E-Messenger 12-4-15 - Florida AFL-CIO

December 4th, 2015
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FIGHTFORFLORIDA
Small Businesses: Making The
Case For Livable Wages
by ANN VANEK-DASOVICH November 10, 2015
In fact, new research finds that the benefits most sought by
workers actually profit businesses, leading many small
businesses to embrace the very policies that big businesses, and
their cache of lobbyists, disparage. One such report was recently
released by The Main Street Alliance. The Main Street Alliance is
an organization made up of small businesses across the US and
works to provide small businesses a voice on the most pressing
public policy issues.
READMOREONTHEFIGHTBLOG!
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AFL-CIONow
www.aflcio.org/blog.
Finally Some Justice in Upper Big Branch Mine
Tragedy: Massey Energy CEO Blankenship
Convicted of Conspiracy
Dec 3, 2015 Kenneth Quinnell | Corporate Greed
More than five years after 29 miners were killed in an explosion at the
Upper Big Branch mine in Raleigh County, W.Va., justice was finally served
as former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was found criminally guilty
for a conspiracy to willfully violate the Mine Safety and Health Act. While
the tragedy was the largest loss of life in a mine accident in the United
States since 1970, numerous other workers have lost their lives in Massey
mines.
READ MORE AND COMMENT »
A Big Win for Adjunct Faculty at Temple
University
Dec 3, 2015 Sonia Huq | Organizing/Bargaining
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Adjunct faculty at Temple University had something big to be thankful for
this Thanksgiving. It wasn’t the 20-pound turkey, and Adele didn’t stop by
Thanksgiving dinner to say “Hello.” "We are thankful for a union," wrote
the members of the organizing committee at Temple University.
READ MORE AND COMMENT »
Friday Is Your Last Chance to Take the National
Survey of Working Women
Dec 2, 2015 Kenneth Quinnell | Other News
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The AFL-CIO is gathering data about the state of women in the
workforce. The National Survey of Working Women is an opportunity
for advocates and the media to understand the challenges working women
face, whether it’s on the job, balancing work and family or leading in our
communities. The survey closes on Friday, so you only have a few more
days to tell us what stands between you and prosperity and how we can
change the rules together to create a better life for all workers.
READ MORE AND COMMENT »
Worker Wins Update: From Airports to the
Airwaves, Workers Make Gains Over Busy Fall
Dec 2, 2015 Anthony DeAngelo | Organizing/Bargaining
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Workers across the country have stood up in the past months to win better
wages and working conditions.
READ MORE AND COMMENT »
www.huffingtonpost.com
HuffPost editorial staff
petitions management for
voluntary union
recognition
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PAGE 8
By Erik Wemple December 1Follow @ErikWemple
About 80 editorial staffers at the Huffington Post last
month put their names on a letter seeking newsroom-wide
support to unionize under the Writers Guild of America,
East (WGAE), AFL-CIO. The appeal appears to have
worked: In a press release today, WGAE announced that
“an overwhelming majority” of the roughly 350 editorial
employees at the Huffington Post and Huffington Post Live
had signed union cards.
Accordingly, the union today asked Huffington Post
management to voluntarily recognize WGAE as the
collective bargaining representative of the site’s newsroom
employees. “We anticipate the company will honor the
decision by the very large majority of its editorial staff to be
represented by the WGAE, and we look forward to a long
and productive relationship,” notes Lowell Peterson,
executive director of the Writers Guild of America, East, in
a canned quotation.
READ MORE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/
erik-wemple/wp/2015/12/01/huffpost-editorial-staffpetitions-management-for-voluntary-union-recognition/
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On Cyber Monday,
Consider All The Workers
Who Bring You That Stuff
Shopping online means we rarely encounter any of the
workers who make it possible.
Dave Jamieson
Labor Reporter, The Huffington Post
3 days ago
There are just two seasons inside an Amazon warehouse -peak, and the rest of the year.
Peak is the insanely busy stretch leading up to the holidays.
Cyber Monday serves as the linchpin of peak. On this day
alone last year, Amazon sold 43 million items to its customers
around the world, or a stupefying 500 items per second. It is
traditionally the busiest day of the year at the world's largest
online retailer.
One consequence of the rise of online retail is that we no
longer see any of the work required to bring us goods. We
click "buy." Then, in a few days or even hours, we come
home to find the boxes on our doorstep. But the work is
demanding -- from the picker who picks our purchase, to the
packer who packs it, to the driver who drives it to our home,
often out of a personal van. And it's never so demanding as
during peak.
