JebCo and BushCo philosophies still rule Florida. Social services in jeopardy.

This alarms me. Read some of the words of Marco Rubio, Florida's Speaker of the House, and good Jeb buddy.

Lawmakers Ready for Tax Cuts



I would love to see my property taxes lowered, but it comes down to common sense. Do you destroy local and county government in the process? Infrastructure?

:hi:

Marco needs another slapping down. Of course it's about county and local governments being stripped bare. These guys are ideologues and care nothing for human problems.

...Florida homeowners, but their is lots of chatter about huge property tax breaks on the wealthy and big corporations. The little guys will see a few dollars trimmed from their property tax rates that will easily be wiped out as property values are almost immediately reassessed upward by double and triple digits, but the wealthy will see major cuts in their tax rates and breaks on values which Florida homestead exemptions will pale in comparison.

But probably not very much.

businesses that lie.

But seriously, why not cut down on law enforcement? Our sheriff's office is straight out of Mad Max. I'm extremely concerned that law enforcement now uses military tactics and equipment. Cut their fuckin budgets.

They are already turning some roads over to private foreign companies. Who is going to pay for keeping up the infrastructure of cities and counties? More private companies?

I would love to have lower taxes, but I have many fears about this.

Which in a county that had 4 of 5 commissioners arrested for blatant corruption (under the Jeb regime, no less!) and a sheriffs department that regularly pays out quite a bit in damages arising from brutality lawsuits (they really like to taser innocent people when they're in a bad mood and have a problem with mentally ill arrestees turning up dead after being put in the restraint chair), those are cuts I can handle and actually approve of.

What about those cuts? And other services we just automatically assume will be there?

We have a community clinic, but I don't know if the county funds it. Here's the website for social services:

http://www.co.escambia.fl.us/departments/comm_services/DivisionofPublicSocialServices.php

On a national note, what are the dems proposing to do about the 10% cut in Medicare reimbursement the admin is planning to implement? Or how about some funds for Medicaid? Those two programs affect people in every state, and are being cut to the bone by congress.

I think Congress needs to step in to preserve it and stop the cuts. Bush has people in charge of Medicare who have as their goal to get rid of it.

Governor: People Need Reduction Of Property Taxes

"Next week the Legislature will return to Tallahassee to bring property-tax relief to Floridians. Like me, legislators have heard from the people of Florida that they need this relief. Because of their input, I am optimistic that the Legislature will do the right thing and lower property taxes for Floridians this year.

Lt. Gov. Kottkamp and I have heard from many Floridians on this issue. We have held town hall meetings around our state - in Palm Beach, Punta Gorda, Orlando, Pensacola, Miami, Tampa and Plant City. At each one, people tell us they need help with high property taxes.

Floridians like Eduardo. Through his sign language interpreter, he told me he is worried because he plans to marry this fall, but cannot afford the higher taxes from moving to a different condo where he can have a family. When people cannot move to a different home, they lose a basic freedom - the freedom to choose where they live.

Eduardo's situation is evidence that property taxes have soared out of control. The budgets of local governments have grown irresponsibly - faster than the rate of new construction and inflation. Between 2002 and 2007, local governments collected $17.8 billion in excess revenue. This year alone, $5.5 billion extra was collected. Since 2000, inflation and new construction have grown by 52 percent while property taxes have grown by 99 percent, nearly twice the growth rate.

This excess revenue is money raised on the backs of Floridians, taken from their pockets and away from their families. If people cannot afford to live here, then they cannot work here either. Florida's economy is strong, and reducing property taxes will send a sonic boom through our economy. We can free people trapped in their current homes."

More at the link...looks like Rubio gets his way.

in my state. Since Michigan's economic downward spiral, our legislature has come up with the brilliant idea of cutting taxes! With all these forces in play, we are left with an almost $1 billion budget deficit. And the Republican legislature says that there is still too much fat in the budget, with Gov. Granholm saying there is nothing left to cut. So there no longer is money for a program called "Strong Families, Safe Children" but yet there is too much fat in the budget. Truly our government is being destroyed before our very eyes.

I guess I never thought about such a thing happening. Why would they try to put local and county governments in jeopardy? And take power from them like they did in the post about CSX.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1061646&mesg_id=1061646

Might be something to think about.