TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Apparently It's A Sin When The State Wins

ADVERTISEMENT

By Daniel Ruth

Published: January 10, 2008

Try - hard as it may be, for this involves the parallel universe of Tallahassee - to imagine this scenario.

When junta leader Jeb Bush ran the state, he cooked up giveaways of literally hundreds of millions of dollars to private business interests in the state - $300 million to the scientific eggheads of the Scripps Research Institute, $35 million to Merck & Co., even a secret $491 million deal to help his pals out at CSX.

And despite all those zeroes and all that love, there was nary a peep of protest on the part of Republicans toward the Augusto Pinochet of the Panhandle's use of the public exchequer as the United Way of corporate America.

Fast forward to the administration of Gov. Charlie Crist, R-Is Everybody Happy?, who in recent weeks negotiated a deal with a private business interest in the state and apparently committed the cardinal sin of Florida politics.

The deal Crist cut with the private business involved not a dime in public money going into the pockets of said private business interest. Indeed, to make matters worse, Crist royally screwed up by cutting an agreement whereby the private business interest will wind up paying the state billions of dollars in the years to come.

Accountability? What's That?

Oh, dear! If this sort of thing goes too far, other private business interests might be required to pay their own way. And then what? Financial accountability?

Yet Crist has been attacked by members of his own party, who want to block the governor's pact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida to expand its gambling to include Las Vegas-style games such as blackjack, high-stakes poker, baccarat and slot machines at its casinos across the state.

This week, the Seminoles sent a $50 million check, the first of many to come, to the state as it begins to gear up to expand its gaming interests. Not a bad jackpot for Florida taxpayers.

But that hasn't prevented House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-Fuddy, and Senate President Ken Pruitt, R-Duddy, from attempting to block the gambling deal, claiming Crist lacked the authority to negotiate with the tribe, though the governor is the chief executive officer of the state.

Shocked! Shocked!

As well, even Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, R-Gambling? Shocked! Shocked!, filed a federal lawsuit against Crist to block the deal, which a judge recently laughed out of court.

Rubio, Pruitt and McCollum, the Three Pips of Prudes, are opposing a deal with a private enterprise that has never asked for any taxpayer assistance in the creation and management of its business?

They oppose a deal that will result in revenue in the billions of dollars coming into public coffers rather than going out?

AND they are out to void a negotiation, which even if successful, will still allow - because of federal statutes - the tribe to expand their gambling anyway without the state getting its share of the revenue?

Brilliant! Simply brilliant! And these guys are actually involved in running the state.

What are the odds the Trio of Chicken Littles will scuttle the deal? Probably somewhere between drawing a royal flush 10 hands in a row and Ruth Buzzi getting lucky with George Clooney.

In short, let the games begin - finally.

Keyword: Book of Ruth, to read and comment on Daniel Ruth's blog.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT