What hath tax cuts wrought?

Open up the paper today and you'll see more good times resulting from the odious Crist-Rubio tax cuts. And by "good times," I mean lost jobs, decreased public services, and personal hardships aplenty.

From today's Palm Beach Post:

---

2 courts purge total of 27 jobs

Statewide budget cuts hit home Monday as circuit court officials announced how they trimmed more than $766,000 in salary costs: Eliminate 16 positions.

Among them are law clerks, case managers and administrative staff for magistrates - behind-the-scenes people who help judges and magistrates streamline the crush of cases.

It was not the dramatic furlough of many more employees, including judges' assistants, once considered. Nevertheless, Chief Judge Kathleen Kroll said it will have an impact residents will observe in delays and hindered public access to the court.

The staff cut comes as caseload continues to increase, Kroll said. Legislators created 38 additional crimes in the last session and as the economy falters, court business like foreclosures and domestic violence cases increases.

Chief Deputy Court Administrator Krista Garber said 10 court employees were notified Monday that they have their jobs until July 1. Other eliminated positions were vacant.

Some of the long-term state employees were stunned at the news, Garber said. But most agreed to stay until month's end to help in the transition to fewer staff.

---

Attorneys for Dade's poor vow to spurn most felony cases
Underfunded and overwhelmed with cases, the Miami-Dade Public Defender's office plans to refuse certain cases.

[article appeared in the Post but link is to the original source, the Miami Herald]

The Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office plans to begin turning away thousands of cases in the coming weeks, arguing it is so short-staffed and underfunded that attorneys can't effectively cover their assigned cases.

"We're dancing as fast as we can. We can't keep this up. We don't have any alternative," Public Defender Bennett Brummer said Monday, noting that his attorneys are required by the Constitution to provide adequate representation for indigent defendants.

Brummer's plan: Refuse most felony cases. The office will continue to take cases in juvenile and misdemeanor court and the most serious felony cases -- first-degree murders and capital sexual batteries.

Broward Public Defender Howard Finkelstein is considering a similar measure.

"No public defenders office can provide effective assistance because we are overwhelmed with cases and have inexperienced lawyers and have high turnover," Finkelstein said. "There is a line as public defenders we cannot walk across. The judicial system is crumbling."

Brummer blames state legislators for creating the problem.

"These people have a choice as to how much conduct to criminalize," he said. "They should be living within their means, too. They can posture and be tough on crime without regard for their ability to support the courts that are necessary to process their cases."

But state Sen. Victor Crist [no relation to Gov. Crist, except that they're both Republicans], chair of the Justice Appropriations Committee, said Brummer is grandstanding "because the cuts weren't that severe and they can find better ways to deal with them."

---

Way to go, Charlie! How nice that a former state attorney general can manage, as governor, to "crumble" the judicial system. Thirty-eight new crimes and millions of dollars less to prosecute them ... which is okay, because the defendants won't have their constitutional access to representation anyway.

And don't you love Sen. Crist's response? It's another version of "I've got mine, so screw you" -- the standard bleat of the overfed, selfish, rich-and-ignorant Republican.

Of course, the damage isn't limited to Florida, as the Bush Boom(!) has brought us this sampling of headlines and subheaders in today's Business section:

Construction bust takes toll across economy

Big losses force out CEO at Wachovia: Bank's shares plunged 58% in year

WaMu does corporate reshuffling

Economic lags, bank shake-ups blamed for Wall Street retreats

Boca-based tech firm reports loss

Airline losses forecast

U.S. Marriotts weak

Honestly, I can't understand how anyone in command of their senses can vote Republican this year ... well, any year, really, but especially this year. The economy in Florida and nationally is in the shitter, and it's Republican policies that have led to this near disaster.

At least in Palm Beach County, they're doing something about it, by considering an 8.3% increase in county property taxes to try to staunch the bleeding caused by the statewide GOP tax cuts. But the damage is done already, and if Sen. Victor Crist's callous disregard for the citizenry is any indication, it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Destroying Florida: it's the Republican way

Okay, class. Pick up your number 2 pencils ... and ... begin:

1. You live in a state in a fiscal crisis, with municipal services being cut, state employees being laid off, and facing an additional $24 billion cut in revenue over the next five years. In addition, there's always the threat of a natural disaster, but the revenue cuts have limited your state's ability to respond adequately to a catastrophe. And you're a decisionmaker who can help influence the economic course of your state in the future. What's the first thing you do?

1. Explore options for increasing state revenue through higher taxes.
2. Propose limits on state spending by eliminating superfluous programs
3. Develop a plan to reduce the flow of state money to municipalities even further by capping revenue, making sure to exempt your hometown
4. Quit your job and move to Paraguay before the grand jury can indict you
5. None of the above

Well, if you are Duval County Tax Collector Mike Hogan, although you ought to pick "D," you choose "C." And you're a batshit crazy wingnut as well.

Hogan is a member of the infamous Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, which we discussed yesterday as a committee thereof tries to route state money to churches. This is a wholly separate proposal in which Hogan is trying to put the brakes on rampant government spending.

