Florida referenda 2004

Great Debates
21

No. Right to choose and all that. I do like E72521’s proposed addition though.

Yes.

No. Why does the state have an interest in interfering in the contract between two private parties?

Yes. Local control. It only authorizes the question, not the gambling itself.

Eh. Not sure about this one.

Yes. The original proponents vastly misrepresented the cost of development. If it’s such a great idea and a sure-fire moneymaker, get private industry to invest in the fucking thing.

Still researching this one.

No, this will virtually eliminate the availability of certain types of medical care in Florida.

22

“Great idea” and “sure-fire moneymaker” are two very different things, Zak. Sometimes they are opposite things.

23

Yeah, they are. However, they are not, when I am paying for it and I can’t use the thing that often. Look at Tri-Rail in South Florida for an idea of how mass transit works in Florida.

24

Here’s my own take on the amendments:

  1. PARENTAL NOTIFICATION OF A MINOR’S TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY

No. I think even teenage girls should be allowed to make this decision by themselves – and if the parents are notified, how can we be sure the parent’s won’t interfere?
2. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS PROPOSED BY INITIATIVE

I’m still on the fence about this one.
3. The Medical Liability Claimant’s Compensation Amendment

No. Whaddaya want? I’m a lawyer. Why should attorney’s fees in the med-mal field be treated any differently than fees in any other field, just because the doctors have a well-organized lobby? And I think our med-mal litigation system is working just fine. Besides, John Kerry’s right, the cost of malpractice litigation is really a negligible element in overall health-care costs, maybe 1.5% (according to Time.)
4. Authorizes Miami-Dade and Broward County Voters to Approve Slot Machines in Parimutuel Facilities

Uhh . . . yeah, sure, why not?
5. Florida Minimum Wage Amendment

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. If the mimum wage in 1979 had been indexed to inflation, it would be $6.92/hour today. Opponents say raising the minimum wage will drive up unemployment; studies of states that have raised their minimum wage show they are wrong. http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/briefingpapers_bp150; http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/issueguides_minwage_minwagefacts; http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/issueguides_minwage_minwagefaq.

See also this study (pdf file) of the project economic impact of a higher minimum wage on Florida: http://www.floridiansforall.org/fileadmin/Floridians_For_All/FloridaMinimumWagestudy.pdf
6. Repeal of High Speed Rail Amendment

No, no, a thousand times no. We need a national high-speed rail network to adapt to the conditions we’ll be facing when the oil runs out; this is a good first step.
7. Patients’ Right to Know About Adverse Medical Incidents

Yes. As I said above, this will make it possible for an attorney to have access to more info at the start of a med-mal case, and form a better idea of whether there’s a real case or not, and, if so, how to approach it. This will make the litigation process more efficient. I don’t see any down side.
8. Public Protection from Repeated Medical Malpractice

No. I think our present licensing system for physicians is working well enough. And even I am concerned that this might lead to abuse – doctors might be tempted to settle med-mal cases out of court, even when the plaintiff’s case is flimsy, just to avoid an adjudication of malpractice that might lead to his or her license being revoked.

25
  1. PARENTAL NOTIFICATION OF A MINOR’S TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY

Yes. Even life-threatening injuries require parental consent/in loco parentis before medical care can be administered, so I can’t see how allowing a usually unnecessary and invasive procedure without parental consent is justifiable. What if something goes wrong and she dies during the abortion? That’d be courting one hell of a lawsuit. It’s good to see the exceptions listed there - the lack of exceptions is what got this issue voted down in my state.

  1. Authorizes Miami-Dade and Broward County Voters to Approve Slot Machines in Parimutuel Facilities

“Sin tax” on minor gambling to fund education is okay by me.

  1. Florida Minimum Wage Amendment

Yes? It’s good in theory, I guess, but it’s not as though $6 is a living wage.
7. Patients’ Right to Know About Adverse Medical Incidents

Yes. I’m surprised this isn’t already a law.
8. Public Protection from Repeated Medical Malpractice

Yes. However, I lost a baby cousin due to neglect two days after she was born in a FL hospital (she wasn’t watched in the nursery and allowed to suffocate on a diaper that was attached to a pacifier for god only knows what reason) so I’m not a big fan of the doctors in that state.

