State House candidate James Ryan O’Hara answers our spending question:
Q: According to the Florida state budget, the State of Florida spends approximately $70 Billion a year (http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/Florida_state_budget).
Do you think the state government should spend more, less, or is this about the right amount?
If more, where would you spend more and where would you get the money from?
If less, what spending would you cut?
A: The state of Florida needs to streamline government and cut spending. In order to right Florida’s financial ship we must find more efficient uses for taxpayer funds. There are many areas of the budget where spending can be reduced. Here are a few examples:
1. Health Care: Florida faced a budget shortfall $2 billion dollars this last session. Medicaid spending amounted for almost a third of the budget, roughly $20 billion dollars in 2011, by 2014 that spending is projected to be $24 billion. For the past few years Florida has tested a managed care pilot program which has resulted in savings. Expanding more privatized options for medicaid spending will result in more savings and more efficiency.
2. Unemployment: A rough economy has resulted in more stress on our states already strained unemployment system. Recently, the system has been renamed Re-employment services. However, changing the name doesn’t make it more efficient. By working with local businesses to promote internships subsidized by the Re-employment fund in order to promote long term hiring will lessen the time unemployed workers are on the roles thus reducing costs to the taxpayer.
3. Housing: Although not exactly a budget cut, legislation to address foreclosures in our state can result in a healthy housing market which is vital to Florida’s overall economic success. Last session a bill to speed up the foreclosure process for abandoned homes failed in the senate. Currently Florida’s courts are back logged with foreclosure cases and has one of the longest repossession time periods. A bill that can speed this long wait on foreclosures, while protecting homeowners property rights, can get these houses back on the market and reduce the burden faced by the state and local governments.
