Scott's budget is out. Apparently, he thinks Florida has so much extra money, he is willing to cut taxes another $4 billion. What State budget deficit? He is manufacturing a larger budget crisis to provide cover for his agenda to gut education, parks, environment, and all those other "liberal" quality of life issues.
Since job creators don't care about quality of life, just low taxes, we are sure to attract those 700,000 high paying jobs he promised. We are at the bottom of the heap in tax burdens, so if that doesn't already attract jobs and helps us to avoid one of the country's highest unemployment rates now, why does he think more tax cuts will make it any better? We are competing mostly against ourselves at this point. On the other hand, we are at the bottom on education funding, the best investment we can make in job creation, and he wants to cut it another 10% or $3 billion. How does this man's mind work? If Scott crashes and burns, Republicans won't be dominating state politics much longer. Will his party reign him in? QuoteRick Scott's budget plan calls for deep cuts
Source URL: http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2011-02-07/story/rick-scotts-budget-plan-calls-deep-cuts
By Brandon Larrabee
TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Rick Scott proposed a sweeping, two-year budget plan Monday that would slash $7.1 billion in state spending - more than 10 percent - by making broad cuts to public education, benefits for state workers and the payroll.
Scott's plan also calls for the tax cuts he promised in the campaign, privatizes mental health facilities and realigns several government departments. And it would slash almost 8,700 positions from state government's payroll of nearly 127,000 - though Scott said about 2,000 of those jobs are already unfilled.
"The public expects us to get back to what the core functions of the state are, not things that would be nice but we don't have the money for," Scott said at a Tallahassee news conference. Scott first unveiled the budget during an early-afternoon tea party rally in Eustis.
The new governor said his budget would avoid "mission creep" and would deal with the dual effects of a lingering economic slowdown and the expiration of billions of dollars in federal stimulus money.
"There are no sweeteners for special interests or special people or special companies," Scott said. "It's a two-year budget that faces realities now."
Hardest hit in the first year of the two-year spending plan are public schools, from $22.5 billion to $19.1 billion. The per-student funding under the state's main formula for school spending would slide by $703.
Scott said the per-student funding could be offset to a bit less than $299 with money school districts will save in pension payments and a federal education fund - a one-time bump, despite Scott's criticism of using one-time money and his statement that, "We're not going to take federal money and believe it's going to be there forever."
The budget would slice nearly another $417 per student in the second year of the plan, taking the total reduction to almost $716.
But Scott brushed aside suggestions that he had broken a campaign promise not to whack school spending to pay for some of his tax cuts and other proposals - saying the reductions are the result of a loss of federal stimulus money, not state cuts.
"What I said throughout the campaign and what I said today is ... any money that came out of the state general revenue, we're not cutting that," Scott said. "Any money that relied on federal bailouts, that would be different."
Scott also plans to save $3 billion in Medicaid over the next two years by slashing payments to providers like hospitals and physicians and expanding the Medicaid reform pilot statewide. The federal government, though, has yet to approve an extension of the waiver that allowed that pilot in Duval and four other counties.
And the budget incorporates proposals Scott had already announced, including cutting the corporate-income tax from 5.5 percent to 3 percent and requiring state workers to contribute to their own pension plans and push new employees into a defined-contribution program, like a 401(k).
Republican leaders reacted relatively cautiously to the budget plan - which was posted to a Scott-themed website that quickly crashed.
"Today, Governor Scott provided the Legislature with a blueprint to balance the state budget without raising taxes. I commend the governor's fiscally conservative efforts to do more with less, all without raising taxes," Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, said in a statement.
But Democrats slammed the proposal for the deep cuts it made, and Scott's contention that it would help boost private-sector job growth.
"The retreaded voodoo economics we heard today will not right this ship," said Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich, D-Weston. "But it will drill more holes in our already badly damaged public education. It will further eliminate the life rafts hundred of thousands of Floridians have had to turn to for basic survival because their jobs, their benefits and their homes have disappeared."
Scott is also revisiting a budget proposal that caused a bitter fight inside the Republican Party two years ago: A proposal to privatize state-run mental health facilities, including Northeast Florida State Hospital in Macclenny. A fight over that during the 2009 legislative session pitted several Republican members of the House against the chamber's leadership.
Scott's proposal differs from the 2009 idea, which was pointed only at Macclenny. That proposal was widely attributed to a fierce lobbying effort by The GEO Group, a Boca Raton-based privatization giant that has cultivated close ties with Republicans. But Scott would privatize all three remaining state-run facilities.
Rep. Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach, said Monday night that she still had many of the same concerns that caused her to fight the proposal last time. She said no detailed, objective studies have been done that would show the idea would save any money, and the last report from the Legislature's research arm was done before the most recent round of cuts to the facility's budget.
"If the end result, the goal is to try to save money," Adkins said, "then I think some bad numbers are being used."
Read Scott's proposed budget details below.
Rick Scott's 2011 budget bill (go to link at top of article)
More "common sense" from Scott. Turn down an $800,000 grant just 'cause..... he can. Cuts DEP budget but doesn't tell them how? That should shift the political blame for closing our parks from him. QuoteScott would nix drug database, repeal motor vehicle fee hike
Source URL: http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2011-02-08/story/scott-would-nix-drug-database-repeal-motor-vehicle-fee-hike
By Brandon Larrabee
TALLAHASSEE â€" As Gov. Rick Scott’s budget-touting website came back online late Monday and Tuesday, Floridians began to dig into the details of more than 1,000 pages in Scott’s spending plan and supporting legislation.
Not everyone liked what they saw:
Among the items that drew attention:
The repeal of a prescription drug database meant to help the state fight “pill mills,†which offer easy access to medication and are blamed for fueling a looming epidemic of oxycodone addiction.
Whether the funding cuts could lead to reduced hours or closings for state parks.
A sweeping change to unemployment compensation in line with what business groups have asked for.
A reduction in motor vehicle fees passed during the 2009 session to help patch that year’s budget.
Condemnation swiftly poured in on Scott’s proposal to do away with the prescription-drug database, which supporters say is a key ingredient in the state’s fight against pill mills, a week after Attorney General Pam Bondi and law enforcement agencies from across the state unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at cracking down on the mills.
Susan Pitman, executive director of the Safe and Health Duval Coalition, said she didn’t understand why the governor would try to eliminate the program that was set to be paid for with $800,000 in federal grants and matching dollars from the private sector. The database is currently on hold because of a challenge to the bidding process.
“It is one of the key tool that can be used in combating this problem,†Pitman said. “ … This doesn’t make sense. We can’t figure out why.â€
Scott’s office did not respond to a request Tuesday afternoon for comment on the proposal.
Less clear is whether the budget would mean state parks could be closed. Scott’s spending plan includes deep cuts to the Department of Environmental Protection but doesn’t specifically call for any closures. That comforted some who had worried about DEP’s plan to shutter some of the parks to save money.
“I think that’s essential to the well-being of the state and the well-being of our citizens,†said Rep. Lake Ray, R-Jacksonville.
Ray said he believes lawmakers will try to keep DEP from closing parks in response to any cuts that do come down.
But advocates are still worried. Eric Draper, executive director of Audubon of Florida, said it was still likely that cuts as deep as those proposed by Scott would cause some park to shut down.
“There’s no reason to take comfort that the parks are now safe,†Draper said.
Scott’s proposal for unemployment compensation would closely mirror legislation already being weighed by the House and Senate. It would expand the reasons an employer could fire an employee without that employee being eligible for benefits and would cut back the length of time those benefits could be drawn on from 26 weeks to 20.
That time frame would shrink with any corresponding drop in the state’s unemployment rate, bottoming out at 12 weeks if the unemployment rate sits at 5 percent or lower.
The proposals are aimed at helping to ease increases in the unemployment tax paid by employers. But Sen. Tony Hill, D-Jacksonville, said reducing businesses’ tax payments is problematic because the state has already borrowed $1.8 billion, and the unemployment fund bankrolled by the tax money remains dry â€" regardless of any changes to state law.
“The fund is empty now,†said Hill, who has long pressed for the state to restructure its benefits to tap hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding.
Scott’s move to do away with motor vehicle fees passed during the 2009 session could have some support. Lawmakers discussed but ultimately decided not to get rid of the fees, which were bitterly opposed by Democrats.
Scott says the change would save Floridians $235.7 million in the coming budget year, which begins July 1, and $256.2 million after that.
“I think there’s a lot of desire to do so,†said Ray, who serves on the House panel that oversees transportation and economic development.
But Ray said the funds from those fees were spread throughout the budget, and how and whether the Legislature gets rid of them could depend in part on the consequences.
This guy is a total schmuck. It's almost like he's lived in Florida, but never been outside his gated subdivision.
He is just protecting his kind (the rich). The sad thing is there was enough people who believe this crook to vote him in.
Wow, first budget and already he is being treated like Nixon. Nice character. I hope he wins a second term to spite you all!
I can accept large cuts in education in exchange for no corporate taxes, as long as those corporations will hire whatever's available, and stop complaining about an 'uneducated' workforce.
Quote from: vicupstate on February 09, 2011, 08:04:01 PM
I can accept large cuts in education in exchange for no corporate taxes, as long as those corporations will hire whatever's available, and stop complaining about an 'uneducated' workforce.
Well said.
I don't really understand the resistance to cutting spending on education. "More expensive" doesn't always equal "better", and I don't see what decades of spending billions of dollars has done to improve schools. The status quo is unsustainable--we know that--it can either hurt a lot now, or we can pawn the west coast for some yuans later. But something has to give.
