Enter Rick Scott, presenting himself as a turnaround expert. ?I won?t rest until we make Florida a model for the country in job creation and education,? he told supporters Wednesday in his victory speech.
Yet if he manages to institute his plan for Florida ? and chances are good, since the Legislature is overwhelmingly Republican ? Floridians, and the country, may be in for a shock. His proposals, and his approach to business, suggest that residents here may soon see an approach to government closer to the conservative, budget-slashing overhaul proposed for Britain.
Behind Mr. Scott?s campaign slogans (?Let?s get to work? with ?seven steps to 700,000 jobs in seven years?) are proposals to privatize more prisons, give vouchers to parents for schools and to Medicaid recipients for health insurance, and to reduce what businesses have to pay for injured workers.
To ?lighten the burden of government on every Florida family,? as he said Wednesday, Mr. Scott has also pledged to shrink the state payroll by thousands of jobs, and to usher in hefty tax cuts ? even though that would mean less revenue to help fill the projected $2.5 billion deficit that Florida faces next year.
Democrats are predicting a return ?to the Dark Ages.? Republicans are thrilled. ?It?s a real opportunity for us,? said Mike Haridopolos, the State Senate president.
Not since the 1860s, Mr. Haridopolos said, has the state had such a conservative concentration of power, and as a result, he said a lot of legislation would be likely to pass. Specifically, he said the state would probably revisit a Senate bill vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist that would have established merit-based pay for teachers.
I hear ya!