Why DeSantis' war on Disney is a big mistake

56,828 Views | 764 Replies | Last: 8 days ago by Definitely Not A Cop
Bill Clinternet
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Look I hate the woke mob as much as you guys do.

However, if we set precedents of allowing public officials to use their office to punish political opponents we are opening up a very bad can of worms.

We would not have this problem had the conservative biased Supreme Court ruled that corporations are people. This can all be traced back to Citizens United.

You guys gave the left all of the tools they needed to use zeitgeist to weaponize Corporate America against sanity.
"I am neither an Athenian nor a Greek, but a citizen of the world"-Plato, attributed to Socrates, Theaetetus-
Definitely Not A Cop
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That's factually not. I'll put this in a way you can understand.

You live at home with your parents. You have a bed time at 8. You tell your parents that you deserve special privileges to stay up until 11:30 because you have been doing lots of chores around the house and have been acting really good. Your parents agree.

Your parents then find out that you are using the time to go on the internet and spread complete lies about your parents.it has become so widespread that your parents place of employment finds out and starts questioning your parents whether these lies are true. Your parents tell you that you no longer deserve to have special privileges if you are going to continue to make up lies. They set your bedtime back to where it normally was.

Retaliation implies harm. Removing special privileges allowed isn't harming you, it's putting you on the same playing field as everyone else. Just because you continue to cry, even after that is explained to you, doesn't mean you were ever actually harmed.
chap
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Bill Clinternet said:

Definitely Not A Cop said:

Bill Clinternet said:

The argument here is this; Would DeSantis have taken over Reedy Creek had Disney not been "woke"? I think it is clear he would not have and neither did any Florida governor before him.

While he is right about Woke being bull****, this could have and should have been approached in a different way.


There are plenty of woke companies in Florida. DeSantis removed special privileges they allowed Disney because they made up lies to campaign against him. Punishing isn't the same thing, and you know this.
So he used his office to retaliate against them?

That right there is basically stating he violated their First Amendment Rights. You guys on the right can blame Citizens United for that.

So which is it?




This is an exhaustingly lazy take. He signed a bill passed by the legislature. He didn't "use his office" to punish.
txags92
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Bill Clinternet said:

Definitely Not A Cop said:

Bill Clinternet said:

The argument here is this; Would DeSantis have taken over Reedy Creek had Disney not been "woke"? I think it is clear he would not have and neither did any Florida governor before him.

While he is right about Woke being bull****, this could have and should have been approached in a different way.


There are plenty of woke companies in Florida. DeSantis removed special privileges they allowed Disney because they made up lies to campaign against him. Punishing isn't the same thing, and you know this.
So he used his office to retaliate against them?

That right there is basically stating he violated their First Amendment Rights. You guys on the right can blame Citizens United for that.

So which is it?


Read the first 20 pages of the thread. Punishment would be treating them worse than everybody else. They were treating them special before, now they just get the same treatment everybody else gets. If they are not singling them out for worse treatment than their peer group, they are not being punished.
FL_Ag1998
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txags92 said:

Bill Clinternet said:

Definitely Not A Cop said:

Bill Clinternet said:

The argument here is this; Would DeSantis have taken over Reedy Creek had Disney not been "woke"? I think it is clear he would not have and neither did any Florida governor before him.

While he is right about Woke being bull****, this could have and should have been approached in a different way.


There are plenty of woke companies in Florida. DeSantis removed special privileges they allowed Disney because they made up lies to campaign against him. Punishing isn't the same thing, and you know this.
So he used his office to retaliate against them?

That right there is basically stating he violated their First Amendment Rights. You guys on the right can blame Citizens United for that.

So which is it?


Read the first 20 pages of the thread. Punishment would be treating them worse than everybody else. They were treating them special before, now they just get the same treatment everybody else gets. If they are not singling them out for worse treatment than their peer group, they are not being punished.


