Home Rule: Punching Down and Pandering to the Extremes By Jennifer Webb
While Louisiana passed bills to draw When the party in power punches down new federal funding to fix the down instead of solving real probfailing infrastructure of its schools, lems it leaves our state, our cities the Florida legislature and our resi“Nothing like a bunch of rejected the money dents weaker. And, when it adults bullying kids who and made it harder spends more are more likely to commit for kids to get scitime on scoring suicide than graduate ence-based sex education. political points from high school.” And we wonder why with primawe have one of the highest rates of ry voters instead of governing, the teen STDs in the country? most marginalized and vulnerable in Thank goodness Representative our communities suffer. Chaney’s initial language was weakBoth happened this past session ened through the process so our in Florida. kids will be better informed and proWhile Arkansas, Oklahoma and tected. Missouri were busy ensuring that While Ohio was beefing up its betheir residents had health insurance havioral health system coming out during these final stages of the panof a pandemic, which has seen soardemic and Mississippi and West Viring rates of depression and unprecginia were updating their outdated edented heights in drug overdoses, unemployment system, our FloriFlorida spent state resources passda legislature was busy telling citing a law that will directly impact ies and counties what they should only a handful of trans youth enbe doing on issues as minuscule gaged in sports, yet make life hardas building and design aesthetics.
THE STORAGE HOUSE
727-327-9598
TheStorageHouse.com 1219 49th Street South • Gulfport
Office Hours: Mon~Fri 8~5 / Sat 8~2
NEED MORE SPACE?
We’re The Moving Place!
er for all LGBTQ kids. Nothing like a bunch of adults bullying kids who are more likely to commit suicide than graduate from high school. And, while Tennessee was rushing forward to fix a prison system as outdated as Florida’s, our own Senator Brandes was sidelined for speaking out against a failure of action on the part of his leadership to step up. Each legislative session our political leaders have an amazing opportunity to do good – to do the people’s work and actually put forth the effort to leave a lasting legacy that fixes real problems and that creates a Florida that works better for all of our families and residents. This potential is bestowed upon our legislators by allocating a $101.5 billion budget and through the ability to pass policies that will impact nearly 22 million Floridians and sway the national landscape. Yet, what the political majority continues to do is squander the opportunity by punching down and pandering to the extreme right – deflecting its own incompetence by screwing up the systems that are boldly created by our cities, carefully cultivated by problem-solving schools and parents, and invested in by our small business owners and workers. Thank God session is only 60 days.
24-Hour Access • First-Floor Convenience Climate Controlled
$
49
99
MOVES YOU IN ANY SIZE UNIT
• For The First Month • Minimum 2-Month Contract
We sell boxes, locks, and moving supplies. SPECIAL DISCOUNTS FOR MILITARY, SENIORS & STUDENTS
THE GABBER.COM 12
Jennifer Webb is a former member of the Florida State House, District 69, a founding partner of Omni Public, and an applied anthropologist. She lives in Gulfport with her wife, Cynthia, and their adopted pup, Bailey.
theGabber.com | June 10, 2021 - June 16, 2021
