STOP AND TAKE ACTION NOW: Taxpayers Bill of Rights

Opportunity for ACTion
 
We are ALL Responsible for Florida's Economic Security
 
The Taxpayer Bill of Rights, aka TABOR (HJR 7221), is moving swiftly through the Florida House and is expected to be heard in the House Appropriations Committee tomorrow, April 12th, at 9 AM. This legislation is identical to SJR 958, which has already been passed by the Senate.  
 
TABOR has been brought up and defeated in more than twenty states; the only state to pass TABOR is Colorado, where as a result of the harmful effects of TABOR on the state, Colorado citizens voted to suspend TABOR in 2005.
  
To learn more about TABOR's potential impact in Florida, please see the independent analysis performed by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
 
 1. Click here to view a full listing of the House Appropriations Committee members. 
 
2. If your state Representative is on the House Appropriations Committee, please call or e-mail and tell him or her not to gamble with Florida's future. Vote NO on HJR 7221!  
Find your State Representative's contact information here.    
 
3.Send this alert to other concerned citizens: your grassroots network, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Encourage them to contact their state Representative as soon as possible.
 
~~Thanks to our partner The League of Women Voters  for this Action Alert~~

The Human Services Coalition

Katy Sorenson With Some Good Advice for The Community

In an Op Ed in the Miami Herald yesterday, County Commissioner gave some good advice to the community. Here are some excerpts:

• First, we must listen to voters and we must educate them. Political leaders are elected to do just that, to lead. It is our duty to make responsible decisions and let our citizens know why we are making these decisions.

• Second, we need to have an honest discussion about what kind of community we want to be. Do we want an expansive public transit system? Do we want a safety-net hospital that provides charity care to those who would otherwise go without healthcare? Do we want libraries to be open every day?

• Third, let's have a real discussion about taxes. Government officials need to explain how revenue is generated, where tax money goes and which pots of money can be used for which services. I was a vocal opponent of the baseball stadium, but it would be irresponsible for me to claim that the stadium money should be used for the Public Health Trust. State law does not allow for this. Too often, conversations about taxes contain both vitriol and misinformation.

She takes issue with pollster Dario Moreno's assessment:

While Moreno made some valid points about the need for political courage, he unfortunately reinforces one of the same obfuscations he accuses the county of making. Moreno says that we live in a poor county and that in order to protect our poor residents, we should not increase taxes. He has it backwards.

The poor Moreno talks about have been and will continue to be hurt by budget cuts and service reductions. They are the ones hurt when Jackson reduces it services, when there are fewer domestic violence shelters, when after-school programs in parks for their children are drastically cut. On the other hand, they get no savings from a tax cut, as most of them do not own their own homes.

Informal Herald Poll on Public Money to Renovate Dophin's Stadium.

94% said no to public dollars for renovation of the Marlin's stadium. This is why they won't let it go to a vote. The lobbyists and politicians know how the public feels about using their tax dollars for stadiums.