“Do Nothing And Hope For A Miracle”

In most challenging situations where a major problem is the issue, do-nothing-and-hope-for-a-miracle is not an option. Governor Crist and the majority of the Florida Legislature have elected to take this miracle hoping route with the state budget. Financially, our state is approaching crisis territory.

The revenues are just not there to cover basic services needed in Florida. Governor Crist’s response is to continue borrowing from trust funds in order to fund general operations.

Chief Financial Officer, Alex Sink, has asked the Governor and legislative leaders to call a special session in order to address the financial crisis. I totally agree with her. Doing nothing until next March, when the legislature is due to go into regular session, is not a wise option.

New House Speaker Ray Sansom shares the Governors’ lack of leadership approach in raiding trust funds and spending down the reserves. Sansom recently stated, "My hope is we’ll have enough money in trust funds to keep the budget balanced for the entire year."
They are using non-recurring dollars to fund recurring operational expenses. This is budgeting at its worst. A prime example of do-nothing-and-hope-for-a-miracle.

Funding for education, health care, law enforcement and corrections are being cut to unacceptable levels, compliments of the do-nothing officials in Tallahassee who are hoping for a miracle.

Their lack of action relative to Florida’s financial crisis is very similar to the do-nothing United States Congress in Washington over the last thirty years.

Washington’s inaction has brought our country to the point of having to borrow money every year from the Social Security Trust Fund, fight a war with borrowed money, bail out Wall Street with borrowed money, possibly bailing out the U.S. Automakers on borrowed money, and sending out stimulus checks to taxpayers on borrowed money.

Our national debt is over $11 trillion and starting to increase at an exponential rate every year. Washington is also practicing the "do-nothing-and-hope-for-a-miracle" form of policy making.
These federal and state officials seem to be taking a concept from one of the Apostle Pauls’ writings when he said that he is all things to all people that by all means some might be saved. These elected officials are all things to all people so by all means they may be elected and re-elected.

Three months ago state economists warned that Florida would have a $1 billion shortfall for the 2008-09 budget year. Governor Crists’ response was, "It’s not a fact and I have to deal with facts." He and the Legislature chose to do-nothing-and-hope-for-a-miracle at that time.

Last Friday, budget forecasters reported there will be an additional $1.4 billion deficit. This brings the projected shortfall to $2.3 billion for the year. These same budget experts predicted that next years state budget will have a $5.8 billion revenue shortfall. The facts the Governor needed are now there for him to see.

Regardless of all the bobbing and weaving, rope-a-dope tactics by state officials, they will soon be forced to do their job and take action.

The Florida Legislature is going to have to consider additional revenues from taxes on internet sales and/or removal of some sales tax exemptions.

Our policy makers have, in fact, instituted a policy of avoidance.

City and county governments and local school boards are being severely impacted by the states’ inaction. Unfunded state mandates continue to be pushed on these local governments.

Public funded education, health care, and the criminal justice system (police, courts and corrections) requirements and needs increase in bad economic times.

The state can not budget cut its way out of this crisis. Elected officials must take responsible actions in order to protect our state. The do-nothing-and-hope-for-a-miracle road should be closed, because it leads over a cliff to disaster.

Some of the remedies which are needed will not be politically pretty. This is because the state must take a two fold approach. Cuts must be made and monies reallocated to the more important basic services. At the same time, the need for additional revenue must be considered.
This is where leadership and honesty has to prevail. Let’s us all hope our leaders take the road that leads from "do-nothing-and-hope-for-a-miracle" to an approach featuring "leadership and honesty".

Kudos for Jackson Hospital

10/30/08
By Ernie Padgett

If there is a basic quality of life issue that all of us are, or should be, very concerned about, it is health care.
I retired from county government about a year ago and my wife and I moved back to Jackson County. My comments and opinions in this writing will be centered on the quality of care at Jackson Hospital. Actually, I started my life’s journey when I was born at the old Jackson Hospital almost 61 years ago, in 1947.
I and/or members of my family have had several experiences at our hospital during this past year. My wife was in the emergency room about 9 months ago with a severe and painful ear infection. The quality of care was Excellent.
My 80 year old mother-in-law had knee replacement surgery at Jackson Hospital 2 weeks ago and is currently going through her re-hab there as well. The quality of care is Excellent.
I had to go to the emergency room 2 nights ago with a very painful kidney stone…….that I am currently in the process of passing (Ouch!) . Again, the quality of care that I received…..Excellent.
We all know that it depends on with whom you talk, relative to the quality of care at Jackson Hospital. Some people think bigger is better (such as Dothan or Tallahassee hospitals). In some cases, that may be true. I am strictly drawing my conclusions based on our recent experiences at Jackson Hospital.
Without exception, the various staff members, nurses and other employees that we have encountered have been professional and capable along with just good old hometown friendliness. I’m sure there may be some exceptions to this. I just haven’t experienced it thus far. This brings me to some opinions and editorial type comments.
The issue of building a new hospital with a voted sales tax was being considered when we first moved here. The sales tax was defeated. My wife and I voted for it.
I’ve had some experience with sales tax votes for large capital projects over the years. In 1988 my self and Sheriff McDaniel spent months holding meetings and talking to groups throughout the county about the need to build a new jail. The local newspaper called it the "Johnnie and Ernie" show. We simply explained the problems with the old jail along with the options we had. Citizens of Jackson County voted in favor of a one cent tax by a margin of 2 to 1. The new jail was built and paid for in about 4 years.
When I was hired as County Administrator in Santa Rosa County a few years later, the same jail situation presented itself. We again slowed down the timetable and spent ample time explaining to the citizens the problem and the options. A one cent sales tax there passed by a large margin, and once again, a new jail was built and paid for in just a few years.
Granted, my understanding of what all went on last year relative to the hospital sales tax vote is limited. That being said, I don’t think the problem and the options were clearly presented and explained to the public. When you ask voters to tax themselves, they have to know all the details of what the problem is and why a certain option is being considered.
I hope this issue will be presented again in the near future. I also hope that the people involved will then take all the time that is needed to explain to citizens why we should build a new hospital and why a sales tax is the best way to pay for one.
Things to explain: The size, the cost, the location. Details and explanations of each must be carefully prepared and presented. Ample citizen input and recommendations must be an integral part of the project.
This county needs a new hospital. The sales tax is, by far, the best way to pay for it. I must restate, the staff at Jackson Hospital is doing its part to provide great health care to our citizens. I thank them all!

Your Government...My View 10/16/08

By Ernie Padgett
I Am Ready To "Go To War"

When is the United States going to declare war on financial terrorists and pirates? Collectively, a group of low life individuals has almost brought our country to its knees financially. Not too many years ago, we were treated with Enron’s Ken Lay and Bernie Ebbers being arrested for cooking the books of their companies and looting funds which belonged to share holders and employees.
Interestingly though, we have not witnessed the CEO’s of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac even testifying before Congress, much less being held to account for cooking the books of their former government supported enterprises (GSE’s). They enriched themselves with bonuses due to improper financial accounting.
The practices of these GSE’s in promoting sub-prime lending and then securitizing these mortgages in investment packages has led to the loss of hundreds of billions of taxpayers dollars. We have to wonder why none of these responsible parties is being held to account for committing what can be best described as financial terrorism upon our nation.
This reluctance just may be the result of the fact that Fannie and Freddie were undertaking policies as directed by Congress. Not only did Congress direct them to increase sub-prime mortgage lending but authorized them to bundle these sub-prime loans in giant packages with prime loans. These packages were then sold to other investors as safe because they were government-sponsored by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
A topic for a future article may be a list of all members of Congress that accepted campaign contributions from Fannie and Freddie. I feel certain the list will be made up of Republicans and Democrats.
In the aftermath of the downfall of Enron, WorldCom and other companies looted by their CEO’s, Congress enacted the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which held CEO’s accountable for the accuracy and correctness of their companies’ financial reporting, imposing significant penalties on those CEO’s whose companies cooked the books. Strangely, however, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were exempted from the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. One must wonder if this was an oversight or a deliberate attempt to insulate Fannie and Freddie from the repercussions of improper financial reporting.
The "toxic" sub-prime loans held in the securities sold by Fannie and Freddie have contributed inexorably to the financial meltdown not only in this country, but overseas, as foreign investors also bought the investment packages they sold. In fact, it is these toxic sub-prime mortgages which are to be bought by the federal government as part of its $700 billion bailout plan. It is quite unsettling to look to the U.S. Congress for legislation to repair a problem of its own making. It is also disturbing to see the former CEO’s of Fannie and Freddie whose actions contributed to our financial crisis not held to account.
If we do not acknowledge the cause of our current turmoil, how then will such financial debacles be prevented in the future?
It has been said that if you want to know why a policy is made (state or federal), just follow the bouncing dollar (campaign contributions).
It is time our government declares war on financial terrorists. Our future depends on it!

Your Government...My View 10/2/08

By: Ernie Padgett

Well, I’m confused and at the same time, amazed……….again. I can’t wait to ask one of my anti-government, anti-regulations friends how their approach to government squares with current financial events.
Our federal government leaders (Republicans and Democrats) are working on a way to underwrite Wall Street to the tune of $700 billion. This could possibly be at taxpayers expense. I say possibly because there is the chance that some or even all of the money spent may be recouped.
Is this action consistent with private enterprise, free market and very little government oversight beliefs? I think not.
This bail out will initially increase the national debt from about $10 trillion to nearly $11 trillion. In the 1960’s Senator Everitt Dirkson was known to say "A billion dollars here and a billion dollars there and all at once we’re talking about real money." Let’s fast forward to 2008. Thanks to our overall lack of leadership in Washington, today, Dirkson would have to say a trillion here and a trillion there.
Did anyone in Washington see this coming? I think so. Author Ron Suskind wrote in the New York Times last week about a 2002 meeting at the White House. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill tried to convince the Bush administration that the financial industry needed fundamental restructuring to avoid meaningless ways of valuing companies and avoid a coming meltdown.
Here we are, six years later and the country’s financial industry is in meltdown territory. At the 2002 meeting, recommendations were made that would make chief executive officers of companies accountable for their actions and subject them to fines or other penalties for recklessness, malfeasance or negligence.
According to Suskind’s article, the Treasury Secretary described the proposal to leaders of the nation’s top 10 financial services companies. The executives didn’t agree with the additional oversight approach. One executive said he would rather resign than be held accountable for "what’s going on in my company."
Nothing was done in 2002 by the Bush administration. With leadership like that, it’s a wonder how this mess didn’t hit the country years earlier.
The two prime players in the subprime mess are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. President Bush in 2003 did, in fact, recommend that an agency be created to regulate the housing finance industry, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Congress failed to act. Most Democrats were opposed to the increased regulations and the Republicans didn’t sense the urgency to push it to a vote. Bipartisan failure!
In 2005, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan told Congress that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac practices were creating ever-growing risk down the road. He said that the total financial system of the future was being placed at substantial risk.
Again, NO ACTION by Congress. These are all clear examples of the leadership deficit that we have in Washington.
In my opinion, there should have been much more oversight, regulation and enforcement of the financial industry years ago. This financial debacle started a decade ago as people began buying homes with subprime mortgages that, it turns out, they could not afford. Government agencies pushed the expansion in home ownership to the point of actually being a party to new home owners getting in over their heads.
Clearly, some homeowners are irresponsible. Evidence points to plenty of fraud. Home appraisals were inflated and loan applications were falsified.
Foreclosures rose. Property values nose-dived. POP! There went the bubble. Lenders, meanwhile, sold the bad mortgages to other finance companies who sold them again. The bad loans are now sprinkled throughout our financial system.
Part of this current financial meltdown is that regulators who were supposed to keep the system honest didn’t do their jobs (while congress was asleep at the wheel). One segment of the mortgage industry, the independent brokers, was barely regulated.
Financiers selling the bad loans had few regulations to reel them in. Starting in the 1980’s the Republican Party began dismantling as many government regulations as they could. By the 1990’s, seeing how popular Republicans were, plenty of Democrats had caught deregulation fever.
The 1999 Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, backed by Republicans and Democrats blew apart depression era laws that separated banks, insurance companies and securities firms. Banks had been heavily regulated, but the rest of the finance industry was not.
What President signed this bad piece of legislation that accelerated our current financial meltdown possibility? It was Bill Clinton. It is clear that no political party, no congress, no one president since the 1980’s is without blame.
Adequate government regulations and enforcement are needed. Adequate…not over regulations….and not excessive punitive enforcement. I’ve seen both in my 30 years in government. The best solutions lie in neither extreme.
Until the human race perfects itself (not going to happen) and roots out greed and corruption (not going to happen), I want adequate and enforceable regulations in all areas where the low life abusers get the gold mine while the average, hard working citizens get the shaft. Citizens in Jackson County and throughout the United States should be more than a little concerned about the total lack of leadership we have been receiving from our elected officials from both parties. Their refusal to act responsibly over the years has gotten us into this financial mess.

Your Government...My View 9/4/08

By: Ernie Padgett
Several years ago, Florida voters passed a term limit amendment for state senators and representatives. The result is these elected officials can serve no more than ten years in the same position. The Governor is limited to two four year terms.
Term limits certainly have some short comings that can be effectively argued. Nevertheless, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Because of the increasing influence of big money and the gerrymandering of districts by the party in power at the time of redistricting, term limits are necessary. Huge amounts of money made available to incumbents coupled with district lines drawn for the specific purpose of keeping them in office, makes it extremely difficult for a challenger to win an election.
Government needs new blood and a fresh approach to the many issues that have to be addressed. When we have a group of office holders who know how to play the money game, citizens suffer.
A person should serve in public office for a few years and then return to their private life allowing continuous new talent the opportunity to serve. The Federal government is where term limits are needed more than ever. Have you ever wondered why 95% of U.S. Senators and Representatives are re-elected at the same time that the approval rating of the United States Congress is less than 25%? Imagine, three out of every four Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing. Think about it.
Our founding fathers never envisioned career politicians. Presidents Washington and Jefferson longed to get back to their private lives after serving their country for a few years.
We have long serving members of Congress who have mastered the art of catering to various special interests groups in order to stay in office.
They know where the majority of their campaign funds come from. It’s sad but true, that money buys access to our representatives in Congress.
Our current Congress is starting to be labeled the "do nothing" Congress. As a whole, they avoid dealing with the hard issues. They have figured it out….doing nothing helps to keep them in office. Congress is failing to address the many challenges facing our nation, such as energy, social security, medicare for the elderly, health care issues, failure to balance the Federal budget, aging infrastructure in dire need of attention, crime, appropriate funding of public education. Congressional members are very effective when they go home to their districts. They speak to local civic clubs and groups, shake a few hands and tell you how hard they have been working for you. Wrong! They are members of the elite "do nothing" Congress.
Term limits are certainly not the cure all, but things would improve because of the new talent that would come to the halls of Congress. Wouldn’t it be good if elected federal officials served for a few years and then went home and earned a living like everyone else does?

Your Government...My View 8/28/08

By: Ernie Padgett
It seems like every time we turn on the news these days we hear about the national deficit. I believe there is another area where we have an even larger deficit. There is a tremendous LEADERSHIP DEFICIT at all levels of government. It’s especially true at the federal level and state levels, and at a lesser degree, the local level. At the local level, citizens have easy access to their elected officials and communicate with them directly. The effect is that local officials tend to be more responsive to the needs of those they represent. On the federal and state levels, big money, special interests groups, and lobbyist are at center stage. It takes huge amounts of money to be elected and then re-elected to higher offices. The elected official has to keep those certain groups happy so that the money will continue to flow. How else can they get into office again? They console themselves for doing what they know is wrong, thinking…….I can only help the people if I get back into office…….so I have to do and say these things in order to get re-elected. Hence, the LEADERSHIP DEFICIT. I think some of them really believe that if they get replaced, government will start to crumble. What will crumble is their very inflated opinion of self importance.
Let us look at some examples of LEADERSHIP DEFICITS.
● Federal budget deficits are caused by the federal government spending more money each year then it takes in. The USA Today reported in July that a record deficit of almost $500 billion dollars is expected for 2009. This is the highest deficit in the history of our country. The Tampa Tribune, in August, reported that "a free-spending Congress and an extravagant White House will give the nation its largest budget deficit ever next year - $482 billion dollars. The Pensacola News Journal said "Bush, Congress fiddle as budget melts down."
● Social Security and Medicare - There is little or no effort being given to address the dire situation of preserving Social Security. The reason being is that the solutions are not politically pleasing. Congress raids the social security fund every year in order to say the large federal deficit is less than it really is. In about eight years the revenue from Social Security taxes will not be enough to pay out benefits to those on Social Security.
● No Energy Policy - There is no short term or long term energy policy because of the competing interest groups. Politically, Congress and the Administration elect to do nothing.
● Dishonesty in going to war - The American people were told we could go to war in Iraq with very limited troop deployment, that we would be there for a short time and that we would be greeted with open arms and viewed as hero’s by the Iraqi people. None of which has happened. We were also told that the Iraqi oil money would pay for the war. Hardworking American people are paying for that war…..billions of dollars a month. This should be enough in itself for the American people to rise up against the White House and Congress and say… We The People……will take no more.
● Lack of Congressional oversight - The St. Petersburg Times recently reported that a confidential draft of an inspector general’s report says that the amount of improper payments made by Medicare for medical equipment such as wheelchairs and oxygen tanks was $2.8 billion in fiscal year 2006. Congress fiddles while fraud is rampant.
● Lack of Insurance reform - The Governor and Legislature promised citizens of Florida meaningful insurance reform. There has been no significant reduction in insurance premiums. To the contrary, since the Legislature refused to properly fund the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, the state is forced to do something that is hard to believe. Florida will pay $224 million dollars to Berkshire Hathaway (Warren Buffet’s company) for a guarantee that the state can borrow up to $4 billion dollars if necessary to help cover future losses by its emergency hurricane insurance fund. Essentially, Buffet agreed to cover the state since politicians and the insurance industry couldn’t. Buffet keeps the $224 million dollars whether the state borrows a penny from him or not. It’s a good thing that Gov. Crist and the Florida Legislature aren’t handling your personal finances. The bad thing is that they are in charge of your tax dollars.
● Decisions and Policy made in secret - The Tampa Tribune recently reported that "Some of Florida’s U.S. House members complained about being kept in the dark during the state’s secret negotiations of a $1.75 billion dollars proposal buyout of U.S. Sugar Corp". Our U.S. Congressman Allen Boyd has raised the issue that the price might be too high for the 187,000 acres. The U.S. Corps of Engineers was unaware that talks of a buyout were ongoing. The University of Florida / IFAS thinks that over 10,000 jobs will be lost statewide. It may be a good deal or it may not. The Governor should never have participated in secret talks. This behind closed doors approach to the negotiations of the public’s business is not a good approach to sound decision making. It was this type of action that resulted in Florida’s Sunshine Law.
● Unrealistic budget cuts - The state, without solid planning or forethought, forced budget cuts on state agencies and county governments that will create long term problems in Florida. Education is being under funded. Public safety is beginning to feel the impact. Social services and an array of preventive programs have suffered. It’s so easy to take the position of cutting taxes if no consideration is given to the long term negative results. These are just a few examples of the LEADERSHIP DEFICITS that adversely affect us all. Increased citizen involvement is our only hope of doing anything about this situation which is getting progressively worse. We need to let our elected representatives know that we will be fooled and hoodwinked no longer. Plato wrote, "The punishment of wise men who refuse to take part in the affairs of government is to live under the government of unwise men."

