Jacob Ogles
Conservative policies created in Tallahassee need not stay within the Sunshine State, according to Americans for Tax Reform founder Grover Norquist.
At a Florida TaxWatch event in Palm Beach, the national tax expert said the Republican dominance in state politics gives Florida a chance to prove that conservative policies work.
“The good news is that Florida is a model of good governance for the rest of the nation,” he said. “Sometimes people say, well, Florida doesn’t have income tax. Where do they get all that money? And a couple years ago, your budget was $115 billion.”
Norquist told attendees that conservative policy created in red states can disprove doubters on a range of topics. He didn’t stick to tax policy, and discussed Florida’s history with concealed carry laws. The state in 1986 passed “shall-issue” concealed carry permitting.
“You were the first state with stoplights that did so,” Norquist said. “And all of a sudden, everything that they said would happen didn’t go on. Crime went down, not up. All physical violence went down, not up.”
More recently, the Legislature passed permitless carry on guns through legislation passed in 2023 and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
He also pointed at Florida’s expansion of school choice.
“Florida was an early adopter for a lot of different kinds of school choice, and now 10 states have passed education savings accounts for everybody,” he said, predicting Texas and Tennessee will follow suit shortly.
By contrast, he said Democrat-dominated states have tried to implement programs only to repeal them even as they advocated expansion nationwide. He said Massachusetts mandated health coverage as its Governor, Michael Dukakis, ran for President in 1988, then repealed it after Dukakis lost so the state wouldn’t have to absorb the cost. Yet the program later became used as a model for President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
Notably, former Republican Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney implemented a similar program before the Affordable Care Act was passed.
Norquist also pointed to a “Medicare for All” program passed in Vermont that U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, has pushed nationally. But in 2014, Vermont abandoned its single-payer health program.
But conservative programs have more successfully passed. He pointed to “right-to-try” legislation that would never be heard in Congress, as Food and Drug Administration officials openly mocked allowing unapproved medicines to treat terminal illnesses. But Arizona passed a bill, and pretty soon 36 other states emulated it. That prompted action at the federal level.
10 comments
Biden is Garbage
October 31, 2024 at 4:39 pm
Blue cultists love high state income taxes. They love grocery taxes, car inspection taxes, having to retreat from home invaders, lunatics blocking emergency traffic and nazi gun control.
White Spiteful Devil Rapist Trump
October 31, 2024 at 4:58 pm
If you could do something about it,you would be doing something about it, instead of here running your mouth
White Spiteful Devil Rapist Trump
October 31, 2024 at 5:09 pm
Foremost people like have no values,you would pimp your mother on the streets,if mean Trump would benefit from it ,you cannot name one thing redemning about Trump,show how easy you are misled
Tom Palmer
October 31, 2024 at 4:48 pm
That’s kind of an unfocused mishmash of ideas. Some of the spaghetti will stick to the wall, I guess.
.
PeterH
October 31, 2024 at 5:50 pm
The residents of Florida enjoy zero State income taxes because of tourism dollars. Residential real estate taxes are very high and together with a sales tax and hotel & restaurant taxes translate to a Florida perk.
LexT
November 1, 2024 at 8:15 am
What the USA needs is a federal Balanced Budget Amendment. Florida is constitutionally required to balance its budgets. The Federal Government should be in the same boat with the exception of possibly war debt. There is no reason to create inflation and in fact in the long run the country will be far more prosperous if its citizens and friends and enemies in other countries know that the USA will be responsible with its finances.
Michael K
November 2, 2024 at 10:16 am
The interstate highway system would have never been built under a balanced budget scenario – as one example.
Dont Say FLA
November 1, 2024 at 11:46 am
And i suppose one could say that old TV show “What Not to Wear” served as a fashion guide
Joe
November 4, 2024 at 11:28 am
“Worst state in the nation is a model for other states.”
That’s certainly an interesting take.
Joey
November 5, 2024 at 2:17 pm
People losing their house because they cant pay homeowners insurance . What a grwat model. Kids kick out of medicaid great.
Comments are closed.