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Talk of the bay

Bush drops to a B in governors' report card

By JEFF HARRINGTON
Published March 21, 2005

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has been knocked down a peg as the Terminator takes the top spot among the nation's fiscally fit governors.

So says the Cato Institute, the Libertarian think-tank, in its gubernatorial report card, which comes out every two years. The state leaders were graded based on 15 fiscal measures, with the most weight given to those who have reined in spending and cut taxes.

Arnold Schwarzenegger of California came out at the head of the list for cutting taxes more than $2-billion and balancing the $15-billion budget deficit that he inherited. The actor-turned-politician was one of just four governors nationwide who got an A.

Bush received a B, down from an A in 2002, the last survey. The institute said Bush's tax record "is still one of the most impressive" among his peers.

But he was taken to task for proposing larger budgets. His last two proposed budgets have grown "substantially faster" than population and inflation, the survey noted. Indeed, including supplemental additions, his 2005 budget proposal represents a 15 percent increase.

Bush also was criticized as being susceptible to "corporate welfare schemes" because "he handed $310-million in taxpayer money to the Scripps Institute to lure it to Florida," Cato said.

Bush spokeswoman Alia Faraj defended the governor's record, saying three ratings agencies recently have upgraded the state, viewing its finances as "stronger than ever."

She also defended proposed budget increases this year and said Florida's financial picture would be even stronger if the Legislature endorses Bush's proposed changes to Medicaid, which currently accounts for about a quarter of the budget.

[Last modified March 20, 2005, 01:02:02]