I say tomato, you say ...

This is the day the Florida state legislature begins its annual session.

The big challenge lawmakers will face is the budget, which is looking rather poorly, to say the least. Their first task will involve cutting some $540 million from this year's budget, which is just a start. The next budget year looks worse as it appears an additional $2 billion will need to be excised.

Dan Gelber from Miami Beach, who serves as the House Democratic leader, says Florida "is in a state of denial." Florida, like other states, has multiple, major problems: the high school drop out rate is the second lowest in the country; 500,000 children do not have health care; sales tax collections "have caused multi-billion dollar deficits in our already stretched and tattered state budget."

Gelber believes Florida's economic problems are caused by "poor planning and even poorer choices." I agree. We have too many sales tax exemptions, we need to restore the tax on investments, we need to dump the annual "sales tax free" days, for starters.

That assessment did not sit well with Jim Greer, the state Republican Party Chairman. Greer said that Gelber is in a "state of confusion."

Greer said that from Gelber's comments "you would think we lived in a third-world country rather than a state that is known around the world for its thriving innovation economy." He went on to brag about how well the Republicans have done, as the power in Tallahassee, over the past 10 years. Greer used the example of the recent Constitutional amendment, approved by the voters, which will cut property taxes by $9 billion over the next five years.

Well, once again we have hyperbole spewing from the maw of a Republican autocrat who doesn't have a clue about what's happening in Florida's real world. Why do these politicos think they can cut taxes over and over again and maintain a decent level of service for their constituents?

It doesn't work. This past year, Florida experienced the smallest net growth ever. People are no longer moving here because there are no jobs and it is too expensive. In the area of Central Florida where I live, several companies have recently announced they are pulling up stakes and either moving out or shutting down. Others are laying off a good percentage of their employees.

The housing market has fallen through the floor. Jobs, even in the service sector (which constitutes most of the jobs here) are hard to find. And while homeowners are supposed to receive a tax break (about $250 per family - big whoop), people still cannot afford to buy houses, as what jobs there were are disappearing.

Additionally, because of the tax cuts, Tallahassee has less money to dole out to meet the needs of the state. Actually, Republicans think this is fine because the local governmental units will have to pick up the slack. This is typical Republican "voodoo" economics. They know full well that the local governments cannot pick up the slack as they have even less money than before, because of the tax cuts!

Throughout the state, both city and country government entities find themselves so strapped for funds they are downsizing dramatically, and people with long tenures are out on the street looking for work.

One example is Marion County's Library system. The county library folks want to shut down a very popular local library, much to the consternation of the people who have been making good use of it for years, because they don't have the funds to continue its operation. In fact, this year the library system will find its budget chopped by more than $426,000!

Statewide, however, education is taking the biggest hit - a $357 million reduction, which is expected to increase.

This is happening across the board. Florida has seen fit to give tax breaks to the rich, and then, to try to soothe angry homeowners, has thrown them a piddling sop which will not come close to the kind of break they need to save their homes, but will put the state in such a bind that it can no longer live up to its responsibilities to the citizens of Florida.

Republicans see this as a "thriving innovation economy."

Maybe that's why in the last two-year election cycle, the Florida House has netted nine Democratic seats by taking seven Republican open seats and sending two Republican incumbents packing!

Hopefully, this is happening in all the states and a sign of things to come!