This man is a thief and cannot be trusted. I say he needs to be doing time in prison...he has only his buddies in mind..just like our leaders of our city...kissing eachother ass' with contracts and jobs and waist. i guess thats par for the course with the republican party....sucks to be us
Quote from: Garden guy on February 09, 2011, 10:00:59 PM
This man is a thief and cannot be trusted. I say he needs to be doing time in prison...
you're probably right...but we have a court system in this country...and he was not found guilty
Quote from: tufsu1 on February 09, 2011, 10:49:31 PMHe admitted guilt when he paid the fine...he's guilty and i can't believe the people of this state trust him..i'm so embarrassed
Quote from: Garden guy on February 09, 2011, 10:00:59 PM
This man is a thief and cannot be trusted. I say he needs to be doing time in prison...
you're probably right...but we have a court system in this country...and he was not found guilty
Quote from: tufsu1 on February 09, 2011, 10:49:31 PM
Quote from: Garden guy on February 09, 2011, 10:00:59 PM
This man is a thief and cannot be trusted. I say he needs to be doing time in prison...
you're probably right...but we have a court system in this country...and he was not found guilty
We do have a court system in this country, two actually, one for the poor and one for the wealth.
It works both ways. I sat on a trial last year where a poor woman was awarded money by the jury because the she was suing JEA. When we (the jury) sat down to make our decision the first thing said was "who cares JEA has deep pockets and she needs the money". The woman was at fault for an accident, and yet she got money awarded because JEA has deep pockets....ya you are right after all there are two court systems.
I see nothing wrong with cutting funds in education, as long as the actual cuts made make sense. We have had some pretty smart people come out of one room school houses! Throwing money at lazy kids with lazy parents is not going to make them smarter. Showing up and getting passed up each grade does not make you educated.
The worst item potentially being cut is our parks. That I am concerned about, the rest is all drivel.
Quote from: uptowngirl on February 10, 2011, 07:48:47 AM
It works both ways. I sat on a trial last year where a poor woman was awarded money by the jury because the she was suing JEA. When we (the jury) sat down to make our decision the first thing said was "who cares JEA has deep pockets and she needs the money". The woman was at fault for an accident, and yet she got money awarded because JEA has deep pockets....ya you are right after all there are two court systems.
I see nothing wrong with cutting funds in education, as long as the actual cuts made make sense. We have had some pretty smart people come out of one room school houses! Throwing money at lazy kids with lazy parents is not going to make them smarter. Showing up and getting passed up each grade does not make you educated.
The worst item potentially being cut is our parks. That I am concerned about, the rest is all drivel.
I suspect the issue was far more nuanced than that. We have comparative liability in Florida, so as your jury instructions told you, the fact that she was at fault doesn't bar recovery, you simply reduce her award by the percentage to which you find her at fault. So JEA had to be at fault for something, or you never would have gotten past liability to be awarding damages in the first place. FWIW the trial's over, you can say the details now.
Quote from: kells904 on February 09, 2011, 08:44:36 PM
I don't really understand the resistance to cutting spending on education. "More expensive" doesn't always equal "better", and I don't see what decades of spending billions of dollars has done to improve schools. The status quo is unsustainable--we know that--it can either hurt a lot now, or we can pawn the west coast for some yuans later. But something has to give.
Quote from: uptowngirl on February 10, 2011, 07:48:47 AM
I see nothing wrong with cutting funds in education, as long as the actual cuts made make sense. We have had some pretty smart people come out of one room school houses! Throwing money at lazy kids with lazy parents is not going to make them smarter. Showing up and getting passed up each grade does not make you educated.
It's not how many dollars in total we spend on schools, it's how much we spend per pupil. It totals to billions because Florida is the fourth most populous state in the country so we have that many more students. We are close to, or at, 50th among the states in per pupil spending so you can't complain about that. And, now, we are looking at another 10% cut. It's actually more given that the cost of everything goes up a bit each year.
While "more expensive" doesn't always equal "better", it almost always does. Again, being near the bottom of the states on per pupil spending, I don't think anyone could accuse Florida of paying for "more expensive" to begin with.
How can we demand better teachers while underpaying the "good ones" who can work in other professions making lots more while being supported by their employers and "customers" (equivalent to parents and students in a school setting) and not being demonized by the politicos and the public?
Florida is not engaged in a race to the top but a race to the bottom. I can consider supporting some reforms such as teacher tenure and evaluations, but the money being deprived for our schools goes way beyond that. And, the ones calling the shots are ultimately gunning for propping up private schools (which aren't subjected to the same evaluations and standards and don't have to take all comers) and charter schools (which mostly have a high failure rate costing the taxpayers even more). Keep in mind, that many say that public education is what helped to make the U.S. a great nation. Why would we want to give up on that?
