Editor's Note: This site deals solely with Political Issues of Florida. It is not intended to represent any Florida government agency or entity. It is used only as a think tank for concerned citizens, who want to express their opinion
February 11, 2010
Why Doctors Are Abandoning Medicare
Physicians will not be bullied into bankruptcy. Our system needs reform, but what's being hammered out in Washington is not the answer.Two weeks ago the Mayo Clinic shocked the nation when it closed the doors of one of its Arizona clinics to patients on Medicare. Just this past June President Obama himself praised Mayo as a model of medical efficiency noting that Mayo gives “the highest quality care at costs well below the national norm.” If Mayo feels compelled to walk away from this government-run program, others will surely follow. The nation must understand why.Doctors are leaving Medicare for two reasons: one obvious, the other more concealed.The first is simple—the math:
1) For the past decade Medicare consistently paid physicians 20% less than traditional insurance companies for identical service.
2) On January 1, 2010 Washington made hidden cuts to Medicare by altering its billing codes.
3) Medicare will cut physician reimbursement by another 21% on March 1. The CBO said this cut must take place if the Senate healthcare bill was to “reduce the deficit.”
4) Even more, Congress pledged to cut Medicare by yet another $500 billion. Again, the CBO said this additional cut must take place if the Senate healthcare bill was to “reduced the deficit.” Many physicians were operating at a loss even before this series of massive cuts. In 2008, Mayo Clinic posted an $840 million loss in caring for Medicare patients. No businesses can survive when patient care expenses exceed revenue.The second is more ominous— Washington ’s increasingly abusive posture toward physicians. President Obama reflected this attitude last summer. On national television, he stated as fact a surgeon is paid between $30,000 and $50,000 for amputating a patient’s foot.In reality, a surgeon is paid between $740 and $1,140 to perform this unfortunate, but often life-saving procedure. This reimbursement must cover a pre-operative evaluation the day of surgery, the surgery, and follow-up for 90 days after surgery—not to mention malpractice insurance, salaries for clinic nurses, and clinic overhead. It is frightening to think our president is so wildly misinformed even as he stands on the cusp of overhauling American health care. But it gets worse.Given massive federal deficits, Washington now faces increasing pressure to cut Medicare spending. One way to do this is to intimidate physicians into under-billing.. To do this Washington intends to spend tax payer dollars to ramp up physician audits using Recovery Audit Contractors (RAC audits) to randomly investigate private physician’s Medicare billing.A physician group at my hospital recently experienced an AdvanceMed audit, an earlier version of the RAC. For a year Medicare auditors made their practice a living hell, making them question if it was worth caring for Medicare patients at all.An independent reviewer (who was paid a percentage of the audit) reviewed 86 patient records and “found” the physicians had “fraudulently billed” Medicare for $351,820. After spending a year fighting the allegations, eventually, eventually all charges were dropped. The physician group was vindicated but only after spending almost $100,000 defending themselves. The independent reviewers were clearly after money, not justice.For example, one patient the auditor alleged the group had “fraudulently” billed for was a man undergoing a chemical stress test. The allegation was the patient should have undergone a cheaper traditional treadmill stress test. The difficulty with this accusation was this man was a double amputee—he had no legs. This made a traditional treadmill test impossible. The auditors clearly were not trained health care professionals—they were bounty hunters. (It is worth noting the investigators are given legal immunity from a countersuit for conducting a “fraudulent investigation.”)This story is not unique. To reduce Medicare’s budget shortfall physicians are being subjected to these abusive investigations nationwide. If medicine increasingly falls under government control, why should the best and the brightest of our youth give up 15 years of their life to go into medicine?The relationship between the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the average working physician has become abusive. Mayo is but the first to make the leap to less government control by closing its doors to some patients on Medicare.Washington, slow down and listen; reconsider what you are about to do. Physicians cannot be bullied into bankruptcy. Our system needs reform, but this is not it. If you continue on your present course, sadly, it will be our seniors that pay the price.
It is unbelievable that the City of St. Petersburg continues to stash millions in the hope that this kind of rainy day fund will require emergency spending.
People are losing their homes, losing their jobs and the city continues to happily stash their burgeoning reserves for a catastrophic event. This is taxpayer money that could have helped people with a half mill decrease in their property taxes or more. Kathleen Ford campaigned on just this matter promising to reduce this surplus and give back to the taxpayers a portion of this money. As city council members lined up to give their thoughts to rationalize this bizarre behavior, it is apparent to this taxpayer that we can expect more of this hoarding until an opportunity arises to inappropriately spend it.
This taxpayer applauds council member Karl Nurse and Councilman Wengay Newton for noticing that it was indeed the taxpayer’s money and not the city’s.
Our economy can get no worse than it is now. If this isn’t a cry to use some of this money for the taxpayer good then will it ever be?
November 14, 2009
The Battle for Health Care Freedom: Calling out a Group that Should be on Our Side – the AMA. David McKalip, M.D.
Private Practice Brain and Spine Surgeon, St. Petersburg , FL
(Please forward to your groups and post on your websites)
•Why you should call and email the AMA leadership and tell them to “Do the Right Thing”: No government run health care, no mandates, no rationing. •Join the AMA Health Care Tea Party, 11/7/09, 2:30 pm Houston Texas , George R. Brown Convention Center. 1001 Avenida de las Americas .
AMA: (800) 621-8335 James Rohack, M.D. President,. AMA: james.rohack@ama-assn.org
The forces are assembled on the health care freedom battle field, battle lines have been drawn, and allies have aided their favored side. The outcome will determine what kind of health care you get, how much it costs and whether the politicians, special interests and large corporations gain or lose power. It will also be the first chance for a major victory in the fight to preserve freedom in America and the world. A fight to reverse decades of power in the hands of an arrogant elite class that reign over our lives. A fight to restore government back to its rightful place in America – kneeling before the American people. Ready to serve them only in the limited ways allowed by our constitution. In this fight, it is time for a traditional ally of freedom to return to the side of Americans who value individual liberty: The AMA. You can help by calling and emailing their leadership. In short, you can “call out” the AMA – away from their “seat at the table” and over to the side of freedom.
Right now the AMA is assembled on the side of powerful and arrogant elites that include: President Obama, Congress, large financial institutions, large insurance companies, large corporations, the Unions, special interests supporting big government like the AARP, Families USA Organizing for America and Moveon.org and the equivalent of state-run media: ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, and the New York Times. The AMA should be assembled on the side of individual freedom with: individual American citizens, groups like Campaign for Liberty, FreedomWorks, Americans for Prosperity, Tea Party Patriots.org, Tea Party Express.org, Grassfire.org, Resistnet.org, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, a few courageous and principled elected officials, Fox News, and the Wall Street Journal.
The most powerful of any of those on the battlefield are individual Americans who have risen up. The ones who have said “NO”! No to government run medicine. No to committees rationing care. No to increased insurance costs and mandated purchase of “government-approved” health care. No to massive deficits. They are ready to say yes to real reform, but can not even begin to have a serious discussion while they are engaged in a battle for the existence of their freedom and the futures of their children and grandchildren. They will consider how shrinking government, de-regulation, lower taxes and market-based approaches will increase quality and drive down costs. But only after they have demonstrated to their adversaries that they are in charge and will keep it that way.
In his speech to Congress at the end of last summer, the President said he will “call out” those he claims were deceiving Americans about health care. The problem is that the President and Congress need to look in the mirror. It is he, Congress and all the others who must be called out. They must explain why they would spread propaganda about the uninsured, medical bankruptcies, the quality of American health care and numbers who allegedly die without insurance. They must be called out for fear-mongering by claiming that failure to enact his plan will lead to more death – all while falsely claiming that others are using scare tactics. They must be called out for claiming that lowering costs is the same as simply giving people a government check to buy health insurance that actually costs more than it ever did. Especially when that check is spread from the wealth of others and writing those checks will devastate the economy. Congress must be called out for seeking to push millions of more Americans into a Medicaid program that is already failing the poor every day - a program that is a legitimate cause of overuse of the emergency rooms, prolonged suffering and early death. Our federal government must be called out for seeking to further burden our children who already are subject to servitude by the holders of American debt in China and elsewhere.
The current AMA leadership needs to be called out. They need to be called out to join on the side of freedom – while they still can. They have valued their “seat at the table” of the powerful elite for far too long (since 1965). They have exchanged their principles – principles that were legitimately voted on by physician representatives in the AMA “House of Delegates” and reinforced over this last decade. Those principles are that nothing should interfere in the patient-physician relationship. No government official or insurance company should seek to penalize a doctor that spends more money than “approved” on a patient or that practices based on their professional judgment instead of a cookbook. No government should deny the right of a Medicare patient to privately contract with their doctor such that they can spend more time with them if they wish to spend a little more of their own money to do so. No government should deny the right of the physician to set their own prices for their services or even to provide free care at no charge to a Medicare patient (a right now denied doctors). No government should drive up the cost of health insurance such that the poor can’t afford it.
In short, the AMA has policy that protects individual rights. But the current leadership charged with enforcing those rights refuse to stand on these principles. They have preferred playing the inside political game for too long. They have remained insulated from the American people for too long. As reported on Fox News, there is an effort by doctors like myself and others at the AMA to reverse AMA’s current direction and come out in opposition to Washington D.C. ’s government takeover of medicine. Opposition by the AMA will win this battle for freedom quickly and then the AMA can join the freedom fighters by standing up for solutions that empower individuals – not governments, insurance companies and third parties.
Therefore, I give you their email addresses and introduce you to the very influential people you need to contact. Tell them to do the right thing and stop this government take over of medicine now. The AMA meeting will be in Houston on 11/7/2009-11/10/20009. In fact, there will be a tea party converging on the convention center on Saturday 11/7 at 2:30 pm. You can help those local patriots as they call for the AMA to “do the right thing” by softening up the AMA leadership with the voices of the American people who are counting on their leadership. When the AMA re-joins the forces of freedom, then it will earn back the trust it has lost for siding with government and corporations over the American people.
September 13, 2009
A New Beginning
Yesterday, the 9:12 March brought out the best in America. It was a peaceful march in Washington DC, that marked a reaffirmation of patriotism in America. People from all over the country showed up in mass to protest a number of issues. Health Reform, Cap and Trade , the deficit and stimulus spending were some of the issues. They held signs, talked with each other and showed their displeasure with the direction the country was going. District of Columbia police estimated there were up to two million people crowding the capital all the way to the Washington monument. People from all over came, even though they could not afford a bus pass, plane, or rail, they still wanted to be a part of history. It was as if the movie "Field of Dreams" was playing out on the national stage, "If you build it, we will come". And come they did , Moms rolling strollers with their children and Dads holding signs. People milled around and talked and sang patriotic songs and listened to speakers on stage. Today patriotism was not dead and our founding fathers looked down and beamed with pride. They wanted their leaders in the house and congress to hear their wrath. No socialism, no spending our children's future were central themes. Was this message heard, or would our leaders turn a deaf ear to the crowds. No one is sure.. but one thing was clear. This was only the beginning.
Patriots...Our mounting debt is over 191,000 dollars for every man woman and child in the United States. How can we pay off this crushing debt. Listen and watch Glenn Beck and see. A must watch to get a feel for the huge deficit that is being forced on every American.... by WHO? Also go to www.freedomforamericanpatients.com to see the whole series.
August 15, 2009
Taxation, Insurance, and Health Reform Thoughts
by HH
HRH on any federally mandated and operated universal health care program!
Insurance is the process whereby risks of any kind are spread among the greatest number of people.
For example, then, if we could have worldwide, natural-catastrophe insurance, the entire world population would bear the risk, cost of, and compensation for each earthquake, each hurricane: each disaster the Earth encounters.
But not all 6 Billion people WANT to participate in such risk reimbursement, and some cannot afford to participate. Hence, we have a reduction in the “population” who want to cover the cost of disasters caused by Nature.
The result is a higher cost to the people who want to purchase worldwide catastrophe insurance. READ MORE>>>
_____________________________
August 14, 2009
New Link for C.A.R.E. "Consolidation and Regionalization for Greater Efficiency"
This link will serve as a guide for other counties in Florida to Follow. It is the final report of the Orange County Taxpayer Budget Review Board. It's finding will show how Orange County can be run more efficiently and in the process save large sums of revenue that in turn improve the living standards of taxpayers in that county. It will give all grassroots activists a model that they can incorporate into their own county in Florida. Hopefully your county will be next to benefit from this concept. READ C.A.R.E. REPORT
IS OUR NEWEST ADDITION TO HEALTH CARE INFORMATION. WITH THIS NEW BLOG.. YOU CAN KEEP UP TO DATE WITH LATEST REFORM MEASURES AND SEE VIDEOS AND BEST OF ALL IT INVOLVES ACTIVE PARTICIPATION. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT BY CLICKING ON THE LINK.
David R. Simpson
July 28, 2009
Reading the Health Care Fine Print.
This is an interview from Fred Thompson’s radio show, with a doctor who actually read the 1,000+ page Democrat health bill. If the American people (especially the elderly) knew what was in this bill, there would be a revolution; which is why it is being pushed through this fast.
The House Bill They Don't Want You to Read...
"VICIOUS ASSAULT ON THE ELDERLY"
PAGE 425: MANDATORY REQUIREMENT FOR MEDICARE COUNSELING TO ELDERLY EVERY 5 YEARS
"Counseling session to tell you how to end your life sooner, how to decline nutrition, how to decline being hydrated, how to go into hospice care..."
Yet, the yellow-dog liberal organization AARP (which claims to be non-partisan-HA!) is supporting Obama's healthcare plan.
Regardless of your age now, you need to plan for your later years. This is a DEADLY plan. To the elderly, it is more of a death-enablement plan than a health-care plan. Listen to the 8-minute attachment - it's an interview with a doctor who actually READ the bill!!
Here's the bio on the guest:
Betsy McCaughey .
Dr. McCaughey is a health policy expert and former Lt. Governor of New York State . In 2004, she founded the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths (www.hospitalinfection.org), a nationwide educational campaign to stop hospital-acquired infections. She serves as the CEO and Chairman of the organization. In three years, RID has made hospital infections a major public issue, provided compelling evidence that preventing infection improves hospital profitability as well as saving lives, and won legislation in over 20 states for public reporting of infection rates. RID has become synonymous with patient safety and clean hospital care. Dr. McCaughey's research on how to prevent infection deaths has been featured on Good Morning America, the CBS Morning Show, ABC's 20/20, and many other national programs. She has appeared on Fox News Network's Hannity & Colmes, The O'Reilly Factor, CNN's Talk Back Live, and numerous radio programs.
