Rick Scott KILLS Florida's high speed rail and 24,000 jobs, AND gives up $2.4 BILLION

Quite an afternoon.


http://rantingsfromflorida.blogspot.com/2011/02/rick-scott-killing-jobs.html


Rick Scott, Killing Jobs


When someone calls any office that reports to the Florida governor right now, they will more than likely end up on hold, hearing new Gov. Rick Scott spout his campaign pledge to create 700,000 new jobs in seven years. But since arriving in Tallahassee, the government-hating government leader has done nothing but kill jobs and pay.

His most recent action today is the total rejection of high-speed rail, despite the fact the state government would have to pay nothing to get the rail and that there will be no return for taxpayers because of the rejection. I hoped having folks like Paula Dockery on his team would make a difference with this administration, but that was apparently mis-placed hope. The remarkable act of stupidity is being applauded by so-called conservatives, but the rest of the country is pretty much laughing at us right now.

Via Time's Adam Sorenson:


What do we lose? Of course, we miss out a popular and clean mode of public transportation. We miss being on the cutting edge of this debate, and we miss improving connectivity between our most important commerce centers in Central Florida.

But most pertinent to Scott's duplicitous logic, we lose JOBS.

We miss out on the short-term construction jobs from laying down track clear across the state of Florida.

We miss out on permanent service jobs manning the trains and maintaining the infrastructure.

We miss out on the secondary jobs which would be created for private-sector contractors providing needed equipment and material to support the presence of rail.

We miss out on high-tech jobs which would center along the track and explore new ways to improve the efficiency of the trains or to do a host of other things directly connected with the presence of rail.

That is a short list of the direct jobs which Scott could have taken credit for if he did nothing more than accept a free check for $2.4 billion.

Of course, Scott's job creation promise has a pesky qualifier. He wants seven years to create jobs. That means, of course, that when he runs for re-election, he won't have to prove he got anywhere close to that 700,000 number he has quoted ad nauseam. But he will try and claim every single job ever created, including those private sector jobs which came about without his assistance or in spite of his reckless and foolish interference.

What we cannot let happen is for the most jobs he has just flat-out prohibited be forgotten. This man just killed thousands of jobs, and he did it for not other reason than to keep a bunch of idiotic, short-sighted, uninformed and just plain stupid Tea Party voters happy, despite the fact many of them very well could have made money doing something as mindless as carrying bars of steel down the road so that more evolved co-workers would install them into rail track.

it seems like they are doing everything in their power to not get reelected. Its like a fucking game to them.

then. he's also trying to eliminate Medicaid.

Get me out of this shithole, please.

Sad thing is that things like this affect REAL people. These troglodytes aren't just affecting a billion dollars here or a billion dollars there, they are making serious decisions that will have ramifications that last for years, or in the case of a large project like high-speed rail, multiple decades.

So what happens when the Republicans ram through their budget and set Social Security shut down? State's will sink even further into debt and Florida will be first on the list of hardest hit by the new "Republican Revolution".

Too bad - we're stuck with the idiots the voters down state send up here to Tallahassee.

http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/2011/02/16/in-wake-of-rick-scotts-rejection-of-high-speed-rail-in-florida-st-pete-house-democrat-rick-kriseman-introduces-legislation-allowing-citizenry-to-recall-state-politicians/


In wake of Rick Scott’s rejection of high speed rail in Florida, St. Pete House Democrat Rick Kriseman introduces legislation allowing citizenry to recall state politicians

February 16, 2011 at 1:07 pm by Mitch Perry

Although there had already been a Facebook page set up to recall Rick Scott, the fact of the matter is that for whatever reason, Florida law only allows citizens to recall locally elected officials.
That’s why St. Petersburg House Democrat Rick Kriseman introduced legislation today to remedy that. He did so shortly after Scott’s decision to reject $2.4 billion in funding for a high speed rail line from Tampa to Orlando. Kriseman’s bill would allow citizens to recall elected state officials, presumably including the governor in that bill. (Correction: Kriseman aide Kevin King alerts us that Representative Kriseman’s office had been working on the legislation for awhile. I suppose today was as good as any to alert the press).

“Engaged citizens deserve the tools to hold their public servants accountable without having to wait for the next election,” said Representative Kriseman. “Honest and dedicated elected officials will have nothing to fear from the implementation of this important proposal, and I am confident that my colleagues will support its passage.”

The legislation (HRJ 785) would allow for a petition to recall a statewide official by requiring signatures be collected from each of the 67 counties, and the signatures equal 15 percent of the total votes cast in the last election for the office. A petition to recall a member of the Florida Legislature would require signatures from 20% of the total votes cast in the last election for the office.

18 states allow their citizens to recall state officials.

somebody has to stop this train wreck.

This dude is totally out.of.his.mind!!!

I don't get it. I mean... Tampa to Orlando wouldn't be my first pick for a high-speed line, but why turn it down if it doesn't cost the state anything and would provide jobs?

It can't simply be "Obama wants this and I want to stick a thumb in his eye".

Does the Gov have national aspirations and wants to say that he saved federal taxpayers some money.

there's no credible evidence this is the case.

His sources are not credible:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x437597

Yes it can!!

future tourism jobs?

Geez, he sounds like he's Breweresque.

Visitors to Orlando could jump on the train to go to the beaches around Tampa for the day, etc. Business between Tampa and Orlando could boom as well. This guy is unreal.

Grand Canyon for sunset here.

Since they rammed through the original plan and have invested in the corridor where the high-speed rail was going to run. Now they will be stuck with that land and little they can do with it unless they get the project back on track, maybe this time with private money.

Loser voters electing loser governors to send us down the toilet as quickly and stubbornly as possible. They're proud of what they're doing, too. Which makes them hopeless - and just plain mean - losers.