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READ MORE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cyber-mondayworkers_565cc249e4b072e9d1c2e995?
can_id=77e454d44a266018a29117a015abc46b&source=email-todaysheadlines-jobs-with-justice-12115&email_referrer=todays-headlinesjobs-with-justice-12115&email_subject=todays-headlines-jobs-withjustice-12115&link_id=1
3-2-1: Liftoff! Nothing in
Today's Solid Jobs Report to
Stop the Fed
Posted: 12/04/2015 10:48 am EST Updated: 10 minutes ago
Payrolls were up 211,000 last month and the unemployment rate held
steady at 5%, giving the Federal Reserve little reason to rethink their
chartered course to commence interest-rate liftoff later this month.
The prior two months' job gains were revised up 35,000, with
October's gains now registered at 298,000, the strongest month so far
this year. While soft spots remain in the job market -- see "watchlist"
below -- and we are not at full employment, we are clearly on that
path, as payrolls have settled into a steady growth groove, slightly
north of 200,000 per month.
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READ MORE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jaredbernstein/321-liftoff-nothing-in-to_b_8719308.html
inthesetimes.com
THURSDAY, DEC 3, 2015, 5:01 PM
The Entire Labor Movement
Should Be Paying Attention to
Wisconsin’s Kohler Strike
BY JOE BURNS
If unions are going to survive, support for crucial battles like the Kohler strike are
essential. GO BACK
PAGE 12
Two thousand workers at the Kohler faucet plant in Northern
Wisconsin have been walking the picket since November 16. Such a
strike would have been commonplace decades ago. Nowadays it is a
rarity. Major strikes of over 1,000 workers are few and far between.
Even rarer are open-ended strikes at an industrial plant.
Today’s battered labor movement no longer thinks of watershed
strikes; we are so beaten down and used to defeat that no particular
loss is seen as critical. And sadly, it’s not as if labor must win this
particular battle to survive. The truth is labor has learned to live with
defeat. But a more fundamental point is at stake: Labor must
redevelop the ability to win this type of strike if we are to have any
chance of survival.
READ MORE: http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/18641/
all_of_the_labor_movement_should_be_paying_attention_to_wisco
nsins_kohler_s
TUESDAY, NOV 24, 2015, 1:35 PM
“I often had to skip meals”:
Senate Dining Room Workers
Want a Union, Say They’re
Living in Poverty
BY BRUCE VAIL
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(scrumshus / Wikimedia Commons) Elected members of the U.S. Senate don’t have to look very far to see
fresh signs of the national Fight For $15 movement: It’s made its
way from the McDonald’s hamburger joints back home to their own
cozy Capitol Hill dining room.
The cooks and waiters working for a catering company that operates
the Senate restaurant are speaking up for better wages and the right
to unionize, even as they serve up luxurious meals to well-paid
politicians and their well-heeled guests, say labor activists in
Washington, D.C. Their efforts have persuaded some 34 members of
the Senate to support the campaign, and are once again highlighting
the need for the federal government to clean its own house and raise
labor standards for its own contract employees.
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READ MORE: http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/18635/
senate-dining-room-workers-union-seiu-fight-for-15
www.thinkprogress.org
What Scott Walker’s Elimination Of
Wisconsin’s Living Wage Law Means For
Workers
BY BRYCE COVERT
DEC 3, 2015 12:31PM
CREDIT: FLICKR/WISCONSIN JOBS NOW
Low-wage workers demonstrating in Milwaukee
Last year, 100 low-wage workers in Wisconsin decided to sue their governor,
Scott Walker (R), over their pay. The state had a century-old statute on the books
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saying that the minimum wage “shall be not less than a living wage,” enough “to
permit an employee to maintain herself or himself in minimum comfort, decency,
physical and moral well-being.” The workers said they weren’t making enough to
meet that standard, demanding the governor take the required action to increase
it.
But this week they were handed a final defeat: A judge dismissed their lawsuit.
That’s not because Walker’s administration was found to be in compliance with
the statute. It’s because rather than increase the state’s minimum wage, the
administration simply erased the law.
“The lawsuit has just been dismissed because there’s now no law to rule on,”
explained Lisa Lucas, communications director for Wisconsin Jobs Now, one of
the groups that helped bring the original suit. “So it wasn’t surprising. But it was
disappointing.”