Prior to entering the health policy field, Dr. McCaughey earned a Ph.D. in constitutional history. She is the author of two books on that subject, From Loyalist to Founding Father (Columbia University Press), winner of the Bancroft Dissertation Award, and Government by Choice (Basic Books). She also chaired a national commission on reforming the Electoral College in 1992, wrote its report, Electing the President, and testified before Congress on the subject. In 1989, she served as Guest Curator for the Bicentennial Exhibit and related events at the New York Historical Society.
To listen to the 8-minute interview, click on this link:
Please DO NOT forward this message to anyone else until after you have contacted YOUR Congressman and 2 Senators.
July 23, 2009
HEALTH CARE REFORM LEGISLATION HAS TAKEN OUR EYES OFF THE BALL.
You see it in one hand and now something different appears in the other.
Americans are being confused. Our continuing fiscal crisis which results in loss of jobs, business contraction, and home foreclosures is being replaced by Health Care Reform legislation. It has become the primary agenda for our new president along with new spending programs. This has swayed our attention from the everyday domestic suffering of Americans. It is logically incomprehensible to think that by spending huge sums of money, in this case possibly an additional 1.5 trillion over a ten year period that this debt will somehow bring down our already huge deficits created by the stimulus. Americans already becoming fed up by giving taxpayer money bailouts to huge corporations are now becoming angry at additional money being considered, and how it can be paid for. You certainly would not buy a new car if you were just laid off or lost your home, how could a person be expected to pony up a premium for new health coverage at this time. This cannot be comforting to a populous that now sees our President has moved on to bigger and better spending. President Obama now eludes that if we do not spend this additional money to set the health care industry right, we can expect to not be able to control our deficit. This defies everyday reasoning.
It makes more sense to think through on a program that may not necessarily be wrong, but certainly wrong as to timing. Americans need to see us progress from one crisis before starting another. This is not to minimize the need for health insurance reform but to know when to enact that legislation. In order for Health Care Reform to advance, employers can be expected to see higher payroll taxes in order to subsidize the cost. This effect can create even more problems to a struggling economy. It could create more job losses, reduction in inventory levels and cause manufacturing orders to be delayed or eliminated completely. This trickle down effect can prolong a painful recovery. This is reckless spending behavior by our President, and would not serve the publics best interest. The time has come for people to come forward and let their legislators know this can not stand. We need to see real results from the stimulus money that has been spent already before moving on. So far this money has not resulted in a slowdown in job losses or small business failures or foreclosures. I say finish one overhaul before moving on to another.
David Simpson
July 23, 2009
Health Care Decision
STOP Government Run Health Care -
The President likes to say that the "Status quo" must change on health care . The fact is that the status quo is the government and insurance companies in charge of health care spending and it has gotten us where we are today. Yet the President wants to give MORE power to these same groups! How does that change "the status quo"?
The House of Representatives needs to hear form you this week so they know you want to Stop Government Run Medicine.
House Bill 3200 will: 1. Create a government run insurance program that likely will add over 100 million people onto the backs of taxpayers (Lewin Group). 2. Mandate that everyone buy over-priced health insurance that is created by politicians and lobbyists - a huge profit gain for insurance companies. It is estimated that insurance costs will GO UP by up to 95%. This plan has failed in Massachusetts where there are still 2.6% uninsured, premiums have gone up at rates higher than the rest of the country and the state is now spending an additional $1.5 billion in taxpayer money on health care! 3. Create government rationing that will allow insurance company profits to grow and allow government to avoid paying benefits (Campaign for Liberty). 4. Create government committees that will tell doctors what medical tests and treatments they CAN and CANNOT order and punish them financially if they don't "comply" (www.doctorsforpatientfreedom.com). 5. Prevent you from buying private insurance that is not "government-approved" after 2013 (page 16 of bill) http://www.aapsonline.org/newsoftheday/00351. 6. Create a massive bureacracy that will interfere in the relationship you have with your doctors. 7. Add to the national debt and increase government spending by at least $1.5 trillion over ten years! 8. Cut spending for Medicare patients by $400 billion over ten years! 9. Force seniors to attend "counseling sessions" about alternatives for "end of life care", or more often if they get sick (House bill, p. 425-430).
Already Congress has defeated amendments that would have prohibited a) the government from interfering in the practice of medicine and that b) would have prevented insurance plans from being required to pay for abortion benefits -even if you don't want those benefits.
There are better ways to drive down health insurance premiums: put money and power in the hands of individuals and create real competition. Give them tax benefits to buy health insurance outside of work - not just from their employer. Allow them to buy lower cost insurance from another state. Allow the natural growth of tax free health savings accounts and high deductible health plans so insurance is used rarely in your life- not every time you see a doctors. That will allow patients to demand more time from their doctors and have the doctor explain why tests and treatments are worth spending money from their own accounts. The poor and the sick who have can't find health insurance CAN get help from the government and charities and that will be more affordable for taxpayers. Sadly, the status quo won't change under Congresional plans - the status quo will be made worse as the same government and insurance companies that created our problems are given even more power.
Sincerely,
David McKalip, M.D. Chairman, Florida Taxpayers Union Chair, Council on Medical Economics, Florida Medical Association
Health Care Reform - A "Florida This Week" Special will be broadcast on Thursday, July 16th from 9p.m. to 10 p.m. The discussion will be presented live from the WEDU studios in Tampa , FL.
Florida This Week, in a special live broadcast, will explore the complexities of Health Care Reform.
Featuring Panelists:
- Dr. Greg Silver (Board Member of Physicians for a National Health Program and Member of the Pinellas County Medical Association.) Solo family practice since 1993 in Clearwater .
- Dr. David McKalip (Member of the Florida Medical Association, Chair of Council on Medical Economics and President-Elect of Pinellas County Medical Assocation.) Solo Neurosurgeon practice since 2000 in St. Petersburg .
Our PCMA Physicians will discuss both sides of the issue along with Dr. Catherine Palmier, Chief Medical Officer, United Health Care, (Southeast Region) and Lori Parham, State Director of Florida AARP. Show your support and tune in to what promises to be a educational and controversial exchange.
Disclaimer: The political views of the Pinellas County Medical Association's individual members are respected but not endorsed. The PCMA is non-partisan and does not officially endorse any party, candidate or political organization. Sincerely, The Pinellas County Medical Association
June 27, 2009
Meeting July 8, 2009
Here is your opportunity to get involved and make a real difference.
Please join us on Wednesday, July 8, 2009, 6:000 P.M. at Roberts Mobile Home & RV Resort Auditorium, 3390 Gandy Blvd., St. Petersburg, Florida.
At this meeting, Margie Patchett, Executive Director of www.LowerTaxesNow.org will educate citizens in our community on how to hold our elected officials accountable for spending. Margie will be speaking about: (1) Why we need lower taxes now (2) How we can provide services for less (3) What you, the taxpayer can do to help.
Margie is Executive Director of Volusia Tax Reform (Daytona) which started with 25 people meeting in her house on July 26, 2006 . Within six weeks Volusia Tax Reform had over 10,000 signatures on a petition to reduce real estate taxes which was presented to the Volusia County Council. Six hundred people then attended the county budget meeting which resulted in Volusia Tax Reform successfully pressuring the County of Volusia to go to the “roll back rate” in 2006. Volusia Tax Reform also pressured the City of Daytona Beach to reduce it's proposed budget by 14 percent, saving the taxpayers, over 34 million dollars that year. Volusia Tax Reform has proven it just takes a small number of people to make a large impact on government.
Guest Speaker will be David McKalip, M.D. who drafted and spearheaded the 1.35 Petition and was able to obtain over 120,000 signatures on the petition within just a few short months. He will be talking about Health Care Reform and what obstacles it could mean for people if government gets involved.
This meeting in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 is to help citizens in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties to organize similar efforts to hold elected officials accountable in their spending of our tax dollars.
Let's keep the revolution going! Attend the July 8th meeting. Please RSVP to Margie at margie640@gmail.com and let her know you plan to attend the St. Petersburg workshop on July 8th.
Please let us know if you have ideas and suggestions. And pass the word to the trustworthy patriots among you! -- Margie Patchett LowerTaxesNow.org 386.212.3968
June 23, 2009.
Health Care Reform
by: Dr. David McKalip
Join the
Pinellas County HEALTH CARE FREEDOM TEA PARTY
JULY 2nd from 4-6 pm at Seminole Office of CW Bill Young.
9199 113th St NSeminole, Florida
We will protest any GOVERNMENT TAKE OVER OF MEDICINE and
Americans should be in control of their medical decisions, not government and third party payers who will ration care for politics and profit. The government is about to creating rationing and cookbook medicine protocols to save money for themselves and to increase corporate profits. Patients will be last and their doctors will be forced to comply or driven out of business. READ MORE>>>
June 22, 2009
We Need Political Viagra
I have a reputation for being controversial. I am not controversial for inventing facts, but rather for telling the truth. The truth is today taxpayers serve their government, not the other way around. The truth is the average government worker in Orlando makes double the wage of the average taxpayer. The truth is our civil servants are retiring in their 40s while the taxpayer is working into their 70s to make that possible. The truth is hundreds of thousands of second homeowners are leaving Florida because of high taxes and they are not coming back. The problems within local government have evolved over the last five decades, so it is not the fault of any current elected officials. But the truth is our elected officials know these facts but they lack the courage to stand up to the government labor unions and reform our broken government. I am here to give them a dose of political Viagra. Last week I spent 15 minutes listening to someone try and convince me Florida is a low tax state. My answer is three words; bull****, bull****, bull****. Florida is simply more creative in extracting revenue from taxpayers than other states making it appear we are a low tax state. Looking at the state of the next size, Florida government spending is more per capita than Illinois. Taking a state with a similar average wage, we spend more per capita in local and state government than Georgia. Property taxes on small business are three times higher per square foot than in California. I spent nine months studying all 14 local governments in Orange County to find waste and duplication of services. What I found is taxpayers spend a total of $7 billion in local governments within Orange County annually. Worse, we are accruing liabilities and passing them onto our children. My analysis shows taxes on small business will double every six years unless we make structural reforms to local government. It is a mathematical certainty pension shortfalls, rising healthcare costs, and never ending pay raises will increase the cost of government until one by one each small business will fail; unless we reform the system. I need to make a decision shortly regarding my role in reforming local government. The question I need to ask is; are there any leaders or candidates for office who are proven reformers? Has anyone in local government done any more than give lip service to getting greater efficiency with our tax dollars? Who has the vision to save small business in Florida? And finally; is anyone happy with their government today? Most people I know are disgusted with poor services, high taxes, fees, and the corrupt political process in local government. The hardworking taxpayers in Orange County and across Florida deserve better. Please join thousands of other frustrated taxpayers at our July 4th "Tea Party" at 11 a.m. on the north side of the Amway Arena. Be part of the solution.
by: Will Pitts Health Care Reform "Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida"
The RLC supports free market health care alternatives. We believe that hospitals, physicians, nurses, pharmaceutical companies and other medical professionals can provide high-quality, reasonably-priced health care without government intervention.
After years of failed policy and government intervention in health care, it is evident that the real solution relies on competition in the open marketplace not in socialized healthcare schemes that promise something impossible.
For decades, the U.S. healthcare system was the envy of the entire world. Not coincidentally, there was far less government involvement in medicine during this time. America had the finest doctors and hospitals, patients enjoyed high-quality, affordable medical care, and thousands of private charities provided health services for the poor. Doctors focused on treating patients, without the red tape and threat of lawsuits that plague the profession today. Most Americans paid cash for basic services, and had insurance only for major illnesses and accidents. This meant both doctors and patients had an incentive to keep costs down, as the patient was directly responsible for payment rather than Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) or government program.
Since we changed our ERISA law and our tax laws, the medical industry is no longer run by the physicians and medical professionals, but by large government regulated HMOs. Few people realize HMOs are government-created and taxpayer-subsidized entities that pay physicians and hospitals predetermined, per-capita fees, regardless of what medical services are actually provided.
Congress forced HMOs on us in the early 1970’s and rose to prominence through federal legislation, incentives, and coercion. To compound problems the government encourages the proliferation of HMOs through grants and loans given to them; Medicare and Medicaid contracts with them; and unlike HMOs, independent physicians are prevented, by antitrust law, from joining together to bargain with employers for health-care contracts.
In a free market, HMOs could never become a significant factor in the economy. Few would pay for an insurance policy that, in a medical catastrophe, arbitrarily capitates payments to physicians for life-saving services. The purpose of health insurance is to protect against unforeseen medical disasters requiring expensive treatment. HMO's achieve the opposite--they make the patient uncertain of what vital procedures may be denied him as a result of Washington's desire to ration medicine. It is government intervention that fuels HMOs.
The doctors, nurses and medical professionals are unhappy. Prices to the consumer are increasing and the quality of care is deteriorating. Doctors are working longer and harder and making less money. The drug companies and the HMOs lobby in Washington to control the industry supporting socialized medical programs. Socialized medicine in any form is not the answer.
If the problem in the medical industry is government intervention, more of what is causing the problem is not going to solve the problem. There is only one way to bring the benefits of the free market into health care: end government intervention and create more competition. The lesson is clear; when government and other third parties get involved, health care costs spiral. This solution would increase entry into the healthcare industries, increase the supply of doctors, and encourage everyone – doctors, hospitals, patients, and drug companies – to keep costs down and increase the availability of these goods and services for everyone.
Join the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida at www.rlcfl.org
June 4, 2009
Small Business needs to fight back!