It's an incredible initiative.

Since it is shovel ready they don't want any spotlight on Obama creating jobs,

They don't want prosperity to overshadow their doom and gloom.

I wonder what Disney has to say about easy transport to Orlando.

the business community was counting on this for a jillion reasons, not the least of which was intangible "narrative." for the last year, high speed rail was the one thing that was pointed to as a viable argument for central florida economic development.

in addition to tourist traffic, this was an important part of a giant medical research corridor deal.

and, the ONLY transportation gold star we could point to (our roads are hopeless -- i pay more than $1500 a year in tolls for roads that are nearly ALWAYS backed up).

Central Florida just became a much harder sell for econ dev.

this was very important for Floridians. Scary stuff going on there.

get blessed with your very own Arpaio, as well.

the Republican governors are killing it to make Obama look bad.

What we need is for Obama to go to the states that welcome these work projects and make them successes.

Florida ever had! WRONG! Here comes...Sick Rcott! Pronounced with a silent c.

(just fyi -- this project was passed by POPULAR VOTE)

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-scott-rejects-rail-money-20110216,0,2863027.story


U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, was among many upset by Scott derailing the train.

"I am deeply disappointed in the decision to not move forward with the Orlando to Tampa passenger rail project," Mica said in a statement. "This is a huge setback for the state of Florida, our transportation, economic development, and important tourism industry.''

He said he had already asked the governor to reconsider. His colleague on the House Transportation Committee, U.S. Rep. Corinne Brown, D-Jacksonville, called the decision "a nightmare."

And U.S .Sen. Bill Nelson said Wednesday he was exploring whether the federal government could press on with the project without the state's involvement.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said he had talked with LaHood and asked him not to reallocate the money, at least until train backers had a chance to ask Scott to reconsider. "This is a century-type decision that needs to be vetted. I don't think it was given a fair hearing," said Dyer, a Democrat.

Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio said she was taken by surprise. "It's a decision based on ideology," said Iorio, a Democrat. "It's not a decision based on facts."

Dockery also questioned whether Scott really understood the way the train was supposed to operate in Florida. The company chosen to build the train would have been contractually bound to cover any cost overruns in construction, as well as any operating deficits for up to 20 years.

In all, eight consortiums made up of international companies representing 11 countries had lined up to bid on the train that would have run from Orlando International Airport to downtown Tampa, with stops at the Orange County Convention Center, Walt Disney World and Lakeland.

""The governor is saying to these teams that they must be lying when they agree to accept cost overruns and ridership risks," said Dockery, a longtime Republican fundraiser and husband of state Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland.

Other legislators expressed dismay that Scott didn't wait for the private consortiums to offer their bids, and questioned why the governor would turn down thousands of jobs the project would create after campaigning on a "jobs agenda."

Lawmakers appropriated $300 million for the project last year, and Scott cannot constitutionally scuttle that spending without legislative authority, said Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander.

Alexander, R-Lake Wales, said he was told about the decision via a text message minutes before Scott's press conference. But even though lawmakers approved the project last year, there were mixed feeling about it given the tea party-fueled outrage over federal spending.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-scott-rejects-rail-money-20110216,0,2863027.story?page=2

Sen. David Simmons, R-Maitland, said he planned to lobby lawmakers to fight the governor's move and didn't believe Scott could unilaterally kill the project.

"I disagree with what the governor has said, and I do hope this is not an irrevocable situation," Simmons said.

Sen. Thad Altman, R-Viera, was more critical, saying the decision was "tragic" and that Scott should not have prevented the private market from setting a value for high-speed rail.

"We haven't even received proposals. There's no benefit at all at this point in the game to say we won't fund it. Without letting the private sector come to the table, we really don't know how viable it is," he said.

"There's no rational reason at all not to allow that to happen -- unless you're afraid of what you might here. We might hear that this thing will work."

more money for more projects in the states that want rail improvements. chicago/illinois could use some more.

Fuck you Fox News. Fuck you very much.

and it's creating a LOT of trouble in the business community in terms of being able to trust any govt contracting work.

the stuff that's on the books now are funds he froze for this and another rail system called SunRail that's a commuter train for Orlando metro area. the frozen funds are screwing the engineers and planners who've already been working on the preliminaries.

what he has done.

I think there will be FAR more people livid with him than he thinks. And this is the type of thing that is not going to go away. Plus, I'm sure he just pissed off thousands of businesses. I think he just put himself out of a job.

My heart goes out to all the FL DUers who have to endure that mess! So much for the tourism!

If he gets re-elected, please get the hell outta dodge and move to a blue state!!!

Maybe they can try to do it in vermont.

grocery stores, the shoe stores and the rest of the retail establishments that also would have been money makers/job creators. The immensity of the loss is hard to fathom.

Today on reichwing radio all I heard was how bad it would be to have that rail line, that's all, and it was all about "raising taxes" and no ridership.
Well, I would ride it to Orlando, then I'd get in a bus and go to disney/universal or whatever theme park was available.

The extensions to St.Augustine, Daytona, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Naples, Miami,the Keys and everyother major city would be a continuing economic generator for the state, jobs, taxes and most of all,some place for those people that prickscott plans on releasing from prison to have a place to achieve real satisfaction. That satisfaction that comes from paying your bills, taking your kids out,buying something for your wife, the things the bastard scott takes for granted because of the payment he took to keep his mouth shut about HCAs medicare fraud.



Gaud, I'm about far over this state.

i'm a native and had some ties down here. but i've been trying to get out that way for years. i hear there's good kayaking -- :) -- now if i can just get my company to let me relocate to a portland or seattle office...i'd have it made.

and also feel sorry for the good people of FL for being saddled with such an asshole.