Op-Ed: MAGA-mania in Tally is hostile to public health, voting rights, unions

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It’s also wrong on the environment and immigrants

Opinion By John Ise, President of the Northeast Miami-Dade Democratic Club

Each day that passes, it becomes painfully clear that Florida has perhaps the most regressive, retrograde state government perhaps in modern history led by Florida Republicans.

A state that elevates MAGA-mania over all else; hostile to local control, hostile to civil rights and liberties, hostile to racial & ethnic minorities, hostile to voting rights, hostile to immigrants, hostile to public health, hostile to public education, and hostile to ethical/good governance.

Read related: Tallahassee changes congressional maps to give GOP advantage mid election

Don’t believe me? Consider:

• Florida Republicans voted for the voter disenfranchising Florida “SAVE Act” (HB 991): that mimics the federal SAVE Act enacting a phony solution to a phony problem, all the while potentially disenfranchising tens of millions nationwide. Non-Citizens are already prohibited from voting, the number of documented non-citizens from actually voting is infinitesimally puny, and voters already have to show a photo ID to vote. What the SAVE Act does add is the requirement to present a passport or birth certificate to register to vote. The state legislature, in order to placate Trump’s delusion that “millions” of noncitizens voted, losing him the 2020 election; is prepared to disenfranchise tens of thousands Florida voters who lack a passport and/or birth certificate….all to solve a problem that does not exist.
• Florida Republicans voted for Anti-DEI Big Brotherism (HB 1001): Speaking of solving problems that don’t exist, the legislature is considering a blanket prohibition of cities and counties from funding, promoting or taking official actions relating to DEI. A crank with a law degree would be empowered to sue say Miami Beach for a Gay Pride event, or North Miami for Haitian Heritage event, or Opa-Locka for recognizing Bahamian History; all under the guise that these actions are “promoting DEI”.
• Florida Republicans voted for The “Trump-ification” (…or is it “Charlie Kirk-ization”?) of Florida (HB 33 & HB919): If it wasn’t bad enough that Miami Dade College and the State gifted land adjacent to the Miami Freedom Tower (once known as the “Ellis Island of the South” for welcoming recent immigrants) for the Trump Library (a President who’d mainstreamed bigoted and racialized xenophobia more than any recent American) that will absolutely dwarf it; now the legislature is forcing the Palm Beach Airport to be named after Trump along with a highway. Never mind Trump’s casual racism, corruption, or cruelty; the Legislature needs to please our equivalent of North Korea’s “Dear Leader”. Not to be overlooked is the legislature enacting “Charlie Kirk Day” along with various Florida roads bearing his name in spite of his repeated racism and misogyny.
• Florida Republicans voted to showcase the Everglades for performatively cruel immigrant detention centers and development: The $600 million “Alligator Alcatraz” (Florida spent more on this idiocy than affordable housing) to detain immigrants is first and foremost performance art to just show how cruel we can be towards detained immigrants and express base-hatred towards with an operating cost of a cool $1 million/day. Doubt me? Ever try to camp in the Everglades…in the warmer months…where there's no mosquito control? Try it and you’ll immediately get the gist. Plus, while the State is cosplaying as a steward for the Everglades; let’s knee-cap Miami-Dade County’s efforts to adhere to its urban development boundary, and grease the wheels to allow western development beyond the boundary.
• Florida Republicans voted for the torpedoing our Public Education system: Every year the State seeks to weaken traditional public schools by favoring less publicly accountable Charters, and zero…absolute zero accountable private schools (via vouchers). The trajectory that the State has embarked on favors the schooling of Florida’s youth as a profit enterprise (who then become political donors) rather than a universal public good.
• Florida Republicans voted for the blatant union busting of public employees, including teachers and civil servants (HB 997). The bill was pushed by the right-wing, billionaire-financed Freedom Foundation who blatantly does not believe Florida workers should have the right to organize – even  though that right is guaranteed in Florida’s Constitution.
• Florida Republicans voted for an absurd “domestic terrorism” bill (HB 1471): Empowering the Governor to almost unilaterally deem any organization (or student) as a “domestic or foreign terrorist”. The legislation can be used as a political weapon for anyone he disagrees with, putting, as the Miami Herald put it, “free speech directly in its crosshairs”.
• Florida Republicans voted for climate denialism via a “Climate Preemption” bill (HB 1217): The climate denying legislature not only prohibits the state from using the phrase “climate change”, but also expressly prohibits local governments from doing anything to curb climate change. It’s all to corruptly keep in the good graces of billionaire oil tycoon and climate denialist, Charles Koch.
• Florida Republicans hurt public health in backing Florida Surgeon General’s anti-vax bonker-ism and consistently turning away Medicaid monies to over Florida’s neediest uninsured.
• Florida Republicans voted for politicized (and unconstitutional) “Gerrymandering” during a recent special session cheering the Supreme Court’s crippling of the Voting Rights Act (think about that, cheering for…)
• Florida Republicans will vote for an irresponsible Property Tax Time Bomb: Under-appreciated but monumental will be a proposed Constitutional amendment to eliminate homesteaded property taxes (education being exempt) that is akin to an all-beer-and-cheeseburger diet plan that promises weight loss.

While tax reform is merited, the proposed elimination equals enormous budgetary hits to municipalities and counties. Miami Shores Village will be staring at a 61% reduction in their budget. Smaller municipalities will disappear. Jackson Public Health System explodes with a $100 million funding hole. Not to mention becoming hugely regressive towards lower-income folks and renters.

Read related: Op-Ed: Gables Commissioner Melissa Castro on pro-development referendum

One scenario is these localities then go hat-in-hand to Tallahassee for financial assistance…which of course means the State is now micro-managing
localities…from Tallahassee. So much for a government closest to the people is the preferred government.

And this doesn’t even get into some of the “smaller” outrages. No bullet points for open carry madness (strap on your AR-15 as you stroll into McDonalds), constant attacks on reproductive rights so we can fund “anti-abortion centers”, and the on-going casual corruption in the Governor’s (steering $10 million of Medicaid money to fight a legal marijuana ballot initiative) or Attorney General’s office ($100K UF job as an adjunct professor?).

Hopefully Florida voters will rectify this MAGA extremism with their votes this November. That is if they still have the vote.

John Ise is a 1999 Miami transplant by way of the American midwest, Virginia, Dominican Republic, and Haiti.  He’s served in a variety of local nonprofit and public service roles.  He is currently the President of the Northeast Miami-Dade Democratic Club. He has worked for The Children’s Trust, Alliance for Human Services and the Abriendo Puertas governing board of East Little Havana.

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