Note: The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and are not necessarily those of Hatcher Publications.

Your Government... My View 8/21/08

By: Ernie Padgett
I had the opportunity last Friday to accompany my 4th grade granddaughter while she met her new teachers. After visiting with her two new teachers we returned to her Mother’s (my daughter) 3rd grade class. I sat around for about an hour watching and listening as parents would bring their kids by to meet their new teacher. Of course as a Father, I’m very proud of my school teacher daughter.
That was not the only thought I had during my visit to her 3rd grade class. Sixteen out of twenty new students came by with their parents to see their new classroom and meet their new teacher. I am sure that many of these parents had to take off from work on a Friday to be with their child, take the time to meet the person that would be teaching them for the next school year, and see the class room where they would be spending most of their day. But, it was that important for those 16 parents, to be there.
I wish our state leaders would show more concern and leadership when it comes to education in the state of Florida. Every citizen has a vested interest in the quality of education in our state. It doesn’t matter whether it’s our child or a grandchild or even if we have no family in public schools, the bottom line is….we ALL have a vested interest in education.
Florida ranks very low when it comes to funding for schools. To make matters worse, the Tax and Budget Commission put an amendment on the November ballot known as Amendment 5. This amendment would eliminate the required county local effort portion of property taxes for school funding. It requires the Legislature to put up equivalent state funds to replace the money for education, but only for one year! Plus……does anyone remember what the lottery money was supposed to do for education? It never happened. The Legislature seems to never get around to doing what they say they will do when it comes to funding education……why then should we believe that it will happen this time? We shouldn’t. The potential disaster of this approach is that nothing is spelled out explaining how the Legislature will replace this revenue loss of 9 to 11 billion dollars a year. What other taxes will have to be raised to make up for this? What other budget cuts will be necessary? What sales tax exemptions will have to be eliminated? None of these questions have been addressed in this ill-conceived Amendment 5. State Senator Mike Haridopolos, a Republican from south Florida has been quoted as saying "The amendment is a bad deal for Florida and is a "bait and switch" proposal of the worst kind."
Governor Charlie Crist is a strong supporter of this bad amendment. The Governor is not saying how the money for schools will be replaced. This is NOT leadership! If he wants to take as much as 11 billion dollars from our public schools, then he needs to have the backbone to stand up in front of the people of Florida and without wobbling, tell us where he’s going to get the money to fund the future of our state………our public schools.
Bill Cotterell, a writer for the Tallahassee Democrat put it well last week in his article. He said "Gov. Charlie Crist’s record at putting his political career on the line for difficult, needed things is not going to rank him with LeRoy Collins or Reubin Askew in Florida history books." There was good news coming out of Tallahassee last Thursday. A circuit judge ruled that Amendment 5 tax-swap could not go on the November ballot. He said that the legal title and summary do not tell voters what the proposal really does. Judge Cooper further stated that the ballot summary was misleading and didn’t give voters "fair notice of the content and sweep of the proposal."
Another very important part of Judge Cooper’s ruling was his position that the Amendment 5 language did not tell voters that the amendment only requires the Legislature to replace the local property tax money for one year.
Where are our leaders? Good leadership is basic to good government. Simply tell citizens the whole story, truthfully, and let them evaluate the issue and take their position. Our Governor and Legislature are hired by us, to protect the well being of our state, our schools and the quality of life in the state of Florida. They are there to make difficult decisions on our behalf. We shouldn’t have to be on guard against the people elected to protect us, but sadly, we do.
Even though I’m opposed to replacing school funding with other taxes and cuts, I’m not against citizens voting on the issue if it has not been designed to mislead in order to help its chances of being passed by the voters.
As it stands now, most of Florida’s business community opposes Amendment 5 because of the uncertainty about who gets taxed and because it takes the school funding away. The Florida Realtors are the ONLY major business group that supports Amendment 5. Some of the opponents include the AARP and Florida Farm Bureau, to name just a few. There are many, many more.
Judge Cooper’s ruling will probably not be the final say on this issue. It will be appealed by supporters to the Florida Supreme Court. If they decide to let Amendment 5 go on the ballot I hope the citizens of Florida will say NO to this misleading amendment that will cripple education in Jackson County and throughout the state. Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Hatcher Publications or its staff.

