Republican Governors For Obama

rimrocker · Feb 16, 2011

The guy is Florida is already carrying one of the lowest approval ratings in the country.

Republican Gov. Rick Scott rejected $2.4 billion in federal stimulus money to build a high-speed train between Orlando and Tampa Wednesday, baffling supporters who already had spent $66 million getting ready for the project.

Scott made the announcement in a hastily called news conference at which he denounced President Barack Obama's proposed federal budget.

"You don't have to be an economic expert to know when you spend more money than you take in, you will fail," Scott said.

Scott's decision likely means those dollars will be rerouted to California and other states investing in a high-speed rail network that Obama has likened to the national highway system.

Scott had previously said he didn't want the state spending any money on the rail line, which required $280 million in matching funds. But backers of the project have said that the consortiums of companies set to bid on the line had indicated a willingness to put up their own money in return for a contract.

At his brief press conference, Scott went into little detail about how he made his decision, referring only generally to his conclusions about the current and future cost of the train. The state has spent about $66 million on engineering for the 84-mile system and was about to issue contracts for another $170 million.

"My concern with this is if you look at ridership studies, I don't see any way anyone is going to get a return. And so I'm very concerned about the Florida taxpayers," Scott said.

The governor had said repeatedly he would await a ridership study being conducted by the Florida Department of Transportation before making a final decision on the project. Scott spokesman Brian Hughes said afterward that the study has not been completed but that Scott, before making his decision, received a telephone briefing on its findings.

Previous state studies of the train projected ridership of 1.9 million to 2.2 million passengers, not including tourists who would ride it to Walt Disney World, which would have hosted a station, possibly near its Wide World of Sports attractions.

In a letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Scott said the federal dollars "are better invested in higher yield projects" such as widening Interstate 4 in Central Florida, I-95 through Martin, St. Lucie, Brevard and Volusia counties and port-dredging projects in Jacksonville and Miami to accommodate larger container ships.

However, the federal dollars Florida would by forfeiting are designated specifically for rail projects, and "there is overwhelming demand for high-speed rail in other states that are enthusiastic to receive Florida's funding and the economic benefits it can deliver," LaHood said Wednesday.

Scott also said he was still reviewing the SunRail commuter train project linking downtown Orlando with Seminole, Volusia and Osceola counties later this decade, even though money has been set aside in the state budget he proposed last week.

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 even exploring whether the federal government could press on with the project without the state's involvement.

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

Among the most dismayed was C.C. "Doc" Dockery, the retired Lakeland insurance magnate who has spent 30 years trying to get a high-speed train in Florida.

He congratulated California because he figures LaHood will move much of the money there, just as he previously sent additional funds to Florida after Republican governors in Wisconsin and Ohio pulled out of high-speed endeavors. California wants to build a train that eventually would link Los Angeles with San Francisco.

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.

Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, issued a carefully worded statement in reaction to the news.

"I'm encouraged that he [Scott] is focusing on the practical realities of government programs, and their long-term impacts.'' Cannon said, who said he had no advance warning of Scott's decision. "As the constitutional officer charged with carrying out transportation policy, the governor seems to have determined that at this time he cannot feasibly implement high-speed rail in Florida. I have confidence that he will bring the same level of scrutiny to other issues.''

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.

If lawmakers were to simply continue funding the project, he would expect Scott to veto the move in the budget, and "I don't believe there'd be the support to override the veto."

But Scott's seeming disregard for the Legislature's appropriating power – whether its' selling a state plane or killing rail projects – is alarming.

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."

Scott did find support from Robert Poole, a member of his transition team and a rail expert employed by the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank.

Poole said he was skeptical that a business would be willing to cover possible construction overruns or operating deficits, meaning the state could have been forced to bear those expenses. "I think this is a responsible decision," Poole said.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...ects-rail-money-20110216,0,1553525,full.story
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And in Wisconsin...

Thousands protest anti-union bill in Wisconsin

By SCOTT BAUER
The Associated Press
Wednesday, February 16, 2011; 1:54 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/16/AR2011021600526_pf.html

MADISON, Wis. -- Thousands of people descended on the Wisconsin state Capitol again Wednesday to protest a bill that would strip most public employees of their collective bargaining rights, but Gov. Scott Walker insisted he has the votes to pass the measure.

On the second consecutive day of demonstrations, Walker said he was open to making changes in the legislation, the boldest anti-union proposal in the nation. But he said he would not "fundamentally undermine the principles" of the bill, which he says is needed to help balance a projected $3.6 billion budget shortfall and avoid widespread layoffs.

