John E. Simmons

Florida TaxWatch says Governor Crist's budget spends too much

With Governor Charlie Crist (RR) appearing on Meet The Press to support President Obama’s fiscal  bill, Florida TaxWatch hacks the Governor’s budget:

TALLAHASSEE - Florida TaxWatch has just released a Budget Watch report on the Governor’s recommended budget. In addition to providing highlights of the budget items, the report analyzes the implications of the Governor’s recommended budget in terms of the fiscal and economic crisis currently gripping Florida.

According to the report, the Governor’s recommended budget contains only $338 million in recurring GR base budget reductions, while adding $571 million in new recurring spending. As Florida TaxWatch President and Chief Executive Officer Dominic M. Calabro has noted, “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.”

The report concludes, “This unusual fiscal challenge presents an incredible opportunity to thoroughly reassess the core functions of state government, determine what are essential state services, reduce duplication across various programs and agencies, use the talents and successes of private enterprise to aggressively identify and collect high probable areas of fraud waste, abuse, and overuse, and collect revenues legally owed but not collected, as well as to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of agency programs, services and operations.

“Florida TaxWatch recommends that, regardless of the use of stimulus money, the Legislature use this current fiscal environment to advance its historic role and status as a national leader in sound fiscal and economic stewardship.”

To read the entire report, click on the link below.

Budget Watch - Governor’s recommended budget

Gov. Crist joins the 37%

Recent polls show only 37% of the American people support the federal bailout bill.  Governor Charlie Crist (R-Fl) says he is not part of that minority. Here's the email he sent me.

 

Dear Friend,

This week I joined 18 fellow governors from around the country in writing a letter to President Barack Obama expressing our support for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which passed last week in the U.S. House and is currently under consideration in the U.S. Senate. I also directed administration and agency leaders to begin reviewing the best use of federal stimulus dollars anticipated to be sent to Florida as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

As the U.S. Senate considers this stimulus package, I continue to work with my colleagues and members of our Congressional delegation to improve the bill while ensuring Florida receives our fair share. We do not yet know how much of this stimulus package will be allocated for Florida, but we know Congress and President Obama expect states to use the money quickly in ways that jumpstart our economy. The Federal Stimulus Working Group I convened this week will spend the weeks to come making sure we quickly and responsibly implement these federal dollars to meet the Sunshine State’s education, transportation and health care funding needs.

I am confident that as both parties come together and finalize a package, we will see federal dollars that will create jobs in Florida, improve our education system, protect the most vulnerable among us, incentivize potential homebuyers, and provide tax relief to hardworking Floridians.

I will lead the Federal Stimulus Working Group, which includes Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp, along with my chief of Staff, budget director and policy director. The group also includes leaders from major state agencies, departments and offices – including the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Education. There is no doubt these are challenging economic times for Floridians and for the state agencies that serve them. But by beginning now to look at where and how these federal dollars can be best used, we will be ready to deliver the necessary resources for our classrooms, for transportation projects, and for those who depend on Medicaid.

We are fortunate to have already laid the groundwork for efficient use of the federal stimulus money, through the Accelerate Florida initiative I launched in August. State agencies are working to remove unnecessary red tape in permitting and contracting, allowing us to speed up approved construction and capital outlay projects that will generate jobs and improve our schools, roads and waterways. In the first two months alone, the Florida Department of Transportation accelerated 170 transportation projects worth $1.4 billion. This kind of efficiency leaves Florida well-positioned to use the federal stimulus dollars quickly and productively, as Congress and President Obama intend.

Tuesday afternoon, I discussed Florida’s economy and my support for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews. To see my interview on Hardball with Chris Matthews, go to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/.

Thank you, and God Bless.

Sleeping in Heavenly Peace

Bishop John Freeman Young sleeps in Jacksonville's Old City Cemetery.  While there's nothing on his tombstone to indicate it, he's known internationally for his English translation of the world's favorite Christmas carol - "Silent Night, Holy Night."

Young was born in Pittston, Maine on October 30, 1820.  He graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary in April, 1845 and a month later was assigned to St. Johns Episcopal Church in Jacksonville.  He was ordained in Tallahassee the next year, and he served as one of only two priests in the state until 1847.

From Florida he moved to various posts in Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana.  In 1855, he became assistant pastor at Trinity Church in New York City.

The hymn "Stille Nacht! Heillge Nacht!" was written in Austria by Rev. Josef Mohr in 1816.  It was originally a six verse poem.  Two years later, the Reverend was assigned to a parish in Oberndorf, where he met Franz Xaver Gruber.  Mohr asked Gruber to set the poem to music.  The parish's organ had fallen in to such disrepair, Gruber wrote the music for choir accompanied by guitar.  Rumors say that the song was set to be performed on Christmas Eve when Mohn and Gruber found that the church's organ had been damaged by mice.  They quickly wrote the arrangement for guitar to save the performance.

However, Gruber's son wrote in a letter, “During the time when my father was the organist of the church of St Nikola, there was a very poor almost unusable organ there. This may well explain why the Reverend Mohr preferred to accompany the carol on a well-tuned guitar than on an off-pitch organ.”

In New York, Young continued his interest in hymnology.  He collected and translated Christian hymns from churches all over the world.  It's not known how Young came to know the song, but in 1859 he published "Carols for Christmas Tide", a 16-page pamphlet, containing "Silent Night, Holy Night."

In July, 1867, the Rev. Young was consecrated as the second Bishop of Florida and returned to Jacksonville.  During his nearly two decades as bishop, he increased parishes from 20 to 48, established both a boy's school and a girl's school in Jacksonville, and helped revive The University of the South at Suwannee, Tennessee. In Key West, he established St. Pauls, the first Episcopal church for African-Americans, and St. Johns, a Spanish-language parish for Cubans.

During a trip to New York, Bishop Young caught pneumonia and died on November 15, 1885.  His body was returned to Jacksonville.  Two years later,  St. Andrews Church was dedicated to him.  St. Andrews still stands as headquarters of the Jacksonville Historical Society.

The gravesite, like many in Old City Cemetery, fell into disrepair.  In July, 2008, the headstones of both Bishop Young and his wife were restored through the efforts of Flagler's Bill Egan and the Episcopal Diocese of Florida.  Bishop Young's gravesite is decorated every year by the Austrian Silent Night Society.

Large numbers apply for state assistance

Governor Charlie Crist (R-St. Petersburg) says more Floridians than ever are applying for state assistance.  In November, almost two million people received food stamps, more than 90,000 received cash benefits, and almost two million received Medicaid.

To help people receive assistance, the governor announced today the creation of My ACCESS Account, a system that allows food stamp, temporary cash assistance and Medicaid applicants and recipients to check the status of their case online, 24-hours a day, seven days a week.  George Sheldon, Secretary of the Department of Children and Families, joined Governor Crist to unveil the account management program.

"As we continue to work to make the most of state resources, it is encouraging to see state agencies finding new and practical ways to improve customer service for Floridians,” said Governor Crist. “Through the My ACCESS account system, we are providing so much more than a service.  We are giving Floridians peace of mind.“

People who wish to apply for assistance can call 1-866-76ACCES (1-866-762-2237).  They can also apply online at www.myflorida.com/accessflorida.