A.G. Gancarski
Sen. Rick Scott continued Tuesday to contend that the jobless would indefinitely languish on the dole if benefits were too lavish.
“If given the chance to make more on a government program than in a job, some will make the rational and reasonable decision to delay going back to work, hampering our economic recovery,” Scott, a Naples Republican and former Florida Governor, tweeted Tuesday.
The subject of Scott’s ire was a tweet from the Wall Street Journal.
WSJ noted that, with $600 of weekly pandemic unemployment assistance added to the weekly stipend for the jobless, the nation’s unemployed would bring in nearly $1,000 weekly.
“This is a big problem that I’ve been warning about for weeks now,” Scott, whose net worth is roughly $255 million at last count, said about the nation’s jobless potentially having as much as $955 a week coming in.
The Senator has continued to take a firm stand against making unemployment insurance too attractive, a long-term policy push begun when he was Governor, but continued in his current role.
Days ago, he fretted that federal coronavirus relief “means that workers could make more money by not working than they would make if they had a job,” Scott wrote for Fox News.
“Most families in this country survive by not being wasteful, but by clipping coupons, by buying necessities when they are on sale, by cutting their own grass and by reusing aluminum foil,” Scott added.
Floridians will be clipping more coupons and recycling more aluminum foil than most as this uncertain spring heats up into a long summer full of economic stops and starts. Especially given that Florida benefits are capped at $275 for 12 weeks, a slender stipend for high cost-of-living areas where the service industry and tourism were halted weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Floridians are still bearing the brunt of Scott’s decisions to neglect the unemployment insurance system as Governor, with his replacement saying the Florida scheme was “designed to fail.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that he thought the $77 million CONNECT website, procured under Gov. Rick Scott, would take “three months to fix, given how bad the system was.”
“Before I was Governor, the state paid $77 million for this thing … no question about it, totally not worth $77 million,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis added that he wanted an investigation into the site’s procurement “once the dust has settled” to “just go and look and see what went on, why they paid this much.”
23 comments
Palmer Tom
April 28, 2020 at 9:51 pm
Are there no prisons?” asked Scrooge.
“Plenty of prisons,” said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.
“And the Union workhouses?” demanded Scrooge. “Are they still in operation?”
“I wish to be left alone,” said Scrooge. “Since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen, that is my answer. I don’t make merry myself at Christmas and I can’t afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned–they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there.”
Jim Donelon
April 28, 2020 at 11:39 pm
Rick Scott, who stole hundreds of millions from Medicare, and screwed the working family’s of Florida for 8 years is now “concerned” about working folks getting too much help. A
BlueHeron
April 29, 2020 at 12:16 am
So, Rick Scott is fretting? Bless his cold, cold heart.
Sonja Fitch
April 29, 2020 at 8:10 am
Sarcasm!!! At its f!!!!ng worst. Stfu killer rick!!!!!
Sam
April 29, 2020 at 8:27 am
Hopefully Floridians will wise up and make him pay for it in his next election. Stupid Florida voters have not held him accountable for his total mismanagement of state government. He does an objectively horrible job then gets a promotion.
Ocean Joe
April 29, 2020 at 8:36 am
Recall him now.
Jason dame
April 29, 2020 at 9:02 am
Rick Scott is an *$$h@/e. He alone is reasonable for red tide. He should be thrown in jail and charged for treson against the American people he has stolen his wealth from and tries to again rob us of a relief package as we hide from ccp bio weapon.
Ann E Lee
April 29, 2020 at 9:16 am
Just goes to show those who have the money make the rules. Scott spent where it counted to get elected and reelected. The little guy defrauding Medicare goes to prison, how did Scott skate?
Simon
April 29, 2020 at 9:35 am
Gee Dick Scott, now is the perfect time to be avoiding work! It must be really nice to make such profound pronouncements about the idle have nots from one of your beach houses or flying in you own jet.
Jack Foster
April 29, 2020 at 9:40 am
This thief continues to steal from Florida. Here’s my three point plan to reopen Rick Scott. 1) vote him out of office 2) investigate him up the arse 3) put him in jailm
Frankie M.
April 29, 2020 at 10:56 am
You don’t mow another guy’s lawn!
“Most families in this country survive by not being wasteful, but by clipping coupons, by buying necessities when they are on sale, by cutting their own grass and by reusing aluminum foil,” Scott added.