"We're at a point of crisis," Walker said.

The full Legislature could begin voting on the proposal as early as Thursday.

More than 13,000 protesters gathered at the Capitol on Tuesday for a 17-hour public hearing on the measure. Thousands more came Wednesday, with hundreds chanting "Recall Walker now!" outside the governor's office.

If adopted, the bill would mark an especially dramatic shift for Wisconsin, which was the first state to pass a comprehensive collective bargaining law in 1959. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees - the national union representing all non-federal public employees - was founded in 1936 in Madison.

There were some signs that support for the plan may be waning among Republicans who control the Legislature. Senate Republicans met in secret Wednesday morning to discuss the bill. Asked where Republicans stood on Walker's proposal, Sen. Dan Kapanke of La Crosse told The Associated Press, "That's a really good question. I don't know."

The protests have been larger and more sustained than any in Madison in decades. More than 1,000 protesters, many of whom spent the night in sleeping bags on the floor of the Rotunda, shouted "Kill this bill!" on Wednesday.

In Madison, more than 40 percent of the 2,600 union-covered teachers and staff called in sick, forcing the superintendent to call off classes Wednesday in the state's second-largest district. No other widespread sickouts were reported at any other school, according to the state teachers union which represents 98,000 teachers and staff.

Prisons, which are staffed by unionized guards who would lose their bargaining rights under the plan, were operating as normal without any unusual absences, according to Department of Corrections spokeswoman Linda Eggert.

Walker has said he would call out the National Guard to staff the prisons if necessary. A union leader for prison workers did not immediately return messages.

Before Tuesday's marathon hearing, Republican leaders in the Senate and Assembly said they had enough votes to pass the bill as Walker proposed.

Scott Spector, a lobbyist for AFT-Wisconsin, which represents about 17,000 public employees, said the demonstrations were having an effect on lawmakers.

Union representatives were attempting to sway key moderates for a compromise, but Democrats said the bill would be tough to stop. Democrats lost the governor's office and control of the Legislature in the November midterm elections.

"The Legislature has pushed these employees off the cliff, but the Republicans have decided to jump with them," said Sen. Bob Jauch, one of 14 Democrats in the 33-member chamber.

While other states have proposed bills curtailing labor rights, Wisconsin's measure is the most aggressive anti-union move to solve budget problems. It would end most collective bargaining for state, county and local workers, except for police, firefighters and the state patrol.

Protesters targeted the budget committee's public hearing Tuesday to launch what Republican Rep. Robin Vos called a "citizen filibuster," which kept the meeting going until 3 a.m. Wednesday.

Two floors below the hearing, dozens of University of Wisconsin-Madison teaching assistants and students poured into the Capitol rotunda late Tuesday evening, putting down sleeping bags and blankets. Many were asleep on the floor when the hearing ended.

"I just think it's really crappy," said Alison Port, a 19-year-old freshman from Wauwatosa. "Let's take all the rights away. If he starts here, where's he going to stop? What else is he going to throw at us? It's only going to get more extreme."

But when voters elected Walker, an outspoken conservative, along with GOP majorities in both legislative chambers, it set the stage for a dramatic reversal of Wisconsin's labor history.

Walker's plan would make workers pay half the costs of their pensions and at least 12.6 percent of their health care premiums. State employees' costs would go up by an average of 8 percent. The changes would save the state $30 million by June 30 and $300 million over the next two years to address a $3.6 billion budget shortfall.

Unions could still represent workers, but could not seek pay increases above those pegged to the Consumer Price Index unless approved by a public referendum. Unions also could not force employees to pay dues and would have to hold annual votes to stay organized.

In exchange for bearing more costs and losing leverage, public employees were promised no furloughs or layoffs. Walker has threatened to order layoffs of up to 6,000 state workers if the measure does not pass.

Wisconsin is one of about 30 states with collective bargaining laws covering state and local workers.

Walker has argued that the public employee concessions are modest considering what private sector workers have suffered during the recession. Democratic opponents and union leaders said Walker's real motive is to strike back at political opponents who have supported Democrats over the years.
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Dairy Ashford · Feb 16, 2011

Awesome, we could use a Shinkansen from North Platte to Omaha in case all the waitresses and stylists get homesick.

pgabriel · Feb 17, 2011

these governors are seeing the popularity of christie in NJ and trying to replicate his actions.

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Republican Governors For Obama

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