FL GOP bill would end state regulations at seaports

[seafan]

Florida is in the throes of hard right assault.


This group of monsters have never cared about the security of our state or country, and this is proof positive.


But, wait, we thought they HATED federal help!



Jodie Tillman reports at Tampa Bay's The Buzz:


April 1, 2011

Florida would leave seaport security up to the feds under a Tampa representative’s bill headed for the House floor.
House Bill 283 is sponsored by Rep. Dana Young, R-Tampa, and passed its last committee stop this week. A similar bill pushed by Sen. Jack Latvala, R-St. Petersburg, is working its way through the Senate.

Among other things, Young’s bill repeals statewide security standards and removes the requirement that Florida Department of Law Enforcement Enforcement conduct annual inspections and run background checks on seaport workers.

The federal government already oversees security regulations at the state's 14 seaports. The seaport industry says the state regulations are duplicative and burdensome and has pushed for the legislation.

Port workers could save hundreds of dollars since the state background check and security cards would no longer be required. FDLE, however, stands to lose nearly $522,000 in revenue.

.....

We will no longer recognize Florida when these criminals, thieves and despots finish with it.

[Sherman A1]

1. This will work out well.....

NOT!

[CherokeeDem]

2. This entire situation across the country is becoming bizarre...

Child labor laws reduced, port security reduced, unions destroyed, I'm getting a bit overwhelmed by the audacity of these Republicans. Worse, the elected Democrats seem not to be putting up a fight. It's the people who are fighting back...and thank goodness. I've never seen anything like this...it's unbelievable and frightening.

[indimuse]

5. I agree with completely! This is very scary and seems to be systemic!

I've had a very bad feeling for a while now..since the oil spill...
I hope more people start paying attention to what's going on.

[howaboutme]

3. What happened to state's rights?

and pushing the power to the people?

[Scuba]

4. That would explain the drug testing. n/t

[Mister Ed]

6. Who would benefit from reduced port security besides terrorists and drug cartels? nt

[starroute]

9. Maybe the "legitimate" US firms tangled up with the smugglers

In the 1990's, Phillip Morris and other tobacco companies began facilitating the smuggling of their cigarettes into Colombia, because they were losing customers in the US and evading Colombian import tariffs allowed them to compete with local brands and grab off market share. They knew but didn't care that the same smuggling operation were simultaneously serving to money launder the profits from cocaine sales in the US back into Colombia.

There was a case brought against Philip Morris for this under RICO statutes in 2000, with several European countries complaining about lost tax revenues. However, it was dismissed in 2001, with Judge Sonia Sotomayor writing that "claims by foreign sovereigns invoking their tax statutes may embroil the courts in an evaluation of the foreign nation's social policies, an enquiry that can be embarrassing to that nation and damaging to the forum state."

Following that, the original version of the Patriot Act included a provision that would have let foreign countries sue American tobacco firms in US courts, but the Bush White House and the US Chamber of Commerce quietly arranged for it to be dropped.

Bill Moyers did an extensive investigative report on this in 2002, which is still available online -- links at http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/peso.html

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. And this is bad, how?

Our state law enforcement is a joke. They are easily influenced by political maneuvering. I would rather have a federal employee doing the job than someone who has to depend on Florida's corrupt style of good ole boy networking.

[Lochloosa]

8. I agree Backlash. I have had the BG checks to get onto Jax Port.

I'm sure the FBI's was more extensive than the States. Funny, they never mentioned DU. :evilgrin: