and disabled. Cuts made across state agencies will eliminate 4,500 state jobs.

Thursday's signing, which Scott streamed live on his campaign website, followed TaxWatch's release on Tuesday of a list of 105 budget "turkeys" to amounting $203 million. The business-backed fiscal watchdog calls for vetoes every year of so-called spending turkeys that lawmakers slip quietly into the budget instead of vetting publicly.

Among this year's turkeys was $500,000 for the Interdisciplinary Center for Neuromusculoskeletal Research at the University of South Florida Medical Research Center in Hillsborough. Scott vetoed that item.

Business tax cuts, $30 million worth, of course stayed in the budget.

The entire veto list from the job-killing budget can be viewed here.

Reactions to the budget:

Senate President Mike Haridopolos:

This year Florida faced the largest budget shortfall in state history. Despite this challenge we passed a balanced budget without raising taxes or fees.

In addition the legislature reformed Medicaid, education and government pensions in order to produce long term stability. Our reform-minded agenda will bring predictability to Florida’s economy and attract new job creators to our state. That’s what this past session was all about – making needed changes to make Florida’s future even brighter.

We respect the constitutional rights of the governor and the Senate will thoughtfully review each of Governor Scott’s vetoes.

House Speaker Dean Cannon:

“The people of Florida sent us to Tallahassee to make hard choices during difficult times. We produced a responsible state budget that prioritizes the critical needs of our state, and I am proud that budget was signed into law.

“However, I feel compelled to respond to the Governor’s suggestion that the sum of his vetoes is available for re-appropriation to K-12 education and that doing so would fund education at or near the same level as last year. The Governor’s vetoes freed up less than $100 million in general revenue. If the Legislature were in session and could re-appropriate these funds, they would increase the FEFP by only 0.6 %, which would move the FEFP reduction from 7.9% to 7.3%.

“What is more surprising is the Governor’s sudden emphasis on K-12 education.  The budget we sent him funds education at a higher level than the Governor recommended just a few months ago, when he proposed a 10% cut to the FEFP. The Governor communicated numerous priorities during session, and we did our best to accommodate him. It would have been helpful if the Governor had shared this new found emphasis with us before the budget was finalized.

“It is the Governor’s constitutional authority to veto line items in the budget, and I respect his decisions. The vetoes of general revenue appropriations will further increase the more than $2 billion the Legislature set aside in our state’s reserves, which will help protect our bond rating and ensure that we have ample reserves in the event of an emergency.”

Democratic House leader Ron Saunders:

“If he means the ‘jobs budget’ is killing jobs, then it’s an accurate title.”

Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich:

“Governor Rick Scott’s signature on this Republican-crafted budget seals the fate of the middle class in Florida.

“Beyond the destructive cuts to our children in pre-K through high school, Florida’s universities and community colleges, hospitals and nursing homes, our police officers, firefighters, and teachers, remains the outrageous claim that this is a ‘jobs budget.’

“Only tea partiers under the control of billionaire right wingers could cheer such propaganda. Only the supporters of voodoo economics could honestly believe that firing 4,500 state workers followed by thousands more public school teachers in a state already drowning in pink slips will somehow create jobs.

“In just five months, Governor Scott has slammed the breaks on just about every meaningful project or program that would have made a difference in the lives of Floridians reeling from dropping home values, skyrocketing gas prices, surging property insurance rates, and fewer and fewer ways to get ahead. Floridians aren’t suffering from a lack of work ethic; they’re suffering from a lack of work.

“A true ‘jobs budget’ would have made the commitment to invest in our children, our community colleges and universities to create a first class public education system that draws investment and brings high paying jobs to Florida. It would have safeguarded transportation trust funds so that our roads and crumbling infrastructure can be repaired and improved, generating those promised jobs we’ve yet to see. It would have recognized the danger of handing off prison security to private companies whose single concern is profit margins. It would have seized the opportunity to put tens of thousands of Floridians to work by building a state of the art high speed rail system instead of tangling with the president. It would have recognized that cutting the pay and eliminating the jobs of the many middle class public servants who serve and protect our state is the real trickle-down effect, spilling over into local communities and businesses with devastating results. And it would have ended the ability of multi-millionaires to shirk their civic responsibilities by closing unfair tax loopholes.

