A Stealth Attack On Public Services

By ANDY FORD

Tampa Bay Online: Published: March 6, 2008
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/mar/06/na-a-stealth-attack-on-public-services/?news-opinion-commentary

It was with interest that I read Dan Quiggle's March 2 commentary. While I'm certainly not surprised that the leader of Florida Americans for Prosperity would support a "Taxpayer Protection Amendment," it was surprising that he would chose to cite Colorado as a model of success. Colorado approved its version of a Taxpayer Protection Amendment back in 1992 and the results do not bode well for other states looking to adopt a similar proposal.

The ultimate goal of any TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights) is to limit and eventually "starve" public budgets in an attempt to transfer, or shift, most essential government services to the private sector. Thus, it is no surprise that most boosters of this concept are also advocates of private school vouchers. The goal of these anti-public education advocates is simple: Shrink already inadequate funding to a mere trickle and public schools will fail. Then, the door is wide open for privatization.

Currently the Tax and Budget Reform Commission is reviewing a proposal that would place the so-called "Taxpayer Protection Amendment" directly on the ballot as an amendment to the Florida Constitution. This would be a decision that results in grave complications for public education and other vital services. Beyond the bypass of the governor and Legislature, the results of TABOR on public services are widely known. Here are a couple of things about Colorado's experiment that Quiggle didn't disclose:

• In 2005, public services in Colorado became so depleted that voters, led by a Republican governor, gave themselves a reprieve by approving a referendum to partially suspend many of the original proposals major provisions for five years.
• Colorado ranks 47th in K-12 education funding as a share of state income (they have the seventh highest per capita income in the country).
• Colorado's high school graduation rate fell from 76 percent in 1990 to 70 percent in 2004.
• Colorado has eliminated its affordable housing loans and grants programs.
• Colorado probation officers carry an average of 238 cases - nearly double the national average of 130.
• The percentage of low-income Colorado children who lack health insurance rose from 15 percent in 1991-92 to 27 percent in 2002-03.

My guess is that Quiggle purposely didn't disclose these statistics in his commentary. Most of the people who support TABOR-type initiatives think that all of this is fine since the ultimate goal remains the elimination of public social services.

I don't believe that Florida's Tax and Budget Reform Commission shares that goal. It remains my hope that enough commission members will research the entire Colorado experience, and defeat this piece of bad public policy.

Andy Ford is president of the Florida Education Association (FEA).