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Florida governor makes his pitch In Norwalk; organizer says event was not political

June 27, 2015
–
Mark Chapman
Florida Gov. Rick Scott meets with business owners Friday at the Norwalk Inn. (Harold Cobin photo)
Florida Gov. Rick Scott meets with business owners Friday at the Norwalk Inn. (Harold Cobin photo)

NORWALK, Conn. – Not shy about his reason for appearing Friday before a group of about 50 Connecticut business owners, Florida Republican Gov. Rick Scott asked them what he needs to do to get them to move.

Scott, who struggles with his approval ratings in his own state, touted Florida’s business-friendly atmosphere as an alternative to what could become the second largest tax hike in Connecticut’s history.

“I’m here simply to get all the jobs to Florida,” Scott told business owners.

As for the current business environment in Connecticut, Scott said, “You’re losing your most productive citizens. We’re getting them. That’s a heck of a deal.”

See the complete story at CT News Junkie.

 

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21 responses to “Florida governor makes his pitch In Norwalk; organizer says event was not political”

  1. John Hamlin

    The event was not political? LOL

  2. Mike Mushak

    It is no surprise Florida Governor Rick Scott is desperate to steal CT jobs for Florida, by showing up in Norwalk in a tacky display of GOP desperation and thuggery. He broke all of his promises he has made to the good citizens of Florida and has only created 4% of the jobs he promised.

    Considering he made his personal fortune in for-profit hospitals by defrauding Medicare and ripping billions of dollars off of taxpayers (in the a largest Medicare fraud case in US history), has slashed education and environmental protection funding in a state with one of the poorest records on both issues, has refused to participate in Obamacare keeping millions of Florida’s low-income citizens uninsured, and is surrounded by scandals and lawsuits in his corrupt administration, it is no surprise he wants to spend time here in CT far away from his dismal approval rating and broken promises in the Sunshine State.

    Shame on local GOP politicians and business owners for participating in this tacky event. It seems they didn’t even bother do any homework on the unpopular and corrupt Florida Governor. This speaks volumes about their real motives, and their credibility.

    1. Mark Chapman

      @ Mike Mushak

      To clarify the record regarding accusations against the Florida governor, click here for a justice department press release about the fraud case, and click here for a Politfact news report about Scott’s involvement.

  3. John Hamlin

    Michael — how do you really feel?

  4. David

    Criticize Scott all you want (I’ll be right there with you by the way – terrible governor), but there’s blood in the water. That Connecticut republicans would participate is beyond me, they gain nothing by having large companies leave the state – other than a hollow ‘I told you so’.

  5. Peter Torrano

    Ah, Mike, there you go again! I usually read your attack pieces and take them with a grain of salt realizing, of course, that you are an unabashed partisan Democrat with absolutely no regard for the beliefs of those who disagree with you. But this time you stepped over the line. In the past you have used terms to describe your intended victims like “corrupt”, and that included calling me and others corrupt when we were police commissioners because we did not buy into your rhetoric about Beach Road being a death trap for cyclists, even after you were called out and proven wrong by one of your favorite things: statistics. You continually called the Director of Zoning corrupt, until someone high up in your party told you to stop because of the blatantly defamatory nature of your offensive comments.

    Now, you have called the Republican party Thugs (using the term thuggery). The definition of thuggery is: 1) a cruel or vicious ruffian, robber or murderer. 2) one of a former group of professional robbers and murderers in India who strangled their victims.

    […] You now refer to the Florida governor as “corrupt.” You also accuse him of fraud and “ripping off billions” from taxpayers. And yet, even with your insightful reporting of what a horrible person the governor is, he is not in jail! Could it be that the allegations you are so willing to toss around are unproven?

    You then chastise business people for attending the event. And you attribute it to the Republican party. No notice was sent to me as party chair, or any other local Republican to attend the event. However, I did see that several of Malloy’s people, including Bob Duff did attend to try and discredit the gathering.

