With Florida in a budget hole, stop digging

Former governor and Sen. Bob Graham provides advice for lawmakers set to embark on a special session to cut more than $1-billion from the budget. In an op/ed for the St. Petersburg Times today, he offers several points:

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.

Read the complete piece here.

Comments

Senator Graham, while still serving in the Senate, very aptly predicted that the Iraq invasion would be a bad step for our nation. Many of his staunchest critics appear on this blog, mostly men under 40 who strut around and beat their chests in support of that stupid war, but who will never have the guts to sign up to fight it.

Coward Hawks..They love GW and his minions wont sent their kids to the meat grinder!!

I strongly agrre with Gov Graham on the issue of education..In South fla the wealthy folks send their kids to private schools as do most Folks writing here..The GOp has had a solid plan to destroy public education by starving the beast.However,local govt all over florida has enjoy an unpresidented windfall with the greatest Real Estate speculation in 50 years..Now Florida faces a huge crash in RE values not evident till 2008.Each county need to roll back to zero based bugeting.I have to budget since my taxes were raised,so to cities and counties..If not the failure to recognize the need for lower taxes and reform will thrust this state into a deeper recession lead by middle class families.If there is no meaningful reform they will be head hunting for their state rep and county commission.Dont bode well for FGOP>>

Bob Graham can suck it for all I care.

Bob Graham can suck it for all I care.

Senator Graham is an idiot fatcat trying to gouge Florida's homeowners.
He's been out of office for years and may be senile for all I know.
Floridians are demanding major property tax relief and Gov Crist & Speaker Rubio. I want to see property taxes dropping like a rock as promised.

Local gov't need to stop spending like drunken sailors!

The solution is to eliminate property taxes for 2.5% more in sales tax.

Speaker Marco Rubio had the right plan all along.

If Governor Crist does not come through head will fall including all the Democrats that are opposing property tax relief.

[Stan]

What a total idiot Bob Graham is.

Bob Graham is one of Florida's finest leaders ever and he is proving the power of citizen leadership with a voice as fresh and clear as a Florida spring. Thank you friend.

9:56, don't know what you're talking about.

Governor Jello was just like our current Governor Gelatin.

I always find it very enlightening when someones response to an opinion they don't agree with is a "you're an idiot" and "suck it." The way that moves the conversation forward and the alternate proposals it covers is breathtaking.
Has anyone argued with the fact that Florida public schools would lose $7 billion over the next five years if that amendment was to pass?
Would anyone argue that our teachers make enough, our schools are in great shape, and that the public school system doesn't need the money?
Has anyone argued that Florida families are not bringing in less per capita now then they were in the past?
Is he really such a jerk for proposing that we try to pass pursue policies that put more money in those families pockets?
Is it really that ridiculous to state that there shouldn't be any further tax cuts which do not more than pay their way in verifiable economic growth?
Funny thing about Bob Graham - people always attack his personality - they say he's to boring, a bit quirky, and when they clearly don't know him they call him "an idiot fat-cat". And yet - though he would be the first to admit he's not always right - they never quite argue with his facts.
Just like you didn't listen to him in the run up to Iraq - you don't need to now either. But lets be sure to touch base in a few more years when he's right again.

Funny thing about school districts in Florida. Many counties have, over the past several years, passed temporary sales tax measures to solve their own problems with inadequate classrooms. However, some of the richest counties, and quite heavily Democrat in makeup continue to whine that things are not fair. Take care of your own back yard, and don't depend on the rest of the state to bail you out.

Graham is a clown prince. He is safely ensconced in his six figure US Senate retirement plan, complete with full medical coverage.

Nothing he has to say has any meaning. Just another senile old man. With him in charge Florida would surely go down the drain. He simply does not get the tax thing, and like all true liberals, its spend, spend, spend.

Back to shuffleboard for you.

Bob Graham = Jimmy Carter = Spend Other Peoples Money

The service-evading war lovers are on this blog, trashing Senator Graham. Again, why aren't more of these patriotic peacocks signing up for military service in Iraq? These under-40 Republican partisans are the most vile form of hypocrite out there. Thankfully, most of the citizenry see these clowns for what they really are.

Since all the Dems want to raise taxes, how about simply increasing your own taxes by writing some checks to the school districts, to the State for Medicaid, and to the Department of Corrections for inmate education?

Put your own money where your mouth is!!!

9:54--you're an idiot. It's not a 2.5% sales tax. It's a 2 cent increase, which is a 42% increase in sales tax. Your lack of any ability to do math and your support of Rubio, shows that you're either the $10,000 a month consultant that Rubio hired to do that stupid plan, or a product of the public schools that he's sucked money out of.

8:13 You are the uninformed. It is a 42% increase, but one can also say that the tax will be raised by 2.5% from its current 6% to 8%. This is generally accepted.

You are obviously very young and very idealistic. With time, your wisdom will grow.

Great job 11:18PM! Your classic rebuttal deconstructed:
Graham is a clown prince (I have never met him but thought that sounded funny) He is safely ensconced in his six figure US Senate retirement plan, complete with full medical coverage.
(Which has nothing to do with his opinion in the paper - and yet oddly makes me look even dumber by proving to everyone that he could be doing anything else and yet he's still trying to help his State of Florida.)

Nothing he has to say has any meaning.(I don't understand it.) Just another senile old man.(Yet, McCain's older but I'll never comment on that.) With him in charge Florida would surely go down the drain. (Yet strangely when he was Governor the economy was much better after his two terms). He simply does not get the tax thing, and like all true liberals, its spend, spend, spend. (I'll just ignore the fact that he argured for responsible tax cuts.)

Back to shuffleboard for you. (I'll go back to playing my X-box and remaining blissfully ignorant until the next opportunity I get to write completely useless and uneducated drivel.)

typical liberal solution Sen Graham.

His logic, we're not being taxed enough, let government grow at an ever alarming rate with more and more programs. Graham's motto - Govt does it best, and knows just the right way to spend your hard earned money. Just give them your whole paycheck!

[Gene Smith]

Bob Graham was one of the best Governors this state has ever had. We could use the kind of leadership he used to provide in the Governors office right now.

Instead of pandering to the largest number of people possible, Bob tells it like it is and then puts his faith in the people of Florida to support the right thing. It worked for him, particularly when he kicked some guy named Charlie to the curb who ran against him in 1998 for the US Senate.

Whatever happened to Charlie, what was his name?

Bob Graham is a has-been old geezer trying to drain FL homeowner's money. What a clown. If he would write a stupid op-ed piece like this ignoring the will of Floridians, he should be prepared for rebuttal attacks.

For all I know, he is a senile fool trying to make homeowners foot others bill.

Good thing we have other in charge.

Bob Graham is your typical tax & spend liberal fool.

[Jerry]

Go back into hiding Bob, your op/ed piece is a laugher in this reduce taxes atmosphere.

Local government's budgets have ballooned 100%+ in just a few years & he wants them to continue the drunken spending. Bob Graham is truely out of his mind. Thank goodness, he is not in charge.

As for US entering the war, the world is a better place without the murderer Saddam. It was the right end result to enter Iraq, just not the right reason given. We could have just say US is entering to get rid of a mass murder & UN vilolator.

[Gene Smith]

You folks that have never done anything for Florida other than maoan and complain about how much taxes you pay used to amuse me. What have you ever done to move Florida forward Jerry? How about you 3:41.

It takes leadership to know that if we are going to fix the problems we have facing us that we will need to invest in Florida's future.

All it takes to call great people names is a keyboard and a computer, apparently.

Typical liberal spew from Gene Smith.
If you want more from the government, you pay for it yourself. Homeowners should not be footing the whole bill.

We can still grow the state with much less government spending. The private sector can also grow the state.

As for Bob Graham, he is not in touch with reality and what Floridians demand.