Wait ... we have rampant government spending in Florida? Uh, no. Quite the contrary, in fact -- our municipalities generally are damn near bankrupt. But that's not stopping Hogan and his, um, heroes:

An economist hired by the commission predicts that despite Florida's slow economy, the measure will force the state to cut $1.2 billion in taxes by the 2010-11 fiscal year and local governments to cut $375 million. While that will give taxpayers more money to spend, Miami economist Tony Villamil predicts it will also slow the state's economic engine and decrease employment.

The caps will allow people to keep more of their money, he said, but private-sector employment will rise only moderately and wages will decline. The result will reduce the state's overall economic output, he said.

Hogan modeled his original version after the controversial Taxpayer's Bill of Rights Colorado passed in 1992 and suspended in 2005. Similar proposals are being promoted in dozens of other states by conservative and libertarian groups. Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio touts it as a key component to making the state more affordable for working families.

If the amendment gets on the ballot and passes, Rubio told a group of tax cut proponents from Miami on Tuesday, "never again will government grow faster than our economy."

He predicted that Hogan's changes will be enough to win the commission's approval.

If the cap had been in place between 2001-06, Miami-Dade and Broward counties would have been forced to return billions in property-tax revenue and an undetermined amount in other revenue.

The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning Washington-based think tank, estimates the state would have had to reduce taxes $5.6 billion during that time.

Hogan, a former Jacksonville state legislator, says the cap is needed to let taxpayers "have some say about what they pay."

But opponents warn that Florida shouldn't make the same mistake as Colorado, which suspended its spending and revenue cap at the urging of the business community, after school funding declined from 35th to 49th in the nation, higher education spending dropped by 31 percent and money for work on roads and bridges disappeared.

Five Colorado business leaders, including leading Republicans, sent letters to members of the Florida Taxation and Budget Commission on Tuesday, urging them to reject the "rigid" formula and avoid their headaches.

Only in Florida could we model a program after another state's program THAT FAILED. And naturally the Taxpayer's Best Friend Wang's™ Bacterial Infection Marco Rubio just loves the idea. After all, he never met a destructive fiscal policy he didn't like. Plus, we've got all these bodies of water in which to drown the government! Yippee!

Marco, of course government won't grow faster than the economy if this passes. Both of them are going to shrink away to nothing ... which is what you want, isn't it?

Oh, and the best part? Hogan exempted his own city from the revenue cuts:

Hogan has excluded government-owned airports, seaport and utility services from the revenue caps. He has exempted special taxing districts, state universities and community colleges. He has carved out an exemption for cities and counties that consolidate services -- a measure that would give special benefits to Jacksonville and Duval County.

Rubio and Hogan and their cronies will stop at nothing to destroy Florida economically while simultaneously covering their own asses. If they haven't succeeded already, maybe this proposal will achieve their dream of utter ruin; if not, I'm sure they have another plan up their sleeves. People like them aren't just dangerous -- they're malicious, craven and, yes, batshit crazy.

The high cost of the property tax amendment

Florida voters on Tuesday passed a new constitutional amendment reducing property taxes. In classic conservative style, the amendment will slash $9.2 billion in tax revenue between now and 2013, and $7.7 billion of that will have to be cut from the budgets of nearly every municipality in the state. And remember, the legislature previously cut $15 billion in property taxes over the same period.

The impact of this enormous, unprecedented revenue loss is going to be felt for years to come. Already counties and local governments are trying to figure out how they're going to cope ... if they can at all.

Many said this round of cuts is going to be tougher - and could require layoffs and a reduction in services. Already, most cities and counties have a hiring freeze.

"People have to understand this: You can't get more for less," West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel said.

County Administrator Bob Weisman said he's directed all county department heads to prepare budgets that are 5 percent smaller than last year. He said "it's very possible" that county employees will be laid off.

Ultimately, he said, county commissioners could have to decide between two unpopular ideas: Budget cuts or an increase in the property tax rate.

Palm Beach County government expects to collect $35 million less next year, assuming the property tax rate stays the same. Fire-rescue officials predict an $11 million loss and county libraries, $2 million.

Many officials were stunned Wednesday that the amendment passed because it needed 60 percent voter approval to become part of the state's constitution.

Boynton Beach City Manager Kurt Bressner e-mailed city employees Wednesday morning about the tax amendment, which should result in about $3.5 million less in revenues in the next fiscal year.

"I was surprised by the results," Bressner said. "But it is what it is, I'm afraid."

And, as usual in this fucked-up state, one of the hardest hit areas will be public education.

The amendment was expected to cost public schools statewide $1.5 billion over five years. In hopes of quashing fears that the proposal would hurt schools, Gov. Charlie Crist released his budget recommendation early to show an increase for education spending. But lawmakers panned the recommendation as unrealistic.

"We're hopeful that the legislature will follow the governor's lead and continue to hold education harmless," said Michael Burke, the school district's chief financial officer. If not, the school district expects to collect $12.8'million less in the first year.

Cities are going to face layoffs and extraordinary cuts in the services they provide, because they simply won't be able to afford them. Sure, as Palm Beach County School District superintendent Art Johnson said in the article, "People vote with their pocketbooks," but I think the problem goes deeper than that.

