I remember pols proclaiming how the Florida aquarium and the Trolley were going to revitalize downtown Tampa. Both were going to pay for themselves. The city ended up having to help cover the Aquurium's debt. The trolley has not taken off as official promised. Everytime I'm downtown, I don't see anyone riding the damn thing.
Now comes Riverwalk. This will cost the taxpayer %16 million. I'm sure the price will go up. The project is already short $23 million. Jeb Bush refuses to to provide state funding. That isn't stopping Iorio from promoting her pork project on the Tampa Goverment website.
I blame the last three mayors of Tampa for these waste of money. Those Mayors happen to be Democrats. I have a real serious pet peeve about pork projects. I have been meaning to write about Riverwalk. I thought about this in my on-going debate with Bryan in the Charlie Crist Economics 101 post. Crist's plan to increase spending and cut taxes is foolish at best. You can read that post and the comments for my thoughts. What I hate is people so partisan they will defend a politician wasting money. Let me make this clear. Pam Iorio is a Democrat and I think she is a horrible Mayor. Fuck party loyality. I can think for myself.
"What I hate is people so partisan they will defend a politician wasting money."
ReplyDeleteHow does cutting taxes while increasing spending waste money? Doesn't it all depend on what the money is spent on, and don't you agree with the spending proposals?
Think for yourself and explain your apparently incoherent criticism.
Bryan, Florida can't spend more than it receives for tax revenue. Regardless, of the quality of the program.
ReplyDeleteFor the record: I don't support the trolley, aquarium or Riverwalk. I don't support Crist on the FACT. That program has been full of fraud.
"Bryan, Florida can't spend more than it receives for tax revenue."
ReplyDeleteWhy not? Haven't you ever heard of deficit spending?
Let's put the best face on your concern, however. It can be a bad thing to consistently engage in deficit spending.
What you do not seem to understand, Michael, is that decreasing tax rates may lead to an increase in tax revenue. That's because greater economic activity tends to lead to greater tax receipts.
An increase in economic activity, in fact, explains the increases in tax revenue over the last few years in Florida.
The real crime occurs when governments tax more than they spend, since that means that the government is taking your money and mine just to salt it away for a rainy day (or to be earmarked for some pork project, or for some state agency's budget). You know how it works, right? Spend all the money, or else next year's budget might get cut.
Oh, the horror!
I am not a fan of deficit spending or trickle down economics. Sorry, Bryan.
ReplyDeleteYou don't need to be a fan of it to discuss the issue employing reason instead of ridicule (though in addition to ridicule you've made some comments to the effect of it just doesn't work).
ReplyDeleteIf you're going to apologize for anything, apologize for not answering my questions. It's perfectly legitimate to prefer pay-as-you-go government, though it's probably unrealistic (especially if you elect Democrats to the federal government).
There's a difference between not preferring an approach such as Crist's and riculing it as though it fails to make basic economic sense.