Arizona Immigration Law Comes To Florida

Elections have consequences, and the tea party made sure of that.

After Tuesday’s elections gave Republicans a veto-proof majority in both chambers of the Florida Legislature– 28-12 in the Senate and 80-40 in the House, one of the first legislative initiatives that was expected to be introduced is the much ballyhooed “Arizona style” immigration law that cracks down on illegal immigration, provided that a member of the legislature were to file such a bill.

Incoming Senator President-elect Mike Haridopolos is a strong advocate for the introduction of such a law and has previously stated that,“I wouldn’t be surprised if a member of the Senate and/or House representative files a bill. If we choose to go that way, we’re going to have a Florida law, not an Arizona law.”

Democratic Pollster Mark Penn Raising Money For Charlie Crist

Big-shot Democratic pollster and former Hillary Clinton senior adviser Mark Penn and his wife, Nancy Jacobson, are hosting a $4,800-per-person fundraising reception for Charlie Crist at their Washington home Wednesday. Here’s the invite list.

Ironic that Kendrick Meek, the only black guy in the race,  worked his tail off for John Kerry — whose media consultant Tad Devine is now helping Jeff Greene — and Clinton, whose top consultant is helping Crist. Democrats always throw the black guys under the bus, don’t they. Keep then down on the farm, like the old days.

Rubio Up 32 Over Crist

Support for Charlie Crist from conservative voters has pretty much evaporated, and that’s allowed Marco Rubio to build a 32 point lead in the Republican primary for Senate.

Rubio now leads Crist 60-28, including a staggering 71-17 lead with conservatives. Crist has a 49-36 advantage with party moderates, but they account for just 31% of likely primary voters compared to 65% who describe themselves as conservative.

Rubio, Rubio, Rubio

Charlie Crist’s home county GOP prefers Marco Rubio for senate — Among the many indignities Charlie Crist has faced over last several rocky months, this one hit home.

Republican party activists in his own county of Pinellas, many of whom have been campaigning alongside  Crist for years, on Monday overwhelmingly declared that they prefer Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate. The 106-54  “straw poll” vote is officially meaningless, but a giant symbolic blow for Crist.

After all, many of people lining up to cast secret ballots against Crist Monday night at Tucson’s restaurant were the party activists who know him best.

“I volunteered for Charlie for nine years. I love Charlie as a person. If he was here, I would give him a big hug. He actually called me about this (straw poll) yesterday,’’ said Wilna Varney of Largo, who voted for Rubio. “But I’m a more conservative person and I’m going to support the more conservative candidate.”

Join a Tea Party in your area.

Rubio — Gaining Fast

Might explain all those commercials that say Crist is a true Conservative, when people know the truth — RINO at best.

State Tax Revenues Falling Off A Cliff

The chart above is taken from the Rockefeller Institute of Government’s latest report on state finances, based on Census Bureau data. Overall state tax collections in the second quarter of 2009 declined by 16.6 percent (17.8 percent when adjusted for inflation) from the same quarter of the previous year.

That is the largest slide in state tax collections at least since 1963. The decline was driven primarily by a deterioration in personal income tax revenues.

In Florida the collections are trending $2.6 billion in the red for FY2010 after only a few months. This year, the Legislature and Gov. Charlie Crist approved $2.2 billion in higher taxes and fees.

A new Florida financial report shows that all the tax increases, spending cuts and raids on savings accounts weren’t enough for Florida’s budget, which could have a deficit next year of as much as $2.6 billion.

The main cost-driver — Medicaid. The subsidized health care program for the poor is growing as the economy shrinks. And the federal stimulus money that helped the state avoid deep budget cuts runs out in December — in the middle of the next budget year. Not clear how much of the Medicaid deficit is for illegal aliens, but guesses are a whole lot of it is.

Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander fretted that the federal government could pick up so little for Medicaid that it could cost the state an extra $3 billion. Alexander acknowledged it was a worst-case scenario, but he said the state needs to be on its guard.

“It’s devastating,” Alexander he said. “Three billion dollars is equivalent to a penny sales tax.”