Wednesday, December 7, 2011

FL gov most hated in US

Even widely hated politicians can usually get a third of the voters to stick with them. Not Florida Gov. Pink Slip Rick Scott, who ought to be in jail but instead got voted into office.

A new poll shows only 26 percent of Floridians approve of his job performance while 58 percent disapprove. That makes him the most unpopular governor in America.

Even members of his own political party don't support him. The poll shows
...Republicans are starting to really sour on his leadership. In June Scott had a 63/30 approval spread with them. That's now dropped all the way down to 46/31.
Here's one reason he's so unpopular. According to the Miami Herald, he wants to close prisons (i.e., cut jobs):
Gov. Rick Scott's push for increasing education spending by $1 billion next year will force serious cuts in other programs, because the state is facing a nearly $2 billion shortfall. The governor's budget recommendations will include closing five or six more prisons next year, carrying out the privatization of all inmate health care and privatizing up to five inmate work release centers. 
As the inmate population continues its slight downward trend, fewer prisons are needed. The Legislature last spring voted to close prisons in Brevard, Glades and Hendry counties.  
Other Scott criminal justice proposals include reducing probation officer positions (for a savings of $7.6 million); put correctional officers statewide assigned to inmate dorms on 12-hour work shifts ($9 million); and close 167 non-secure residential beds in the Department of Juvenile Justice ($6.8 million).