And so our governor manufactures yet another controversy full cloth, or in this case large ears and tail.
And again, the media dutifully covers it as an affront to decency and democracy or, on Fox News, as a fair battle for conservative (read 1950s) values.
Disney, one of the state’s largest employers, sparked this battle, state Rep. Randy Fine explained Saturday on Fox. The company, the rosy-cheeked Brevard Republican said, is a “guest” who insulted his host. That insult — reluctantly advocating for LGBTQ equality on behalf of its employees — was so offensive that it gave Gov. Ron DeSantis the political support to take on Disney and revoke its special district status, Fine said.
It’s hard to say which is more offensive: this latest Disney animation; the ill-concealed racism and illegal partisan bias of DeSantis’ redistricting maps; state-sponsored attacks on corporations, city commissions, and school boards promoting anti-COVID security measures; the state Department of Health’s red line on prescription drugs that help with gender transition; or textbook bans that supposedly put America’s racial friction into historical context, or don’t even do it, but the governor pretends they do.
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More offensive still: the fact that DeSantis benefits from the media’s obligation to cover all of the above, maintaining and perpetuating this parade of rotten state laws as it moves into the national spotlight. Not to mention, he benefits in a calculated way from the attention the Disney brand’s universal popularity brings him, even as he puts his sword through the heart of Pegasus.
No real work to do here?
Is Florida doing everything it can to counteract the effects of climate change, for example? Or are we slowing solar energy conversion, stalling updates to building standards, and curtailing Everglades renovation projects?
Are we cleaning up our springs, rivers, lakes and atmosphere, or decimating environmental law enforcement and letting cane farmers blacken our skies with open fires for a few cents more on a bag of sugar?
Are we empowering teachers, public schools, and universities, or subjecting them to book-burning virtue?
Do we keep our communities safer by adopting even the smallest gun regulations?
Are we driving innovative mass transportation, or are we just building more houses and office towers with no way to get from one to the other?
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As Florida communities grapple with affordable housing shortages, as workers struggle with rent, children and families sleep in cars, and people with mental health issues spend their lives on sidewalks, where are our Governor and Legislature ?
They have been chasing Mickey Mouse with a broom for LGBTQ+ tolerance, antagonizing the cruise industry over COVID vaccination policy, redrawing legislative districts to perpetuate white Republican government against the threat of an increasingly diverse state.
In Disney’s score, why haven’t chambers of commerce and industry associations done more to protect Florida businesses from the governor’s scare tactics? The only time his old war cry of laissez-faire would make sense, they are nowhere to be found.
While there is no reason the state should not review the operating agreements it has with corporations to ensure that taxpayers are getting the optimal advantage, this latest brash statement came in a moment, without thought or study beforehand.
What major flaw in Disney’s municipal oversight of its sprawling site since 1967 necessitated this upheaval? What great harm is done to Florida by allowing the Disney special district to run a fire department, hire police protection, and provide other city services in its 39 square miles?
Are Osceola and Orange counties ready to take on that responsibility? Did anyone in the DeSantis Administration study the numbers before lighting this fuse? Some say the state could pocket $2 billion or more by taking on Disney’s debt; others say taxpayers in those two Central Florida counties could see their tax bills skyrocket.
What responsible state government does business like this?
Above all, let us not forget the sentiment at the heart of this action: The new florida law that treats anyone who is not heterosexual as an aberration that we must protect our children from. If you’re a Republican from Florida, is that what you really stand for? If he doesn’t, how long will he sit quietly and let this governor speak for you?
Reference-www.palmbeachpost.com