    I know your very existence as a community organizer, bike advocate and general gadfly is completely reliant on the Democrats giving you a voice and pseudo authority. But when you relentlessly attack people, as you often do, it diminishes your already questionable credibility.

    This comment was edited to remove material that violated our policy against personal attacks against other commenters. Also, to set the record straight regarding accusations against the Florida governor, click here for a justice department press release about the fraud case, and click here for a Politfact news report about Scott’s involvement.

  6. Bryan Meek

    Whatever the aspersions are towards Governor Scott. There is no mistake that Florida, the world’s 18th largest economy, is growing at 3 %, while ours is under 1% and not keeping up with increased costs in housing, food, and energy.

    I didn’t vote for our Governor, but I wish he would have greeted Gov. Scott as a head of state should and politely told him to go elsewhere. Sending a few of his minions wasn’t just disrespectful to a dignitary, it was disrespectful to our citizenry. He should have been the bigger man here.

  7. Mike Mushak

    I believe I have been vindicated here by the facts on the record, as usual.

    I should not have used the term thuggery. I apologize. I just don’t know what else to call a bunch of big businessmen who use threats of leaving the state to extort even more tax breaks from Hartford on the backs of CT residents and small businesses.

    Not only has GE not paid CT income tax in years, they were even paid billions by CT taxpayers in credits that you and I paid for. I know all the benefits they bring in high paying jobs, but are they worth bankrupting the state over to keep here? Where does this greedy game of chicken end?

  8. Bill Dunne

    Let’s stipulate, for the sake of argument, that Mike Mushak is correct and big companies like GE get special breaks from the state government at the expense of ordinary taxpayers. That’s precisely the problem, Mike, and it’s your party that runs this game.

    What game? you ask.

    The game is to tax the bejeesus out of ordinary taxpayers (government employees need to live in the style to which they are accustomed, you know) and use ordinary taxpayer money to bribe big companies like GE to stay in Connecticut, or otherwise they would have all left by now. Meanwhile, smaller businesses who lack the lobbying clout of the big companies take it in the neck. That’s the game, Mike. And, to repeat, it’s your party that plays it to the hilt.

  9. Bill Dunne

    Thank you, Mark Chapman, for the assist in attacking the messenger (Florida Governor Rick Scott) instead of focusing on the message — that our one-party state has made Connecticut so hostile to business and so damaging to job creation that we are easy pickings for other states. But I’m not sure your assistance was needed; we all know how to Google for the “right” info, especially from such partisan outfits as Politifact.

    1. Mark Chapman

      @Bill Dunne

      My pleasure.

      And apologies to you and Adam Blank for letting your comments linger. We went out for a birthday dinner and were unavailable for comment (moderation).

  10. sofaman

    The Norwalk RTC’s moral outrage surfaces over an attack on Rick Scott?

    In a week where the Republicans saw their deep belief in an unequal American go down in flames thanks to the SCOTUS decision to allow all Americans to legally marry, and a week where their determined defense of the most blatantly racist symbol the US has to offer continue unabated, yes, yes citizens, it is the willful insult of the leader of the “healthcare” organization that stole more money from US taxpayers than any prior outfit, that gets the RTC Chair’s keyboard ablaze.

    Mr. Tornano, I can say without hesitation, you represent the Republican brand.

  11. Bill

    Hate republicans, but they are right about taxes, we pay too much in CT

  12. Non partisan

    Loudly Impugn the messenger so the message is not heard.

    Ct- high taxes required to support outsized bloated government staffed by union employees that have bought and paid for the state legislature and executive body. In return those employees have benefits the rest of us could only dream about. A one party government that shuts out any opposition voice. Unfriendly business environment. Progressive redistribution of wealth that is at the tipping point of no return. Slowest growth rate in America

    Florida- no income tax. Business friendly environment. More balanced legislature. Less socially progressive. Right to work state. 3 times the growth rate of Ct.

