October 14, 2011--Florida Dreaming
Just as I was beginning to think about Delray Beach--it's damp and chilly now along the coast of Maine--I learned about some more absurd thinking-out-loud by my Florida wintertime governor, Rick Scott.
This time he's picking a fight with the liberal arts.
It's not enough that he has required potential welfare recipients and the unemployed to get tested for drugs before receiving benefits--and paying for the tests themselves--or turning back federal stimulus money that would cost Florida nothing but pay for tens of thousands of jobs; not only has he signed legislation that overturns local gun laws and imposes a state requirement that allows anyone to take concealed weapons into libraries and airports; but now he wants to eliminate state funding for the study of psychology and anthropology at Florida's public colleges and universities.
I am not making this up. Here are his own words on the subject:
Disciplines he wants to eliminate are those that hone people's skills to think critically and analytically--which would be a political disaster for him. The last thing he wants is anyone in the state having the capacity to understand how he is wrecking their futures and how his fanatical policies are condemning anyone not fortunate enough to be able to take full care of themselves to fall by the wayside.
I think I'll call the plumber and electrician to see if they can keep our pipes from freezing. Maybe I don't want to sojourn in Rick Scott's Florida this winter.
This time he's picking a fight with the liberal arts.
It's not enough that he has required potential welfare recipients and the unemployed to get tested for drugs before receiving benefits--and paying for the tests themselves--or turning back federal stimulus money that would cost Florida nothing but pay for tens of thousands of jobs; not only has he signed legislation that overturns local gun laws and imposes a state requirement that allows anyone to take concealed weapons into libraries and airports; but now he wants to eliminate state funding for the study of psychology and anthropology at Florida's public colleges and universities.
I am not making this up. Here are his own words on the subject:
Scott said Monday that he hopes to shift more funding to science, technology, engineering and math departments, the so-called "STEM" disciplines. The big losers: programs like psychology and anthropology and potentially schools like New College in Sarasota that emphasize a liberal arts curriculum.
"If I'm going to take money from a citizen to put into education then I'm going to take that money to create jobs," Scott said. "So I want that money to go to degrees where people can get jobs in this state. Is it a vital interest of the state to have more anthropologists? I don't think so."
Disciplines he wants to eliminate are those that hone people's skills to think critically and analytically--which would be a political disaster for him. The last thing he wants is anyone in the state having the capacity to understand how he is wrecking their futures and how his fanatical policies are condemning anyone not fortunate enough to be able to take full care of themselves to fall by the wayside.
I think I'll call the plumber and electrician to see if they can keep our pipes from freezing. Maybe I don't want to sojourn in Rick Scott's Florida this winter.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
4:45 AM
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