“Unfortunately, none of these critically needed solutions appear in the budget signed today. Governor Scott talks a lot about creating jobs. But jobs are not what he’s delivering.”

And of course, from behind the scenes of Rick Scott's budget and vetoes, which he called "turkeys:"

Florida TaxWatch:

TaxWatch Turkey List Used to Save Taxpayers Millions of Dollars

Florida TaxWatch’s President and CEO Dominic Calabro today released the following statement applauding Florida Governor Rick Scott for vetoing a historic $615 million in spending from the FY2011-12 budget.

“Today Governor Rick Scott made history by vetoing a record $615 million in spending from the FY2011-12 budget, including millions of dollars in cuts recommended in Florida TaxWatch’s 2011 Turkey Watch report.  This was a bold move by a Governor in his first year and sends a powerful message to Floridians that he is serious about cutting spending and encouraging economic growth in our state.  Today is a new day for Florida.”

A complete list of Florida TaxWatch’s budget turkeys vetoed today will be released later this afternoon

David Hart, Executive Vice President of the Florida Chamber of Commerce:

“Governor Rick Scott today made good on his campaign promise to not raise taxes and to reduce the size of government when he signed the 2011-2012 budget into law.

“While other states are raising taxes to balance their budgets, Governor Scott’s no new taxes approach to governing the state of Florida sends a clear message that Florida is open for business.

“Long gone are the days of putting off the tough decisions for another year. Governor Scott has demonstrated true leadership by making our government live within its means.

“The jobs budget that Governor Scott signed today recognizes that Florida has a generational opportunity to completely reset its economy. Free enterprise has created more wealth and private sector jobs than any other economic system in history, and today’s bill signing action is a refreshing sign that Governor Scott is clearly focused on making private sector job growth Florida’s state mantra.

“While we are disappointed in the loss of important trust fund dollars from Florida’s Transportation Trust Fund, we are especially pleased that taxpayers will no longer fully foot the bill for state employee retirement plans.
“On behalf of the Florida Chamber, we commend Governor Scott for taking bold steps to put Floridians back to work through strong efforts targeting education reform, regulatory relief, targeted tax reductions, and restructuring the state’s economic development system.”

 

Rick Scott's Veto List (Updated)

Here is the "official" veto list from Florida Governor Rick Scott's job-killing budget:

Cut, cut, cut.

(Updated):

Details and reactions to the vetoes and budget.

Rick Scott blocks taxpayers from watching the signing ceremony.

Democrats escorted away from property by sheriff's deputies just for holding signs at the ceremony. 

Rick Scott Blames Florida Legislature For Education Cuts

Before: Rick Scott requested that the legislature make big cuts to education in Florida.

Before: The legislature did as asked: cut, cut, cut.

Today as Scott signs his budget that will kill jobs not only in education, but elsewhere, (about 4,492) he's expected to "ask the legislature to put money for education back in" now that he's seen how unpopular all those cuts and pink slips for teachers are. 

After: "It's the Florida legislature's fault! C'mon!"

Then he's expected to go to work with his veto pen and actually make more cuts, in EDUCATION.

The St. Petersburg Times explains:

Scott today is expected to veto hundreds of millions of dollars out of the $69.7 billion budget the Legislature approved on May 6. In a radio interview this morning, Scott said he'll ask lawmakers to put that money back into schools.

"I'm going to suggest all that money oughta be put back into education, where we need to make sure we are educating our kids and we have the best educated workforce in the country," Scott said on 92.5 FOX NEWS in Fort Myers.

But Scott can only veto spending, he can't shift money in the budget. To put that money back into schools, lawmakers would have to re-open a contentious budget process.

That's unlikely for a number of reasons, including this one: Lawmakers spent more on schools this year than Scott recommended in his budget proposal. Plus, Scott did not once publicly ask lawmakers to increase education spending. Instead, he spent the final weeks of the legislative session threatening to veto the entire budget if it did not include tax cuts.

But Scott says its not his fault if teachers get fired. He suggested in several interviews this week that school district officials are too worried about their own jobs. "Our local school districts have got to focus on putting teachers in the classroom and not focus on administration," Scott said this morning on Orlando's AM 580 WBDO. "We've got to make sure that in every one of our school districts the money is spent well."

