Why Are We Like This?

So it turns out Florida -- and every swing state -- wasn't in play after all. Following a tectonic collapse that saw Florida Democrats somehow lose even more ground, we discuss the fallout and what it means for the future of our state, our nation, and the world.

Over the summer, Redfin released a report analyzing rent trends across the country and while the national average ticked up 1%, analysts were surprised to find many major metros across Florida cratering due to increased inventory, slowing migration, and myriad other factors. In this episode, we examine whether this is good news, bad news, or maybe a good news-bad news combo.

We also got into the drama surrounding one of South Florida's weirder State Representative races in Miami Beach and discussed other items on the ballot.

There is a cognitive dissonance when trying to pin down exactly what constitutes a “quality” education in Florida. Is it a critical understanding of the world imparted during your most formative years? Is it technical training and job placement, ensuring your economic well-being into adulthood? Is it a ranking in a defunct magazine that few people actually believe? Or is it the byproduct of a system of patronage designed to reward political allies?

Depending on the day of the week in Florida, it could be any of these.

For this year's deep dive into education, we check up on the organizational health of noted hate group Mom's For Liberty and profile some of the worst actors in the state.

***Here's the Change.org petition we mentioned***

https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-great-outdoors-initiative-save-florida-s-state-parks-from-harmful-developments?source_location=tag_

Rising costs associated with so-called special assessments and maintenance have always been a sore spot for Miami homeowners, but add in the recent spate of ill-considered post-Surfside collapse regulations and challenging market trends, and you don't need a named Hurricane to foment a perfect storm.

Fines, evictions, foreclosures, fewer and fewer places for normal people to live. Who will win out in the end? Hedge funds and private equity vultures, feasting on the remains.

***ALERT: Great Outdoors Initiative: At the end of this episode, we talked about this deeply unpopular cash-grab privatization. Seems we weren't the only ones outraged, and with all the negative backlash, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has postponed their scheduled public opinion sessions around the state. We'll let you know when they reschedule.

Today, the WAWLT fellas get to the bottom of the AI bubble roiling the all-important Dow Jones Industrial Average, what makes a nepo-politico heir endeavor to mistreat a bear cub, and (briefly) discuss the failed disaster that was the season finale of the Dragons and Houses show.

As our main story, we dive into the, well, weird proclivities of GOP VP pick J.D. Vance, and the one weird trick that Democrats are hoping the word "weird" can do for them (win an election).

A lot has happened since last we met, dear listeners. With a maelstrom of political upheaval, a historic Republican National Convention, a Presidential assassination attempt gone awry, and more, we make the choice to devote the lion's share of this episode to JD Vance's fasc-adjacent, off-putting interpretation of JRR Tolkien's classic series, The Lord of the Rings.

Before that, we devote some time to President Joseph Robinette Biden's decision not to run for a second term, his anointed successor Kamala Harris' prospects at winning the big seat, and the Secret Service's role in foiling (??) the attempt on Donald Trump's life.

Here's the Jacobin article we reference, for context: https://jacobin.com/2024/02/giorgia-meloni-tolkien-fascism-fantasy

The WAWLT Boys reviewed that devastating Biden debate performance and what the seemingly rudderless Democratic Party could or should do faced with a leader who resembles the Benadryl Hat Man. We also dived into the outrageous recent Supreme Court decisions that threaten to undermine democracy as we know it, unleash heretofore unseen environmental degradation, and shield corporations from any liability from bad acts.

Pretty awesome week all around.

We’re talking congestion pricing this week and we refuse to kowtow to the powerful, influential diner lobby that has place New York Governor Kathy Hochul firmly in its pocket. To help us clear the congestion, we welcome back our very own antihistamine Jordan Zakarin (@JordanZakarin), publisher of Progress Report (www.progressreport.news). 

But before that, we talked about the implications* of Joe Biden’s immigration executive action and how it reflects the worst parts of his predecessor’s ghastly policies.  

*Here’s the article Thomas wrote for Truthout that we mentioned: https://truthout.org/articles/biden-opposed-trumps-asylum-ban-in-2018-now-hes-implementing-it/ 

Note: Satriale’s was in Elizabeth, NJ, so not even in a borough.

In this jam-packed summer spectacular we have two interviews that tell the story of Florida governmental ineffectiveness and evil, first on the state level and then locally.

First, we welcome back McKenna Schueler (@SheCarriesOn), staff writer for the Orlando Weekly, who shares her recent reporting on Florida’s legislation doing away with local municipalities’ ability to make their own rules around wages and labor conditions. We also explore the enormous hole in equity and justice for workers created by Florida’s lack of a state labor department and the danger that presents as outdoor workers face down what promises to be the most brutal summer in state recorded history. 

Next, stick around for our illuminating conversation with attorney Zohra Khorashi (@thatlawyermomlife) about how her efforts to engage with the City of Doral to pass a ceasefire resolution resulted in what could be a career-defining controversy for Mayor Christi Fraga, and how powerful forces parachuted into the small Miami-Dade municipality to apply pressure and ultimately kill the resolution before it had time to even breathe. If you’re like us and want to see an end to the violence against Palestinians in Gaza, please get engaged with the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and Florida Palestine Network.

The guys talked about the recent proposed fair increases on the Brightline train system, which has been the source of much controversy in its brief tenure as Florida's de facto rail transit system. Along with the hefty price tag that taxpayers mostly carried, the private company that began as a patronage project for former-Gov. Rick Scott has been marred by a decade-plus of missed deadlines, diminished , safety concerns, flagging ridership, unanticipated costs, and now dramatically inflated pricing.

But maybe worst of all, Brightline simply doesn't work. Billed as a way to connect the entire state while providing commuter-service rail, Brightline doesn't bring people where they need to be, and the "last mile" problems have only gotten worse as purported solutions like Uber ground travel and shuttle services have fallen through.

We also talked about Robert F. Kennedy's brain worms as well as giving kudos to the City of Doral for becoming the first Florida municipality to call for peace in Israel and Palestine.