READ MORE: http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/12/03/3727803/wisconsinminimum-wage-lawsuit-defeat/
Wage Growth Stagnated Even As November’s
Job Growth Was Strong
BY BRYCE COVERT DEC 4, 2015
211,000 jobs were added but wages only rose 0.2 percent.
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www.salon.com
THURSDAY, DEC 3, 2015 01:42 PM EST
The incredible
cowardice of the 1
percent: Why wealthy
GOP donors are so
afraid of Donald
Trump
Why aren't GOP donors like the Kochs trying to destroy Trump?
The reason is even more pathetic than you thought
ELIAS ISQUITH Follow
1
TOPICS: DONALD TRUMP, KOCH BROTHERS, DAVID KOCH, CHARLES KOCH, 1
PERCENT, INEQUALITY, KARL ROVE, SHELDON ADELSON, GOP 2016, ELECTION 2016,
AOL_ON, ELECTIONS NEWS, MEDIA NEWS, NEWS, POLITICS NEWS
(Credit: AP/Dennis Van Tine)
Charles Koch, David Koch, Sheldon Adelson, Karl Rove; the Club
for Growth, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Americans for
Prosperity and American Crossroads. These are some of the
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PAGE 17
most influential persons and organizations not only in the world of
American politics but in the world, full stop.
They have billions of dollars at their disposal, a sprawling network
of dedicated activists, and voluminous experience running
winning campaigns. They have founded empires, elected
presidents, and fomented political revolutions. They are not only
at home in the halls of power; they have built some of those very
halls themselves.
READ MORE: http://www.salon.com/2015/12/03/
the_incredible_cowardice_of_the_1_percent_why_wealthy_gop_d
onors_are_so_afraid_of_donald_trump/
mic.com
The 20 Richest Americans
Own More Wealth Than
Half of the Country
Combined
By Zeeshan Aleem December 02, 2015
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On Tuesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his
wife, Priscilla Chan, vowed to give away 99% of their
Facebook shares, currently worth over $45 billion, to
support various causes during their lifetimes. It's a
commendable move but when you consider the level of
wealth inequality in the United States, it seems like less of
an epic giveaway than it does a necessary way to help
restore balance in a society desperately in need of it.
According to a new report from the Institute for Policy
Studies published Wednesday, America's 20 wealthiest
people (a group which includes Zuckerberg) now own
more wealth than more than the bottom half of the
country's population combined. This clique of the
unfathomably wealthy, which IPS notes could all pack
comfortably into a luxury jet, possess the same wealth as
the 152 million people that constitute the bottom 50%. Source: Institute for Policy Studies
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Who are they? The group of the 20 richest Americans is
primarily made up of corporate founders (mostly tech
companies, though Nike's Phil Knight is on there) and
heirs to huge businesses like the Wal-Mart Waltons and
the Koch brothers.
Other numbers from the report are just as remarkable.
READ MORE: http://mic.com/articles/129529/the-20richest-americans-own-more-wealth-than-half-of-thecountry-combined
WWW.LABORNOTES.ORG
Locked Out Steelworkers Resist
Company Wish List
December 01, 2015 / Dan DiMaggio
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Steelworkers marched for a fair contract in Pittsburgh. Twenty-two hundred
workers at Allegheny Technologies have been locked out since August 15.
Photo: USW
Twenty-two hundred Steelworkers, locked out since August 15, are refusing
demands for major concessions on health care, retiree benefits, and
subcontracting.
The lockout at Allegheny Technologies (ATI) could be a bellwether for the
industry. Tense negotiations continue for 30,000 steelworkers at
ArcelorMittal and U.S. Steel, whose contracts are on rolling extensions.
See more at: http://www.labornotes.org/2015/12/locked-out-steelworkers-resistcompany-wish-list
NATIONAL NEWS FROM AFL-CIO
MUST READ
U.S. Economy Added 211,000 Jobs in November; Unemployment Remains 5%
The New York Times
By Nelson Schwartz
December 4, 2015
The American economy created 211,000 jobs in November, a robust showing that all but
guarantees policy makers at the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates for the first time in
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nearly a decade when they meet this month. With the meeting less than two weeks away,
investors, economists and central bankers the world over had been eagerly anticipating the jobs
report released Friday by the Labor Department.
WORKPLACE SAFETY
The Latest: Labor secretary applauds Blankenship conviction
Lexington Herald Leader
By Staff
December 3, 2015
U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez says the conviction of former Massey Energy CEO Don
Blankenship on a misdemeanor charge sends a message that "no mine operator is above the law."