At the surface, there's an enormous lack of understanding among most citizens, in Florida and nationwide, about the importance of sufficient tax revenue to support the services we expect as members of this society. But I've given this some thought, ever since my radio show on Monday when I introduced this idea, and it seems obvious that conservatism is fundamentally a selfish ideology. Why else would people vote to save themselves a relative pittance in property taxes while gutting our counties, cities, and schools? Moreover, the tax cut benefits only property owners -- the wealthier among us -- but those who don't own property (renters) will incur the brunt of the cuts in social services. And if you say that the landlords will pass the tax savings on to the renters, well, don't be silly -- you and I both know that's not going to happen.

So, once again, we've cut off our nose to spite our face. And this problem isn't going to go away in a year or two. Even if we elect Democrats to office in droves (and we should), we're going to experience tremendous problems across Florida thanks to the selfishness of the Republicans, led by Gov. Crist (whose face adorned pro-amendment billboards all over America's Wang™).

And so the rich get richer. Why, it's the American way!

Libertarians? Anarchists? Or just delusional?

Interesting sign at Raymond James Stadium ... and even more interesting that it was shown on the big screen in the stadium no fewer than two times. It read (I'm paraphrasing here):

GO BUCS
NO PROPERTY TAXES
2.5% SALES TAX ONLY

Now, I'm no economic genius, but in a state already decimated fiscally and in serious danger of real economic catastrophe, I don't think eliminating all property taxes and gutting the sales tax (currently 6% plus a local option by county, generally 1/2% or 1%) is going to make things better. Unless, of course, your idea of "better" is Lord of the Flies.

I don't go to football games for politics. Especially absurd politics.

At least the Bucs won ...

An expert looks at Florida's fiscal fracas

The expert is none other than former governor and U.S. senator Bob Graham, whose op-ed in the St. Petersburg Times yesterday reminds us that Florida has far to go in fixing the current budget crisis, and short-term solutions are only going to make it worse.

With vital needs escalating but revenues falling, legislators should take several steps in the special session to protect Florida from future economic storms.

The first is to heed the adage that when you're in a hole, stop digging. Earlier this year, the Legislature put a proposed constitutional amendment to slash local property taxes. That may look good on the surface, but consider the fine print. Under that amendment, Florida public schools would lose $7-billion over the next five years.Last week, teachers and students won a reprieve when a Florida circuit court struck the amendment from the ballot. Rather than spending more taxpayer dollars to appeal the decision or using valuable time in the October special session to revise the amendment, the Legislature should defer it to a better fiscal climate or at least develop a credible plan to hold public schools harmless from its impacts.

Second, we must jump start long-term economic growth. From 1985 to 1990, Florida's average per capita income was 100.3 percent of the national average. By the 2000 to 2005 period, our average was only 96.4 percent. Had we not experienced that drop, Florida families would have earned, on average, almost $4,000 more each year. The governor and Legislature should commit to policies designed to return Florida families to an above national average per capita income - and the best way to do that is to provide our public schools and universities with the financial support they need.

Third, we must evaluate past revenue reductions. Many of the tax breaks enacted over the last decade were justified as necessary to stimulate economic growth. Those particular cuts cost the state $2.5-billion last year alone. Given the current state of Florida's economy and the slide in relative per capita income, the Legislature should repeal any tax cuts which do not more than pay their way in verifiable economic growth.

I've been saying for quite some time now that Florida is just one bad hurricane or other disaster away from bankruptcy. Some have said I'm too pessimistic, but I continue to believe that the Republicans in charge of the state's pursestrings will stop at nothing to prove that they're all for tax cuts ... even if that means killing the state economically.

When you read "tax cuts," think "service cuts," and think about what a Florida without municipal services (for the municipalities are the ones who end up bearing the brunt of the Legislature's "generosity") might look like. In short, tax cuts for their own sake will strangle us. And we'll only have the Republicans to thank for that.

Fuck Kumbaya!

Okay, that title ought to get me blocked on a lot of servers ... but that's basically what a couple of south Florida Democrats are saying today about getting along with their fellow state senators. Well, at least that's my uncivil interpretation ...

State Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Parkland, said it's nice that senators of both parties work together on most issues, unlike the more partisan House, where the Republican majority often ignores the minority party.

But, Ring said, the looming budget cuts coming in a special legislative session next month, are too important to avoid the toughest choices.

For Democrats "last year was a nice year. It was kind of Kumbaya. We worked kind of well together," Ring said. "No more. We've got to stand up now. We've got to stop being this Kumbaya."

The current approach favored by Senate leaders involves across the board cuts to the state budget to close the gap created by a shortfall in expected tax revenue to the state.

"What we're afraid of is they're going to cut some real money out of education and cut real money out of health care [and] cut real money out of social services," Ring said at Tuesday night's meeting of the Broward Democratic Party.

Sen. Ring and fellow Sen. Ted Deutch (D-Boca Raton) are taking it to the GOP in exactly the way I would, by holding their feet to the fire on the tax issues. The Republicans in Tallahassee are strangling the state, putting a few bucks back in the citizens' pockets while decimating municipalities and the services they provide (not to mention schools, community colleges, and universities).

Democrats need to be different, [Ring] said.

"No more of this Kumbaya up in the state Legislature. We have got to realize it is our job. We are the last defense to protect our children, our senior citizens, and our disabled."

Deutch said the budget needs to be balanced. But he said it makes no sense to simply cut $400 million from education and more than $400 million from health care without legislatures "engag(ing) in the difficult task to find out if there are any other options for increasing our revenue."