In Florida, small business is between a rock and a hard place. The rock is Save Our Homes which most of us benefit from. I benefit personally from Save Our Homes, but it is not a tax limit. It is a tax shift onto non-homestead property owners. In the past six years this additional burden totaled $64 billion. The hard place is the ever increasing spending of local governments. A Putt Putt golf course saw its taxes go from $11,000 to $40,000 in one year. It is no surprise unemployment tripled in Florida. The reason Florida went from the number one economy in the United States to number 47 is our policies have damaged our economy. Small business is thekey to economic recovery and our standard of living. There are 1,000,000 small businesses in Florida. If each one hires just one person unemployment goes to zero. If they all lay off one more person unemployment goes to 20%. That is why I have fought the ever mounting burden of taxes, fees and regulations on small business. But I cannot fight alone. I need the support of every taxpayer who thinks the burden placed on small business is not good for our economy. I need the support of everyone who thinks it unfair taxpayersare working into their 70s so our civil servants can retire in their 40s. I need the support of everyone who thinks it unfair that government workers make twice the annual salary and twice the benefits of the taxpayers who support them. I need the support of every taxpayer who thinks our government has become self-serving, when the original purpose of government was to serve the people. There are three events in the next month where you can show your support. On June 30th, LowerTaxesNow.org will co-host a luncheon with Coalition for Property Rights featuring incoming Speaker of the Florida House Dean Cannon.
On July 1st, I will host a party at the Blue Martini-Millennia Mall at 5:30 p.m. I will address the expected 200 patriots about the need to reform local government, and I might have a special announcement.
On July 4th, LowerTaxesNow.org is hosting a tea party on the north side of the Amway Arena. Gates open 10 a.m., and speakers will appear from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. We think a U.S. Congressman will speak and you will be surprised who it will be. Our theme is "The Second American Revolution," and we hope to have three dozen groups promoting their solutions. Let's stop complaining about government and do something. Join me at the events above and let's take back our government.
We have an extended network of active participants on this site that can also participate in active ongoing forums on Facebook. To be included... please sign into Facebook with David Simpson or go to Florida Tax Forum to be included. Thank You!
June 4. 2009
Hello all,
On July 2nd there will be simultaneous tea parties to protest Congresses proposed government take over of health care. We will rally at Congressional offices around Florida and will attempt to hit as many as possible, focusing on key Senate Finance Committee member Bill Nelson.
More details will be forth coming shortly, but I wanted to give you a heads up so you could try to attend on Thursday July 2nd.
By the way, there will be health care freedom tea parties all over the nation leading up to July 4th. (learn more at Teapartypatriots.org)
To learn more, please come to the talk I am giving Sunday. June 7th, 2009 @ 1500 4th Street North @ 3PM
Putting Patients First –
The Missing Ingredient in
Health System Reform.
Dr. David McKalip
June 3, 2009
Taxpayer funded GM money. Is it a waste?
by: David Simpson
Is it just me or is the news on television desensitizing us to bad news. Instead of GM failing and entering bankruptcy protection, we are told that GM will be a leaner meaner car company when it exits chapter 13. Obama tells us that he is not in the car business, and he will not micro-manage the car company. Come on… Taxpayer vested interests are now topping 50 billion, and the government motor works is not going to have a say regarding the profitability of General Motors? Everyone believe that.. Stand up and say Hallelujah. If indeed the funds of the American people which are being used at a staggering pace are not spent wisely, then another uprising from the public can be expected.
The CEO of General Motors Fritch Henderson was coy when broached with the subject of whether the tax payer would be paid back or not. “We would hope so, he said, but I have no crystal ball”. The truth of the matter, General Motors has not been selling many cars even before the recession began. They need to sell approximately 12 million cars to be profitable and approximately 10 million just to break even; the American public is obviously in deep trouble for a quick turnaround. Car sales this last year barely eked out 9.5 million cars.
General Motors plans to close 4 plants which will eliminate approximately 21,000 UAW workers and additional 6,000 salaried employees. If you factor in the closing of 2600 dealerships and their workers, you have another down quarter or two of employee job loses. You can bet these people are not going out to buy automobiles anytime soon. They’ll need to focus their attention on whether they can afford to stay in their house or enter foreclosure.
I can’t help thinking that the American government is throwing good money after bad. Sound business decisions would dictate that GM or any other car manufacturer that is a drag on the economy should be allowed to close and then re-open on reorganization standards of past practice without the help of the taxpayer. We do not need to use additional taxpayer funds to give them a push, when by any measure using the above figures, show that it will be a total waste of money for the foreseeable future.
May 28, 2009
For Immediate Release.
May 27, 2009
St. Petersburg, FL
Private Neurosurgeon Begins Town Hall Meetings To Warn Americans About Government Run Medicine.
A private brain and spine surgeon has begun a series of Town Hall meetings to advise Americans about Congressional plans to ration medical care. His first major talk will be at the American Legion Hall in St. Petersburg to a local “912project” group on Sunday, June 7, 2009 at 3 pm (1500 4th St. N., St. Petersburg, FL) (912project.com). He will describe how the government and large insurance companies seek to expand their power over health care financing and medical decision making and how this will result in rationing. The talk will include a 30 minute video of British and Canadian patients who have been harmed by that system and how their doctors are powerless to help them. The doctor has been actively developing health system reform policy that focuses power on the patient. Says Dr. McKalip: “The problems of high medical costs, less access to physician time and unaffordable insurance have arisen under forty years of control of the health care dollar by third parties”. Dr. McKalip will describe how government and health insurance corporations – acting as third parties outside of the patient-physician relationship – have allowed politics, power and profits to get in the way of medical care. He will describe how putting patients in charge of their own health care dollar backed by a more traditional insurance plan for rare catastrophic medical care will better solve problems with medical costs. “When patients are in charge of their health care dollar, doctors will want to spend more time with them and make sure the patient decides what treatment and tests will truly benefit them”. The power of the consumer in a competitive free market is far more likely to lower costs, increase quality and patient satisfaction than any system designed by the government or controlled by health insurance corporations. Dr. McKalip will discuss the key health system reform proposals that will be considered in Congress this summer including comparative effectiveness, use of electronic medical records, financial penalties to force doctors to comply with rationing and cookbook medicine, mandated purchase of health insurance, tax increases, and multiple levels of bureaucracy that will interfere in the patient-physician relationship. Talks are planned all over the Tampa Bay Area, beginning with an appearance at health reform march in Tampa on 5/28/09.
Contact: David McKalip, M.D., 727-822-3500
Dr. McKalip is a private practice brain and spine surgeon in St. Petersburg, Florida. He is the President-elect of the Pinellas County Medical Association, President of the Florida Neurosurgical Society, serves on the Board of the Florida Medical Association (FMA) and is on the Florida Delegation to the AMA’s key policy making body, the House of Delegates. He serves as the Chairman of the Council on Medical Economics for the FMA and lead the effort to write a health system reform plan for the FMA that focuses on individual financial empowerment of patients. Dr. McKalip founded Doctors for Patient Freedom and is working to ensure that individual savings, choice and competition create better and more affordable medical care for Americans. Dr. McKalip has written and spoken on the unintended consequences of expanded government and corporate control of health care financing and medical decision making including rationing, cookbook medicine, unsustainable economic models for government and unaffordable or unavailable private insurance products and financing options for patients.
May 22, 2009
Putting Patients First – The Missing Ingredient in Health System Reform.
Dr. David McKalip
How to make medical care more affordable.
Rationing and cookbook medicine coming from government and insurance companies who will gain full power over medical care. Read More>>
May 14, 2009
Pension Costs + healthcare benefits = insolvency
Most people are not aware of the real reason General Motors went from the number one company on the planet to insolvent in a few decades. The reason has nothing to do with cheap foreign labor (GM's competitors build many of their cars in the US) or the quality of the cars. The reason GM is insolvent is the company supports 600,000 retirees with only 165,000 active workers. Pension costs and retiree healthcare benefits drove GM out of business. Your local government has the same business model. Government workers can retire in their mid 40s and receive guaranteed pay checks until their 90s. Right now there are about 1,200,000 government workers in Florida and the number of retirees will soon be greater than the number of active workers. Your local government is headed down the same path as GM. But instead of ruining a car company we will destroy our local economy and lower our standard of living. Just a year ago, GM had $15 billion in the bank. They put $29.9 billion in a retiree health care fund in 2008, and borrowed a similar amount from the taxpayers in 2009. Your local government has the same business model as GM, except government's primary revenue is taxing small business. In the past six years small business has seen taxes triple, fees quadruple, and utility rates increase at many times inflation. The end result is no surprise; more business failures. But like GM the problem never disappears, it hides during periods of economic growth and comes back with increasing severity. Because of Save Our Homes it is mathematically certain your local government will continue to force small business to fail at an increasing rate. Putting numbers to the problem, State and local government spending was $93 billion in 2002. In 2006 that figure increased to $151 billion. Because of Save Our Homes most of the additional $58 billion burden fell on small business. Our future is a repeat of that cycle until only the strongest businesses will survive, unless we systematically change our local government business model. We are leaving our children a state with no future opportunity. Just as most people knew GM was in trouble decades ago your local economy has the same future without reform. Your local government has the same union salary and pension problems, and our economic future is the same as GM. The time has come to stand up to the government labor unions and save the future of our State. We need to reform salaries so civil servants do not make twice the wage of the average taxpayer. We need to reform health care benefits, and we need to reform the pension plan so it does not bankrupt our economy. The next 15 months will see more challenges as unemployment will rise above 10% in Florida. At some point the taxpayer will realize small business is the way out of this economic mess and demand government reduce the burden on small business. Will our current group of elected officials listen? So far they have raised taxes in a recession, doubled parking fees, increased utility rates 20%, and added new fees. When most businesses are losing money today, these actions have only put more people out of work. There are one million small businesses in Florida. If each one hires just one person unemployment goes to zero. If they each lay off one person unemployment goes to 20%. So, my fellow taxpayer, you decide. Is your local government working for the best interests of the taxpayer, or is it funding its own General Motors? Does anyone think it is fair taxpayers are working into their 70s so our civil servants can retire in their 40s? If this concerns you, please join us at the July 4th Tea Party, 11 a.m. on the north side of the Amway Arena (downtown Orlando). Let's fix this mess and leave our children with a better future. Matthew Falconer Orange County Taxpayer Budget Review Board www.TaxpayerBudgetReviewBoard.orgwww.LowerTaxesNow.org matthew@LowerTaxesNow.org
April 30, 2009
Orlando Government Woes
The financial house of cards that is the Orlando government is falling down. The same people who gave the key to the city to convicted embezzler Lou Perlman have spent the city into insolvency. It is time for the taxpayer to wake up and demand real reforms. Let's start with some facts. Orlando's 2009 budget is $926,090,108 (in 2005 it was $604 million). There are roughly 200,000 residents in the City. That comes out to approximately $10,000 for each working taxpayer living in the city not including the $1.5 billion spent in Orange County schools or the $3.5 billion spent in Orange County. But we know about this burden. Here is the part most people do not know. The City of Orlando lost $150 million in its "defined benefit" pension plan in 2008. What defined benefit means is that you, the taxpayer, need to pay that money back even though you already paid it once. But it gets worse. The Orlando pension plan guarantees an 8% annual return on the fund investment (which was approximately $1 billion). So you, the taxpayer need to dig out of your pocket another $75 million just for the pension fund losses in 2008 (Orange County lost over $1 billion in its pension fund last year, but that is another story). It makes this deficit up by increasing the pension contributions for employees. Did you know the average annual pension contribution for a police officer exceeds the annual salary of a taxpayer earning minimum wage? Sorry, but it gets worse. The City borrowed $100,000,000 to fund the new Magic Arena. The interest rate on the arena is higher than expected so the arena will cost $100,000,000 more than expected with debt service. The city is even borrowing to pay for the design work for commuter rail. At the same time the city gave a developer $6 million for a downtown movie theater and millions more to subsidize a speculative office project in a low income area. Taxpayers have twice subsidized the purchase of Church Street Station which is again in foreclosure (is the third time a charm?). People are upset the City of Orlando is paying twenty-seven year olds $131,000 annually plus benefits, but the real problem is the City of Orlando is on a collision course with bankruptcy. The same people that brought you the venues and the $1 million Ambassador scooter program will not prevent the City of Orlando from this fate. What the city needs is a new group of leaders who are willing to stand up and say we have a pension problem. Leaders who are willing to say civil servants should not make double the wage of the taxpayer. Leaders who will turn our local government from its current bureaucracy to a model of efficiency. Leaders who will give government back to the people. The hard working taxpayers of Orlando deserve better. A lot better. Take a look at General Motors to see the future of your local government. Our local government has the same business model as General Motors and government as usual is not sustainable. Orlando has already raised real estate taxes in a recession, doubled parking fees, raised utility fees by 18%, installed red light cameras that generate $10,000 a day in fines, and increased every fee it can. This burden creates higher unemployment in the private sector but enables the City to keep 165 unionized workers on the payroll in permitting and economic development at a cost of $100,000 per employee. Permits are down over 80%. What are these people doing? The fee increases will continue until we, the taxpayer, put a stop to it. Unemployment in Orlando has gone from 3.3% to 9.9% in five years. The primary regulator of business is our local government. Unless we force government to serve the people instead of enriching itself our economy will not improve. The question is when will we fix it and who will step up. Please JOIN www.LowerTaxesNow.org. Send this to all of your friends. The future of government will be dramatically different from our current model. If the taxpayers unite it will come sooner than later. The sooner we reform our government the sooner our economy will recover. I have almost finished my book; "Building a Better Local Government." It is a road map for fixing the problems with our local government and an economic recovery plan. Don't give up. The problems are many but the solutions are within our grasp if we unite as taxpayers. Join me July 4th at the next Tea Party in Orlando tentatively scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Amway Arena. I will outline a plan to reform local government and give government back to the people.
House Passes 1.35% Tax Cap for Voter approval - 2nd year in a row!
SENATE CONTINUES TO IGNORE FLORIDA TAXPAYERS AND WON'T EVEN VOTE ON THE BILL IN SENATE - again!
ONLY SENATE PRESIDENT JEFF ATWATER HAS THE POWER TO MOVE THIS TO A SENATE VOTE BY END OF SESSION THURSDAY! Call Senator Atwater Today and tell him: "WE WANT SB 0738 (1.35% cap) to move to the floor for a vote by Thursday!" Statewide: 1-866-757-1902; Tallahassee: (850) 487-5100 N. Palm Beach: (561) 625-5101; Oakland Park: (954) 847-3518
Last Year, Senator Jeff Atwater indicated that then Senate President Ken Pruitt was not allowing the 1.35% property tax cap to the Floor of the Florida Senate for a vote. Now HE is the Senate President and the same thing has occured. Why? Why won't our Senate President give the go ahead to allow an up or down vote on a tax proposal that would allow voters to cut their property taxes by 20% and permanently cap them at no more than 1.35% or their property's value? Why, when about 120,000 Florida voters signed a petition to do so and the Florida Supreme Court agreed they had the power to do so if techincal language was fixed (as was done in the current bill)?