Perez made the statement in a news release Thursday after the verdict was announced in
Blankenship's criminal trial in Charleston.
Mixed Verdict for Donald Blankenship, Ex-Chief of Massey Energy, After Coal Mine Blast
The New York Times
By Alan Blinder
December 3, 2015
Donald L. Blankenship, whose leadership of the Massey Energy Company was widely criticized
after 29 workers were killed in the Upper Big Branch mine in 2010, was convicted Thursday of
conspiring to violate federal safety standards, becoming the most prominent American coal
executive ever convicted of a crime related to mining deaths.
POLITICS
Clinton secures major labor endorsements from building trades
Reuters
By Amanda Becker
December 3, 2015
The labor organization representing the U.S. building trades on Thursday endorsed Democratic
presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, giving her the backing of national labor groups that
represent more than 11 million workers. North America's Building Trades President Sean
McGarvey praised a $275 billion infrastructure plan Clinton announced this week as "robust, yet
entirely practical.
FEDERAL LEGISLATION/LITIGATION
Senate sends $305B highway bill to Obama
The Hill
By Keith Laing and Jordain Carney
December 3, 2015
The Senate approved a five-year, $305 billion highway bill Thursday, sending it to President
Obama with just one day to spare before the scheduled expiration of the nation's road and transit
spending. The measure passed by a 83-16 tally, hours after sailing through the House on a
lopsided 359-65 vote.
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HEALTHCARE
The real reason for the Obamacare repeal
Politico
By Jennifer Haberkorn
December 3, 2015
Republicans on Capitol Hill are sending their long-sought Obamacare repeal on a kamikaze
mission to the president’s desk. The GOP has big reasons to move ahead with a doomed mission:
to force the president to veto the bill, to fulfill a promise to its base and to lay the groundwork to
truly repeal Obamacare under a Republican president in 2017.It’s not just optics. Republicans are
carefully constructing a legislative strategy, based on Senate rules and precedents, to make it
easier to unravel the health law in 2017 if a Republican wins the White House.
LABOR AND THE ECONOMY
Pentagon opens all combat jobs to women
The Hill
By Kristina Wong
December 3, 2015
In a historic move, Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday announced that the military will
open all combat jobs to women. "There will be no exceptions," Carter said at a briefing, adding
that meant women could serve as Army Rangers, Green Berets and Navy SEALs.
20 People Now Own As Much Wealth as Half of All Americans
The Nation
By Joshua Holland
December 3, 2015
The 400 richest Americans now have more wealth than the bottom 61 percent of the population,
a report released on Wednesday by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) reveals. According to
“Billionaire Bonanza: The Forbes 400 and the Rest of Us,” just the twenty individuals at the top
of the pile—a group that could fit into a Gulfstream G650 luxury jet, according to the study’s
authors—now control more wealth than the bottom half of the population. That’s 152 million
people living in 57 million households.
Good Times Are Back For American Autoworkers After A Long And Painful Road
International Business Times
By Cole Stangler
December 4, 2015
This Friday, Denny Ramos is more excited than usual for payday. The 47-year-old autoworker
just got a raise -- to $21 an hour, up from $17.86. Ramos works as a material handler at General
Motors' Lansing Grand River plant in Michigan, moving parts to and from assembly lines that
crank out the Cadillac CTS, ATS and Chevrolet Camaro models.
RAISING WAGES
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Your Interactive Guide to Understanding the Minimum Wage
EATER
By Ryan Sutton
December 3, 2015
The States with Most Minimum Wage Workers: The states with the highest percentage of hourly
workers who earn the federal minimum wage or less, as of 2014, are Arkansas (6.4 percent),
Louisiana (6.3 percent), Mississippi (6.2 percent), Tennessee (6.8 percent), Indiana (6.1 percent),
Texas (5.7 percent), and West Virginia (5.9 percent). But just because states have a high
proportion of individuals at the minimum doesn't necessarily mean they are the regions most in
need of worker pay hikes, as a living wage analysis below will show. Note: Arkansas and West
Virginia have increased their minimums above the federal level since 2014.
