Florida Taxpayers Saved Millions By DeSantis Veto Promise

And now for a brief tale about how exposing a bad idea to sunlight can cause it to wither and die before our eyes…

Once upon a time, and not that long ago, self-styled conservatives (and even a few Republicans) were leery of government welfare in any and all its forms. From food stamps to housing,. Medical care to school lunches, if government was footing the bill, it was a bad program that led to dependence, waste, and abuse.

In a sign of how much times have changed on the now-populist right, we had this item out of Florida:

A Florida bill backed by the state's chief financial officer would create a $5 million fund to help pay for former President Donald Trump's mounting legal fees.

State Senator Ileana Garcia, a Republican, has filed a proposal to create the “Freedom Fighters Fund,” which would provide financial support for Florida residents running for president who face legal action. Trump, who is seeking a second term, lives in the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

The proposal, which still must clear multiple committees, underscores the broader fealty of Republicans to Trump as leader of the party. It comes a day after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ended his struggling White House campaign and endorsed the former president.

Slapping “freedom fighters” on this doesn't mask what it really is: a welfare plan for the tiniest subset of Florida pols there is – one build specifically for long-time snowbird turned Florida resident Donald Trump.

It would be a laughable waste of taxpayer money were it not for the state's chief financial officer (really!) issuing a gushing press release in support of it:

We need this Freedom Fighters Fund because as the Free State of Florida, we're facing an onslaught of attacks from the federal government against the Sunshine State. If we can help and support a Florida candidate for the White House, that's just good from a dollars and cents perspective.

Again, no matter how many times one slaps “free” and “freedom” doesn't change in the least that this is a partisan welfare program. For a billionaire candidate, no less.

Mercifully, the bill, and the state CFO's cringeworthy fanboy take on it, quickly died once Gov. Ron DeSantis tweeted he would veto the bill.

And not long after that, the bill's Senate sponsor pulled it from consideration:

…Garcia late Monday night announced she would withdraw the bill. Her move came less than two hours after DeSantis publicly posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that he did not support the measure.

“This bill was filed on January 5th amidst a crowded primary, including two Florida residents,” Garcia said in response to DeSantis. “My concern was the political weaponization against conservative candidates, and while @JimmyPatronis brought me this bill at a time when all candidates were committing to campaign through the primary, one frontrunner now remains, and he can handle himself. I will be withdrawing the bill.”

The moral of the story: sunlight is a powerful disinfectant. Not even the dumbest political stunts can withstand it.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.