It's shaping up to be a good Fark year.

To be fair, it would appear that educating Floridians is, in fact, a pointless endeavor.

They'd ultimately come to the realization that they live in Florida and move out, thus giving the legislature less revenue to work with in the future.

Florida legislators will start the new year in familiar fashion: by cutting aid to schools and other programs, borrowing money, skimming cash surpluses and hiking traffic and court fees to patch a $2.3 billion hole in a leaky state budget.


hmm....

Politicians do this because the public will swallow a "Tax increase for the children" before they will anything else.

If they cut back on salary increases, landscaping, new vehicles, and pointless programs, the public might say "Meh, I'm fine with that."

submitter: Florida legislature set to cut education spending

Looks like the Florida tag is gonna be racking up a lot of mileage this year.

Weaver95: Florida legislators will start the new year in familiar fashion: by cutting aid to schools and other programs, borrowing money, skimming cash surpluses and hiking traffic and court fees to patch a $2.3 billion hole in a leaky state budget.


hmm....

Check where the AAA has speed trap towns.

/starke and lawtey fl...

Snarfangel: Politicians do this because the public will swallow a "Tax increase for the children" before they will anything else.

If they cut back on salary increases, landscaping, new vehicles, and pointless programs, the public might say "Meh, I'm fine with that."

Assuming that this is the result of intelligence is assuming that politicians and people in Florida are likely to do something intelligent, of which there is scant evidence.

Children like Tim Tebow are a great example of Florida's education.

To avoid those deeper cuts, Crist's plan calls for heavy borrowing plus raiding savings. Specifically, Crist recommends spending $320 million in surplus cash; bonding about $300 million for prison building; and borrowing $600 million and $290 million, respectively, from a healthcare fund and a budget stabilization fund.

Wow, what a farking genius this guy is.

bbbb...... We just got Powerball here. You know, for the children!

Florida already ranks 49th of the 50 states in funding public education. These new cuts may bring us down to 50th.

Teachers can't even afford to buy houses in the ghetto with the pay they make here. I should know -- I live with one.

Politicians do this because the public will swallow a "Tax increase for the children" before they will anything else.

In Massachusetts voters must approve any large increase in property tax. Politicians spend as much as they can get away with and then come begging for more money "for the schools" because they spent it all on other stuff. It works about half the time.

There was a good link recently that was unfortunately buried in the sports tab. One of the author's points: a good teacher costs the same as a bad teacher. We could stand to cut school budgets quite a bit. My city made news by having the most expensive school in state history. The mayor sold us a $100 million school by misrepresenting the condition of the old one. The cost doubled once the we all took the bait. Plenty of room to save. The cost of special ed is growing so high that I think we'd be better off telling the feds "fark you, keep your money and your rules."

They and California need to look into their illegal alien problems.

Nemo's Brother: They and California need to look into their illegal alien problems.

HURRRRRR

Party Boy: Weaver95: Florida legislators will start the new year in familiar fashion: by cutting aid to schools and other programs, borrowing money, skimming cash surpluses and hiking traffic and court fees to patch a $2.3 billion hole in a leaky state budget.


hmm....

Check where the AAA has speed trap towns.

/starke and lawtey fl...

Neither of which is a speed trap. I drive through them all the time. Of course, I'm one of those rare individuals who is able to read speed limit signs and obey them. Retards like you, of course, do not have that ability, and/or feel that they are above the law.

The session is a test for an ideology championed by such Republican icons as Ronald Reagan and Jeb Bush that government is the problem, not the solution

Yes, Government is the problem especially when Floridians continue to vote in a Republican majority for the legislature. These asshats only hammer home how incompetent government can be...

Nemo's Brother: They and California need to look into their illegal alien problems.

Don't worry about California - now that their economy's in free fall, they're having second thoughts about that whole "love they neighbor" thing.

ZAZ: Politicians do this because the public will swallow a "Tax increase for the children" before they will anything else.

In Massachusetts voters must approve any large increase in property tax. Politicians spend as much as they can get away with and then come begging for more money "for the schools" because they spent it all on other stuff. It works about half the time.

There was a good link recently that was unfortunately buried in the sports tab. One of the author's points: a good teacher costs the same as a bad teacher. We could stand to cut school budgets quite a bit. My city made news by having the most expensive school in state history. The mayor sold us a $100 million school by misrepresenting the condition of the old one. The cost doubled once the we all took the bait. Plenty of room to save. The cost of special ed is growing so high that I think we'd be better off telling the feds "fark you, keep your money and your rules."

They actually teach you that in any good public finance or public management college course.

When faced with budget shortfalls or an incensed public always put popular programs up on the chopping block first.

Of course, they also don't tell you that the way the books are balanced and budgets decided upon actually incentivize waste and pointless programs. (the more budget you have, the higher profile you are. Without a zero base budgeting system you are only ever in danger if you DON'T overspend your budget.)

My favorite video of the Florida legislature was when representatives were running around to the empty seats during a vote and pushing their vote buttons

It was like a TV special "What if children ran the government"

mmagdalene: Don't worry about California - now that their economy's in free fall, they're having second thoughts about that whole "love they neighbor" thing.

