Volume 97 Number 15 | NOVEMBER 27-DECEMBER 3, 2019 | MiamiTimesOnline.com | Ninety-Three Cents BUSINESS ................................................. 8B FAITH & FAMILY ...................................... 7D Lawsuit alleging sexual Today CLASSIFIED ............................................. 11B FAITH CALENDAR ................................... 8D 84° IN GOOD TASTE ......................................... 1C HEALTH & WELLNESS ............................. 9D assault coverup settled LIFESTYLE HAPPENINGS ....................... 5C OBITUARIES ............................................. 12D Jane Doe was suspended after reporting attacks 8 90158 00100 0 INSIDE and coerced to change statement 10D Editorials Cartoons Opinions Letters VIEWPOINT BLACKS MUST CONTROL THEIR OWN DESTINY | NOVEMBER 27-DECEMBER 3, 2019 | MiamiTimesOnline.com MEMBER: National Newspaper Periodicals Postage Credo Of The Black Press Publisher Association paid at Miami, Florida Four Florida outrages: (ISSN 0739-0319) The Black Press believes that America MEMBER: The Newspaper POSTMASTER: Published Weekly at 900 NW 54th Street, can best lead the world from racial and Association of America Send address changes to Miami, Florida 33127-1818 national antagonism when it accords Subscription Rates: One Year THE MIAMI TIMES, The wealthy flourish, Post Office Box 270200 to every person, regardless of race, $65.00 – Two Year $120.00 P.O. Box 270200 Buena Vista Station, Miami, Florida 33127 creed or color, his or her human and Foreign $75.00 Buena Vista Station, Miami, FL Phone 305-694-6210 legal rights. Hating no person, fearing 7 percent sales tax for Florida residents 33127-0200 • 305-694-6210 the poor die H.E. SIGISMUND REEVES Founder, 1923-1968 no person, the Black Press strives to GARTH C. REEVES JR. Editor, 1972-1982 help every person in the firm belief that ith President Trump’s impeachment hearing domi- GARTH C. REEVES SR. Publisher Emeritus all persons are hurt as long as anyone RACHEL J. REEVES Publisher 1992-2019 is held back. nating the news, four other developments deserve CAROLYN GUNISS Executive Editor Wattention — and outrage — from the people of Flor- ida. First, nearly 3,000 of our neighbors have died because former DeSantis is hostile to Amendment 4 Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature refused to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. MICAH KUBIC, executive director, ACLU of Florida The estimate, based on several solid data sets, comes from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive voice For months, Gov. Ron DeSan- new condition before automat- pealing the federal court’s posi- in Washington. In the 14 holdout states, it puts the death toll at tis has claimed to support voter ically restoring voting rights to tion, DeSantis flips back to his 19,200 between 2013 and 2017. restoration. But everything he’s eligible returning citizens. This old position that one’s inability Florida’s 2,776 victims were second only to Texas. The numbers done until this point has under- action blatantly undermined to pay means one’s inability to are so high because so many people here — some 850,000 — earn mined the goal of ensuring all Amendment 4 and the will of vote. too much to qualify for Medicaid, but too little to receive insur- Floridians have equal access to 5.2 million Florida voters who In addition to appealing the ance subsidies under Obamacare. the ballot box. made the amendment law. federal court decision, the gov- Florida stands in contrast to 11 other states that expanded Med- After voters passed Amend- What we do know, with When DeSantis signed ernor went on to attack the 17 icaid under the control of Republican legislatures. Louisiana is ment 4 in November 2018 and certainty, is the effect SB7066 into law on June 28, brave individuals who put their one of them. There, Democratic Gov. John Bell Williams’ pledge restored the right to vote to as of Gov. DeSantis’s he called Amendment 4 a story and experiences in the to protect the program helped him win re-election last Saturday many as 1.4 million returning actions on voting “mistake.” Immediately upon public to fight for voting rights citizens, many Floridians across signing, voting rights and civ- and won their right to register despite Trump’s vocal campaign for his Republican opponent. rights. The effect is to Josef Stalin reportedly said that “one death is a tragedy, but a the state expected to register to “ il rights groups, including the and vote. In a statement, the undermine the will of million is a statistic.” vote beginning in January 2019. ACLU of Florida, filed a lawsuit governor accused the plain- What might it take for Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislative lead- Then, DeSantis and the Flori- more than five million challenging the law and subse- tiffs of “attempting to use the ers to see the individual men and