Why does the House pass the bill after moving through multiple committees and the Senate Leadership refuses to allow it to move to its second committee and to the floor?
Only Senate President Atwater knows and only Senate President Atwater can instruct his Senate leadership to move that bill to the floor for a vote this week.
FLORIDA TAXPAYERS HAVE HAD ENOUGH AND WILL REMEMBER THOSE SENATORS WHO HAVE BEEN HELPFUL AND THOSE SENATORS WHO HAVE REFUSED TO ACT.
Thanks to Senator Bennet and the other Senators who voted Yes in the Community Affairs committee. Thanks to Senator Storms, Fasano and Gaetz who helped where they could. Thanks to Senators Altman, Garcia, Hill, Ring, Siplin, and Wise
Shame on those Senate leaders and our Senate President who said "no".
CALL SENATOR ATWATER TODAY AND DEMAND ACTION. THEN EMAIL YOUR SENATOR AND TELL HIM TO DEMAND A VOTE!
Request all concerned and informed Florida citizens contact all your Florida elected legislators and demand they push the Senate Govt. Oversight and Accountability Committee, before the current legislative session adjourns, to terminate the present state law allowing any state public employees to double-dip which is crippling the states financial condition and economy. If these public employees decide to retire, they should be able to budget and live on that amount and not collect their retirement pay while still receiving their full salary which is defined as double-dipping. I just read that the Florida House of Representatives are pushing their double-dipping bill ( H479) to prevent the public employees from retiring for 30-days and coming back to their present position to just staying in retirement for at least six-months and then allowing them to come back to double-dip. What a farce!! How can they as your representatives allow these people to continue double-dipping in this recession or, for that matter , anytime. Tell them that it appears that they don't care about the Florida taxpayers if they don't immediately terminate the present Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP ) which allows state public employees to double-dip. If they don't respond in the affirmative I suggest they be voted out at the next election.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rod MorenAn Overtaxed Taxpayer
April 18, 2009
Wasteful Spending was a factor even in 1934 as evidenced by this political cartoon from a 1934 Chicago Tribune.
provided by: Dr. David McKalip
April 16,2009
by: David Simpson
A St. Petersburg Tax Tea Party showed patriotism is still alive and kicking at the Pinellas County Tax office location in St. Petersburg. Non-partisan residents gathered together to protest with signs and voice their concerns about burgeoning spending proposals in Washington. The stimulus bill which is a massive undertaking by administration officials, promises to dwarf any spending policies seen in the history of America. Under the guise of reform, up to a trillion dollars has been approved to cover a wide blanket of newfound and existing programs, so many in fact that citizens are worried about who is going to pay for it, and rightfully so. With small business failures, home foreclosures, and unemployment which could go to double digits by this summer, most people are feeling the pinch. Necessities have taken center stage in a time when state and local budgets are trying to raise taxes from a populace that can little afford any.
Tax tea party’s have been sprouting up since February all across the country, but numbering over 700 on April 15th, which is tax filing day. Symbolically all fifty states showed unity by staging their own Tea Party’s. Most people interviewed have said this is only the beginning of a trend of peaceful protests.
Some pictures of St. Petersburg’s Tea Party are provided below. Dr. David McKalip, and his wife Ann, along with Hamilton Hanson organized this event at the last second, which drew an estimated 150 people, a credit to them and to the strong emotions about this subject from the people. Our thanks go out to them.
Such is the rallying cry building across the country as taxpayers take a stand against what they see as reckless spending in Washington -- all part of a peculiar and rather sudden movement called "tea parties."
Some small, some large, locals converge at the parties to voice their frustration over the federal government's economic policies. The protests have sprouted up from coast-to-coast and city-to-city since late February.
The biggest one so far is scheduled for April 15, tax day, when hundreds of cities will play host to a coordinated, nationwide tea-party protest.
"People are getting killed -- they're getting hammered with taxes and it's not the way this country is supposed to be run. ... We want to fight back," said Kristina Mancini, who's helping organize the April 15 rally in Fishkill, N.Y.
"Sitting back and being quiet never helps."
The grassroots phenomenon, while largely ignored in the mainstream press, has caught fire on the Internet, where platforms like Facebook and Twitter have served as launching pads for demonstrations.
Though nobody -- so far -- is dressing up like a Mohawk Indian and throwing barrels of Darjeeling into Boston Harbor, organizers draw their inspiration from the original Boston Tea Party of 1773.
Whereas colonists back then were revolting against, among other things, unfair tax policies, the impetus now lies in federal spending and intervention that many fear will lead to a crushing tax burden.
"It's not exactly taxation without representation. It's more taxation with inadequate representation," said Michael DePrimo, with the American Family Association, which is helping promote the events. "People are really getting riled up ... people want to get involved, they want to help and they want to attend. I'm not so sure this'll be a one-time thing."
The historical parallels may seem sparse. America is no longer a colony. It is not ruled by a king.
But just as the 18th century decrees of the King of England drew outrage from American colonists, several acts of modern U.S. government intervention have stirred similar upheaval.
The Stamp Act? Now it's the Wall Street bailout.
The Tea Act? Now it's the $787 billion stimulus package.
The Quartering Act? Now it's the pork-filled omnibus spending bill.
The Boston Massacre? That would have to be the proposed $3.55 trillion 2010 budget, seen by tea partiers as a fiscal massacre.
The Sons of Liberty of today is led by people like Rick Santelli, the CNBC reporter widely credited with helping spark the tea-party fever nationwide (though tea parties were being held before Santelli plugged them).
During an infamous on-air rant on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in February, Santelli called for modern-day tea parties to protest the economic trends in government.
He stirred up traders by shouting that the government was promoting "bad behavior" with its mortgage rescue plan. "This is America," he said. "How many of you people want to pay for your neighbor's mortgage that has an extra bathroom and can't pay their bills?"
Though he was mocked by the White House, Santelli might as well have yelled, "Give me liberty or give me death!"
Jenny Beth Martin, a Republican activist who's helping organize one of the higher-profile tea parties in Atlanta, said Santelli's rant led shortly afterward to a conference call of 22 activists, including herself.
From there, she said, organizers put together 48 tea parties -- from St. Louis to San Antonio to Chicago -- on Feb. 27.
There have been scattered tea parties since then, but the next nationally coordinated event is on tax day.
She said 360 events are on the books for April 15, with "dozens more" scheduled every day -- she anticipates more than 2,000 participants in Atlanta.
In the Boston spirit, Martin said they might even toss some tea bags, "maybe into a barrel."
The movement, while nonpartisan, has largely involved conservatives -- who are testing out a role long reserved for the other side of the political spectrum.
"Conservatives aren't known for their protest abilities, and protests in business suits and umbrellas, it was kind of a funny sight," Martin said, recalling the rainy-day event in Atlanta on Feb 27.
But the protesters have forged their own cheeky, anti-spending brand. In videos of the rallies on the Pajamas TV Web site, one protester sported an arm band that said "POOP -- Prisoners of Obama's Policies." Another held a poster that read "Let Them Eat Pork!"
The tea party movement has generated a host of unique Web sites dedicated to promoting upcoming protests and covering those that have already happened. The Pajamas TV site is even recruiting "citizen reporters" to cover the April 15 protests.
"This is about the people. This is about what we have to say," said Nancy Armstrong, who's organizing the tea party in Wichita, Kan. Armstrong, who attended one of the parties in northern Kansas in late February, said she's expecting at least 1,000 people at the local post office in Wichita on April 15.
Margaret Hyland, who's helping organize the rally in Astoria, Ore., said the parties are just gatherings for "regular people."
"We just feel that the government is not listening to the people," she said, adding that the stimulus package was a big factor in her decision to get involved.
"I do not understand how we can throw money at this problem and solve it," Hyland said. "If I was doing my personal budget and discovered I was deeply in debt, I don't think I would go out and borrow a lot of money to throw at it."
April 9, 2009
Senate: Raise Taxes? SURE! Lower Taxes? Not So Much...
Senate President Atwater Should Stand Up for Taxpayers Today and Instruct His Committee Heads to Schedule Votes! Call Senator Jeff Atwater. Call Senator Thad Altman (#'s below).
Also, use The Senate has the power to give the voters the choice - this year - to cut their own property taxes 20% by placing the 1.35% property tax Cap on the ballot. But in a classic political move designed to kill bills they have refused to put the bill (S 0738) up for a committee vote in the Senate Finance and Tax Committee. Committee Chair Thad Altman seems to be spending time in committee to RAISE taxes and won't work to CUT taxes!
Why? It is unclear. The Senate seem to have no problem working to: Raise taxes on tobacco (While diverting 80% of that money to non-health care items despite promises to use on health care)Raise taxes on businesses (that will be passed on to consumers)Raise certain sales taxes (further hurting spending our economy needs)Raise fees on liscence plates, park use and other state provided items. (a "fee" from the government is no different than a tax)It is time for the Senators to quit claiming they are for lower taxes while they refuse to ACT to lower taxes. Call Senator Jeff Atwater today and tell him: "WORK to put 1.35% up for Senate vote this session (SB 0738). Place it on ballot this year!" Statewide: 1-866-757-1902; Tallahassee: (850) 487-5100 N. Palm Beach: (561) 625-5101; Oakland Park: (954) 847-3518
Finance and Tax Committee Chair: Senator Thad Altman "Please Schedule for a SB 0738 vote in your committee right away and cap property taxes at 1.35%!" (850) 487-5053 (State) & (321) 752-3138/(941) 727-6349 (district office)
I went to the Tiger Bay Club on Friday (the 13th) to ask Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Ron Blocker why public schools have five times the administration of private schools. He artfully shifted the focus from waste to compassion for special needs students. But what I learned most during the meeting was the introduction of the 20 or so elected officials in the audience. Each one of them received thunderous applause from the crowd of political insiders. Probably the loudest was for Martha Haynie the Orange County Controller, and I thought to myself; "The taxpayer might be booing the person who oversaw the budget that doubled their taxes." That is when I came to the conclusion that our local government lives in a bubble. It thinks the pain and suffering our citizens are feeling has nothing to do with the way our government is run. It has no clue that doubling impact fees has hampered commercial development. It does not understand that tripling real estate taxes on non-homestead property over ten years has put many small businesses under water. Our government thinks the economic conditions in central Florida arrived like a cold front, and none of the problem lies with government. It fails to see government is the primary regulator of the economy and it has basically shut off the air value. You can see government operate in a bubble if you attend an Orange County Commission meeting. The first 30 minutes consists of government staffers giving awards to other government staffers. All is fine in the bubble. Outside the bubble the Florida economy fell from first in the nation to 47th. We are right next to Michigan, home of perennial double digit unemployment. If the Yankees fell from 1st to 47th George Steinbrenner would fire everyone and bring in fresh ideas. I think every incumbent in every office shares the blame for our economic condition. Last week's local elections showed the taxpayer wants change. But we do not simply need a new name on the door. We need structural changes. In June of 2007 the Township of Sudbury Massachusetts voted to establish a Budget Review Task Force. The study, which is available on our web site, stated "structural deficits occur when systemic spending rises faster than sustainable revenues." It further goes on to say reducing headcounts or other budget cutting measures does not solve the problem of structural deficits. It says, "increasing the budget of a flawed model will not solve the problem." It concluded that "structurally altering the model is the only way to reduce deficits while at the same time maintaining levels of service." We agree. Our current method of delivering government services is not sustainable. We cannot continue to have separate fire stations on opposite sides of the street. We cannot pay public servants double the average wage of the taxpayer. We need serious reform in our local government or our quality of life will continue to erode. I do not think our current batch of elected officials will wake up from their bubble, so I ask all concerned citizens in Orange County to consider running for office on a reform platform. Our greater government efficiency report will be done next month and provide a road map for reform. We need people in all 14 local governments to champion reform. Once our study of local government is complete we will present copies to every elected official in Orange County. To date we have identified $866,000,000 in potential savings. To implement our reforms we have started www.LowerTaxesNow.org. Our web site is active and our goal is to repeat a budget study in every county in Florida. Please visit our web site and send ALL of your contacts a link to our new site. Please help us save the future of Florida. Matthew Falconer Orange County Taxpayer Budget Review Board www.TaxpayerBudgetReviewBoard.orgwww.LowerTaxesNow.org matthew@LowerTaxesNow.org
March 18, 2009
Senate Community Affairs Committee approves 1.35% cap and moves to next committee. 8/9 Senators vote YES*! (Key House Comittee Victory Last week!)
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP - FTU MEMBERS ARE STRONG - Keep fighting!
PLEASE contact Senate Finance and Tax Committee Chair Thad Altman to get it scheduled for a vote there! Call: (850) 487-5053 (State) & (321) 752-3138/(941) 727-6349 (district office)
Please write letters to your newspapers and call local talk radio in support of 1.35% cap - mention our website. (please contribute at www.floridataxpayersunion.org)!!
The Senate Community Affairs voted 8 -1 to move the 1.35% property tax cap out of their committee and on to the next . *See vote log here (3 dems voted yes too - Hill, Ring and Siplin!).
It is up to the Chairs of Other Senate Committees to schedule it for votes there - Please Call Senator Thad Altman to ask him to scehdule it for a vote in Finance and Tax committee ASAP!
This lopsided victory is an indication that WE HAVE THE VOTES TO WIN IN THE SENATE. We know we have the votes to win in the House!
Luckily, Governor Charlie Crist has always been supportive of Tax Cuts stating that he wants to make sure that property taxes "drop like a rock". This is his chance to help the 1.35% cap restore property taxes to year 2000 levels.
Please contact the Governor and ask for his support in the Senate. Ask him to advise the House and the Senate that this is high priorty item and should be placed on the ballot this year!
