With economy rebounding, tax cuts back on Republican agenda (Florida)

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Sun, Feb. 15, 2004

With economy rebounding, tax cuts back on Republican agenda

DAVID ROYSE

Associated Press


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - It's an election year and the economy's coming back. That makes a tax cut from the Republican Florida Legislature almost a certainty.

Gov. Jeb Bush has proposed a return of the popular back-to-school-time break from the sales tax and the Senate and House are both likely to go along.

The governor is also seeking a final cut to the "intangible" tax on stock and bond holdings. Lawmakers have already dramatically cut the number of Floridians who have to pay the tax, and Bush has said he wants it gone altogether.

Bush said Florida leads the nation in job growth because of the more than $6 billion in tax cuts lawmakers have approved since he took office in 1999.
(snip/...)

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/7961250.htm

[La_Serpiente]

1. Isn't Florida getting huge amounts of money

from the Federal Government?

Not to mention they are cutting social programs left and right.

[[e-mail]]

2. What social programs?

I live in Florida. The social services safety net is gone here. The state agency that "protects" at-risk children is in shambles. Heaven help you if you lose your job and try to get any help around here. The food stamp offices are empty in my area. Nobody gets approved for food stamps anyway, so why wait in line all day, just to be told the inevitable. They opened a new homeless shelter in Daytona Beach recently and they were at capacity within a few days. A crony of Jeb Bush's is now running social services. Gag... Thank god most of the seniors down here are on some kind of a pension or we'd have bread lines for sure. With the way it's going, on allowing underfunding of pension system and the wholesale gutting of the entire retirement and pension systems, the only hope most seniors down here have (long term) is that they die before they lose everything.

[Greylady]

4. The Tampa Tribune

had an article on the front page about Hillsborough county's 8,000 homeless people. Medicaid has cut payment for hearing aids and eyeglasses - you know, life's little luxuries.

[Skittles]

5. but . . . . what about those of us who will be seniors one day?

welcome to the DU, thom.

[Crachet2004]

3. If we were to lose this year,

and wind up with Jeb in 2008, America as we know it, is finished. Every time Jeb is mentioned, it's like I feel an evil wind.

[NickB79]

6. Where the hell is the economy rebounding?

China? India? Certainly not here from my viewpoint!

[0rganism]

7. It's ALWAYS a great time for a tax cut, doncha know?

If we have a surplus, we need to cut taxes.

If we have a defecit, we need to cut taxes.

If we're in a depression, we need to cut taxes.

If we're in a growth period, we need to cut taxes.

Face it, tax cuts are just the thing to do, all the time, anytime, every day of your life.

[UpInArms]

8. "shock and awe" in Florida?

what the hell are these people smoking?

Insanity run in the Bush family.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

9. Economy "rebounding"?? Maybe they meant downward.

[Florida_Geek]

10. The back-to-school-time break only costs the State

around 50 million and does help the poor people buy new clothes for their kids. I support it. It is the normal Repug thing for the rest of the breaks, only for the wealthy.

[54anickel]

11. Sounds like he's trying to make Shrubs case for him.

Heck ya, I cut taxes back in 99 and we're just boomin' down here!

snip>
Bush said Florida leads the nation in job growth because of the more than $6 billion in tax cuts lawmakers have approved since he took office in 1999.

"Lowering taxes spurs investment and growth in Florida," Bush said in January when he unveiled his proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. His plan includes tax cuts of $48 million from the sales tax holiday and $91 million from the reduction to the investment holdings tax.

snip>
Among the cuts legislators are considering: delaying a previously required increase in mandatory nursing home staffing levels, cuts in how much health care providers are paid, a repeal of a previously required reduction in class sizes, and tougher eligibility requirements for the state's fast-growing program to provide subsidized health insurance for children.

[w4rma]

12. insane. (n/t)

[teryang]

13. Living in Florida

...is like living in the twilight zone.

[seasat]

14. Jebbie's Economic Program in a Nutshell

I've said this many times on DU. Jebbie's economic program here in FL is to gut environmental regulation, urban sprawl limitations, and cut taxes for the wealthy. That way Florida can be built into huge towering condos and golf courses to attract wealthy retirees. It is not a sustainable plan since the limitation is land. It is destroying the natural beauty of Florida. His moronic plan is creating jobs...low wage service jobs to take care of all these retirees. Check the stats on Florida's job growth. It's all low wage service jobs. Everytime I see Jebbie on TV, I wonder how anyone with any shred of common sense could have voted for that jerk.

[bluestateguy]

15. This is called the Republican budget cycle

It works like this

Step 1: Economy goes bad, revenues contract, cut programs for working people...

Step 2: Economy improves, revenues go up, cut taxes for the wealthy...

and back to the top again...