After 10 Glorious Years, Sunshine State News and I Are Passing the Baton

We all know that politicians tell voters what they want to hear in order to get elected.

Florida’s Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law, commonly known as “PIP,” is under attack in the Florida Legislature. The outcome -- if trial lawyers succeed -- will be increased insurance rates in 60 of 67 counties in Florida. They are trying to repeal PIP in favor of a lawsuit-based system and mandatory “bodily injury” insurance, which reduces consumer choices.

When the Republican-controlled Congress first approved its tax bill in December, most Democrats believed it would be a political loser for the GOP. Indeed, a New York Times poll found that just 37 percent of Americans approved of the plan. "To pass a bill of tax cuts and have it be so unpopular with the American people is an amazing achievement for the Republicans -- it's never been done before," Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., crowed.

Overturning mistaken decisions is an occasional duty of the Supreme Court, whose noblest achievement was the protracted, piecemeal repudiation, with Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and subsequent decisions, of its 1896 ruling that segregated "separate but equal" public facilities were constitutional. This Monday, the court will hear oral arguments that probably will presage another overdue correction.