In our study of government looking for greater efficiency we have found that everyone agrees that something needs to be done but most people are apathetic that change is possible. To those doubters I suggest they ignore the bureaucratic and wasteful local government we have now and allow us to design the perfect local government. Instead of fixing what we have our plan is to design a better local government then insert our existing government into our new model. We call that "Transformational Government Reform". The problems with local government are so widespread and so ingrained that we believe incremental changes will not materially benefit the taxpayers. We believe government needs to be transformed from top to bottom. Our local government has grown in size and complexity to the point where it has become a hazard to our economy and has lowered the quality of life of its citizens. The purpose of government is to serve its citizens and improve the quality of life, yet our own government is the source of many of our problems and anxieties. The goal of transformational government reform is to design the perfect government on paper and transform our local government to that design. The reforms will include how we provide government services, how we use technology to provide those services, and how we pay our public servants. Our current local government model is not sustainable. The level of government spending is forcing small business to fail at a rapid rate causing higher unemployment and an increased need for social services. Only through transformative change can central Florida return to economic prosperity. What if we closed the Division of Motor Vehicles and put those services online. You can renew your tag from the comfort of your own home. The same can be said of building permits and anything else that our government regulates; the end of red tape. Let's do live commission meetings broadcast on the Internet so that people can engage their elected officials from the comfort of their own home. Let's put all proposed budgets on line and allow the public to comment on them before being approved. Sound radical? All of these ideas are in place somewhere else in our world. The technology and ability to make your lives better is available but the political will is absent in local government. Quite frankly a lot of people make a lot of money the way things are. But at some point we need to stand up and state that government exists to serve the taxpayer. And so it should be designed to make the lives of the taxpayer easier with the least economic burden to the public. We have a long way to go from the way our government is run to a better government. But the ways and the means are there. Our six month study of our 14 local governments will be done April 1st. It will show how to improvethe lives of the taxpayers. It is up to you, the taxpayer, to demand change. If you have any suggestions or ideas before our report is complete please send them along. The winds of change are blowing. Help us steer our ship in the right direction. P.S: I will be on Flashpoint on Channel 6 Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. Please record and watch me discuss proposed legislation with Dick Bachelor and Marc Bernier.
Fight for your Right to Place 1.35% Cap on Florida Ballot! CALL KEY SENATORS TODAY! -Only Legislature Can Save the 1.35% Cap! -The 1.35% cap will cut property taxes to 2000 levels and stimulate our economy by putting money back in the pockets of citizens. Senate Committee Chairs need to hear from you now on Senate Bill 0738 - they need to move it to the Senate Floor ASAP! Call the Following Senators and tell them: "Put S0738 on your committee schedule now and Put the 1.35% cap on the 2009 ballot."
Community Affairs: Senator Mike Bennet (bill sponsor, thank this Senator too!) (850) 487-5078 & 1-800-500-1239 (District Office) (First Committee, CALL AT LEAST THIS ONE).
Finance and Tax: Senator Thad Altman (850) 487-5053 (State) & (321) 752-3138/(941) 727-6349 (district office)
Education Pre-K - 12 Appropriations; Senator Stephen Wise (850) 487-5027 (State) & (904) 381-6000 (District Office)
Policy & Steering Commitee on Ways and Means: Senator J.D. Alexander (863) 298-7677 (State) & (850) 487-5044 (District Office)
Rules: Senator Alex Villalobos (850) 487-5130 (State) & (305) 222-4160 (District Office)
As one of the original authors of the 1.35 percent tax cap, I disagree with the state Supreme Court's ruling that the ballot language signed by more than 100,000 Floridians was "misleading."The court invented law in its ruling (again) and ignored its own previous rulings that the 75- word summary need not disclose "every detail." The court found an excuse for its ruling in one technical detail: that when voters approve taxes above the cap, they must renew that approval every two years. Thus the judges followed their well-known ideological bias against tax cuts and used their "judgment" to keep the voters from doing what they certainly would do: cut their own taxes!
The 1.35 percent cap is just what Floridians need as it will cut property taxes about 20 percent and provide real economic stimulus. As always, the Times calls for "new revenue" as the only way we can cut property taxes — which means raising other taxes. You decry cuts to bloated local government budgets even as you routinely report the waste and misspending.
New taxes are not something Floridians can tolerate. The good news is that the Supreme Court only ruled on whether citizens can place the cap on the ballot themselves. It doesn't limit the ability of the Legislature to place it on the ballot — perhaps by placing the words "two years" somewhere in the summary. Senate President Jeff Atwater is the key, and Floridians should call his office and ask him to place the 1.35 percent cap on the ballot.
David McKalip, M.D. St. Petersburg
February 27. 2009
Quote
During a speech in 1944, Norman Mattoon Thomas, the six time presidential candiate from the Socialist Party of America, said the following: "The American people will never knowingly adopt socialism. But, under the name "liberalism," they will adopt every fragment of the socialist program, until one day America will be a socialist nation, without knowing how it happened..." "I no longer need to run as a Presidential Candidate for the Socialist Party. The Democratic Party has adopted our agenda."
February 26, 2009
"Listen to Americans"
The US consumer is an important link toward achieving a full recovery in our current economic free fall. The average consumer spending habits makes up to two thirds of all domestic economic activity. Without it, there can be no recovery in the near future. All indicators show consumer confidence levels have dropped, according to Reuters/University of Michigan. They show confidence levels have dropped to 56.3 percent from 61.2 percent in January alone. Until average Americans feel secure in their government actions, there will be continued erosion in our economy. Our economy has shrunk at an amazing rate of 6.2 percent just in the last October-December quarter.
It is hard to determine if the 787 billion bailout package will stem this downfall. Democrats have a tendency to throw a lot of money at a problem and hope that some of it will seep into the economy in the right areas. Perceptions are everything and United State citizens want to feel that their money is being spent wisely. For that reason a leader needs to come forth that Americans can believe in. Only then can we see our plight as one. America has always achieved great things when average people work together for a common goal. This should be no different.
I believe that most Americans currently feel disenfranchised by the current economic package and see partisan politics still alive and kicking. You can only read the stimulus package for yourself to see all the pork projects that have been inserted that have nothing to do with our current plight. Until you have the attention of average citizens on your side feeling comfortable with its government actions, there can be no increase in consumer confidence. Right now domestic economic activity has dropped 4.3 percent.. the greatest drop since the second quarter of 1980. It’s time we rewrite this scenario before we lose any more ground.
By David R. Simpson
February 25, 2009
Pension Plans " The Real Cost" Don't let anyone tell you the American dream has faded. The truth is the U.S. is still minting lots of millionaires. READ MORE >>>
February 14, 2009
Florida Supreme Court Acting on your behalf?
The Florida Supreme has done the citizens of Florida a disservice by striking down the proposed constitutional amendment for a 1.35% property tax cap. The court made this decision in spite of the signatures of more than 100,000 Florida voters. Actions such as this, that ignore the wishes of the electorate are not all that surprising. After all, the Supreme Court works from an ivory tower that is far removed from the daily lives of the citizens of Florida. It passes judgments with impunity that affects each and every citizen without regard to the ramifications of these judgments on those who have to live with them. From their tower, the high court did not bother to consider the effect that unreasonable taxation and runaway government spending has on the citizens of Florida. The Court made the judgment and we have to live with it.
Granted we live in troubling times. Our incomes are falling, the value of our homes are falling and the value of investments are falling. These are times when our jobs, our homes, our livelihoods and even our way of life are at risk. In the face of all this both local and state governments bombard us with reports of falling revenues and how shortages will require draconian cuts in vital government services. And of course cuts in funding to the sacred cow of government spending, schools, are always emphasized it seems in a scare tactic that amounts to a thinly veiled threat to the well being of our children. It seems that our local and state Governments have forgotten how to prioritize and how to plan. They seem only to know how to spend. They do not seem to be able to stop programs that are no longer necessary. They do not seem to be able to identify and stop programs that are really “nice to have” and are not a necessity. Our governments are basically out of control and are no longer responsive to the needs of the citizens that they collect taxes from and that elect them. The citizens of Florida have been crying out for relief from runaway taxes for years. These cries have been met with indifference or half measures that only pay lip service to real relief.
There are several ways that citizens can take back the control of their government. The foremost being to take direct control of the taxes they pay. We cannot allow government a free reign in controlling tax rates. The proposed 1.35% tax cap will help bring control of government spending back to those who must pay it. Without this control we are venerable to the whims of bureaucrats who think they know what is best for us. Given free reign they will tax us to oblivion. They will drive us from our homes, destroy our dreams and leave us, worst yet, at their mercy. Thus I urge everyone to contact their elected representatives to the state legislature and urge them to work to get the 1.35% cap on the ballot for 2010. Also contact Senate President Atwater at the link below and urge him to place the 1.35% amendment on the 2010 ballot.
By Jim Overby
February 12, 2009
THE END GAME OF URBAN PLANNERS I attended a conference entitled "Strategies for Sustainable Growth" to see what our elected officials and city planners have in store for our future. READ MORE>>>
Editor: 1.35% Amendment Author takes stand against newspapers verbal assault against a citizens right to lower their property taxes. The 1.35 amendment is shaping up to be a true David and Goliath force when legislators re-convene in March. Stay tuned for part two of the property tax battle.
St. Petersburg Times celebrates temporary setback of 1.35% cap, says: The only Way to Cut Property Taxes, is to Raise OTHER TAXES! FTU CHAIR Dr. David McKalip Responds in Published letter to Editor today (see response and link to editorial below)
Fight for your Right to Place 1.35% Cap on Florida Ballot! -Only Legislature Can Save the 1.35% Cap! The 1.35% cap is in the hands of ONE and ONLY ONE man: Senate President Jeff Atwater Senator Atwater needs THOUSANDS of phone calls to let him know what to do.
Call Senator Jeff Atwater today and tell him: "Put 1.35% up for Senate vote this session. Place it on ballot this year!" Statewide: 1-866-757-1902; Tallahassee: (850) 487-5100 N. Palm Beach: (561) 625-5101; Oakland Park: (954) 847-3518 State still needs property tax cap
As one of the original authors of the 1.35 percent tax cap, I disagree with the state Supreme Court's ruling that the ballot language signed by more than 100,000 Floridians was "misleading."
The court invented law in its ruling (again) and ignored its own previous rulings that the 75- word summary need not disclose "every detail." The court found an excuse for its ruling in one technical detail: that when voters approve taxes above the cap, they must renew that approval every two years. Thus the judges followed their well-known ideological bias against tax cuts and used their "judgment" to keep the voters from doing what they certainly would do: cut their own taxes!
The 1.35 percent cap is just what Floridians need as it will cut property taxes about 20 percent and provide real economic stimulus. As always, the Times calls for "new revenue" as the only way we can cut property taxes — which means raising other taxes. You decry cuts to bloated local government budgets even as you routinely report the waste and misspending.
New taxes are not something Floridians can tolerate. The good news is that the Supreme Court only ruled on whether citizens can place the cap on the ballot themselves. It doesn't limit the ability of the Legislature to place it on the ballot — perhaps by placing the words "two years" somewhere in the summary. Senate President Jeff Atwater is the key, and Floridians should call his office and ask him to place the 1.35 percent cap on the ballot.
District Offices: 824 US Highway 1, #210 North Palm Beach, FL 33408 (561) 625-5101 Senate VOIP: 42500 FAX (561) 625-5103 Statewide: 1-866-757-1902
Oakland Park City Hall 3650 NE 12th Avenue Oakland Park, FL 33334 (954) 847-3518 Senate VOIP: 42510 FAX (954) 847-3519
Tallahassee Office: 312 Senate Office Building 404 South Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100 (850) 487-5100
February 10, 2009
The New Government "Standard"
The Angry Curmudgeon #3
We, the citizens, taxpayers and voters have long decried the almost total lack of accountability of our government agencies. In response to that demand for accountability, our governments have established "standards". As lay people, we have assumed that those standards are true targets of accomplishment, real goals for achieving success.
Say it isn't so!!! - because our hopes for the positive side of that discussion have been absolutely dashed!
The standards which our governmental entities currently use are NOT stabile. They are moving targets. They were created specifically to provide vagueness to the citizenry.
When I went to school, a grade of 70 on any test or in any class was barely passing. A grade of less than 70 was a failure.
My local school district currently runs a graduation rate from year to year in the low 70% range. When you talk with the elected members of the school board, they will tell you that a grade of 70 is VERY acceptable. Why is it acceptable? Because it is in THE SAME RANGE as whatever district to which they wish to compare themselves.
THAT's what creates the moving target. THAT's the variable. ALL "standards" are now merely comparisons to other similar or even non-similar entities or situations to which the governments wish to compare themselves.
For instance, my city pays some 75% of the employee health care benefits cost. It should be very clear that not many employees in the private sector receive that much generosity from their employers.
However, while discussing this particular item in the budget, City employees revealed in a Power Point presentation that a half dozen major employers in the state of Florida paid at least that much and EVEN MORE for those same employee benefits!!
A half dozen??? What about the thousands of small business entities which pay NO employee benefits? Why are THEY not included in any comparison standard??
Any standard being used by governmental entities and employees will ALWAYS be a comparison against whatever they can find to indicate that this agency compares favorably with whatever the employees choose to use for comparison.
Another facet of such standardization is to prove that this agency is doing better than XX% of all the other agencies to which they are comparing.
If crime is high, that's OK, because there are XX number of similar agencies where crime is higher. Hence, the moving target is that as long as others are worse than we are, we are doing OK.
NEVER is the standard 100% or perfection. ALWAYS the standard is a favorable comparison to others with worse accomplishments; or in an attempt to show "fairness" - comparison to a group of others where this agency stands in the middle.
If any agency can show that they are in the middle of the pack or just ahead of other similar agencies, then the standard is considered "high" by the entity using the statistics.
Therefore, the "standards" are always moving targets and always being used to connive the citizens into thinking that THEIR government is doing very well, thank you.
However, and the purpose of this article is to encourage the citizens to scrutinize the so-called "standards" and compare them to 100% or perfection.
Is a 70% graduation rate for all students who want an education an acceptable standard? Is a rising crime rate, even when compared favorably with similar agencies, an acceptable standard? Is paying too much in salary for services performed - even when compared favorably with other like agencies - an acceptable standard?
What are we willing to accept as appropriate "accountability" in our governments?
It is up to each and every citizen to determine what is acceptable, and then to take action to GET that standard from our elected officials.
It does NOT take a great deal of effort to make your thoughts known. You no longer have to attend long and boring meetings. E-mails, snail mail and phone calls work as well as any attendance at meetings. But, it will take numbers of people zeroing in on the same item to make changes. NUMBERS make the difference!!
Join your local citizen activist group and let your attitudes, thoughts and ideas be known to your elected officials. By adding your voice, especially in these changing times, you can become a part of history - the historical moment when we took our governments back FROM THE POLITICIANS, FROM THE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES AND FROM THE SPECIAL INTERESTS and gave it back TO THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE!