GIG ECONOMY
Four Uber Rivals Are Now in International Alliance
The Wall Street Journal
By Newley Purnell
December 3, 2015
The international alliance of Uber Technologies Inc.’s ride-hailing competitors is growing
stronger. San Francisco startup Lyft Inc. confirmed Thursday it is teaming up with Southeast
Asia’s GrabTaxi Holdings Pte. Ltd. and India’s Ola to allow users of each app to hail rides from
drivers of the other apps while they are traveling to the other country. Lyft and Chinese startup
Didi Kuaidi Joint Co. announced a similar arrangement in September, when the Journal also
reported that they were in talks with GrabTaxi and Ola.
Nearly half of Americans add to on-demand economy, poll finds
The Hill
By David McCabe
December 3, 2015
Almost half of Americans have participated in the on-demand economy, a new trade groupbacked survey says. The Internet Association and the Travel Technology Association produced
the survey, which found that 46 percent of people had engaged with the on-demand economy,
also known as the peer-to-peer or sharing economy. That was up from the 19 percent of
Americans a study last year found to be participating on the platforms.
ORGANIZING
In Pennsylvania, a Steel Mill and Its Workers at a Crossroads
The New York Times
By Steven Greenhouse
December 3, 2015
In this latest showdown, Allegheny has taken on the nation’s biggest, most combative industrial
union. If the steelworkers lose, it could prompt another wave of me-too concessions and
represent a further humbling of organized labor just as it was starting to gain ground on other
fronts.
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WAGE THEFT
Red Robin agrees to settle class-action wage suit
The Times Tribune
By Terrie Morgan-Besecker
December 3, 2015
A Red Robin restaurant chain owner has agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle a federal classaction lawsuit filed by employees who claimed the company improperly withheld wages from
tipped employees by forcing them to share tips with kitchen workers.
Florida News from our allies at Progress Florida
(Some of the news stories below may require a subscription to read.)
FEATURED STORIES
What Florida’s New Congressional Map Means for 2016
By Jack Fitzpatrick
National Journal
Florida finally has a congressional map in place for the 2016 cycle after
months of uncertainty and nearly four years of legal battles over the old
district lines.
Rubio faces criticism over holding up South Florida judicial nominee
By Alex Leary
Tampa Bay Times
For months, Sen. Marco Rubio has faced growing complaints over his
refusal to advance a South Florida judicial nominee – one he
recommended to the White House -- and the matter is now certain to
languish into the new year, if not longer.
Before Senate win, Rubio turned political ‘juice’ into personal profits
By Rosalind S. Helderman
Washington Post
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PAGE 25
As Marco Rubio considered his options for a new career after stepping
down as Florida House speaker, he found that the housing bust had
depleted demand for the kind of land-use law he had practiced in the past.
Lawmakers look to divert mentally ill from criminal justice system
By Margie Menzel
News Service of Florida
A House panel on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill aimed at
keeping Floridians with mental illnesses out of the criminal-justice system.
FRIDAY FEATURE: BEST OF THE BLOGS
Nov. 21 Uniting for Fair Food Day of Action sweeps across Florida!
Coalition Of Immokalee Workers
Back in November, we laid out the Fair Food Nation’s big plans for the
November 21st Uniting for Fair Food Day of Action.
Florida's Thieves Hell-Bent On Stealing State's Solar Future: Story of the
Year
By Gimleteye
Eye On Miami
Whatever political party and candidates one favors, it is possible for all
Floridians to agree that the best chance for independence in an age of
climate change is diversified choice on solar power.
Bad Medicine: Pfizer's Offshore Tax Trick Just Latest of Many Scandals
By Frank Clemente
Huffington Post
Pfizer doesn't play pfair.
Talking Turkey: FPL’s proposed new reactors face (yet) another setback
By Sara Barczak
CleanEnergy Footprints
As we offer up our thanks during Thanksgiving week, we wanted to THANK
YOU for all that you’ve done to help say “no” to FPL’s ill-advised pursuit of
possibly building two new nuclear reactors at their existing Turkey Point
plant near Homestead, Florida ~25 miles from Miami.
Marco Rubio Explains His Opposition To Equal Pay Law
By Bryce Covert
ThinkProgress
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PAGE 26
The most recent data shows that women who work full time throughout the
year make just 79 percent of what men doing the same make, and the gap
shows up in virtually every job, every single industry, and at every
education level.
FLORIDA POLITICS
Speaker’s race: Sprowls in, Eisnaugle claims support from three classes
By Matt Dixon
Politico
As one leadership race in the Senate settles, another in the House
continues to rage, impacting three election classes and a crop of political
candidates that has not even yet won office.
