What's the Matter With Florida?

"The Florida in my novels is not as seedy as the real Florida. It's hard to stay ahead of the curve. Every time I write a scene that I think is the sickest thing I have ever dreamed up, it is surpassed by something that happens in real life."

-Carl Hiaasen

It's the morning after primary Tuesday in the Sunshine State. Congressional District One, formerly our district for about a year after the hurricane, selected Matt Gaetz as the Republican candidate with 72% of the vote. The Democratic nominee isn't worth mentioning; doesn't have a chance.

Meanwhile, Rick Scott secured the R Senate nomination with nearly 85% of the vote.

What do both have in common? Their ride into politics was fueled by money bilked from federally funded heath care.

In Gaetz's case, it's not entirely clear if "bilked" is the right word. His father made a half a billion dollars selling hospice services, an industry that is so rife with abuse that John Oliver devoted an entire episode to it last week.

https://latenighter.com/news/last-week-tonight-debunks-the-death-with-dignity-industry-s-11-e-21-hospice/

For Scott, the evidence seems more damning. At the helm of HCA, he avoided personal indictment while his company paid $1.7 billion in fines for overbilling the feds. At various times he's portrayed himself as an innocent bystander who should've performed more audits; at others he's the victim of a political persecution.

The two fortunes bear unmistakable similarities, insofar as they both grew from businesses that commoditized healthcare services, made them crappier for providers and patients alike, and would both be working at Wal Mart but for the stream of tax dollars you and I paid to make them very, very rich. So they can now strut around Capitol Hill decrying the bloated federal government and deficit spending without a whiff of irony.

As I sit here, the question that comes to mind is why Florida? It seems every snake oil salesman and sleezeball east of the Mississippi (and some from the west--remember Enron's CFO fleeing to Palm Beach as that empire imploded?) takes his winnings and moves to hurricane alley, entering politics as sort of a vanity project. And it's not just a right-wing thing, although they seem to be the only ones who prevail in state elections--the Dems have seen their share of tech gazillionaires launch electoral campaigns funded by their own winnings in the great casino of the American economy.

Maybe those folks exist in NY or Mass. I haven't really seen it, however. The whole get rich quick ethos that fuels the Sunshine State seems less prevalent up north, and our elected officials reflect the values, or lack thereof, of the folks who vote for them.

Enough of all that. It's a spectacular 55 degree morning in the Southern Tier.

If P gets off work in time, we're declaring a midweek tactical Friday and driving up to the condo to look at the lake and fire up our new outdoor, wood pellet pizza oven. Enjoying it while I can, before flying back to Florida for an intense week on Sunday night. If only I'd figured out a way to milk the health care system . . .