Florida House member finally discloses her nonprofit benefits from her vote

[seafan]

Rep. Marlene O'Toole, R-Lady Lake




Here's her smiling member page.




Florida House member finally discloses her nonprofit benefits from her vote

By Michael Van Sickler
Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau

November 30, 2013
6:08pm

In the conservative Florida Legislature, Rep. Marlene O'Toole, R-Lady Lake, has an undisputed reputation for fiscal austerity.

None other than Americans for Prosperity, the conservative group founded by billionaire libertarian brothers David and Charles Koch, gave O'Toole an A plus rating in June, establishing her as the gold standard for a group that says it prizes "free markets over cronyism."

Yet even this group questions O'Toole's dual roles as chief operating officer of a nonprofit and vice chairwoman of the House education appropriations committee that approved $6 million for the same Miami nonprofit in this year's budget.

Take Stock in Children was awarded an additional $9.1 million from the state's $200 million mortgage settlement. O'Toole, a former IBM executive with a thick Boston accent, voted on both matters.

In neither case did she disclose she's paid $50,000 a year by the group.

Florida's Republican-driven legislature is a nest of thieving snakes. Power should be stripped from them.

[No Elephants]

1. I love how they mention her accent, as though it has something to do with her corruption, but get it

all wrong anyway.


A person her age raised in Somerville might have a thick Somerville accent, but not a Boston accent, anymore than someone raised in Miami would have an Orlando accent.

Saying someone who grew up in Somerville has a thick Somervile accent would make sense. Saying someone who grew up in Somerville has a Boston accent makes no sense. Even people her age who grew up in different neighborhoods within the City of Boston would have slightly different accents, but no one would expect a writer in Florida to know that. I would, however, expect them to say "Massachusetts accent," not "Boston accent." That's just stupid.

As it happens, the Somerville accent is very distinctive. I have heard Massachusetts natives from other cities in the Boston area imitate it. I am not a Massachusetts native and, in any event, my ear for variations within the old time Massachusetts accent is not that good.

Even the Kennedys did not have a Boston accent. They grew up in the town of Brookline (though Mom Rose did grow up in Boston and Mom's accent may have rubbed off on them some--as I said, I can't tell the variations). These days, most people under forty who grew up in the greater Boston area don't have much of a distinctive accent of any kind. (I use "most" advisedly as exceptions exist.)

Anyway, it's a very stupid comment.

As far as corruption being associated with Massachusetts (if that was the writer's reason to mention an accent), two or three recent speakers of the House of the Massachusetts Legislative Court* ended up in federal prison, including an extremely pleasant man whom I met while we both stood in line for four hours to vote for Kerry. He was with his stunning and much younger wife (who has been blamed on occasion for his corruption). Then again, Massachusetts legislators get paid very little, so that begs for corruption, IMO.

However, overall, I've read many more bad, even crazy, stories about Florida, Arizona and Texas than I've ever read about Massachusetts. Massachusetts. So many stories that I made up an acronym for those three states, so I don't have to type their full names all the time. It's "FAT," as in "another crazy FAT story."

As far as this Florida legislator with a thick Massachusetts accent, of course she is disgusting and dishonest and should resign--and return the money.


* The Legislative Court is distinguished from our state supreme court, whose correct name is the Supreme Judicial Court. I have no idea why they are both called ""court." Probably something that made sense in colonial times.

[Enthusiast]

2. She seems nice.

:eyes:

[No Elephants]

3. LOL!