Psst, Bill Clinternet really isn't interested in the truth or having an intellectually honest conversation about this topic. He's just here to play devil's advocate and stir the pot.
Im Gipper
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Look I hate the woke mob as much as you guys do.


Cue Ron Burgandy "I don't believe you" gif

I'm Gipper
The Banned
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Definitely Not A Cop said:

That's factually not. I'll put this in a way you can understand.

You live at home with your parents. You have a bed time at 8. You tell your parents that you deserve special privileges to stay up until 11:30 because you have been doing lots of chores around the house and have been acting really good. Your parents agree.

Your parents then find out that you are using the time to go on the internet and spread complete lies about your parents.it has become so widespread that your parents place of employment finds out and starts questioning your parents whether these lies are true. Your parents tell you that you no longer deserve to have special privileges if you are going to continue to make up lies. They set your bedtime back to where it normally was.

Retaliation implies harm. Removing special privileges allowed isn't harming you, it's putting you on the same playing field as everyone else. Just because you continue to cry, even after that is explained to you, doesn't mean you were ever actually harmed.
FL_Ag1998
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I love this article. Claims Desantis has lost the battle with Disney. His argument is stretched so thin you can see through it.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/crucial-mistake-lost-desantis-fight-132032603.html

Oh wait, its a hit piece by a former Florida Republican House member. But why would he criticize Desantis? Well maybe it has something to do with him being such a Trump fanboy that he attempted to rename a FL highway after Trump.

https://wsvn.com/news/local/florida-lawmaker-proposes-renaming-florida-highway-after-trump/

This is a guy who plagarized his undergrad thesis. No wonder the article is so bad.
Ag with kids
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Bill Clinternet said:

Definitely Not A Cop said:

Bill Clinternet said:

The argument here is this; Would DeSantis have taken over Reedy Creek had Disney not been "woke"? I think it is clear he would not have and neither did any Florida governor before him.

While he is right about Woke being bull****, this could have and should have been approached in a different way.


There are plenty of woke companies in Florida. DeSantis removed special privileges they allowed Disney because they made up lies to campaign against him. Punishing isn't the same thing, and you know this.
So he used his office to retaliate against them?

That right there is basically stating he violated their First Amendment Rights. You guys on the right can blame Citizens United for that.

So which is it?


Whose First Amendment rights?

DeSantis has not done anything to Disney.

However, his admin did sign a law dissolving Reedy Creek. They are separate legal entities.

Sorry your gotcha lost...
nortex97
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Sort of interesting background story about Disney's idiot management going back many years now.

aggiehawg
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Problems continue to pile up for Disney. Now a potential criminal investigation?

Quote:

We should've been dreaming of working for the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) because the former entity that had quasi-governmental authority over the Disney property and surrounding areas lavished millions of dollars worth of perks on its employees, funneling that money into Disney's coffers at taxpayers' expense.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CTFOD) has continued to do yeoman's work proving that the RCID had outlived its usefulness and run its course. On Tuesday, the CTFOD board announced in a press release that it has reached out to the state inspector general regarding what it discovered about RCID's scheme to shovel millions of taxpayer dollars back to Disney.

"For decades, the former Disney-run RCID used taxpayer funds to provide season passes and amusement experiences to its employees and their family members, cover the cost of discounts on hotels, merchandise, food, and beverages, and give its own board members VIP Main Entrance passes," the release states. "In 2022 alone, it cost taxpayers over $2.5 million."

The board also points out that "the scheme raises significant questions regarding self-dealing as the board members were only permitted a maximum of $100 per month in compensation per the Reedy Creek Improvement District Act."
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It all stems from an invoice from Disney to the RCID that the CFTOD board found. It's dated Dec. 31, 2021, and the total rings up to $533,522.00. You can see the full invoice at the bottom of this article, but let's look at how it breaks down.

The first section of the invoice features charges of $492,382.96 for "Q1 FY22 Tickets." The RCID staff and their families also received discounts on merchandise, food, beverages, water park usage, mini-golf, and something called "service awards" all at the expense of taxpayers.