Yeah, I know it's just a couple of voices in the woods, but you have to start somewhere. Good on ya, Jeremy and Ted. Keep the pressure on.

(h/t to Wayne Garcia)

Tax or consequences, part 33⅓

I've become more and more disgusted with the GOP plans to cut taxes in Florida, because I strongly believe that they either don't know or, more likely, don't care what the consequences of those cuts are. Here at Blast Off!, we've looked at the effect the revenue cuts will have on municipalities and universities as well as some of the more esoteric yet damaging results on other agencies in the state.

Tonight, let's focus on the property tax cuts that will be on the ballot in America's Wang™ in January. I think the headline in this morning's Sun-Sentinel says it all: "New tax break would help most, but don't expect a fortune."

Of course, what the headline means by "help" and what I would define as "help" might be two different things.

A South Florida Sun-Sentinel analysis showed that 63 percent of those who own a primary residence in Palm Beach County would benefit, which is more than the 52 percent legislative analysts had predicted. However, the average savings is far less — $1,212 — than the Legislature estimated, the Sun-Sentinel found. State analysts said the average savings would top $2,000 in the first year.

Among the potential beneficiaries of the new, bulked-up homestead exemption, about one in three — 76,891 homeowners — would pocket less than $500 in savings the first year, the Sun-Sentinel analysis of tax data showed.

Even homeowners who benefit should be wary about embracing the new exemption, experts say, because there would be no cap to protect them from dramatic jumps in real estate taxes such as with Save Our Homes.

"The taxes are going to go up over the long run," said Chris Bender of Wellington, an engineer who would save $1,267 on his initial tax bill on his $463,000 home in the Village Walk development. But he said he prefers Save Our Homes because of the 3 percent cap on yearly tax value increases.

"Sure, I stand to save money, but in the long run, I pay more and it's bad for the economy. I don't know how it got through."

The "super exemption" is the centerpiece of a package Gov. Charlie Crist and the Legislature tout as the largest tax cut in Florida's history.

Now, it's true that if the proposal passes, homeowners will be able to choose between the new program and the Save Our Homes program. But the real cost of the program is, once again, the cuts to services that Floridians expect to receive, but won't because of the ever-diminishing state coffers.

It's a shame that our leaders don't understand. I'll bet the 45 people laid off by the city of Boca Raton last week understand. Sadly, more Floridians will understand -- and suffer -- if the Republicans get their way.

Tax or consequences, part deux

A couple of weeks ago, I noted how many municipalities (and other entities, like schools) here in America's Glans™ are facing serious budget cuts thanks to the Rubio-Crist tax cuts. You know, the couple of hundred dollars in Floridians' pockets that's supposed to make up for the drastic rollbacks in -- or elimination of -- key services.

Gov. Crist and House Speaker Marco Rubio (R-You Happy Now?), among others, asked state agencies to produce a list of possible cuts that they could take to address the budget shortfalls. The lists are due today, and you're going to love what they've come up with:

Poor pregnant women could face extra hurdles to get a Caesarean section. Some criminals could spend less time in prison. Hospitals might lose money they get to treat poor immigrants. Tipsters could get less reward money to help find missing kids.

[...]

Monroe County could lose a juvenile detention center. Florida residents who attend the University of Miami could get less financial aid. The Fort Lauderdale-based nonprofit A Child is Missing could lose state money it uses to issue alerts for missing children.

Hospitals, nursing homes and HMOs across the state could lose hundreds of millions they now receive to take care of the poor, and the elderly covered by Medicaid.

[...]

Among [other] possible cuts:

• Letting convicted criminals now allowed out during the day to remain in half-way houses at night, or other community facilities instead of locking them back up.

The Department of Corrections also has recommended delaying some new prison construction and releasing some convicts sooner, although sex offenders would be excluded from this proposal.

• Cutting state investigators now used to track down public assistance fraud and doctors and pharmacies that sell drugs illegally.

• Capping the amount of money hospitals now get to take care of immigrants and requiring pregnant women to get pre-authorization to have Caesarean births. The Agency for Health Care Administration has noted that more than 40 percent of all births in Miami-Dade County and billed to Medicaid are C-sections. The agency has suggested cutting benefits paid to more than 17,000 people in the state's Medically Needy program.

• Closing juvenile detention centers in several counties, including one in Monroe.

• Cutting back the number of sites with underground petroleum tanks that are cleaned up.

The Department of Education has outlined nearly $1 billion worth of proposed cuts, most of which target money that now flows to all 67 school districts. The Education Department has also suggested a 10 percent cut in financial aid for Florida college students who attend private universities.

Chickens. Home. Roost.

Floridians, especially Republican enablers, need to understand this simple equation: the few hundred dollars in your pocket won't pay for the stuff you're losing. We're not talking about trivial stuff. We're talking about freed convicts, reduced or eliminated health care for the poor, less money for schools already swimming in red ink.

Now, I know you "conservatives" don't care much about that sort of thing; after all, you've got yours, so who cares, right? (Well, maybe you'll care about the freed convicts ... you know, SCARY! FEAR! FOX NEWS! FRIGHTENING! But I'm not holding my breath ...)

