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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums'Monsters!' Florida Republicans ignite fury by admitting they purposefully
mangled state unemployment system
Published 41 mins ago on April 3, 2020
By Travis Gettys
Republicans admitted Floridas unemployment system was designed to fail and then whined about their election chances now that the system was overwhelmed by thousands of suddenly jobless people.
The U.S. economy collapsed under the weight of the coronavirus outbreak thats nowhere near abating, and Florida Republicans are forming a circular firing squad now that unemployed workers are finding the Connect system was purposefully designed to discourage new claims to keep jobless numbers down.
Everyone we talk to in that office when we ask them what happened tells us, the system was designed to fail, one adviser to Gov. Ron DeSantis told Politico. Thats not a problem when unemployment is 2.8 percent, but its a problem now. And no system we have can handle 25,000 people a day.
The system was implemented by former Gov. Rick Scott, now a GOP senator, and the states Republican-led legislature, which promised business groups Connect would grant them tax breaks while delivering just $275 in unemployment benefits to jobless workers for a maximum of 12 weeks.
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/04/monsters-florida-republicans-ignite-fury-by-admitting-they-purposefully-mangled-state-employment-system/
They get a fucking tax break and you only get $275 for a maximum of 12 weeks.................and they get a fucking tax break......... ..............hey, Floridians wake the fuck-up................they don't care about you, they only want to give you a shit sandwich.......................
Iliyah
(25,111 posts)underpants
(182,931 posts)Last edited Fri Apr 3, 2020, 11:51 AM - Edit history (1)
Very common in southern states. It used to be in Virginia
Virginia is having some serious problems too but that from data capacity not systemic design.
It used to be next to impossible to collect on unemployment in Virginia. First it was strongly discouraged as being "on the dole" and "lazy". Second if your former employee protested they almost always won. I don't know of anyone who won a contested claim until I did in 2008. I'm just saying I was shocked when I won mine. More recently it's been a lot more geared to the unemployed.
I don't think it's legally a thing but "right to work" states are very tough on anyone collecting on the insurance they paid for.
DBoon
(22,401 posts)Alacritous Crier
(3,819 posts)Right on the mark!
Dustlawyer
(10,497 posts)The systems are designed to screw workers at every turn.
underpants
(182,931 posts)At least it was.
underpants
(182,931 posts)Taking risk and paying claims
It IS their business but it's also their primary focus.
Permanut
(5,654 posts)CrispyQ
(36,533 posts)RKP5637
(67,112 posts)LastLiberal in PalmSprings
(12,600 posts)People hate the idea of losing anything (think guns), so telling them a regulation will "deprive" them of a "right" triggers fear. That's all the Republican have to sell -- fear. I used to not believe in Evil, but having watched the Republican Party since Ronald Reagan I've come to believe Evil is real.
not fooled
(5,803 posts)GOPee invested a lot figuring out what buttons to push. Guns, god, abortion... = many 'Muricans will stupidly vote against their own economic interests.
LakeArenal
(28,855 posts)BComplex
(8,069 posts)True asshole.
LastLiberal in PalmSprings
(12,600 posts)He provided the Republicans with a list of words to be used during their campaigns. That's why Repugs and RW radio call us the "Democrat Party," and the word "liberal" has been turned into a perjorative.
For example:
He's also responsible for a lot of Republican messaging concerning the evils of expanding health care.
One of the results of Luntz's meddling in the political process is that the two parties no longer speak the same language. If you read a speech written before 1994, it's difficult to discern whether it was done by a Democrat or Republican -- the common thread was that we're both working to make America better. After that point the language changed, and in one survey 73% of the time the party presenting the speech could be identified by syntax and vocabulary. While the Democrats had continued with their message of, "We're all in this together," the Republicans had become more tribal, and their speeches were premised on that worldview: "It's my way or the highway."
Luntz didn't cause the Republican revolution -- he just provided the weapons to make it happen.
dhol82
(9,353 posts)I am fascinated by his facility with words.
Just dont understand why we dont have a comparable genius with propaganda words and memes.
spudspud
(511 posts)dhol82
(9,353 posts)We must have somebody on the progressive side who can manipulate the words to our advantage.
Its called framing the issue.
mdbl
(4,976 posts)It would be too little too late. Unfortunately, the truth gets harder to tell and longer to reveal, but the 'muricans' are already brainwashed and won't change until they are at the bottom of the well and the water runs out, which is where we are headed.
Evolve Dammit
(16,781 posts)gibraltar72
(7,513 posts)RKP5637
(67,112 posts)ancianita
(36,146 posts)He and Vern Buchanan, who helps fund the idiots that ooze out into the political arena.