Your Government ... My View 7/3/08

By: Ernie Padgett
Florida Legislature passed a law last year that allows officials with the Department of Transportation to negotiate the leasing of state roads and bridges to private companies. Florida’s first step into the controversial realm of road leasing may happen by the end of this year. State officials are preparing to lease Alligator Alley, a four-lane toll road that connects Naples with Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. Other lease projects that may follow are the Sunshine Skyway bridge across Tampa Bay and the Sunshine Expressway. Florida would give a private company a long-term lease for a road or bridge for 50 to 75 years and the company pays the state a sum of money up front. The private company will make its money back by increasing tolls. The state’s first road leasing plan, which is supported by Governor Charlie Crist, has plenty of critics. They worry about turning over state facilities to private companies and the impact of rising toll rates on Florida drivers. My concern and strong objection to this new approach is simple. The road or bridge is a public asset that was paid for by the people of Florida. The state would lease to a private company that would then adjust the tolls in order to make a profit. Somehow, that just doesn’t seem quite right. Currently, eight investment groups, all with foreign partners have expressed an interest on leasing Alligator Alley. They include companies from Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and Australia. As Americans, we should all be very concerned and opposed to foreign companies buying up our interstate highway system and other infrastructure. Why is the state of Florida on this path of leasing our roadways. Its all about the quick dollar. Our elected officials say we have a backlog of road projects that are needed but no money to do them. When we lease a road, we get a bundle of money up front. This money could be also used for non transportation projects if the state elects to do so. Dave Rothfuss, a good friend of mine who happened to be my assistant county administrator in Manatee County for 12 years, emailed me recently with his thoughts on this subject. He stated, "There is no reason to privatize Alligator Alley or any other state road or bridge except to get dollars up front which could be used for other purposes besides transportation needs-e.g. pet legislative programs, or balancing the state budget for a few years. They could use this approach rather than thoroughly and professionally evaluating and controlling state spending and revenues. Based on the poor track record of the legislature and this governor, privatization would enable them to evade their responsibilities to the citizens of this great state for a few years and pass the added burden on to future office holders. These leasing actions are in essence making the people who paid for these facilities pay even more to use them. In my opinion, this is bad policy, worse politics, but business as usual in Tallahassee." The fact is, within the last several years the Florida legislature has taken monies from the Transportation Trust Fund and used them to shore up other areas of the state budget. Their track record is, promises made promises broken. If you are opposed to Florida leasing your roads and bridges to foreign investors, I urge you to call or email Governor Crist and your representative and senator and ask them to change their position on this issue.

June 5, 2008

By: Ernie Padgett
All of us Jackson County citizens have a lot to be thankful for and proud of. It is a great place to live, work and play. For some of us, a great place to return to in our retirement phase of life. Did you know that Jackson County was one of only several Florida counties to vote against Amendment One (limiting local government expenditures) on January 29th of this year? Is this something to be proud of? I believe it is. We voted almost 2 to 1 against this ill conceived, slight of hand, smoke and mirrors state amendment that hamstrings local elected officials (county commissions, city commissions, school boards) throughout Florida. Anyone who has been following the happenings over the last several months is starting to see the results of this politically motivated state action. Cities, counties and school boards throughout the state are having to cut back on services rendered to citizens. Colleges are having massive lay-offs and universities such as University of Florida and Florida State are now in the position of having to drastically limit enrollment of new students. Thousands of faculty positions will be eliminated. In many school districts, services to students are being reduced and teachers and support staff are being terminated. County commissions are being forced to cut services and lay employees off. State employees are facing another year without a pay raise. This is only the first year of the negative impacts from Amendment One. There will be more to come. The continuing results will bring thousands of lay offs for state, county, city and school district employees. Some readers will say it’s about time we reduced government. Government in Florida will be reduced, no doubt, but at a very high price. Schools and colleges operating without enough resources to provide for a good educational system. Local governments unable to meet the requests of their citizens such as roads, public safety, recreation, libraries, partnering with other governments to provide needed help to the elderly and those needing basic help. The Florida legislature started this ball rolling over a year ago. We will witness Florida and its’ counties going backwards in the delivery of quality of life services. They blame a bad economy. In fact, their actions are contributing to this bad economy. When people have jobs that pay a living wage they have money to spend. We will buy that house, the new car we’ve been talking about, take the vacations, go out to eat more often, spend more on ourselves. Money moving is what keeps an economy going. One may think we are just talking about government employees and their plight. Wrong. We are not only talking about the money they spend, but also the dollars that all governments spend when they buy from vendors and contract out to private enterprise. This is money that goes back into the community and supports the local economy. When the spending of dollars is restricted to the point it will be in Florida Communities, most all citizens will suffer. Again, we can be proud as Jackson County citizens that we did not vote for Amendment One on January 29, 2008. We refused to be hoodwinked by a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Your Government ... My View

