The 'anti-woke' agenda is going to cost taxpayers big bucks
Ron DeSantis' grudge against Disney might be good politics, but it's bad for Florida
Anti-woke politics might be great for rallying GOP voters, but it also makes for lousy governance.
Take Florida, please. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a bill that revokes a special tax district which essentially gave Disney governing powers on its theme park land at Orlando. Whatever you think about that longstanding arrangement — or corporate power in general — the new law was plainly an act of revenge, a thuggish (and probably unconstitutional) bit of Republican retaliation for Disney's belated opposition to the controversial "Don't Say Gay" law approved just a few weeks earlier by the state's GOP-led legislature.
So much for the First Amendment rights of businesses.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"You're a corporation based in Burbank, California, and you're gonna marshal your economic might to attack the parents of my state," DeSantis said before signing the anti-Disney law. "We view that as a provocation, and we're going to fight back against that."
Here's the not-so-funny part: The state government's commitment to "fighting back" probably means hurting Florida taxpayers. It's a complicated story, but the gist of it is that revoking Disney's tax district essentially puts area residents on the hook for more than $1 billion in bonds the company used to pay for things like water service and new roads on its land. Local homeowners could see their taxes jump by 20 percent as a result.
Oops.
Or maybe not. The new law undoing Disney's tax district doesn't actually take effect until June 2023, and observers think the company and the state might work out some kind of accommodation by then. The whole incident might end up as little more than a showy, performative in-kind contribution from the Florida Legislature to DeSantis' incipient 2024 presidential campaign.
Still, a question is raised. Can states and their citizens thrive when their Republican leaders are dedicated to little more than owning the libs, Donald Trump-style?
Maybe not. Florida isn't the only example. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this month locked up his state's border with Mexico with "secondary inspection" of trucks entering the country — ostensibly to halt the flow of drugs and migrants, but probably also to try to embarrass President Biden on immigration. (Abbott also bused unwanted migrants to the steps of the U.S. Capitol, an obvious stunt.) The inspections halted traffic, bogged down the flow of goods in an economy still facing pandemic-era supply chain snarls, and reportedly cost Texas more than $4 billion in economic activity. Also: No migrants or drugs were found. The whole thing was a bust.
Abbott got to make his point, theatrically. The people of Texas paid for it.
Anti-woke, anti-Democratic governance has dominated the agendas of Republican-led state governments in recent months. Several have come up with bills that let parents sue teachers and schools for teaching "critical race theory" or — like Florida — mentioning anything related to gender identity in the classroom, for stocking books on those topics in school libraries, or for any reason at all. Texas and Florida have also taken steps to limit tenure protections for "Marxist" professors at public universities — however many of those are left.
Public universities aren't just places where students party for four years before moving on to real life — they're engines of research and economic growth for their states. One 2019 report suggested that technology created at the University of Florida alone generated $2.4 billion and 10,000 jobs for the state's economy. And K-12 schools are important for making citizens, but also workers: They're where most Americans learn the basic skills they'll use in their offices, factories, and other workplaces over the course of their lifetimes. Will teachers and professors want to work in red states if they have to constantly be worried about lawsuits and job security? And what would it mean for those states' economies if they don't? Will corporations want to do business in states where government leaders will bully them for having bad politics?
Not so long ago, Republicans used the culture wars to distract voters away from their unpopular economic agenda of making the rich richer at just about everybody else's expense. These days, the culture wars seem to be the entire point. But it's not clear that the GOP's anti-woke governing agenda will actually make red states better places for their residents to live and prosper. And it's not clear that Republican politicians like Ron DeSantis actually care.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
'It may not be surprising that creative work is used without permission'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
5 simple items to help make your airplane seat more comfortable
The Week Recommends Gel cushions and inflatable travel pillows make a world of difference
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
How safe are cruise ships in storms?
The Explainer The vessels are always prepared
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Abortion rights measures go 7 for 10
Speed Read Constitutional amendments to protect abortion passed in seven states but failed in three others: Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Florida ordered to allow pro-abortion rights ads
Speed Read A federal judge in Florida ordered the DeSantis administration to stop threatening TV stations for running an abortion rights referendum ad
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Man arrested as threats on FEMA hinder Helene relief
Speed Read The agency temporarily suspended door-to-door operations as a result of the threats
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
'In short, the good economic news is real'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published