Tax Reform?

Tax Reform

"Florida TaxWatch is among the many business-affiliated groups that have fought attempts in the past decade to bring some basic fairness to the way the state taxes its people. And why shouldn't they? Florida has no income tax, an anemic corporate tax, a disappearing estate tax, and some 440 exemptions and loopholes in its sales tax that serve mostly monied interests. Those with businesses and wealth do just fine. Those who give to the state six pennies on every dollar at the cash register pick up the difference." "Stalling on tax reform"




"Worried? Not she."

"Katherine Harris can boast successes despite light record". See also "Rep. Harris upbeat on Senate run" ("Worried? Not she.")




Whatever

State Rep. Dudley"Goodlette, R-Naples, cannot run for re-election in 2006 because of term limits. Saunders, R-Naples, is planning to resign in 2006 to launch a campaign for Florida attorney general. By the time 2007 rolls around, Saunders could be attorney general and Goodlette might have assumed Saunders' seat in the Florida Senate." "Future uncertain for Naples lawmakers".




Privatization Follies

"Outsourcing gets mixed reviews".




Harris ...

on the issues:

• CAFTA: A fervent backer of free trade as Florida's secretary of state, Harris was tapped by leadership in the House to round up votes in favor of the measure that cleared the chamber by just two votes.

• BANKRUPTCY: Voted for bankruptcy legislation that would make it harder for debt-burdened consumers to fend off their creditors by requiring people above a state's median income to adopt a five-year repayment plan. ...

• MINIMUM WAGE: Voted against raising the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour. ...

• ABORTION: Voted to require parental consent for a minor to cross state lines for an abortion.

"On Key Issues".




Lipstick on a Pig

"GOP alters tactics in class-size battle".




Big Names

"Experienced candidates make for exciting year". "Big names on tap in '06 races".




Slots

"Legislators and school boards already are talking about using the tax money from slots to build schools or add on to overcrowded schools, something the state would have to pay for anyway to comply with the class-size limits that are now part of the state constitution." "Slots' bet on schools may turn up lemons".




FCAT Foolishness

"Legislators seek end of A to F grading for alternative schools".




Boomer Vote

"A surge of baby boomers means a boom of committed voters, political experts say, and strategists from both parties will tailor messages for maximum boomer appeal." "Politicians court boomer vote".




No Brainer

Isn't it just so obvious?

In 2004, the Legislature approved some of the first measures to protect migrant farmworkers in decades.

The modest reforms toughened licensing rules for contractors and increased fines for violators. Legislators also required growers to notify farmworkers about pesticide spraying and give them information about the chemicals in use before entering the fields.

Lawmakers have three new reasons to build on the pesticide legislation of two years ago: three babies, born with severe defects to families of farmworkers in Immokalee.

"Add pesticide safeguards".




Rising Tides

"A little-noticed study predicts much of Central Florida's beaches could disappear, and coastal cities could be armored behind sea walls. The study recommends that governments start adjusting building plans now to prepare for the future, but so far, the report produced by the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council has been gathering dust." "A rising concern".




Calculating Hate

"The latest hate crime statistics note a troubling trend -- not necessarily the numbers themselves, but the wide disparity with which they are reported." "Hate Crimes".