Free Republic

CAPITAL COMMENTGov. Jeb Bush has made sure to keep quiet recently about what he thinks about the upcoming California recall election. When first asked, Bush quipped that his favorite candidate among the 135 seeking to replace Gov. Gray Davis was former child actor Gary Coleman.Bush's reasoning? Coleman would be for smaller government, he said, a reference to the diminutive Coleman's height.But this past week Bush made some comments that might be taken to mean he's in favor of another ballot item that will go before California voters in October. If passed, Proposition 54, or the Racial Privacy Initiative as it...

Bush claims victory in diversity Gov. Jeb Bush credits his One Florida program for raising enrollment among minority students in Florida colleges. By ANITA KUMAR, Times Staff Writer © St. Petersburg Times -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gov. Jeb Bush on Tuesday had a message for critics of his ban on racial preferences in university admissions. Told you so. Florida universities this year saw the biggest percentage increase in freshmen minority enrollment since Bush's One Florida plan took effect three years ago, new figures show. It was a slight increase - less than 1 percentage point - but it was enough to allow Bush...

Jeb Bush, FL's Favorite Governor (BTW, according to a St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald poll, 67% of FL voters now approve of One FL, Gov Bush's plan eliminating race-based admissions to FL colleges and universities.) GOVERNOR BUSH FILES AMICUS BRIEF IN UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PREFERENCE CASE Thursday, January 16, 2003 TALLAHASSEE – Governor Jeb Bush today filed an amicus brief arguing that the U.S. Supreme Court should invalidate the University of Michigan’s race-based admissions policies. The brief affirms Florida’s commitment to maintaining racially and ethnically diverse institutions of higher education, but argues that diversity can and should be attained through race-neutral...

From AP article, below: "Committee chairman Bishop Frank Cummings [far right of photo, seated], who heads the African Methodist Episcopal churches in Florida, said he was at first skeptical about the plan, but has since realized it has the possibility of working. Cummings was not a political supporter of Jeb Bush when the governor was elected in 1998." Independent commission: Gov. Bush's One Florida plan working Tuesday, June 18, 2002 By VICKIE CHACHERE, Associated Press TAMPA - A two-year study of Gov. Jeb Bush's One Florida plan for minority college enrollment and state contracting shows the plan is working,...

Blacks expected to be better represented at UF under One Florida Sunday, May 5, 2002 Associated Press JACKSONVILLE — Improved recruiting efforts have led to more black freshmen planning to start at the University of Florida during the upcoming academic year than last year, according to education officials. The numbers of black freshmen at the University of Florida plummeted last year — the first year of Gov. Jeb Bush's One Florida initiative, which eliminated raced-based preferential treatment in admissions decisions. The number of African-American freshmen fell almost 45 percent this past fall at the state's largest public university. One Florida...

Gov. Bush meets with a FL middle school teacher. Thursday, May 2, 2002 Tampa Tribune Editorial Jeb's One Florida program is a winner for minorities The hard numbers continue to show that despite all protests, Gov. Jeb Bush's One Florida plan is notably helping minorities. The governor took a lot of grief when he abruptly adopted the plan to eliminate racial quotas. The move was aimed at defusing a referendum campaign to eliminate affirmative action, which would have greatly restricted the state's ability to aid minorities. So the governor adopted a plan that guarantees the top 20 percent of students...

Poll: Education is leading issue in Florida Monday, April 1, 2002 Associated Press MIAMI — Florida voters care more about improving public education than any other issue and would pay higher taxes to increase teacher salaries and reduce classroom overcrowding, according to poll released Sunday. The poll, conducted for The Miami Herald and St. Petersburg Times, shows that 58 percent of voters favor raising taxes to improve public education and 37 percent are in opposition. The finding places voters at odds with Gov. Jeb Bush and the Republican-controlled Legislature, which prevented attempts to raise taxes to provide more money for...

NAACP loses college admissions battle Associated Press Posted March 16, 2002 TALLAHASSEE -- An appeals court has ruled that the NAACP does not have standing to challenge rules eliminating racial and gender preferences in university admissions. Appeals Judge Peter Webster wrote that the civil rights group had failed to show evidence that a student would be "substantially affected" by the implementation of rules for Gov. Jeb Bush's "One Florida" initiative and his "Talented 20" guarantee. Judge Ricky Polston concurred with the opinion issued Feb. 26. The case went to the 1st District Court of Appeal after an administrative hearing...