However, Scott still plans to make more education cuts with his veto pen:

Scott wants to spend more on education, but he also suggested that he'll going to veto about $130 million in construction projects for colleges and universities. "I'm not doing things that raise our debt in the state," Scott told the Fort Myers station.

Jackonville's WOKV reported that the college construction projects were likely to go because Scott said he was worried the projects will hurt the state's bond rating and cost more in interest payments. "It's one of the things I'll be talking about this afternoon," Scott said.

So Scott plays the blame game, a little bait and switch, and voila:

Another candidate for the veto ax: a $150 million raid from the transportation trust fund. Instead of using that money on road projects, lawmakers spent the cash on budget shortfalls. "We got to make sure that we have the money for infrastructure in our state, this state is going to be one of the fastest growing states again," Scott told WOKV.

But here's what Scott didn't say: Lawmakers spend some of that transportation money on schools. So if Scott vetoes the trust fund sweep, it would mean more cuts to education.

There, you see?  Order big cuts to education, and when you get them and your poll numbers start sinking like a stone, blame it on Florida lawmakers. Then pull a fast one and keep on slicing and dicing education disguised as something else.

Problem solved! At least that's Scott's plan.

Sorry Rick, that just won't pass the smell test.

As for who's really behind all those cuts Rick Scott will make? Well, pay no attention to the Florida Chamber and Florida Tax Watch behind the curtain. 

Marco Rubio Votes To Kill Medicare

Yesterday Marco Rubio (R-ote talking points-FL) joined 47 of his Republican colleagues in the Senate and voted to kill Medicare after Democrats forced a vote on the budget bill. The bill failed, but it put the Republicans on the record in favor of throwing away Medicare as we know it and replacing it with a voucher plan that would force seniors and future seniors to search for their own health insurance on the open market. In other words:

"Here's a coupon. Good luck!"

All Democrats including Bill Nelson in the Senate voted against the bill, and all but five Republicans voted in favor of giving Medicare the ax. (Charles E. Schumer D NY, Kay Bailey Hutchison R TX and Pat Roberts R KS didn't vote.)

Republicans voting against the bill: 

Scott P. Brown R MA

Susan Collins R ME

Olympia J. Snowe R ME

Lisa Murkowski R AK

Rand Paul R KY

Republicans who voted for the bill:

Lamar Alexander	R	TN
Kelly Ayotte	R	NH
John Barrasso	R	WY
Roy Blunt	R	MO
John Boozman	R	AR
Richard M. Burr	R	NC
Saxby Chambliss	R	GA
Daniel Coats	R	IN
Tom Coburn	R	OK
Thad Cochran	R	MS
Bob Corker	R	TN
John Cornyn	R	TX
Michael D. Crapo	R	ID
Jim DeMint	R	SC
Michael B. Enzi	R	WY
Lindsey Graham	R	SC
Charles E. Grassley	R	IA
Orrin G. Hatch	R	UT
Dean Heller	R	NV
John Hoeven	R	ND
James M. Inhofe	R	OK
Johnny Isakson	R	GA
Mike Johanns	R	NE
Ron Johnson	R	WI
Mark Steven Kirk	R	IL
Jon Kyl	R	AZ
Mike Lee	R	UT
Richard G. Lugar	R	IN
John McCain	R	AZ
Mitch McConnell	R	KY
Jerry Moran	R	KS
Rob Portman	R	OH
Jim Risch	R	ID
Marco Rubio	R	FL
Jeff Sessions	R	AL
Richard C. Shelby	R	AL
John Thune	R	SD
Patrick J. Toomey	R	PA
David Vitter	R	LA
Roger Wicker R MS

 

 

A Job Killing Budget With Veto Threats, Rick Scott: "It's Going To Be Fun!"

"Welcome To The Land Of The Remaining 29%"

(photo: Beach Peanuts)

A new Quinnipiac University poll came out today, and as expected Gov. Rick Scott is now even more unpopular than he was in April. 

The survey found voters overwhelmingly disapproving of his job performance, by 57-29 percent — worse than his 48 percent-35 percent job approval rating in the school’s April poll. That’s the worst job-approval rating for any governor in the 10 states that Quinnipiac surveys.