The second section of the invoice details over $33,000 in room charges for RCID employees. These charges include discounts at Disney's Yacht Club Resort, Disney's Wilderness Lodge, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, and Disney's Coronado Springs Resort all deluxe resorts where many hardworking Americans can't afford to stay along with stays at Disney-owned resorts in Vero Beach, Fla., and Hilton Head, S.C. Once again, these are basically government handouts.

"Immediately upon discovering the scheme, the CFTOD set in motion plans to eliminate it," the board announced in the press release. "All CFTOD employees who require access to Disney premises to perform their official duties will still be able to access them."
LINK

Andrew breaks it down in this short ideo.
aggiehawg
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Ongoing stream discussing these issues.

aggiehawg
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Holy crap! Notonly did the regular Board members and employees of the old Reddy Creek received tens of thousand worth of passes, free hotel stays and other access to Disney Worls but he Reddy Creek firefighters did as well and now since the new district saw that in the audit and stopped it (because it is ilegal) they are crying.

Public employees are not allowed to accept such gifts from private entities, nor can a governmental unit such as an improvement district give such gifts, spending taxpayer funds to do so.

The deeper we get nto this, the more criminality is uncovered.
FL_Ag1998
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My lord, this is going to be even more beautiful than I ever imagined!
TRM
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Huge mistake.
aggiehawg
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TRM said:

Huge mistake.

Inevitable. The state court case would eviscerate those "federal" claims anyway. And Disney lost their handpicked friendly federal judge who was forced to recuse himself for bias.
nortex97
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rgvag11
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Their Star Wars series has been entertaining. Andor is very good.
TRM
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fka ftc
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This is another hiccup in Disney v DeSantis, but overall a bad look for RonnieD if he is connected to the guy who got the deal, which appears to be the case. It may be just optics, but they are poor optics for DeSantis.

https://www.wdwmagic.com/other/reedy-creek-improvement-district/news/25oct2023-desantis-cftod-cancels-todays-meeting-amid-reports-of-a-million-dollar-deal-with-a-close-associate-of-the-boards-ceo.htm
Quote:

The cancellation comes alongside news that CFTOD CEO Glen Gilzean reportedly awarded a million-dollar 911 service contract to a close associate of Gilzean and Ron DeSantis, Freddie Figgers. Figgers is also a member of the ethics commission that Glen Gilzean was a part of until he was forced to leave the position due to a conflict of interest with his position as CEO of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

WFTV9 in Orlando reports that according to emails, CFTOD employees contacted Figgers as the CEO of Figgers communication consulting firm for his services in early August. Then, less than a week later, a contract was sent over for approval, and the deal was done without open bids from other companies.
annie88
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However, if we set precedents of allowing public officials to use their office to punish political opponents we are opening up a very bad can of worms.

Have you seen what they've been doing to Trump? That's exactly what the Biden administration and the Democrats have been doing. And not just him.
Currently a happy listless vessel and deplorable. #FDEMS TRUMP 2024.
Fight Fight Fight.
Definitely Not A Cop
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More proof that DeSantis is the only candidate effectively fighting the left's lawfare tactics.
fka ftc
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Seems to me more like he employs establishment principles by having his new pet oversight board give no bid deals to friends.

Add in the very lucrative tax incentives and other special district deals for Universals new park and it seems we have politics picking the winners and losers amongst private companies.

It's not about Disney and DeSantis in particular, it's about how the optics can be used to attack his campaign. Thinks like the tourism board giving a no bid to a RonnieD friend are not going to be helpful to his efforts for higher office.
captkirk
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I'll allow it gif
TRM
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Yup huge mistake.

annie88
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aggiehawg said:

TRM said:

Huge mistake.

Inevitable. The state court case would eviscerate those "federal" claims anyway. And Disney lost their handpicked friendly federal judge who was forced to recuse himself for bias.


Biased judges?

Certainly you jest.
Currently a happy listless vessel and deplorable. #FDEMS TRUMP 2024.
Fight Fight Fight.
PA24
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nortex97 said:

Sort of interesting background story about Disney's idiot management going back many years now.


