James Call
Florida lawmakers’ balancing act in writing a state budget includes factoring in promises of a tax cut, increases in education and conservation measures, and bridging a nearly $2 billion gap created by the scheduled ending of a Low Income Pool program for hospitals.
They will get fresh numbers Tuesday to begin work on a spending plan for the fiscal year beginning in July.
Republicans who control the state Capitol have campaigned on, governed by, and promised more of the economic-freedom policy of less government spending — which generally holds that such spending distorts market forces and that it’s bad.
Big oversimplification there but I have had many lengthy discussions with Dr. James Gwartney who developed and publishes the annual Economic Freedom Index of countries, and really the gist of it is government spending = bad.
Robert Putnam has been writing about the corrosive consequences to a civil society where everyone views themselves as individual economic agents since Bowling Alone; a series of articles and book that came out about the same time Gwartney came up with the EFI.
In Florida, the policy has resulted in the lowest number of state employees and cost of government per citizen in the nation. The recipe of low taxes and state spending was cited during the fall campaign for stimulating recovery from the Great Recession. Gov. Rick Scott plans trade missions to other states promoting Florida’s “Perfect Business Climate.”
But as Putnam had pointed out nearly 20 years ago there is a downside to the less government spending. Here is how it played out for one Floridian on Monday: your correspondent.
A couple of months ago I got a letter from the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority with a photo of a license plate stating my vehicle had not paid a toll. Problem was I have a specialty plate and the photo is of a standard Florida plate with the same numbers and letters, but different formats and wording.
I wrote back explaining the discrepancy. MDEA did not acknowledge the letter and instead sent another explaining my vehicle registration had been frozen because of nonpayment of an infraction. Also, it said, the matter had been turned over to a collection agency and the cost — to me — nearly quadrupled to $22.
So I call the Department of Highway Safety Motor Vehicles looking for help. Scott has recommended reducing the state workforce by 1,400 positions so it was a good thing I called before the new budget goes into effect, or I would have had a longer wait than the 34 minutes I spent waiting to talk to someone.
I explained my predicament five times before a customer service representative and then a customer service representative supervisor understood it.
Here, let me repeat it for you and so you can appreciate its complexity.
“I have a specialty plate. The photo is of a standard Florida license plate. The numbers are identical, but my plate has ‘Imagine’ written above the numbers. The plate in the photo has MyFlorida.Com. My plate has John Lennon’s self-portrait separating the numbers. The photo appears to have a different icon; I can’t make it out, but it’s not John Lennon.”
Another 30 minutes later the DHSMV service representative supervisor got to the point: It’s not a DHSMV issue. Yes, they keep the records, issue the plates and the Expressway Authority is acting on DHSMV information. However, the document clearly states those numbers and letters exist for only one license plate and it is issued to me.
“So, you are not concerned that there is apparently a counterfeit plate on a truck on the loose in Miami-Dade County and a citizen in Leon County who drives a compact is being held responsible for fines based on your flawed records?” I asked.
Well, neither the customer service representative nor the customer service representative supervisor accepted my premise. Even though I said I was sitting at a red light right outside of their office with my Imagine license plate and that the photo was of the standard Florida license plate with MDEA letterhead.
It’s a law enforcement problem, I was told, not a DHSMV one. It only keeps the records and if there are flaws in the official record — like two vehicles in opposite ends of the state driving around with the same license plate numbers — well, that’s a job for the Sheriff’s Office or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
It’s just a thought, but less government spending equals fewer state employees and services and consequently less help with bureaucratic kerfuffles like this one.
Given when the plate expires, it is in my economic interest to pay the $22 and lift the freeze rather than risk citations for an expired registration. When I explained to DHSMV that some would consider that an act of extortion by MDEA I was told,
“Again, that’s a law enforcement problem, not DHSMV.”
And the nice man explained he didn’t have the time to notify law enforcement about the apparent counterfeit plate roaming the streets of Miami-Dade.