Yes, there are "lazy" parents and there always will be. We can't make every kid turn out great if there are other factors weighing in against their success. What needs to be done is to address the underlying problems in these families. But, that's not a failure of the education system, it's a failure of our community. Blaming the schools for problems they don't make and can't fix is a fool's errand. We are throwing out the baby with the bathwater. I will agree, it would be great (and I'm sure teachers would agree) to separate the "troubled" students from those truly trying to learn. But, the problem remains, those "troubled" students need to be "fixed" by the community, not the schools.
Don't forget, too, education includes our community colleges and state universities. Their graduates and research capabilities are huge drivers of economic development. Just look at Silicon Valley and Research Triangle or the area around any other major research university. How does cutting them severely promote job growth?
Lastly, if we don't break the chain of underinvesting in education, expect less jobs, lower salaries for the jobs existing, more crime and other social ills, and more demands on a health system that will be ever more strained by the lack of educated doctors, nurses, and others needed to sustain it. I could go on, but you get the idea.
OK, we are 50th in spending per pupil, but certainly do not receive the worst education grade out of those 50 states!
I only disagree that money=education. If more expensive =better education than we should send are urban core kids to Bolles. Oh wait, Bolles wouldn't take them as they have some standards for their students, besides just being able to afford the tuition.
It isn't all about the money, I mean even Bush graduated from Princeton :-)
I think Stephen posted a study on kids being self taught on the internet, and their scores were pretty damn good if I remember correctly.
I think people are getting tired of the "throw some more money at it and it will all turn out good" when they more we throw at it the worst the performance is.
I am by no means blaming the schools, or the teachers...well maybe a little, but the true failure here is for all of us to own and it has nothing to do with how much of our taxes are flowing into the school districts coffers.
and some interesting stats:
Not the top nor bottom in spending or in scores…..
http://www.statemaster.com/graph/edu_bes_edu_ind-education-best-educated-index
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/of-all-states-new-york-schools-spend-most-money-per-pupil/
Interestingly enough NY is one of the highest per student, but one of the lowest in SAT scores:
http://blog.bestandworststates.com/2009/08/25/state-sat-scores-2009.aspx
Interestingly enough in higher education you see the same trend…… FL is low in spending, but has a higher ranking then some of the highest spending states:
http://blog.bestandworststates.com/2010/01/03/does-increased-spending-on-higher-education-lead-to-better-state-university-rankings.aspx
Uptown, I am not suggesting "throwing money" at schools. But, as I previously stated, being 50th, no one can accuse Florida of so doing. (And, now, Scott is whacking off another 10%.) On the other hand, continuously cutting funds to education isn't going to fix anything either.
Kids that go to Bolles, etc. are tested and hand picked by an admissions committee. Let the public schools do that, and, I am sure they can equal or better Bolles. In fact, I would suggest our magnet program, such as Stanton, Paxon, and Douglas Anderson already do. It shows that, given similar footings, public education works splendidly. But, for most schools, comparing their situation to a selective private school is a waste of time.
By the way, what is your "fix" for our schools? How much more $$$ cutting do you think it will take to "improve" them to your standards? How will you educate those coming to school from troubled homes and do it for the same cost as those kids coming from "good" homes? We won't even mention the costs of educating special needs kids that would never be considered by an "elite" private school.
Quote from: stjr on February 10, 2011, 07:04:03 PM
Yes, there are "lazy" parents and there always will be. We can't make every kid turn out great if there are other factors weighing in against their success. What needs to be done is to address the underlying problems in these families. But, that's not a failure of the education system, it's a failure of our community. Blaming the schools for problems they don't make and can't fix is a fool's errand. We are throwing out the baby with the bathwater. I will agree, it would be great (and I'm sure teachers would agree) to separate the "troubled" students from those truly trying to learn. But, the problem remains, those "troubled" students need to be "fixed" by the community, not the schools.
Actually, there is a radically expensive way out of that situation where more money = possible better education. If we really want to throw money at the problem (Florida isn't throwing money at the problem as noted by earlier posters).
Public Boarding Schools
You control the environment of the kid from morning to evening. The state will be in charge of not only education but morals, upbringing, and everything in between. Will it kill creativity? Probably. However, it does solve the problem of dealing with terrible home conditions - supposing it isn't designed be like the prison system. Not sure anyone want's to go this route.
Anyways, as for Scott. So far, Rick Scott is doing what he pretty much doing what he was voted to do by that 49%. If this is truly what the majority Floridians want, Rick Scott seems to do whatever it takes to give it to them. There are millions of people cheering for him when he does things like this. Luckily for Scott, for now, those people don't really care what he cuts as long as he cuts something, anything. If he happens to selectively cut to his advantage, they are ok with that as long as he cuts something.