The Angry Curmudgeon Hamilton R. Hanson
February 5, 2009
A Tale of Two Cities Let's compare the spending between the City of Orlando and another government of comparable size. Orlando is the 83rd largest city in the nation, and the next largest city is Madison, Wisconsin. This article is a tale of two cities. The 2009 budget for the City of Orlando is $926,090,108 (in 2005 the budget was $604 million). The 2009 budget for the next largest city, with more people, more land area, and more roads is $238,152,298. Orlando taxpayers spend nearly four times what the Madison, Wisconsin taxpayers do for their government. A comparison of departments shows that Madison has all of the services Orlando has we just spend more on them. The Madison Mayor's office annual budget is $1,232,846, compared with the City of Orlando Mayor's office budget of $9,941,000. The Madison budget "includes $39,969 for the salary and benefits of a Mayoral Assistant on loan" to another department, while Orlando Mayor Dyer has a "special assistant" making $115,000 plus benefits and his administrative assistant makes $57,179 plus benefits. The City of Orlando has 150 employees in the Executive Offices and 279 in Finance. Madison spends 60% less on Information Technology but its web site is world class. Madison Wisconsin spends almost exactly half of what Orlando spends on fire safety and law enforcement yet Orlando was ranked this year as the American city with the largest increase in crime by the FBI. WHERE DID WE GO WRONG Our recent real estate boom has created an era of lavish spending by local governments. Our government employees make twice the average salary of the taxpayers and as much as four times the benefits. The second problem is that our government went beyond its core mission of public safety and education and started to engage in business-like activities. This diversion from the core mission of any business will water down its focus. The reason governments take on additional roles is to increase its flow of revenue. This is known as "rent seeking." The City of Orlando CAFRA budget lists "Business-type Activities" including; Venues, Parking, Solid Waste and others. The upper management in our city is now focused on these business activities while our core mission, education and public safety, is considered by many to be a failure. Orlando has 3,412 employees with near guaranteed employment for life followed by guaranteed pension and health benefits. In 2008, the City made the first payment of $22 million to begin a fund for retiree health benefits. The Defined Benefit pension plan had $978,219,000 in assets in 2007, and lost as much as $100 million last year. Every penny of the billion dollar trust came from your tax dollars. So to fund these expenses the government needs to grow. YOU CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE Local and state government spending increased from $93 billion in 2002 to $151 billion in 2006. Because of Save Our Homes most of that increase was placed on small business. Last month utility bills (which are often the second most expensive cost to small business after labor) increased from 14-28%. The City of Orlando took over $70 million from OUC last year, making utilities just another tax on small business. What they realize in Madison Wisconsin they do not realize in Orlando, Florida is that you cannot have a government larger than the taxpayers can support. Most of our tax revenue comes from small business, and small businesses are failing at a rate not seen in decades. Taxes have doubled and sometimes tripled in the past six years and our florists, nail salons and sub shops cannot sustain these tax increases. Eventually the local economy will fail and the government will be forced to downsize ala Detroit and New York City in the 1970s. Let's reform our government before one more business fails. Let's force our local governments to consolidate services, pay themselves the same wages the taxpayers receive, and receive benefits no greater than its citizens. Please visit www.TaxpayerBudgetREviewBoard.org and see how we plan to make this happen. Join us, we will make a difference.
Matthew Falconer Orange County Taxpayer Budget Review Board www.TaxpayerBudgetReviewBoard.org mjf@falcondevelopment.net
Two more tenants lost to the economy. Two more once thriving small businesses that provided a worthwhile service to our community are now gone. As a small business owner and landlord to other businesses, I have seen a sharp drop off for office and warehouse space with each day bringing new moans and groans from the existing ones that are being squeezed out.
Two separate property appraisers visited my building the other day, each not knowing the other visited thirty minutes apart. It was clear from the start what their mandated visit would be. It was about the dreaded tangible tax. Since the new law went into effect that absolved businesses from paying that tax up to 25K of the value, the push must be on to see if they could get businesses on anything over 25K. For those that do not know what the tangible tax is. It is a tax to business owners on equipment, store fixtures, computers, desks, shelving or anything that can be classified on a daily basis to conduct business with. This can be a forklift, a telephone system, filing cabinets or just about any purchase a company makes excluding inventory. Many of these items are already taxed when originally purchased, but it makes no difference to the property appraiser’s office. They want to make a visit to see for themselves. All these items are usually depreciated items that can be found on a business tax return.
It is obvious to me that the property appraiser’s office is looking to shore up property tax shortfalls by looking for ways to boost revenue. I talked to one at length about a home that I have tried to sell for three years to no avail. I told him that I had to drop the price another forty thousand to 135K that was originally market priced at 175K in June. Having mentioned to him that I have not been able to sell it during the last three years and it is now priced 45K lower than appraised by the county, I should see a substantial drop in my taxes next fall. His reaction was. Do not look for it, it is still probably worth the appraised amount but credit has dried up and that is the reason my home can not be sold. Hmm, excuses are already being formed. Since then, I have talked to numerous mortgage companies that have indicated there is plenty of money to be found. The problem they state is the borrower needs to have a higher credit score to qualify.
It is evident to me that real budget cuts are still not sinking in, but rather a brash look on ways they can still boost their sagging collections. It would appear that the property appraiser’s office is still conducting business as usual at the expense of business. Look for more closures ahead as local business infrastructure continues to be pounded by our official’s insatiable appetite for more money.
Note: This is a continuing series of articles by Matthew Falconer who represents the American Platform. These are thought provoking and show how government can be run more efficiently by showing how wasteful local government can be. In this particular instance Orange County. If you or anyone can show how Pinellas County government can be run more efficiently, please email us with your recomendations and we will publish. Thank You
The media has done a great job portraying civil servants and government employees as noble, brave, and underpaid. The public perception is police and firemen work in dangerous occupations, but they are not in the top ten most dangerous and are ten times safer than a pilot and five times safer than a farmer. The truth is they are neither underpaid nor at greater risk than the private sector workers who pay their salaries. Truth is the average public servant in Florida makes more salary than his or her private sector counterpart, and pension and other benefits are double the private workers. The average annual wage in the State of Florida is $37,260, in the City of Orlando it is $36,323. Yet the public servants who work at the expense of taxpayers make an average of $64,231 in the City of Orlando, some more than $200,000 a year in Orange County. The benefits to government workers add 35% to the cost of each salary. Twenty-seven year old Brie Turek, Chief of Staff to Mayor Dyer, makes $130,811.20 a year in base salary. Special Assistant to the Mayor, Joe Robinson, makes $118,456 a year while collecting another $81,383.40 from his police pension. With benefits from his new job he is pulling in $225,000 a year. Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty makes $143,717 a year plus benefits while Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer rakes in $156,205.66. The salaries were called "obscene" by a former Orlando City Clerk. And the huge salaries are not confined to elected officials and their friends. In Orange County and Orlando, there are 100 firemen making over $100,000 plus pension and benefits. We have dozens of building officials who rake in more than $100,000 a year while permits are down more than 80%. People in the private sector who produce jobs and are the backbone of our economy are suffering mightily but the gravy train in government keeps on rolling. There are problems with government workers making double what the taxpayers make (aside from the moral inequity in the situation). First, we cannot afford to provide basic public services if the wages of the workers are too high. Imagine a Subway restaurant run by our government. The director of subs would make $125,000 a year plus $30,000 in benefits. The Director of Neighborhood and Community Affairs would make $117,748 (a real salary and office in Orlando) and each sub maker will make $64,231 plus benefits. Instead of a $5 foot long we will have a $50 foot long. If you need a real example take Leu Gardens run by the City of Orlando. The director makes $110,000 a year (plus benefits) and the irrigation technician (full time) makes $42,000 a year. The Orlando taxpayer loses $1 million a year when the facility can be leased for a $200,000 annual profit. Our government has simply doubled taxes to cover its expenses, but small business can no longer afford the higher taxes and the weight of government. Our government is drowning our local economy. In order for our local economy to return to health we need to deliver essential government services in a more efficient manner. The second and longer term problem is that we corrupt our political process as more money goes through the system. Elected officials no longer represent the taxpayers working at Home Depot and Subway; they are now career bureaucrats who make six figure salaries. What is the purpose of term limits when the elected official jumps to a new office and continues his or her pension? Our leaders are now part of the government, when they are intended to represent the people. It is my firm belief that public servants should not make more than the taxpayers that support them. Firemen work no harder and are at no more risk than roofers and carpenters. Our local economy is suffering more than city hall seems to know. Our Orange County Taxpayer Review Board (www.TaxpayerBudgetReviewBoard.org) will prepare a report recommending reforms to local government to ease the burden of government. In this time of economic hardship central Florida needs to redefine what our government means to us. Please take a moment to visit our web site and let us know what you want from your government.
Matthew Falconer Orange County Taxpayer Budget Review Board www.TaxpayerBudgetReviewBoard.org mjf@falcondevelopment.net
January 23, 2009
I recently saw an advertisement in the Orlando Sentinel that carried the plea; "Stop the Extermination of Small Business." This might seem very dramatic to some, but it is the very reason I am an activist and my greatest concern for the last five years. I am a small business owner who rents commercial space to 130 companies, and I have seen the cost to run a business in Florida increase at a much faster rate than small business can afford. The reason a business fails and lays off its employees is because the cost of staying in business exceeds revenues. The average business makes a 5% net profit on sales, so when their expenses go up by 20% it shuts down. A business cannot raise prices to offset cost increases, especially in an internet age. Prices are set by competition on the internet, and items that cannot be sold on the internet are extremely price sensitive. Most people do not realize most of the cost of government is passed onto small business. Commercial properties pay school taxes, even though they send no children to school. The "Save our Homes" amendment has shifted tens of billions in real estate taxes onto small business. Real estate taxes are passed onto to businesses, not paid by some rich guy with bags of money. The recent debate on impact fees missed the point. No, reducing impact fees will not stimulate the economy right away, but rolling back impact fees to previous levels will help sustain a healthy economy. Government officials must understand these impact fees are passed on to small business via higher rents. The impact fees in one of my centers may increase the tenant's base rent by as much as 20%. In addition to the real estate taxes and impact fees, small businesses pay sales tax on rent. They even pay sales tax on real estate taxes. Other costs of small business that are increasing include; government supplied or franchised garbage services, utilities, and the cost to comply with more and more regulation. The bottom line is we are increasing the cost of doing business in Florida beyond what the average business can afford. Economics 101-You can't push a string Local, State and Federal governments are promoting economic recovery plans that include more government spending. Most economists will agree that the spending programs of the New Deal actually lengthened the Great Depression. If government spending programs worked the Soviet Union might still be around. The fact is the private sector and small business drives our economy. Government spending does nothing to help small business, and efforts to revive the economy with government spending are like trying to push a string. The best way to stimulate the economy is to encourage small business to stay in business and expand. Note the first step in helping the economy is to prevent it from getting worse. In central Florida governments have raised taxes and are looking for "revenue enhancements." These are paid mostly by small business and create more business failures. I have seen double digit tax increases to all of my tenants this year. In some cases as much as a 39% increase this year alone. One method used to stimulate the economy is to lower the cost of capital to business with lower interest rates. Another method rarely used is to lower the cost of doing business. That can be accomplished by lowering real estate taxes, fees, and the cost to comply with regulations. Government spending harms the economy by adding to the burden of small business, while lowering government spending will help the economy by helping small businesses that drive our economy. In a saying, "we have killed the golden goose." Our once vibrant economy has been destroyed by the ever rising cost of doing business in Florida. Our economy faltered long before the credit crisis and we will have serious problems long after that issue goes away. The reason the Florida economy fell from number 1 in the nation to number 47 is because the cost of doing business has risen sharply. Government spending has increased nearly 50% in the last six years, and the $50 billion in extra taxes and fees are drowning small businesses like florists, nail salons, and sub shops. Only if we reduce the cost of doing business will the economy of Florida return to health. The way to accomplish this is to get greater efficiency out of our government services and return government to its core functions. That is the goal of the Orange County Taxpayer Budget Review Board (www.TaxpayerBudgetReviewBoard.org). Our mission is to fundamentally change the way government services are delivered. From the current duplication and waste to a model of efficiency. We plan to reduce the cost of government by 20% and increase customer service by 20%. If you own or work for a small business, I urge you to get involved with local government for your own survival. Please help us save small business in Florida.
Matthew Falconer Orange County Taxpayer Budget Review Board www.TaxpayerBudgetReviewBoard.org mjf@falcondevelopment.net
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Angry Curmudgeon
Current Government Budgeting The current system of governmental budgeting appears to be this: Grab all the money you can and distribute it. (Facetiously I had first written at the end of that sentence: as fast as you can so no one will notice.)
As normal, taxpaying, lay persons, most of us think of budgets in terms of determining our expenses: first, to determine if we have enough money coming in to pay the necessary bills and, second, to see what's left over for gadgets, toys and fun.
On that basis, we can determine our primary, secondary and tertiary levels of expenditures and determine where we can cut back in order to make ends meet when times get tough. Sometimes that means finding less costly meats, or vegetables, etc. Sometimes that means buying at Target, rather than Macy's. Sometimes that means buying only one bucket of popcorn, rather than two. The choices are tremendous when you know the details of your expenses. The options for cost cutting, then, are endless.
But, when you are not keeping track of the different levels of costs in terms of NEED, then there is no rational method for reducing costs. That's the position of our governments. There is no understanding of, nor attempt to understand, the BASIC costs of operating any government entity. The premise is to take in every penny possible and spread it around (sometimes within the government on a "need for service" basis, sometimes within the government on a "friendly" basis and sometimes even outside the government on a "friend to friend" basis).
It is my premise that IF governments would determine their budgets on the basis of 1) the NEED for any specific basic service and 2) the NEED-ed costs to provide that basic service, we could then easily determine how much money can be saved by eliminating all of the budget that is not NEED driven.
Examples:
In a Florida school district, the state has mandated that all children who live outside a radius of two miles from the nearest school must be transported. THAT is the basic transportation need. In what school district is that basic cost for that basic need known?
When that is determined, then every dollar spent beyond that basic need becomes a want, and wants can be negotiated out of every budget.