Great read…thanks
But, one thing is clear: there can be little debate that, among other things, the President's pressure exerted on Vice President Pence to violate his oath, and the false hope it sent to emotionally charged supporters, was wrong, troubling, and impeachable.
Liz should be commended, not condemned, for standing up in defense of the Constitution and standing true to herself
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SockStilkings
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Has nothing to do with DeSantis taking over RCID, which to date has been nothing but stumbling from DeSantis's chosen leaders of the CFTOD, but it is encouraging for Disney shareholders and supporters to see them move back to focusing on traditional IP, the parks and "delighting audiences".

But none of that is because of Ron DeSantis.
TRM
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Yes fka ftc, DeSantis pointing out that they don't have family friendly messaging wasn't a portion of his complaint against Disney.
SockStilkings
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TRM said:

Yes fka ftc, DeSantis pointing out that they don't have family friendly messaging wasn't a portion of his complaint against Disney.
No idea why you are referring to another poster in a reply to me, but correlation and causation are not the same thing.

The don't say gay bill fiasco and other disney missteps are not all due to the great Ronnie D. Part of it, yes. But if you think Ronnie D is the one driving pressure at Disney that is pretty laughable.
Farmer1906
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EXCLUSIVE: Independent Audit Blasts Disney For Pulling 'Bait And Switch' On Florida: 'A Mousetrap'


Quote:

Disney secured the ability to effectively govern itself in Florida for more than half a century by performing a "bait and switch" on the state, and used its "complete and unaccountable governmental power" to "maximize its profits" at "the expense of the public good," according to an independent audit of the entertainment giant's role in the state.

The audit of the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), which was established by Florida to bring Disney's business to the state in 1966, found that Disney seized complete control of the government entity, and used the structure to establish itself as one of the world's largest corporations. The report, which was obtained exclusively by The Daily Wire, says the steps Disney took to maintain control over RCID are "shocking," and that its establishment "facilitated the most egregious exhibition of corporate cronyism in modern American history."

The report comes nine months after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis eliminated the Disney-controlled district, in a move his critics said was motivated by his political fight with the company. DeSantis said he took action because Disney should "live under the same laws as everybody else," and that "allowing a corporation to control its own government is bad policy."

The audit's findings will likely be seen as a vindication of DeSantis, with the report stating that RCID's 55-year stint "represented a stunning deviation from the good governance standards of the State of Florida."

The audit consisted of a forensic audit of the district's finances, as well as an analysis of governing structures and urban planning. It found that Disney used shady tactics to maintain its control of power, hand-picking government officials, and making payments to district employees that were "akin to bribes." It also used the district to avoid taxation, and thrust costs on taxpayers in surrounding communities.

Definitely Not A Cop
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He just keeps winning.
aggie93
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SockStilkings said:

TRM said:

Yes fka ftc, DeSantis pointing out that they don't have family friendly messaging wasn't a portion of his complaint against Disney.
No idea why you are referring to another poster in a reply to me, but correlation and causation are not the same thing.

The don't say gay bill fiasco and other disney missteps are not all due to the great Ronnie D. Part of it, yes. But if you think Ronnie D is the one driving pressure at Disney that is pretty laughable.
The Parental Rights Bill was such a disaster that DeSantis won re-election by 20 points and got a Super Majority in the Leg. Count me in for that kind of disaster.
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amercer
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Definitely Not A Cop said:

He just keeps winning.


I mean that's one way to look at his current stature in the republican primary…

There is some irony to him chastising other republicans for the impeachment push by pointing out (correctly) that voters don't care about that. Because a lot of the things he made be shows out of, and dedicated chunks of his book to, are things voters don't care about.
akm91
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Quote:

Because a lot of the things he made be shows out of, and dedicated chunks of his book to, are things voters don't care about.
Like what for example?
"And liberals, being liberals, will double down on failure." - dedgod
 
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