Yet the lawmakers are doing nothing at all to even attempt to fix the economy here. The only solution they have offered so far is cutting the budget.
They are continuing Jeb's plan to make government simply a "silent monument"...
From his second inauguration speech, pointing toward the government buildings:
"There would be no greater tribute to our maturity as a society than if we can make these buildings around us empty of workers; silent monuments to the time when government played a larger role than it deserved or could adequately fill.” Jeb wants to empty government buildings Florida is expecting to get a huge share of the federal recovery plan to bail them out of their own mess. These "empty government building" Republicans are willing to take the federal aid, yet they will not change a thing they do.
The federal government is preparing a historic economic recovery program that will pour billions of dollars into Florida to help revive the economy. But at the same time,
Florida lawmakers have cut more than $8 billion from state spending over the last two years, with more cuts likely when they meet in March to write a new state budget.Some critics say the efforts are at cross-purposes, with the state cuts worsening Florida's recession. Randall Holcombe, an economics professor at Florida State University, said the scope of the federal recovery efforts dwarf any of the actions taken by the state.
"I don't think there is very much we can do here in Tallahassee to stimulate the state's economy," Holcombe said. "Anything we do would be a drop in the bucket."
...."Major business lobbyists said they welcome the federal support.
"Make it as big as you can and send it as quick as you can," said Barney Bishop, president of Associated Industries of Florida. "It's not going to mean that we still don't have to cut, but every penny in mitigates how much of a deficit we have in the future." Backers contend U.S. help is needed to ease unemployment, other state woes. They will take the funds and just keep cutting.
The Orlando Sentinel went so far as to say Florida is losing its edge.
The typical M.O. for both of those strategies is to throw money at potential employers in the form of incentives such as tax credits, loans or even cash. It's no surprise, then, that rallying cries have gone out across the state for politicians to keep their budget-cutting hands off those pots of money, or Florida will lose its competitiveness against other states.
"We just can't cut our lifeline," said Ray Gilley, president of the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission and chairman of the state's Economic Development Council. "Those things are critical to helping get deals done."
But Florida is already losing its competitiveness. The state's budget picture is so bad that lawmakers axed hundreds of millions of dollars for schools and social programs this week during an emergency midyear expense-slashing session.
Deeper cuts are coming in March, when the Legislature convenes to shore up a projected $4 billion deficit in next year's budget. Florida is losing its edge Here's more on how Florida is going to be helped by the federal government on foreclosures...one of four states to get the most money.
Foreclosure aid likely to help 4 states mostWASHINGTON — The nation's foreclosure crisis is centered in four states. But taxpayers across the country will feel the pain of bailing them out.
California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona generated about half of all foreclosure filings nationwide last year, according to RealtyTrac Inc., even though residents in those states hold just a quarter of U.S. mortgages. Since mid-2007, skyrocketing foreclosures in those states have been magnifying the national rate.
Florida is welcoming federal aid with open arms while making drastic cuts and doing nothing to fix things. It was found last week that the state DOT was holding
almost 800 million for CSX while taking funds away from education, health care, and infrastructure improvements.
While Florida lawmakers were making a billion-dollar raid on trust funds, draining the state's rainy-day fund, and slashing education, health care and social services last week to balance the state budget, the Department of Transportation was sitting on a cool $795 million in ready cash set aside for a sweetheart deal that may not even come to fruition.
Florida has made it very difficult to file for the measly
$275 a week maximum unemployment benefits.
Whether you lose a $30,000-a-year job or one that pays six figures, your maximum unemployment compensation breaks out to $6.88 an hour — less than what most fast-food restaurant workers make in South Florida.
The state's $275 weekly maximum benefit hasn't changed in 10 years and is making the economic downturn more painful for Florida residents as more join the unemployment rolls each month.
In Massachusetts, unemployed workers collect up to $600 a week. In Georgia, they take home up to $440 a week.
So by March the legislators may have up to 12 billion dollars in cuts to the budget. They will not even raise taxes on cigarettes so far.
They, the "empty government buildings" Republicans of Florida, are awaiting the magnanimous federal handouts they pretend to despise. I think the funds have started coming already, as the Polk County school superintendent recently said they would get 68 million in the next two years....even as the state keeps cutting funds to public education.
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