Capital Outlook Viewpoint

Tax cuts not solution to all problems

Some four years ago, President George W. Bush said Americans were addicted to oil. He was probably correct, and today we can say with just as much conviction that republicans are addicted to tax cuts.

Florida just completed its 2008-2009 budget. It is balanced and about $4 billion smaller than the current budget and what stands out most conspicuously - among other shortcomings - is that it cut $900 million from education and the state. That is almost criminal.

How can we say we want a high quality education for our students in Florida and at the same time render ourselves unable to pay for it?

But that’s fine with our republican-dominated Legislature because they cut taxes, and they cut spending.

We certainly agree that there is some superfluous spending, but we should also look at the loopholes for corporate tax breaks and how the wealthy some how always manage to come out ahead when these tax cuts are made.

Without going into the cuts in health care, programs for the elderly and disabled, let’s just focus on education for now.

By legislative action our state government is crippling state education to the extent that public school students will not be able to compete effectively with other students in other states as well as students in private schools in our state.

There are rumblings about reviving the voucher program, as well as efforts to water down the class size amendment.

The voucher program, of course, provides public dollars to pay for students in failing public schools to attend private schools. The class size amendment places restrictions on the maximum number of students in each classroom with a single teacher.

It appears that our republican governor and legislature want to privatize education. That appears to be the signal they are sending. Vouchers are for students to attend private school, and all of the advantages that private schools offer have been eliminated in public schools by inadequate funding.

For example, the first thing promoted in high-performing schools are smaller classes. Then there is the parental involvement, high quality equipment such as computers and adequate supplies. Any high performing private school will have these things.

Republicans would like to privatize everything, it appears, and get rid of taxes all together except for funding the military.

That’s not going to work. We as taxpaying Floridians must insist that our government provide the proper funding for our education. Our children are our future and we are dumbing down our education system through lack of funding, or anemic funding, just to say that we have cut taxes.

Cutting taxes is not the answer to all problems. Repeat: Cutting taxes is not the answer to all problems.

We all can agree to eliminate the unnecessary spending, but where is the unnecessary spending in education? Where is the unnecessary spending in health care? Where is the unnecessary spending in public safety?

This is where our funding is being cut, and at the same time we have tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy so they keep most of that money in their pockets.

Counties then have to try to find alternate means to fund education. There are questions as to whether these education cuts at the state level are constitutional.

Our state, which means the taxpaying residents, should take more pride and understand the serious plight of our education system. we should not sit idly by as our governor and legislature cut our education system to pieces.

After all, tax cuts aren’t the answer to everything.What do YOU think?

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