Those Who Made The Grade
Congressman Bill Posey, In the wake of coronavirus, this Central Florida Republican introduced legislation to ensure more pharmaceuticals are manufactured in the U.S. instead of China. With the coronavirus crisis continuing , Posey has made it clear that he wants to cut America’s dependence on Chinese pharmaceuticals.
Posey’s office pointed out that 80 percent of pharmaceutical ingredients in the U.S. come from other countries including China. Posey said America hasn’t made simple medicine since 2004–and the downside of depending on China and other nations for medicine has been made clear during the current crisis.
Dr. Marie Crandall. When it comes to gun violence in Florida, too often liberals address the issue by advocating for more gun control. But Dr. Crandall from UF Health said Florida should be focused on communities where crimes are taking place. She also said we need to look at social factors and economic environment.
Besides being a doctor, Crandall has written on the topic of gun violence for the Journal of Pediatric Surgery. Crandall’s study found that many crime-ridden areas include low-income and low-education individuals. The doctor insisted that “investing into these neighborhoods might be a solid strategy in preventing to help prevent gun violence.” Nowhere did she maintain that gun control should be one of the remedies
Mac Carraway. Following the sewage spill of more than 211.6 million gallons in Ft. Lauderdale, city bureaucrats decided to look “proactive” by creating a “fertilizer police.” The city passed a local fertilizer ordinance which would have had no impact stopping the sewage spill. Mac Carraway, the executive director of the Environmental Research and Education Foundation (EREF), joined Floridians for Water Quality Protection to expose these actions as nothing more than a deflection.
Carraway said this type of move from Ft. Lauderdale and other cities will do nothing to fix Florida’s water quality issues. He also said the focus needs to be on outdated septic tanks and failed sanitary and stormwater systems that cities haven’t addressed.
“If a city is going to pass legislation dealing with water quality, focus on real scientific research instead of some feel-good reaction that doesn’t address the real problem,” said Carraway.
Those Who Didn’t Make The Grade
Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Terrie Rizzo. When two cases of coronavirus were reported in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed them right away. At first, reports noted the cases were considered “presumptive.”
But that didn’t stop Rizzo of playing politics and accusing the governor of hiding information. Rizzo blamed DeSantis for hiding “the real numbers” of people who may have been tested, insisting the governor wasn’t being upfront with Floridians.
Bernie Sanders’ Florida Team. Some recent polls of Florida Democrats show former Vice President Joe Biden with a huge lead of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. The Sanders campaign in Florida countered by claiming that a vote for their candidate is a vote for the New Deal. If Sanders wins the Democratic nomination, he will continue the New Deal which started under FDR back in the 1930s.
But, as Bob Cusack from The Hill and other pundits have asked, would Sanders’ “Medicare For All” plan continue to include senior citizens in Florida who are on Medicare. That’s just one of a host of questions about Sanders’ policies–on Cuba, on Israel, on socialism–which make it near certain that South Florida Democrats will back Biden over him come March 17.
Florida State Reps. Joe Geller and Carlos Guillermo Smith. A move to end taxpayer financing of political campaigns is making its way through the Florida House. But some elected officials want to keep public financing around, claiming it helps level the playing field when candidates run for office. Rep. Joe Geller, D-Aventura, supports taxpayer financing of campaigning, claiming it is a “noble effort to help the public have a greater say in who governs.” State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, wants it to go even further. He supports taxpayer funding of campaigns all the way down to lower ballot races at the local level.
Reach Ed Dean at ed.dean@floridadaily.com.
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