Government
Why Scott the Businessman Energizes as Scott the Governor
Outsider rankles government insiders, but corporate approach gains support
Around the State
Rick Scott is governing Florida like a business -- and that's made the former health-care CEO the bete noir of pro-labor progressives and union-loving Democrats.
But Scott's agenda is just what the voters ordered to revive an ailing economy, say corporate leaders and grass-roots conservatives.
Whether Scott turns out to be a vulture capitalist or Florida's financial savior remains to be seen. But after less than two months in office, he leaves little room for ambivalence.
Like fellow freshman governors Scott Walker in Wisconsin and John Kasich in Ohio, Scott has quickly instigated a showdown with public employees and their unions. Unlike those Midwestern politicians, Scott brought an extensive business portfolio -- and he's using his experience to restructure government.
"There's been a confluence of factors that make Governor Scott so different from anything we've seen in America since the election of Michael Bloomberg in New York City -- an individual who can govern without the distractions of special interests and the influence of money in the system," said Tom Lee, a real-estate developer and former Florida Senate president.
Starting with $5 billion in proposed budget cuts, Scott quickly asserted that state government could make do with less. His plan to reform the state pension program and require workers to contribute to their retirement is patterned after policies long-established in the private sector.
Stanching the hemorrhage at Medicaid, Scott brings firsthand expertise to the arcane operation of that indigent-care program which, at more than $16 billion, is the state's second biggest budget line after K-12 education.
Tim Stapleton, executive vice president of the Florida Medical Association, applauded Scott's "unique insight on how to streamline government programs and services and realize greater efficiencies."
Stapleton added that the FMA "looks forward to continuing to work with the governor and his staff on Medicaid and tort reform to make Florida a better place for physicians to practice medicine and create new jobs, and for patients to receive care.”
As for Obamacare, Scott didn't convene a working group to decide what to do when a federal judge ruled the law unconstitutional. The governor simply announced that the state would not waste "time and money" on implementing it.
Scott's common-sense approach mirrors the no-nonsense style of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Where Christie pulled the plug on the $8 billion trans-Hudson tunnel, Scott derailed the proposed Tampa-Orlando high-speed train venture before it got started. Both governors took political heat for halting hugely expensive public-works projects, but each explained that their intervention was needed to avert massive financial liability.
DISCOMBOBULATING THE OPPOSITION
To Florida taxpayers who continue to cinch up their belts in a slumping economy, Scott is viewed as a courageous change agent determined to shake up Tallahassee. His speeches may lack political polish, but his words resonate with voters who have become increasingly suspicious of glib politicians who lack real-world experience.
The outsider's rise to power is maddening to those who see government as somehow morally and ethically superior to the world of business. Democratic critics have likened his election to a hostile takeover of Florida.
Though Scott defeated Alex Sink by barely 2 percentage points, his business-minded approach to policy and his soft-spoken demeanor discombobulate the opposition. Even his personal wealth appeals to Joe Six Pack when the governor sells off the state planes and opts for his personal jet instead (his failure to see the sale from Sen. J.D. Alexander's perspective notwithstanding).
But Scott's agenda is just what the voters ordered to revive an ailing economy, say corporate leaders and grass-roots conservatives.
Whether Scott turns out to be a vulture capitalist or Florida's financial savior remains to be seen. But after less than two months in office, he leaves little room for ambivalence.
Like fellow freshman governors Scott Walker in Wisconsin and John Kasich in Ohio, Scott has quickly instigated a showdown with public employees and their unions. Unlike those Midwestern politicians, Scott brought an extensive business portfolio -- and he's using his experience to restructure government.
"There's been a confluence of factors that make Governor Scott so different from anything we've seen in America since the election of Michael Bloomberg in New York City -- an individual who can govern without the distractions of special interests and the influence of money in the system," said Tom Lee, a real-estate developer and former Florida Senate president.
Starting with $5 billion in proposed budget cuts, Scott quickly asserted that state government could make do with less. His plan to reform the state pension program and require workers to contribute to their retirement is patterned after policies long-established in the private sector.
Stanching the hemorrhage at Medicaid, Scott brings firsthand expertise to the arcane operation of that indigent-care program which, at more than $16 billion, is the state's second biggest budget line after K-12 education.
Tim Stapleton, executive vice president of the Florida Medical Association, applauded Scott's "unique insight on how to streamline government programs and services and realize greater efficiencies."
Stapleton added that the FMA "looks forward to continuing to work with the governor and his staff on Medicaid and tort reform to make Florida a better place for physicians to practice medicine and create new jobs, and for patients to receive care.”
As for Obamacare, Scott didn't convene a working group to decide what to do when a federal judge ruled the law unconstitutional. The governor simply announced that the state would not waste "time and money" on implementing it.
Scott's common-sense approach mirrors the no-nonsense style of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Where Christie pulled the plug on the $8 billion trans-Hudson tunnel, Scott derailed the proposed Tampa-Orlando high-speed train venture before it got started. Both governors took political heat for halting hugely expensive public-works projects, but each explained that their intervention was needed to avert massive financial liability.
DISCOMBOBULATING THE OPPOSITION
To Florida taxpayers who continue to cinch up their belts in a slumping economy, Scott is viewed as a courageous change agent determined to shake up Tallahassee. His speeches may lack political polish, but his words resonate with voters who have become increasingly suspicious of glib politicians who lack real-world experience.
The outsider's rise to power is maddening to those who see government as somehow morally and ethically superior to the world of business. Democratic critics have likened his election to a hostile takeover of Florida.
Though Scott defeated Alex Sink by barely 2 percentage points, his business-minded approach to policy and his soft-spoken demeanor discombobulate the opposition. Even his personal wealth appeals to Joe Six Pack when the governor sells off the state planes and opts for his personal jet instead (his failure to see the sale from Sen. J.D. Alexander's perspective notwithstanding).


Comments (5)
Now let's focus on the budget cuts. I don't agree that we need to pay civil employees high wages, with great benefit packages and early retirement. I work too hard to listen to the sob stories coming out of government workers mouths. If you don't like what we the voters have to say, GET ANOTHER JOB. People like me and my friends who work every day and don't have great retirement programs paid for by the sweat of the real working people are tired of the bull. Government workers need to pay for their insurance, they need to get reasonable pay, and they can retire at 65 like the rest of us. To think that you are entitled to work 20 - 25 years and retire at 45 so we can pay you for the next 50 years is ridicules. To think you get to retire and then go after a 2nd pension in government paid for by the hard working people of this country is criminal. If you think the work is too hard for the money, go look for a job. I wouldn't hire another government employee because they tend to be lazy and complainers. Get out there with the real people and live off the land, but get the heck out of my pocket and go to work, and if you don't like it, go find another job. You are not entitled...