I'm Gonna Retire, Move To Florida, And Bitch About The Government Full-Time!

We're concluding a two-week stay in Jacksonville Beach.  It's been wonderful.  We caught up with some friends who live down here, and made some new ones.  Jax Beach has a very laid-back, live-and-let-live vibe, which we appreciate.

The state of Florida is quite populous, with many big cities and lots of open-minded, progressive people.  Of course, there are other sorts of people too.


The exterior of the condo complex where we stay is being totally repainted, top to bottom.  The first few days of our stay featured a nor'easter -- strong 40 MPH winds blowing in off the Atlantic.  The storm conditions did not deter the painters, who continued to paint in the wind and splattered paint drops all over our car.  Geniuses!

One of the genius painting crew drove the company truck, which displayed the company name and a typical "How's My Driving? Call 1-800-blah-blah" bumper sticker.  The company truck also displayed the bumper sticker shown here.  Is that the official corporate position?  Florida has no state income tax, but the painters are still pissed off about taxes.

Both houses of the Florida state legislature unanimously passed a bill creating small Health Dept. grants to provide greater access to dental care in under-served rural areas.  Unanimous!  That's pretty hard to do in these times, so it must have been a really good and necessary idea.  And it was.  So, naturally, Gov. Rick "Voldemort" Scott vetoed it for "not placing appropriate safeguards on taxpayer interests."  i.e., Gov. Voldemort will not spend one thin dime to protect the few remaining teeth of his constituents.

Here's another bumper sticker on the same painting company truck.  I don't know why good-ol'-boy painting contractors need to bitch about welfare by sticking signs on their company vehicle.  Another official corporate position?  Is it that hard to get a building permit?  Maybe in Florida they make you pee in a cup before they issue you the permit.    

Kept seeing these campaign ads down here for Carlos Beruff.  He's a controversial multi-millionaire real estate developer.  He's never even been elected to student council, but now he wants to be a U.S. Senator.  He's a Trump-ish demagogue who is borrowing heavily from Trump's shoot-from-the-lip playbook.  "I'm a business guy."  "Politicians are worthless.  They're screwing up the country."  "Put America First!"  "I'm sick of Washington D.C. (so send me there!)"  Here's one of his TV spots:



Like Trump, Beruff is a real estate tycoon who speaks in superlatives.  Like Trump, he's widely considered to be a bully.  Like Trump, he's running as a Republican but, like Trump, he's more like a modern day member of the old Know Nothing Party.  In your fear and hatred message, just substitute Mexicans and Muslims for Irish and Catholics.

I hope the good people of Florida don't fall for Carlos Beruff's bullshit.


It's been great down here -- but we gotta head back to our own crazy state.