Senator Nelson Will Be “Short Listed” by Clinton
By Bob McKnight
Bob McKnight's Blog and Golden Age Quorum Call
As readers of this Blog are aware, I periodically stick my political neck out
and make predictions.
Court fulfills voters' will on reform: Where We Stand
Editorial
Orlando Sentinel
Floridians have waited a long time — much too long — to see their will to
reform the redistricting process fulfilled.
POLITICAL RACES
With maps in place, Gillum inching closer to congressional run
By Matt Dixon
Politico
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, a rising figure in Democratic politics, is
actively taking calls about mounting a primary challenge against U.S. Rep.
Corrine Brown, whose seat was drastically altered as part of a long-running
redistricting legal challenge.
ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Florida considers a bill that would regulate fracking, but preempt and
overturn local bans
By Seán Kinane
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Free Speech Radio News
Florida is a state you don’t normally think of when it comes to fossil fuels –
but the Legislature is considering a bill to regulate fracking.
Fracking bill moves forward in Florida Legislature
By Brendan Farrington
Associated Press
A bill that would create regulations for fracking was approved by a House
committee today despite strong opposition from environmentalists who said
the method of oil and gas drilling could contaminate drinking water and
cause health problems.
Court allows lawsuit against Legislature's handling of Amendment 1 funds
to go forward
By Mary Ellen Klas
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
A Tallahassee judge on Thursday rejected attempts by the Florida
Legislature to dismiss a lawsuit accusing lawmakers of violating the
constitution by misspending $237 million in money in Amendment 1 funds
intended for water and land conservation.
EDUCATION
Put education chief in Florida cabinet
By Paula Dockery
Florida Today
Florida’s commissioner of education is an appointed position but hasn’t
always been that way.
New Florida bill could make recess a right
By Emerald Morrow
WTSP
A new bill filed Wednesday in the Florida Senate could make recess a right
for all students K-5 across the state of Florida.
JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY
Scott’s budget and tax cuts continue to draw rough treatment in Senate
By John Kennedy
Palm Beach Post
Gov. Rick Scott’s budget and tax-cutting plans continued getting dinged up
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Thursday in the Senate — with a committee calling for more analysis of his
bid to boost school spending by $507.3 million, mostly on the backs of
property taxpayers.
More money with less accountability
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
When government proposes spreading more money around, it’s not hard to
get people to buy in.
HEALTH AND SENIORS
Senate committee postpones mental hospitals discussion to January
By Michael Auslen
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau
The Senate Committee on Children, Families and Elder Affairs cancelled a
presentation Thursday on the state’s beleaguered mental hospitals, which
have been subject to scrutiny over violence tied to understaffing and
budget cuts.
Florida ranks low for adults with health insurance
By Rachel Williams
Orlando Business Journal
When it comes to the number of adults with health insurance, Florida ranks
nearly last when compared to the rest of the U.S.
No more politicking over Gardiner’s disability reforms
Editorial
Palm Beach Post
One of the legitimate criticisms of some entitlement programs is that they
can trap recipients in a cycle of need, by creating a zero-sum situation
where taking a tentative step toward work and independence risks losing a
safety net of benefits.
Bill Allowing Stronger Medical Marijuana Advances In House
By Jim Rosica
Florida Politics
A bill that would allow for stronger varieties of pot as medical marijuana in
Florida unanimously cleared its second Senate review panel.
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IMMIGRATION, CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Senate panel confirms Secretary Mike Carroll as head of Department of
Children and Families
By Michael Auslen
Tampa Bay Times
After grilling him about changes in the state’s child welfare system, a panel
of state senatorsThursday okayed Mike Carroll’s appointment as secretary
of the Department of Children and Families.
Debate on funding draws jeers, cheers
By Emily Le Coz
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
A panel discussion on funding women’s health care drew a large, noisy
crowd Thursday to the Sarasota Tiger Bay Club, where local Republican
Party and Planned Parenthood leaders took jabs at each other on what has
become an emotionally charged issue.
America's deadly arsenals
Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
Authorities in California have more questions than answers in the wake of
Wednesday's mass shooting in San Bernardino, which killed 14 people and
seriously injured 21.
JUSTICE AND THE COURTS
'Stand your ground' changes revived in Senate
By Margie Menzel
News Service of Florida
After stalling in the House, a proposal that would shift the burden of proof to
the state in cases involving Florida's controversial "stand your ground" law
is poised to go to the full Senate.
If you have suggestions on how we may improve this online
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