Even worse, in spite of Scott's attempts to paint such a rosy picture on his $69.7 billion job-killing budget, a whopping 54 percent disagree and feel it's unfair to them, and only 29 percent think it's fair.

None of this is too surprising. When you slash everything from Medicaid to education, killing jobs along the way as well as cutting unemployment benefits for those whose jobs you just axed, you're bound to be unpopular. Scott's well on his way to hurting nearly everyone living in Florida who isn't a big corporation, the larger portion of his base.

Worse still, Scott's also ruffled feathers with the other wing of his base, the Tea Party, in part because he no longer plans to "celebrate" with them as planned when he signs that job-killer tomorrow. Instead Scott has to go in search of that 29 percent who still buy what he's selling to make the most of his budget photo op. He needs a bigger crowd than just the Tea Bags, and Eustis isn't flashy enough anymore I guess. What to do?

Well, he's not going to Disney World, but Scott will head for what some think of as the happiest place on earth, or rather the happiest places for Republicans in the state. The place that welcomes other political pariahs like Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani with open arms, the place where it's kind of like going through customs for Republican candidates in Florida. Even if you're unpopular in the state as a whole, no matter. There's always one place they'll treat the GOP like rock stars. Even Mr. Worst Out Of Ten Governors Surveyed, Rick Scott.

The Villages.

Feeling like a rock star already, at least in his own mind, Scott's in a festive mood like Dr. Evil who's about to sign his lipstick on a pig budget, to borrow a term from another extremely unpopular Governor. He's thrilled with cutting nearly anything good that's left of Florida to the bone, and he's itching to do even more damage tomorrow:

"It's going to be fun," Scott said. "I'm going to use my veto pen."

It's going to be fun? Sounds like Gov. Voldemort is hoping for even higher disapproval numbers. He'll probably get them in short order.

He can say his budget is a "job-creator" all he wants, but the 4,492 soon to be unemployed sure won't see it that way.

He'd better enjoy the spotlight that The Villages provide him while he can. When they start to feel the real effects of Scott's budget, even those "Villagers" will get mighty restless. 

28...27......26..........20....................?

Disaster, Hostages, Eric Cantor, And Rick Scott

We've all witnessed Republican desperation in the face of lost power since the 2008 election, and it hasn't been pretty. They've done a lot of stupid things and said "no" to virtually everything Democrats and President Obama have tried to do since then. It was bad enough that they stood by insurance companies against Americans and their right to basic health care without fear of going bankrupt, now they're doing everything in their power to take it away and undo the protections it provides, while they get their health care on us. 

That's just one on a list of so many ways they've gone to bat for the plutocrats (many of them those very congressmen and women) and are in the process of doing their level best to aid the corporate takeover of America itself.

The Republicans seem to wear cruelty as a badge of honor in their race to the bottom, each one seeming to stoop to a new low as if it were a contest. They've done some pretty outrageous things, but I think we have a winner today.

It's tough to choose, but I think the new low (at least for today) goes to Eric Cantor (R-VA). 

Today, when the death toll from the tornado in Joplin, Missouri stands at 119 as of this writing, Cantor has taken an opportunity to use the tragedy to his, and his "bully boys club" colleagues' advantage. He's simply going to hold those tornado victims "hostage."

From Think Progress:

President Obama pledged full support to the state Monday, telling survivors, “We’re here with you. We’re going to stay by you.”

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), however, said that before Congress approved federal funds for disaster relief, it had to offset the spending with cuts to other programs.

From The Washington Times:

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Monday that if Congress passes an emergency spending bill to help Missouri’s tornado victims, the extra money will have to be cut from somewhere else.

 “If there is support for a supplemental, it would be accompanied by support for having pay-fors to that supplemental,” Mr. Cantor, Virginia Republican, told reporters at the Capitol. The term “pay-fors” is used by lawmakers to signal cuts or tax increases used to pay for new spending.

You see, it's not enough that the Republicans already voted for cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to update weather satellites that provide the warning systems in disasters like the tornadoes we've seen in the Midwest this past week, and hurricanes.