  13. Mike Mushak

    People are moving to Florida primarily because the weather is warmer than the densely populated north, and the general baby boom population is aging into retirement at a faster rate than any other time in history. Most of the job growth is in low-paying jobs like fast food and discount retailers like Walmart.

    To extrapolate that into some economic miracle based on slashing funding to social programs and education is a joke.

    As far as the usual partisans like my friend Bill Dunne attacking Malloy for giving out tax breaks to businesses to stay here, which is it folks? You whine that the budget increases taxes and you whine that tax breaks are being given out. Gee, file that under damned if you do and damned if you don’t!

    And when it comes to giving out tax breaks to big business, GOP governors like Chris Christie of NJ and our new local GOP hero Rick Scott of Florida have far exceeded Malloy in that department, to the tune of billions.

    Let’s be real. The GOP has perfected the art of corporate welfare, on the backs of the poor and middle class. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. That is why the GOP has to play dirty tricks to stay in power, including using wedge social issues to appeal to hate and fear, and disenfranchise poor and minority voters with needless voter ID laws when there are no cases of voter fraud to justify it.

    BTW, Happy Gay Pride Day! Stick that in your GOP pipes and smoke it!

  14. Non partisan

    As a non partisan both parties are right on some issues and totally wrong in others.

    With respect to the article the most basic economic principal is that capital flows where it can be best put to use.

    Ct will continue to loose jobs, talent, and opportunities for its citizens if it’s leadership doesn’t quickly learn they need to be competitive with other states. Even the peoples republic of New York understands that you need to encourage business development AND reduce taxes, and the only way to do that is by making public employee benefits more in line with the private sector.

  15. Wineshine

    Poor Mike. When someone espouses so much venom, it’s hard to believe they can ever approach a subject with any objectivity. Credibility gone.

    “GOP in power”? Really? In what alternative universe is this true?

    Big business grows on the backs of the middle class and poor? Really? Big business employs the middle class, and the poor (really kind of one in the same these days). Entitlements to the poor, and fraudulent, and the taxes to support them, are what is really on the backs of the middle class.

    As an aside, I just think it’s comical when someone demonizes Big Business and the GOP in the same breath. Again, credibility gone. Last time I looked, there are a fair amount of super wealthy business people who vote Democrat. Or, Mike, can they keep their money? Is that okay?

  16. Suzanne

    “Entitlements to the poor, and fraudulent, and the taxes to support them, are what is really on the backs of the middle class.” Just once I would like to see qualifying real, apolitical data to prove that this statement is true. In addition, I would hope that our taxes did go to support those with none in a nation still regarded as affluent, if not piggish with world resources.

  17. Wineshine

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2012/12/05/the-liberal-lefts-dirty-little-secret-the-middle-class-and-poor-pay-for-the-entitlement-state/

    See the second paragraph, Suzanne. I only had to search the first link I came to for this. For the record, it’s almost impossible to find an “apolitical” base of data, but this article is based on economies of our allies, and seems to be in the direction we’re heading, or at least, the left wants to be headed.

  18. John Hamlin

    CT needs to compete with other states (and countries around the world) to keep jobs and workers here. And right now it’s not even trying to compete, and so it will lose business and workers as people go where the opportunity is most robust. The only people who the state won’t lose are the public employee union workers and the government class — CT is the promised land for them. For the rest of us, from an economic and government fiscal standpoint, not so much.

  19. Mike Mushak

    My friend […] Wineshine, who [won’t] use his or her real name when throwing out insults at me when defending the sleazeball Governor of Florida who rips off taxpayers to get rich, is now linking to the right wing hacks like Paul Gregory who think Obama is a Socialist http://semipartisansam.com/tag/paul-roderick-gregory/. Thanks for the laugh, “Wineshine”!

    This post was edited to comply with our policy against name-calling and attacks on fellow commenters.

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