Daniel TilsonHappy Sunshine Week, Florida, let’s hear it for open government! OK, stop laughing, this is important. The more transparent our state budget formation and lawmaking are, the more likely middle-class Floridians can avoid getting sucker-punched by elected public “servants” sneakily serving only our state’s richest folks and biggest businesses.
Unfortunately, that works vice-versa too. Welcome to Florida, circa 2015. Think there’s a connection between economic/tax policies cooked up in secret Koch/ALEC labs and refined in concealed corners of the capitol building, and years of flat middle-class wages, stagnant household incomes and declining upward mobility?
But the general public remains largely uninformed or slyly misinformed about all that. Instead of connecting dots about the negative impact government secrecy has on their family’s life and economic outlook, plenty of folks just suck it up and make do.
The intentional lack of transparency and full disclosure from Gov. Rick Scott & Co. makes that easier. Hard-working people are left believing the Republican whopper that job growth in recent years will help them too. The ugly truth – that most new jobs are low-wage/no-benefits ones, swelling the ranks of working poor Floridians who’ll need public assistance paid for by the middle class…is hidden behind a cloud of partisan political hot air.
So here we are, observing the tenth anniversary of Sunshine Week, described this way on its home website:
“Sunshine Week is a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public’s right to know.”
Here’s a new version of a great old R&B song to help us honor the occasion, Florida style.
Ain’t no sunshine when Rick’s Guv
It’s not clear what he’ll say
Ain’t no sunshine when Rick’s Guv
And he always goes so wrong
Anytime he gets his way
Wonder this time what he’ll do
Wonder if he’s going to say
Ain’t no sunshine when Rick’s Guv
And this state just ain’t so great
Anytime he gets his way
And we know, we know, we know, we know,
He knows, He knows, He knows, He knows, He knows,
We know, We know, We know, We know, We know,
He knows, He knows, He knows, He knows, He knows,
We know, We know, We know, We know, We know,
He knows, He knows,
Hey, from us he knows he’ll get no love
Cause ain’t no sunshine when Rick’s Guv
Ain’t no sunshine when he’s Guv
Only secrets every day
Ain’t no sunshine when Rick’s Guv
And this state just ain’t so great
Anytime he gets his way
Anytime he gets his way…
Daniel Tilson has a Boca Raton-based communications firm called Full Cup Media, specializing in online video and written content for non-profits, political candidates and organizations, and small businesses. Column courtesy of Context Florida.