Maraya1969
(22,506 posts)I had to do after I spent some time in a hospital in FL.
When the hospital sent me the bills I had to FAX all of them to Medicaid. Then I had to call Medicaid and tell them that I had FAXED them 3 days later. (Of course I don't have a FAX machine so I had to go to a Staples or something like that)
It was obvious that they were just doing that so I wouldn't fulfill my end and they wouldn't have to pay. And I only qualified on the months that I paid over aprox. $500 in copays from Medicare.
Yes, it is set up to fuck with you so you will quit and they don't have to pay.
scarletlib
(3,418 posts)I can tell you DCF employees were understaffed and overworked to the max. Pay was/is lousy and turnover sky high. Many worked diligently to try to do the work within mandated timelines but were doomed to failure.
I always said the state talked out of both sides of its mouth. One side was that it cared but the other worked to make that caring as difficult as possible.
Evolve Dammit
(16,781 posts)warmfeet
(3,321 posts)They are not about helping people, only maximizing pain and suffering.
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)That, is the GOP.
czarjak
(11,298 posts)Baked Potato
(7,733 posts)Pisses me off !
johnthewoodworker
(694 posts)that they lacked a fully developed since of empathy. Since the 2016 election my thoughts have stiffened to where I now view republicans as America's nazis. This was really solidified by the kidnapping and torture of children at the border.
So, republicans sabotaging unemployment systems is not surprising. My feelings towards republicans have now hardened to the point where I don't mind bad things happening to them. I am not bothered by the death of a nazi and I am not bothered by the death of a trumptard. So it goes.
world wide wally
(21,755 posts)not fooled
(5,803 posts)trumptards gleefully embrace cruelty towards others...until the worm turns when the economy crashes...a whole lotta self-righteous smug a-holes are gonna be looking for some help...which we Dems always recognized as essential in a functioning society.
flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)Yikes, those people are in for some long-term pain. On the bright side, the rocks are being lifted and all the critters are being exposed. Maybe someday, some lessons will be learned? Maybe?
dhill926
(16,370 posts)there wouldn't be a repub elected in Florida for the next 100 years...
SWBTATTReg
(22,174 posts)than possible, so in a perverse kind of way, this is coming back to bite every one of these retirees. The medical help that they get from the state is probably non-existent, and they obviously have no protections for workers. They probably have the mentality: Hey, that's okay (low benefits), we'll find plenty of more workers, this is FL!; and sadly they got away w/ it.
Now that the heat is on, these minimally funded programs in FL and other similar, republican ran states are going to collapse, and be worse than worthless, and my fear is that all of these people, w/o benefits, w/o any type of state provided safety nets, are going to flood back into the rest of the US, kind of a reverse the anti NY folks flooding into parts of the US to flee the CV epidemic in NY.
I hope not. States caused these problems within their borders and the voters of those states need to fix them, not run to other states and bring their problems w/ them. Some states have been very progressive, such as CA, they need to watch out for these intrastate refugees, otherwise, they'll overwhelm their thoroughly well planned systems.
Republicans have blood on their hands. When a lot of retirees start dying in FL, the excuses will run out pretty quickly and sound very thin. Just like rump's daily list of excuses and whining. It gets really old.
flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)My educated, elitist NJ in-laws vote R religiously, mostly because property taxes in that state are insanely high. (Nobody told them to build not one but TWO million dollar homes there, still their $50K annual property taxes is apparently something we all have to suffer for.) The other reason they vote R is because they are stingy and don't want any of "their" tax $ going to poor people (read: people of color, not that they'd ever admit that openly). Do they like Trump? No, but they "held their nose" and voted for him anyway because that's what entitled, selfish people do. And they'll probably do it again, despite the fact that they are now held hostage in their lofty estate because of the incompetence and corruption of the very person they voted for.
I keep asking them, "how's that working out for you?", and the unspoken answer is, it's not, in any way. They're rich, but not rich enough to get in on the 1%-er grift, so their financial situation is actually worse since Dumpster took office.
But they just blame the Democrats, because despite evidence to the contrary, they think they're smarter than everyone else.
SWBTATTReg
(22,174 posts)like you say, they'll blame everybody but the true people who do deserve the blame, rump and his idiotic actions and steps taken afterwards (basically zero). Sure they're smarter (sarcasm here of course), but in the long run, when they discover that the CV doesn't chose its victims based upon political affiliation, they finally see the light but by then, it'll be way too late. Too bad, they brought it on themselves. I hope for your wife's sake that they pull out of this (and of course you and your wife/family) okay.