Right, because the illegal alien problem is because of hippy-dippy Californians and not at all because of big business profiting off them immensely.

ghare: Party Boy: Weaver95: Florida legislators will start the new year in familiar fashion: by cutting aid to schools and other programs, borrowing money, skimming cash surpluses and hiking traffic and court fees to patch a $2.3 billion hole in a leaky state budget.


hmm....

Check where the AAA has speed trap towns.

/starke and lawtey fl...

Neither of which is a speed trap. I drive through them all the time. Of course, I'm one of those rare individuals who is able to read speed limit signs and obey them. Retards like you, of course, do not have that ability, and/or feel that they are above the law.

what's the matter, are you from one of those stupid podunk towns? did someone hurt your widdle country bumpkin feelings?

i drive through them all the time, too- and despite having never gotten a ticket, i still think they're speed traps. there's no reason to bring the speed limit down from 70 to 25 for all of 60 yards in the middle of nowhere. just because you don't speed doesn't mean that the towns don't unfairly persecute unfamiliar drivers with ludicrous speed limits.

Well since a state income tax would never fly, rightly so, the only other option would be to raise the sales tax.
Since half the state are tourists or snowbirds, this would allow non residents to shoulder a lot of the burden.

Simple. Problem solved.

Nemo's Brother: They and California need to look into their illegal alien problems.

Thats the fed that needs to enforce it. Fine the businesses that hire them and its over.

No one really wants to do that though, since America would lose its semi-slaves and have to pay the going American rate for housing, food, roads, little stuff like that.

Hiro's Protagonist: My favorite video of the Florida legislature was when representatives were running around to the empty seats during a vote and pushing their vote buttons

It was like a TV special "What if children ran the government"

That was Texas, I believe. Not that that really says much for either state.

The police there already have a speed trap set known to all state residents.

It's called the State of Florida, and it's running 24/7.

What is it with Republicans and this obsession with cutting education?

Educating children and spending money wisely; two separate ideas united under one banner: Liberalism.

Funk Brothers: Children like Tim Tebow are a great example of Florida's education.

wasn't he home schooled until he went to the Gators?

WFern: What is it with Republicans and this obsession with cutting education?

Educators are union members whom NEVER support GOP candidates.

Payback, pure and simple.
Plus, it helps the base when you can tell them you're cutting waste in the public school system.

AndyMan1: Hiro's Protagonist: My favorite video of the Florida legislature was when representatives were running around to the empty seats during a vote and pushing their vote buttons

It was like a TV special "What if children ran the government"

That was Texas, I believe. Not that that really says much for either state.

sorry, my bad. it was funny though and worth googling for those that missed it

ghare: Neither of which is a speed trap. I drive through them all the time. Of course, I'm one of those rare individuals who is able to read speed limit signs and obey them. Retards like you, of course, do not have that ability, and/or feel that they are above the law.

Thats lovely
1960

to

2003
In 2002, Waldo issued 6,539 tickets. For fiscal year 2001-02, traffic fines were 38.7 percent of the town budget and 105 percent of the police budget, according to AAA.

Lawtey issued 5,257 tickets in 2002. Traffic fines accounted for 34 percent of the town budget and 98 percent of the police budget, AAA said.

To deal with expected 2009 revenue shortfall, US legislature set to give Florida to Cuba to cut pointless expenditures

suckerpunch: Funk Brothers: Children like Tim Tebow are a great example of Florida's education.

wasn't he home schooled until he went to the Gators?

He played for a high school football team.

Nemo's Brother: They and California need to look into their illegal alien problems.

At least ours send their kids to school.

spamdog: mmagdalene: Don't worry about California - now that their economy's in free fall, they're having second thoughts about that whole "love they neighbor" thing.

Right, because the illegal alien problem is because of hippy-dippy Californians and not at all because of big business profiting off them immensely.

I lived in San Diego just north of the border for 12 years. Plenty was overlooked and illegals from Mexico were well tolerated when times were good and the state needed a defacto slave class for new construction and farming.

Now that that's changing, there's a lot more open hatred toward these "leechers" stealing our jorbs. If times get bad enough, the same will happen in meat-processing plants and fields where working conditions are so bad that until now, few Americans would have even considered employment there.

I guess that leaves the Mexican families, with English speaking U.S. citizen children to do what? Go "home", wherever that was a decade ago? It's a huge clusterfark and I'm afraid there will be many incidents of violence against recent immigrants, now that we have no economic use for them.

The FL State Troopers are out in full force much more now than in the past. Over the last month, they've been all over I-4 in between John Young Parkway and the Millenia Mall for those heading into downtown and I counted at least 25 of them while driving on 75 from St Pete to Ft Myers and back this past Saturday.

I'm glad I got out when I did and left Florida. I was in education and I could see the writing on the wall. The state is ground zero for sub-prime and they don't give two shiats about education because all the voters are seniors.

Yet ANOTHER reason NOT to move to Florida.