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Comment by PaulDavisThe1st | Hacker News Reader

While I appreciate a clear explanation of the legal situation surrounding the Reedy Creek bonds, I am still pretty amazed that the fact of a Governor of a state saying explicitly "we are going to punish a corporation for speaking out about our legislation" has not generated more pushback.

I don't think that corporations are people, nor do they deserve the full protection of the first amendment (particularly those incorporated as for-profit). Nevertheless, in the current legal climate, this just seems blatantly, clearly, obviously unconstitutional and yet there's been nary a peep about that aspect of it.

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Even here on hackernews you can see people fiercely defending DeSantis' action as "not retribution", claiming that it's somehow beneficial for Florida to dissolve the district.

We're living in strange times. Ideas like like civility and good faith debates have all but disappeared and each side is blaming the other for the state of politics today and continue to use that as an excuse for their own toxic behavior. It's a straight race to the bottom.

I think that there is a feeling that the other side is attempting to move policy forward that is not supported by a majority of constituents but is rather leveraging an artificial amplification on media (social and otherwise) to make it appear otherwise and, as such, is a blatant, clear, and obvious subversion of process. I think that that feeling, whether right or wrong, is used to justify taking the gloves off.

>I think that there is a feeling that the other side is attempting to move policy forward

Which policy?

> this just seems blatantly, clearly, obviously unconstitutional and yet there's been nary a peep about that aspect of it.

I think you could say much the same thing about a for-profit corporation running its own private government.

"Support me on this I'll support you on that" is typical and routine in the halls of legislators, although much quieter. If we look at this as DeSantis telling Disney "support me on this legislation and I'll support more of your self-governing district" it doesn't sound nearly as bad. It kinda happens all the time, everywhere laws and sausages are made.

That isn't what DeSantis said at all. Disney had already spoken, DeSantis said "because you said that, kiss your special district goodbye". This was no backroom deal.

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