I've said it before and I'll say it again: this state is on the brink of financial ruin. Far be it from me to be Chicken Little about this, but until the voters of (much of) America's Wang™ quit voting with their racist, homophobic, fundie hearts and start voting with their brains (if possible), we're going to see more and more of this kind of pandering, dangerous decisionmaking in Tallahassee.

Tax or consequences

Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio and his pals in Tallahassee have been crowing about their success in bringing tax "relief" to the people of America's Wang™.

And now we begin to see the consequences. Behold what the Republicans ... excuse me, the fucking Republicans ... are doing to our state, using two Palm Beach County municipalities as examples.

First, Boca Raton:

A report submitted to the state Agency for Workforce Innovation this week revealed the city of Boca Raton might lay off up to 75 employees because of budget cuts.

It appears to hint at how the city might deal with state-mandated budget cuts, though with council members on an extended break over the summer and the city manager's budget recommendations not expected until next month, the city has offered few specifics.

[...]

"It really is a what-if scenario," said Patrick Canann, director of public relations with the alliance center, which also helps employers contemplating layoffs learn what services are available for their employees.

The what-if scenario for Boca Raton, which the Workforce Innovation agency mistook for an official layoff notice and posted on its Web site Monday, follows up on prior comments by city leaders that budget cuts could result in layoffs.

Meanwhile, just up the coast in Delray Beach:

Proposed budget cuts have City Manager David Harden searching high and low for ways to pinch pennies - from laying off the city's only state lobbyist to having floors polished just once a year - as he struggles to save money and inevitably save jobs.

City commissioners postponed voting on the proposed tax rate this week so Harden could have a few more days to study the $99 million budget and find more ways to trim the spending plan. Harden still needs to cut another $1 million to meet 2005-2006 budget levels.

The proposed budget imposes a tax rate of $6.57 per $1,000 of taxable property value, down from $7.30 per $1,000. If approved, it would be the [lowest] tax rate since 1990.

New proposals he plans to discuss with the city commission next week include closing the Veterans Park Recreation Center and cutting the city's state lobbyist, which would save an estimated $200,000. Harden has already suggested that commissioners get rid of the city's federal lobbyist as well.

Yes, that's right, Marco ... and Gov. Crist, too. Your tax cuts, putting a couple hundred dollars back in the hands of Florida taxpayers, have real consequences. They will increase unemployment, disrupt critical services to Floridians, and potentially destroy an economy still reeling from the stormy years of 2004 and 2005.

Indeed, Florida Atlantic University also has had to impose severe financial restrictions. An e-mail to university personnel two weeks ago outlined some of these restrictions:

As a result of the budget shortfall, all state universities and agencies have been asked by the governor and the legislative leadership to prepare for a budget reduction of at least four percent and to identify 10 percent of their budgets that could be eliminated for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 fiscal years. This plan is to be submitted no later than August 8, 2007. For Florida Atlantic University, a four percent reduction will eliminate $7.5 million from our Educational and General budget; a 10 percent reduction would eliminate $18.5 million.

As a university, we have just completed an extensive and collaborative budget development process that resulted in an operating budget of over $500 million. Even before these recently announced budget reductions, we struggled to achieve a balanced budget for 2007-08 due to reduced enrollment growth funding and the governor's veto of an anticipated five percent tuition increase at the undergraduate level. While there was not sufficient funding to support all of our priorities and strategic initiatives, the allocation of new resources was completed with deliberation, thoroughness, and, most importantly, openness and transparency.

Over the next few weeks, we will be working on our budget reduction plan using the same principles we utilized in the development of our 2007-08 operating budget. During this time, we will have comprehensive discussions on where and how these reductions will take place. First, we will look first to innovative ways to maintain services at reduced costs and other operating efficiencies, but these types of initiatives will not cover the full amount of the reduction. Next, we will look at ways to reduce the budget while doing everything possible to fulfill our key mission of educating students while protecting the university's employee, financial, and physical resources. This job will not be easy as each proposed reduction must be evaluated not only in terms of immediate savings but also in long-term benefits and costs.

In addition, the University instituted "a temporary freeze on all travel, equipment purchases from operating capital or expense funds, and filling of [budgeted permanent and temporary] positions."

These cuts are nothing short of catastrophic, and their deleterious effects will be felt for years to come, I'm afraid. The rat bastard Republicans may be able to campaign on tax cuts next year, but I hope the electorate is smart enough to see what they really are: service cuts that will decimate our education, our quality of life, and indeed our very safety and security.

A smart electorate? In Florida? Yeah, color me skeptical ...

Florida's fiscal frustration

There's an interesting juxtaposition of front-page news in the two biggest newspapers in south Florida today.

The Sun-Sentinel features an article about the major budget cuts the state's community colleges are facing, while the Herald conversely trumpets the legislature's approval of a massive property tax cut ... and the Republican-dominated legislature is angling for more tax cuts to come.

From the Sun-Sentinel:

Gov. Charlie Crist has told the state's 28 community colleges, as well as all state agencies, to expect budget cuts of 4 percent to 10 percent because of lower-than-expected tax collections. That could be as much as $115.6 million in cuts statewide. The schools must submit budget reduction proposals by Aug. 8.

The colleges, which serve about 800,000 students a year, will consider limiting hiring, freezing enrollment and salaries, cutting courses and asking the state for special permission to raise tuition this spring.

"The great majority of our student tuition is covered by financial aid, so tuition increases do not have any impact on many of our students, yet are essential to maintaining the college's operations," said Juan Mendieta, a spokesman for Miami Dade College, which faces between $7.9 million and $19.1 million in cuts.

A 4 percent cut at Broward Community College would be almost $3 million, while a 10 percent cut would be $7.4 million.

The cuts come a month after Crist vetoed a 5 percent tuition increase for community colleges and universities.

Indeed, the eleven state universities similarly have been advised to expect budget cuts in the 4-10% range, which makes Gov. Crist's recent veto of a 5% tuition increase for higher education all the more damaging.

Meanwhile, the Herald tells us that, as is their wont, the Republicans don't give a shit:

The Florida Legislature passed the biggest property-tax cut in state history Thursday amid partisan quarrels about relieving over-taxed citizens and gutting schools and emergency services.

The first stage of the complicated two-part plan should save the average taxpayer about 7 percent this year by rolling back, cutting and capping local-government tax collections.

The second stage will ask voters on Jan. 29 to amend the state Constitution and super-size tax exemptions by as much as $195,000 for a home with a market value of $500,000 or more.

Though large, the savings could be smaller than originally billed for the plan, which comes after four months of intense and at-times-secretive legislative haggling.

The $31.6 billion price tag was watered down by as much as $7 billion over five years Thursday when Republicans reduced cuts to some fire-rescue districts and changed the proposed amendment to ensure homeowners could keep their existing Save Our Homes tax cap.

Unchanged: as much as $7.2 billion in cuts school districts could face if the amendment passes. If the amendment fails, schools would be unaffected.

Democrats opposed the amendment on a party-line vote. But fearing the label of "obstructionist, " they abandoned plans to push the vote to November 2008. They predicted voters won't approve the controversial measure anyway because of its "devastating" consequences.

House Speaker Marco Rubio, a West Miami Republican, downplayed the troubles and said he and most taxpayers want more tax cuts, not fewer.

"This is about people's pocketbooks. And people will always put their pocketbooks ahead of politicians, " said Rubio, who proposed about $44 billion in tax cuts this spring. "Ultimately, property-tax reform was something that had to happen, and nothing could stand in the way of it."

The fatal flaw in Rubio's argument, of course, is his claim that "people" will want tax cuts. But will they accept the resulting deep, catastrophic cuts in local and state government services, education, and other items they may take for granted? This isn't pearl-clutching ... these are real cuts that will have to happen:

House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber of Miami Beach said the amendment is doomed because "people are going to go to the polls and say: What kind of choice is this, take money away from school children?"

Republicans said they'll find the money for schools in future years because the state Constitution states that education is of "paramount" importance. Sen. Mike Haridopolos, the Melbourne Republican who leads the Senate tax committee, said people will have to "trust" the Legislature to continue its education spending increases. He issued a pledge to properly fund schools "by any means necessary."

Noting Florida's low graduation rate and low education spending compared to other states, Democratic Sen. Ted Deutch or Boca Raton bristled at Republican claims that Democrats were exaggerating the effects of the tax cuts.

"There is certainty in this bill: that there will be a $7 billion cut to education over four years, " Deutch said, noting that emergency workers painted a dire picture during a Wednesday meeting with Democrats.

"We heard yesterday from the firefighters and from the police that in fact there will be layoffs, " he said. "We don't believe them? Is that the argument?"

The universities and community colleges in particular are facing dire times because of the lack of funding -- believe me, as an employee of a state university, I know it all too well. Meanwhile, the Republicans can crow to their constituents about their "generous" tax reductions ... while those same constituents watch their schools fall even farther behind, their colleges and universities cut programs and enrollment, and their fire and police protection diminish if not disappear altogether.

Forgive me if I'm not exactly reassured by Sen. Haridopolos' urging that we "trust" the legislature to fund education. He's one of the chief architects of the destruction of Florida's tax base, taking much-needed money away from schools and services for the sake of giving a few dollars back to taxpayers. If the intent is to bolster the economy by giving taxpayers more disposable income, is it really worth it to do so at the expense of our children's education? I believe it is not.

And don't even get me started on the Democrats' decision not to move the amendment to November 2008 -- an election almost guaranteed to have huge Democratic turnout. For my part, I'd rather be called "obstructionist" than "weak" or "uncaring," and the Democrats' decision strikes me as both of the latter adjectives ... especially when they, too, are asking us to "trust" that the electorate will reject the amendment. There would have been a much better chance of rejection in a general election with large Democratic turnout than there will be for the January 29 special election.

So, once again, Florida's legislature finds a way to screw us but good. And as long as the majority of people in this state vote on moral issues rather than the issues that really affect us as individuals, long-term, we're going to face the same struggles time and time again.

Sales tax, no ... property tax, wait and see

Well, our best pal Marco Rubio (R-Miami), Florida's speaker of the house, is backing down on his suggestion to raise sales taxes to the highest in the nation.

"All ideas are welcomed as long as we keep in mind what this debate is about: It is about how much taxpayers can afford to pay, not how much government wants," said Rubio, who appears to have backed off his call to eliminate property taxes on primary homes in exchange for an increase in the sales tax.

Sen. Mike Haridopolos, the Melbourne Republican who leads the Senate Finance and Tax Committee, said legislators were not on the verge of sealing a deal, but he expects a lot more consensus in the coming weeks.

"(Rubio) moving off the sales tax swap is a great first step and we're making headway toward providing not just (tax) relief but some reform," Haridopolos said.

Gov. Charlie Crist, during a visit to Fort Lauderdale, said Wednesday he is optimistic the special session will lower property taxes.

"It's a bipartisan, really a nonpartisan approach, where we all realize we have an obligation to work together to do what's right and get this relief to the people of our state. And it's going to come," Crist said.

Some legislators remained skeptical.

"We haven't agreed on a percentage or figure to cut taxes. We haven't agreed on what (relief) goes to (homeowners and business)," said Senate Democratic leader Steve Geller, of Cooper City. "So, what have we agreed on?"

But with the property tax cuts, municipalities still will be facing significant shortfalls from the state, just as so many other state entities (viz., community colleges and universities) already are.

This can only be good news for Republicans.

And bad news for Floridians.

Charlie Crist and the first 100 days

Interesting review of Gov. Crist in the Orlando Sentinel today, as he wraps up his first hundred days in office. One hundred days is a completely arbitrary cut-off, of course, but it's still a good opportunity to weigh the accomplishments and struggles thus far.

Crist on Wednesday will reach 100 days in office. But with the legislative session entering its final weeks and his signature issue of property-tax reform still unsettled, there won't be much time to bask in what even political rivals have called his remarkably successful start.

"The first 100 days have been very good," said Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller of Hallandale Beach. "The next 30 or 40 days are going to be a lot more challenging."

That taxation issue still has the potential to derail the goodwill Crist has built up thus far. He's going to have to bridge the chasm between the tradition of anti-tax Republicanism and the common-sense recognition that the idea of replacing property taxes with sales tax, as proposed by House Speaker Marco Rubio (R-Miami), is utter nonsense.

The new governor has clearly sought to cut his own path as chief executive by challenging the Bush legacy. Early on, Crist blocked almost 300 appointments Bush made to state boards. He also has broken with several of his predecessor's policies on class size, standardized testing and voting machines.

But the complicated property-tax changes and budget could cause Crist to stumble.

"He is the most powerful and popular figure in state government right now," said House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber of Miami Beach. "He stands alone at the top of the hill. But he's going to have to really push for a solution and demand action."

Crist also will have to work the Legislature in its closing weeks to secure his other priorities: funding for new voting machines, expanded stem-cell research and a new merit-pay plan for teachers.

[...]

One of the session's more dramatic moments occurred when Crist telephoned a Port Charlotte retiree, Stan Whitney, who had written him complaining about his insurance bill.

Crist has reached out in other ways, too, by holding "Tallahassee Tuesdays" with regular Floridians at the Governor's Mansion. He also has steadily cast himself as a centrist by appealing to Democrats and their traditional constituencies -- another sharp departure from his staunchly Republican predecessor.

"When he reaches out to minority voters or the teachers union, Crist is doing things no Republican governor has really done," said Darryl Paulson, a University of South Florida government professor.

Crist likely is to rely even more on his populist persona if the property-tax-reform bid stalls in the session's closing weeks. A taxpayers' rally is planned at the Capitol next week, mostly in support of Rubio's plan.

But for Crist, it could also prove the setting for another "Stan Whitney moment" aimed at sparking lawmakers. The governor's timing and political instincts are formidable, most say.

"Jeb Bush saw himself as a chief executive officer running a very large institution," said John "Mac" Stipanovich, a lobbyist and adviser to Crist during the last campaign. "But Charlie is much more about the communications aspect of the job. He's about getting people to follow him in his ideas more than bending someone to his will. So far, it's working very well."

Indeed, as I've said here repeatedly, Gov. Crist is a breath of fresh air compared to Jeb!, for whom the only good policy was one that benefited him or his cronies personally.

There's a long way to go before the full story of the Crist administration will be known, but so far, so good. Certainly, it could be -- and indeed has been -- much, much worse.

Marco and his crazy tax plan

Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio (R-Miami) is sticking to his guns on his proposal to eliminate nearly all property taxes for homeowners and instead raise the sales tax to the highest in America.

But, glory be, he's getting a lot of resistance, even from fellow Republicans:

But even before his tax reform proposal is formally introduced as a bill, Rubio, on the eve of his first regular legislative session as speaker, is under attack by some of his fellow Republicans as well as by some homeowners, who say they'd rather pay reasonable property taxes than go without the services that cities and counties threaten would be cut under the plan.

Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida Senate are giving Rubio's plan a tepid reception, indicating that the package that finally passes may bear little resemblance to the House Republicans' original proposal.

"In deference to the House and to the relationship that has been established between the presiding officers, it will at least be heard in committee," said Senate Rules and Calendar Chairman Jim King, R-Jacksonville.

Indeed, as I recently surmised, there likely would be almost instantaneous challenges to the constitutionality of Rubio's proposal, were it to become law.

Because Rubio's proposed elimination of homestead property taxes also would create a new tax, it would require approval by two-thirds, not tghe usual 60 percent, of voters to be adopted. The speaker's proposal that a law rather than a constitutional amendment is sufficient to roll back local property taxes as well as cap local government spending is also problematic, said Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller.

"It's not clear that they can mandate this. Local governments have certain constitutional rights, and charter counties have other constitutional rights. I am not completely convinced that they're correct that this can be done by statute," said Geller, a Hallandale Beach attorney.

Rubio's biggest problem is that his attitude is so superior, and he seems to have forgotten his roots:

[Said Rubio,] "My dad was a bartender. My mom was a casino maid. I was raised on other people's leftover money. People that now mow their own homes will hire someone to do it. People who now clean their own pools will hire someone to do that. That helps the working class.

"Disposable income is what the working class lives off of. They depend on other people's leftover money," Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, said last week on a Miami talk radio show .

Insulted callers deluged the show, saying Rubio implied that the working poor rely on the wealthy's "leftovers."

"I never said people live off the handouts. The working class depends disproportionately on the discretionary income of others. Those aren't leftovers. Those aren't handouts. That's disposable income," the House speaker said.

"If someone doesn't like this plan, that's perfectly valid. They either need to defend the status quo or they need to offer an alternative."

No, Marco, the wealthy (who will actually be the beneficiaries of your proposal, not the working class ... but you already know that) will not hire others to mow their lawns or clean their pools. Indeed, chances are they already do so. And the people who already do those jobs for themselves will continue to do them, while spending any alleged windfall elsewhere. Fact is, every time there's a tax cut that's supposed to infuse the economy with more spending, it fails. This will be just another example.

And I especially like your logic with, basically, "if you don't like it, come up with something better." It's the same logic used by your heroes in Washington, like Drunky McStagger, regarding the war, pointing to the Democrats and saying, "they don't have an answer!" Well, the war isn't the Democrats' mess, and the tax structure in Florida doesn't need fixing ... unless you're trying to appease your wealthy Republican voters.

Maybe property taxes are too high in many places, but eliminating them and thereby destroying many of the services Florida citizens expect from their government, well, that's no way to address the situation.

Tax reform for the landed gentry

Time to go back to high school history.

In the infancy of the United States, voting rights were enjoyed only by white, male citizens who owned property. Over the years, of course, those restrictions (other than age) were lifted, with the first of these being property ownership.

Now, Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio (R-Miami) wants to reinstate special privileges for property owners by shifting a large portion of the tax burden onto the poor, specifically, by raising Florida's sales tax to the highest in the country (from the current 6% to 8.5%) and reducing or eliminating property taxes altogether. (Florida has no state income tax.)

Not only would lower-income individuals suffer disproportionately under this proposal, it potentially could destroy the tax revenues of municipalities and adversely affect small businesses, which could face reduced sales because of the increased taxes.

A proposed constitutional amendment, if passed by the Legislature, would go to voters later this year or at the 2008 general election.

[...]

The amendment would need at least a two-thirds vote of support from voters.

"This is going to have to be a really, really good idea that's going to have to stand up to political campaigns (opposed to it) statewide," said Rubio.

The state sales tax increase portion of the plan would seek to help local governments contend with the massive revenue losses they would see by losing property tax revenue. That means, though, the poor and others who rent, could see their bills go up because of the sales tax but won't see a direct tax cut because they don't pay property taxes directly, though those costs are typically factored into their rent.

"We must be cautious that we do not shift the tax burden from one group to another," said House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, who offered a cautious response to the Republican plan, also noting that there's high public demand for property tax relief.

Of course, shifting the tax burden to the poor (or, as some would prefer it couched, "shifting it away from the rich") is a long-time Republic Party tactic, and in true GOP fashion, Rubio just doesn't understand why anyone would object.

Rubio rejected criticisms of how it will impact renters, telling reporters that property tax cuts will make home ownership easier to achieve. He also noted that many basic necessities, such as medicines, don't fall under the sales tax. Rubio also didn't rule out the possibility of the Legislature developing the plan to require landlords from passing their property tax savings through to their tenants.

The tax scheme, which Rubio called "just a starting point" for property tax cut talks, is already seeing sharp opposition from a wide array of groups, including advocates for the poor and local government officials concerned about the impacts to the budgets of cities and counties. It's also expected to see opposition from several groups that have been complained loudly about rising property taxes, including out-of-state residents, known as "snowbirds", and landlords.

Let's face it: home ownership is nothing but a pipe dream to tens of thousands of Floridians, who have seen property values skyrocketing at annual rates upwards of 20-25% in some areas over the last several years. Rubio is being disingenuous at best (or callously ignorant at worst) if he truly believes that his plan will help a large number of people buy their own homes. It's more voodoo, trickle-up economics from a Republic legislative majority that just doesn't understand -- or refuses to understand -- what real life is like.

I presently rent a townhouse, but I believe I will own a house again before too long. With my then-wife, I owned three homes, two in Florida and one in Michigan, during the course of our marriage. Even if I were still a homeowner, though, I would oppose this measure, for it transparently benefits one class -- property owners -- over those who do not own property. Indeed, if it passes (and there's still many more hurdles to clear before it does), I wonder if it even could pass muster constitutionally; surely there would be challenges.

At any rate, don't talk to me about "compassionate conservatism." As Marco Rubio reminds us, there's no such thing.