In other words, they've said "we can't afford warning systems that would potentially save lives" because we really need to divert more of our budget to the rich folks in the form of things like tax cuts, because the majority of the nation's wealth being held by the top two percent just isn't quite enough. The have-nots will just have to make due (or die trying) so that "haves" can have lots more. 

Eric Cantor would prefer to withhold aid to those tornado victims who have lost everything, so that rich folks like, oh I don't know, say Florida's Republican Governor Rick Scott, can maintain the kind of living they've become accustomed to.

Rick Scott just made cuts to insurance in Florida. In the event of a hurricane, Floridians will now pay more for less, with limited coverage. But this won't be a problem for Scott, who is way above the rest of us down here when it comes to hurricane preparedness. Scott already has an extra roof for his $9.2 million home waiting around in storage, should he lose the one he has. Scott divulged this information while warning residents yesterday to "be prepared" for hurricane season which begins next week. 

It was part of Scott's joking explanation about why his home city won't get hit. "We will not have a hurricane in Naples, Florida. I guarantee it."

As bad a "comedian" that he is, I truly wish he would give up his day job to work on his stand-up routine and turn the state over to someone who has a clue how to run one, but of course, that won't happen. It will be a true disaster if he's tested by a hurricane while in office, but it's those potential victims who don't have homes, much less a spare roof in the waiting who will suffer the most.

Which brings us back to the results of a disaster, what's happened in Joplin, Missouri, and Eric Cantor who wants to hold disaster victims hostage, with aid for those "have nots" as ransom.

People like Eric Cantor and Rick Scott, who laud their wealth and power over others as they play with people's lives hiding behind a podium in front of cameras, are cowards. Plain and simple. In a fair and just world, they would be held accountable for their actions. In a perfect world, a coward like Eric Cantor would have to actually face the people who have so little left while he tells them he wants to take away even more. If he's willing to hold the residents of Joplin hostage, I think he should hop on a plane and tell them so in person.

I'd love to see him go to Missouri with a camera crew and a podium and really show those victims in Joplin what a tough, powerful man he is, and there's no need for him to spend a single cent of tax cuts dollars to do it.

The plane ticket's on me.

GOP Town Hall Hell: First No Questions, Now No Cameras?

All around the country at town halls where Republicans have tried to persuade constituents that their new Ryan plan to kill Medicare and replace it with virtually worthless vouchers for older Americans no company would insure anyway is a good thing. Not surprisingly, that isn't fooling anyone. Go figure.

Recently questions were either not permitted, some were arrested just for asking, or questions were screened by that candidate's staff, as in a recent town hall for Allen West. 

Unfortunately for those Republicans, darn it, people just insist on asking questions as if this is a Democracy or something. (What's up with that, huh?) Worse still, people are actually filming those Congressmen speaking their own words! Can't have that, can we?

Now apparently they've done something about that too. First no questions, now no recording devices.

From Think Progress:

However, some congressmen are concerned about what could happen if citizen journalists repost their town halls on the Internet. At least two members of Congress have taken extraordinary measures to shut down the spread of information.

ThinkProgress readers passed along the following photos, taken outside town halls held by Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) and Rep. Joe Heck (R-NV). Barletta specifically barred citizen journalists and other non-credentialed media from recording the event, while Heck took a more encompassing approach of “no recording devices” at all

They'll still try and tell voters that killing Medicare is the best thing since sliced bread, it's just the people who know better and point it out that they'll remove from the equation. Problem solved.

Because you can't have videos like this one out there, taken earlier in the week at yet another Allen West town hall by Daniel Tilson, where armed policemen and others were stationed throughout the audience ready to escort anyone who dared to ask a question out the door.

 

No wonder they want to ban cameras and recording devices. Showing a voter to the door while armed just for asking a question doesn't look good. What's next? Will they ban cameras within so many feet near a building where a town hall is taking place?

Or in my case, will your Congressman just take the coward's way out and not bother with town halls at all in favor of emails and Tweets that are obvious nonsense, meaningless talking points, and designed for no interaction with the voter altogether? 

Without the back and forth from actual people who vote, you're down to merely a lecture or a campaign commercial. We already have that.

The problem for Republicans?

People just aren't buying it anymore.