Today we're covering several topics, including strong new opposition to this year's property-tax amendment and an update on the story where Florida college students had their degrees threatened for staging a silent protest.
But first, let's look at the latest threat from Florida's unelected attorney general, who's now telling private schools they aren't allowed to require students to get vaccines.
Two weeks ago, Ron DeSantis' appointed A.G., James Uthmeier, sent a letter to the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops that threatened to make their schools ineligible for taxpayer-funded vouchers if they require vaccinations.
Apparently, Uthmeier believes he understands Catholic values better than some priests, with Pope James saying he has concluded "there is no religious basis" for church-run schools to enforce this commitment to public health. Even if it's part of their mantra of protecting human life.
Basically, Uthmeier says that, if a parent claims vaccines violate their religious beliefs — at a school that has said vaccines are clearly part of their religious beliefs — the parent's version of faith should win.
Listen, we can debate the bigger-picture issue of whether you believe Florida should be using tax dollars to fund religious schools in the first place. But looking at the rules as they stand — and as Uthmeier wants to enforce them — there's a blatant and ugly inconsistency here.
Because remember: Florida does allow voucher-supported religious schools to use their faith as a rationale to refuse to admit LGTBQ students and even students who have same-sex parents. Private schools are also allowed to refuse to admit students with disabilities.
In other words: Florida believes it's OK for these schools to use their faith as a bludgeon, but not as a shield.
Not welcome: Gay students, parents are denied service in Florida's publicly funded voucher schools | Commentary
It's worth noting that many faith-based schools don't practice LGBTQ discrimination. Orlando's Bishop Moore, for instance, has made a point of saying it accepts all students.
But as the Orlando Sentinel has documented time and again, many other faith-based schools refuse to admit gay students, some with written policies that explicitly said they'd expel any student who utters the sentence: "I am gay."
Florida's current Republican leadership is fine with that discrimination. If parents encounter a school that refuses to serve gay students, their belief is: Tough luck. That's school "choice" for ya! If you don't like it, find another school.
But that policy apparently doesn't apply to vaccines. So schools are free to refuse gay students, but must accept all anti-vaxxers … even if it endangers other students.
What a twisted version of faith — one that makes it clear Uthmeier and other GOP leaders aren't really committed to respecting these schools' religious values or freedoms, except when they mirror the politicians' ideology.
Uthmeier warns Catholic schools to accept vaccine exemptions