… our stupidest state (just as she has long called the University of Georgia the worst university in America). But Florida has always been a major stupidest state contender, and now their incoming Senate president has, I think, tipped things over so that, yes, Florida is the stupidest state.
University of Florida professor Mike Haridopolos (here’s his appropriately shady-looking faculty page) is an absolutely stunning idiot. His idiocy is as stunning as the sun right in your eyes at the tip of Key West at noon.
The faculty didn’t want him appointed, but it’s an old Southern tradition to put politicians – and their wives – in universities so they can pocket money and throw their weight around.
[Haridopolos was hired at the] University of Florida as a guest lecturer in their Department of Political Science at a starting salary of $75,000, nearly double the $40,000 average for the position. UF faculty and the Democratic Party of Florida cited his lack of academic credentials or input by faculty prior to his hiring, as well as perceived conflict between his obligations as a state senator and an employee of the university.
And now a course wouldn’t ya know it! The ol’ boy “failed to disclose on required state forms that he was paid thousands of dollars by the marketing arm of one of the state’s largest appliance retailers for two years.”
Haridopolos told state ethics investigators he didn’t read the directions for filling out a financial disclosure form in 2004, then repeated his mistakes year after year — assuming he was doing it correctly.
“And I feel pretty silly,” he said, according to files released Wednesday. “I mean, I’m a college professor and I didn’t do it right.”
HYUK! And Isa professor and everything!
“I think what I did is I didn’t read the directions that well to start, and I just kept doing the same things year in-year out,” Haridolopos told the investigator, adding he spent no more than an hour filling out the forms.
He also said that he hadn’t read the separate instruction sheet and overlooked the notice that a specific description of assets over $1,000 was required, along with the name and address of his creditors.
October 29th, 2010 at 5:29PM
The guy sounds like a certain Secretary of Treasury who didn’t know enough to fill out his tax forms correctly.
I always thought Florida won hands down as our stupidest, most corrupt state and I disagree with your assessment of Nevada. Nevada’s downright forward-looking compared to Utah with its inhabitants and their messianic zealotry.
October 29th, 2010 at 11:51PM
Truth to tell, my personal list of reasons for staying out of Florida starts with “Flying cockroaches”. “Endemic stupidity” is a close second, though.