In a county government, what is the basic need for "chase" vehicles for sheriff deputies? Basic need does not include taking home a vehicle and letting it sit unused during the deputy's off-duty hours. Basic need does not include the highest horsepower or latest gadgets.
Again, once the BASIC need and the BASIC cost for that need are determined, then all else is want. All WANTS are negotiable, just as in our personal budgets all wants are negotiable!
In city government, what is the basic need for employee comfort? Some politicians, both elected and hired, feel that 100% of all employee medical expense should be paid by the taxpayers as a NEED. Other "politicians" feel that all workstations should have an ambient temperature of 76 degrees year round. Still others feel that high salaries are a "need".
Each of these particular items, for budget purposes, must be related to a basic need, and cost for that need. Wouldn't we would still have government employees even if we cut employee medical benefits to zero? Wouldn't we still have government employees if we adjusted the thermostats higher in summer and lower in winter to save energy? Wouldn't we still have government employees if we cut administrative salaries in half, or more?
My premise is that because we no longer relate to the NEED for government services, we no longer know what the cost of that need really is. By avoiding any discussion regarding basic NEEDs for government services, we have lost all consideration of, and for, the true cost for those needs for BASIC government services.
This is the corruption of the fiscal side of our current government system. Because our currently elected leaders will not, or are unable (due to lack of knowledge) to, discuss this corruption honestly and openly, we MUST seek and elect public servants who relate to the constituent citizens in terms of what basic services are necessary, and what is the necessary cost of those necessary services.
It is my conclusion that everything beyond BASIC NEED is a WANT and wants are negotiable based on the desires of the community and the ability of the taxpayers to pay.
Please join me in this fight to change our governments back to the original premise: OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE by joining a citizen activist group in your area. Thank you.
Hamilton Hanson The Angry Curmudgeon
January 7, 2009
The reason I believe so many people are apathetic about government spending is because they think someone else is paying the taxes. The truth is every penny of the five billion dollars in local government spending in Orange County comes out of the wages and income of our workers and taxpayers. Milton Friedman, the Nobel Prize winner and most quoted economist of the 20th Century said; "the total tax on a society is the sum of all government spending." Let me explain. The waitress at Chili's may not think government spending on items like light rail affects her, but it does. Government spending is why she struggles financially more every year. Real estate taxes on her restaurant have doubled in the past six years. The increased cost of occupancy for her employer puts downward pressure on her wages. The business cannot double the price of a hamburger because no one will buy them anymore. As government spending increases the economy contracts as a result of higher taxes and fees. This means fewer customers and less tips at her restaurant. Government spending also increases her cost of living. Everything she spends her money on from food to housing to cosmetics goes up in price because government spending increases much faster than the rate of inflation. Her apartment rent goes up $100 a month, her utility bill goes up $50 a month, and the cost to get her hair done went up $20 a month. So on the income side government spending decreases her wages and on the expense side government spending increases her costs. The gap between income and expenses is how I define the "standard of living." As government spending increases faster than inflation (and in Florida it has increased faster than a speeding bullet) the standard of living declines. Here are some sobering facts from the U.S. Census Bureau on state and local government spending in Florida; YEAR (ending) STATE SPENDING LOCAL GOVERNMENT 2000 51,621,214,000 55,504,603,000 2002 48,489,136,000 60,073,293,000 2004 74,691,770,000 71,787,996,000 2006 83,574,273,000 86,832,855,000 In 1998, Orange County had a budget of $1,379,869,000. In 2001 it skyrocketed to $2,243,000,000, and in 2007 jumped again to $3,503,000,000. In a decade government spending in Orange County nearly tripled. And every penny came from the wages of the private sector workers either directly or indirectly. The problem is that people both inside and outside of government think that taxes are paid primarily by rich people, but the reason hard working taxpayers struggle from paycheck to paycheck is because they support the full weight of government. It is important for every taxpayer, regardless of political affiliation, to be concerned about government spending. Please visit our web site and learn more about our efforts to gain greater efficiency from our local governments. Our economy cannot support $300 billion in local and state spending in ten years, which is exactly the path we are on today. Please help us save the future of Florida.
As we all get older we have experienced many different New Year's resolutions. I want to propose one to everyone; getting involved in the tax reform movement and demanding greater efficiency from your government. If enough people get involved, reform is inevitable. Here are some simple ways to get involved;
Log onto www.YourDollarYourDecision.com. Download the Taxpayer Protection Amendment, sign and mail it in. Send the petition to everyone on your email list.
Join a tax reform group. www.VolusiaTaxReform.org; www.hernandocountytaxpayersalliance.com; Americans for Tax Reform jkartch@atr.org Nat. Fed of Ind. Business Allen.Douglas@nfib.org Runaway Tax of Citrus County info@runawaytax.com Or help us study and reform our government in Orange County; www.TaxpayerBudgetReviewBoard.org.
If we do not lighten the burden on homeowners and small businesses our economy will continue to decline and recovery will be pushed farther out. Our economy is in uncharted waters. We cannot assume the sun will come out on our future. The level of taxation both locally and federally has never been higher. The convergence of the internet, a global economy, and the high cost of doing business in Florida mean that our economy will struggle until small business can once again afford to do business in Florida.
A few weeks ago a small business owner took out a full page ad in the Orlando Sentinel with the title "Stop the Extermination of Small Business." Under the current tax system most of the cost of government is placed on small business and the vast majority of all tax increases is assessed on small business as well. This past month my real estate taxes on a project in Orlando increased 36%, which is passed onto the small business tenants. In every economy every business is dependent on the success of another. Every business failure weakens the overall economy.
The motto of the Florida tax reform movement is; "The greatest good to the greatest number of people." The idea that "someone else" pays taxes just doesn't work in the end. In order for Florida to return to economic health we need to limit government revenue/taxes and get greater efficiency from the tax revenue we now collect.
In 2008 we saw history, and in 2009 we will see history of a different sort. In 2009 we will see Florida taxpayers demanding greater efficiency in government, lower taxes, and better services all at the same time. And with your help, we will achieve all three goals.
Greetings. Below is an email I sent this morning to a prominent Democratic party member who is a strong advocate for children in central Florida . I sent this email because I want to build a better government for all people in Florida . Please read.
"I am a registered Independent for two reasons. First, I think that America cannot afford to be the world's policeman. We spend $1 trillion a year on "defense" and 60% of that is spent in foreign countries. My second reason is that Republicans attempt to legislate social issues which is not only impractical but moves people away from their party. When voting this year I was asked by a young girl who opposed Amendment 2 what I thought about that amendment and I said "I do not think Amendment 2 should be on the ballot. That is not a function of government." I got a high five. Having said that the Democrats have a fatal flaw in their platform as well. Much of the Democratic Party is comprised of special interest groups; labor unions, trial lawyers, and recipients of government aid. The definition of a special interest group is that they are more concerned with their issue that the good of the public. I am a lifelong student of economics and I know that rising tides lift all boats. I saw it in the past five years when the economy was so strong it gave careers to people who never had them before. Crime went down as people had something important to lose, their careers. But over the past five years real estate taxes have doubled, impact fees have quadrupled, and fees of every kind have escalated. Now the cost of doing business in Florida exceeds the ability of the average small business to sustain. I know this because as a commercial landlord to over 100 small businesses I see exactly how much is extracted every month and how the cost of doing business has escalated. I believe that being pro-business is the same as being pro-employee. At some point the level of taxation reaches a point of diminishing returns. That is where Florida is at now. There are virtually no businesses in Florida making a profit today. Additional taxes will only mean additional layoffs. The debate in Tallahassee now is between service cuts or higher taxes, but there is a third option. And that is to get more efficiency out of the revenue we now collect. Our State collects some $150 billion annually on a state and local level. A 10% gain in efficiency will fund every program on the books. I think a 20% gain in efficiency is easily achievable, and in some cases, like fire rescue, I am calculating a 50% gain in efficiency is possible. Even in your area of social services the waste exceeds 20%. By duplicating the administration of services we waste resources that should go to the recipients. So I invite you to become start of our study group to study social services and recommend greater efficiency so more resources get to the people. Right now the machine is using 90% of the resources. We need to make the machine more efficient in every area of government and the people and the taxpayer will be better off. Please log onto www.TaxpayerBudgetReviewBoard.org and see that our mission will benefit your mission as well."
An open letter to Senator Gaetz from The Angry Curmudgeon.
I can begin this letter by acknowledging the current legislative system and that it works in its own inimitable fashion. However, I am appalled that you, a person of such high esteem, would continue the failings of the current system.
The government of the United States of America was established as one OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE. The current system is one OF THE POLITICIANS, BY THE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES AND FOR THE SPECIAL INTERESTS.
There is absolutely NO need to survey the population AGAIN to determine what needs to be done with the Florida economy. And to insinuate that Florida's economy cannot improve without the world economy improving is an absurd notion!!
The capitalist system is based on everyone working hard and to the best of their ability to capture a small piece of the profit pie with which to create wealth to the owner's ability.
What has happened since the early 1980's is too many people have taken too big a piece of the pie to the detriment of the whole and general population. Examples are insurance rates since 1992; the sale of investment house “products” rather than true investment advice for the greater investment pool; hundreds of unregulated mortgage “products” with no credit check or proof of employment; quantum leaps in Florida property taxes; and the artificial rigging of the price of a barrel of oil.
Each of these actions has taken a larger than normal share of the economy or the Florida GDP.
ALSO in this greed category is Florida's government. As property values rose, local governments and school boards took as much of that money as they could get and squandered it. No regard was paid to the people who were supposed to actually PAY those taxes. The prevailing philosophy was to spend away! Let the taxpayers eat cake!!!
The State depends greatly on sales tax revenues to support its spending appetite. What is NEVER included in this philosophy of spend at all costs is that when the economy (property taxes or sales taxes) no longer provides for or supports such a lavish appetite, there is no provision for reducing the appetite. No trigger is in place for reducing salaries, benefits, programs based on the reduced revenue.
There is no need to spend further tax dollars traveling the State seeking voter and taxpayer suggestions. In the Spring of 2007, there was great fanfare about sending out the troops (county delegations) to receive the people's ideas while at the same time secret deals were being concocted in the legislature for ignoring the people's opinion and marketing something called “roll back” property tax rates.
When I spoke before the House committee in June 2007, I said very clearly that they had, by passing such a concoction, given new meaning to “roll back” by rolling back to the CURRENT (not a prior) year as a base. They also gave new meaning to property tax reduction by allowing a maximum increase in property taxes of 10%. A 10% increase in property taxes is NOT property tax relief, as the Governor claimed.
So, there is absolutely NO NEED for further study regarding Florida's economy. EVERYONE in government needs to take a pay cut!! Pay cuts include salary, as well as current benefits and future retirement packages. Pay cuts means cutbacks in programs. Pay cuts means elimination of travel allowances, lunches at taxpayer expense, the law providing secret deals behind closed doors for requests by the Rays to build a new stadium at taxpayer expense, the “hiding” of the Jabil Circuit bribe by planting it in plain sight in the “consent agenda” under a code name, ad infinitum. Pay cuts means greater fuel efficiency in vehicles and buildings alike.
I spent a good deal of time speaking in Tampa twice and Tallahassee a dozen times before the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission which turned out to be a total sham. I took the time to accompany Dr. David McKalip to Tallahassee to speak with legislators about his proposal for capping property taxes – only to be intercepted in the hall in front of your office by your staff with a rejection from you for an audience.
There are plenty of citizen initiatives available of which the legislators have had plenty of time to avail themselves. Frankly, we don't need a legislature in Tallahassee, the citizens are taking control with constitutional amendments. A great opportunity for your committee would be to grab these (property tax limits, revenue caps, spending caps) and get them passed by the legislature before the 600,000 signatures are collected.
Your biggest challenge is to gain taxpayer and voter confidence, not surveying the already surveyed-out populace. When you have accomplished the minimum cost cuts and gained some modicum of respect and confidence from the greater population (as you did in your home school district and county), THEN you could do electronic surveys to find FURTHER ideas for cutting spending and taxes.
But, first would be to take some action. The current system of studying and discussing an idea out of existence won't stand any longer. Talk is no longer viable. Action must be the byword!!
Sincerely yours, Hamilton R. Hanson
The Angry Curmudgeon
"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." — John Quincy Adams (attributed to Adams, by his contemporaries)
October 6, 2008
"Questions from a concerned voter"
Editors note: We welcome any reply and will post
Dear Florida Senator Charlie Justice. 10/6/2008
As you have asked for your Senate District 16 voters comment & suggestions I am requesting that you inform me on your stand on the following issues which need immediate correction. These issues are:
1) -- Ensuring the realtors in Florida are NOT exempt from the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices as some of them are responsible for mortgage fraud as detailed in an recent Times newspaper article.
2) -- Closing the county and state retirement loopholes allowing various county and state employees, such as Pinellas County Sheriff Coats who receives apprx. $9,000 per month retirement benefits, while working fulltime in their positions collecting their FULL salaries. Sheriff Coats annual salary is $158,900.00.
3) -- Taking actions to lower the ridiculous high cost of property insurance costs, which has increased 400 percent assuming you don't live near the coast which means you cannot buy it at any cost, in the state which is crippling the economic future of all its citizens.
4) -- Taking actions to eliminate the citizens ad valorem taxes by increasing the state sales tax by one or two pennies. You can lose your home if you cannot pay the property taxes but an additional sales tax will eliminate that possibility. If you cannot afford to purchase a taxable item you just won't purchase it then and wait until you can afford it. You certainly wouldn't lose your home in this sales tax scenario. Substituting an additional sales tax levy to eliminate property taxes is really an humane tax SWAP, not a new tax.
I have recently e-mailed your office before and never received any feedback. I hope that you will not use the same modus operandi in this case and inform me quickly of your stand on the above items. Thank you for your time & attention.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rod Moren Overtaxed Taxpayer in Senate District 16
October 3, 2008
"To Bail or not to Bail", An Open Letter
It is not our intention to stop a bailout/rescue operation as we have reached a critical time in our country, where credit has pretty much frozen. We have many of our small and moderate businesses in our nation that require borrowing to maintain their day to day operations. It is their needs that our organization wants to protect. I do not think we need to see any more of our business infrastructure shrinking because of inaction from congress.
