The Wingnut Doughnut

Kicking off a new jobs campaign, Florida’s Governor Rick Scott went to work in a Tampa doughnut shop this morning. Apparently, Scott worked in a doughnut shop in his youth. Scott’s campaign slogan was “Let’s get to work.” For the unemployed in Florida that probably did not imply clerking in a doughnut shop, but here’s the message being sent to unemployed Floridians: “You better find something, anything, and get your lazy butt on a treadmill in a low wage, low skill job.” The move to do the doughnut gig comes as no surprise though. Scott’s ratings are in the basement and this jobs thing just so happens to coincide with a new media campaign clearly trying to clean up Scott’s tarnished reputation, but trying to put a shine on shit is tricky business. Honestly, with Florida’s unemployment at 9%, shouldn’t Scott try to put the focus on skilled jobs available in Florida and take to moment to tie in these jobs with the numerous workforce training programs available in Florida? For years, the administrations in Tallahassee have been courting the lucrative Biotechnology industry into the state and they have answered the call. Now, there is a need for trained lab techs, jobs available for those trained at the post-secondary certificate, associates, bachelors and higher levels. Florida high school graduates can land good work with just one year of college, but Scott says, “Start at a doughnut shop.” This just does not send a resonating message needed from a campaign designed to highlight work in Florida. All it says is “Look at me I still remember how to sprinkle doughnuts.”