By: Ernie Padgett

From time to time, most of us have witnessed an individual or a group do something we felt was the ultimate act of hypocrisy. We may then say to ourselves that the action by the hypocrite(s) was as bad as it gets. All but six members of the Florida Legislature should, in my opinion, win a gold medal for being the all star hypocrites of the year. On Thursday, Florida Health News reported that even though the state has one of the highest rates of uninsured workers and families in the nation, members of the Florida House and Senate enjoy a very, very generous health benefit package. These lawmakers are given free health insurance for themselves AND their families. According to this article, only seven other states pay 100% of legislators’ health insurance premiums. The report did not say if any of these seven states also paid 100% of family coverage also. I am going to research this in order to find out if Florida is the only state in which it’s legislators give themselves and their families free health insurance, while other families struggle to pay for coverage. All but six of Florida’s 160 lawmakers are receiving the free coverage, and 80% of them also enrolled their spouses and children at no charge, according to the Office of Legislative Services. Thirty one took individual coverage, which costs taxpayers about $5,000 per year per legislator. 123 took family coverage which costs about $11,600 per year per legislator. The total annual cost to taxpayers for all this free coverage is nearly $1.5 million per year. My daughter is a third grade school teacher in Florida. She pays $917.50 per month for family coverage. Florida lawmakers make about $32,000 per year in their part-time jobs and pay nothing for health insurance. Be you a school teacher, truck driver, small business person, or earning a living in one of a thousand different careers, you are most likely paying a very high health insurance premium for you and your family. The 154 legislators who are accepting this unwarranted free ride should be ashamed of themselves. Most of these free riders are the same ones that are severely reducing various budgets that help protect children and the elderly. Budgets that help mentally ill people that need treatment, not jail, budgets that fund the criminal justice system which includes police, courts, and corrections. Also, budgets that need to fund our educational system, both secondary and higher education. School boards in all 67 counties are struggling to fund their basic needs this year. Students will suffer and their education will be negatively impacted. I could go on and on with many examples of where the Florida Legislature is hurting the state of Florida. They should do the honorable thing before they adjourn this week and start paying their own health insurance premiums. This will save Florida taxpayers $1.5 million per year. In conclusion, the Florida Legislature has the gall to rant and rave about city and county governments and school boards spending (wasting) too much money. The $1.5 million tax payer dollars required to fund their free health insurance is a prime example of wasteful spending. Citizens, all of you who have to pay your own health insurance premiums should make a call to your legislators’ office and demand they pay their own premiums. Ask your friends, relatives and neighbors to also make a call.

Your Government . . . My View 04/17/2008

By Ernie Padgett
As Americans we better wake up and try to fully comprehend what is happening to our country. Millions and millions of jobs are being "shipped" overseas to various countries. It started as lost manufacturing jobs but now has evolved to the high tech industry.

We are becoming increasingly dependent on other countries. We buy their products in mass and we borrow money from them to keep our economy going. Just look at the U.S. trade deficit (hundreds of billions of dollars annually) and our national debt (in the trillions of dollars).

If you as an individual depend on someone for the commodities you have to buy and also depend on them to loan you money, your ability to influence them in any way is all but gone. Hence, how can the U.S. influence world affairs when we are a debtor nation?

How long has this been a concern in America? Actually our forefathers warned us. Thomas Jefferson said, "He, therefore, who is now against domestic manufacture, must be for reducing us either to dependence on that foreign nation, or to be clothed in skins, and live like beasts in dens and caverns. I am not one of these." Abraham Lincoln summed up the sentiment especially well when deciding to purchase railroad tracks. "If we buy the steel from Britain, we have the steel but the money is gone. If we buy the steel in the United States, we have the steel and the money too. Such an advantage far outweighs a lower price for imported steel."

What can an individual like you or I do in 2008? A lot. It will not be easy nor will it be without some costs to us. We can all start to be much more sensitive in support of American made goods. These goods may not always be cheaper, but the purchase of them will help keep people working here in the United States and it’s the right thing to do.

I think America is like a boat load of people shooting down the rapids and about to go over a treacherous water fall. It is going to be nip and tuck whether the boat and its occupants are going to survive. If they do, what condition will they (our country) be in? What will be left for the American families of the future?

I personally have not been nearly as sensitive to buying American products as I should have. I am determined to start. Its not too late to try and avoid going over the waterfall.

I recently read an article titled "Why Offshoring is Economically Unsustainable" by Bob Powell, Ph.D., MBA. I have been increasingly concerned over the years about the millions of manufacturing jobs our country is outsourcing (losing) to various foreign countries.
Powell puts forth several comparisons that are simple to understand and are thought provoking. He says, "A sports spectator logically decides to stand to get a better view of the action. If only one spectator stands, this action is effective. But one spectator standing can prompt an escalation that leads others to stand. And when every spectator stands, no one can see any better than before (and short people can not see as well). He concludes that the system that developed is less efficient, because the spectators expend more energy when standing.

Another example he gives is ocean fishing. "A fisherman logically decides to put out more boats to catch more fish. If only one fisherman does this, the action is effective. But one fisherman putting out more boats can prompt an escalation that leads other fisherman to compete by putting out more boats. The irony is that as fish become more scarce, the price goes up prompting even more over fishing."

At this point, one might be thinking what do these two examples have to do with American job loss through offshore outsourcing. The analogy is direct and accurate. A company logically decides to outsource labor offshore to reduce costs, gain competitive advantage and increase profits because the benefits are substantial.

