Rubio says no on nearly everything
In a pre-session interview on Wednesday, House Speaker Marco Rubio kept saying one thing over and over: No.
No to taxes and fees to help balance the budget, no to approving video lottery terminals at dog tracks and jai-alai frontons, no to using increased property tax collections to help with school funding, no to letting the Lottery beef up its operations, and even no to using reserves to help with the $2 billion budget shortfall. One of the few things he was open to was giving state universities permission to hike their tuition rates by as much as 5 or 6 percent, provided some of the money is used for need-based financial aid.
Rubio flatly said the House would not pass a bill authorizing video lottery terminals, and he said that the House will prepare a budget that includes a rollback in the millage rates charged by school boards. He also was skeptical about the House going along with requests from the Lottery Department to spend more money in order to beef up lottery ticket sales, saying the Lottery preys "on the working class and the poor.''
"Everytime you expand the Lottery all you are doing is balancing more and more of the budget on people who can least afford to pay it,'' he said.
As for reserves, Rubio said the economy is in such a bad position that it would be wrong to tap into reserves for ongoing, recurring expenses because it would leave a hole in the future. "All you are doing is delaying the inevitable,'' said Rubio. "As a term limited legislator that's the ideal thing for me to do...But I don't want that to be our legacy."
Rubio later, however, conceded the House may look at tapping into some trust funds as part of the "compromise" in reaching a budget agreement. But Rubio said the first priority of the House will be to closely examine the state's base budget and look for places to cut spending.
Posted by Gary Fineout at 02:15 PM on February 13, 2008 in Florida Gambling , Florida Legislature , Florida State Budget , Marco Rubio | Permalink
Good for Marco Rubio. At least fiscal conservatives can point to one individual who is making a good faith effort to slow the growth of the state government. It's time to return the state to funding only the legitimate functions of government, rather than acquiesece to the prevailing Conventional Wisdom which allows the growth of government to remain unchecked.
Posted by: Vince | February 13, 2008 at 02:42 PM
Brilliant! Talk big, no proof on how you will accomplish anything, then blame other people for your lack of ideas.
Posted by: | February 13, 2008 at 09:50 PM
"legitimate functions of government"? Like the $80 million for a genomics institute in your home town?
Posted by: Gomer | February 13, 2008 at 11:19 PM