Bill Clinton adviser James Carville once sagely observed, "You never know what you're gonna get when you drag a $100 bill through a trailer park."
Gov. Rick Scott reeled out a virtual version of that exercise Tuesday when he opened up a "Facebook Town Hall" and invited questions from Floridians.
A snarky online crowd -- dominated by what appeared to be teachers seething over performance-based pay and tenure reform bills pending in the Legislature -- responded quickly and, at times, viciously. The voluminous posts proffered a few sharp inquiries, along with loads of inflammatory political rhetoric. A sampling, edited for taste (not grammar):
- Since we all can't come to Tallahassee and ask you questions, why don't you actually sit down and answer some for the press instead of your insipid Tea Party sycophants?
- YOU are playing God and making poor choices by rejecting the funds for our state for employment, for health care, for education, for roads, for cost of living, etc...etc...etc...
- Eliminating another program Floridians had chosen to invest in, the drug database, seems to demonstrate your contempt for the people who were here long before you.
- How is taking $1.75 billion from our children's education, then giving $1.6 billion to your rich corporate buddies, going to balance the budget.
- I'm taking bets right now that in the end you will prove to be the worse thing that ever happened to the state of Florida.
- Florida governors do NOT wear New York Yankees gear!
Comments were flying in so fast and furious that Scott's replies were pushed off the Town Hall screen as soon as they were posted. His responses appeared on his Facebook page.
Unfazed by the technical glitches, Scott rose above the rancor, remained on the high road, and answered actual questions with measured responses:
ON EDUCATION FUNDING AND MERIT PAY FOR TEACHERS: My experience with teachers is they would like to be measured, the measurements need to be fair, and the most effective teachers need to be rewarded with both recognition and better pay. Then, the most effective teachers will remain in the profession.
ON HOW SCHOOLS CAN BETTER USE THE FUNDING THEY RECEIVE: The key is to set specific goals, measure those goals and when we are not meeting those goals. We also need to look at how much money is being spent in the classroom versus administration and capital costs.
ON COMBATING PILL MILL PROBLEMS: This is significant for the state. A friend of mine just lost his daughter. We need to focus on the distribution of narcotics and close down pill mills that are improperly distributing prescriptions.
ON HEALTH INSURANCE: The free market will work if government gets less involved in what type of health care insurance individuals and companies need to purchase. To drive health care costs down and thus, health care insurance, we need to create more competition.
ON MAKING FLORIDA MORE BUSINESS-FRIENDLY: Keep taxes and fees as low as possible, review regulations to eliminate those consumers do not need, make sure we are responsive to the needs of companies who want to create private-sector jobs in Florida.
ON PROPERTY INSURANCE: We need to make sure we have a robust insurance market, where the private sector wants to do business in Florida so Florida taxpayers are not on the hook. We need to deal with the significant cost of sinkhole coverage for homeowners and how that impacts the cost of property insurance.
ON THE ECONOMY: Just hired Gray Swopes, who started Monday. He ran economic development for Mississippi. We are talking to Florida businesses to determine what issues are impacting their interest in expanding in Florida.
ON PROPERTY TAXES: My plan is to both lower property taxes and begin phasing out the business tax. This will put money back in the hands of homeowners and businesses who will create private-sector jobs.
ON STATE PENSIONS: We need to make sure the state pension is sustainable and we need to make sure we are fair to both taxpayers who don't have pensions and to state workers who are not presently contributing into the pension plan.
ON A UNIVERSAL STATE BUSINESS LICENSE: We need to work to make it much easier to get the licenses from the state, including working to make sure businesses and individuals can go to one source to get a license.
ON THE SUNRAIL DELAY: We have locked in the prices and are now reviewing the project to make sure Florida taxpayers are getting a return.
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Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
