Florida Man

I spoke to the @washingtonpost about how this account started and why I’m not doing it any more. washingtonpost.com/news/magazine/…

@BleedsIron You literally just described a poll tax.

🚨 BREAKING: MUELLER NEWS 🚨 Only joking, but for real, the Florida Legislature is trying to disenfranchise voters with some bullshit shenanigans. Sign this petition to prove you’re cool and I’ll follow you out of solidarity. change.org/p/florida-legi…

@PaulGonzalez10 No. That would be a poll tax. I’m pointing out that even your best argument still doesn’t make any sense.

@_FloridaMan I mean you’re making my point for me. So you’re OK with making them pay any money owed that the judge set? Minus any collection fees? Answer that.

I’ve seen some truly insane things come out of Florida over the last few years, but I don’t think anything has shocked me more than what the state legislature is currently trying to do to the voting rights of ex-felons. slate.com/news-and-polit…

@PaulGonzalez10 Whether it’s true for a small number of cases or not, it creates a system where private companies decide whether people are allowed to vote or not. That’s not democracy.

@_FloridaMan That maybe true in a small number of cases, most of the time the collections are willing to take less than what they actually owe. This isn’t very hard, pay the money you owe “ that the judge set”, or you don’t get to vote.

@Lala11105 I don’t like the idea of for-profit companies deciding the severity of someone’s punishment, and if you care about democracy, you shouldn’t either.

@_FloridaMan Yes. You know how you avoid court fees and fines and the admin costs associated with them? Don't commit crimes.

@Lala11105 Even if that debt isn’t part of their original fine but comes from service fees levied by private collection agencies?

@_FloridaMan Paying one's debt to society means exactly that. Completion of a sentence includes paying all outstanding debt. Fair is fair.

@PaulGonzalez10 Often the money they owe isn’t part of their sentence, but fees added by private collection agencies. Sometimes as much as 40% of the original fine.

@_FloridaMan It’s not a tax. It’s money they owe to complete their sentences. When a judge hands out a sentence money owed is included. Not hard here.

@nanner625 In Florida, courts often outsource collection to private companies, and they can tack on up to 40% in fees and surcharges, which people then get stuck paying long after their original fine is settled. Not sure what that’s got to do with paying your debt to society.

@_FloridaMan Its not a poll tax imo, its repaying a previously owned debt to society. There are many states where felons never get their voting rights restored so making resititution isnt that insane.

@6jtd6 It creates a system where if you have money to pay the fees (which, I should say, are often surcharges levied by private collection agencies) you can participate in democracy. But if you’re poor, you can’t. It kind of undermines the whole “all men are created equal” thing.

@muggiewuggie No. Just trying to get the word out.

@putnamnation They are absolutely the same issue. But appreciate you acknowling it’s dumb and unfair.

@_FloridaMan yeah that's dumb, unfair and something I was unaware of, but also sounds like a separate issue.

@putnamnation Actually, in many cases, the money people owe isn’t going back to “society", but private collection companies that can add up to 40% in surcharges for no reason other than it makes them richer. miamiherald.com/news/local/com…

@_FloridaMan so they haven't actually repaid their debt to society then, they've just served their tax paid sentence.

@mfredericks1x @OmniAim Yep. Just trying to raise awareness about what’s happeneing.

@OmniAim @_FloridaMan Anyone can sign, regardless of where you live.

@Jaded_Crawler No offense, but crawl up your own ass.

@_FloridaMan "Wanting felons to vote, most who are statistically proven to be repeated offenders, and not just any felon but a Floridian felon"

Okay, earnest tweets over. I promise I'll tweet something funny again soon.

For real, I currently only follow Jimmy Buffett, but I'm willing to let that insanely funny bit die for this cause, because it clearly deserves more attention.