Take care, and be safe.
flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)KY_EnviroGuy
(14,496 posts)plenty of dirt-cheap property maintenance and other service workers at their beck and call. They must have the golf courses perfectly groomed, their golf carts in working order and their pools and tennis courts in perfect condition.
What the hell are they going to do when those workers disappear or are charging double current labor rates?
This is the best site I've seen for getting a good dose of their elitist bullshit:
The Villages News
See it here: https://www.villages-news.com/
Warning: Pro-Trump bullshit abounds.
Pickleball courts closing is the big issue of the day.
KY..........
dalton99a
(81,635 posts)Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)variations are the new norm in most Republican controlled States. ALEC did it's job and now it is being exposed as to just how ugly it is going to get.
First it was the Workers Compensation Programs that were wrecked in favor of the Employers,then it was the Unemployment Insurance Program Wrecked in favor of the Employers.
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)NeoGreen
(4,031 posts)...that's the most you can get, prole. (Quote from GOP of FL)
lpbk2713
(42,769 posts)He always did love making people more miserable than they already were.
ananda
(28,879 posts).. and not your and the public's best interests.
NCjack
(10,279 posts)You folks in Florida are in a real pickle. No employment insurance money and no justice for the crooks who screwed you.
Freddie
(9,275 posts)If it happens to YOU - but its a different story when it happens to THEM. No doubt theres going to be millions of Repugs unemployed because of this. Maybe they will be furious about this too? Sadly not enough to stop voting for these monsters
mjvpi
(1,389 posts).....Ive watched my fellow Americans choose to pay their hard earned tax dollars to people who dont believe in government. The fact that these very people turn into career politicians who run on the platform of destroying the effectiveness of the very institutions in which they are serving doesnt cause alarm bells to go off every election cycle, has turned me into a very cynical old man.
Evolve Dammit
(16,781 posts)rockfordfile
(8,704 posts)Beartracks
(12,821 posts)Republicans have no interest in fixing society's ills, helping people, or serving the public good. It's all about self-aggrandizement (promoting oneself as being powerful or important) and enriching their friends -- and maintaining power in order to keep doing it. And they will, and do, lie to hang onto that power. "Narratives" are their thing, not governing, not leadership, not service.
Too many people in poverty? Redefine the income threshhold so we can say, "Look, we got millions of people out of poverty!"
Sick people stuck on a ship? Don't let them onto your shores so we can say, "See? No new sick people!"
Lots of unemployed people? Don't let them register so we can say, "See? Not many unemployed."
============
Blue Owl
(50,523 posts)n/t
KayF
(1,345 posts)the system cost $77 million. You can't take $77 million and deliberately fail with it.
NotHardly
(1,062 posts)beachbumbob
(9,263 posts)people will not forget when they are being screwed with purposely
Jake Stern
(3,145 posts)You can bet your ass that many folks will still vote R as long as the elephant party keeps sticking it to blacks, gays and liberals.
If Jesus himself appeared today to tell these assholes to vote for the D's, they'd just flip him off and fill in the bubble next to Donald Trump.
yourmovemonkey
(267 posts)Everyone we talk to in that office when we ask them what happened tells us, the system was designed to fail, one adviser to Gov. Ron DeSantis told Politico. Thats not a problem when unemployment is 2.8 percent..."
It's a problem then too! No matter how many people need the service!
catrose
(5,074 posts)SleeplessinSoCal
(9,150 posts)How dare you point out disastrous Republican deregulation and predatory capitalism!!!
DeminPennswoods
(15,290 posts)nt
dchill
(38,556 posts)lark
(23,160 posts)They are truly sick sycophnants to the billionaires that have run this state for the past 30 years and only care about increasing their wealth and holding down the workers of this state.
Do you know substitute teachers are only paid $10/hr in FL? Fucking ridiculous. The pay for FT teachers is also ridiculous, but it's 6 years later and I don't remember that one, but it was shockingly small, I do know that My daughter has 2 degrees and wanted to be a French teacher in high school while she got her Masters degree but they paid so little it was insulting. Plus you had to pay out of pocket for your continuing education and you got no increases either when you got the degrees. Prior to Voldemort, teachers were repaid the cost of their continuing education and they got raises when they got additional degrees/certifications. So now FL has a big shortfall of experience teachers, on purpose, they are trying to force charter & religious schools (where no stds. are enforced) on us. God I hate these rw fucking destroyers of life and the American way.