FL leaders in denial about dire economy. Dem CFO says call special session now. [View All]

[madfloridian]

Florida may have gone blue for Barack Obama, but it is still fairly bright red statewise. We made few gains this election, and only plus 1 for congress.

So even as Florida Democrats toasted Obama's historic victory, they were flogging themselves over a missed opportunity that may not come their way again — and rightfully so. They had a chance to make much-needed gains in the Legislature, and they didn't, and that has consequences for the party and the state.

Republicans control the Senate, 26-14, and the House, 76-44, with two Democratic House seats possibly headed for machine recounts.

The Senate's partisan makeup remains unchanged. The House, with its smaller districts and more strident partisanship, is where Democrats dreamed of gaining three to six seats. They got one.

St. Pete Times blog

Our only elected Democratic executive in the state, Alex Sink, is the Chief Financial Officer. She is urging Governor Crist and the legislature to call a special session over the economy right now.

They are refusing.

Florida leaders in denial about budget problem, Sink says

TALLAHASSEE — Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink suggested Friday that the state's Republican leaders are in denial about the dire economy and they should call a special legislative session now to deal with the impact on the state budget.
Sink, speaking to the Council of 100 in Palm Beach, said a possible $1-billion gap in state funding demands attention now, not later.

"I do not see any way we can afford to wait until March to deal with a potential $1-billion-plus shortfall in this budget year," Sink, the state's only elected Democratic executive, said in an interview later. "That's just an impossible situation."

Either the governor or the two leaders of the Legislature call special sessions, and so far Gov. Charlie Crist and new leaders of the House and Senate, all Republicans, are taking a wait-and-see approach. And Sink's criticism comes as Crist is reaching the midpoint of his term.

Sink speculated that the unwillingness to call a special session is because it would reinforce a negative image of the economy and budget.

"It's going to be ugly. It's not fun," she said. "We did the easy cuts last year."

Florida has been in heavy tax cutting mode ever since Jeb Bush took office in 1998. As a result of the extreme tax cuts they are cutting social services, medical care to the needy, and even closing down state parks to save money. Infrastructure is either going to hell or being turned over to private companies...some even foreign owned.

Of course ordinary people like hubby and me don't see any of the tax cuts, but the corporations certainly do. I found this article in April this year.

Florida pays dearly for corporate socialism

Alongside the burgeoning ranks of government employees, the state’s business sector muscled its way to the public trough. While John Q. Homeowner dutifully pays his taxes, corporate lobbyists have tweaked the tax code to benefit corporate interests. Last year:

• Manufacturers received $71 million in sales tax exemptions on electricity.

• A handful of companies got a $64 million tax break on chartered fishing boats.

• Industries avoided $55 million in taxes on boiler fuels.

• Farmers dodged $61 million in taxes on everything from equipment to ostrich feed.

• Professional sports teams (owned by billionaires) netted $20 million in subsidies and exemptions.

This adds up to real money that could soften the blow on taxpayers, but, so far, none of these tax breaks are in jeopardy at the Legislature. Indeed, lawmakers are looking to pile on more corporate goodies, including an additional $3 million tax break for racetrack owners.

Here are some words from a FL Democrat about the situation:

As state Rep. Curtis Richardson, D-Tallahassee, complained last week: "Over the past eight years we have given $18 billion in tax relief to the richest 2 percent of our population and corporate special interests. Now that the economic times have turned, we choose to place the burden on balancing the budget on those who are least able to afford it."

The writer continues with a rant about how the corporations are shaking down cities and states.

The only sure winners in such public-private accommodations are the corporate owners and executives who use public dollars to offset their internal costs and artificially pad their bottom lines. Aren’t they clever?

Pitting cities and states against each other, corporations strong-arm governments everywhere. Fifty years ago, corporations paid 45 percent of local property taxes in this country. By 1987, that figure had dropped to 16 percent. It’s almost certainly lower today, says David Korten, author of “When Corporations Rule the World.”

He ends saying that our elected leaders "have the power to shut the self-serving loopholes, end the exemptions and stop the handouts. We peons are still waiting for the chopping to begin in earnest."

Alex Sink is right to call for a special session. As one of Florida's lonely Democrats, I doubt she will get it.