NO MORE REPUBLICANS !!!
April 29, 2020 at 11:54 am
Over the years, I’ve had some choice names for Shouldabenafelon Scott – Putz – Schmuck – Mook – Douchebag – in essence, a contemptible person of the highest order. But, I believe I’ve found a better and even more descriptive term for him that embodies all those other terms and does so in a much more contemporaneous and efficient way. From now on – Scott – and people like Jordan, Graham, Gaetz, Steube, DeSantis, Oliva – is just a ‘pence’ !
Get him the hell outta the Senate and Florida politics once and for all in 2024!
Celeste Price
April 29, 2020 at 12:14 pm
Rick Scott sucked as a governor and now sucks in his current role as well. He should be voted back to his hometown and all his money taken away and his mouth sewn shut!!!!!
Jon Emerson
April 29, 2020 at 1:09 pm
Just about every summer for the past ten years the clubs I worked for would shut down for part of the summer. Several times I was laid off and eligible for unemployment. It was not a good time, there were few part-time jobs available and dealing with the Florida “Reemployment” system was nothing short of being water boarded. The system had been re-engineered by Scott and his minions to be slow, redundant, mind-numbing and riddled with bugs. Many would give up rather than subject themselves to the torture of trying to get unemployment compensation that they were qualified for. When the pandemic hit, we saw the businesses closing one by one. The food and beverage industry was the hardest hit. My son and many of his friends were among them.Then, the stories began to appear online and in newspapers. Scott’s legacy had survived to destroy another decade of Florida workers, only this time it wasn’t thousands, it was hundreds of thousands. Why was this was allowed to happen?. Our leaders have let those waiters, bartenders, chefs, cooks, managers and the rest of those tipped and hourly workers down. It will take years for these folks to fully recover from this tremendous setback. Maybe Reagan was right when he said “government isn’t the solution, government is the problem”.
Tom Ganski
April 30, 2020 at 5:21 am
Perhaps if Scott and his successor, DeSantis, had not created the country’s biggest tenement farm that is the entire state of Florida, this would be less of an issue. The total of the max unemployment pay in fl of $275 + $600 is the equivalent of about $25/hour, when grossed up for taxes or something approaching a living wage. If more jobs in fl on average paid a living wage, as opposed to the reality of about $11/hour, this would not be a problem.
Mark Brewers
April 29, 2020 at 6:41 pm
When was the last time Rick Scott clipped coupons or reused tinfoil?
Frankie M.
April 29, 2020 at 9:52 pm
Rick Scott must have forgotten all the joys of a welfare xmas.
Alma T Kane
April 29, 2020 at 9:59 pm
Rick Scott should be held responsible for the way he made our unemployment system. he should be in jail. he is a devil. take his house, money. what a PS
Davis
May 5, 2020 at 9:18 am
I applaud Gov De Santis calling for having an investigation of Florida’s unemployment system but I hope it don’t forget Rick Scott too
Danny dougalas
May 7, 2020 at 2:34 pm
really, croonie Scott is worked about people not working and not getting paid more. Scott got that unemployment contract from his rookie friends who donated to his campaign. Scott is a looser and should be investigated .
Nia
May 7, 2020 at 11:47 pm
The absolute audacity of this career criminal. Anyone with even a shred of common sense knows that people who refuse to go back to work would be terminated, therefore making them INELIGIBLE for unemployment assistance. This vile excuse for a human being however is so blinded by his greed that common sense seems to evade him. The working class need to come together and have him ejected from his chair at the senate!
Scott SUCKS
May 8, 2020 at 3:23 am
Rick bald ass Scott with his multi millions he stole from Florida. The beaches he’s destroyed. His private planes! This mfer is worried about people not going back to work . Because of his inadequate unemployment system- Florida is hungry, boy working, being thrown in the street and haven’t received the first nickel of unemployment bc of his crap job and giving contracts to cronies who didn’t have a clue what they were doing.
Screw you Scott- you’ve certainly screwed us- over and over and over!
Throw his corrupt ass in prison where he belongs! NEVER A REPUBLICAN AGAIN.
Scott- you SUCK
Craig
May 11, 2020 at 4:25 pm
Piece of straight TRASH! Just shows how he never cared about hard working people, only the wealthy. He needs to burn on a cross!
Comments are closed.