R i g h t a r d i a: More of crazy Rick Scott's ideas

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida is the fourth most populous state in the nation but is ranked 11th in regard to the number of Fortune 500 companies.

Fortune Magazine reports that Florida hosts 16 Fortune 500 companies, ranking it 11th in the nation.

Representative Darren Soto (D-Orlando) says the shortfall in top corporate performers in Florida is due to Florida’s failure to invest in its universities, workforce training, transportation and public works projects. Soto stated:

Florida’s inadequate share of Fortune 500 companies proves that our state needs to make the investments that will attract top corporations to our state,” said Representative Soto. These findings contradict the jobs mantra touted by Governor Rick Scott and the Republican Legislature in the 2011 budget that less regulation and lower taxes are the key to our prosperity.

Representative Darren Soto will detail in House floor debate on the state budget the monumental failure of what he calls the

fire-sale/bribery approach of hacking long-term education and infrastructure investment to cobble economic incentives together which are failing to attract and maintain businesses in Florida.

The video of Mark Wilson, the Florida Chamber of Commerce president, and Rick Scott, suggests it is easy to fix the Florida economy.

If so, why hasn't his happened since we have are now in the 13th year of a Republican governor? Scott compares the Florida economy to Panama, a third world country, "where it is easy to do business."

Scott wants to make Miami a shipping hub for South and Central America to handle the new Panama Canal container ships while the Chinese are taking to Columbia about about a deep port rail link that will bypass the Panama Canal.

This rail link to be built 220 km extend from the Pacific coast of Cartagena around a new city. Imports of Chinese goods will be assembled there, and then exported to the Americas. On return, the ships will purchase raw materials in Colombia to ship to China.

Juan Santos. the president of Columbia, said about the 13,000 to 14,000 ships pass through the Panama Canal each year and their transport accounted for 5 per cent of total world trade.

Through the construction of the railway linking the Pacific and Atlantic ports, Santos stated that the Panama Canal transport pressure can be split . . . (and) the traffic will be more convenient for Columbia.

Scott has been cutting financial aid to Florida Bright Futures and other Florida scholarship programs. He is also scaling back fainacial aid to graduate students. This will not produce more of the educated articulate workers that Fortune 500 companies need.

Scott thinks compensating the best teachers with an incentive program will fix education, but this is a simple minded approach. It will produce a more competitive environment is school and there will be less cooperation among teachers.

Charter schools are fine, but only 20 per cent of them outperform public schools. Many under perform and need to be closed, something the state has not done so far.

Florida teachers can also move to Georgia and make another $6,000 per year. Scott is making a huge mistake if he starts to play handball with teachers.
Also, according to the state Department of Education, Florida has a critical teacher shortage in the following areas in 2010/11: