YOU KNOW YOU'RE A FLORIDIAN WHEN ...
Headlines such as “We’ve Done the Bait & Switch” don’t cause even a flicker of discomfort.  Yep, that was a recent headline
in the Tallahassee Democrat just after Governor Scott signed the latest Florida Budget.    No lie.   "We've done the bait and
switch" says State Senator Don Gaetz.  Legislators admit it's dishonest but they say it's necessary.   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE BAIT:   Scott Campaign Promise - We're going to create 700,000 jobs in Florida.  We’re going to reduce the size of
Florida government.

THE SWITCH:  The reduction is being accomplished first by laying off public workers which increases our unemployment.  
The job creation is going to happen by giving these former public service jobs to the private sector.  Neat huh?

BUT SINCE WE REALLY HAVE TO BALANCE THE BUDGET:  Our Governor and Legislators raided Florida’s Trust Funds. Funds
that we taxpayers voted to set up for things like education, health care, road building, and land preservation.  We TRUSTED
the money would be sacred.  I’m not positive it’s gone forever, but I bet it will take a lawsuit to get it back in Trust.  Guess
who pays for everyone’s lawyers in these situations – you got it – the taxpayers.  

… and doesn’t this seem a lot like those bowling league treasurers who are now in jail who couldn’t admit they were broke,
and gosh darn that bowling money was just too tempting?

These strategies might be GREAT for the politicians, but not so great for the families who find themselves unemployed
and/or without benefits and the citizens who trusted we still had money for things we thought were important education,
health care, roads, etc.

It has been my personal experience that private businesses like to contract with government to do public service
jobs.  They get a guaranteed contract, provide the service any way they want, hire the least qualified people, pay them the
lowest wage without benefits; hire and fire as they please, and of course make a profit which is their rightful goal.  If it
doesn't work out, they cancel the contract, change their name, and bid on the next "privatized public service" job.   And of
course the public doesn’t know any of this so we continue to gripe about incompetent government workers.

The whole point of having public employees is to provide essential services without profit to an employer, to ensure
the least amount of corruption, and to honorably employ our citizens.  If there was money to be made honestly the
private sector wouldn’t want any part of these thankless jobs.  Firing competent, reliable, honest public workers is like
throwing the baby out with the bath water.  Sure, I agree:  make it easier to get rid of poorly performing public workers, but
don't sell the good ones down the river.   Do not forget, that those "lazy, good for nothing government workers" are our
hardworking brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, neighbors, friends.   

Rick Scott seems to be a modern day Robber Baron*.  Have we all forgotten the days of "I have swampland in Florida to sell
you"?  Millionaires have enough money to send their kids to private schools, hire private security, live in gated communities,
have “Cadillac” health insurance plans, private jets, yachts, and don’t really need public services.   This is his opportunity to
change Florida laws so drastically that he and his supporters can make more fortunes on the backs of Florida’s taxpayers
while systematically destroying decades of Florida progress.   

It is pretty disrespectful that our politicians make impossible campaign promises because they believe we citizens are
just too stupid to understand that we can’t spend what we don’t have.   We know that because of the Wall Street crooks
and the oil spill, the housing industry and tourism went bust.  We've lost a lot of revenue and jobs.   We either increase
income or reduce spending, but we don’t steal from Trust Funds.

Government has few ways to legally increase income:  increase taxes or sell assets.  
•Reduce the numerous sales tax exemptions
• increase the sales tax rate for a limited time period
• institute a state income tax (OMG)
• sell government land and/or buildings or perhaps even
•sell or lease the Turnpike to …  … … China!      
…not pretty, any of it.

Government has many ways to legally reduce spending:  
•cut education, health care, public safety, and land preservation;
•close parks and libraries
• reduce hours of operation of public offices
…. hmmm, we’ve done all that and more.

MY HUMBLE CONCLUSION:  In order to maintain our shared investments in safety, health care, education, the environment,
and our communities, we could modernize and temporarily increase our state’s major revenue instrument: the sales tax.
Everyone pays sales tax so an increase would fall on everyone, not just homeowners.  A tiny increase would go a long, long
way to cover deficits. Tourists, students, buyers of yachts and Lamborghini automobiles pay sales tax. While I don’t think we
should collect sales tax on food or medicine, I think we should consider:   
•        A temporary (3-year) increase in the state sales tax rate.
•         Permanently modernize the sales tax by extending it to include consumer services.  
•        Eliminate any tax break for shoppers from out-of-state (internet sales).
Together, these three elements could generate additional revenues that could be used to prevent further economically
damaging cuts.

PS:  We need statesman to lead us not robber barons.
June, 2011 - RTM


* Robber baron is a pejorative term used for a powerful 19th century United States businessman and banker. The term may
now relate to any businessman or banker who used questionable business practices to become powerful or wealthy.