If you wouldn’t hire them, why are you voting for them? - Top 3 Takeaways

If you wouldn’t hire them, then why are you voting for them? - Top 3 Takeaways – July 27th, 2022 

1. If you wouldn’t hire them, then why are you voting for them? In commentary that’s as simple as it is brilliant, Senator Rick Scott made the comment in an interview yesterday. He was specifically addressing down ballot and often non-partisan races, which historically voters have struggled with evaluating (as evidenced by the exceedingly low voter turnout for those elections historically, which is something I just happened to be addressing in yesterday’s Q&A). Now, it’d be easy to hear Senator Scott’s commentary, acknowledge that it makes sense, and move on to the next. But I think that’s a mistake. Think about this for a moment. If Americans applied that standard would Joe Biden be president of the United States? How many Americans, if they were asked who they had to hire that would impact their work performance, or to run their business, would have chosen Joe Biden? Really? How many would hire Donald Trump if the well-being of their business or career was on the line? I have little doubt that many people who liked Biden over Trump personally back in November of 2020, and thus voted for him, would no doubt vote differently if... 
2. Their career and family’s wellbeing depended on it. And here’s the irony. In many respects it did, and it does. That’s true in economic policy which can lead to a recession, 41-year inflation, etc. That’s true in mandates and lockdown policies which can force companies out of business and people out of jobs. But wasn’t that also the case with even locally elected officials like school board members? While most of Florida’s School Districts correctly errored on the side of parents and students, along with state legislators and the governor, was it not South Florida’s School Districts who fought them? Fighting first to keep schools closed and for the largely unsuccessful remote learning model? And after having failed to keep schools closed, having then fought to keep mask mandates in place (which was scientifically proven to significantly inhibit learning). All of these decisions directly impacted parents, our children, our communities, and even our careers, as parents had to adjust to work within the parameters pushed onto them by these school districts. This is a specific illustration of the common saying of elections having consequences. But it’s also a standard which makes a lot of sense when voting up and down the ballot. If you don’t know enough about someone to know whether you would hire them given the opportunity, should you just hire them anyway? Or is that an indication that you should learn more about them first. And at the same time, if you wouldn’t hire someone as though your family’s well-being depended on them, is it a good idea to be voting for them? This is a simple, yet brilliant standard of evaluation introduced by Senator Scott which if applied is an indication as to if we really know enough about candidates to vote for them, a standard with which transcends typical left-right politics, and an applied consideration for each race paying it the level of consideration that each should be paid given the impact all elections can and do have on our lives. And as for those lives and where we’re living them... 
3. Migration. It's something we talk a lot about in Florida, because we’ve had a lot of it for a long time. In fact, in a bit of oddity, until recently there were more of us who’d migrated here than those who were born here. The key being until recently. An interesting report just emerging from the Census Bureau now shows most Floridians starting their careers are native Floridians. In fact, we’re not that far off of the national average now. A specific analysis into the Tampa metro, which is currently the fastest growing in the state, found that at the age of 26, 63% of residents were born in the area. That compares to 70% nationally. This is an indication of a couple of cool developments. The first and biggest is the maturation of Florida’s economy to the point where most natives don’t have to leave the state for great career opportunities, and the other is what this represents going forward. In the melting pot that is the United States, Florida’s long been a melting pot unto itself. For all of the amazing aspects of South Florida in particular, and there are many, one component that is often lacking is a sense of community. The kind that comes from people who’ve put down roots That’s now happening, in the fastest growing part of the state as well as right here in the most populous part of it. For as impressive as Florida’s migration story is and has been, those who are now staying might be the best story of all.