We do believe that pork inserted into this legislation is an abomination. The votes needed should not come at the tax payers expense. We have heard that 2,300 dollars of taxpayer funds will be needed for every man woman and child to avert this disaster, but what we have not heard is a breakdown and cost analysis of this bailout. The public is outraged at the amount of corruption and greed that this government of ours has allowed under the guise of business as usual. We need to hear accountability and rules that will keep this from happening again. So far we have heard nothing.
Our group realizes the need for a bailout, but we are opposed to any additional spending programs to satisfy any elected officials constituency base. We need guarantees that we will not place any more undue burdens onto the back of our citizens. Care and objectivity regarding the disposal of assets that are received in this program are tantamount to the public’s interest. If these distressed properties and securities are not held by our government until a reasonable conclusion of fair market value is achieved, then a tax payer uprising can be expected and encouraged.
It is unfortunate that all people involved on both sides have appeared naive regarding what has been going on for a number of years, but it is criminal that people in their respective fields have encouraged this wrongdoing. The people of America are clamoring for accountability and prosecution of the individuals and firms involved. It is however a necessity that a form of this legislation go forward to protect all the people that have played by the rules, but it is not something that goes on without some form of expected consequence by those involved.
Florida Tax Forum
David R. Simpson
September 23, 2008
"A Dam Ready to Burst!"
by; David R. Simpson
How accountable should banks and investment firms be, for sub prime mortgages and subsequent bailout proposal by government?
1. blame A Lot
2. blame A Little
A decision will be made by the federal government shortly, maybe by the end of this week on whether a 700 billion dollar bailout will occur. Already government bail outs have occurred with AIG for 85 Billion and others including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that could push this fiasco to a trillion dollars. This could very well be the costliest debacle that has occurred and beyond since the great depression, and it is a decision that should be weighed carefully as it could affect every taxpayer in America.
Should the taxpayer be on the hook for this incredulous bill or should we let every institution take it on the chin? The reality of this is that it did not occur overnight and we have been shoveling it under the rug until we started tripping on it. Investment firms, banks have all been making questionable decisions all along but regulators have been looking the other way. They are supposed to know their business. On the other hand, people securing these questionable mortgage debts should have known better. It is a matter of blame that will surely not be settled quickly.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is urging senators to quickly approve the plan or face more instability of financial markets and the economy. If this plan is approved, it will most likely avert a huge financial collapse, but to determine at this point who is going to pay for it should be secondary. The weary taxpayer should not be worried about whether their 401K will still be there tomorrow. We need quick action and it needs to take place now! The how do we pay for it, without crippling our nation should be placed on the next agenda? Stabilization should be our first concern.
Our Flying Fickle Finger of Fate Award goes to Mr.Jeff Danner from the St. Petersburg City Council. Mr. Danner has proposed that St. Petersburg build another dog park to the tune of $200,000 plus future maitenance costs. In these tough economic conditions, it's hard to justify spending any money. This is one expense that is hard to swallow at this time.
This was a press conference that was set on the steps of the St. Petersburg City Hall in December of 2007. Dr. David McKalip is the Chairman and chief architect of this vital piece of legislation known as the 1.35 percent Amendment.
Dr. David McKalip with house Speaker Marco Rubio ( Signing the petition for 1.35% amendment December 19, 2007. ) The Amendment has moved to the Supreme Court of Florida for consideration. It passed the legislative house this past spring.
CTN Board Member Kipp Wall with Marco Rubio Speaker of the House at Press Conference in December 2007
August 28, 2008 Editorial
State politics and partisan agendas usually means an environment where little gets done Florida continues to flounder and waits for something good to change. Read More>>>
BREAKING NEWS:
September 9, 2008
Orlando's Rosen Centre "Meeting place for Florida's Tax Summit"
Saturday's Orlando Tax Summit is deemed a success and offers new insight into strategies for this coming Legislative session. Attendees were introduced to the National Taxpayers Union and its Florida chapter President John Hallman. Grassroots groups statewide had convened to hear from Senator Haridopolis and other dignitaries. The need for a centralized group and pooled resources was the main recurrent theme. Read More>>>
September 4, 2008
IT' OFFICIAL, AMENDMENT 5, IS DEAD
The Florida Supreme court made it official yesterday with the axing of three amendments that were slated to be on November ballot. Amendment five was declared to be misleading in its ballot language and determined to be out of the realm of scope by the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission that meets only once every twenty years. The other two amendments dropped were school vouchers that were to be re-introduced. AS OF NOW, THERE IS TO BE NO PROPERTY TAX REFORM IN THE NEAR FUTURE
Fight for Freedom and Lower Taxes Moves To The Next Phase.It is a bittersweet moment for me and for Cut Taxes Now. In August of 2006, a small number of fed up taxpayers met in the City Council Chamber of St. Petersburg. We quickly grew into a new grassroots organization that joined with others around the state to work for smaller government and lower taxes. Today, it is time to close one chapter and begin a new one. Read More >>>
Amendment five shot down, what do we do now?
Have you ever walked up a hill on such a gradient that you just could not make another step without sitting down? That’s the way people must think now, that twice in a year a constitutional amendment has been overturned because of misleading information in a summary. read more>>>
Welcome to our new homepage!
Thank you for visiting our new Internet site. As you know, Florida as well as the nation is experiencing a slowdown of a magnitude not seen in a long time. Florida is not only being affected by a sagging economy but continues to have problems with escalating property taxes and property insurance. With these and a host of other tax and spending issues, we see a future that could threaten Florida's way of life for future generations to come.
Partisan politics in Florida have created a do nothing atmosphere in regards to many issues that plague our state today. What little effort has passed, "such as amendment one", it is merely a bandaid for much larger problems. We continue to wrestle with property insurance and the lack of affordable coverage, or willing companies to even write insurance. Budget shortfalls due to declining real estate values and the subprime mortgage mess have now spilled over into a larger national credit crisis. Shrinking revenue streams have cause a myriad of new budget cuts affecting popular programs. University's and our overall school system are not immune and are being forced to operate on less money.
It is not our intention to paint bleak scenarios but instead to offer a forum in which people can come together with workable ideas in tax policy, and spending patterns. It will be the purpose of this site to have people and businesses come forward respected in their own fields to lay out specific problems and how they relate to them and overcome them. Articles will be written and then commented on. On the basis of these articles a policy will be formed by our board that will become a principle for our organization. On these principles lie the groundwork for a network of members to move our agenda forward. Through our activism as a group we hope to break through the barrier of special interest groups that paralyze our elected leaders in the house and senate and bring forth attainable goals for the state of Florida. It will be essentially a product "of the people and by the people".
NEWS BOX IS ON FOOTER OF EVERY PAGE. IT WILL DESCRIBE NEW STORIES ADDED AND WHERE TO FIND THEM.
Excessive taxation will carry reason & reflection to every man's door, and particularly in the hour of election. Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Taylor, November 26, 1798
Yesterday, the 9:12 March brought out the best in America. It was a peaceful march in Washington DC, that marked a reaffirmation of patriotism in America. People from all over the country showed up in mass to protest a number of issues. Health Reform, Cap and Trade , the deficit and stimulus spending were some of the issues. They held signs, talked with each other and showed their displeasure with the direction the country was going. District of Columbia police estimated there were up to two million people crowding the capital all the way to the Washington monument. People from all over came, even though they could not afford a bus pass, plane, or rail, they still wanted to be a part of history. It was as if the movie "Field of Dreams" was playing out on the national stage, "If you build it, we will come". And come they did , Moms rolling strollers with their children and Dads holding signs. People milled around and talked and sang patriotic songs and listened to speakers on stage. Today patriotism was not dead and our founding fathers looked down and beamed with pride. They wanted their leaders in the house and congress to hear their wrath. No socialism, no spending our children's future were central themes. Was this message heard, or would our leaders turn a deaf ear to the crowds. No one is sure.. but one thing was clear. This was only the beginning. 
Patriots...Our mounting debt is over 191,000 dollars for every man woman and child in the United States. How can we pay off this crushing debt. Listen and watch Glenn Beck and see. A must watch to get a feel for the huge deficit that is being forced on every American.... by WHO? Also go to 
Taxation, Insurance, and Health Reform Thoughts
Join the 
The RLC supports free market health care alternatives. We believe that hospitals, physicians, nurses, pharmaceutical companies and other medical professionals can provide high-quality, reasonably-priced health care without government intervention. 
In Florida, small business is between a rock and a hard place. The rock is Save Our Homes which most of us benefit from. I benefit personally from Save Our Homes, but it is not a tax limit. It is a tax shift onto non-homestead property owners. In the past six years this additional burden totaled $64 billion. The hard place is the ever increasing spending of local governments. A Putt Putt golf course saw its taxes go from $11,000 to $40,000 in one year. It is no surprise unemployment tripled in Florida. 
Is it just me or is the news on television desensitizing us to bad news. Instead of GM failing and entering bankruptcy protection, we are told that GM will be a leaner meaner car company when it exits chapter 13. Obama tells us that he is not in the car business, and he will not micro-manage the car company. Come on… Taxpayer vested interests are now topping 50 billion, and the government motor works is not going to have a say regarding the profitability of General Motors? Everyone believe that.. Stand up and say Hallelujah. If indeed the funds of the American people which are being used at a staggering pace are not spent wisely, then another uprising from the public can be expected. 
Pension Costs + healthcare benefits = insolvency
House Passes 1.35% Tax Cap for Voter approval - 2nd year in a row! 
Request all concerned and informed Florida citizens contact all your Florida elected legislators and demand they push the Senate Govt. Oversight and Accountability Committee, before the current legislative session adjourns, to terminate the present state law allowing any state public employees to double-dip which is crippling the states financial condition and economy. If these public employees decide to retire, they should be able to budget and live on that amount and not collect their retirement pay while still receiving their full salary which is defined as double-dipping. I just read that the Florida House of Representatives are pushing their double-dipping bill ( H479) to prevent the public employees from retiring for 30-days and coming back to their present position to just staying in retirement for at least six-months and then allowing them to come back to double-dip. What a farce!! How can they as your representatives allow these people to continue double-dipping in this recession or, for that matter , anytime. Tell them that it appears that they don't care about the Florida taxpayers if they don't immediately terminate the present Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP ) which allows state public employees to double-dip. If they don't respond in the affirmative I suggest they be voted out at the next election. 
provided by: Dr. David McKalip
Hamilton Hanson
Dr. David McKalip
Our Children Learning Democracy
We're fed up and we're not gonna take it anymore. 
I went to the Tiger Bay Club on Friday (the 13th) to ask Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Ron Blocker why public schools have five times the administration of private schools. He artfully shifted the focus from waste to compassion for special needs students. But what I learned most during the meeting was the introduction of the 20 or so elected officials in the audience. Each one of them received thunderous applause from the crowd of political insiders. Probably the loudest was for Martha Haynie the Orange County Controller, and I thought to myself; "The taxpayer might be booing the person who oversaw the budget that doubled their taxes." That is when I came to the conclusion that our local government lives in a bubble. It thinks the pain and suffering our citizens are feeling has nothing to do with the way our government is run. It has no clue that doubling impact fees has hampered commercial development. It does not understand that tripling real estate taxes on non-homestead property over ten years has put many small businesses under water. Our government thinks the economic conditions in central Florida arrived like a cold front, and none of the problem lies with government. It fails to see government is the primary regulator of the economy and it has basically shut off the air value.
The US consumer is an important link toward achieving a full recovery in our current economic free fall. The average consumer spending habits makes up to two thirds of all domestic economic activity. Without it, there can be no recovery in the near future. All indicators show consumer confidence levels have dropped, according to Reuters/University of Michigan. They show confidence levels have dropped to 56.3 percent from 61.2 percent in January alone. Until average Americans feel secure in their government actions, there will be continued erosion in our economy. Our economy has shrunk at an amazing rate of 6.2 percent just in the last October-December quarter. 
The Florida Supreme has done the citizens of Florida a disservice by striking down the proposed constitutional amendment for a 1.35% property tax cap. The court made this decision in spite of the signatures of more than 100,000 Florida voters. Actions such as this, that ignore the wishes of the electorate are not all that surprising. After all, the Supreme Court works from an ivory tower that is far removed from the daily lives of the citizens of Florida. It passes judgments with impunity that affects each and every citizen without regard to the ramifications of these judgments on those who have to live with them. From their tower, the high court did not bother to consider the effect that unreasonable taxation and runaway government spending has on the citizens of Florida. The Court made the judgment and we have to live with it. 
St. Petersburg Times celebrates temporary setback of 1.35% cap, says: The only Way to Cut Property Taxes, is to Raise OTHER TAXES!
We, the citizens, taxpayers and voters have long decried the almost total lack of accountability of our government agencies. In response to that demand for accountability, our governments have established "standards". As lay people, we have assumed that those standards are true targets of accomplishment, real goals for achieving success.
A Tale of Two Cities
Two more tenants lost to the economy. Two more once thriving small businesses that provided a worthwhile service to our community are now gone. As a small business owner and landlord to other businesses, I have seen a sharp drop off for office and warehouse space with each day bringing new moans and groans from the existing ones that are being squeezed out. 
The media has done a great job portraying civil servants and government employees as noble, brave, and underpaid. The public perception is police and firemen work in dangerous occupations, but they are not in the top ten most dangerous and are ten times safer than a pilot and five times safer than a farmer. The truth is they are neither underpaid nor at greater risk than the private sector workers who pay their salaries. 
Editors note: We welcome any reply and will post 
Our Flying Fickle Finger of Fate Award goes to Mr. Jeff Danner from the St. Petersburg City Council. Mr. Danner has proposed that St. Petersburg build another dog park to the tune of $200,000 plus future maitenance costs. In these tough economic conditions, it's hard to justify spending any money. This is one expense that is hard to swallow at this time.
This was a press conference that was set on the steps of the St. Petersburg City Hall in December of 2007. Dr. David McKalip is the Chairman and chief architect of this vital piece of legislation known as the 1.35 percent Amendment.
Dr. David McKalip with house Speaker Marco Rubio ( Signing the petition for 1.35% amendment December 19, 2007. ) The Amendment has moved to the Supreme Court of Florida for consideration. It passed the legislative house this past spring. 
CTN Board Member Kipp Wall with Marco Rubio Speaker of the House at Press Conference in December 2007 
August 28, 2008
Orlando's Rosen Centre "Meeting place for Florida's Tax Summit"
NEWS BOX IS ON FOOTER OF EVERY PAGE. IT WILL DESCRIBE NEW STORIES ADDED AND WHERE TO FIND THEM.