Good News and Not So Good News on Corporate and Constituent Pork

Good news from Florida on the corporate welfare front as reported by the News Service of Florida:

The talks on [budget] allocations had largely centered on Gov. Rick Scott’s call for a $1 billion tax-cut package and a “Florida Enterprise Fund” of $250 million in business incentives. … In the end, lawmakers agreed to $400 million in tax cuts in the current year and no money for the Florida Enterprise Fund. Scott’s office blasted lawmakers late Friday for the decision on the incentives package.

“With the Legislature’s action today, there will no longer be incentive funding for major projects to come to Florida … and we are beginning the process of notifying cities across the state that there would be no funding available to help them recruit businesses if the Legislature does not take immediate action to reverse course,” Scott spokeswoman Jackie Schutz said.

On the other hand, the Washington Post reports that the establishment in D.C. is still using pork for constituents to draw support:

Richard Shelby has been in Congress since the 1970s and faced no significant challenge since getting elected to the Senate in 1986. Yet the 81-year-old has spent millions of dollars in an effort to receive more than 50 percent of the vote tomorrow so that he can avoid a runoff with an unknown, 33-year-old challenger.

Shelby told the crowd [at the Calhoun County Republican Party’s annual dinner] that he currently chairs the Banking Committee but opened up about his grander ambition. “If things go right, maybe I’ll chair the Appropriations Committee. And I’ll tell you: Calhoun County would know it! And Alabama would know it,” Shelby added, drawing a standing ovation. “I’m about one step from that!”