women in Florida’s ghastly sta- da Legislature stepped in, pass- Florida voters quently filed a request to block court process to re-write the tistic? Must someone die of cancer or pneumonia in the Capitol ing Senate Bill 7066 into law, an SB7066 from going into effect. scope and original intent of the rotunda? unconstitutional poll tax that Following our hearing to amendment.” It’s not that they’re unaware of the issue. House and Senate eliminated the right to vote for block the poll tax law and a Why does DeSantis say he is leadership have applied to the Florida Supreme Court to be heard hundreds of thousands of peo- In doing so, DeSantis flip- ruling in our favor, a spokes- defending the rights of return- on whether a voter initiative to expand Medicaid belongs on the ple in our state. flopped on this crucial voting person for DeSantis curiously ing citizens one day and attack 2022 ballot. On Friday, DeSantis an- rights issue—something he has claimed that the federal court them the next? We don’t know. They’re opposed. So is Americans for Prosperity, the political nounced that his administra- done repeatedly over the past ruling aligned all along with What we do know, with lobby started by David and Charles Koch, who were tied as the tion would appeal an October year. the governor’s own position on certainty, is the effect of Gov. world’s 11th-richest people before the former died this year. ruling by a federal court that, in First, DeSantis said the Amendment 4. DeSantis’s actions on voting Second, speaking of the Florida Supreme Court … addition to granting 17 plaintiffs Legislature needed to enact But why would DeSantis ap- rights. The effect is to under- When DeSantis was appointing new justices, most of his nomi- their right to register and vote “implementing language” for peal a ruling that he said “af- mine the will of more than five nees and all three of his picks had ties to the Federalist Society, an in Florida elections, ruled the Amendment 4. Taking his cue, firms” his own position? DeSan- million Florida voters, to create arch-conservative lobby that effectively controls appointments to denial of the right to vote can- the legislature passed SB7066, tis argued before a federal court an unconstitutional pay-to-vote the federal bench, and now to Florida courts, as well. not be based on someone’s in- which requires total payment of that inability to pay should bar poll tax, and to weaken our de- [More Opinion] Trump cravenly backtracks on vaping. Sur- ability to pay. legal financial obligations as a someone from voting. By ap- mocracy. prise, surprise. | Editorial » At the society’s annual convention in Washington this month, DeSantis proudly declared that the society’s co-chairman, Leon- GOPs are following Trump to nowhere ard Leo, influenced his choices. “I had a group of people that I trusted. Leonard was one of JAMELLE BOUIE, columnist, The New York Times them,” the governor said. Americans have gone to the would mean a longer process. Staunchly opposed to government regulations and anything polls four times this month to Democrats couldn’t wrap up liberal, the society is the legal arm of today’s uber-rich, who use vote in major, statewide rac- impeachment before the end their money to manipulate political power as they amass extraor- es. In Virginia, they voted for of the year. They would have to dinary wealth. control of the state Legislature; let it move at its own pace, even Such external influence on the courts was one of the evils Gov. in Mississippi, Kentucky and if it stretches well into 2020. Reubin Askew (1971-79) meant to avoid when he established Flor- Louisiana, they voted for con- (Watergate, remember, took ida’s judicial nominating commissions. He wanted to keep the trol of the governor’s mansion. more than two years to unfold.) bench as free of politics as possible. When someone pointed out In each case, President Trump I don’t see the downside. A that one of his justices had turned out to be very conservative, tied himself to the outcome. long inquiry keeps impeach- Askew replied, “I didn’t appoint him for his politics. I appointed Trump thought voters would ment out of Mitch McCon- him for his integrity.” repudiate impeachment and nell’s hands until there’s a Third, speaking of the rule of the wealthy few … vindicate him. Instead, they did comprehensive case against An estimated 99 percent of corporations in Florida manage to the opposite. Virginia Demo- the president. Yes, there’s the pay little or none of what they should owe under the state’s 5.5 crats won a legislative majori- chance of a late campaign ac- percent corporate income tax, another Askew achievement that ty for the first time since 1993, quittal, but if the past month has since been sabotaged. They can thank the Legislature for al- flipping historically Republi- is any prediction, Trump will lowing the schemes to continue.