Political Courage and Economic Revitalization - Marco Rubio Style

The collapse of property values in Florida will continue to haunt all aspects of the economy for many years to come. Experts tell us that the worst has yet to come in both the residential and commercial sectors. You probably know that many foreclosures have yet to be reported, and released to the market, in order to protect the balance sheets of the damaged banks. Sooner or later they must be sold or bulldozed.

Is any body familiar with the political career of Marco Rubio? In 2006 and 2007, He fought a battle in the Florida legislature to increase the state sales tax and eliminate the property tax. The concept was to accomplish the tax replacement strategy in a revenue-neutral manner.

The effort failed after a mighty push by Marco, then Speaker of the Florida House, because the standing leaders of the Florida Senate realized that property values were increasing rapidly in the middle of the housing bubble, and this was resulting in a windfall of new money into the Florida treasury. If it ain't broke, do not fix it was the attitude. This short-sighted, deer-in-the-headlights thinking now prevents any meaningful response to the current dire budget shortfalls, and high unemployment. The only response that has made any difference in the ability of the State of Florida to meet its bills has been the fawning and begging for money from the federal government by the governor, Charlie Crist.

At the award of stimulus money in the first months of the Obama presidency, the embrace of Charlie Crist with Barack Obama on stage in a campaign-like event can be marked as the beginning of the end of Charlie's career as a Republican. ne year later, Charlie has officially resigned the party and is now an independent, non-affiliated.

Marco is poised to make a similar tax reform at the federal level, replacement of the federal income tax with the "fair tax." This will be a risky political case to make, but would promise huge economic benefits for the entire nation. The federal tax code, with all its complications is now a dead weight, holding back any promise of economic recovery.

While the revenue from sales taxes may be more volatile, it should chasten the big spenders to set aside larger rainy day fund escrows. Sales taxes could be made more fair by eliminating exemptions. A larger share of sales taxes are paid by tourists and the black market economy.

When the sacred right of property ownership is returned to the citizens of Florida, the property values will recover. As it is now, Floridians are just leasing property from the state of Florida, and the State will continue to inexorably raise our property taxes with every crisis or good intention.

Marco Rubio is not just another pretty face and eloquent politician on Fox News. Marco is a visionary who needs sober men and women to follow his leadership: who will follow? Many independents of the Tea Patry stripe like Marco, but the negative campaign about excessive Republican Party entertainment spending has taken a toll.

Rubio now leads Charlie in a three way race for the US Senate, with Democrat Kendrick Meek bringing up the rear. it remains t be seen if the remnants of the Florida Republican Party, wracked by scandals, a lack of leadership, and a bruising fight with the teachers, can now pick up were Marco left off in the legislature. In the recent legislative session, ostensibly conservative Republicans codified and increased the fees that could be charged by third party companies, in the name of the local governments, for automated RED LIGHT cameras.

The Grand OLD Party of Florida, that once distributed bumper stickers by the thousands that read, "Less Taxes, Less Government, More Freedom," has some real explaining to do to the voters of Florida.