See the problem coming? When the outsourcing (job loss) starts, it continues.
Another supporting article that continues this school of thought was written by Daryll Ray, University of Tennessee. His article discusses the exporting of American jobs and the jobless recovery. "In a competitive environment, the manufacturer of any given product has an incentive to reduce costs to increase profits and price competitiveness. Often one of the biggest cost is labor. One sure fire way to reduce costs is to export jobs. Labor costs in Mexico and the shops of China and Southeast Asia are a fraction of what they are in the U.S.

Ray makes the point that in the past most of the jobs leaving the U.S. have been in textiles, shoes, and heavy manufacturing. He states, "We have been told that this is ok because America will convert its workforce to take the high-end skilled technical and software jobs, leaving the U.S. better off. But now the jobs that are leaving are high tech and back office support jobs."
One firm at a time it all make sense. They can lower costs, increase profits and watch stock prices rise. BUT what happens as more and more firms begin to do that? Isn’t it the same as spectators standing for a better view or fishermen putting more and more boats in the water?
The end result for America is fewer jobs for our people resulting in a lower standard of living for the future.

Let’s look at what several well known people are saying about this issue.
* Lou Dobbs, CNN Commentator, "Corporate greed is shipping American jobs overseas."
* Pat Buchanan, writer, economist, "Free trade is the serial killer of American manufacturing and the Trojan horse of world government. It is the path to the loss of economic independence and national sovereignty. Free trade is a bright and shining lie."
* Warren Buffett, second wealthiest man in the U.S., "America’s growing free trade deficit is selling the nation out from under us."

In conclusion, let me share two more quotes I have read, one very disturbing, one very good advice.

Karl Marx, the avid Socialist ,had something to say about free trade, "Free trade breaks up old nationalities…..In a word, the free trade system hastens the social revolution. Gentlemen, I am in favor of free trade."

Now for the very positive and accurate quote from Justice Robert Jackson, Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice, "It is not the function of the government to keep the citizen from falling into error, it is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error."

Your Government...My View - Party Bosses Are Losing Their Grip

by Ernie Padgett

What voter registration category, in Florida, had the largest increase over the last ten years? Was it Democrat? Republican? Was it one of the minor parties such as Independent, American, Libertarian?

Answer. None of the above. There is another category of voter registration that has increased more than all the others combined.
Non Party Affiliate (NPA) is the big winner. When I have discussed this with people, a common reaction is "no way."

The next question is why?
I’m sure there are a variety of reasons why a voter wants to be a NPA. Nevertheless, I think there is a common basic reason for this trend. In Florida, almost 20% , one out of every five voters are Non Party Affiliate. Again, the ranks of NPA’s are growing faster than those of Democrats and Republicans combined.

Lets look at the statistics from the Florida elections Division.

In 1998 there were approximately 3.3 million Republicans, 3.7 million Democrats and 1.2 million NPA and minor parties. Ten years later, as of February, 2008, there are 3.9 million Republicans, 4.2, million Democrats and 2.2 million NPA’s and minor parties. Rep. increased 600,000 (18.2%), Dem. increased 500,000 (13.5 %) and NPA’s and minor parties increased 1,000,000 (83.3%).

As of February, 2008, there were 10.3 million registered voters in Florida. Republicans were 37.5% of the total, Democrats 40.7 % and NPA’s and minor parties 21.8%.

If this trend continues, in 10 to 12 years, NPA’s and minor party registration will be approaching 30%. I’ve come to the same conclusion that millions of others have, not only in Florida but throughout the country. Government is deadlocked and problems are becoming one crisis after another. The entrenched partisanship from both the Democrats and Republicans has created far more problems on the state and federal level than it has solved.

Party politics is becoming increasingly counterproductive. Partisan politics is slowly but surely bringing government to the point of failure. Major issues continue to be ignored. Each party blames the other while nothing substantively gets done.

It’s becoming more and more a blame game between the Democrats and Republicans. Far too many of our elected officials want to blame their counterparts in the other party for any and all failures that they (the blamers) helped to create.

It is past time for the party (parties) to be over. Decisions that are made strictly because of party politics always yield less than desirable decisions.

Party politics is the major force that is driving the existing trend of more voters registering NPA instead of Democrat or Republican. This is an encouraging trend, and hopefully this movement will continue. Increasingly, voters will put much more emphasis on a candidates’ position on the issue rather than being concerned if they have a (D) or (R) behind their name.

Hopefully we will soon see more qualified candidates running as Non Party Affiliates for various local, state and federal offices. This will be a breath of fresh air for our stale political environment. Candidates that are elected and go to Tallahassee or Washington are often under tremendous pressure to tow the party line. Their party leadership frequently punishes anyone who decides to think for themselves and tries to be independent. For the offender within the party there will be no committee assignments , no help in getting bills passed, and no help in getting any kind of funding for a legitimate project in that officials district.

Almost every office holder buckles to this party pressure. A few do not.

Our great country was built on strong independent thinking and action by individuals, both voters and office holders. Elected officials should think for themselves and NOT be bossed around by party bosses.