26

I’m not sure that case would fall under the amendment’s purpose. The situation you describe sounds like a problem with the hospital’s procedures. Would you expect the hospital to be closed down?

27

My problem with the original HSR Amendement is that:

  1. It’s got no place in the constitution.
  2. The proponents did not propose a viable funding mechanism.
  3. During the campaign, they vastly misreported the potential costs.

So I’m voting to repeal. HSR can try again with (at a minimum) 2 and 3 above addressed and I might vote for it.

28

Well, we got Yes on all of these except for issue 4 (gambling).

===================================================

  1. PARENTAL NOTIFICATION OF A MINOR’S TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY

  2. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS PROPOSED BY INITIATIVE

  3. The Medical Liability Claimant’s Compensation Amendment

  4. Authorizes Miami-Dade and Broward County Voters to Approve Slot Machines in Parimutuel Facilities

  5. Florida Minimum Wage Amendment

  6. Repeal of High Speed Rail Amendment

  7. Patients’ Right to Know About Adverse Medical Incidents

  8. Public Protection from Repeated Medical Malpractice
    ===================================================

Now, how will all these affect us. I spoke with Mrs. Shibb’s boss this morning, who just happens to be a medical malpractice attorney. We discussed how Issue 3 and Issue 8 will affect each other. He believes that now almost every single claim, whether valid or not, will get settled and paid off. Why? Because it’s not worth the risk to the Doctor to have their license yanked. He also told me that the lawyers offered to remove their amendment in a trade for the Med/Insurers removing their amendment, but the Docs said, “No”.

Now the attorneys will still make their dosh because of the much higher likelihood of a settlement, which doesn’t restrict attorney’s fees. But the docs will operate in an evironment of fear of losing their licenses. I expect insurance rates to skyrocket as more claims are settled.
Also, FWIW, there was a millage rate increase in Pinellas that’s earmarked to give teachers raises. So that’s something.

29

Actually, I am opposed to doing anything be referendum at all, because referenda lack accountability. The voters can’t be voted out of office if they pass a bad referendum; instead they can go on and vote on more bad referenda the next year.

But, if referenda are permissible at all, they certainly shouldn’t be in the form of constitutional amendments, if only for practical reasons. If an initiative has the same effect as a normal law, than it can be repealed fairly easily if it turns out to be a bad idea. Amending the constitution, however, is a much more cumbersome process.

If Florida wants referenda, pass a law permitting them. Don’t abuse the state constitution, instead.

Sua

30

Stupid train amendment was deffinately the one that took me the most time to decide.

On the one hand I like mass transit, trains are inherintly cool and anything to relive traffic congestion and reduce gas usage is a good thing. Also I feel that during the last election, like it or not, the people had spoken in favor of the train

On the other hand I don’t think we should have referendums that mandate spending and in my heart of hearts I don’t actually belive enough people will ride this thing for it to have a serious positive impact. It will be a useless money pit.

So in the end I did the responsible thing and voted to repeal. I made up for that by voting irresponsibly to make radio shock jock Bubba “the love sponge” Clem for pinellas county sheriff just because I was amused that he appeared on the ballot as “Bubba”, so I guess I’m at even civic karma now.

31

Did Bubba get elected? In all the other excitement I missed the result on that one.

32

Bubba lost by a wide margin. Apparently the majority of voters are far less likely to vote a man into public office based on pure entertainment value then I am. Probably not a bad thing, as if this weren’t true Al Sharpton would be the president elect today.

33

I like that. The legislators would be running a political risk if they voted to nullify something the people had approved – but that’s their job, isn’t it?

34

They seem pretty adept at pigeon-holing or otherwise just not getting around to doing stuff they don’t want to do. Prime examples would be mandated school class size and the just repealed high-speed trains.

35

With the count of the absentee ballots the final amendment, on gambling, PASSES! So the people of Florida, in their infinite wisdom, simply voted YES to everything placed before them. I wonder if those absentee ballots got Kerry/Edwards any closer to Bush/Cheney in the final count? :dubious: