Florida Republicans and Pam Bondi: Hypocrisy at work.

Even though the Republicans have rammed their legislation down the throat of Floridians during the last three decades, the Republican legislature under Rick Scott has to take the cake when it comes to trying to pass as much crazy stuff as possible. From ultrasounds to guns and doctors, the Republican’s style of politics here in the State of Florida is much different than previously.

This past week, a federal court struck down the “docs vs. Glocks” law, saying that it flies against the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution, as it does. Last month, the Supreme Court upheld the The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which became another legal challenge by the State of Florida that bit the dust. Also, both the voting registration restrictions as well as the voter roll purge saw its demise. Pam Bondi and the Florida Republicans have all these court cases…all of which they have now lost.

This brings up a fundamental questions regarding Republican values…are they hypocrites? For years, Republicans have told us they are for less government and so on. Yet the losing legal action under this administration continues to show not only that the laws being passed in Tallahassee are crazy, but unconstitutional. And Republicans always claim that they are “for the Constitution”. They might want to actually read it before they claim they are for it.

But it goes much beyond that. The recent legal action points out three very obvious points that most Republicans claim are their “values”. Yet, when you look at what is happening, it is easy to notice that it really isn’t their values, but instead just a bunch of hot air.

First, let’s look at most of the laws themselves. First of all, they easily fly in the face of the US Constitution, not just US or Florida Statues. I would assume that the attorneys in Pam Bondi’s office as well as those working throughout the State of Florida would know that restricting a doctor’s free speech is easily against the 1st Amendment, as any 9th grade civics student could easily point out. The fact that Governor Scott, the Florida Legislature and lawyers working under the state, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, do not have even a basic understanding of the the most important legal document in the United States is quite disturbing.

Second, let’s look at the Republicans claim that they are for “cutting taxes and spending”. As we have seen in the Legislature, only the large corporations are seen the benefits of tax cutting while the average Floridian continues to be stuck with a higher tax bill each and every year. But when it comes to spending, Pam Bondi’s office has been spending more than a drunken sailor at a pub in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. All of these cases, which constitutionally do not hold up, continue to spend taxpayer dollars. Every time an attorney for the state walks into a courtroom, that attorney is taking money away from a child in a school, or the possible funding to save health care. If the Florida Legislature truly cares about “saving taxpayer dollars” like they always claim that they do, maybe it is time for the to slash appropriations for the Attorney General’s office so that they only battle cases that are not frivolous.

This brings me to my last point. Remember in both the 80s and 90s, the Republicans complained about the expansion of frivolous lawsuits throughout the United States? True, people were suing for a hair in a McDonalds burger, claiming it caused mental trauma, and that was insane. But the Republicans in this state used these claims, mostly in the medical or personal injury world, to put caps on claims. They said they wanted to crack down on these type of lawsuits. So why does Pam Bondi’s office continue one losing effort after another? Most of the lawsuits that have been struck down by federal courts have easily flown in the face of the US Constitution, yet Republicans are cotinuing with these frivolous lawsuits. Again, hypocritical.

This is another pure example of Florida Republicans talking out of both sides of their mouth. They “support the US Constitution”, but constantly pass laws against it. They are “against spending”, but continue to spend on these court cases. They are “against frivolous lawsuits”, yet the last two points of wasting taxpayer dollars and passing laws against the Constitution shows they are frivolous.

Of course, the Republicans won’t change. When have they ever told the truth about anything? Trickle-down economic, WMDs in Iraq, being gay is a choice, the Earth is 7,000 years old. I guess it is just in their blood to constantly lie.