Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Governor Dick Scott, wasting taxpayers' money since 2011

Governor 48.9% continues his quiotic quest to further screw with poor people by appealing rulings against mandatory drug testing of FL welfare recipients.  Although Dick keeps scrooging on poor folks, federal district judge Mary Scriven protected the US Constitution and ruled with common sense, holding: "there is no set of circumstances under which the warrantless, suspicionless drug testing at issue in this case could be constitutionally applied."

Judge Scriven had previously issued an injunction against this campaign slogan made legislation, even though presumably some FL legislators have law degrees and thus ought to have known this law as patently unconstitutional.

Not content to wait for a court hearing, the administration of Dick Scott using private lawyers appealed to US 11th Circuit of Appeals to vacate that stay.  3 judges of the 11th Circuit refused to vacate the stay.  Dick requested a hearing from the full court yet the justices turned aside that appeal.

All that lawyering don't come cheap.

According to FL Watchdog, FL Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed the state spent $90,000 in legal fees on the appeals.  This strains the bounds of logic as the ACLU, just 1 of the organizations challenging the urine testing, files for reimbursement of $313,000 in fees and costs after the injunction order in 2011.

In her most recent order, Jude Scriven pointed to the study presented by the state which found dramatically lower instances of drug use than in the general population, pdf pages 5 & 26.

Just coincidentally and unethically, governor Dick's wife owns stock in Solantic, a company which can perform state mandated drug testing.

My country tis of thee, sweet land of unbridled greed.

Let the lawyers have the last words: [“This should send a message to all lawmakers that the 4th Amendment protects everyone,” stated Randall Berg of the Florida Justice Institute and co-counsel with the ACLU.

“The governor and the Legislature sent their lawyers into court to advance a very startling proposition. They argued that some Floridians, namely poor families with children who qualify for temporary public assistance, are not protected by the Constitution of the United States,” stated ACLU of Florida Executive Director Howard Simon.]
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